#Make Deva's chest the safe space

[sometimesbrave]

*sobs* Why is he so pretty? *sobs more*He is so pretty. So handsome. *wipes tears* I am completely normal about him. *sobs again* *takes a handful of salt into my hand* Dishti Dishti thu thu thu *sobs*

VARADHARAJA "VARADHA" MANNAR ✮⋆˙

for the varadha girls (and all)

[mudskip-muses]

Months… It’s been months since he’s seen Gundham. With the breeder spirited away to help the population of some endangered species— Kazuichi had only been partially paying attention when Gundham explained it to their class, too focused on how ill his stomach started to feel at the prospect of Gundham leaving, even if only temporarily —it has been a grueling time for the mechanic. Utterly useless for the first couple weeks, aside from tending to the Devas’ needs (left in his care while Gundham was gone) Kazuichi had griped and groaned so much his friends’ pity had quickly turned into annoyance…

Things had gotten better, Kazuichi throwing himself into his projects and schoolwork to pass the time. Lamenting to the Devas when distractions weren’t enough, since his so-called friends weren’t nearly as sympathetic. There were a few hiccups— like spending time with his dad (Kaz upsetting him even more frequently since his mind was often elsewhere, mainly wondering what a certain breeder was up to, if he was alright… and missing Kaz nearly as much too) And getting ambushed by some jerks once word got around that Gundham wasn’t around to protect him. But Kazuichi took care of himself afterward like he used to before he had Gundham around to tend his wounds instead.

Still, time couldn’t pass quick enough…

Even now, anxiously bouncing on the heels of his shoes, it still can’t. Seconds tick by agonizingly, Kaz biting his bottom lip and scanning the area in front of him, as if he might miss the breeder by blinking. ‘ C’mon, c’mon, c’mon… ’ Chimes a silent plea. ‘ Where ARE you? ’ Groaning under his breath like an impatient child, Kazuichi stuffs his hands into his pockets with a huff, starting to pace back and forth like a caged animal. Where is he? It’s time for him to come back. Like he always does.

With that final thought, Kaz glances back over— and sees him. ❝ GUNDHAM! ❞ He immediately blurts out, pure excitement in his tone and within his dilated eyes. Racing towards the other man despite the space between them— paying no heed to anyone who might be witnessing the scene —Kazuichi leaps at Gundham as soon as distance permits, fully expecting for the larger man to catch him. Arms wrapping around Gundham’s neck with a laugh as he makes impact, he sputters through the joyous sound, ❝ Dude, I missed you so much! It was fucking awful not having you around! ❞

Tears beading in the corners of his eyes, misty gaze is focused upon the other man, as if disbelieving that he’s actually back. Despite KNOWING Gundham would return, relief still swells within Kazuichi’s chest. Flooding his face with warmth and causing his heart to pound. Missing doesn’t begin to cover what he felt while Gundham was gone. The dorm was emptier, days longer, nights colder… It was as if a piece of himself was missing. A piece Kaz hadn’t known existed until Gundham revealed it to him. One that could care about someone as deeply as this, could be vulnerable and still wanted, could be scared and yet safe. Could comfort and be comforted. Could be TRULY happy, even if he’d gone his life believing that wasn’t something meant for him.

So, Kazuichi acts before he can think enough to second-guess a decision he’d been dreading for weeks… Moving forward, lips press against Gundham’s, inexperienced but earnest. Remembering their first kiss— internally cringing at the disaster it had been —Kazuichi is able to rein in his fears. Not allowing them to rush a moment he wants to savor (in case he doesn’t get another chance to do this) he lets the kiss stay slow, simply wanting to marvel at the feeling of Gundham’s lips. How cool Gundham’s body is to the touch, pairing perfectly with the warmth that always seems to burn beneath Kazuichi’s skin. Releasing a shaky breath when he reluctantly pulls away, lips brush against Gundham’s as he tentatively opens his eyes, breath mingling in soft pants as he meets his best friend’s gaze.

Swallowing thickly as regret abruptly washes over, lips still tingling from the feeling of before, Kaz weakly says the only thing that comes to mind, voice breaking from nerves, ❝ I’m, uh— I’m kinda- maybe… probably- …. definitely gay. ❞

- (( *shoves @ you because jgbjgbjgbh - tfw This is how he decides to come out to Gundham ))

@not-bcring

This wasn’t the first time Gundham had been whisked away to assist with animal rehabilitation, and most definitely wouldn't be the last, the breeder able to add wolves, tigers, turtles, whales, and now snow leopards onto the long list of creatures that had fallen under his care, poaching for the luxury of their pelts leading to some organization or another requesting the aid of the Ultimate Breeder when the levels were beginning to dip too low for comfort. It wasn’t a permanent fix by any means, but with the breeder’s aid the leopard's numbers were no longer teetering, Gundham able to leave them far better off than when he had arrived, even in just a few months time. 

Still, the organization that hired him wasn’t willing to let him go just yet, fighting tooth and nail with the school to try and get the renowned breeder to stay longer, and he was, dare he say, relieved that they had failed. As much as it pained him to leave knowing there was still work he could do, Gundham knew he still had animals of his own back at Hope’s Peak that needed his care, not to mention his mother, and a certain mechanic that hadn’t strayed far from his thoughts the entire time he was away. Had it not been for the location, Gundham would have most certainly been calling him every day, but they were remote, the only calls going in or out that of top priority, and as much as the breeder would have liked to argue that checking up on his...friend was of high importance, he knew it would have been an empty argument.

