seen from Greece
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Switzerland
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Ukraine
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from Yemen
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
The other night dear,
as i lay sleeping
I dremt i held you
In my arms
When i awoke dear,
I was mistaken
So i hung my head and cried
Day 5:KuroMahiweek 2018
Everyone has secrets. Things they just don't feel comfortable sharing with anybody, not even their closest friends. Not even Mahiru was exempt from this, but that was normal. He had fears and things that he didn't want anyone to know. But when it came to Kuro, he changed his tune.
Kuro’s secrets often caused him grief, so Mahiru wanted to help him with as many of them as possible. The vampire understood that all he wanted to do was help, but it was still hard to speak about some of his secrets, and that was why Mahiru came up with a system for such a problem.
First the teenager would open up and tell his partner about one of his secrets, he knew Kuro wouldn't judge him for anything, (he'd made it abundantly clear that he simply COULDN’T judge the boy.), but still he didn't want to talk about certain thoughts he had, or feelings, or memories. Yet, for the sake of helping the bluenette, he would.
Once he shared one of his secrets, the immortal would have to tell one of his own. Most commonly the secret he shared would be about one of his past memories with his siblings, but he almost never spoke of his creator. On the rare instances that he DID tell Mahiru something about the man, things were hard.
The brunet would feel horrible for his lover, he would hold him as he spoke, brush through his hair with his fingers, and rub his back. He knew how painful this was for him. Kuro appreciated the gestures, but it also made things harder, because he knew he was hurting Mahiru.
It always ended up with the boy crying for him, and the immortal holding the brunet tightly to his chest. Both hurting, both sad, but both understanding. Once the teen calmed down he would always end their little session off with the words, “It will all be okay now. I'm here for you.”, and a kiss to the scarlet eyed male’s forehead.
Kuro would thank him and the two would try to lighten their spirits by watching an anime together, or playing a video game, or sometimes just cuddling. And while Kuro would never say it to the youth while he was awake, as soon as the brunet was asleep, he would whisper his thanks over and over again, before clutching the adolescent tightly and placing his head on the boy's shoulder to sleep himself.
The vampire knew that his Eve would love to hear how much his efforts helped, he would love to know that the immortal was grateful for his aid. But he was never good with his words, and Mahiru himself had said that it was okay to have flaws, that they would just take baby steps together until the day that Kuro felt comfortable enough to do more. The Eve knew how messed up his Servamp was from his past, and he was more than alright with dealing with his quirks. Everyone had a flaw of some kind, that's what makes people human. And when he told Kuro that, the vampire looked as if he may cry.
“I don't care if you are a vampire or not Kuro, I don’t think that's a flaw, but I know you do for some reason. So until I can get you to accept that you are amazing the way you are, we will just have to keep working on it. But for what it's worth, you're human in my eyes.”
Finally, the icy blue haired male found the strength to clutch the boy's hands in both of his own, bow his head, and thank him earnestly. Both males knowing that they had reached some sort of milestone. And that made them both happier than anything else ever could.
THE END
Day 6 KuroMahiweek 2018:
Sometimes Mahiru felt less like a boyfriend and more like a parent. He knew all his friends saw him as the mom-friend, and he didn't mind that, he was very caring and he did watch all of them all the time, and he did tend to nag like a housewife…. Okay. So maybe he was basically a mom. But that didn't mean he wanted to feel like he had a son instead of a lover.
“Kuro, I have school tomorrow you know.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That means YOU have school tomorrow too, you know.”
“Uh-huh.”
Quickly growing irritated with the one sided conversation, he marched over and grabbed the controller from his boyfriend's hands, pausing the game and turning off the TV, he looked back at the stunned bluenette.
“Kuro, I'm serious. Bed. Now.”
The vampire groaned and flopped on his back on the floor, refusing to get up. One would think that the sin of Sloth would WANT to go to bed.
“Don't wanna. Ten more minutes mom.”
“You said that 10 minutes ago!”
“So loud so late at night, can't deal.”
The poor brunet was nearly at his breaking point.
“Kuro it's half an hour past our bedtime. Do you know what that means? That means that we have already lost 30 minutes of our 8 hours before school tomorrow. Don't you want to get some rest so you won't be tired tomorrow?”
The immortal gave a half-hearted shrug from his spot on the ground, seemingly uncaring about the amount of sleep he got.
“Eh, I'm always tired, it's part of who I am. Why do you think I have these dark bags? Besides, I can just sleep in your backpack all day if I want to. Just go to bed without me, I'm fine, I'll even turn the volume on the TV down so you won't hear it from in there. Or I can play on my handheld.”
And therein lay the problem, Mahiru didn't want to go to bed without Kuro. Not only because he wanted to make sure his boyfriend got some proper rest, but because he slept better with him there.
They had both spent years alone and had now grown accustomed to the presence of another person. To go back to being alone, even if it was just to sleep for the night, the change, it was jarring.
“Fine, if you're not tired yet, then I'm not either. Let's play a game together.” Said the Eve in an eerily calm voice.
The Servamp sat up abruptly, suddenly completely focused on the boy and nothing else.
“Huh?”
The teen walked over and sat down on the floor next to his partner, crossing his legs and grabbing the second controller that rarely got used, since Kuro swore that the he couldn't play with it because the weight and overall feel was different from his usual remote, he would also often say that the buttons put up to much resistance from not being broken in yet and he was too lazy to break it in.
