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whatever-fanfics · 1 year ago

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Much has changed but I still have you

~~~

Ikemen sengoku x reader

Keiji Maeda x reader

Part of @aquagirl1978 's "a series of firsts" challenge

Prompt: First child (getting used to life as parents)

In which while getting used parenthood, you and Keiji introduce your newborn son to the Oda forces.

~~~

A shrill cry woke you both out of your sleep, he heard you before he could even open his eyes completely. "Oh my baby" you soothingly said, as the light assaulted your eyes. Quickly assimilating to the light Keiji saw you bump into the wall before feeling for the door, finding it and sliding it open.

He took a moment to sigh before sitting himself up and pulling the covers off.

He'd long since realized his dream, bringing an alliance back from Echigo. Becoming lord of the land, giving a home to his parents. Marrying you, becoming a father.

He inhales as he breaks out of his reverie at the sound of the door opening and closing. "Maybe we should move his room, it's always cold in there" you say, voice laced with exhaustion matching your dark eye bags, walking over to the futon, your son of barely 5 months in your arms. "Yeah? Maybe next to ours, instead of down the hall" he answers as he ties his hair. You nod in agreement, smiling at him as he settles himself behind you.

"Good morning" he says leaning over to kiss your temple, taking the blanket and repositioning it to cover both you and the babe in your arms. "Morning" you say back, letting the yukata slip off your shoulder in order to feed him. "How many hours did you get" he asks softly so as not to jostle the baby who is blissfully feeding on your nipple. "Hours? More like minutes" you joke, not entirely a lie, he laughs "after they go, get some sleep I'll watch him" Keiji offers not looking away from your half asleep baby. "Nah, you need sleep too, don't think I don't know you're sleep schedule is worse than mine" despite your words your tone was as soft as ever. "Okay" he tenderly whispers in your ear followed by a slight nibble to your earlobe.

"Keiji" you whimper, "they'll be here soon" you breathe out as he works his way down your neck. "So..." he reasons, you turn to him lips slightly parted as he leans into you slowly, his hand lightly caressing your jaw. Your lips are the only thing on his mind.

You feel a breath of cold air on your nipple right before your son's high pitched mewls turned into high pitched cries breaking the mood.

You both heave a sigh, before separating, he helps you restate your robes. "Do you know how much time we have before they get here?" You ask as he takes your baby to change his diaper "soon, but probably not until after breakfast" he estimates.

