Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mahiru stared across his living room in horror. He had just returned from a quick trip to the convenience store, his arms full of groceries. As he stared across his living room, he saw the massive mountain of black fur shift and a way too big lion lifted his head to look at him. It was at least twice as big as any lion should have been, bigger than the couch.

“Oh. Mahiru... you’re home,” the lion said in a familiar voice.

“Kuro?” Mahiru squeaked, dumping the bags of groceries on the counter and rushing over to his oversized partner. “What happened? You’re big, but not as big as before.” He moved his arms around, trying to figure out how to touch Kuro, or if he even should.

“Yeah... what a pain....” Kuro nosed Mahiru’s side, snorting out hot air. “It’s because of all the jin in the air lately. It reminds me of a long time ago. Back then I couldn’t turn into a cat. And my large form is troublesome....”

“Do you mean... you’re stuck?” Mahiru asked, laying a gentle hand on Kuro’s snout.

“No. I just can’t turn into my cat form right now. And I wanted to sunbathe....”

Mahiru let out a soft sigh of relief. “Alright. If it’s just that....” He stepped back, heading back to where he dumped the groceries. Mahiru felt Kuro’s eyes on his back as he put everything into the fridge. When he turned around he saw Kuro being very alert for once, his head raised and his ears perked up. “Are you sure you’re alright Kuro?” Mahiru made his was back towards his partner. “You’re acting a little strange.”

Kuro dropped his head back onto his paws, closing his eyes. “I’m just fine. I told you. It’s all the jin in the air.”

“What does that mean?”

Kuro huffed. “Explaining is annoying....”

Mahiru nudged Kuro’s shoulder with his leg. “Explain it simply.”

Kuro shot an annoyed look at him, then sighed in resignation. “This is my default animal form. I learned the big lion form later and the cat form much later than that. Lions are just too troublesome to hide.”

Mahiru imagined lion Kuro trying to sneak around covered in a cardboard box and snickered. “That’s fair.”

Kuro huffed, shooting him another look. “So I was like this while... all of us servamps lives together. And all the gin in the air makes it hard to maintain my cat from. This is takes less energy to transform.”

“Oh, so you’re just being lazy,” Mahiru snickered, sitting down on the couch next to Kuro. He put one arm over the back of the couch so he could turn to face Kuro.

“Pretty much.” Kuro turned his head, dropping it into Mahiru’s lap.

Mahiru let out an “Oof.” Kuro’s head was heavier that he’d thought it’d be. “Kuro...! I can’t move now!” He tried to push Kuro’s head off, to little avail. Kuro simply hummed in response, closing his eyes. “Kuro! Hey!” Mahiru squirmed, trying to get away. Kuro responded by dropping a huge paw onto his chest. Mahiru yelped as he was suddenly pressed against the couch. “Kuro!!” He groaned, kicking his feet.

“You’re too noisy...” Kuro grumbled. In one smooth motion he lifted himself off the ground and dropped himself on top of Mahiru, suddenly in his human form. “Sleep....”

Mahiru floundered for a minute, still trying to escape. “Get...! Off...!”

“Mahiru.” Kuro put a hand on Mahiru’s face, effectively making him pause. “You. Sleep.”

Mahiru looked at Kuro quizzically. “Uhhh.... Kuro?”

Kuro raised his head off of Mahiru’s chest just enough to look him in the eye. “Sleep. You’re tired. So sleep now.” He dropped his head back onto Mahiru’s chest and didn’t move, even as Mahiru kept struggling. Eventually Mahiru gave up and had no choice but to do as Kuro said. He was feeling rather sleepy. Kuro was warm and comforting. Mahiru closed his eyes, letting himself drift off.

When he was sure that Mahiru was asleep, Kuro raised his head, looking down at him. He stared at Mahiru’s peaceful face for several moments. He really didn’t want Mahiru to know what was really up with him. His instincts had kicked back in now that he’d allowed himself to feel anything but guilt and regret.
Mark him with your scent.
Kuro huffed, but obliged his instinct. He rubbed his cheek against Mahiru’s chest, working his way up until he was pressing his cheek against Mahiru’s, purring deep in his throat.

He froze when Mahiru made a soft sound in his sleep, adjusting his position. When he settled down again, Kuro relaxed, burying his face in Mahiru’s hair. He inhaled deeply and told himself that it wasn’t creepy. He wrapped his arms around Mahiru and closed his eyes. His instincts made another demand.
Protect him.
“Duh,” Kuro mumbled, settling down. He continued purring softly as he fell asleep.
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Mahiru woke up to darkness. His face was hot and the air was stale. He tried to move his hands to pull the pillow off his face. But he couldn’t lift his arms. The blanket on top of him was too heavy. Mahiru felt the blanket move and heard Kuro’s soft sleep mummers in his ear. Mahiru felt his face heat up as he realized the blanket was Kuro himself and the pillow on his face was actually the inside of Kuro’s hood. He kicked his legs, trying to push himself free.

“You’re moving too much...” Kuro complained, hugging him tighter.