“I said let's play a game together.”
The vampire blinked owlishly in confusion, his partner never opted to stay up and play games, he was far too responsible and stubborn for that.
“Mahiru, are you okay?”
“I’m fine Kuro.”
The bluenette gave him a wary look, but said nothing else as he started the game. The boys spent the next 2 hours playing in silence, with Mahiru's anger growing with each match. All the while, his partner gave him curious and worried looks.
Finally, after losing what seemed like the 100th bout, the Eve appeared to have reached his breaking point. Screaming in frustration while running a hand vigorously through his hair and slamming his controller down. He stood up and kicked the couch, rustling his hair a bit more, before sitting back down and grabbing his remote once more.
“Again.”
Finally, Kuro decided that enough was enough, he was worried about his boyfriend greatly. He had been acting incredibly out of character for a while now, and it was getting really late. Why wouldn't he just go to bed?
“No. Alright Mahiru, enough is enough, do you wanna tell me what's wrong? I'm here for you ya know? You always listen to me when I am upset, and I can tell something is bothering you, you seem really stressed out. So talk to me, please.”
The youth sighed, glancing at the screen to see his little brown haired boy, clapping with his spherical hands, while Kuro's little robot boy that somehow beat him, stood victoriously.
“I'm sorry Kuro, I guess I'm just tired.”
That made sense, it was nearly 12am. And the youth was used to going to bed from 8:30pm-9:30pm. But then, why didn't he just go to bed?
“So why don't you just go to sleep?”
“NO!”
The two males jolted, the Eve was so quick to refuse, and he said it so loudly that it was startling.
“Sorry, I just...don't want to go to bed yet. Unless you're tired and ready to go to bed that is. Then we turn off the game and go to bed.”
There he went again, trying to steer the Servamp to bed. He thought it was for his own good earlier, but... could it be… that the boy was doing it for himself and not his vampire lover?
“Mahiru… Answer me honestly here. Are you only staying up because you don't want to go to bed without me?”
The boy flinched.
Bingo.
The youth looked away once more, guilt and shame painting his features, and Kuro didn't like it one bit. He placed his own controller down and turned to face the brunet, the way he had been faced by the teen before.
“Why didn't you just tell me? If I'd known you were waiting on me to go to bed, I would have gone with you the first time you asked.”
“I.. I just… I didn't want to seem like a little kid, one that can't sleep unless he is with his parents for protection from the monsters.”
The vampire sighed and shook his head, then reached out and embraced the boy tightly, before burying his face in the mocha locks.
“Mahiru, my dear, silly, Eve. I could never, and would never think that of you. It's a pain to admit, but you are the best person on the planet to me, you could never do anything to change my opinion of you. Besides, after everything you've seen and been through, it would be justified if you sought protection while you slept.”
The teen laughed, which drew a small smile from the immortal.
“Yeah, I guess you're right Kuro. So, do you want to go to bed then?”
“Hmm, I don't know, it sounds like a pain.”
The teen chuckled and punched his partner in the shoulder in a joking manner, admonishing his comment with a light “Kuro.” to which the vampire replied with “I'm just kidding.
“So seriously, it's like 12 in the morning, at this point I'm considering just staying home tomorrow and sleeping all day. I guess you're rubbing off on me. Sooo, bed?”
The Servamp smiled again before ruffling the teenager's hair affectionately.
“Gladly.”
Within a moment they had turned off their game, put up the controllers and stood, grasping one another's hand and making their way down the hall to their bedroom.
The two changed in comfortable silence before Kuro threw himself down onto the mattress, while Mahiru laid gently on top of his boyfriend, head resting softly on his lover's shoulder, while he placed a hand lovingly on the bluenette’s chest.
“Mm, goodnight Kuro.”
The vampire kissed the boy's forehead and nuzzled further into him, both males closing their eyes as they allowed themselves to fall into dreamland.
“Goodnight Mahi, sleep well.”
And they did, well into the late hours of the morning, effectively missing class for the day. And surprisingly, Mahiru couldn't find it in himself to be upset about it, for it was the best sleep he had ever had.
THE END
Day 1: KuroMahiweek 2018 Part 2:
The immortal jumped a bit as he glanced down at his plate and saw he only had a bit of rice left, but he didn't feel like eating it, not now that his gut had begun twisting around itself.
“Ah, yeah, I guess. Good dinner dear.” He said in his lazy, sarcastic drawl.
The youth laughed once more and stood to collect all their plates, bowls, and other dishware, and that was when he saw it.
The boy looked positively awful. He had light bags under his eyes, as well as a bandage under one of them on his cheek. Instantaneously, Kuro is on his feet, taking quick steps over to his young lover who just padded off into the kitchen, he quickly grabbed the sleeve of the jacket and yanked it up, noticing even more bandages there, covering his upper right arm, as well as his wrist. A fast glance down showed the bandages on his left leg as well.
“Uh, K-Kuro?”
It was as if a bomb went off. The vampire's face shifting from silent horror, to anger, on a dime. Red eyes piercing his own brown ones.
“Who did this? How did this happen? Mahiru, what went down at that store? Why couldn't you just stay home like you promised.”
“K-Kuro…”
He knew his boyfriend was mad at him, he was just upset that he had gotten hurt, he was angry at the ones who had inflicted the injuries on him. Yet he couldn't help but duck his head in shame, as if he were the child getting lectured by his parent for once.