You hand your son off to the nursemaid, so that you and Keiji can enjoy breakfast together. After that you dressed the baby and then yourselves. Before going to the meeting room you took a mat for him to lay on along with a few toys that you knew he liked.

~~~

A delighted smile spread across your face as you wiggled the den-den daiko, one of the many gifts gifted to him by his grandparents. His cheerful gurgle and drool making its way past his chin, he flails as he sees your smile making your soar. The light of the sun breaks through the crack of the shoji doors illuminating his rosy cheeks making a sheer contrast to the bright blue kimono you'd made him.

"A strong voice makes good on the battlefield" Nobunaga's booming voice echoes throughout the meeting room, as you turned around you saw everyone pile in.

After exchanging greetings everyone took their seat around the room. You handed him to Nobunaga, helping him support your son in the right places.

"I think he has your nose" Hideyoshi whispers from his place between you and his liege lord, the latter's attention consumed by the child he was currently bouncing through the air. A breathy laugh leaves your lips "yeah and he has Keiji's hair" you whisper back. As your conversation dies down you both turn back to Nobunaga and the baby staring intensely into his eyes, kicking his feet as the former bounces him into the air.

He'd been doing this for quite a while now so you were concerned. "You might want to put him down for a minute, he might-" words dying down in your throat, pulling your lips back into a thin line.

Some watched in terror others in surprise as your son's throw up met its mark, on Nobunaga's face.

Your son's cries of displeasure followed right after as he felt the a sting in the back of his throat.

"Nobunaga-sama!" Hideyoshi's shocked voice broke everyone out of their stupor.

You didn't have to see Mitsuhide's smile as his snicker was enough to warrant a quick reprimand from Hideyoshi.

A small "oh..." escaped Mitsunari as Masamune and Ieyasu wore matching expressions of silenced shock.

Sighing you made your way to the door, hollering out for some towels and water as Keiji made his way from next to you to gather the child from Nobunaga's hands.

Said lord kept his eyes closed, not uttering a single word as chaos around him ensued. You made your way back over to him towels in one hand and a bowl of water in the other, placing one dampened towel in his free hand and the others on his knee.

Upon lifting your hand with another dampened towel, he holds up his hand to accept the towel from you. "Well..." you begin before finishing "at least your clothes are safe." Time stops as everyone in the room freezes astonished by your statement. "Y/n!!!" Hideyoshi scolds his tone scaring your son even more, you turn as Keiji struggles the fussing baby in his arms. "Hideyoshi please don't scare the baby" Ieyasu chimes in from his spot.

Hideyoshi's retort is cut off as everyone's attention is drawn to the slight chuckle coming from their liege lord. You turn surprise plastered on your face, as he leans forward so as not to get the retch in his mouth while wiping his face with the towels. As his laughter quieted down, you handed him the other towel so you could help your struggling husband.

"You got 'em" Keiji asked as you situated your son in your arms in a way that didn't involve getting the spit up on your kimono. "Yeah" you assured as you gently rocked him in your arms, careful not to agitate him any further. Gently thanking Keiji as he opened the door for you to swiftly exit and change his dirty clothes.

~~~

Sliding the door closed was harder with a 14 pound baby in your other arm. Mitsunari, being closest to the door, rushed from his sitting position to your aid "here" he said reaching behind you to close the door. You quickly thanked him and went to sit by the others, who were huddling around something.

"What's goin' on" Keiji turned at the sound of your honeyed voice, he swears you make his heart stutter every time. Keiji nods towards the center of the circle where multiple items were splayed out on the floor, some laying on the clean towels from earlier. "Awww" you swooned at the sight of baby sandals, several sounds of laughter meet your ears as you slowly sit down.

"Who?"

You asked, eyes a little teary voice wavering with emotion, making your husband's eyes and heart soften. Looking around the room you saw Hideyoshi put up his arm with a slightly bashful smile. You thanked him passionately the tears welling up in your eyes, pregnancy hormones not quite all gone, he waved his hand as he eased you a bright smile on his face.

"Lass" Masamune drew your attention to the small posh in front of you. Your look of confusion melted into one of adoration as he opened the pouch to reveal a small container filled with puréed fruit. Taking the spoon he had with it you gently placed some of the fruit on your son's parted lips. Everyone waited in silence as he contemplated the new flavor invading his senses, you and your husband laugh as your baby lifts his eyebrows in confusion, before using all of his strength to reach for the spoon again.