Even with the inability to speak with him, Kazuichi was always there in the back of his mind, not a single day going by where Gundham didn’t see something he wished to show the mechanic, even a time or two when he had turned to his side with a grin as if he would be standing there, so very bright against the snow that surrounded them with that sharp toothed grin. The cold...it only made him miss the warmth of the other man that much more, such a stark contrast to his own icy touch, now turned positively frigid with the added mountain air. 

Maybe...maybe one day, he could bring Kazuichi here, show him the cubs the breeder had helped bring to life, someone to share in his triumphs instead of being alone like so many other times before...

Time...wasn’t moving fast enough for the breeder, and perhaps that should scare him, that there was another, a mere mortal that had taken his attention just as much as his beloved beasts could, but...it had been quite some time since Kazuichi had been just a mortal, hadn’t it? They... had been through too much, had seen each other at too many highs and lows for the other to ever be anything less than a friend, no matter how much Gundham’s heart ached for more. Having a friend in Kazuichi was enough, more than enough, that in of itself something he could treasure. 

Kazuichi himself, would always be enough.

Parking his car in the lot at Hope’s Peak, body starting the day holding a tired drag obtained from overworking jet lag, Gundham couldn’t spring from the driver’s seat fast enough now, hand grabbing what had been his carry on from the passenger seat in pure subconscious thought, the breeder only partially sure he remembered to close his car door behind him before he was sprinting across the lot with a heavy clunk of his boots, only one person on his mind that he intended to find before anything else.

It wasn’t hard to spot Kazuichi, never had been, something that used to fill him with such annoyance now only made Gundham quicken his pace that much more, face breaking out into a grin that most assuredly made those around him who saw it do a double take, the pure, unfiltered joy something none had seen aside from the man who had caused it with his mere presence alone. 

Gundham caught him easily, as he always does, and always would, bag dropping to the ground with a dull thunk as his arms wrapped about the mechanic, hands gripping tightly at the back of his jumpsuit as if at any moment he may be ripped away. He wasn’t likely to ever admit it, but there were tears clouding the overlord’s eyes as he buried his face in Kazuichi’s shoulder, the pure warmth of the other man making his breathing stutter with the realization that this was real, it wasn’t another dream leading to cold morning on the mountain, heart heavy with yearning for a man so many miles away that wasn’t even his.

“I missed you too, my paramour...” It’s said without missing a beat, even as alarm bells went off in the back of Gundham’s mind, the distant though of how he hoped Kazuichi didn’t know what that meant, that this slip up could remain hidden, cutting through the joy as the other pulled back, the breeder so very ready to be met with fear-

And then lips were on his, and Gundham almost felt like he was back on the mountain top, fear of his own permeating the shock that this was another dream, but...the warmth in his arms, it was unmistakable.

Holding Kazuichi to him with a single arm about his waist, Gundham let his bandaged hand, his supposed cursed hand, cup the mechanic’s cheek, thumb pressing gently over what he was sure looked like a fading bruise upon his cheekbone, but that would have to be an issue for later, the breeder too busy trying to memorize the feeling of it all, the press of bodies, the warmth of the other, the way Kazuichi’s breath tickled his face as he pulled away with...regret? 

No...No, this...it couldn’t be a mistake again, it couldn’t-

But before Gundham can get too far into a spiral, Kazuichi is speaking again, his voice washing over every bit of worry and replacing it with a mirth untouched by such vile thoughts. Letting out a surprised laugh, Gundham set Kazuichi back to the ground, the self proclaimed overlord looking so very human with emotions so often buried as he took the mechanic’s face in his hands, pressing kisses, kisses, kisses, KISSES all over the other’s face, any part of it he could reach, before ending on his mouth once again, no longer trying to memorize but to feel for the simple sake of feeling. 

Pulling away, those tears that had threated to spill finally made their way down Gundham’s cheeks, his smile unmatched by any other as he gazed into Kazuichi’s eyes, still very much disbelieving. “This...I am not still dreaming?” It sounds horribly sappy as it left his lips, like something from one of those mortal movies his mother loved so, but it’s something that he needed to hear. He needed to know that this is real, that this wasn’t another product of his mind like so many other things were between them. The hatred in the beginning, the possible feelings that had almost been their downfall, and now this...this potential, it...it was real, wasn’t it? 

This time it was real.

[soudam-appreciation]

A Special Kind Of Lamp? (3)

TW:: this chapter contains depression and brief/vague mentions of s*icide. Stay safe loves!

. . .

Gundham knew he should get up. His mother had left hours ago for her job, and he felt hunger gnawing at his stomach. Heaving a sigh, he rolled his feet off the edge of his bed and let his body follow. He sat there for a moment, on the floor. The random assortment of objects that lay scattered across his room did not make his position any more comfortable. He contemplated sitting here all day doing nothing, or maybe cleaning up the mess that had been gathering for months, or perhaps even taking a shower (since gods know he could use one). Groaning, he decided against all of those things and stood, trudging out of his darkened cave without even putting on pants.

He glided down the stairs, kicking up a cloud of dust and animal fur with every sullen step. Like a ghost, he wandered through his household, barely registering the pristine condition of the place. Winding his way around the bright Victorian style living spaces, he reached his destination.