He heard a long, withering, sigh. Within a second, there are arms wrapped around him, pulling him against a familiar bell wearer's chest.
“You're such a pain I could die, Mahiru.”
Suddenly the arms shift from hugging him, to picking him up, to which he flings his arms around the immortal’s pale neck and squeaks out a loud “Kuro! What are you doing?!”, only to be ignored.
He gently dropped the lad on the couch and turned around, scratching the back of his hooded head in embarrassment.
“I’ll do the dishes, you just take it easy for once.”
Without further discussion, the bluenette retreats back into the kitchen, leaving a stunned Mahiru.
The brunet sat blinking owlishly as he tried to figure out if he heard him right. Perhaps he had died in the store after all and this was heaven?
After a minute, he heard the sink turn on and smiled. Kuro really was concerned if he offered to do the dishes, and he was actually doing them! Not just offering to do it and hoping that would be enough to keep Mahiru from getting up.
Laying back on the sofa, he turned on his side and silently thanked Kuro, as a yawn worked its way out of his mouth. His eyes barely staying open as he listened to a few silent curses as Kuro struggled not to drop the slippery, wet, dishes. He chuckled and allowed his caramel orbs to slid shut, letting the water soothe him to sleep.
A few moments later found the Servamp of Sloth returning to the living room to check on his Eve as soon as the dishes were done. Honestly, didn't the boy know how important he was to him? What if he had died while Kuro was with his siblings? He wouldn't have known, he would have searched for the child to the ends of the planet.
He silently thanked ever deity known to man, that whatever happened at that store tonight, had not taken his light, and snuffed out the boy’s life.
Glancing at his boyfriend, he noticed he was softly snoring, meaning he had decided to go to bed at 8:30pm when he normally went to sleep at 9:30pm. He didn't even brush his teeth.
The vampire chuckled and shook his head, stuffing his right hand in his pocket, he padded forward to brush the soft mocha locks away from his face to place a light kiss on his forehead.
“Silly Mahiru, don't you know you mean the world to me? What would I have done if I'd lost you? I can't even follow you if, or....when you die. I know you are tough enough to hold your own, but I would never forgive myself if I wasn't there to protect you when you needed me. Goodnight love. Please try not to scare me like this again in the future. Ah, who am I kidding, it's who you are and I wouldn't change a thing about you.”
Shaking his head at himself for talking to a person who couldn't even hear him, he fought to keep the smile off his face as he checked the windows and doors to make sure they were shut and locked, made sure the stove was off and went to brush his teeth, before heading right back to his loyal partner.
At the last minute, he changes his mind and heads into the bedroom, returning with a pillow and blanket to cover his lover so he doesn't get sick on top of being injured, and to support his head so he doesn't get a neck cramp from sleeping with his head at a weird angle.
Once he was done, he nodded at his work, transformed into his feline form and hopped up on the couch, hurrying to curl up under the Eve’s arm, and nuzzling into his chest with a soft smile tugging at his lips.
His Eve could be such a damn pain, but he was the best pain he had ever experienced in all his immortal life, and he would be damned if he didn't do everything he could to protect and care for him. Even if it meant he had to do the dreaded dishes.
The end
Wooo!!! KuroMahiweek is finally upon us! I know most people will probably write about the time Mahiru and Kuro split up in C3, or when C3 kidnapped Mahiru, but I wanted to be different.
And I wanted to write a strong Mahiru who gets things done without needed to always be protected, but I did also write an alternate ending where Kuro shows up to help him. I will be posting both on AO3 later tonight.
Anyway, sorry that it had to be broken up into 2 posts, this one was like 4,000 words or something, but the other ones I wrote are shorter I believe. Happy KuroxMahiru week everyone!
Day 7 KuroMahiweek 2018:
It was a bright, warm, sunny day on campus. Since he had graduated highschool, he had begun attending college. At first he wasn't sure how he was going to pay for it, but Misono stepped in and paid for the both of them to go to the same school. Mahiru tried to politely refuse, saying he couldn't do that because it was so much money, but the Eve of Lust wouldn't hear of it.
So the two began taking classes together, but since Mahiru wasn't sure what he wanted to major in yet, he just took the basic courses, so he and his friend weren't able to get all the same classes. They had been attending the school for awhile now, they were on their second term actually, and had fallen into a steady rhythm.
The two had one class together at 1:30pm, that lasted for about an hour. And Mahiru's last class before that let out at around 12:15pm. So he had an hour break to a get lunch and just cool down. But, as always, the boy couldn't sit still, he always had to be doing something, and that something was feeding the ducks that hung around the school.
So he had developed a routine of walking all the way across the campus to give the ducks bread and oatmeal, that wasn't wrong, despite the fact that a certain cat vampire always tried to tell him the opposite. He didn't blame Kuro though, he had some good points after all.
The ducks would become dependent on humans and wouldn't know how to find their own food, and Mahiru wouldn't be there forever to feed them. Not to mention, the ducks shouldn't get too familiar with people, as some humans may hurt them, and they would already come running (waddling?) up to Mahiru at the sight of him.
But still the boy fed them. One of the ducks had laid eggs recently and wouldn't be able to leave her nest to get food as she had to keep her babies warm so they would hatch, so he felt obligated to continue providing for them. The boy glanced at the clock and realized that it was five minutes until the end of his class, so he packed up all his things and headed to the door.
