@tortilla-of-courage @sekiumiarashi @ghostdragonace @louve-garoue (also, idk if you want to be added to the tag list for the whole story, just the plot, or just this. Lemme know and I’ll make the note!)
So, it’s been long enough I feel. Who wants to know what happened to Twi after the last post for this AU? Because here’s what happened to Twi.
Also, mind the warnings. Unlike the other fics in this series, this one is actually pretty heavy. It’s not hugely bad, but it’s more, erm, detailed than the others.
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Sage cursed a few times as she slipped into the building and got a good look at what was in it.
Her great-nephew had gone missing, was kidnapped, about six weeks earlier, and the family was understandably at the end of their wits. There had been no word since then, and every day that passed made the chances of finding him alive that much slimmer.
Which led to today.
Sage was retired, and despite her old age she was still more than capable of moving the way she did when she was young (even if her body complained more the next morning). So she dedicated her days to searching and doing nothing else. She would find Twilight, no matter what it was she found, that she’d sworn to herself.
And find him she did.
The call rang three times.
“Hello?”
“Sheik or Lullaby?” Sage asked, eyes scanning the empty, abandoned warehouse for hidden dangers.
“Sheik,” was the reply. “Aunt Impa, what is going on? I’m at work-”
“I found him,”
There was a long moment of silence.
“What?”
“Call the police, I’ll send you and your brother a text with the address. I’ll call him to let him know, but make the call to the police so he can focus on getting here himself,”
“Consider it done,” Sheik promised. “And Aunt Impa, is he,”
“Don’t know yet. I’ll text you,” she promised, stepping out into the open, eyes still scanning for threats, to either her or the far too young boy across the floor from her.
“Thank you,”
The line went dead.
Time picked up on the first ring.
“Aunt Impa,” he all but gasped, desperate hope in his voice. “Did you, is he, please tell me you have news,”
Sage frowned in sympathy for her nephew. She understood how stressed he must be.
“I found him,” she said, and couldn’t help but smile just a bit at the slightly hysterical laugh Time responded with. “Sheik is calling the police, I’ll send you both the address, you just get here,”
“Is he okay?” Time asked, the words he wasn’t saying coming across clear.
“He’s hurt,” Sage admitted. “But it looks like he’s, his eyes just moved and he’s breathing. He’s alive,”
The relief she could hear in Time’s gasp let her know she’d just lifted the sky from his shoulders. She was glad, he’d been under so much stress lately.
She could hear keys on the other end. “Send me the address, I’m on my way. Make sure he knows that too,”
“Understood,” she hung up and sent a group text to both her nephews, and then tucked away her phone again.
Twilight looked bad. There was no way around it.
There was blood on the floor and wall, and on all of his clothes. He didn’t look like he was missing too much blood, but with six weeks it wasn’t surprising there was so much staining everything. There was also blood in his hair, and on his face. His nose was crooked, likely broken, and he was curled around his middle like it hurt. He was covered in bruises, and his gaze was distant, eyes glazed over. There was a thick, heavy shackle around his wrist, connected with a chain to the wall, and the skin under it was red and purple and angry.
He looked pretty beaten, and he was clearly out of it, but he was blessedly, beautifully alive.
“Twilight,” she said slowly, taking a few, slow steps towards him. “Hey, Twilight, can you look at me? I’m glad you’re alive, you know. We’ve all been very worried,”
She kept talking as she walked, hoping to catch his attention since it didn’t seem like he was coherent enough to realize she was there.
She was only a few feet away when his eyes finally flicked up at her. There was a split second only long enough for her to stop before Twilight reacted.
Twilight bolted up, scrambling as far away from her as he could, which wasn’t far due to the shackle, a broken, scared and pained whimper making it past trembling, bloody and split lips. He breathed hard, huffing and scared, eyes wide and unseeing.
Sage’s heart broke at the sight, the ugly and painful pulling of his wrist by the shackle, the blood on his face and shirt, the fear on his face. No one, especially no one so young, should ever look like that.
She shuffled back a step, holding up her hands to him. “Link, it’s me, remember?” She said gently, keeping her voice low and soft, not wanting to scare him more. “You know me. I’m your father’s aunt, Impa. Your brother gave me the nickname Sage since there are a few Impas that we know. It’s okay, I’m family. You’re okay, you’re gonna be okay now, I promise. No one is going to hurt you anymore, I swear it. Your father is on his way, and we’re getting you out of here. You’re coming home now,”
With every word, she could see some of the realization dawn in his eyes, recognition slowly seeping in and tension seeping out. She watched him blink hard a few times.
“Aunt Impa?” He croaked, voice hoarse and sounding sore and raw. Sage wondered if he’d been screaming.
She pushed that thought to the back of her mind, smiling and nodding slowly.