“I can’t breath...!” Mahiru wheezed, trying to yank his face out of the hood.

Kuro pushed himself up, looking down at Mahiru’s newly freed face. “You’re so noisy first thing in the morning.”

Mahiru glared up at him. “And you’re heavy. Get off.”

Kuro grumbled softly, but sat back just enough for Mahiru to roll to his feet. Kuro laid back down in the warm spot as Mahiru stretched. His back and shoulders cracked a couple times. “It’s not good to sleep on the couch Kuro.” He twisted his back, looking down the lazy servamp. Kuro didn’t meet his eyes, instead burying his face in the couch. Mahiru sighed. “I’m going to go make dinner,” he said, walking towards the kitchen.

Kuro watched him leave, keeping his eyes firmly planted on Mahiru’s back.
Provide for your-
“Shut up,” Kuro growled, burying his face in the couch again.

”It smells like him...” Kuro thought. He shoved the thought away. He hated being so sensitive to smell all of a sudden. He knew exactly what was coming next, but he really couldn’t bring himself to try to avoid it. Never the less, he figured he should probably warn the others. He wrestled his phone out of his pocket and texted Lily.

K: “It’s starting again. This is your warning.”

Lily responded a minute later, pulling Kuro’s attention from the delicious smell coming from the kitchen.

L: “What’s starting again dear brother?”

K: “Instincts.”
K: “Impulse.”
K: “That stuff you guys hated me for.”

L: “Oh, that.”
L: “While I appreciate the warning, I have to wonder if you’ve told Mahiru yet.”

K: “No. Explaining is a pain.”
K: “I can’t explain this to him.”
K: “He’d hate it.”

L: “You don’t know that. Do you think he’d like it better when you jump him without warning.”

K: “...”

L: “I’ll take that as a no.”
L: “If you can’t say it to him, write it down and let him read it.”

K: “...”
K: “That’s actually a good idea.”

L: “Happy to help.”
L: “I’ll go ahead and let the others know, but that means you have to tell Mahiru. I won’t do it for you.”

K: “Fine.”

Kuro groaned, tucking his phone away as he pushed himself to his feet. He scratched the back of his head as he trotted into the kitchen. Mahiru was finishing fixing their food, humming and bouncing his leg to an imaginary tune. Kuro pulled his phone out again, typing a short version of his warning.

Mahiru turned around and yelped. “Ah! Kuro!” He jumped back a step. “Ah...! You snuck up on me.” He laughed at himself. “You’re too quiet without your boots. Well... actually you’re just quiet....” He laughed again and shook his head. “Anyways, dinner’s ready.”

“Mahiru.... I... There’s... Here,” Kuro felt his face heating up, a feeling he really did not like. He shoved his phone at Mahiru’s face, looking away from him.

Mahiru gently took the phone from his hand, reading through the short paragraph. “Instincts...? Lion instincts?” He looked up at him quizzically. “Like what?”

Kuro looked uncomfortable. He scratched his cheek. “Like... protecting... my ‘pride’ I suppose....”

Mahiru tilted his head. “You mean me?”

Kuro nodded silently, not looking up at him. “And my siblings....”

Mahiru grinned slightly. “There’s nothing weird about wanting to protect the people you care about Kuro.”

Kuro looked up at Mahiru’s sunny smile. “There’s more than that....”

Mahiru looked down at Kuro’s phone again. “Cleaning...? I do bathe a lot Kuro, I don’t need to be cleaned....”

“Can’t help it.... It’s instinct,” Kuro mumbled, looking away again.

Mahiru glanced at the phone again. “Then there’s a list.... Possessive? Protective? Touchy? Touchy how?” He looked up at Kuro.

“...Cuddles....” Kuro yanked his hood low over his eyes. He felt the muscles in his legs trembling. Mahiru would definitely hate him now.

Mahiru seemed to sense Kuro’s unease. He reached out and gently cupped his cheek. “Kuro... I really don’t mind. None of this is really out of the ordinary.... Okay the possessive bit is a little unordinary, but I trust you Kuro. You wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. So, thank you for telling me.” He smiled and for an instant Kuro was sure he’d be forced into his animal form.

Kuro felt a smile form on his face. “Thanks... Mahiru....”

Mahiru grinned. “Now, dinner’s ready. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
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Mahiru squirmed as much as he could. He was trapped under Kuro’s massive paw. It covered over half his back. “Kuro! Let go...!” He cried as a large tongue dragged itself up his back and over his head. His hair was certainly a mess by now. Kuro licked him again, smothering Mahiru’s face. He thrashed, managing to roll over. Then Kuro put his paw back on top of him. “Aaaaah! Kuro...!” Mahiru snapped his mouth shut as Kuro licked him again. He did not want to know what vampire lion slobber tasted like. He shoved at Kuro’s snout, trying to push him away. Kuro simply switched to cleaning his arms instead.