He rifled through the pantry, then the fridge, grabbing a single can of soda. Then, opening the freezer, he removed a bag of frozen tater tots and an entire tub of ice cream. Dropping them on the countertop quickly, and shaking the cold from his hands, he pushed the freezer shut with his sockless foot. Not bothering to get a plate, he pulled a spoon from a drawer somewhere and a towel from another and wrapped up the bag of frozen tots. Picking up his items, he began to leave. However, as he took a few steps, he caught a glimpse of a note on the countertop.

"Happy 21st birthday, love!" the note read. "I know you haven't felt right lately, but I thought maybe today you could go out around town! I've left some money for you, in case you want to go out and get anything!"

Gundham sighed. It was sweet of her, for certain, but he didn't know if it was alright to take her money. He certainly had enough of his own, for the time being. But then, on the other hand, was it now expected of him? Was he supposed to go out and about because his mother had both suggested and paid for it?

Lifting his frozen items, he tromped into the main living room and sat on their plush rose sofa. He opened the bag of tots, popping one into his mouth as he contemplated.

He must have spent around 20 minutes munching the solid, ice-cold chunks of potato before halfheartedly making up his mind. Standing, he briefly wondered if that meant his mind was, in fact, not made up, but he brushed that aside and wandered back to the kitchen. When the leftover frozen goods were replaced in the freezer, he scooped the money and note from the counter. Now that life down here was back to the norm, he retraced his earlier steps and returned to his room.

He switched on the light, wincing at how utterly disgusting everything looked when one could see it. The room was quickly returned to darkness.

Snatching a pair of jeans and a ratty band tee from his closet, he changed quickly and tugged on his boots. He didn't want to bother with a shower, he knew he'd lose all energy far too soon. Cold, stiff fingers ran through his greasy, tangled hair, and he considered a hairbrush. No, too much. He had to get outside, spend whatever money he had been given, and return. No need to look nice.

Shoving his arms into a dark jacket that smelled slightly of mildew and was probably a size or two too small, he trotted back down the grand staircase. He grabbed his (majorly unused) car keys from a dish by the door, checked to make certain his phone and the money were both stuffed into his pockets, and opened the door.

The light shining in his face almost made him shriek, but he caught himself and threw his arm before his eyes instead. A sudden and steady hiss pushed from his lungs, and it took far too long for him to snap out of his haze.

When he lowered his shield, he glanced at the too-bright world and rows of houses. He also caught the eye of a small group of children that had probably been playing in the street, before they noticed him. He took a moment longer to understand why he must seem so strange, and why the children were likely staring. To test his suspicion, he bared his teeth and hissed once more, this time at the kids. They scattered, screaming.

Of course, how were they to know he wasn't a vampire?

Already feeling far too strange after this interaction, he stepped fully outside. The warmth of the sun washed over him, and the soft scent of flowers drifted in the breeze. He took a long, deep breath, and closed the door behind him.

He hadn't driven in so long he wasn't sure he remembered how. After a few failed attempts at reversing, thankfully none of which ending in property damage, he finally got out of the garage. Gundham was on the road again.

For the first several minutes, Gundham's average car speed was around 10 mph. He wasn't sure he could keep the car in control if h went much faster, and he had forgotten his wallet and ID at home.

After he had been out and about for about half an hour, the sun was becoming more bearable and he could finally get nearer to the speed limit. He pulled into a parking lot at the local superstore, ending this extra-long car trip with the world's worst parking job. Whispering an apology to whoever may need to park near to him, he locked the vehicle and wove his way into the store.

Entering the building felt like an enormous undertaking. He had to get in, exhaust as much of the money as he could, and get out. Unfortunately, this also meant he had to force himself through aisle after aisle of bright lights and items he had no need for.

He spent twenty minutes simply looking for things to buy, eventually encountering the pet section. Looking only briefly, a deep unease and upset coiled in his chest. His hamsters were the only part of him that he had taken above excellent care of, and even then they had not lived past a few years. He hadn't managed to breed them at that time, and the absence of his always-present companions dampened his spirits considerably.

He pushed on, reminding himself that this was not about his Devas. This was about buying what he could and going home.

Scooping up some shampoo, he wormed through personal care and clothing aisles, ignoring nearly everything on the shelves. He made a beeline for the electronics aisle, certain he could pick something up for a fairly high amount. Unfortunately, he wasn't precisely sure where that was and got turned around quite quickly.

Somehow, he ended up in a deserted and dusty section of the store. The rows of shelves seemed nearly empty, despite being stocked full. The graphics on the packages were mostly faded as if they were quite old compared to the other items in the building. Glancing around for a hint of where he had found himself, a sign hanging above the aisles caught Gundham's eye. Upon it was printed, Old and Discontinued Stock.

Intrigued, he continued through the packed shelves, passing rows of what seemed to be ancient exercise equipment. Rows and rows of items advertising their 'as seen on TV' status in bold red (or rather, pink) spiked bubbles filled his line of sight, and remembering stupid infomercials from his slightly younger years almost made him smile out of sheer annoyance.

As he turned a corner, a slightly different item brought his attention. In large, curly letters, the banner across the front of the box crossed an image of a fairly nondescript lamp, sporting the words LoveLight™. He approached, sliding one box off of the shelf. Turning it around, he hoped to read what exactly it was supposed to do on the back of the box. Fortunately for him, that is exactly where such a description was found.

