Hotaru knows that voice. It’s a voice he hasn’t heard in a long time. One that could annoy and irritate him but ultimately have his back. A friend.
“You’re still as loud as ever..” He sighs, hands awkwardly shoved into his pockets. Hugs, handshakes..not his thing to initiate. Even with those closest to him he had a hard time sharing any sort of physical contact. The ease to his shoulders and relaxation in expression is his way of friendly greeting.
“Oh, there you are.” Looking up from her phone she smiles at seeing the other walking toward her. Right on time! She slips the phone into her pocket and takes a step forward, waving.
“I really appreciate you helping me out on such short notice. I’ve been trying to find something for Hotaru’s birthday for weeks now but nothing seems right.” Kura gives a light hearted sigh, spirit not crushed just yet. “It seems I’ve hit a dead end, haha. But I thought maybe with two minds it would be easy to find a gift for him.
Platonic ship hc (Hotaru and Keiya cuz she would like to be included)
(yes ofc I’m all for the platonic relationships yayy <33!! )
Hotaru refuses to admit defeat when it comes to alcohol tolerance and Keiya. Of course he loses every time and ends up a drunk mess with Keiya lugging him back home to sleep off his defeat.
“Do you need me to kill someone for you?” (For Kura because Keiya would jump to that for the cute human.)
“Kill!? No, nobody!” It may have been a joke coming from another but Kura didn’t take it as one from the feline. Not when that serious edge to her tone was present. “This was just a accident.” She laughs lightly, embarrassment creeping up on her. The bruise on her forehead was dark and menacing but completely accidental. “I just slipped a little at the library. I wanted a book from the very top but I was too impatient to go and find a stool so I just climbed the bookshelf. Guess my shoes didn’t have enough grip to the soles..”
“Anyway, I’m fine! I just bumped my head, the doctor even said there was no concussion so it’s okay. I appreciate the offer but there is no one to kill or harm in any way.” She gives a smile in hopes of easing Keiya’s worries, “I’d rather not have someone’s death on my conscience, especially over a silly bump. Thank you for your concern though.”
"This city is growin’ more ‘n more borin’ each day I swear. It’s always the same ol’ shit with these humans. Things gotta get spiced up or somethin’, seriously.”
Ren whined scratching his head as he looked about. Seriously, he grew so tired of the same thing day in and day out. “I’m stumped, ya got any ideas what to do? I mean, there’s like laser tag ‘n paint ball ‘n stuff in town, but I ain’t wanna make ya do somethin’ if it’s borin’ to ya.”
He hesitated to open the door fully aware of what was waiting for him behind it. The thought of turning around and bolting crossed his mind, as it did many times before, but he pushed it away.
In one fluid motion he enters the house and pulls his bag off his shoulder. It’s not even completely off before he’s grabbed and pulled toward the couch. A welcoming sight as he was exhausted but the boy knew this wasn’t going to be a relaxing chit chat.
“Care to explain the phone call we received from your school earlier?” A male, young thirties with hair already speckled with gray. The ‘father’ of the house. That wasn’t what Hotaru addressed him by. After eight months here he still called him by surname. This man wasn’t his father, he never would be.
“He started it.” The blunt truth. It wasn’t a good enough answer and Hotaru can hear a groan coming from him and the woman behind him, leaning against a wall and holding her head as if in pain. “He started messing with me, I didn’t mean to-”
“You broke the kid’s fucking arm! How do you go that far without meaning to?!” The boy looks away with no answer. He had always been stronger than others his age but it seemed worse when he was angry. “Come on, speak! Don’t just give me that same damn excuse, every single time something goes wrong ‘I didn’t mean to’! You are 13 now, you should-”
“Honey, breathe.” The ‘mother’ of the house steps up, patting her husband’s back. Her voice was stern but not furious like the male. She sounded tired, like she had been crying for a long time. Switching her attention to Hotaru she gives a disapproving frown, “You left the school ground’s after that, nobody could find you. You had everyone worried, and running away doesn’t help the situation.”
“I know.” But no matter how physically tough he was Hotaru was still a kid. It had even scared him when it happened. He would always be haunted by that cracking sound, the quiet whispers of the gather crowd, it was all etched into his memories.
“And it’s summer, it’s too hot to be wearing that scarf. Here,” The woman reaches out with delicate hands to unwrap the green material from around his neck. He holds onto it tightly, heart beat picking up. “No! I-I’m fine, don’t take it!”
It’s a short lived struggle, the boy too tired to put up a decent fight. The scarf slips from his neck and he can feel some of the anger dissipate. “What is that? Is that a rash?”
“It’s nothing! I mean, I don’t know, it just showed up..” He uses a hand to hide the red patch on his neck. There was silence and he pulls away when the mother want’s to expect it. He takes the moment to slide off the couch and down the hallway to the room he shared with the other foster child, an 8 year old boy. He was sleeping peacefully and Hotaru tries to keep quiet as he slips into his bed.
—
“The ride is a little long so here’s something to snack on.” A small bag filled with handmade chocolate covered pretzels and a fruit juice are handed over. Hotaru gives a bow of thanks, eyes staying downcast. It was a kind gesture despite the last week within the household had been incredibly strained.
It was a routine he was familiar with. He would no longer be living with this ‘mother’ and ‘father’. They couldn’t handle the constant fights, the constant misunderstandings. It was always the same. This time around he gets a pat and kiss on top of his head. She was the only one to send him off, but he preferred it that way. He didn’t want to say goodbye to the man.
He turns toward and walks to the car that will take him to his next house. The agency had told him this ‘mother’ and ‘father’ were a little older than all the others, they had more experience with foster kids. He wouldn’t get his hopes up of the possibility of this becoming a home and not just a house. Sliding into the backseat of the car he buckles up and doesn’t look back as the house, or the woman, as the vehicle moves forward and out of sight.
"Hotaru, if I kiss you, will that stop you from bein' such a grumpy toad?"
“Wha-”
“N-no..Hell no!” His voice rises as he pulls back, cheeks a burning red. Where did that come from? The half demon wasn’t good with personal affection and for Keiya to come out and ask such a ridiculous thing tipped him over the edge. “Why would you say that?! I-I don’t want to kiss you! No offense, but seriously, that’s not something you just go around doing so carefree!”
“And what’s the deal with ‘grumpy toad’? Is that seriously the best insult you can come up with?” Of course he was offended, he looked nothing like a toad. “Go find someone else to irritate, I’m sure there are suckers out there that will take you up on that offer.”