“Yes, it’s me. I’m here,” she said, and took a step towards him slowly. When he didn’t flinch away she took another step. “You’re going to be okay, I promise. Your father is on his way here right now, and we’re not going to let anyone hurt you again. You’re coming home now, and everything is going to be okay. I’m here for you,”
Twilight didn’t shrink away at all, and she gently tried to get him to come a bit closer, pausing whenever he flinched. Slowly but surely, Twilight shuffled closer, giving the chain some slack. Slowly but surely, she shuffled closer until she was kneeling within an arm's length of him.
He flinched every time she reached for him, understandable since he’d clearly been beaten. She pulled back each time he flinched, gently reminding him who she was and that she wasn’t going to hurt him. Eventually she held out her hand and waited for him to reach for her.
His grip on her hand when he took it felt so hesitant and weak, so different from the strong and confident boy she knew.
“Hey,” she smiled, gently reaching out and able to brush her hand through his bangs without him flinching away. “See? You’re okay now,”
She felt a weight on her own chest lift when he let her brush her hand against his cheek.
His nose was completely broken, and so much of the blood on his face was old and dried and caked into the skin. She tried to clean him up as best she could, but there was still so much blood on his face that she couldn’t do much. She kept up her talking as she did, gentle reassurances, watching as hope blossomed in his eyes, mingling with relief. It hurt her heart in a way that she hadn’t experienced since Time and Sheik had been attacked in their home almost 30 years ago.
Eventually, she managed to get him to stop flinching when she reached for his arm, letting her look at the shackle on his wrist.
The shackle was heavy and thick, and the lock was a complicated mess. She was a damn good locksmith, but this thing had been tampered with, and it would be an ordeal to get off. However, one of the links in the chain looked broken. A bit of wiggling and tampering caused it to come loose, and she managed to unhook him from the wall.
The disbelief and shock and relief on his face as he lifted his arm and waved it without the resistance that came from the connection to the wall hurt to watch, and yet made her feel so glad at the same time.
She led him away, helping him crawl away from the place where his blood still stained the concrete.
He latched onto her once they stopped, arms winding weak around her and refusing to let go. When she set her hands on his back she was deeply upset to feel his ribs under his shirt. He’d lost weight in the time he was gone.
He started babbling at some point, voice muffled by the fabric of her shirt and words slurred and mumbled so she couldn’t understand what he was saying. She reached up slowly, running her fingers through his hair and working out the tangles. At some point she started humming, and then singing, the lullaby she sang for her nephews when they were stressed springing to her lips without thought.
It worked, and she was very glad to feel him relax in her arms. She ignored the way her shirt became damper than it had been when she arrived.
Her nephews would be here soon, and she was going to make sure Twilight would be okay until then.
(---)
Time ducked into the building Sage had sent him the address to, Sheik on his heels. His heart sat in his throat, terror and hope fighting to claim his mind.
If Sage was right, Twilight was here. His baby, who’d been missing for far too long. Who’s disappearance had thrown the entire family into chaos. Who had been so dearly missed and worried for.
It didn’t matter that Twilight was 20, Time understood what Malon meant when she said that the boys would always be their babies. Time would give anything to just wrap Twilight up and bundle him away the way he did when Twilight was 2.
He froze when he got into the main room, breath catching in his throat.
He hadn’t heard his aunt sing that song in so long, and here she was sitting with his son in her lap, the old song echoing off the high concrete walls and roof.
“Be gentle,” Sage warned once Time started moving. “He’s in a very, fragile state right now. He didn’t recognize me at first, so be slow,”
Time nodded, slowing his step but not stopping. That was his son. He was so close to having his son back in his arms. So close.
“Twilight,” Sage prodded gently. “Your father is here. He’s been worried about you, and I’m sure it’d make him very happy to see you,”
Twilight slowly, carefully lifted his head once Time crouched down next to them. The hesitancy and reluctance and fear on Twilight’s face broke something in Time, but he still plastered a smile on his face.
“Hey Twi,” he whispered, opening his arms.
“Dad?” The brokenness of Twilight’s voice cracked whatever hadn’t broken with his expression, and Time’s heart ached in his chest.
He nodded and smiled. “It’s me, I’m here,” he promised. “Come here, I’ve got you,”
Twilight stumbled over himself to disentangle from Sage, a bit of desperation to his movements as he threw himself at Time. Time took it in stride, arms coming around Twilight instinctively and quickly, holding his son tight.
Something finally settled in his chest, a relief washing over him as he finally got to hold his son again. Tears sprung up to his eyes in relief, and he held Twilight just a bit tighter.
Twilight was tense under his arms, babbling out something but too stressed and panicked to be understandable.
“Shhh,” Time soothed, running his fingers through Twilight’s bloody hair the way Sage had been. “It’s okay. It’s okay, baby, I’ve got you. No one else is ever going to hurt you, I swear it. I love you so much, I’m so glad we found you. Everything is going to be okay now,”
Twilight’s hands fisted weakly in his shirt, sobbing hard as his babbling tapered off. Time just kept talking, making promises he knew were impossible to keep but planning to do so anyway.