It seemed to claim something about... connecting soulmates? He wasn't sure how well it could work, but he thought he might as well buy it anyways. It was right about the amount he needed to max out the gift from his mother and return home. He didn't care much about what color the lampshade was, so he carried to the checkout the box he was already holding.

. . .

Tromping up the stairs, he dumped the bag of lamp onto his overcrowded desk. He groaned as a few stray papers slid to the floor. They gathered around the edge, adding to the steep piles of clothes and garbage that littered the area. 

He threw himself onto his bed, wrapping his favorite comforter around himself. Today had been longer than expected, and he was exhausted from his excursion, even if it was only an hour and a half. Pulling out his phone, he opened YouTube and began the first video in his feed. He didn't even try to focus as his eyes drifted shut, and sleep overtook him.

. . .

When he stirred, it was long past dark. He groaned, twisting his body sluggishly to be freed from his cocoon-like prison of the blanket. Propping himself up on his elbows, he tried to blink the sleep from his eyes. When this attempt was unsuccessful, Gundham rolled back over and tried to return to sleep. 

Unfortunately, his blankets were still too tight, and he was made painfully aware of two things. The first was how hot it was; the second was how badly he needed to pee. 

He squirmed yet more, struggling to free his arms. When he had at last accomplished this, he slowly peeled the comforter away layer by layer, until he was sitting fully clothed, shoes and all, on his bed. He tugged off his boots, exhaustion numbing his fingers, and slowly began to make his way to the bathroom. 

. . .

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he yawned and looked for something to do. The night was often when he was "productive", but tonight he still felt ready to collapse in on himself, like a dying star. What a worthless waste of space he was. 

Tonight was certainly not the first night he felt ready to give up. This was, in fact, a near-daily occurrence. However, he knew that his mother would be left alone and that he, too, was far too afraid of what lay beyond, so he instead searched for an occupation for his hands.

He settled upon the plastic bag that contained the boxed “soulmate lamp”. Lifting it, he noted that it felt a bit heavier than before, but attributed this to his cold and tired limbs. Once the box was freed from its thin plastic containment, he searched for an opening.

He examined it, locating the circular sticker that secured the cardboard. Picking at the edges with his overgrown nails, he managed to peel up the side (with great difficulty). The packaging from there was not too difficult to decipher, though it still caused mild annoyance.

Only when the lamp sat undisturbed atop his bedside table did he begin to feel the stirrings of excitement. Before, it had merely been a vessel for assuaging boredom and returning home as quickly as possible, but now it seemed to radiate a faint... hope.

He plugged it in, wincing as the bright light flicked on. Snatching the instructions from their perch beside the lamp, Gundham wrestled with the folded paper to find the directions to dimming the damned thing.

Said directions were fairly simple to find, so when he had saved his eyes from the caustic sheen, he began the calibration process.

The process was long and bothersome, it seemed. First was simple, imputing the kinds of personal information every internet-connected device needs. Each answer was written against the shade with the "specialized" pen, and submission was accompanied by a pleasant blip sound. Then came the long series of questions that needed answering, a process by which the lamp was to determine one's soulmate. This step took the greatest time of the setup, costing him nearly an hour total. If he had had anything else to do, he simply would have given up.

Finally, however, the setup was complete, and he was alerted to this by another small electronic noise. Gundham tossed aside the instructions, groaning audibly as a loading circlet began rotating against the shade. He replaced the pen in its slot at the lamp's base and leaned back against his plush comforter. The loading process took several minutes, as it ran through the extensive database of other questionnaires (or so he assumed, this was never stated in the instructions). It took quite a few minutes, long enough for him to begin to drift off to sleep.

He was awakened by yet another blip sound, this one likely stating that the final stage was complete! He bolted upright, watching the shade warily for any signs of writing.

And then, something appeared.

A hasty message scrawled in sloppy and nearly unintelligible print. It seemed rushed, letters running together on the mesh shade.

"Hi! I just got this thing and I'm super excited to talk to you!!!"

It worked.

He blinked, quietly astonished, amazed that such a device could do much of anything at all. As he sat in the dark, bewildered, another message began to appear.

"I can't wait til you get these. I'm so excited to talk to you!!"

He shook his head, strands of grimy dual-colored hair falling out of place. His chest felt tight, the sensation of someone other than his mother even speaking to him so foreign. Even if the messages did sound as if they were written by a child.

"Hey again! I hope your getting these!"

Fists tightened against wrinkled sheets. Gundham felt his stomach churn, yearning for another message.

"Today was fun! I got to hang at the Skate park! What did you do today?"

Tears pricked at his eyes, the sweetness and innocence in each message rushing over him.

"I don't have many friends. I think when we get to meet we'll be real good friends! Right?"

A lump formed in his throat, and he swallowed hard.

"Good morning! I hope you respond soon!"

One single tear dropped from his face, hitting his exposed skin.

"Hey, just seein if youre ok! I had a weird day today :("

They kept coming, messages appearing faster and faster. Was it a backlog? Were these old messages? Gundham wasn't sure.

"Guess what today is? It's my birthday! I'm 14!! How old are you?"

The tears kept coming too, streams of salty liquid flowing freely across his cheeks. He couldn't have stopped it if he tried.