Mahiru groaned, very close to giving up. There was little he could do to over power a massive lion. He tried one last time to push himself to freedom. Surprisingly, this time it worked. Mahiru blinked, looking down to see Kuro, in his human form, leaning against the back of the couch.

“Sorry Mahiru...” He murmured. He had his arm draped over his eyes. He was shaking. “Sorry....”

Mahiru sat up, trying in vain to fix his hair. “You’re slobbery...” he murmured. Mahiru patted Kuro’s knee. “You okay?”

Kuro nodded silently. He raised his arm just enough to see Mahiru. “Don’t look at me like that....”

“Like what? This is just how I look,” Mahiru scoffed, rolling to his feet. Kuro just lowered his arm and shook his head. “Well, I’m going to take a shower and change clothes.” He peeled his shirt off his back, pulling it over his head. “I’ll be back.” He waved as he went down the hall.

Mahiru grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom. He shut the door and gave a soft sigh. He felt sorry for Kuro. The servamp made it clear that he had little control over certain instincts. He was more present now, and almost always watching Mahiru as he worked around the apartment. And this made the third time Kuro’s lion side had decided that Mahiru needed a bath. Mahiru didn’t hold it against Kuro, it was just a side effect of being a servamp. But Mahiru did wish that he at least had some sort of warning before an impromptu nap or grooming session. He shook his head and took his shower.
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When Mahiru returned from his shower he saw Kuro in lion form again, curled around something in the middle of the living room. “Kuro?” He called.

Kuro looked over his shoulder at Mahiru, his tongue sticking out. A blond head popped into view, looking over Kuro’s back. “Ah! There you are Mahiru,” Lily greeted, offering a welcome smile. “We came to see how you two were doing.”

“Oh... Lily...! Wait, “we”?” Mahiru asked.

Misono crawled over Kuro’s back, scrambling towards Mahiru. He stoped next to Mahiru, putting his hands on his knees. Misono gasped for breath, his hair sticking up on one side. “I... have... never... seen something... like that... before...!” Misono gasped as he looked back at Kuro, who was watching him intently.

Lily patted Kuro’s back. “Now now. Misono’s not used to your nurturing side yet, big brother.”

Kuro huffed, turning back to groom Lily’s hair. Mahiru blinked. “So... you knew about this Lily?”

Lily laughed softly and swatted Kuro’s tongue away as he smoothed his hair back down. “Of course. We lived together for a long time. Apparently he did loose this instinct for a while, but it’s nothing to worry about. Unless your fond of your hairstyle of course.”

Kuro seemed to pause. Then with a puff of smoke, he was back to being human. “Sorry....” He crawled away to sulk behind the couch, but Lily grabbed his ankle.

“Are you still self conscious about your other self’s instincts?” Lily smiled, almost teasingly. “You’re not the only one you know.”

Kuro grumbled, trying his best to wedge himself under the couch. “It’s such a pain....”

Lily rolled his eyes and let him go, sighing as he stood up. “I think it’s sweet.”

“Ugh...” Kuro spat, climbing onto the couch, tucking himself into his coat.

Lily gave Mahiru and Misono a “be patient” smile and moved to sit on the arm rest of the couch. Mahiru gestured towards the table, offering Misono a seat. Misono shrugged and followed him, trying in vain to fix his hair.

Lily touched his eldest brother’s shoulder, feeling him flinch. “You know ignoring it is going to make it worse.”

“...Shut up....”

Lily sighed, a smile on his face. “And what, exactly, are your instincts demanding?” Kuro didn’t respond other than curling into an either tighter ball. “We can talk in private if you’d like,” Lily offered.

Kuro shook his head. “Don’t wanna say it.... Such a pain....”

Lily tilted his head. “So, it’d be even more embarrassing than grooming then?” Kuro’s flinch answered yes. Lily laughed softly. “Brother dearest... you know I’ve seen just about every thing this world has to offer. I’m sure whatever your instincts are demanding can’t-“

“Mahiru.”

“What?” Lily tilted his head, gently rubbing his elder brother’s shoulder.

“They’re demanding... Mahiru.”

Lily raised an eyebrow. “And... how exactly are they demanding him?”

Kuro peered out of his jacket, one red eye, full of malice, staring at the servamp of lust.

Lily got the message. A grin spread across his face. “Oh. Is that all? I thought you were going to eat him.” He teased, petting the fur of Kuro’s hood. “I’m so glad me dear big brother found someone he loves.”

“...Shut up...” Kuro grumbled, hiding his face again. “It’d scare him.”

Lily narrowed his eyes. “Kuro,” he said firmly. “Mahiru has seen you lose control of yourself and melt into a ball, literally. He’s seen the inside of your mind and fixed it. He’s fought vampires and hasn’t run away. Do you really think he’d be scared of you loving him?” Kuro grumbled softly, yanking his jacket tighter around his face. Lily sighed. “In that case, if you won’t tell him, I will.”

Kuro sat up so fast there was a breeze that ruffled Lily’s hair. “You will not.”

“Not if you do.” Lily smiled innocently. “It’s your decision.”