After his professor gave the go ahead, he left, immediately heading toward the school's huge pond. Bread and oatmeal in hand and ready to give to his feathered friends. He made it in record time, taking only 7 minutes to walk the whole trek that normally took him 12.
Upon arrival, he was instantly greeted by a flock of ducks or all kinds, and leading the charge was the biggest of them all, the one he affectionately referred to as Piggy. The Muscovy was quite the eater, even going as far as to shove the others out of the way to steal their food. He usually just left 3 separate piles for him to rotate between so he would take the others food.
The next was the smallest, a male mallard who never strayed too far from his mate, a large White Pekin. While her mate trusted him and took the food gratefully from him, she preferred to keep her distance and would only eat once Mahiru backed away.
Following them, he began to leave piles of oatmeal around the bushes that the others liked to sleep in, and as soon as he did, the Cayuga came charging, devouring the food as if they hadn't eaten in years. The boy laughed and shook his head, before waltzing over to the injured female Muscovy that was hobbling toward him slowly.
The poor girl had a busted foot a while ago that just never healed right, as well as injured wings that were incapable of flight. Muscovy ducks have quite the reputation of being an ‘invasive species’ so some people will just kill them or call someone to get rid of them when they spy them. And it didn’t help that the other ducks weren’t exactly fond of her. Honestly, the pitiful gal was lucky to even be alive, so he always took extra care to feed her more and stand guard over her while she ate so the others wouldn't take it from her.
Thankfully, she never took long to eat, and within minutes, he was on his way. There was only one duck left to feed, the one that built her nest in the bushes nearest to the parking lot. Smiling as he walked, he began to hum a tune and whistle to try and get the duck to recognize who was coming so she wouldn't panic and abandon her nest.
However, the closer he got, the worse he began to feel. From the distance he was at, he could make out some white, oval shaped, objects that were laying on the ground. Worry overtaking his system, he sprinted forward and threw himself around the pillar that obscured the bush from sight, and what he saw was heartbreaking.
There, out in front of the bush, just behind the pillar, lay the carcass of the mother duck. Instantly a wave of nausea overtook him as he lifted a hand to cover his mouth.
How did this happen?! What happened? Why is she dead?! Oh god, she's dead, her babies, how long has she been off her eggs? I have to at least save her babies!
Tearing his eyes away from the body, he rushed over to the bush and pushed it apart to find that there were only 4 eggs in the nest. But he knew there was supposed to be more than that. Once he looked up, he saw where the others went.
The objects that he was unable to identify earlier, were clearly identifiable now. They were eggs. Her eggs. Her babies. He was too late. Some were smashed, some had holes in them, either way, they were dead too. The mother, and 8 of her babies, we're dead. And he had no idea why.
No longer able to keep in control, the boy began to hyperventilate. He dropped to his knees, shuddering as he fought the urge to vomit.
“Nyahhh, Mahiruuu, what's going on out there? I'm getting all jostled around and it's hard to sleep when with all the shaking.” Came a whine from his backpack.
Unable to answer his Servamp due to his hyperventilating, the boy just shook his head and ignored him, and, upon not receiving a response, the kitten in his bag poked its head out. Glancing around with tired eyes, the feline surveyed the area. As soon as he saw his Eve’s current state, he hopped out onto the boy's shoulder.
“Hey, Mahiru, are you okay? Take deep breaths and talk to me, what's wrong?”
The boy simply shook his head again and pointed. Immediately, Kuro saw what was wrong.
“Oh no.”
Within the blink of an eye, the cat had jumped from his master’s shoulder, and onto the ground in front of him, blocking his line of sight of the grizzly scene with his now humanoid form. Without waiting for the brunet to even look at him, he reached down and pulled the youth up and into him, shielding the lad’s eyes by burying his face into his chest.
The two stood wordlessly, arms tightly wound around one another as the younger male began to hiccup and cry. Neither male knew how long they were standing there for, nor did they pay any attention to those who walked by and gave them strange looks. They didn't care what others thought, Mahiru was too hurt and upset to even notice, and Kuro was too concerned about his Eve.
After a while, Kuro realized the boy wasn't calming down any and decided that it would be best to just call it a day and take the boy home where he could properly collect himself, away from the judging eyes of peers and reminders of what occured. Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by a ringing sound coming from the brunet’s pocket. Sighing, he reached into said pocket and pulled out the cell phone within.
“Hello?”
“Shirota, it's me, I got out of class early, let's meet up.”
“Sorry bastard-chan, there is no way that is happening, Mahiru is officially out of commission.”
“What?! You're not Shirota, explain what is going on, now Sloth.”
The vampire glanced at the phone, then at his trembling Eve, before sighing and quietly telling the rich boy what had happened, as well as his plans to take the boy home. Misono agreed with his idea and said that he would tell their teacher and take notes for him while he was out.
He also said that before taking the boy home, he should get him some water first to try and keep him from puking, so he offered to stop by a vending machine and said he would be there in 5 minutes, and that Kuro should just hold tight and try to calm the boy down until Misono could get there.
The immortal didn't want to stay any longer than he had to, but relented. If the rich brat thought it would help, then there was no harm in trying, besides, the brunet didn't seem to be capable of moving currently anyway. Five minutes passed and here came the distinct purple clad boy carrying a water bottle, panting as he ran with his butterfly flapping over his shoulder.
“Shirota, *huff huff* here, drink *gasp* this.”