"I wonder what kinds a things you like?"

Messages appeared faster and faster, quickly filling available space across the lampshade.

"I hope ya feel alright today! I still can't wait to talk to you. :)"

Gundham's vision blurred, too much to see the individual messages. Hundreds of letters blurred to nothing but glowing gold clouds, soft light filling, and obscuring, his vision.

The years of isolation began to crumble. He had tried so hard to harden his heart, to erase this feeling of crushing loneliness, and the facade he had so tirelessly built with shaking and scarred hands had started cracking from the pain. He hadn't understood how much he craved this, how desperately he had needed someone to talk to. For someone to ask if he was ok.

His body shook with sobs, ribs splintering under the pressure of the world as golden light flooded his room. Messages poured in, the light now nothing less than a glowing orb in his eyes, but he couldn't look away. He watched as more and more scribbled notes filled his mind, the emptiness usually stored in his chest now replaced with intense hurt. Love was what he needed, friends and company and care were the things he desired so desperately, the things he had never allowed himself to want.

The light began to fade, the most recent messages having used their allotted minutes. He sniffed, scrubbing tears from his eyes with harsh hands, and squinted at the lamp. Choking, he continued to press against his eyes. Perhaps if he tried, he could stop the next wave.

He caught another flicker of light, quickly leaning back toward the device to read whatever was there. Then he watched as, in real time, more words scrawled across the shade.

"Just wanted to say I still love you."

His last chance at holding back was ruined, and again he began to weep. Pushing away just enough to reach for the pen, he grabbed it with shaking fingers and raised it to the shade. Slowly, he pressed the tip against the mesh fabric and began to write.

"I'm so sorry."

[idnek83]

Aid - Chapter 3/13

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham

Tags: Alternate Universe - Island Mode, No Game Spoilers, Masturbation,  Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Semi-Public Sex, Grinding, Wet Dreams, Anal Fingering,  Friends With Benefits,  Getting Together, Internalized Homophobia, Anal Sex

Summary: Everyone is hot and half naked because of their beach vacation. Soda is horny and tries to do something about it. Gundham tries to help and does. It all gets a little out of hand.

Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Read on Ao3

This Chapter: Soda never claimed to be smart, sometimes he makes mistakes and hurts people without even knowing. Soda realizes he might not have his priorities in order.

_____________________

Soda definitely had a lot of thinking to do, but he wasn’t gonna do any of it till really he had to.

With Jum-P safely back in his lair, it seemed like it was probably a good time to wrap up this field trip into hamster land.

“Wanna go hang out somewhere else, man? I mean, if I disturb the Devas for too long I’ll probably get cursed or something, right?” Soda smiled at Gundham across the room.

“You need not fear the wrath of my Devas, my companion, so long as you do not betray me, they will not harm you.” Gundham was smiling too. “A change of location may be amiable, however.”

“Sweet.” Soda turned and opened the door, he didn’t really know where they should go, but he figured they were bound to run into some of their classmates doing something interesting soon enough. No real point in making plans if your weird friends are just gonna ruin them anyway right?

Soda and Gundham hadn’t even made it past the cabins when they spotted several of their classmates chatting animatedly.

Akane waved them over “Yo, you guy wanna come to the beach? The one by the diner? We’re gonna find out who’s the best swimmer. Teruteru even said he’d be sure to give the winner some thick, juicy meat.”

“I’ll be sure to give it to you till you can’t take it anymore.” Teruteru laughed in a way he probably thought was charming.

Soda cringed at the obvious metaphor. He wasn’t really an amazing swimmer and racing kinda sounded like a hassle anyways…

Then Sonia, beautiful, perfect Sonia, stepped up, arm on her bicep “I will show you all my power! I will be the winner of the meat and you will all be made to admit defeat!”

Soda fucking loved swimming and racing sounded like a god damn amazing idea.

“Y-yeah! Of course we’ll come! I’ll show you I’m no pushover Miss Sonia!”

“I look forward to competing with you, Gundham!” Sonia said, ignoring Soda and flipping her long, gorgeous hair over her shoulder before walking away, followed by the others.

“Damnit, whys she always gotta ignore me like that.” Soda kind of wanted to cry, but he’d just have to prove to Sonia that he was serious in the race. And really, even if he didn’t, at least he’d get to see Sonia in a swimsuit. Hell yeah.

“Come on Gundham! Let’s grab our trunks and head to the beach!” Soda turned to Gundham with visible enthusiasm. Gundham didn’t seem to feel nearly as excited.

“Ah, I… will have to leave this battle to you, my companion. As the Supreme Overlord of Ice, I have made a nemesis of the many sea gods. Were I to enter their domain, it would surely result in catastrophe for all involved.” Gundham was looking away, he must not really like the ocean.

“Huh? So you’re not coming?” Gundham didn’t respond “Ok, man, whatever. I’ll catch you later then.” Soda turned and ran to his cabin.

Sure, he felt a little bad about leaving Gundham alone, but it wasn’t like he was excluding him or something. He had been invited, he was just choosing not to go, so it’s his fault if he ends up feeling left out, right? Anyways, this meant Gundham wouldn’t be there to distract Sonia from him, so Soda’d definitely get her attention now!

