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waifuoftomonori · 1 year ago

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Aki After Tentacles: Chapter 2 - Thirty Percent

Story Summary: After defending the Princess from a tentacled Void-like monster, Akifusa wakes up biologically female. The only way for him to regain his former body (and hopefully get over his newfound attraction to his male best friend, who also happens to be Shiki’s husband) is to become pregnant. Or: In which I decide to no longer care that the English fanfiction-reading world no longer cares about these characters, if it ever did, nor to fear that I am besmirching them with my infatuation (which occasionally takes filthy forms), and to continue pursuing the greatest, unlikeliest source of inspiration I’ve encountered in the last five years. …Okay, that’s a blatant lie, I still care. Sorry for the salt. If you’re reading this, I appreciate you. ***

Kuso’s “examination” the following morning, while most people were still finishing up breakfast, wasn’t as bad as Akifusa had feared. The only body part inspected was his hand. The Crow muttered some words, there was some wind, Akifusa’s palm tingled before sprouting a bunch of glowing green runes— pretty basic magic stuff. (Or at least no one else seemed to find it strange.)

“My hypothesis,” Kuso said, after scowling at the glyphs for a minute as if they’d personally offended him and all of the Yatagarasu clan (which was how his face looked most of the time anyway), “is that the Oki bloodline’s latent transformative properties have exponentially amplified the base alteration magic. Normally this effect would disappear on its own within a few days, but… in this case, the only plausible method of reversion is for a male of the same species to plant his seed in the womb of the afflicted.”

Akifusa’s brow wrinkled as he tried to keep up. “What does planting seeds have to do with it?” And why couldn’t Kuso just talk like a normal person?

“Allow me, Kuso.” Furutsugu’s eyes crinkled with a smile that sent a shudder down Akifusa’s spine. “The only way to undo this and return to your own body starts with a man getting you pregnant, Akifusa. You have to bear him a child. And,” he held up a hand, already anticipating Akifusa’s natural urge to protest, “as I understand the situation, it really must be a man, I’m afraid. As opposed to a god. And since Tomonori is married to our lovely Princess…”

Silence gripped the room in claws of steel. Wait, was he suggesting…? Color raced to Akifusa’s cheeks, mouth hanging open as he fought for words. Furutsugu’s eyes flickered down to his newly sizable chest, squished in and straining against its tight cloth bindings, and his smile widened.

“It would be my pleasure to assist you, Aki-chan. As many times as you need.”

”You—” Akifusa shot to his feet, rapidly regaining his senses; his sword flew out, pointed directly at the diviner’s throat. For once, no one moved to stop him. “You perverted, filthy bas— give me one good reason not to cut you down where you stand!” Furutsugu just winked at him. “Gladly. Let us adjourn to the nearest bedchamber.”

After a second, Kodonomae heaved an exasperated sigh. “You may want to work on the timing of your jokes.”

“Actually,” Kuso said, grimacing as he dismissed the runes with a flick of his fingers, “lascivious commentary aside, his analysis is largely accurate. At this stage, it’s not clear whether full gestation and childbirth are needed or if fertilization would suffice, but a transformation this potent requires severe measures to—”

“I’m not sleeping with Furutsugu! No way! If that’s the price I have to pay, I… I’d rather just stay a woman!” Akifusa couldn’t stop himself from blurting out. No— now it would be herself, wouldn’t it? Might as well get used to it at this rate, find a way to cope with the lecherous looks they all kept throwing him (her?) when they thought he (she?) wasn’t paying attention, and Furutsugu was worst of all, he didn’t even seem ashamed of it—

Well, he silently amended, gaze wandering from the despicable diviner as his mental corrections screeched to a halt, it wasn’t exactly true that all of the men had been leering. His roving eyes came to a stop directly on Tomonori, who lifted his head from the scroll he was studying without any pretense of rush. Tomonori’s expression didn’t even twitch as they made eye contact— honestly, as much as Akifusa appreciated the absence of ogling, it was kind of a blow to the ego that his best friend needed so little effort to adjust to the sight of him as a woman.