Kuro felt the blood leave his face. Lily didn’t make threats if he didn’t mean them. Kuro bared his teeth and growled low in his throat. “Fine,” he spat.

“You’ll thank me someday, brother.”

“Sure...” Kuro growled skeptically. “I’ll do it on my own terms though....”

Lily laughed softly, standing up. “But of course, that’s how these things work. Right?” He shot a knowing smile at Kuro, then went to join Misono and Mahiru in the kitchen.

Kuro grumbled and rolled to his feet. He padded after his brother, not looking forward to how this was going to go. “What a pain....”

Chapter Text

Licht was starting to get worried, not that he’d ever admit it. The demon vampire had disappeared hours ago, and none of his subclasses had seen him since Licht had kicked him down the hallway. Licht felt normal, so he figured that the demon hedgehog was still within their distance limit. Which meant that he had probably gone back to their shared hotel room to sulk. Licht almost felt sorry for the demon. He hadn’t been the same since their run in with Tsubaki.

Licht closed the door to the hotel room, bracing himself for another fight. All the lights were off, even the nightlight in the bathroom. Licht walked into the room, looking for any sign of the demon hedgehog. Everything was still and in order. Licht scowled, he had been sure that Hyde was in here. Was he avoiding him then? Or did something happen?

Licht just barely caught the faintest sound. He froze, slowly turning to figure out where the sound was coming from. That’s when he saw one of the dresser doors was slightly open. He crept forward, crouching down in front of the dresser. He could hear soft purring and snuffling coming from inside the cabinet. Licht gently eased the door open and was surprised by what he saw.

Inside the dresser was a pile of clothes. One of his sweatshirts, Hyde’s scarf, Licht’s old button down, and one of Licht’s pink tank tops. “What the...?” He breathed. The noise stopped.

Licht lifted his sweatshirt and saw Hyde’s quills sticking out. “Hyde. What are you doing?” He snarled, ready to rip his clothing away from the demon.

“I’m sorry Lich-tan. I got cold,” Hyde’s squeaky voice answered. He unbaked himself and peered out at Licht. “Please don’t be mad....” He sounded like he was going to cry.

Licht sighed and rolled his eyes, dropping the sweatshirt off to the side. “Just ask before you take my clothes. I only have so many clean shirts.” He rose and turned away, heading towards his suitcase.

“But you’ve worn these already Lich-tan....” Hyde made a choked off sound, seemingly regretting what he’d just said.

Licht paused and turned around. “You’re sleeping in my dirty clothes...?” He asked, not quite sure how to feel about that.

“Ah...! Well...! The thing is...! They smell like you... so they smell safe....” Hyde hid his head under his paws, shaking slightly.

“I... smell safe...?” Licht blinked. “How?”

Hyde shifted, looking as embarrassed as a hedgehog could. “I don’t know....”

Licht moved back to crouch in front of the dresser. “Don’t lie to me demon rat,” he said in a low voice.

Hyde’s whole face turned red as his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. “Ah...! Um...! It’s...! I don’t know...! You just smells safe.... I like how you smell....” He bristled, hiding his face under Licht’s tank top.

Licht plucked the tank top from the pile of clothes. “Why are you hiding?”

Hyde groaned, crawling out of the dresser. There was a puff of smoke as he changed back into human form. At the same time, both of them realized that Hyde had misjudged the space between Licht and the dresser. There wasn’t enough space and dresser wouldn’t move, which meant Licht had to.

Licht glared down at the blond demon that had fell on top of him. Hyde had face-planted his solar plexus, leaving Licht winded. “Get off...” he growled.

Hyde didn’t move. He seemed paralyzed. Licht opened his mouth to yell at Hyde, but stopped when he heard soft chirps coming from the vampire. Hyde suddenly lurched backwards and slapped a hand over his mouth. He stared at Licht with wide eyes. He was shaking. “I...” he squeaked. Hyde bit his tongue.

Licht sat up, narrowing his eyes at Hyde. “Are those... hedgehog noises...?”

Hyde flushed darkly, the blush spreading down his neck. “I-it’s harder to suppress... since... my jin....” He bit his lip, pressing back against the dresser. “Please don’t... Licht....”

“Don’t what?” Licht raised his eyebrow.

“I.... Just... ignore that....” Hyde whimpered, looking ready to cry.

Licht pinched the demon’s cheek, yanking on it. “Don’t tell me to ignore something that’s making you this upset. I’m an angel, so I have to fix it. Even if you are a demon.”

Hyde shook his head as much as he could. “Lich-tan....” He shuddered, trying to pull Licht’s hand off his cheek.

“Why are you making hedgehog sounds when you aren’t a hedgehog?” Licht demanded.

Hyde whined. “Angel... please let go....”

Licht let go, but put his face right in front of Hyde’s. “Explain. Now.”

Hyde looked flustered. “It’s... It’s just something that happens with servamps.... I can usually suppress it almost completely, but since I’m... weak now....” Hyde lowered his eyes, looking ashamed.