He changed into his swim trunks and ran back outside, not wanting to get left behind. He vaguely noted that Gundham had already left, maybe he went back to check on his hamsters again? Whatever, Sonia here he comes!

It had been a while since he had really thought about her properly, the whole… thing with Gundham had been taking up most of the space in his brain recently. But now he was focused again, picturing what the beautiful princess would look like in her swimsuit. Would she wear a bikini? His mouth was watering at the thought of all that beautiful, smooth skin being on display. Her delicate arms and long, slender legs, her supple chest and wide hips… that pale stomach and those rippling abs, so well defined through pale, pale skin, and that deep V created by hip bones, leading down to that thick, hard-

Fuck. That wasn’t Sonia anymore. Shit.

Soda shook his head and wished that Gundham would kindly get the fuck out of his Sonia fantasy with his stupid sexy body, and handsome face, and big, warm hands, and those sad eyes as Soda had walked away-

Nope. Not the time for this. He wasn’t going feel bad about Gundham choosing not to hang out with the rest of them, and he was going to think about how sexy Sonia was, god damnit! Sonia! You hear that you stupid traitor of a brain? Sonia!

Sonia in a little, skimpy bikini that barely covered her beautiful body and soft curves. Curves so unlike those on Gundham’s muscular body, curves that would be smooth and supple against his palms, rather than taught and firm. The contrast would probably drive him crazy; soft yielding flesh in front of him and a hard, muscular body behind him-

Ok, hot, but still not what he was going for.

Whatever, he could see the beach just ahead, so it was probably time to get his head out of the clouds anyways.

As he approached the beach, he saw Sonia look up at him with a smile, and he felt so happy that he hardly even cared when it changed to a look of confusion and disappointment a moment later.

“Where is Gundham? I thought he would be with you?”

“Oh, he s-said something about not liking the sea gods? Don’t worry Miss Sonia, I’ll make sure this race is so fun you don’t even notice he’s gone!” Gundham couldn’t actually cock block him when he wasn’t even here right?

Sonia still looked disappointed. Soda heard a loud click.

“That’s too bad, I was hoping to get some good shots of everyone.” Mahiru lowered her camera and approached them. “Well hopefully he’ll come by later, I was mostly hoping to get a some shots in front of the sunset anyways.”

It didn’t occur to Soda until that very moment that Mahiru would be taking pictures of the event. Pictures where everyone would be half naked, and possibly soaking wet… Mahiru was quickly becoming one of Soda’s favourite people.

Speaking of being half naked…

“Where are your guys’ swimsuits? I thought we were gonna race in the ocean?” Looking around, all of the girls were still in their regular clothes.

“Disappointed, pervert?” Hiyoko laughed.

“N-no! I was just, uh. Akane said we we’re gonna swim, so-” Soda did his best not to sound like the disappointed pervert he definitely was.

“We weren’t sure how long everyone would take, so we decided we'd get changed in the beach house.” Chiaki had appeared from somewhere. “But if Gundham isn’t coming, then I guess this is everyone. We should probably get changed then.”

The girls headed towards the beach house, and Soda’s eyes widened. They were gonna be changing so close by, in a house with a big ass window. His face reddened and he looked to Hajime, standing just a bit further down the beach. Surely his soul friend would understand what an amazing opportunity this was.

“Hajime-“

“No.” Hajime sounded firm, but he was blushing. He was definitely thinking the same thing Soda was.

“C’mon man. This is like, a once in a lifetime opportunity. All of the girls are getting changed! Right there! Right on the other side of that huge window. We gotta peek! It’s like, out duty as men!” Soda could see Hajime’s resolve slowly crumbling. “Just a quick peek dude, no one has to know.”

“I guess if it’s just quickly…” Hell yeah, hell yeah, HELL YEAH!

“Yo, what are you two whispering about? Gonna cheat in the race?” Soda and Hajime jumped as Akane approached. She was practically bursting out of her little blue and white bikini, and Soda was having a really hard time not starring.

“N-nothin, don’t worry about it.” Soda laughed nervously “I uh, thought all the girls were inside… how’d you get changed so fast?”

“Huh? I just wore by suit under my clothes. Why? Were you hopping to get a peek or somethin’?”

“N-no!” Soda shouted, in a totally calm and not at all suspicious way.

“Ha, I don’t mind givin’ you a peek, but it’s gonna cost ya.” Soda couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or actually serious. Hajime just shook his head and walked away.

“H-hey! Hajime! Wait up.” Soda had no idea how to handle Akane, he definitely didn’t want to get stuck alone with her, sexy swimsuit or not. Well, maybe he wouldn’t mind being like, alone alone with her, but maybe not right this second.

A few minutes later the girls emerged, some in bikinis, but most, including Sonia, in school issued one-piece swimsuits. Soda would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little disappointed, but at least she wasn’t wearing a full scuba suit or something weird like that. Still plenty of beautiful, perfect skin on display.

He should probably compliment her, right? Girls loved being told they looked good in swimsuits, right?

“Miss Sonia, you-“

“Let us get started with the competition!” Sonia either didn’t hear him or didn’t care, cutting him off before he could finish and heading towards the water. Hajime gave Soda a sympathetic pat on the back before following her.

Sonia and Akane scouted out good start and end points for the race, and Mahiru volunteered to be the judge, ready to take pictures in case of a photo finish. Soda knew he couldn’t actually win the race, but he was gonna do his best in hopes of impressing Sonia and finally getting her to acknowledge him.