But it was worse than that: the strange heat crackling throughout his veins in Tomonori’s presence hadn’t gone away since dinner. He was starting to think it wasn’t a medical concern. He didn’t want to feel like this— and not for Tomonori, of all people— but try as he might, he couldn’t seem to fight it. His idiotic heart kept pounding around Tomonori, drawing his attention to little details like the way his crimson eyes glowed coppery in sunlight or the alluring wisps of sandalwood and parchment that teased his nose as Tomonori brushed past when they’d left the dining area last night.

Dammit! How the hell did the Princess manage being married to the guy without constantly swooning or touching herself or— or begging him to shove her against a wall and have his way with her?

As if Akifusa had summoned the Princess by thinking of her, suddenly her breath tickled his ear. “Tomo’s very handsome, isn’t he, Aki-kun?” Knowing laughter echoed in her voice.

Akifusa’s blush deepened; he hastily dropped his gaze. “Princess! I’m sorry, I wasn’t— I didn’t mean—”

“He’s fantastic in bed, too,” she whispered. “You know Tomonori. He’s always been good at learning new skills… and good with his tongue.” Akifusa squirmed, risking another furtive glance upwards at that exquisite profile, now turned away once more. “Haven’t you ever thought about it, Akifusa?”

“N-not when I was… you know…” He paused before admitting uncomfortably, “Well, okay, maybe once or twice— just a few dreams, I couldn’t help it— but don’t tell him that, Princess, please…”

“I won’t,” she promised, only to pause. “You know, if you really don’t want to sleep with Furutsugu—”

“Princess!” he gasped again, causing several heads to turn their way— but not Tomonori’s. The redhead seemed to be quite pointedly feigning disinterest in their whispered conversation, in fact; his gaze had returned to the parchment before him, a few crimson tresses slipping forward to shield his expression from view.

“It’s still up to you, of course,” the Princess murmured. “There are other men in the village; it’s not as if you only have two choices in the world, whatever Furutsugu says. But, well… I’d be okay with it, at least until you got pregnant. And I think if you were to ask Tomo in the right way, and if you were willing to put up with a bit of teasing, he would accept. He really is very good. I know I’m biased, but…”

“No, he probably is.” Growing up, Tomonori had been better than him at pretty much everything except their sword training (which he’d found excuses to skip whenever he could anyway— until, Akifusa suspected, he’d realized how much alone time Akifusa was spending with the Princess as a result and suddenly started showing up every day, mostly to heckle Aki for his missteps). It had been frustrating at the time— he’d gotten sick of teachers and village elders telling him he should try to be “more like that Kotokura boy” (especially when the Kotokura boy in question routinely faked ankle injuries just so the Princess would fuss over him, making Akifusa look like a jerk in the process)— but now Akifusa couldn’t help but wonder about everything Tomonori might have learned over the course of his marriage.

“Come to our room this evening, after dinner,” the Princess whispered. “If you’re interested.” ***

Tomonori was waiting for them in a plain black yukata, silky hair freed from its usual chignon to graze the tips of his shoulders. He opted to remain seated as they approached but favored Akifusa with a small smile that caused his stupid heart to somersault. “So you’ve decided you’d prefer me to Furutsugu? I don’t blame you. Have a seat.”

Akifusa sank awkwardly to his knees, trying to keep a safe distance away— not that it mattered, really; he didn’t have to be sitting right next to Tomonori to notice how damn handsome he was, all disheveled like this. He’d seen Tomonori out of his kimono before, obviously, during village festivals and occasional awkward run-ins in the shrine baths (during which Akifusa had always kept his eyes studiously to himself), but it was the first time his heart had pounded at the prospect, the first time his fingers had itched to comb those blood-red tresses that framed Tomonori’s cheekbones so beautifully. Akifusa swallowed, shifting his weight— and reddened when he felt the fleshy squish of his newly soft, ample thighs, squeezing together in a way that only stoked the warmth building between them. Hastily, he forced his gaze elsewhere.

The Princess sat by her husband’s side, her whole body curving subtly into his in a way that would have caused a scandal back when she’d still been the sacred guardian of the Sword, and Tomonori had his arm wrapped snugly around her waist, fingers playing with the ends of her hair. She noticed Akifusa looking and quickly straightened, blushing a little. “Do you want me to leave, Akifusa?”