With a shaking hand, the boy handed the bottle off to the trembling male that was practically fused with the blue haired male. Mahiru took a few chugs to try and quell the nausea he was battling with, before he decided to just down the whole thing.
“Ahh, hey, Mahiru, why don't we go home? Bastard-chan said he will cover you in class today, what do you say? Think you can walk?”
The lad shook his head that was back to resting itself in the bluenette’s shirt, which caused the bloodsucker to sigh and move to lift him into his arms.
“Kuro….We have to tell someone...About the duck, and the eggs..” Came the muffled words of the distraught adolescent.
Looking over at the problem in question, he realized Mahiru was right. They couldn't just leave the dead body there, and the eggs that weren't destroyed may still have a chance to live if they were incubated. Sighing, once again, he hushed the younger male.
“Ah, such a pain. I just want to get you home as soon as possible, but you're right. I'll take care of it.”
Shifting his lover onto his back, he turned to head towards the nearest building, which happened to be the library, to tell someone about the duck.
“Good idea Shirota. Sloth, you tell someone about the duck and the smashed eggs, I'll send lily to get an incubator for the undamaged ones, and I will stay and supervise things here.”
Turning, he saw the midget collapsed on a nearby bench, his partner fanning him with a piece of paper. The blond then gave them a gentle smile and nodded, silently telling Kuro that he would indeed take care of the whole eggs. Kuro nodded back in gratitude and thanked the Eve of Lust, as he walked past them and made his way to the library.
He quickly located the man behind the front desk checking in books, and cleared his throat. The man jumped spun around, blinking in surprise before smiling and asking how he could help him. Kuro explained the situation and the man gave a puzzled look as he grabbed the phone and called the school's maintenance. He gave Kuro the phone and let him explain where the duck was and then hung up.
The vampire thanked the man and headed back out the way he came in, all the while, he was acutely aware of the man's eyes on him and his partner's back. He was sure it looked odd to see a man in a blue coat with black fluff ears that didn't even go to the school, carrying a student who looked at be unconscious on his back. His hand absentmindedly squeezed the boy’s thigh.
Shaking his head, he walked back to where the duck was and saw two men picking it up with a shovel and placing it on the back of their golf cart. The men said they would clean up the eggs later, once they had dealt with the duck. They then promised to dispose of it properly, which to Kuro meant incineration, but to Mahiru he thought they meant a burial, or perhaps he just chose to believe that was what it was.
At the same time, he saw Misono was on the phone with Lily, coordinating the rescue of the untouched eggs. The purple clad Eve nodded at him and waved him away with a hand, so he nodded back and began the long walk home.
He wasn't sure how long it took him, and he was sure Mahiru didn't either. In fact, he thought for sure that the boy had fallen asleep or something, as he had not moved or spoken the entire time. Eventually the couple did make it home to their apartment, and the vampire couldn't have been happier.
The red eyed male removed his boots, Mahiru's sneakers, and the lad’s backpack, before he carried the Eve to his bed. When he tried to lay his love down on the bed, he felt a hand grasp tightly onto his coat, which caused him to look into the teary-eyed teen below him.
In the caramel orbs, he saw a silent please not to leave him alone, so he sighed and laid down with him.
“Mahiru. I'm sorry. Are you okay?”
He shook his head.
“Will you be okay?”
The boy was still for a moment, then nodded.
“Well, until then, I'll be right here with you.”
“...Thank you.”
The Servamp smiled, and leaned forward to kiss the boy’s nose.
“No problem love. Anytime you need me, I will be right by your side.”
“Forever and always?”
“Forever and always.”
THE END
Day 4 KuroMahiweek 2018:
He was trapped, in a pit of swirling darkness. He was scared, terrified, he didn't want to, but he had to. If he wanted to save the boy, he had to act fast, he had to give him his blood, he had to turn him. Suddenly, the vampire shot up, awakened by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder.
Glancing around with frantic eyes, his scarlet orbs settled on the figure of his loving Eve, Mahiru.
“Kuro, are you okay? Your face looked pained, were you having a nightmare?”
The personification of Sloth sighed, curling his legs up into his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He looked so vulnerable and fragile, and Mahiru didn't like it one bit.
“...Yeah... I was...But I'm fine now. Sorry if I scared you.”
The brunet gave him a calculating look, before heaving a sigh of his own and sitting on the couch beside his partner.
“..Tell me about it.”
The bluenette flinched, and sighed again as he realized there was no getting out of this talk.
“You were dying. We had been separated and I couldn't get to you in time to protect you.”
The boy was quiet in his contemplation of his friends words. The lad was always very careful with what he said to the immortal, unnecessarily so. He always considered the ramifications of every word he chooses and the weight those words will have. He did so, because he didn't want to upset the tortured soul that was his Servamp.
“Well, then we will just have to make sure we never get separated. Right Kuro? I mean, if we are already in a battle, chances are, you are going to have to drink my blood. Which means we’ll be chained together. Kinda hard to get separated then, right?”
He gave the older male, what he hoped was a comforting smile. Kuro had been having a lot of these kinds of nightmares, ever since the whole Touma incident, and Mahiru would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about this kind of thing before too.
Hearing an aggravated sigh, the youth was snapped from his thoughts. Kuro had risen from the couch, hands in his pockets and eyes on the ground.