Your shared laughter was heard from down the hall, laughter that would illuminate your home for years to come.

~~~

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ikeromantic · 1 year ago

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Keiji - Red Thread of Fate

This is a gift piece for @scruffymctee featuring the lovely Tomoyo. Approx. 4K words.

Keiji felt like an idiot. This wasn’t a new sensation. More like an old scar that tore open from time to time, bleeding shame instead of blood. He shoved his feelings down into his chest and ignored the bitter bile taste in his throat. “Of course, my lord. I will stay back with the reserves.” His voice was cheerful, his expression the same. “It’s an honor to be given any position in your forces.”

Nobunaga’s carnelian gaze pinned him to the spot, as if he could see straight past the smile and into the roiling darkness of Keiji’s heart. “Do not disappoint me,” was all he said. His expression was too flat to read, his tone expectant and regal.

The wild child bowed low, knowing this was not the time or place to demand more. He hadn’t earned it. Not yet. One day though . . . one day he would be at the head of a mighty force. His name made legend in song and poetry. And his uncle would be no one and nothing, finally made to eat his words. That thought made Keiji’s smile widen.

Two days later, he and his reserve troops sat idle at the Oda camp. They could hear battle in the distance as Masamune brought a rogue daimyo to heel. It was impossible to tell from here if they were winning or losing, but the signal for the reserve had not been sent so there was nothing for it but to wait.

Sweat ran down Keiji’s back, and the harsh hot sun beat down on him and the other soldiers, all dressed in their armor and ready for a fight. But the only action in camp was the steady hustle of the medical tent where Ieyasu and his strange assistant treated the wounded. He could not help but watch the action there, bored as he was.

Ieyasu wore a stern, disapproving expression as he moved between the wounded soldiers. He would pause to assess their condition and determine treatment. His assistant - the girl - followed in his wake, lingering to dispense medicine or check bandages. For the more serious injuries, she would work right alongside Tokugawa. Blood up to her elbows, a look of focus on her face as she helped him remove bullets and stitch sword-wounds closed. Her name was Tomoyo.

It annoyed Keiji that he knew her name. She should be outside of his concern. One of Nobunaga’s playthings. But he couldn’t have ignored her if he wanted to. She’d shown up several times for training in spear and staff. As if she were one of the conscripts and not a princess. She came to war council. And she came to battle. She was . . . strange.

He caught himself watching her again. The graceful curve of her neck as she bent to inspect a closed wound. The smile she gave the injured soldier. He said something to her and Tomoyo laughed. Keiji forced his eyes away. He didn’t need to be distracted. Especially not by such an odd woman.

“Think we’re gonna stand here like this all day?” One of his men, a rugged soldier who’d spent most of his life as a bandit, spoke up.

“Nobody told me serving the Oda meant sweating in my armor all day with my thumb in my arse,” another commented.

A third agreed. “At least when I was doing mercenary work, they let me swing my sword.”

“Shut up,” Keiji growled, his own annoyance burning in his tone. “Following orders is more honorable than just hitting whatever’s in front of you because it’s harder to do. Are you saying it’s too hard for you? You’re too weak?”

There was a murmured ‘no’ in response, barely audible.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of some whining little boys?” Keiji cupped his hand to his ear.

“No!” Came the roared response.

Keiji grinned at them. “Good. I’d hate to think I wasted my time in all that training. Now, we’re gonna stand here ready and waiting because that’s our job today. And it’s an important one.” He tried to make himself sound sure, even though in his heart he too wanted to be out in the thick of it, making his name.

“Is everything ok over here?” Tomoyo’s voice startled Keiji.

He spun to face her. She’d taken advantage of his distraction to walk over from the medical tent and now stood less than an armslength away. “Everything’s fine, lady.”

She smiled at him and something in her gaze made his heart lurch, it’s beat suddenly too fast and a bit uneven. “Good. I brought some water for you, if that’s alright? You look hot.” Tomoyo gestured to a large clay vessel at her feet.