Had she been thinking of staying? The blood in his cheeks swelled to boiling temperatures. For a moment he was bizarrely tempted, but male pride won out in the end. “I’m sorry, Princess,” he said, swallowing. “Maybe that would be best.” It was bad enough that Tomonori was going to get up close and personal with this distressingly feminine figure; he at least wanted the Princess to continue seeing him as a man.

She nodded, lifting her head slowly from Tomo’s shoulder. “I understand. I’ll be training in Toshi Temple when you’re done.” Before she could rise, Tomonori tugged her face back to his and claimed a swift kiss, then murmured something that made her blush and nod before letting her go. The door slid open and shut once more.

Akifusa’s pulse sped in the spreading silence, lodging in his throat. After a moment, he summoned the courage to meet Tomonori’s gaze; in the dimness, his eyes gleamed like a cat’s. “Thanks. For agreeing to do this.” The words came out uncomfortably high and breathless; he winced, cheeks flushing even hotter.

“You’re in this predicament because you saved Shiki’s life.” Tomonori’s voice, in contrast, was as steady as ever. “I know you didn’t do it for my sake, but I’m grateful. Truly.” His forehead creased as he muttered, “I should have been the one to protect her.”

Akifusa searched his jumbled memories of that fateful battle. “Huh? But you were helping the villagers evacuate. How could you have known?”

“I couldn’t. Even if I had been there, perhaps I couldn’t have saved her. I’m not as strong as you, nor as fast, and even if I had somehow blocked the blow, I’m certain I wouldn’t have survived the fight. And Shiki’s made me promise not to sacrifice myself again, no matter the cause. She’s made it very clear that she doesn’t want me to die on her behalf.” Tomonori took a deep breath. “I know all of that, and I know I shouldn’t blame myself. The important thing is that she’s alive now, and Kifu is safe. But all the same… I wish I could have done more.”

“Trust me, I get it. But you can’t keep dwelling on these things. You had your own job to do, and she’s safe now, like you said.”

“That’s true.” Tomonori shook his head, as if clearing it. “Nonetheless, there’s no need to thank me. I owe you for defending Shiki, and I mean to repay that debt now. You’d do the same if our positions were reversed.”

Akifusa’s mouth fell open. He hadn’t imagined that scenario. If Tomonori were a woman… Even in this form, which seemed so powerfully attracted to everything that was male in Tomonori, his heart pounded strangely at the thought. “R-right,” he managed. “Of course I would.”

Tomonori nodded and studied him for a moment— not his curvaceous figure, which had drawn so many stares from the others throughout the day, but his face. “You’ve never done this before, have you, Akifusa?” He didn’t say it as a criticism, but Akifusa still squirmed self-consciously.

“No. Never.” There was only one person he’d even considered doing it with— though he’d tried not to entertain such thoughts, given how unworthy he was of her love, and she’d been strictly off-limits for a number of reasons. Not least of which was the fact that Tomonori loved her too.

“That’s understandable,” Tomonori said quietly, as if his thoughts had been following the same lines. He shifted a little closer. “And I understand if this is awkward for you, too. If you want to stop at any point, just tell me.”

“That won’t happen. I want to get back to normal, believe me.” The sooner he could get out of this… this uncomfortably soft body and back into his old one, the sooner he could shake off these weird thoughts and stop feeling these fiery shivers down his spine whenever Tomonori said his name or smiled at him, the better. “I don’t care what it takes,” he said, lifting his chin. “You can do whatever you want to me.”

Tomonori blinked, drawing back. “You make it sound like I’m going to torture you or something. I’ll keep this brief, I promise.” He shot Akifusa a quick, sly glance through his bangs. “Unless you were hoping for more?”

Akifusa’s cheeks flamed. “I wasn’t…” Dammit, was it that obvious? Tomonori angled his body closer, a subtle smirk toying with his lips; Akifusa clenched his thighs together and fought for self-control. “Of course not! I just want to get this over with, just like you!” The shrill, girlish edge to his voice just added to his embarrassment.

