Happy Days - Dramatical Murder Fic
Title: Happy Days
Pairing: Mink/Clear Rating: G
Word Count: 2475 Summary: When the Oval Tower collapsed Clear felt uneasy. He didn’t exactly understand why, and he didn’t expect it would be Mink who stayed behind and helped him figure it out. Clear also didn’t expect that this day would mark the beginning of the happiest time of his life. Tags: Fluff, Family Feels, Mink has a little son and Clear absolutely adores him. A/N: It’s been ages, but I promised one lucky person who supported me by filling out my bachelor thesis survey a little request fic. The moment I first read that request I knew this was going to be a challenge. I have never written a family fic before. I have never written Mink/Clear before! It’s honestly a pairing I never even considered lol I’m sorry, it’s so short despite the eternity it took me to write it! This is for @qinsei! I hope you enjoy, even if it isn’t exactly as you described xD
Happy Days
They had accomplished what they had set out to do.
Everyone was eager to return to their homes in Midorijima, but they couldn’t help one last look upon the remains of the Oval Tower, as if needing to convince themselves of the fact that it was really over, that the people were free of Toue’s reign.
There was no trace of Toue himself, or the people who had worked for him. Even if some had survived the fall, it was unlikely they would ever return.
Satisfied with what they saw Aoba and most of the group left, only Clear’s gaze remained transfixed on the tower’s ruins. There was a… feeling within him that he could not place. He had worked with the others towards a common goal, and yet the view presented to him left him feeling unsatisfied, unsettled even, and he remained frozen to the spot.
Clear thought he was alone until a shadow fell over him as Mink stepped up to stand next to him. In any other situation Clear would use the moment to voice his amazement at how tall the man was, blocking the sun like that, but for some reason his throat constricted and no words were forthcoming.
Silence reigned and Clear expected Mink to leave at any moment, but he didn’t. After an undetermined amount of time Mink spoke up: “You helped free these people.”
There was no hint of emotion in his words that would make it easier for Clear to understand why he chose to say that. Confused he could only look up at the other man instead.
He could see Mink watching him out of the corner of his eyes, but he didn’t turn to look at Clear directly.
There was a pause in which silence settled over them once more. Clear watched the minute changes of Mink’s expression, realizing that the other man was thinking about something, though Clear had no idea what it might be.
After a while Mink straightened, not looking at Clear at all as he voiced his next words, words so sudden and unexpected they froze Clear to his core: “Don’t you think it’s time for you to be free as well?”
The words processed in his mind, but they made no sense to him, or rather there was so much they could possibly mean that Clear had no idea what the most fitting response here was supposed to be.
‘I don’t understand. I am free.’
But the words vanished before they could ever leave his mouth.
He shook his head inwardly. There was no way Mink could know what was going on inside Clear’s mind right now, what unsettled him so that he found himself incapable of leaving the Oval Tower behind him for good. Clear had held steadfast onto his grandfather’s words. No one knew because no one was allowed to know.
Realizing he would get no response Mink continued: “There is no one left to stop you, no one left to judge.”
There was no response in his mind, and yet his mouth opened, unprompted.
“I…” His voice quavered on that single syllable. “I was told I should never…”
“Who’s telling you that now?”
Clear paused, his eyes wide, though his mask hid his surprise from the world.
Mink wasn’t looking at him, wasn’t judging his reaction, his weakness. Instead he continued speaking calmly: “The evil haunting this island has vanished. The people are rejoicing. You should join them.”
“I…” Again, he did not get past that word without his voice abandoning him. “Is that really okay?”
Mink shrugged noncommittally.
“It’s up to you.”
Clear hesitated. Being offered a choice was new to him. He had always been free in a sense, free to go and do as he pleased. And yet, even without the “power” forcing him, he had always chosen to follow instructions rather than to deviate from them. When it came to his grandfather and Aoba he had known that they always meant well, so following them came naturally to him. He liked listening to them, to help them or even to make them happy.
But Mink was right. Clear’s grandfather had fled to escape Toue and passing away he had told Clear to stay hidden because he was different, recognizable.
But that didn’t hold true anymore, did it?
On the other hand it had never felt much like a restriction before, not until this very moment, when he was suddenly offered a choice.
“And if I wanted to…?”
Mink only offered another shrug, not commenting on the way Clear’s voice trembled.