Keiji’s eyes fell to it. He hadn’t even noticed. “You carried this over here? By yourself?”

“Yes?” She laughed lightly. “It’s not as heavy as you might think. And I’m used to helping Ieyasu lift the wounded so this is nothing.” Tomoyo bent and lifted a ladle of water from the urn. “Here you go.”

He shook his head. “Let my men go first.” He thought he saw a flicker of disappointment in her face but she just nodded and held the ladle out to the first man in line behind him. The soldier took the ladle from her hands and got a drink.

Keiji studied her face as she handed each man the ladle. Tomoyo smiled and laughed and chatted with them. Every soldier walked back to his place with a lighter step, taking more than water from the interaction. It should have cheered Keiji to see the improvement in morale, but it only irritated him. Clearly she was faking it. No one could be so happy in the midst of a battle.

“Don’t look so sour,” she laughed, catching his gaze. “I offered to let you go first and you said no.”

“I don’t look sour,” he snapped. Then forced a smile, swallowing his sudden surge of annoyance that she’d read his mood so easily. “I am just eager to join the fight!”

Tomoyo’s grin widened. “Hm. If you say so.” She winked and tapped his nose before going back to handing out water.

Keiji prickled with irritation where she’d touched him. Definitely irritation because the little shock that raced up his scalp and down his neck couldn’t be anything else. He liked refined women, not . . . girls who read poetry and sang. Not women willing to get their hands bloody in a warcamp.

He turned away from her to watch the horizon, still awkwardly aware of her presence at his back. The sound of her voice coming to his ears whether he wanted it or not. Keiji ran a hand through his hair. If only the reserves would be called, he thought. He could prove himself in battle. And with a victory to his name he could start to smile for real. Then, perhaps . . .

Tomoyo’s fingertips brushed the back of his neck and Keiji nearly leapt in surprise. He could feel the cool, silky touch vibrate through the nerve endings of his back, a pleasurable jolt that turned his face hot. He spun, sputtering.

“What! Don’t - you - don’t go surprising random men, you weirdo!” He snarled at her. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest and he felt a surging warmth in his chest hotter than the afternoon sun. His thoughts were a confused snarl.

She tilted her head, regarding him with an emerald gaze as deep as the sea and as calm and still as a forest pond. “You are hardly random, Keiji Maeda. And I tried calling you several times but you were just staring into space.” She laughed. “I thought you might still want a drink but if not, I can go?”

Keiji blinked as Tomoyo lifted a ladle full of cool water toward him. He was thirsty, and . . . he didn’t want her to leave. Not like that. Not after his bitterness revealed itself again. She had a way of seeing past his mask, of forcing his true self out into the open. Keiji wanted her to believe he was the wild child, the cheerful, boasting buffoon that could fight as well as he could talk. Not the small, angry soul he hid beneath that persona.

He bent his head toward the ladle, his warm golden eyes flickering with a mix of heady emotion as they remained fixed on her. His lips touched the smooth wood of the ladle as she tipped it toward him. Keiji drank in the sweet water and the peace in her jade gaze. He felt as if his lips touched hers and it was Tomoyo’s soul he drank from. His anger ebbed away, the tangle of his emotions eased. The moment felt intimate, the world around them distant.

Keiji felt his mouth curve up in a gentle smile foreign to a face normally stretched in false boast or true rancor. “Tomoyo -”

Her lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile, but then her eyes slid past him, going wide. The ladle fell from her hands as she let out a wordless shout.

Before Keiji could turn to see what she was looking at, one of his men stumbled into him. An arrow stuck out of the soldier’s throat as he clutched at it, blood seeping between his fingers. Keiji stared for a moment, fixed on the surprise and horror in the soldier’s eyes. Then everything sank in at once, as if the world around him sped up. “We’re under attack! Form up! Let’s go!”

To their credit, the soldiers scrambled back to formation, following Keiji’s shouted orders. That first arrow was followed by a whole flight, piercing ground and flesh alike. He darted a glance toward Tomoyo, but she was already moving toward the medical tent. Unhurt. Good, he thought, his focus moving back to the battle sweeping through camp.