Sheik intercepted the police and paramedics, explaining the state Twilight was in. No one argued about Time picking up Twilight and carrying him to the ambulance himself, though that may be a result of Captain Viscen knowing Time and Twilight both.
(Of course, Twilight was fully grown and, despite his weight loss, pretty heavy. Time’s back certainly complained later.)
He stopped the paramedics from sedating Twilight, as that seemed to panic the boy further. Instead he just held Twilight closer and let the paramedics look the boy over while they drove. Concussion, split lip, broken nose, cracked ribs, the list got longer and longer and Time had to tune them out, running his fingers through Twilight’s hair with one hand and rubbing his arm with the other.
Once the main fussing was done, and Twilight seemed to have calmed down, Time pulled one hand back to pull out his phone, dialling Malon’s number and pulling it up to his ear, still keeping up the gentle movement of his other arm and holding Twilight close. Malon picked up on the second ring.
“Link? What is it?”
“Aunt Impa found Twilight,”
There was a crackle of static, a thud, and then a sound like fingers over the receiver. Malon probably dropped the phone and grabbed it again after it hit the ground.
“She did? Is he okay? Do you know? Where are they? What happened?” The questions came fast and breathless, Malon’s voice tight and hopeful in the way Time’s had been when Sage called him.
“I’ve got him with me,” Time told her. “We’re in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital, and I have my arm wrapped around him. He’s pretty banged up, but,” but he’s here, but he’s alive, but we have him, but our family is whole again, but we can stop worrying, but thank the goddesses he’s here and alive and home again, “but he should be okay. He will be okay,”
The sound that accompanied Malon’s sob brought to mind the image of her dropping to her knees. Time’s own smile got watery as well when he heard the tell tale sound of Malon crying on the other end. There was a voice he couldn’t make out on the other end, and then she was telling Wild to round up his brothers, that Twilight had been found. Time could hear the footsteps as Wild ran.
“Is he,” Malon paused to swallow. “Can I talk to him?”
“Twilight,” Time prompted, and watched his son slowly lift his head. “Malon is on the phone. Would you like to talk to her?”
“Ma?” Twilight croaked, eyes drifting to the phone in Time’s hand.
Time pulled it away from his ear and hit the speakerphone button.
“You’re on speaker,” he said.
“Twilight? Baby are you there?” Malon asked.
“Ma?” Twilight repeated, one arm sneaking out to grip Time’s hand around the phone. “Ma, I,”
“It’s okay, baby,” Malon soothed, hearing the crack in Twilight’s voice as well as Time had. “I’m going to call Warriors, and then we’re all going to come meet you at the hospital, okay? We’ll come meet you. I love you so much, baby, and I’m so happy you’re okay. I’ve been so worried, I’m so happy we found you. We’ll be there right after you, I promise,”
Twilight nodded, resting his head back against Time’s chest. “Okay, Ma,” Twilight muttered, not seeming capable of much else.
“I love you, baby. So, so much,”
“Love you too, Ma,”
Time hit the button again and pulled it back up to his ear. “I should warn you, he’s pretty shaken up and out of it, and he’s in a pretty fragile state of mind. I’ll make sure the hospital knows to expect you so you won’t get held up though,”
“Of course, we’ll be considerate,” Malon promised. “We’ll meet you there,”
“Meet you there,” Time agreed, and they hung up.
Phone back in his pocket, Time reached his arm around Twilight again, holding his son close, comforting himself as much as he was Twilight.
(---)
Twilight hid his face in Time’s chest, facing away while a mechanic from maintenance cut the shackle off his wrist, and then while the doctors looked it over.
The doctors decided to keep him overnight for a few days, considering everything, and they were placed in a large, private room.
Sometimes coming from a rich family had its perks.
The rest of the family had been let in not long after, and while Wind had to be restrained from jumping up onto the bed and tackle hugging Twilight, Wolfie had no such reservations, unless Wild shouting “NO!” counted. Wolfie proceeded to drag his tongue all over his newly returned packmate’s face.
Fortunately, Twilight reacted to this with laughter, the sound causing everyone to visibly brighten. It was a sound that had been sorely missed.
Twilight buried his hands, and his face, into the thick fur of Wolfie’s neck, shoulders shaking and peals of laughter muffled by fur.
Eventually they coaxed Wolfie away, to the end of the bed to keep watch, which was the best they were getting from the wolf-dog since he wasn’t leaving Twilight’s side anytime soon, and found relieved tears on Twilight’s cheeks, a smile stretched across his face as he sobbed softly.
“Twilight,” Time started, reaching up to wipe some of the tears from Twilight’s face.
Twilight shook his head, smile still wide as he wiped at his face with his own hands. “It’s nothing, I just,” he paused to swallow, looking up and over all of them. “I just realized I’m not dreaming, is all. You, you’re really here. You’re here, and I’m home, and,” another sob, “and it’s over,”
Twilight pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, relief filled sobs still bubbling up his throat.