“As I said: no one’s here to judge.”
Clear wavered. Could it really be that easy?
“O-okay…” he managed to say and somehow Mink’s nonchalance about the whole matter actually did make it okay, enough so that Clear slowly reached up to the clasp holding his mask in place.
Mink turned slightly toward him, but that remained the only indication that he was curious. His face remained carefully blank.
Clear’s fingers shook, about to falter in his decision. Clear took one deep breath and pulled the clasp open. He felt the mask come loose and reached up to lower it slowly, its weight multiplying in his hands the more of his face was revealed.
He clutched onto the mask until his fingers hurt, too afraid to open his eyes for what felt like hours but was probably only a few seconds. When he did open them the world suddenly seemed too bright and too much to bear, so he averted his eyes, turning to Mink instead.
Mink looked at him for only a moment with an expression of surprise on his face before quickly looking away, mumbling something incomprehensible. At least it would have been if Clear’s enhanced hearing didn’t allow him to understand every single word as it was muttered in exasperation: “Of course he wears a mask to hide his stupid face…”
Pain registered in Clear’s mind, though he was certain that he had not suffered any physical damage.
“It is… stupid…?”
His grandfather had said that it was different. Was that what he had meant?
Mink visibly tensed at having been heard and sighed exasperatedly, suddenly looking like this was the most unpleasant conversation he had ever been a part of. Doing his hardest to look anywhere but at Clear he added quietly: “Stupidly beautiful.”
Clear looked up startled, not sure if he had heard right. Mink wasn’t looking at him, but the faintest hint of red on his cheeks - possibly invisible to the human eye - told Clear more than thousand words might.
Clear returned to gaze at the ruins, a wide smile spreading on his lips, one he could not have refrained from even if he had wanted, and for the first time it was there for the whole world to see. It was only fitting, he thought, for this was probably the happiest day of his life.
- - -
Happy days continued to grace Clear’s life from that day on.
How else would it be possible that just a short twelve months later he was sitting in a lovely home with a little boy in his lap chattering happily about his daily adventures while Mink was in the kitchen working on dinner.
Naga was the light of his life: a beautiful boy of six years, always curious but well-behaved. The latter was definitely more Mink’s influence than Clear’s who didn’t even need convincing to talk and play all day long. It was so easy when every moment Naga was smiling Clear was hopelessly delighted as well.
Life was beautiful, life was perfect, in Clear’s eyes anyway.
“I saw a puppy on the way home! It was so cute! Hey, can I have a puppy, too, daddy?”
Even though the boy was still excitedly talking to Clear, he was clever enough to direct that question towards the kitchen from where Mink had just emerged.
Mink’s face remained carefully neutral, even though Clear was sure the question came as a surprise. This definitely was the first time Clear heard of the little boy wanting a pet.
“If you prove that you can take care of it, we can talk about it.”
“Really?” Naga’s eyes were as wide as saucers, still Mink remained earnest.
“Now go wash your hands, dinner is ready.”
“Yes, daddy!” Naga said quickly, dashing off Clear’s lap and down the hall, clearly motivated to prove that he could behave himself.
Mink sighed quietly once he was out of sight.
“We can have a puppy?” Clear asked, eyes probably just as wide as the little boy’s.
Mink looked at him, clearly exasperated.
“A pet isn’t a toy, it’s a lesson in taking responsibility,” he explained.
“And they are fluffy!” Clear added happily.
He still clearly remembered just how wonderfully fluffy Ren had been, though he also remembered that one evil dog that kept barking at him in Midorijima. He tried to forget about that in favor of being excited at the prospect of an own little puppy.
Mink sighed.
“Remind me that I will have to take care of it if Naga turns out to be too young for a pet.”
“But you don’t think that,” Clear said.
Mink was never one for empty words. If he said he would consider it then he already had good enough reason to think it would work.
“He’s a good boy, despite your influence.”
Clear’s eyes widened.
“That’s just mean, Mink-san!” he said pouting.
There was the faintest upturn to Mink’s lips, the man’s version of a soft smile.
“You also take good care of him, so I’m willing to overlook that,” he said, and had that been a joke…?
Clear’s surprise quickly melted into a smile of his own. Obviously Mink was in a good mood, and that simple fact was enough to make Clear happy, too.