After the arrows, figures rushed into view, steel flashing in the afternoon sun. Their faces were twisted with ferocity, ready to fight and die, ready to kill. Keiji grinned fiercely, exultantly. This was his chance. He hadn’t been called to the front, but the front had come to him and he was going to make the best of it. He drew his sword and charged forward, giving his men the signal to join.

Despite having surprise on their side, the attackers didn’t make much ground. Keiji and his men engaged them at the outer ring of tents. The enemy used the fabric to mask their movement, darting between and around the taut fabric. Keiji laughed wildly as his opponent tried to dodge behind a tent, as if that was barrier enough. The Maeda wild child went through instead of around. The cloth billowed around him as he slashed and cut the enemy down.

For a time, Keiji’s world narrowed. There was him, the men beside him, and their foes. Sweat and blood and shouts of anger and pain. His soldiers fought as hard as they could, but they were outnumbered. For every opponent felled, two more took his place. And Keiji was getting pushed back, back to the center of the camp.

They had to keep the enemy from making it to the command tent, the weapon stock, and the wounded. “Fight your hardest,” Keiji shouted, encouraging his men to push even harder. Whatever it took, he couldn’t lose. He would not fail. “Let’s show them what we’re made of!”

His soldiers shouted in response, a roar that shivered the air and put fear in the eyes of their opponents. For a breath, it seemed like their courage might turn the tide. But there were just too many enemies, coming from all sides. Keiji and his men converged in a circle around the camp center, pushed to this last, defensive formation.

“We can do this!” He called out. “This is our strongest position!” It was true - and not. The fact was, this was their last position. If the enemy forces broke them here, there was nowhere to run. Keiji felt no fear in this knowledge. Only a grim determination.

Ieyasu pushed into the line beside Keiji. “Are we going to fight or just keep yelling about it?” Grumpy, even in the face of terrible odds, his calm disaffection gave the soldiers heart in another way.

“Guess we’re gonna fight.” Keiji grinned at the frowning warlord. And that was all the time they had to talk as the enemies surged forward again. Soldiers fell to the ground around Keiji, friend and foe alike. The battle was balanced on the edge of a knife, swaying between the ferocity of the cornered and the confidence of the antagonists. Any one element could swing the fray in favor of one side or another.

Keiji and Ieyasu fought side by side, the eye in a storm of blood and fury. The wild child had reach and strength on his side, while the heir to the Tokugawa had technique and an almost clinical viciousness. It seemed like no one could even get close, but numbers count.

Ieyasu cried out in surprise as a blade he didn’t see coming caught in the gap of his armor. Keiji was quick to knock the enemy back, but not before the warlord took a wound. Cloth and flesh gaped around the bloodied gash in his side. He exchanged a look with Keiji, both knowing this was likely defeat.

Their opponents knew it too. They rushed forward, sure now that the Oda forces would crumble. But their attack stuttered as a new fighter entered the fray.

Tomoyo launched herself into combat, wielding a light spear. She slammed the butt into the chest of one enemy, and slammed another with the shaft, and slashed at a third. She was a whirlwind of bladed chaos, pushing the attackers back. Her fury was palpable, her gentle smile turned into a feral grin, eyes flashing with green fire.

Keiji was almost as surprised as the rebels he fought. Tomoyo was no fragile flower, and for the first time, that left Keiji in awe of her. Every lesson he’d taught her showed in her skilled attacks. She had a flare and passion in battle that went beyond learned technique though. Like a goddess of war, he thought. Brave and ferocious. His heart thumped in his chest, adrenaline and a lust for something other than battle.

Beside him, Ieyasu gave an exasperated shout. “You better not get hurt!” There was a fierce affection in his blue eyed gaze.

Tomoyo only laughed in response, as if injury was the furthest possibility. And maybe it was. She seemed unstoppable. Several enemies lay down in surrender, while others broke and ran. The remaining Oda forces took heart from her and rallied, chasing after.

