A kitsune wanders into a certain slime's heart....
Recommended listening: ' Here's Where The Story Ends - The Sundays '
Gender Neutral Kitsune Reader x Rimuru Tempest (unfinished oneshot?)
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The city of Tempest was louder than ever as its people basked in the festival atmosphere. Amidst the vibrant sounds, footsteps, and colors, someone unmistakable stood out: you. It was rare for a kitsune like you; a mori kitsune no less, to come out to play in the beating heart of a city, but here you were. It was perhaps a fair bit too loud for the likes of an ordinarily secluded kitsune like yourself, but cities produce good food, so you partook nonetheless. Most of the noise pollution was really just a senseless droning that you paid no mind to, anyway. You watched the lively city around you from the lens of an outsider, this colorful display was no home of yours. Bargains and arguments were forged in the corners of shop stalls, drowned out by laughter and chatter of the festival-goers wandering from stall to stall.
Lanterns hung overhead, strung about like bound jellyfish, filling the streets with warm, rosy light. Maybe you came here for a reason, but you couldn’t remember what that reason was. Regardless, you were determined to enjoy yourself, and right now that enjoyment sounded like the sizzle of skewers being grizzled in a stall nearby. You pivoted, making your way towards your new craving, moving with a lazy gait that faded into a jog. Everything else was fading into background noise… everything except the sudden sensation of brushing shoulders with another living being, making fleeting physical contact.
You fell back a few steps, recoiling as you got a better chance to take a look at the stranger. A woman… no, a man? Your brow involuntarily furrowed as you observed the phenomenon in front of you: A youthful fellow with pale blue hair cascading a fair bit past their shoulders, odd golden eyes glittering in the light, and a friendly demeanor.
“Ah, sorry.” You muttered, more out of courtesy than any real sense of remorse.
“Huh? Oh, it’s all good. Don’t worry about it!” The stranger in front of you replied, waving off your apology with a disarming smile. Unsure how else to react, you nodded bemusedly, humming slightly in agreement. Without so much as another sound, you both sort of naturally drifted back to your original goals. You made it to the skewer stall, absentmindedly bargaining with the shophand in an oh-so-familiar manner while your mind wandered. Reaching out, you took the readily offered skewer from the shophand, observing it for a hesitant moment.
The crispy meat, coated in a sauce glaze, shone under the light of the lanterns above as you contemplated it. After a moment more of hesitant contemplation, you made up your mind and took a firm bite. It was good, like civilized food usually was. You wanted to enjoy your spoils of war, but the stranger you had crossed paths with seemed to be haunting you. Taking another bite, you allowed yourself to wander, feet carrying you further down the street, no goal in mind. Somehow, as if designed by fate itself, you found that the stranger you’d seen once before was just a few steps in front of you. You halted, not wanting this individual to think you’d been stalking him.
You sidled over to a benign stall selling fans. It didn’t interest you, you just wanted to look busy. You made idle chatter with the shop owner while keeping your eyes glued on the current object of your interest. Perhaps you should have seen it coming, as the blue haired individual you were trying to avoid turned around and stopped at the same stall. You got a better look at his friends, but didn’t pay attention to them. You reached the conclusion that it would be best just to start a conversation.
“See anything you like?” You asked. You had aimed to seem confident and maybe a bit sly, but your voice came out awkward and unprepared to your ears.
“Hm, this design’s pretty. Oh, maybe she’d like that one?” The blue haired boy replied as he examined the fans. Something about the mention of a she pulled at something in your chest that you couldn’t name. You inhaled and exhaled quickly. It would be expected that he would have a lover of some sort, no?
Despite yourself, you wound up asking, “Oh? Who’s the lucky lady?” You mentally facepalmed, why couldn’t you just converse normally?
“No, no, I’m getting a gift for my friend. Wait… that’s right, this is our second time meeting, isn’t it? I guess I should tell you my name?” He answered in a rush, eager to get all his thoughts out. You nodded, assenting. “You can call me Rimuru!” He continued. You mulled over the name in your mind for a moment, it seemed nice enough. “Rimuru, hm? That’s a lovely name.” You replied politely, and finished the exchange by informing him of your name, as well.
“I’m kinda at a loss here… I want to get this fan for a friend of mine, but I think she’d like this other one better.” Rimuru sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Just get her both, then?” You suggested languidly. “Oh, yeah! Good idea!” Rimuru nodded, acquiescing. “You’re pretty good at shopping, huh? And… pretty.” Rimuru offered, trailing off at the end as his confidence seemed to vanish. It was rather adorable.
“Mhm, I don’t visit human cities often, but I do enjoy a good shopping trip. It heals the soul.” You explained, feeling lightweight for the first time since you arrived. “You don’t live in a city…?” Rimuru started to question, but your fox ears seemed to catch his attention. You supposed that the fox features probably answered his question for him.