Licht narrowed his eyes, raising one eyebrow. “That’s it?”

Hyde blinked in surprise. “Yeah...?”

Licht rolled his eyes. “All that fuss over something so small. It’s just like you, drama quean.” He stood up and walked across the room. “I’m going back to practice. Come if you want.”

Hyde’s eyes widened. He leapt to his feet. “Of course! It’s so rare that my angel eve invites me to his practice!” He grinned from ear to ear, ignoring the content purring that came from his throat.
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Licht was surprised, but not shocked when he found Hyde nested in his clothing again. This time the pile of cloth was on Licht’s bed and Hyde was in human form, nestled underneath the blankets with Licht’s sweatshirt and tank top thrown over his head. Licht rolled his eyes and plucked his clothes off of Hyde’s head.

Hyde jumped, yanking his knees up to his chest. He looked over his shoulder and relaxed when he saw Licht. “Oh. Angel-chan, it’s just you.” Hyde moved his legs back down and sat up, tilting his head. “Kranz said you went out. Where’d you...?” Hyde paused mid-sentence. He blinked, staring at Licht.

Licht raised an eyebrow. “I went to Mahiru’s to see him and Neko-san.” He narrowed his eyes at Hyde. “What?”

Hyde glowered at him, putting his face close to Licht’s, almost touching noses. “You smell... like my brother....”

Licht blinked. “Of course.... I played with him. He’s a cat.”

Hyde grit his teeth. “I don’t like it....” He suddenly launched himself at Licht, pinning him to the bed.

“What the-? Hyde! Get off!” Licht sputtered. He tried to kick Hyde off of him, but couldn’t get enough leverage.

“You smell like my brother....” Hyde said again. Licht was sure he saw Hyde’s hair bristling. Hyde huffed through his nose and laid on top of Licht, hugging him close. “Gotta fix that....”

Licht sputtered again, squirming against the demon’s supernatural strength. “Hyde! Let go...!”

“Please don’t hate me, Angel.” Hyde said in his soft, vulnerable voice. Licht stoped struggling. “I’m sorry Licht. I just can’t stand it.... I can’t stand my eve smelling like someone else.” Hyde started rubbing his cheek against Licht’s neck.

Licht flushed darkly, craning his neck to move away from Hyde, only to realize that was counterproductive when Hyde pressed his nose against Licht’s throat.

Hyde made a hissing sound and exhaled through his nose. “I’m Greed you know. I don’t want to share you with anybody, especially with my siblings.” Hyde huffed again, and started making soft chirping noises as he wrapped his arms tighter around Licht, holding him close against himself.

Licht tried to beat down the blush on his face. He was certain Hyde would notice and make fun of him for it, but the vampire didn’t seem aware. Hyde just kept rubbing his face all around Licht’s neck and holding him too tightly. Licht made a mental note to look up hedgehog noises later. “Hyde.... If you let go... I can change clothes....”

Hyde hummed softly, but otherwise didn’t respond for so long Licht wasn’t sure he heard him. Licht opened his mouth to repeat himself when Hyde hugged him tighter. Licht thought he heard his back crack. “Will you come right back...?” Hyde asked in a low voice.

Licht sighed, figuring that if he didn’t say yes Hyde wouldn’t let go. “Sure. I’ll come back.” Hyde made a series of soft chirping noises that Licht wasn’t sure he was even aware of. But Hyde let him go, crawling back up to Licht’s pillow and laying face down on it.

Licht wondered if Hyde had always been this sensitive to smell or if he’d become more sensitive due to losing his jin. He rolled to his feet and paused. He looked down at the sweatshirt Hyde had been laying with. A small debate ran in his head before he decided to grab it. Licht stripped, tossing the clothes he had worn to Mahiru’s into the hamper in the closet. He pulled on a clean tank top and pants, leaving his winged backpack by his suit case. He pulled the sweatshirt Hyde had been laying with over his head and walked back to the bed, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. He touched Hyde’s shoulder. “Hyde.”

The demon hedgehog rolled into his side, staring up at the angel leaning over him. “You came back....”

“I told you I would. Angels don’t lie,” Licht shot back. He laid down and pulled out his phone, tapping at the screen.

Ever so slowly, Hyde shifted until he had his head laying on Licht’s stomach. His eyes went wide when he smelled his own scent on Licht’s sweatshirt, but he quickly recovered. He smiled and nuzzled Licht’s stomach, feeling accepted.

Licht glanced down at the demon he was allowing to use him as a pillow. The demon looked rather angelic at that moment, his eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face. Licht turned his attention back to his phone. He finished typing in his search.

Hedgehog sound meaning

The search results popped up and scrolled down, clicking the third result. He read the list that was there.

Whistling and purring: contentment and trust
Snuffling: investigating surroundings, can be heard almost constantly
Snorting and puffing: uncertainty, displeasure or distrust
Purring: happy and content
Chirping, squeaking, or singing: typically courting sounds

Licht froze. He reread the description. Courting? He glanced down at Hyde. “Hey, hedgehog.” Hyde cracked an eye open, still looking content. Licht caught the faintest sound of purring. “You’re making the sounds normal hedgehogs do right? They mean the same thing?”