Ieyasu held himself up, shaking from the effort of staying standing. His skin was pale and clammy from bloodloss, his breathing pained. Keiji stayed beside him, calling out orders. Though the tide had turned, victory was a canny bitch, able to slip your grasp the moment you were sure.

His soldiers knew what they were about, obeying his commands and pulling the defenses back together as they chased the enemies out or captured them. The relief was palpable. A joy that felt all the sweeter after coming so close to defeat.

“We did it,” Tomoyo shouted, hoisting her spear over her head. She turned to flash her smile to Keiji. “We -” Her words ended in a sharp gasp of pain. An arrow jutted from her chest, the sharp barbed end coated in a sheen of her blood. She looked down at it with an expression of disappointment. Her spear clattered against the stones. Then her legs gave way.

Keiji lunged for her, his body moving faster than his thoughts. He caught her in his arms before she hit the ground. “Tomoyo!”

She sighed, the fire in her eyes dimming to embers as she looked up at him. “Well,” she breathed, “this was not how I imagined ending up in your arms.” Her laugh was choked.

“You imagined ending up in my arms?” Keiji raised an eyebrow, trying to cover the way her words struck at his heart. He shook his head. “No, don’t answer that you idiot. I can’t believe you went and got yourself shot. How am I gonna explain this to Nobunaga?”

Tomoyo gave a weak shrug. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Her eyes fluttered shut.

“Hey! Hey! None of that. Tomoyo!” Keiji felt a jolt of fear that if she shut her eyes now, she might never open them again. He might never see her beautiful emerald gaze, playful and teasing, brave and kind. He couldn’t stand it.

“Stop shouting and bring her to the medical tent,” Ieyasu hissed. He was hobbling toward said spot, and did not pause to look back at them as he spoke.

Keiji cradled Tomoyo to his chest and stood.

She gasped at the motion, her lips pressing to a thin, pale line.

“You’re gonna be ok,” Keiji told her, trying to force confidence he did not feel into the words. He set her down on her side atop one of the mats in the medical tent but he couldn’t bring himself to let go of her completely. Keiji reached for her hand and grasped it. His warm, rough palm encompassed her small, cold fingers.

Ieyasu cut through the layers of her clothes and peeled them back to reveal the wound in her back and chest. “I need you to stabilize the arrow while I remove the head. Can you do that?” His voice wavered as he spoke, as if he were barely able to hold himself up. The wound in his side seeped scarlet, dripping to the floor beneath him.

“Yeah. Can you though? You look half dead.”

The warlord grimaced. “I’m fine. A little blood loss.”

Keiji thought it looked like more than a little, but he just nodded. With his free hand, he gripped the arrow tight, keeping it from moving while Ieyasu cut the head from it.

Tomoyo squeezed his hand as the arrow head fell away. Her eyes did not open, and her breath remained shallow.

“O-ok. Good. Now -” Ieyasu clenched his eyes shut for a moment, trying to focus. It was clear he was struggling to stay conscious. “I - I need you to pull the arrow out the way it came in. When you do, it’s going to start bleeding. A lot. You - you -” His jaw clenched but despite his will, his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the side.

“Ieyasu? Hey! Tokugawa, come on! That was only half the instructions!” Keiji shook the warlord, but there was only a muted groan in response. It looked like he was on his own. “Alright. I can do this. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” They could both die, he thought, and it will be my fault. “No. No.” He shook his head, forcing the venomed pessimism away. If he did nothing, both would likely die. So there was only really one choice, to try.

Keiji tried to release Tomoyo’s hand, but she wouldn’t let go. Her cool, slim fingers grasped onto him as if his touch was all that held her in this world. “I’m going to be right here with you,” he told her. “But I need to let go of your hand to get the arrow out.”

He wasn’t sure if she understood or if she’d fallen unconscious, but he was able to prise his hand from her grip. Though as he pulled away, he felt something tug at him. He looked down to see what had tangled him. A single crimson thread had wound its way around his hand, weaving between his fingers and hers. At first he was confused, wondering how this kimono thread managed to catch them both but then he saw where the cord led.