Tomonori sighed, tucking a loose strand of Aki’s hair behind his ear. “You stubborn fool, Akifusa.” His tone was strangely tender, his brow furrowing slightly. Caught off guard, Akifusa stared, heart hammering against all reason— but in the next moment Tomonori’s smile returned. “I’m kidding. That’s fine. Although…” He paused, gaze flitting momentarily aside; he seemed to be contemplating the best way to phrase something. “I’m not ready yet,” he said eventually. “In a physical sense.”

“Huh?”

Another pause followed. “I’m saying that your body just doesn’t appeal to me, as a man. Which could make ‘getting it over with’ more difficult.”

Akifusa was still lost. “So… you don’t want to do it after all?”

Tomonori inspected him in silence for a moment and then expelled a soft, frustrated sigh. “No, I’m willing to try. But… I might need to build up to the act, even if you don’t. Just a little.”

“Build up to…?” Flames reignited in Akifusa’s chest, escalating at an alarming rate.

“You said I could do anything I wanted,” Tomonori pointed out. “I don’t especially want to do this, but does that principle still apply?” His expression remained serious, autumn-colored eyes locked onto Akifusa’s own. He wasn’t trying to twist this situation to his advantage… but knowing this didn’t cool Akifusa’s feverish blush in the slightest.

“Yeah.” His voice squeaked. What exactly would Tomonori need to do to “build up to it”? For some reason, Akifusa recalled a brisk winter morning on which his friend had bound his wrists and ankles with rope, so tightly he couldn’t move. At the time, he’d protested, but now the prospect of being restrained by Tomonori sent a little shockwave of excitement down his spine.

A hand cradled his chin, tilting it up, holding it precisely in place. “In that case,” Tomonori murmured, the words skimming Akifusa’s lips, “we’ll start small. Just a simple kiss.” His meaning didn’t fully register until his mouth bridged the last sliver of distance and smoothly claimed Akifusa’s own.

Tomonori’s lips were the softest things he’d ever experienced. It was obscene how soft they were, how good they felt pressed firmly against his own; Akifusa felt like he was spiraling into a fiery abyss, and all he could do was open his mouth, dizzily, for more. A high, breathy noise escaped him when Tomonori accepted the invitation with a few teasing brushes of the tongue, and Akifusa didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed before those fantastically supple lips and the long, skillful fingers guiding his chin wiped every other thought from his brain.

Abruptly, Tomonori broke away. “It’s not working.”

“Huh?”

“To be honest, I was trying to pretend you were Shiki, but I can’t. You’re just too different.” He lowered his gaze, brows knitting in a frown.

Akifusa’s heart slammed against his ribs as he stared at his friend, knocked speechless. Tomonori hadn’t even enjoyed that kiss? That seemed painfully unfair. All of Akifusa’s muscles had completely melted into mush; some mysterious force kept him close, panting, hanging on Tomonori’s every word.

“You look a bit flushed, Akifusa,” he said quietly, which of course made Akifusa blush even deeper.

What the heck was he drawing attention to that for? As usual, his neutral voice and expressionless heart-shaped face gave no clues; Tomonori could be as blank as a clean sheet of parchment when he wanted to be. Blank, and yet so damn handsome. “I’m fine. Just needed to… catch my breath.”

“I see.” Tomonori studied him for a long moment without saying anything else. Those russet eyes felt like they were drilling straight into Akifusa’s brain, stripping him bare. “That was your first kiss, wasn’t it?” he asked eventually.

“Uh. Y-yes. Do they always feel like—” Akifusa stopped himself. Like you’re going to melt into a puddle of steaming goo or maybe die from a heart attack, but somehow you want more even if it kills you, even if you’d die of shame afterward, because everything feels amazing and you would leave this world with a smile on your lips?

“What was that?”

“N-nothing.”

Tomonori’s eyes narrowed, but he let it slide. “At any rate,” he said, “your technique was sloppy. You need more practice.” His mouth reclaimed Akifusa’s, and the fiery vortex swallowed him whole once more.

Tomonori’s fingers glided down his neck, provoking a flurry of violent shivers; in a matter of seconds two warm, equally dexterous hands had captured Akifusa’s newly slender waist, squeezing him closer. His breasts were squashed against Tomonori’s chest, their tips suddenly stiff and sensitive, bristling with want. He was powerless to stop them, powerless to stop his own ragged gasps between kisses, powerless to stop his fingers from scrabbling for purchase on Tomonori’s shoulders— such broad, firm shoulders, broader than his slim torso would suggest, Akifusa knew he’d started working out since their trip to the hot springs but the effects had never been visible under that damn proper kimono he always wore— and ultimately powerless to stop the surge of melting warmth in that new, unthinkable place between his legs.