Hyde looked confused, nodding slightly. “Uh, yeah. I’m pretty sure.”

Licht felt his face growing warmer. “Then why the Hell were you squeaking and chirping at me?”

Hyde froze, feeling the blood drain from his face. “Uh.... Then again...! Maybe there’s some differences... between species or something...!”

“Hyde....” Licht sat up, dumping Hyde’s head into his lap. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I swear it’s unintentional! I can’t help it...! Please don’t kick me...!”

Something in Hyde’s voice made Licht stop. He examined Hyde’s face and saw a mixture of emotion: panic, fear, and hurt. Licht lowered his hand to Hyde’s head, not missing the way he flinched. “Do you.... You actually... like me like that...?” Licht asked softly. Hyde looked up at him, something sparking in his eyes.

“A-so what if I do...?” He mumbled, keeping his eyes locked on Licht’s.

Licht tilted his head. So what if he did? Licht wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He considered it for a moment, twirling a lock of Hyde’s hair around his fingers. “Then...” Licht started. “I’d say... you’re not very good at taking what you want. You are Greed right?” He felt a smirk tug at his lips. “You haven’t lost your ambition again, have you? Do I need to beat it back into you?”

Hyde stared at him with wide eyes for a moment. “It’s... okay...? I can... have my dream...?”

Licht raised an eyebrow. “If you can imagine it, you can make it a reality. If that’s what you decide to do.” He wasn’t going to say yes, he decided. For once, Licht wasn’t sure what he wanted, so he’d let Hyde decide.

Hyde sat up, looking at Licht like he was seeing him for the first time. “I... I want....” Hyde moved forward. “I want Licht to... kiss me.”

Licht raised an eyebrow, not moving. He wouldn’t make this easy for him. Hyde moved closer. “I want... to kiss Licht.” Licht felt his lips flicker into a smile. Hyde seemed to notice as well, because a second later, he kissed him. He was really warm.

Hyde felt his throat flutter as a series of chirps and squeaks left it. He had half expected Licht to kick him, or at least push him off. But when that didn’t come, he allowed himself to relax. He cupped Licht’s face in his hands and pulled him closer. Hyde opened his eyes to look at his angel. Licht was beautiful. His ebony hair framed his face like a dark halo and his eyelashes fluttered over his cheeks. Hyde chirped again, closing his eyes to deepen the kiss.

Chapter Text

Kuro laid with his head in Mahiru’s lap. He was purring loudly, he knew, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Mahiru was playing with his hair absentmindedly as they watched some random anime. Kuro was pretty sure that trying I figure out the plot was going to be troublesome, so he just tuned it out in favor of listening to Mahiru’s heartbeat and breathing.
Nuzzle your mate.
His instincts demanded forcefully. Kuro huffed. ”He’s not my mate.” But he nuzzled Mahiru’s thigh anyways, leaning into his scent. Mahiru didn’t seem to notice.
Get attention from you mate.
Kuro felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation. His instincts really didn’t listen to him. He looked up at Mahiru, looking at how the florescent light surrounded his head like a halo of light. He thought about how his brother’s eve was always talking about angels. Kuro decided that his eve was just as angelic as Lawless’s.

Demand attention. Your mate should pay attention to you.
Kuro batted the string of Mahiru’s sweatshirt, immediately drawing his attention.

Mahiru cracked a smile. “Yes?”

Kuro blinked. He hadn’t thought of something to say. “...Can’t deal.” He turned his head, burying it in Mahiru’s stomach.

Mahiru laughed, poking Kuro’s cheek. “What? Did you just want attention?”

Kuro glanced up at Mahiru, then pressed his face into his stomach more. “...Maybe....”

Mahiru laughed again, pulling Kuro up, hugging his head against his chest. “Then just say so.” He shook his head. Kuro watched the way his hair fluttered. “Really Kuro.” He petted Kuro’s hair.

Kuro adjusted himself, half sitting in Mahiru’s lap. He closed his eyes and started purring. Mahiru smiled softly, cradling Kuro’s head against his chest as he petted him. Kuro felt his instincts pulling at his awareness again.
Kiss your mate.
“He’s not my mate...” Kuro mumbled.

Mahiru leaned back slightly. “Uh... what?”

Kuro felt his heart stop. He looked up at Mahiru and felt the blood leave his face. Mahiru was looking down at him with a confused look and a soft blush on his face. “Uh.... Never mind....” Kuro sat back, moving to stand up.
Kiss your mate!

“Kuro wait...!” Mahiru grabbed Kuro’s arm.

YOUR MATE

“Kuro!”

Kuro’s vision flickered. It was like he blinked twice in quick succession. When he was able to see again, he found himself poised over a very worried looking Mahiru, holding him down against the couch with one hand. Kuro flinched, jerking himself backwards and curling in on himself, absolute horror gripped his heart. He had to get away, get away and never comeback. But that would hurt Mahiru, kill him. But wasn’t it more dangerous for him to stay?