“You don't get it Mahiru. I'm worried that you will die BECAUSE you are chained to me. Everything that I am, everything I've ever done, said or experienced. My entire being, every negative emotion or trauma, and all the dangers that follow me. You are chained to those too, all because you are tethered to me.”
The room lapsed into silence, Kuro, not getting a response from his partner, continued his tirade.
“You could have such a nice, normal, happy life. But only if you aren't tied to me. I love you Mahiru, I don't want you to suffer. Especially not because of me. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you because you knew me.”
The room was once again thrown into silence, as Kuro took deep, anchoring breathes to try and calm down.
“You're an idiot.”
The vampire jumped, looking his Eve in his caramel colored eyes, he saw nothing but fire and love as the boy stood as well and moved to stand an inch away from him.
“I'm not scared of you or anything that could come my way. You know why? It's BECAUSE I have you by my side. I'm glad you shared all this with me, Kuro. I would hate for you to be left feeling vulnerable and chained down by your demons all alone again. I've told you before haven't I? I love you, and for better or for worse, I am going to stay by your side. I trust you Kuro. I know you will always do everything you can to protect me, and I will do the same for you. But it isn't just us y’know. We have friends to help us out too. Misono and Lily, Licht and Hyde, Tetsu and Hugh, so many wonderful friends we can trust and rely on. And if I do die, it won't be your fault, I'm only human after all, I have to die eventually anyway. So I might as well enjoy the time I have with the one person who makes my life worth living.”
The young boy paused to breathe and gripped his lover's hands in both of his own, before kissing his forehead softly. When he pulled back from the kiss, he saw tears gliding down the pale white skin of his Servamp’s cheeks, and with a hearty chuckle, kissed them away.
“It's okay to be selfish once in a while Kuro, nobody will blame you, least of all me. Besides, who is to say that I wouldn't still be targeted by vampires, or C3, or even get into some other kind of trouble. I think my chances are much higher with you than alone. And knowing you, I'd say yours are better with me too.”
The boy began pulled the sin of Sloth toward the bedroom and smiled brightly.
“Now, how about we go cuddle okay? That always cheers you up! We can worry about all this later. Plus, I already told you, if you are really so worried about the whole ‘me dieing’ thing, you can make me into your subclass. I don't mind. I just know that you are against it because you see vampires as monsters and stuff.”
“...Yeah. In my nightmare, I was telling myself that if I wanted to save you, I had to turn you. But I don't know if I would have been able to actually do it or not. It's such a troublesome decision to make.”
The teen laughed and stopped his gait, instead choosing to throw his arms around the immortal.
“Well, whatever you decided, I wouldn't be mad about. If you decided that you just couldn't bring yourself to do it, that's okay. But if you turned me, that would be more than okay too. It's entirely up to you and what you feel comfortable with. I don't want you to force yourself to do anything that you don't want to do.”
“...Thanks Mahiru.”
“Haha, of course Kuro.”
With that, the two headed to the boy’s bed to snuggle up under the covers. Where they promptly fell asleep in each others arms. Leaving their troubles for another day when they were both a bit more stable.
THE END
Day 3 KuroMahiweek 2018:
It was a typical day for the Sloth pair, Mahiru cleaning and Kuro playing video games. Misono had given Mahiru the latest monster collecting game for his last birthday, and a couple months later, still not having played it, the brunet decided to let his Servamp play it for him. A decision he quickly regretted making, as now he could not get the blue haired vampire to put it down.
“Kuro, how long have you been playing that anyway? Doesn't the 3D system thing need to charge? I’m willing to bet the battery in that thing is nearly dead. Maybe you should charge it and so something else for a while.”
“Nah, it's okay, I've been playing it while it charges.”
The highschool lad sighed and shook his head. He put down the window cleaner and placed his now free hands on his hips, assuming his ‘mom’ stance.
“Isn't that bad for the battery?” He said in an accusing tone.
“Yeah, that's what they say at least. But it doesn't really matter.” Was his reply, with nary a glance in his direction.
“You know, I'm just about done with the chores, and you didn't answer my question on how long you have been playing it, which means you've been at it for a while. So why don't you put the game away for a bit and do something with me? We could do a puzzle together!”
The brunet loved puzzles, he used to do them all the time as a kid with his uncle when the man was free. They were a nice and quiet activity that people could work together on. Puzzles also aren’t a strain on the eyes, like video games are. Which would do his lazy lover some good.
Sadly the immortal didn't hold the same affection for puzzles that his Eve did. Said immortal shook his head from his position on the floor and continued to play.
“Maybe later Mahi, I'm about to beat the four strongest trainers in the game, and I still have to complete the side story after. Not to mention I haven't caught all the monsters available in the game. As you can see, the struggle is real, and I have a lot of work to do.”
“It's a game Kuro! It will still be there when you go back to it later! Just let it charge and do a puzzle with me! Or we can even watch a movie together if you prefer. But if you don't let it charge, then you won't be able to play it tomorrow during school. Then you'll really regret it.”
The male with the icy blue locks groaned. The boy was right, but after having spent the past 3 and a half hours losing over and over again, he was determined to at least beat these 4 jerks. Besides, his team was just about to level up, and it would be rude to deny them that.
“Sorry Mahi, but I can't save here, the game won't let me. And if I just turn it off now without saving, I will lose all my progress in fighting them.”
The boy growled and came stomping over. He dropped next to the vampire and pushed his partner aside just enough to see where he was.