A binding strand ran up his arm and ended at his heart, and the other end sat just below Tomoyo’s arrow wound. He felt a rush of heady emotion. For a heartbeat, he could only stare. This woman was his fated love. His soul mate. There was no other like her, no one else for him. And she lay at death’s door. It felt like the luck he’d always had.

He nearly gave up then. Better to endure the sorrow than to hope. But Tomoyo would never give up on him, were the tables turned. And so, Keiji pulled his hand away from hers with the most gentle of motions, and set about removing the arrow shaft. The next several minutes felt like hours.

Keiji’s hand shook as he pulled the arrow free and staunched the scarlet flow with linen bandages.

Tomoyo arched and gasped. A cry of pain escaped her pallid lips before she collapsed. But she was still breathing. Her pulse still fluttered in her wrist and neck.

He wished Ieyasu were still conscious, to tell him what came next when the bleeding stopped. But the warlord was out cold, and likely to stay that way. Keiji did his best to bandage him, though he feared the blood loss was too great. Only time would tell if either Tomoyo or Ieyasu would wake.

Keiji, exhausted and nursing wounds of his own, fell into a dead sleep between them, his arms wrapped tenderly around Tomoyo.

When he woke, he was bandaged and lying on a mat alone. The tent was dark, though there were sounds of life from outside. The laughter of soldiers, the crackling of dinner fires. He carefully sat up, feeling every strike from the battle echoed in his flesh. Bruises and strained muscles, cuts and tears he hadn’t noticed. The crimson thread was gone, but Keiji could still feel the gentle tug of it. His heart ached more than any of his physical hurts.

He left the tent, following that taut, invisible cord.

Tomoyo was sitting at the edge of camp. Her back pressed up against some crates, a mat piled with cushions beneath her. She glanced up as Keiji approached. Her smile was as lovely as always, even if she still held the pallor of her near-death.

“I didn’t think they’d let you get up and around yet.”

She laughed. “It’s been three days. And I told Nobunaga if I didn’t get out of bed, I was going to start stabbing people.” Her laughter turned into a sharp, pained breath.

Keiji plopped down next to her. “Well, it sounds to me like you should still be in bed. What are you, a petulant child? You can’t rest when you’re supposed to?”

Tomoyo gave him a side-eye glare. “The fresh air is good for me. And Ieyasu is up and around too so -”

“So you’re gonna push yourself just as hard as he does, even if you don’t have to.” Keiji raised an eyebrow.

She had the grace to look slightly ashamed, but wouldn’t admit it. “Anyway, why are you here? Don’t you have soldier things to be doing?”

“Sure.” There was reporting to Nobunaga, checking on his men, cleaning his armor and checking his blade. But none of that felt as important as - “Tomoyo. Do you . . . feel something?” Keiji put his hand over his heart, where the ache sat heavy in him.

She looked down, no quip ready for once.

“Because, look - I don’t, I don’t know if I believe in fate and all that. A person makes their own future. But. I feel - I saw -” Keiji struggled to explain, feeling more foolish as he went on.

Tomoyo stopped him with a look as she lifted her head. There was so much warmth and passion in her brilliant green eyes. A depth of affection Keiji knew he had not earned and did not deserve. “I’ve always felt it. Some . . . connection to you.” She sighed. “You don’t have to -”

“I want to, though.” Keiji scooped up her hand in his. He pressed a kiss to it. “You lived and I - I want to take it as a chance. Maybe you’ll end up hating me. Or one of us will die and it won’t even matter that we tried. That we took this chance to -” Keiji’s throat locked up as the word bubbled up from his heart. “To love. But I want to try anyway.”

Tomoyo leaned against him with a sigh. “That wasn’t the most romantic proposal. But I think it will do.”

Keiji found himself smiling. “You want more romance, huh?” He tipped her chin up to face him. “Tomoyo. When you nearly died, I thought a part of me was dying too. I cannot lose you. I love you.” And then he pressed a kiss to her lips, gentle and sweet and slow, and full of heat.

When he pulled back for a breath, she grinned up at him. “Better. You might have to give it a few more tries though. Just to make sure.”

He laughed, the tightness in his chest easing as his heart filled with warmth. “Alright. I can do that. A proposal a day?”

Her eyes were alight as she kissed him back. “Only one?”

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen keiji #keiji maeda #red string of fate #fanfiction #fanfic #otome #otome guys #fluff

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