- - -
Dinner was never a quiet affair in their little family. Naga was well-behaved, but he was also incredibly energetic and loved to talk, often much to Mink’s chagrin.
Once, just once, Mink had confided that he wished he knew how to handle the boy better. He didn’t want to seem cold, least of all to his son, but he was simply a quiet person by nature. Back with his gang “Scratch” his calm, commanding presence had been the only thing keeping everyone in line. Authority was important in a family, too, but so was trust and the ability to talk freely with each other. Mink wanted to provide that, but he wasn’t sure if he could.
Clear on the other hand, listening to Mink’s worries, couldn’t think of anything but Naga’s wide, excited eyes, about how much the boy loved and admired his father. So Clear had only laughed softly, and told him that there was nothing to worry about. Naga understood what his father was like, and that Mink seeming reserved at times didn’t mean that loved his son any less.
“Daddy?” Naga asked.
Mink looked up from his almost empty plate.
Clear and Naga had been keeping the conversation going when Mink had eventually withdrawn from it after a while. It seemed like a miracle that they both still managed to empty their plates before Mink did.
“What is it?”
The little boy’s gaze was fixed on the table, clearly hesitant to voice whatever was on his mind.
“Our teacher said there’s going to be a festival soon… can we go see it?” he asked, looking up with hopeful eyes.
Naga knew exactly that his father wasn’t a fan of any boisterous events that involved lots of people, and was thus visibly hesitant to even ask.
Mink threw a glance at Clear, looking as calm as ever, but Clear had learned to read the other man, and recognized the glance as a request for help.
“I’m sure Clear would love to go with you,” he said.
Naga clearly contemplated those words, shyly looking at the table once more.
“I know that,” he said, “I just… wanted all of us to go, together.”
Clear loved the little boy more than anything, there was no way he would be able to refuse a request like that, and even Mink seemed to deflate at those words, even if he still didn’t like the idea of visiting a festival.
He sighed.
“I’m sure we’ll find a day where we can go together then.”
“Really? Thank you, daddy!”
With that Naga got up and walked around the table to hug his father. Mink smiled, his hand coming to rest on his son’s back. It seemed almost massive compared to the little boy.
Naga pulled away after a moment, grinning broadly.
“I’ll go wash and go to bed now. Don’t stay up too late!” he declared before dashing off.
The boy really was too good for this world, and even Clear had to admit that there was no way that Naga had his manners from him.
“You said I was spoiling him yesterday,” Clear said cheekily, grinning at Mink.
There was the faintest hint of red on Mink’s cheeks that he hid behind his usual serious facade.
“I see no reason to deny him such an earnest request. It’s not like we go out together often,” Mink said, always the voice of reason.
He watched Clear’s continued grin in exasperation before he sighed. Clear looked at him curiously as Mink got up to approach Clear’s side of table.
Clear blinked at him as Mink leaned down, his tall form all but looming over him, and pressed a quick little kiss to his lips. Clear’s eyes widened, casual affection was such a rare thing coming from his partner, but when he finally found his voice again, Mink had already returned to his seat.
Mink smirked at him.
“You would better hurry. Don’t tell me you’ll let him go to bed without a lullaby.”
Clear just stared at him. Of course he wanted to put his little boy to bed, but he also wanted to figure out the reason for Mink’s rare, affectionate mood, if there even was one, but Naga-
Clear pushed back his chair and got up.
“I’ll be right back. Wait for me, Mink-san,” he said, hoping he would get the chance to do both as he hurried down the hall to the boy’s room.
As he did so he heard Mink chuckling, another, oh so rare thing, and Clear couldn’t help smiling.
In the end it probably didn’t matter. Clear was in no rush.
Mink and Naga would still be here tomorrow, and the day after, and hopefully far into the future.
With them at his side many more happy days were waiting for Clear. That alone brought a bright smile to his face as he sat down to sing for his little boy: a lullaby about a tower and how its fall had brightened the world. - - - - - - - - - - - The request actually had them visiting the festival as well but… that would have turned into a massive fic xD It’s already much longer than expected, oops. If you enjoyed it regardless, reblog and/or leave a like^^ I’ll also “kind of” open commissions soon, so if you want a fic like this and challenge me with pairings I have never written before (xD) follow or message me for updates on that^^