Tomonori pulled back an inch, breathing hard, a lock of hair slipping forward over an angular cheekbone— Akifusa fought the urge to stare, heart throbbing at the sight. “That was a slight improvement,” he murmured, lips approaching Akifusa’s ear. Each word was carried on a current of soft, steaming breath that made it impossible not to squirm. “But something’s still missing. It feels… wrong, to be honest.”

“Wrong?” Akifusa’s head spun. He couldn’t imagine how any part of that could have felt more deliciously right. He didn’t want to feel this way toward the person who’d subjected him to countless pranks and taunts and assorted minor humiliations (especially in the Princess’s presence), but the way his blood sang at every little touch couldn’t be denied.

With a frustrated sigh, Tomonori withdrew farther, hands falling from Akifusa’s waist. “You’re not acting like yourself, which is a little unnerving, and I don’t want to take advantage—”

“What do you mean, ‘not acting like myself’?”

Tomonori looked him dead in the eye and said flatly, “You’ve been wildly aroused all day. Did you really think you could hide it?”

Akifusa’s mind blanked with sheer shock, then reeled for an excuse. Somehow, telling Tomonori the arousal had only taken place around him didn’t seem like it would do the trick. “H-how would you— that’s not— I wasn’t—”

“You were. I would have to be blind not to notice. But that’s not the point.” Tomonori closed his eyes briefly as if collecting his thoughts; a small crease appeared in his brow as he opened them again. “You’re not thinking clearly,” he finally said, “and for once I don’t mean that as a criticism of your general idiocy. Your emotions have gotten the better of you more times than I can count, but this is the first time you’ve ever expressed the desire to do this kind of thing with me. Doesn’t it seem strange to you?”

“I guess,” Akifusa mumbled, sheepishly dropping his gaze. “It’s not like I ever felt like this before…” Except in dreams, a voice in his head added.

“Exactly. I don’t know if it’s a magical effect or if you just need time to… adjust to the new body, but you’re obviously in no state of mind to make these decisions tonight.” His tone quieted, growing solemn. “If I allowed this to happen now, I’d be no better than Doman. I would be manipulating you in your moment of weakness. You would be my puppet, stripped of all ability to resist.”

The words startled Akifusa into whipping his head up, an excited tremor rippling down the knobs of his spine, but Tomonori continued without pause.

“I think it’s best if we wait a few days, just to see if whatever it is calms down or if there might be more sinister forces at work. Then, once you’ve had a chance to clear your mind, we can revisit this possibility if we need to— if you’re still willing.”

They weren’t going to do it tonight. Relief battled disappointment in Akifusa’s gut. He wasn’t emotionally prepared for this, for the mounting heat of all these kisses and caresses and Tomonori’s maddening composure, but the thought of leaving and abstaining from Tomonori for— for who knew how long, his body didn’t feel like it was going to “calm down” anytime soon… that seemed just as agonizing. He swallowed thickly and nodded, lurching to his feet. “All right. Yeah. That seems like a good idea.” He couldn’t meet Tomonori’s eyes. “You know best, as always…”

A soft sigh reached his ears, followed by the faint rustle of Tomonori’s yukata. “Look at me, Akifusa.” Reluctantly, he obeyed. Tomonori stood before him in the dimness, half his face veiled in shadow, wearing a rueful pinch in his brow and a resigned smile on his lips. “Do you want another kiss?”

Akifusa’s body reacted with alarming speed, nipples tingling against the cool silk of his own robes. “I thought you said…”

“We’ve already kissed twice; I don’t see what harm a third can do.” Tomonori approached slowly, deliberately, the soft aroma of sandalwood and parchment following his every step. “Besides, I am grateful you saved Shiki… and you seem so pathetic right now. I can’t send you off like this.”