Time reached out to pull Twilight back into him, and the rest of the family quickly surged up to hug him too. It didn’t take long for Twilight to not be the only one crying. Even Legend dropped his ‘I hate all of you’ facade and genuinely professed he was glad Twilight was back.
Warriors spent a few long moments patting Twilight’s shoulder, convincing himself it was real. This event had hit him pretty hard, considering a similar near miss involving his birth parents several years ago.
Wild hopped up on the bed and loudly proclaimed that if his dog got to stay in Twilight’s bed with him then so did he. Wolfie barked in agreement.
“You don’t get a vote,” Malon told the wolf-dog sternly. “And you do not get to stay in your brother’s bed,”
No one made Wild move though.
Later that night, the others ducked back out to the house to get a few things while Sheik went about triple checking everything and getting security on their room, leaving Time and Twilight alone.
“Dad?” Twilight asked into the silence.
“Yes?” Time was at Twilight’s side without hesitation. “Do you need something?”
“I should tell you something, before Ma and the others get back,”
“And what would that be?” Time asked, his stomach feeling heavy.
“They let me go,” he said.
“What?”
“They wanted something I didn’t have,” Twilight explained. “They finally realized I had no idea what they were talking about,”
“So they let you go,” Time frowned. That didn’t bode well.
“Zant was there,” Twilight muttered, sending a spike of fear through Time’s heart. That was the man who’d shot Twilight a few years prior. “And this other really pale guy who kept sticking his tongue out and saying, really uncomfortable and weird things. They called him Ghirahim,” Twilight let his eyes drift away from Time’s face and Time swallowed. He knew Ghiarhim’s name too, having heard it from Sky and Warriors. “And, the last guy, the one in charge, he uh,” Twilight paused to swallow. “He wants something from you, but wouldn’t tell me what. He said you’d know,”
“Do you know his name?” Time asked, already dreading the answer.
“Ganondorf,”
An anger that Time had thought had finally died flared to life again. That man knew no shame, involving his family. Time swore then and there that his sons would not be involved any further, and if Ganondorf tried…
“Dad?” Twilight’s small, scared voice jerked him back to the present. “Do you know what any of this means?”
Right. Time owed his son this much.
“I do,” he admitted. “And I know what Ganondorf wants from me. I can’t hand it over, and it’s best if I don’t tell you anything more. The less you know, the safer you’ll be. Don’t worry though, I’ll handle this. I’ll take care of things,”
Twilight nodded, sinking into his pillow, eyes dropping. Time leaned over, pressing his lips to the black paint on Twilight’s forehead. The amount of trust his son had in him made his chest ache. All this pain because his foster father’s half brother wanted something that wasn’t his to have, something that Time could never give him.
He stamped the dragon writhing in his chest down firmly for the moment. It’s anger would not help his son right now. Right now Twilight needed his dad, not an avenger.
Not yet.
When Malon and the other boys got back, Time excused himself to make a phone call.
Tatl picked up not nearly fast enough for Time’s liking, the dragon in his chest tired of waiting.
“Link,” the clipped, professional sound of Tatl’s voice was a sharp contrast to the fire in Time’s chest.
“Tatl,” he replied, just as clipped and professional, though even he couldn’t hide the underlying growl. “Did you know Ganondorf has escaped prison?”
Cursing followed on the other end.
“We found Twilight,” Time went on, voice almost dangerously level at this point, single eye cast over the hospital halls with a carefully controlled fury. It wouldn’t be inaccurate at this point to call it the calm before the storm, threatening to blow down the walls holding it at bay at any second. “Ganondorf had him, and then let him go,”
“Let him go?” Tatl asked, more than a touch confused. “What do you mean let him go? That’s not exactly his MO,”
“No, but sending a message is,” Time growled, eye softening just a touch as he glanced at the door to Twilight’s room, but hardening again when he turned away. “He’s turned my son into both message and messenger. Because he wants something from me, he’s going after my family,”
“Link, breathe,” Tatl instructed, and Time did pause his seething to take one or two deep breaths. They didn’t help. “That does sound more like him. Fuck, I’m sorry Link, I should have caught that he got out,”
“Not your fault,” Time shook his head, only remembering she couldn’t see him as he did. “The sages missed it too. We were all blindsided,” he took another slow breath that did nothing to calm him down. “Tatl, I need everything you have on Ganondorf,”
“Everything?”
“Everything,”
“Of course, but, why? You aren’t planning on going after him alone, are you?”
“Of course not,” he shook his head, frown set deep on his face. “Actually, that brings up my next question,”
“Next question?”
“How would you feel about acting as the companion to a vengeful god again?” The question was so casual that Time almost scared himself.
There was a sharp sound as Tatl’s breath caught, and then a beat of silence.
