Archive of Our Own

Notes:

Author's note:

Oh, I loved writing this one! 🤭

This ficlet is an accompanying piece of my illustration that you can check out at the end of the main chapter (before the bonus). It was the first time I did something like this and I have to say, it was great fun! There's something special about a fic you can have a visual depiction of, or a fanart that you can read a story about. It feels "complete", you know?

The title of this ficlet comes from Taylor Swift's "Willow", because I was listening to this song a lot when chapter 80 was released and I had the first idea for the fanart. I love the song and even more the video for it.

As stated in the introduction, Akiho here is 19, and she's by now in a relationship with Kaito. They reached a point where they basically look the same age (like in my fanart) and still haven't found the spells they are looking for. Yes, they already had their first kiss too, and we missed one by a whisker! 😏 Why? Because I'm a b*tch I didn't feel comfortable writing about that yet, at the time...oh but that changed already, believe me. 🙄

The Kaito you find here follows the evolution he had in the special chapter, where he is far more serene and free to finally "be himself" with the person he loves. They have also worked their way through misunderstandings and difficult moments, so their bond is stronger than ever. That's why you can see his mischievousness at full throttle here, yes, even with Akiho. 🤭
And I also find quite funny the way he "deceives" her, denying the kind of "coercion" she wanted but still achieving his goal 😂 Oh, it's not like he wasn't giving in just 30 seconds after he got what he wanted...it's just that Momo had to interrupt them again 😂

CLAMP at the end of 2024 posted a podcast where they talked about Clear Card in retrospective, and they talked again about Kaito and his true childish nature...I particularly love that about him, because he's a guy who had to shoulder a lot of difficult and complex decisions or feelings in his life, but his heart never had a moment of relaxation to fully develop and mature like his peers.
There's something touching (but also fun) about his tendency to tease with a smile, particularly people he feels an affinity to. There's no malice in his teasing streak, I just see it as a way to manifest the childhood he never got to experience, as he was thrown into a very dark and complex world ever since he was a baby.
And so you see him teasing Akiho here, putting into practice what he learned ever since he entered in a relationship with her — the way his proximity and their skinship can affect her — in order to obtain something. Which, mind you, it's always in Akiho's benefit, not his own. He's just like that, he will always worry and put her wellbeing first. 🤭
But I also had fun exploring an Akiho who's confident enough to "react" to that teasing, and challenge him in return. And that's when he unleashes his true devilish side. 😂

The image of Akiho squealing in his arms, belly hurting from the laughter because of his tickling attack, always makes my heart squeeze with warm feelings. 🥰They really deserve this kind of happiness.

And I just felt like completing this ficlet with a bonus featuring Momo, because I missed their interactions sooooo much! 🥲🥲So so damn much. The fact they hadn't met yet at the time of the special chapter is still stuck in my throat, so I had to create an interaction between them on my own.
To me, Momo is like a maternal figure to them, and depending on the occasion she will fill that role for one or the other. So here, she naturally rushes in to check on them once she hears Akiho squealing! 😂 In my headcanon, they had found her earlier that year and were able to get her to live with them, but don't ask me how they managed to do that because I haven't thought up to that point yet. 😂