“I— Pathetic?” Akifusa snapped to attention, irritation flaring through arousal like a scab flicked off an old wound— but when Tomonori’s fingers curled under his chin, tilting it up, and those sharp russet eyes filled his field of vision, the breath rushed from his lungs.

“Unless you don’t want it?” Tomonori murmured.

“I never said that!” The words flew out, his own eyes widening. His senses were hopelessly attuned to Tomonori— to every gentle breath against his lips, to the warmth and quiet strength pulsing from that deceptively slight torso angling toward his own. “Please, Tomonori, I— I do want it, very much! Kiss me, Tomonori, please, please kiss me, I really want it, please—”

A dark, intense something flickered across Tomonori’s features. Akifusa’s breath seized— but then the expression vanished, and Tomonori’s mouth brushed chastely against his own. Shivering, Akifusa reached for his shoulders again, but this time he was rebuffed; Tomonori caught his hands and pressed them, gently but firmly, back to his chest as he withdrew. “Thank you for saving Shiki.”

Akifusa blinked rapidly, struggling to make sense of what had just happened. “Of course.”

Tomonori took a moment to gather his breath before shooting Akifusa a faint, enigmatic smile and letting him go. “Since you’re leaving, can you stop by Toshi Temple and tell her we’re done?”

Akifusa mumbled in agreement before fleeing out into the night, lips still tingling, blushing exactly like the fool Tomonori had accused him of being before their first kiss.

When the Princess spotted him in the doorway of the training hall, her eyes widened, the wooden sword in her hands freezing halfway through a flawless undercut. “You’re finished already?”

He coughed, avoiding her gaze. “Er. Yeah. Something like that.”

“I see.” Akifusa could feel her inspecting him, fueling his blush; her tentative steps bridged the distance between them. “Akifusa, are you all right?”

“Yes, Princess, I’m fine.” There was no good in worrying her over something so trivial, something he didn’t even understand fully. Tomonori’s explanation for sending him away made perfect sense. Akifusa would have done the same thing in his place. And yet—

“You don’t seem fine.”

He swallowed hard and looked up. The Princess’s eyes were soft with concern, her brow crinkling when he didn’t answer immediately. Dammit. Was he really that transparent? “Really, it’s nothing to worry about, Princess…”

Her eyebrows pulled tighter downwards, but she didn’t say anything as she put the sword away. “Walk me back to my room,” she said when she returned.

Akifusa hesitated.

Light fingers touched his bicep. “I would feel much safer with you there to protect me, Akifusa,” she said, gazing at him with those soulful lavender eyes. Her bottom lip formed a gentle pout. “Please?”

Dammit, dammit. How was it that he could feel so attracted to Tomonori in this new body and yet also be powerless to disobey that sweet, trembling voice? He knew it was a ruse, but the idea that she’d go to such lengths to protect his pride out of worry for him—!

“All right,” he managed, and she beamed.

Sure enough, the moment they were outside she said, “You know Tomonori can be harsh sometimes, but he doesn’t mean everything he says. And he does care about you, even if he’d never admit it.”

“It wasn’t like that.” If anything, Tomonori had been weirdly considerate. He’d only called Akifusa a fool once. Well, maybe twice: he’d mentioned something about “general idiocy”.

The Princess fell quiet for a few steps.

“We didn’t do it,” Akifusa blurted out, the silence growing too much for him to bear. He wanted to die when her stare fixed on him, but he pushed on. “I wanted to, I really wanted to, I’m sorry, I know you guys are married—”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“—but he said he couldn’t— couldn’t do it physically, and then he kissed me— twice— to try to fix that, but I guess it still wasn’t working, and in the end he said it was wrong anyway because I might be mind-controlled or something, but then he asked if I wanted a third kiss, and I said yes, but that one wasn’t as long, and then he said ‘thank you for saving Shiki’ and told me to go fetch you.” He collected his breath. “So really, I’m fine.”

The Princess didn’t reply immediately, her features creased and ruminative. They stepped out into the courtyard, moonlit grass brushing their ankles, before she spoke again. “I’m sorry it didn’t go the way you hoped.”

“You don’t need to cheer me up, Princess.” He forced a weak smile. “I know he was right to send me away.”

She tipped her head to the side. “Did it seem like Tomonori was… teasing you at all?”