“You should have everything you want on Ganondorf in a few days,” Tatl finally said, voice uncharacteristically quiet. “And you know you can always count on me to be there for you, but Link, have you even thought this through? Putting on that mask again, you remember what happened last time,”
“He’s gone after my family,” Time spat, not hiding the venom in his voice as the storm in his eyes whipped at the boarding keeping it caged and the dragon in his chest growled and roared. “That doesn’t get to stand,”
“I fully agree,” Tatl told him, voice gentle in a way he vaguely remembered it being only once before. “But you haven’t had any time to think this over yet. Trust me, if the Fierce Deity needs his fairy, I will be there, but Link, take some time to actually think it over, will you? At least until we have something we can go off of. Charging in blind right now is a bad plan even if you do commit to putting on the mask,”
This time, the deep breath did help, Tatl’s sharp, blunt logic calming the storm somewhat. The dragon in his chest curled up, still breathing smoke and still fueled by fury, but content to wait a few days now.
Time did remember this tone from Tatl. It was the way she sounded when she talked him down after they fought Majora.
He was very glad to see she was still able to help him reign the Fierce Deity back into place. Because she was right, he hadn’t thought.
Time carefully uncurled the hand not holding his phone out of the shaking fist it had been clenched in. He took another few deep breaths.
“You’re right,” he admitted, the rest of the fury draining then like a switch had been flipped. “You’re right. I’ll think about it for a few days while you collect everything,”
He could hear the relief in her voice. “Good. You go back to your family now, and let me worry about getting everything ready for our counterattack. Your son needs his father right now a lot more than anyone needs the Fierce Deity. Go be with him,”
“Yes, I think I will,” he nodded, abruptly feeling very tired. It had already been a very long day. “Thank you, Tatl. Keep me in the loop,”
“I will. Speak with you soon, Link,”
“I’ll speak with you soon,” he agreed, and hung up.
He could be bitter and angry about everything later, but for right now Tatl was right. Twilight needed his father, and Time wasn’t going to do anything to make this harder on his son than he had to. He could wait to put on the mask until after Twilight was out of the hospital, at least.
After that, though, Ganondorf would pay. If the man wanted to make this personal, then he’d succeeded. He wouldn’t live to tell the tale if Time had his way.
But he pushed all of that to the side when he pushed open the door to the hospital room again, seeing Twilight’s small smile when his son saw him, hearing Legend accuse Wind of cheating at the card game they brought, watching Malon hum as she sat with Twilight tucked into her side.
This was his family, and he’d do anything to keep it safe and whole. And right now, that meant being with them.
I’m only one call away, I’ll be there to save the day - Daisuke Kambe x Haru Katou
AO3 link
This is the literal definition of self indulgence I’m not even kidding you.
And I totally did not write the last 1/3rd of it in a car because I didn’t have the patience to get home.
And this is unedited. So if you find errors please spare my humble life. I LITERALLY WROTE THIS ENTIRE THING TODAY. The inspiration istg.
Summary:
Daisuke Kambe doesn't get nervous. He doesn't overthink. He doesn't doubt anything he does, or any decision he makes. Except when he's in the dressing room, waiting for Hoshino to come and escort him to his soon-to-be husband. 'Cold feet' is the farthest term one would use to describe Daisuke, yet here he stands in front of the large mirror, wondering if he's good enough for the man whose eyes shine brighter than any star he's seen.
All it takes is one call.
And before he knows it, Haru right there in front of him.
He needs his hero, and Haru is there.
TW: Panic
Word count: 3136 (woohoo)
Special tag: @akaiiro-yume for being my ultimate simp buddy. I told her this whole thing as just an idea and she said she felt like crying and I was like FUCK IT IM GONNA WRITE IT. So here we are. Thank you.
“Daisuke Kambe,” Haru called his name, his voice so gentle it almost got drowned by the waves as he looked straight ahead at them with Kambe by his side. The serene way his lips curved into a peace smile hid with such grace the nervousness shooting up his spine.
“Mm?” Daisuke glanced at his boyfriend, wondering why the inspector suddenly chose to call him by his full name instead of the usual ‘bastard’, ‘pain in the ass’, ‘idiot’, or just ‘Kambe’.
‘Am I doing the right thing? Are we ready for this?’
“What is it, Haru?”
“Marry me.”
Daisuke’s eyes widened, and he stared at Haru without blinking even once. “... What?”
“I said,” Haru turned to look at him, giving him an awkward little grin before grabbing Daisuke’s hands in his own and slowly going on one knee, “Marry me, ‘Suke.”
That was all it took. That nickname.
Daisuke felt every tense nerve in his body relax almost immediately as the answer came as naturally to him as breathing.
“Okay.”
Daisuke’s gloved hand wraps around the glass, his soft lips placing themselves on its rim to take another sip of water. It’s probably his tenth sip in the last two minutes (and counting).
“Lord Daisuke, you look incredible!” Suzue remarks, and he sees her smile at him through the mirror.
“Mm.”
“I can’t believe you and Katou-sama are finally getting married.” Suzue steps up behind Daisuke to smoothen the non-existent wrinkles on the thick piece of blue fabric covering his shoulders.
‘I can’t either.’