Soda was right not to think he could win, the second Mahiru said go, Akane was swimming off at dizzying speeds, no doubt spurred on by Teruteru’s promise of food for the winner. Still, Soda did his best and ended up finishing just behind Hajime. He wasn’t sure what place he finished in, but he felt like he made pretty good time, so probably at least like top 5 right?

He was 7th. Sonia had placed 3rd, after Akane and Peko, which meant she had finished before him and probably hadn’t even spared the time to see how hard he was trying. He tried to congratulate her on doing so well, but just got blown off again.

He felt pretty shitty. He wondered what Gundham was up to.

He spared a glance to the shore to see if the breeder had changed his mind and shown up at the beach while he had been focused on the race. No sign of him. Soda felt even shittier.

He was suddenly splashed in the face with water.

“Hey cheer up Soda, I think you did pretty well honestly.” Hajime, dear, sweet Hajime.

“You’re only saying that cus I nearly beat you. If I sucked it’d mean you sucked too.” He splashed Hajime back, already feeling a little better.

“Just take the compliment.” Hajime laughed and splashed more water at Soda. It was on, if Hajime wanted a splash fight, Soda was gonna give it to him.

The splash fight devolved into an all-out splash war as the others joined in, laughing and threatening to kill each other in the same breaths. Maybe Sonia still wasn’t paying attention to Soda, but he was at least having fun now.

The splash war died down and devolved into a handstand contest, which became a breath holding contest, which became several rounds of chicken. Soda lost track of time and didn’t even notice that the sun was setting and he was starving until Akane stopped what she was doing, sniffed, and made a beeline towards the shore shouting something about food.

Teruteru must have snuck off at some point, because when Soda looked back at the beach, he saw him standing behind a grill, piling delicious looking food onto a table that must have been folded up somewhere in the beach house storage room.

Soda felt a bit embarrassed thinking about the storage room, but he was too hungry to worry about it and headed for shore along with the rest of his classmates. Whatever Teruteru was cooking smelled amazing, and Soda was drooling by the time he made it to where the table was set up outside the beach house.

Teruteru seemed to be setting up the table buffet style, with plates stacked at one end and various dishes lined up along it. It didn’t seem like he was done cooking yet, but Akane was already digging in. Soda grabbed a plate a filled it with a bit of everything, there weren’t any chairs set up, but Soda figured he could just find somewhere for him and Gundham-

His stomach dropped. Gundham wasn’t here and Soda had ditched him to hang out around a girl who probably wouldn’t even care if he dropped dead in front of her. God he was a shitty friend, or companion, or… whatever he was to Gundham.

Well fuck that, time to stop being shitty. Soda piled some more food onto his plate and moved to leave the beach.

“Soda? Where are you going?” Hajime called after him.

“Oh uh, I just thought I’d go find Gundham. Bring him something to eat, y���know?”

“You are going to find Gundham?” Sonia looked at him for what was probably only the second time that day. “Allow me to accompany you then.”

Usually, Soda would be ecstatic at the opportunity to spend time alone with Sonia, even if it was just for the short walk to their cabins, but he wasn’t really feeling it right now. Maybe it was because he felt guilty about ditching Gundham and didn’t want an audience for his apology, or maybe he was just hurt by the fact that Sonia had ignored him all day and was obviously just using him to get to Gundham now. Either way, he knew he didn’t want her to come.

“Nah, I’m good. You just stay here Sonia.” Soda wasn’t sure if he was imagining the shocked looks on his friends faces as he turned around to leave again. Were they really so shocked that he showed a little backbone?

Yeah, of course they were. Soda knew he was a huge pushover, especially when it came to Sonia.

“Hold up.” Jesus what now. “Can’t having you letting my food get cold while you find tall, dark, and handsome. Give me that.” With a completely unnecessary flourish, Teruteru grabbed the plate Soda was holding and transferred the food into a shallow bowl with a lid. “There, make sure to tell Gundham he’s welcome to come see me if that doesn’t satisfy him.” Teruteru laughed and winked while combing back his stupid hair.

Soda took the food and left before anyone else could stop him.

What the fuck had he just done. Soda just kept on making mistakes.

Why did he turn down Sonia like that? She probably hated him for being so rude now. Well, maybe being hated by her was actually a little better than just being nothing. At least now she might spare a thought for him every now and then, even if it was just about how much she hated him, being on her mind was still sort of a win, right?

God he was pathetic.

Fuck it, Sonia had probably already forgotten he existed again. She was probably thinking about Gundham now. Well jokes on her, she could think of him all she wanted but Soda was the one who had sucked his dick, so there.

Sonia hadn’t sucked Gundham’s dick before, right? Right? Had she? Why the fuck did that thought make him so mad? Was he actually jealous? And which one of them was he jealous of? Fuck.

Soda breathed deeply and debated just taking all the food back to his cabin and pigging out until he felt less shitty. He was basically already there anyways.

He spared a glance to the end of the row of cabins and noticed Gundham’s lights were off. Was he sleeping? The sun had just barely set, but Gundham had been up all-night taking care of Jum-P so…

Soda sighed and went to take a look. At least if Gundham was asleep he would have an excuse to eat all the food by himself. He was just checking to give himself a good alibi, he really didn't care if Gundham was sleeping, and he definitely wasn't hoping he was awake so they could... talk.