Akifusa blinked a couple times, trying to think back. “Well, now that you mention it… no. That’s pretty weird, actually. Usually he’s always making fun of me.”

“That’s not quite what I meant.” They entered the corridor that held the Princess’s bedroom. She paused, biting her lip thoughtfully, but when Akifusa turned back she flashed a brief smile and caught up with him. “So what will you do now? Do you think you’ll go to Furutsugu?”

He shuddered. “Definitely not. I, uh, think we’ll try again in a few days.” Akifusa tried to sound casual, as if his heart weren’t pounding at the idea of placing himself in Tomonori’s thrall once again, of letting those searing eyes and quiet voice and quick, confident fingers dictate his every move. He’d heard once that the House of Kotokura had some kind of spell to make people do their bidding— was this how it worked? Why the heck did that possibility excite him?

“I see.” Again, she hesitated, as if deciding whether to tell him something, but in the end she shook her head and said, “Well, if you ever want to talk about it, or if you need help adjusting to things, you can always come to me. I hope you know that.”

Akifusa swallowed, meeting her sincere gaze as they reached the bedroom door. A billion thoughts clamored for representation on his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice any of them now. “I know. Thank you, Princess.”

She smiled and slipped inside. He hovered there a moment longer, vaguely disoriented, until he heard the soft murmurs of conversation within and took his cue to leave. ***

“I was only partially teasing. Only about thirty percent.” Tomonori flashed her a look of wounded reproach, bottom lip protruding in an adorable pout.

Shiki sighed, but she couldn’t quite conceal her smile. “And the other seventy percent?” she asked, tugging her pillow more comfortably into position.

His fingers traced the curve of her cheek as he considered the question. “It changed over time. I was sincerely worried about going too far, though.”

“Maybe he wouldn’t have minded that,” she pointed out, prompting a tiny, fleeting smile.

“It still wouldn’t have been right. You know how Akifusa is. Beneath all his blustering, he’s so naïve, so utterly helpless to resist—”

Suppressing a laugh, she poked his cheek. “And that’s exciting to you.”

He shot her a playful scowl, wrapping an arm snugly around her waist. “That’s not the point. I was trying to be respectful.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’m sure he appreciated it.” She snuggled closer, savoring the rhythm of his heart; his embrace tightened, gentle fingers raking through her hair.

“Are you jealous?” he asked softly.

“Jealous? No. Honestly… more than anything else, I feel guilty. Kuso mentioned magic like that normally goes away on its own within a few days. If Akifusa hadn’t leapt in front of me…”

“Then he might not have transformed into Tokoyo-gami, and it’s possible none of us would have survived. Besides, you didn’t know at the time. Even if you did, do you really think he would have stopped?”

“Probably not, but…” She bit her lip.

“There’s no use feeling guilty, Shiki. We all have regrets from that night, even those of us who weren’t involved in the fighting, but we owe it to ourselves and those we lost to keep moving forward. …Akifusa reminded me of that.” *** [A/N: Thank you again for being my invisible, literate guinea pig(s). Starting with the next chapter, I might need to start splitting them into two posts (the chapters have been getting longer as I continue writing), but I’ll try to keep updating once-ish (maybe twice, don’t know yet) every week. The next chapter might also be when I have to start labeling posts for mature content (and maybe including a content warning or two, if only out of paranoia), so don’t be alarmed if that’s the case. The average burn pace remains adagio for erotica, probably closer to moderato for romance as a whole. I think. Who decides how fast or slow-burning a given work of fiction is, anyway? I apologize if my portrayals of the minor characters (minor in relation to this fic, other love interests in relation to the otome) are slightly off; I haven’t played most of their routes, so I’m operating mostly off of general vibes (and exaggerating certain traits for comedic effect). Then again, I do the same thing with the Kifu OGs at times as well, so maybe it balances out. Stay tuned for the next thrilling installment. Resident Tomosexual signing off.]

#hiiro no kakera 4 #fanfiction #rough draft #work in progress #tomonori kotokura #akifusa oki #shiki ugaya #shiki x tomo #aki x tomo #sorry if the ending is awkward #shall we date: scarlet fate #aki after tentacles #crack fic #crack taken seriously

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