“It feels like just yesterday when you came back to Japan,” she continues, not noticing the way Daisuke’s nervous fingers fiddle with his cufflinks, “And now it’s already been six years… time passed by too quickly, didn’t it?”
“It has.”
Silence descends over them like a calm cloud while Suzue busies herself by fussing around with his three-piece suit, straightening it more than it already is, rubbing off any invisible lints, fixing his already perfect tie - a crisp, sophisticated taupe - and Daisuke lets his mind wander off once again.
He thinks about the six years he’s spent in Japan. But more specifically, he thinks about the time he spent by his side.
He thinks of all their firsts; their first meeting, their first argument, the first time he let Haru fall (not for him, but off the bridge), their first show of trust, first confessions, first kisses, first everything.
He thinks of their life after they decided to become more than just friends or colleagues. All of the small ways in which Haru reminded him, every day, just how much he adored him. Daisuke thinks of all those cuddles, all the nuzzles, all the intertwining of fingers.
And before he can stop it, a smile - albeit small but so full of love you could feel it radiating off of him - is gracing his lips.
‘Thank you.’ He finds himself thanking Haru in both his mind and heart… for just about everything.
“Lord Daisuke, are you okay?” Suzue asks, snapping him out of his heartwarming walk down the memory lane.
“Yes, why?”
“Your eyes…” she trails off, and Daisuke’s gaze shifts from looking at her through the mirror to himself. A small gasp leaves his lips when he sees what’s got Suzue so worried about his eyes.
Tears.
A thin layer of unshed tears coats those calm eyes, and Daisuke feels his heart clench with absolute adoration when he realises the meaning behind such a blatant show of emotions.
These tears aren’t of pain. Or of agony. Or of suffering.
There are tears of gratitude. Of love. Of unrestrained joy at the mere thought of the wonderful man waiting for him at the same beach where he proposed.
“I’m fine, Suzue.” Daisuke says, his eyes never leaving the ones in the mirror. “I’m just… overwhelmed,” he admits, taking a deep breath in.
Suzue smiles. “I can understand. It IS a big day, after all.” She turns around, walking towards the door. “I’ll be outside.”
“Thank you,” he says, and he means it. He couldn’t be more grateful to have a sister who understood him so well that they didn’t need words to get their message across.
And with that, Suzue steps out of the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Daisuke alone with his thoughts.
His eyes travel to the clock on one of the walls of the gigantic room, and he sees that he’s still got some time before Hoshino would come by to escort him to his lover. And his fiance.
Daisuke feels another smile tugging at his lips at the word, and he briefly thinks about how he’s been smiling too much today before his mind again wanders off to the man responsible for making him smile so much.
‘He’s too good to me,’ Daisuke thinks, sighing fondly. ‘He makes me believe that it’s okay to feel this… that it’s okay to feel happy. Sometimes it feels like it’s too good to be true.’
And that’s when it strikes him. The one thought which makes his shoulders go stiff, and his lips press themselves together in a stiff line.
‘But… What if it IS too good to be true?’
Daisuke’s mind decides to take another walk down the memory lane, but this time the road isn’t filled with Haru’s smile, or his warmth. This time, the road is dark, cold, unwelcoming. It’s filled with every memory of each time things felt too good to be true… and they were.
‘What if… what if this doesn’t last?’ He thinks, the pictures of his own parents clouding every space they could find in his head.
Haru and him wouldn’t end the same way… right?
‘Would I be able to make Haru happy?’
… As happy as Haru made him?
‘Everything I ever cared for in my life was ripped away from me… Will Haru and I be the same way?’
He notices as his chest starts rising and falling at a faster pace, but he doesn’t pay it any mind.
‘Is it because I’ve been weak? I haven’t been able to protect the people important to me. I-I’ve never been good enough. What if… I still am not good enough?’
Daisuke’s eyes widen, terror seeping into them as his mind chooses to project a mental image of Haru walking, but not towards him. It’s an image of Haru having his back turned towards Daisuke, and he is walking away.
‘Am I even worthy of being loved?’
Daisuke thinks back on all the warm, loving moments that he thought of not even five minutes ago, but this time his mind focuses on his own actions instead of Haru’s
‘Haru has done so much to show me he loves me. How many times have I done the same?’
The back of his eyes burn so hard it feels like they’re on fire, and he finds it harder to breathe; he feels as if someone’s just wrapped their fingers around the base of his throat and is squeezing, hard.
‘Is Haru happy with me? WILL he be happy with me?’
His own fingers come up to his throat, as if trying to replace the invisible ones.
‘Should we even be getting married? What if he realises I’m not worth it?’
‘Where are you, Haru?’ is what his heart screams instead, but he doesn’t hear it.
‘O-oh god, I cannot be forcing him to marry me.’
‘I need you, Haru. Find me. Please, find me.’
‘He doesn’t love me. He shouldn’t be marrying me.’
‘Haru, please. Save me.’
I’m only one call away.