“Then just beat these guys already!”
“Ah. So loud, such a pain. I've been trying, they're just too strong and my team isn't a high enough level I guess.”
“Let me see.”
The older of the two handed off the system to his boyfriend, sitting up with a yawn, he pulled the boy into his lap and tested his head atop the others. All the while, Mahiru began scrutinizing the 6 creatures that Kuro picked for his team, suddenly spotting one he recognized.
“Hey, can't this one evolve into like, any type?”
The red eyed male leaning over his shoulder to see the screen and gave a hum of acknowledgement before nodding.
“Not any type. There are plenty that it can't turn into, but it does have the most options in the series.”
“Then why don't you evolve it? Everything else on your team is a dark type. Why keep one normal? I know it can at least change into a dark type. Also, shouldn't your team have more diversity? It would help to balance your monsters, that way you have something for whatever they throw out.”
The blue haired male turned his head away, scratching nervously at his cheek, and mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, “Such a pain I could die.” before looking his lover in the eyes and answering seriously.
“I keep it a normal type because it reminds me of you.”
“...Huh?”
The bloodsucker’s cheeks turned crimson as he began rubbing his neck in embarrassment. Eyes shifting to look anywhere but at his partner.
“Well, it's got brown fur and your hair is brown. It's cute, and has these big eyes, just like you. It's popular with almost everyone, like you, and it has so much potential, just like you. It has the ability to change into one of 8 different types, and you seem to be able to grow and get stronger, with no ceiling to hit in sight.”
The immortal glanced back at his Eve to gauge his reaction so far, and found the boy's eyes were wide open and sparkling. His mouth was agape and he seemed to have completely forgotten about the game, having long dropped it on the floor.
“Kuro…”
“And I can't just force it to evolve Mahiru. If I made it a dark type like the rest of my team, that would be like corrupting it. And I can't do that Mahi. Especially not to something that reminds me of you. I mean, you would definitely be a normal type, and I am a total dark type, I don't want to turn you into something like me.”
“Okay then. I can understand that. But isn't there some other type you think is like me that you can evolve it into to make it stronger?”
The bluenette knew in his heart that there was no other type that would cut it. Mahiru was both completely normal, and yet, at the same time, not normal at all. Any other type would just feel wrong. But he didn't want to leave the atmosphere all mushy as it was, he was beginning to feel nervous under the loving gaze of the mocha haired youth.
“Ah, well, I guess I could evolve it into that fairy one.”
“Fairy one? When did there become a fairy fairy one? Heck, when did that even become a type?”
“It was a while ago, but you don't keep up with this stuff. Here, give me your phone and I'll show you it.”
The teen fished out his cell and handed it to his boyfriend, curiosity piqued as he waited for him to search it up and show it to him. When he got his phone back and took a look at what was being displayed on the screen, his mood immediately spiraled down.
“What is this?! You think this is like me?!? It's got ribbons all over it and so much pink, it looks so girly! You think I'm girly?!”
“Ah, yeah, it uses those ribbons to hold its trainer's hand if you are friends with it, and it also sends out some soothing aura to calm whatever it fights. Just like you and your smile Mahimahi.”
The boy was caught between being irritated and embarrassed. His face had gone completely red, but he couldn't think of anything more to say on the topic, so he just shook his head and focused on the last thing Kuro had said.
“My smile does not soothe our enemies. Besides, I thought you were the one who soothed people, you know, with your cat form.”
At those words a puff of smoke appeared in the space that used to be occupied by the vampire, as a small kitten hopped into the boy’s arms.
“Nah, my soothing cat power aren't anywhere near as soothing as your sunshine smile.” Said the feline as he nuzzled his head into the lad’s chest.
The blush on the brunet’s face grew hotter as he sighed and raised a hand to run along the furball’s back.
“Whatever. Why don't we just finish this already so we can do something together?”
The black, furry, object in his arms moved it's head to level a him with an unimpressed stare.
“No. I don't want to play it anymore. Let's cuddle instead.”
“Wh-what!? But what about your progress?!”
“I don't have much progress, I only beat the first one. Which I can always go back and beat again if I have to. Besides, now that you are holding me, I realized how tired I am. Probably shouldn't have stayed up all night playing it.”
“....WHAT?!?!?”
A lecture quickly erupted from the youth's mouth. Telling the vampire how bad for his eyes that was, and that he was not allowed to play again for the rest of the week. Yet no matter how much he yelled at the creature he was holding, it only served to make the jerk yawn more.
“Are you even listening to me Kuro?!”
Looking down, he saw that the bastard had already fallen asleep. Apparently his yelling motherly lectures had become so common, that they were nothing more than white noise to help the Servamp fall asleep.
Sighing once more, a fond smile spread across his features as he watched the slumbering cat.
“Oh, whatever, I’ll just talk to you more about this tomorrow. Goodnight Kuro.”
Leaning down, he placed a kiss on the feline’s head.
“Sleep well.”
With that he carried the creature to his bed and gently laid him on top of it. With one last smile at the kitten, he turned and shut the door softly. He deserved the rest, and he also clearly needed it. He wasn't the Servamp of Sloth for no reason after all.
The boy shook his head and went back to pick up the abandoned console, deciding that he would try and beat it for Kuro. But upon starting a battle, he noticed something that he didn't earlier. Something that caused him to smile anew.