He peeked in the window as he walked up, but he couldn’t really see anything. He should probably knock right? Maybe Gundham just liked sitting in the dark sometimes? Soda could easily imagine Gundham sitting alone in a dark room and calling it a ritual or something.

He knocked on the door lightly. “Uh, Gundham? I brought food?”

No response.

“And I’m um, I’m sorry for ditching you earlier, that was... pretty lame of me.”

Nothing.

“Gundham?” He knocked again, louder. Still no response.

Was he just a really deep sleeper? Or was he not in his room? Or was he actually just super pissed at Soda for ditching him, and now he was ignoring him just like Sonia? The thought kind of made him want to cry.

Fuck it, he wasn’t gonna just let Gundham ignore him.

“C’mon man! I said I’m sorry already! Let me make it up to you! You can eat my share of Teru’s food if ya want! Or,” Soda blushed “I-I could y’know, ‘aid’ you again if you want…”

“Aid him? Now what could you possibly be helping the ultimate breeder with I wonder.” Soda jumped at the sound of Nagito’s voice.

“Dude! Where the fuck did you come from?” Soda prayed he wouldn’t push him on what he had meant by aiding Gundham.

“Hmm? I just walked the same way you did. I thought Hajime looked a little cold and thought the least a worthless piece of trash like me could do is get him a sweater.” He smiled that creepy smile of his. “Oh, and lucky you, I happened to see Gundham on my way here. He was headed towards that little beach by the airport.”

“What? Why was he going there.”

“Ah, I didn’t ask. I’m sorry, I really am useless, aren’t I?”

“W-whatever dude.” Soda really hated talking to Nagito on his own, something was just off about him. He gave him a half wave and walked back the way he had come at a totally normal, not at all fast pace.

It was time to apologize for real, he really didn’t want to lose… whatever it was he had with Gundham.

Whatever it was that was making his heart feel so damn heavy.

Next Chapter

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Day 29 : Gift - Tanaka Gundham

“Gundham, dear, could you pass me the syringe, please?” I ask my boyfriend, as I hold the puppy to finish the treatment. “Here.” he handed me the syringe as he took the ointment for a kitten’s wound. “Okay, that’s it! Another successful day! Thank you for today, Gundham! I always love having you around the clinic.” I hug him tightly as I closed the clinic for the day. “The Lord of Darkness is grateful to have the Kitsune Queen’s appreciations!” he laughed in his usual low voice, making me kiss him for being adorable. “We should go back home now, I’m tired.” I go to the changing room to get back in my casual clothes, and when I was back, Gundham seemed more excited than usual. “Let’s go back to our Empire of Evil and conquer the world!” he put his arm around my waist as we walk back home together.

There, we ate some take out together, but before I could get up and go in bed to relax, Gundham stops me.

“My dear Black Kitten has been working so hard to make sure the Army of Death stays healthy and safe, so I thought I would surprise her with a little magic spell of Happiness!” he began, but a grin made its way on my face and I kissed him tenderly, making him stutter and blush furiously. “But Gundham, dear, any time I see you I’m happy!” I explain, making him stumble even more with his words, hiding his face with the purple scarf. “I-...Uh...W-We-Well...” he muttered, barely above a whisper. “A-As I was s-saying! As the Dark Lord of Fire and Ice, I decided to hear to your concerns!” he continued, making me tilt my head in confusion. “What concerns are you talking about?” I ask, oblivious. “Your wish to create an Army of Infernal Demons together in this place, of course! However, the summoning space is much too small to have more spellcasters than the Dark Devas of Destructions, so we can’t afford more to gather more...” he began, making my mouth open slightly in realisation. “Ah...Yeahh...I did mention I wanted a puppy...A more...But I settled with the animals at the clinic since I don’t want the puppies to suffer from loneliness and neglect since we wouldn’t have much time to spend with them. What about it?” I inquire again, my eyes wide with curiosity. “I...I decided to recreate your Mother’s spell of summoning a Sloth stuffed minion from Hell, but instead of the Sloth that you treasure so much, I conjured another being that would mimic your soul! Lo’ and Behold, the Kitsune of the Fire Realm!” his voice thundered through the room with a dark glee, as he took the fox plushie from his bag and handed it to me, with a prideful smirk on his face. “Oh...My...GOODNESS! It’s SO beautiful! Thank you so much, Gundham, I love her! I will sleep cuddled with her every night, I’m sure she’ll bring me only the best of dreams!” I squeal in happiness, making him chuckle in pride...Until he stopped abruptly. “Wait. What about me?” he asked, his usually pale face getting even whiter, his boastful facade falling. “What do you mean?” I ask in complete confusion. “Won’t you...Uhhh...Cuddle with me anymore?” he mutters softly, blushing terrible, looking down as he fiddled with his fingers. “Awwww, was that what you thought? Of course I would cuddle with you as well, Gundham! You are always my priority!” I grin up at him, hugging him tightly and nuzzling my face in his chest, like a kitten would. “That’s...That’s good. Thank you, Kat.” he nodded, putting his arms around me and resting his chin on the top of my head. “Don’t thank me, Gundham, you have nothing to thank me for. I love you.” I confess, my voice tender and loving. “I love you as well, my dear Kat.” he says in his lovely, velvety voice.