“Kuro....” Mahiru touched Kuro’s shoulder softly. Kuro flinched, looking back at him. His pupils were contracted so much Mahiru wasn’t sure if he could even see him. He was trembling. Mahiru tried to think of how he could help. Did Kuro think he was scared of him? Was Kuro scared of himself? Mahiru didn’t think he was breathing. “Kuro... you’re okay.” Mahiru gently wrapped his arms around Kuro’s shoulders, pressing his face into Kuro’s hair. Kuro stoped shaking, but Mahiru wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. He made a conscious decision to nuzzle Kuro the way he did when he was a cat. “You’re okay Kuro....”

Kuro settled against Mahiru’s chest, making small whimpering noises. Mahiru rubbed his shoulder gently, humming a soft, nonsense tune into his hair. Eventually, Kuro raised his head to look up at Mahiru, who smiled down at him. “You feel better?”

Kuro nodded. He closed his eyes and let his head fall against Mahiru’s arm. “Sorry....”

Mahiru sighed softly. “You don’t need to apologize. It was another instinct thing right?” Kuro nodded silently. “Then, what was it about?”

“What a pain....”

“Answer me cat,” Mahiru pushes Kuro up, glaring at him teasingly.

Kuro cracked an eye open and groaned. “But it’s such a pain....”

“Kuro...” Mahiru said warningly, fighting the smile that formed on his face.

Kuro groaned again. “I don’t take responsibility for this....”

Mahiru rolled his eyes. “Come on. Out with it.”

“It wants me to....” Kuro remembered Lily’s threat and decided to just be truthful. “It wants to kiss you....” Kuro stared off into space, looking anywhere but at Mahiru. He didn’t want to see his face.

Mahiru blinked, feeling his face heat up. “Oh.... Well if that’s it.... I guess I don’t mind. You can if you want to.”

Kuro stared at Mahiru like he’d grown a second head. “What...?”

Mahiru flushed, letting go of Kuro. “I said you can kiss me if you want to...” he pouted. “Though I’m not sure why you got so worked up about it....”

Kuro tilted his head, his eyes wide. “Seriously...?” He asked, aghast.

Mahiru glared at him. “What? I’m not gonna say it again.”

Kuro felt something in his stomach jump and flutter excitedly.
Kiss your mate.
“I’m going to kiss Mahiru.” Kuro thought back at it. He leaned forward, putting one hand on Mahiru’s knee. “You can push me off if you want....” Mahiru rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly. He didn’t push him away.
Kiss your Mahiru.
”Gladly.” Kuro gently brushed his lips against Mahiru’s. He was really warm. Kuro wondered if that was because of the blush or if it was just how he was. He let his eyes slide shut as Mahiru leaned into kiss. Neither of them really knew what they were doing. Kuro had kissed a few people in the past, but that had been centuries ago. Kuro felt Mahiru drape one arm over his shoulders and gently pull him closer. Kuro decided he liked kissing Mahiru.
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Mahiru woke up with a lion sleeping on him. He sighed, used to it by now. Kuro would climb into his bed in the middle of the night, complaining about the cold and he’d transform sometime during the night. At least this time Kuro wasn’t totally laying on him. He was laying pressed against the wall with one massive paw draped over Mahiru and his mane in Mahiru’s face. Mahiru pushed Kuro’s mane away from his face and rubbed his nose, trying to stifle the oncoming sneeze. Waking lion Kuro up with a sneeze didn’t turn out well last time.

Mahiru grunted with effort as he sat up, pushing Kuro’s paw off of his chest and down to his lap. Kuro grumbled deep in his throat and lifted his paw. Mahiru breathed a sigh of relief, moving to get out of bed. Kuro’s paw dropped back onto him, pinning Mahiru back to the bed, a bit more purposefully. “Gah! Kuro...!” Mahiru squirmed, but stopped when he felt Kuro shifting. The lion’s head appeared above him, looking down at him with an amused look. “Kuro? What are you doing...?”

The lion purred and leaned down, nuzzling his face. Mahiru laughed softly as he scratched Kuro’s chin. The lion tilted his head upwards, purring louder. Mahiru grinned, patting his nose. “Alright. Alright. Now off. I gotta get up.” Kuro growled playfully, dropping his head on to Mahiru’s chest. “Oof! Kuro!” Kuro snickered, then he licked Mahiru’s entire face at once.

Mahiru sputtered, shoving at the lion’s snout. “Kuro! Gross!” He squirmed, kicking his legs. Kuro snickered again, moving his head so it was right above Mahiru’s. “You lick me again and I’m not making pancakes,” Mahiru warned.

Kuro merely tilted his head, smiling. There was a puff of smoke and suddenly Kuro was above him, back in human form. He leaned down and kissed Mahiru sweetly. Mahiru rolled his eyes, but kissed him back.