He doesn’t even notice his fingers finding the surface of his phone and he is too busy letting himself fall down the dark spiral his mind lay out for him to bother seeing what his fingers are doing with the phone.
Daisuke feels his feet give away, and he slowly slides down to the floor. His body trembles, his breathing continues to quicken, and he feels something dark crawl up his spine.
It’s something he can’t describe, but it’s so dark and so… consuming. He feels like his mind is being ripped into shreds, as if someone is slowly claiming their control over it.
“H-Haru…” He whimpers and looks up, closing his eyes. He feels the thick layer of tears forming beyond his lids collapse as silent tears stream down his face. He opens his mouth to breathe, but the inhale turns into a choked sob.
He wasn’t good enough. He isn’t good enough. And he never will be good enough.
Daisuke bites his trembling lips and brings his knees closer to his body in an attempt to hide away from himself.
Hah. What a pitiful sight. And Haru thought THIS weak little boy would be good enough for him? He should leave him while he still has time.
“Haru… please. I need you. Pl-Please don’t leave m-”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
I’ll be there to save the day.
Daisuke’s head snaps in the direction of the voice; a voice powerful enough to break the hold of what was slowly crawling through his mind, consuming him whole.
“Haru…” he whispers, blinking the tears away in an attempt to clear his vision.
The attempt is futile anyway, because the moment his sight comes into focus, he feels a pair of all too familiar arms pull him into a strong chest. “I’m right here,” Haru murmurs, pressing a kiss to his forehead before sitting down in front of him and pulling Daisuke between his legs.
“I-” Daisuke’s eyes widen, confusion slowly colouring over every other thought for the moment. “Wasn’t it Hoshino who was supposed to come?”
“You really expect me to ask Hoshino to check in on you when you call my number and then say my name the way you said it?”
‘I called him?’
“You sounded like someone was forcefully pulling every ounce of life out of you.”
“... I did?”
‘Yes, you bastard. You scared the living fucks out of me, y’know?’ Haru thinks, but instead of saying anything, he only pulls Daisuke closer to him.
He smiles when he feels Daisuke return the gesture.
Daisuke’s arms wrap around Haru’s neck and he places his face in the crook of his neck, taking a deep sniff of the latter’s scent. He feels his panic flow out of his body as the warmth of the man himself washes over his entire being.
“H-Haru-” the millionaire stutters, tears again filling his eyes, now that he’s had a moment for everything to catch up to him. Haru’s arms only pull him closer, as close as physically possible, and that’s when Daisuke notices some things he didn’t see earlier.
“You’re safe. I’m here. I’m with you. And I’m not going anywhere.” Haru speaks in between pants, his forehead covered with a thin, barely there layer of sweat.
‘He RAN all the way here?’ Daisuke thinks, taking in every bit of whatever Haru offered him; his love, his warmth, his confidence, his belief in them.
Superman got nothin’ on me.
“Haru.” Daisuke pulls his head back to look at the taupe-haired man.
“What?” Haru replies, his head still facing down. He doesn’t look up, and Daisuke can only wonder why.
“Look at me.”
“No.”
“Haru.”
“No.”
“I love you.”
Haru’s head snaps up at the speed of light, his eyes so wide Daisuke fears his eyeballs might pop out of their sockets.
But now that Haru’s finally looking at him, Daisuke takes the opportunity to find out for himself why the man absolutely refused to look up at him just moments ago.
He feels all the air drain out from his lungs at the findings of his inspection.
‘He’s trembling.’
“I was so scared, Kambe,” Haru whispers, his head dropping on Daisuke’s shoulder. “I was so scared when I heard you sound so… weak.”
“I love you.” Daisuke repeats, and this time it’s him who places a kiss on the other man’s forehead.
“I love you too.”
Haru looks up, and their lips come together so naturally and so perfectly, one would think it was meant to be. And maybe it was.
And just like that, they sit there for a few minutes, wrapped up in their own warm little bubble, the world forgotten.
“Oi, Kambe,” Haru murmurs into Daisuke’s shoulder, successfully catching the attention of the shorter man. “What really happened?”
Daisuke sucks in a sharp breath, knowing exactly what Haru was talking about. The fingers holding on to Haru tighten a little more as he opens his mouth, and begins explaining what actually went down.
Daisuke speaks, and speaks. He expresses every minute detail, because he knows Haru is listening. Haru always listens. And he doesn’t just listen, he makes sure the other knows that he is there for him no matter what.
I’m only one call away.
Once he is done telling Haru everything, he looks at him with baited breath, trying to gauge Haru’s reaction. The only answer he gets is utter confusion as Haru pulls back from their embrace and stands up, brushing the barely-there dust off his suit. He looks down at his lover and extends a hand out to him.
But instead of grabbing that hand, Daisuke’s eyes get lost in the very gorgeousness of sight Haru Katou presents. Haru’s dressed in a three-piece suit, just like Daisuke himself, but it’s taupe in colour. His tie is the same blue as Daisuke’s suit, and he looks downright ravishing.
