#and everything they've been through has only amplified that love x9283842043738

[howthesleeplesswander]

Attuned as he was to Ryunosuke's...well, everything—he sensed the disquiet that ironically led to a prolonged silence. Previous levity slipped from Kazuma's expression the longer it lasted, until he studied that handsome profile with patient concern.

In the calm after the storm, for the first time since the incident aboard the SS Burya, Kazuma felt right again. Thus, one could imagine his surprise when the very person who was the source of so much of that comfort called it all into question. Two little words formed a would-be innocuous question, if not for all they'd been through since their departure from Japan. If not for all that Kazuma's own actions had put them through. His steps drew to a pause.

"Ryunosuke." The utterance held the same confounding amalgamation of untold strength and debilitating weakness that Kazuma always felt in his partner's presence: firm with resolve, yet so tender. Unhesitatingly, he tugged Ryunosuke aside so the pair stood on one edge of the sidewalk to allow other Londoners to pass by. Yet even if the Queen herself had strolled past in that moment, Kazuma's gaze couldn't have been persuaded away.

"Surely you must know that I already have—and I owe a great deal of that to you." Now standing opposite, Kazuma held his hands in both of his own. "In my blind thirst for justice, I would have condemned another innocent man while the true culprit walked free. It's because of you that Lord Stronghart will pay for his crimes."

But he knew Ryunosuke: how he was blind to the profound effect he had on those who shared their lives with him. "Don't try to downplay it," he preemptively scolded before the other could interject, with fondness playing on his lips and a warmth in dark eyes that could never be done justice with mere words. "You're the reason that my father's spirit can finally be at peace, as can I."

A squeeze of his partner's hands affirmed that truth. "The role you played in putting everything to rest...I never would have asked that of you. I spent most of my life preparing to come here, and yet nothing went as I'd planned. I didn't think...I had no idea what it would do to me. Perhaps if I'd known..."

Viscerally, deep in the core of himself, Kazuma was aware of his family's blade at Ryunosuke's side: a reminder of the demons within his heart, born from a lifelong lust for vengeance. But he banished those shadows for now with a shake of his head. "I still have my own actions to atone for, but...If I'm being entirely honest, with my father's name cleared and you by my side, my soul is the most at peace that it has ever been."

Eternally, Ryunosuke would argue one of Kazuma’s greatest skills was being a distraction. (And yes, he himself was hardly innocent; he knew he could just as well be the same in return, but at this point, he’d claim it was deserved.) Said distraction could mean anything—and became all the more impossible to ignore in the courtroom—but even here… Whether Kazuma intended it or not, he did an exceptional job of changing a subject before it had a chance to even stretch its wings.

Because, observant as Ryunosuke had become in recent months, he caught the shadows momentarily drifting across his partner’s face. Like a sudden flurry of spotty clouds blotting out an otherwise sunny day, the prior contentment riding every line of his expression faltered. And Ryunosuke knew then the cause of the fleeting shift in mood; he resolved to do something about it. Next chance he got, and perhaps with a little help of a great detective’s creative daughter who’d be thrilled to put together another outfit—

But there Kazuma went with his distractions. In the blink of an eye, Ryunosuke had other things to think about. (He wasn’t going to forget, though!)

“Right, well—” Though his first word came out as more of a squeak, he gathered himself promptly. “It wouldn’t be the first time some massive responsibility was shoved onto me.” Ryunosuke pursed his lips in some meager effort to be cross, but none of that quite managed to sully the fondness in his eyes. He hoped the light squeeze he offered Kazuma’s arm was enough to communicate he wouldn’t be letting any amount of freezing happen.

No matter what it took to accomplish that.

As they began a leisurely walk along the streets, it dawned on him—perhaps at the same time as it dawned on Kazuma—that this was the promise. This was what Kazuma had proposed ages ago, what Ryunosuke had come to London anticipating from the start only to discover… Well, when it came down to it, he wondered how much of that impassioned speech had been genuine knowing what he knew now: all the baggage once buried beyond anyone’s reach.

He nearly jolted when he heard Kazuma say those words again, and once more, Ryunosuke pondered if everyone around him really could read his thoughts. His attention dropped—strangely guilty—as he walked a good block before managing a sound. “Is it?” Ryunosuke ventured softly at first, steeling himself before attempting a sideways glance. “Th-that is… After everything, I mean— I truly hope you can find some peace, Kazuma: whatever that may look like for you.”