It would seem that not only did this creature remind him enough of Mahiru to make him not want to evolve it, but it also enough to receive the same nickname that the human himself had.
Mahimahi.
Perhaps, when Christmas rolled around, he would buy himself the second version of the game, then they could play together, and he could return the favor and find a creature that reminded him of his boyfriend, one to bear his name and show off how much he loved him.
And just maybe, when the next new game came out, the two could be traded to that game, to be on the same team and protect each other, just as the real Kuro and Mahiru do for one another.
THE END
Day 2 KuroMahiweek 2018:
Sometimes, seemingly out of nowhere, one finds themself aching for something from their past. A desire to delve into some aspect of one's childhood, either by revisiting that aspect or just reminiscing about it. Nostalgia, as it is called, completely overshadowing the present. This is exactly what the Sloth pair found themselves doing on this particular day.
It was hot out, and for once, it was bad enough to keep even the Eve of Sloth from wanting to go do anything. Instead, he and his Servamp chose to just sit around their shared apartment eating popsicles in a comfortable silence. However, silence leads to boredom, and boredom leads to thinking or acting, and since it was too hot to act, think they did.
Both falling into memories of their past. For Mahiru, it was bittersweet memories of what he and his mother used to do when it got really hot out, like go to a waterpark or pool. Or the times he and his friends would have water balloon or water gun fights. Those were fun times, but since his mother and one of his friends were gone now, the memories, while happy, stung to recall.
Meanwhile, Kuro’s memories were even worse off than his partner's. He didn't have anyone to beat the heat with, or anyway to do so. He was always alone. A dirty stray kitten on the scorching hot street, in the unforgiving sun.
He tried to tell himself that it was all for the best, that if he had been taken in by someone else, he never would have met Mahiru, he never would have had his partner, so he needed to be left on the street to get where he was currently. But of course, it still hurt to think about. So, so, so many years of his immortal life were spent alone and suffering.
But now he had his Eve. His Eve that he loved, treasured and needed. And his beloved Eve said he needed him too. Many times when Kuro was at his lowest, the boy would hold him and whisper words of love and how much he needed the blue haired male until he felt better. Suddenly, he heard said boy's voice call out to him.
“Hey, Kuro, sitting here quietly is kind of boring huh? I mean, we are almost out of popsicles, so eventually we are going to lose our only way of keeping cool. I know you don't like going out and doing things, but would you be alright with going to an indoor pool?”
The bluenette turned onto his back from his spot lounging on the floor, to look at the brunet. He had a feeling the boy had been watching him the whole time. Mahiru could always tell when his thoughts were taking a turn for the worse.
“Going to a pool, surrounded by a bunch of people? Sounds like a pain.”
“Ah, come on Kuro, I think it would be good for us. I know this silence hasn't been too fun for me, it lead my thoughts down a not so nice path, so I'm sure it couldn't have been good for you either.”
The brunet stood and walked over to the other male laying on the ground, smiling warmly before bending down to offer him a hand.
“Come on Kuro, let's go!”
Suddenly, Kuro was hit with another sense of nostalgia, as he sat up and stared wide-eyed at the outstretched hand. A memory of the two of them in his mind in that painful white room, Mahiru, smiling and hand held out to him. Mahiru, there to help him when he required it the most.
Yes, that was right, Mahiru was always there when he needed him most. Technically, he would always need the boy. But something told him that his Eve already knew that. He felt a small smile form on his lips as his eyes slid closed.
“Ahh, this is such a pain I could just die. But alright, if you say so. You are the boss after all Mahi.”
Reaching out, he took the lad’s hand and stood face to face with him, both smiling at one another.
“Alrighty then! You go get changed while I pack some supplies for us. I know how much you like your inner tube.”
“Ah, yeah. Can't go to a pool without something to lounge on.”
“Mm.”
The two went off to accomplish their own tasks, and met by the front door when they were both finished.
“Ready Kuro?”
The older male nodded, gave an affirmative hum.
“Alright then, let's head on out. Maybe we can invite Misono and Tetsu too-”
“Mahiru.”
“Hm?”
Turning around to face the other male, he was ambushed by a surprise kiss.
“Thank you.”
The brunet suddenly became a blushing and stuttering mess. Unsure how to react to the kiss. They were dating, so they had kissed before. But usually it was just cuddling, or Mahiru being the one to initiate the kiss. It wasn't that it was unwelcome, it was just shocking and a bit embarrassing to be caught off guard.
“Y-yeah, sure. No problem Kuro. I love you after all, so I kind of have to look out for you. And I know you wouldn't remember your tube on your own.”
The Servamp chuckled and shook his head.
“That wasn't what I meant. But yeah, thanks for that too Mahi. Now let's go before I change my mind.”
With a poof, the man changed into a kitten and hopped into the teen’s arms.
“Huh? What do you mean that wasn't what you meant? Kuro! Explain yourself!”
“Nah, that's too much of a pain. I think I would die if I tried.”
“Kuro!”
Despite the fact that the two seemed to be arguing, the boy still carried the feline in his lovingly as they made their way to the pool.
All the while, the cat nestled further into him and thought about how much he loved the boy, and how happy he was to have him, whether he needed him or not. No matter what happened to Kuro or what horrible thing he recalled. Mahiru was always there for him, and to Kuro that meant everything and more.
The boy truly was the best thing to ever be created. At least to him anyway, and honestly, his opinion was the only one that mattered.
THE END