“We haven’t got all day, idiot.”
Haru sighs, grabbing Daisuke by the hand and pulling him up. He quickly wipes Daisuke’s tears and makes him look presentable (as if he wasn’t already) before dragging him to the door.
Haru opens the door to the dressing room, but before they can step out, Daisuke stops him.
“What are you doing?” Daisuke asks, his brows furrowed and the usual disinterest back on his face.
“Walking down the aisle with my bride.”
“You do know that you’re not supposed to be the one escorting me.”
“Yeah, and what about it?”
“Katou Haru. Are you joking with me?”
Haru turns around to meet Daisuke’s eyes and pulls the shorter man to him with one tug on his arm. He bends his head, giving Daisuke a quick kiss before pulling back and whispering, “Why? Is there a problem?”
Daisuke isn’t even given the time to blush, because Haru is already turning on his feet and walking down the hallway, pulling the millionaire behind him. They keep walking for a short while, even after they leave the building and step onto the beach, before Haru finally comes to a stop.
“We’re here.”
Daisuke pokes his head from behind Haru’s back to see where exactly they are. “Oh my sweet bleeding heart.”
“Of all things in the world, that’s the first thing you say, rascal?”
“Haru, I-” Daisuke is quite literally at a loss for words, because right now, in this very moment, in front of him is a low stage setup with curtains falling around it in a circular fashion, and tiny fairy lights giving it it’s very own magical glow. It’s like a world within a world. A world away from everyone, from everything - a world for just the two of them.
“Come on, you and make it anywhere. But for now… we can stay here for a while.” Haru mutters, glancing at Daisuke, “'Cause you know, I just wanna see you smile.”
“Very cheesy, I’ll give you that,” Daisuke chuckles, stepping on to the stage. “So…” he turns to look at Haru, “What now?”
“Dance with me.” Haru says, and then there is no going back.
All it takes is a nod from Daisuke and Haru steps closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist.
“What is it?” Haru asks, noticing the furrow of Daisuke’s brows.
“We have no music.”
“I got it covered,” is all Haru says before snapping his fingers, and almost immediately, music fills the space around them.
“What song is this?” Daisuke asks, letting Haru pull him in by the waist and following his lead.
“Doesn’t matter. Focus on the lyrics. Oh, and me, of course.”
And so Daisuke does.
I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
Daisuke’s eyes stare into Haru’s as their feet move together, and he smiles at the lyrics, letting the other man know just how much he loves him. And this. Just how grateful he is for it all.
Superman got nothin' on me
And Daisuke can’t help but agree with that. His fingers gip Haru’s a little tighter as he sighs, his head coming to rest on the other’s shoulder.
I'm only one call away
Call me, baby, if you need a friend
I just wanna give you love
“I love you,” Daisuke whispers at that, pressing a kiss to where his forehead rested just a moment ago.
Come on, come on, come on
Reachin' out to you, so take a chance
Daisuke pulls back a couple of steps, only to have Haru reach his arm out. He grabs it, doing a slow spin and falling into the arms of the man he loves more than his life could possibly define.
No matter where you go
You know you're not alone
“I love you too.”
Silence soon falls between them and they both close their eyes, letting the music be their voice.
Come along with me and don't be scared
I just wanna set you free
Come on, come on, come on
You and me can make it anywhere
Realisation finally dawns on Daisuke as he realises where Haru’s words from earlier really came from. He smirks.
But for now, we can stay here for a while, ayy
'Cause you know, I just wanna see you smile
“You’re just a giant ball of sap, aren’t you?” He retorts, looking up at Haru. He might be smirking, but even he can’t hide the affection that swells up in his eyes as his hands reach up to wrap around Haru’s neck, allowing the latter to snake both his arms around Daisuke’s waist.
“Shut up.”
And when you're weak, I'll be strong
I'm gonna keep holdin' on
“I’ll never let you go, Katou.”
Now don't you worry, it won't be long, darlin'
And when you feel like hope is gone
Haru smiles, pulling Daisuke closer to him.
Just run into my arms
“Funny, because I don’t plan to let you go either, bastard.”
I'm only one call away
I'll be there to save the day
“You really are a hero, you know, Haru?”
Superman got nothin' on me
“Just yours, ‘Suke. Just yours.” Haru murmurs, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against Daisuke’s.
I'm only one, I'm only one call away
“Forever.” Daisuke replies, his own eyes slowly shutting.
“And ever.”
Fin.
DONTCHA WORRY THEY DID GET MARRIED IN THE END THEY DIDNT FORGET ABOUT IT
“I am the hottest brown-haired guy outta all those other stupid dipshit dorks. Got ‘em all beat. An’ no one’s hotter than my blond babes. And me. Everyone else wishes they could get in on this shit but they can’t. And they’re all desperate an’ shit thinking they found some other ass that’s hot but they ain’t. Hah, everyone else is so stupid.”