Kuro rolled off him a minute later, burritoing himself in the blankets. Mahiru sat up and shot him a look. “You’re sucking up so I’ll make pancakes, aren’t you?”

Kuro’s hum sounded from the depths of the blanket burrito. “Aren’t I allow to kiss my ma- Mahiru?” He turned so just one eye and the very edge of his smile could be seen.

Mahiru raised a skeptic eyebrow. “Ma-Mahiru?”

“You’re already a housewife....” Mahiru smacked the burrito with his pillow. “Ow,” Kuro said, not sounding very hurt.

Mahiru rolled his eyes, finally standing up. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Kuro hummed, turning his head just in time to see Mahiru yank his pajama shirt over his head. Kuro flushed, but didn’t move.
My mate is beautiful.
“He is.... He is not my mate.” Kuro tucked his face back into the blankets.

Mahiru changed and walked out of his room, glancing back over his shoulder at the lazy lump on his bed. “I’ll call you when breakfast is ready. No snacking.” Kuro gave an affirmative, if a bit reluctant, groan. Mahiru sighed, rolling his eyes despite the smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Mikuni sat back in his seat. He loved old fashioned steam engines. The rattle of the train tracks, the bumping of the cars, the privacy of the compartments, he loved everything about it. He especially loved the privacy. He could pull the curtains shut and have no one make a fuss about the snake wrapped around his neck. Mikuni preferred Jeje in his snake form when they were traveling. He drew less stares and could easily hide in Mikuni’s bandana as a snake. And he was just a more pleasant traveling companion.

Mikuni absently scratched the snakes head, a cheap paperback in his other hand. He thumbed through the pages, barely reading. Jeje flicked his tongue over Mikuni’s finger, nosing at it affectionately. Mikuni paid him no attention, but kept scratching his head. After a few minutes, Jeje seemed to grow bored. He slithered onto Mikuni’s hand and wove through his fingers like they were some sort of obstacle course. Mikuni wiggled his fingers, letting his hand drop to his lap. It was getting tired.

Mikuni glanced out the window, watching the sun setting. He sighed softly. He was going to loose his reading light. Mikuni stuffed the recite for the book into it, marking his place. He dropped the book and kicked off his boots, turning to lie down on the bench. They wouldn’t arrive at their destination until about noon the following day. “Jeje.” He looked down at the snake curled around his wrist. The snake raised his head, staring at Mikuni with unblinking eyes. “I’m going to sleep.” He pulled his hat off and dropped it over his face, stretching out on the bench. “Good night.” He felt the snake drop from his wrist, but didn’t notice where he went. As he drifted off to sleep, Mikuni decided it didn’t matter.

Jeje slipped to the floor and curled around himself. He looked up at his eve. He was already asleep, Jeje would never understand how his human could fall asleep so quickly. As soon as the sun disappeared completely, Jeje shifted to his human form. He sat opposite of Mikuni, staring at him. Jeje wondered if he was dreaming yet. Mikuni always made strange faces when he dreamed.

Despite his abrasive personality and general overbearing attitude, Mikuni’s quiet moments showed that he was more than the persona he displayed to others. The rage, the giddiness, the exhaustingly happy personality, all of them were part of Mikuni’s mask. And he never let anyone see who he was underneath, except Jeje. Jeje got to see more of Mikuni than anyone else. And he reveled in that fact. Jeje got to see parts of Mikuni that no one else ever had.

He saw Mikuni scared out of his mind when he moved a plank of plywood and a rattlesnake slithered over his boot. He saw Mikuni enraged when he found a gang of thugs harassing a young lady. He saw Mikuni sobbing when he awoke from nightmares time and again. Mikuni didn’t let anyone else see so much of him. Jeje felt special. But it also made him jealous. It was his nature to be envious after all.

Jeje was jealous of the snake that had scared his eve. He was jealous of the thugs who’d enraged his eve. He was jealous of the nightmares that tormented his eve. What was worse, he was jealous of that doll. Abel was Mikuni’s go to comfort, his life line to sanity. Mikuni always turned to her and never to Jeje.

Jeje felt the muscles in his neck twitch as he stood up, looming dangerously over his eve’s sleeping form. That doll was cradled in Mikuni’s lap, one hand draped over her. Jeje briefly considered tossing the doll out the window, but quickly decided that was too drastic. Instead he gently tugged the doll out of Mikuni’s hand and set her on the bench by Mikuni’s feet.

Mikuni groaned softly in his sleep, his hands reaching out for his life line. Jeje slipped his fist into Mikuni’s hand. Mikuni gave a soft sigh, relaxing. Jeje felt a smile spread across his face.
My eve.
He glanced back at the doll. ”He’s mine.” Jeje briefly wondered if he’d be better suited as the servamp of greed. At least Greed had the ability to take what he wanted, while Envy just had to want from afar. Jeje flicked his tongue against his teeth, catching himself making a low, angry hissing noise. He shrugged off the feeling, shifting back to his snake form and balling himself up under Mikuni’s hand.

Jeje knew that Mikuni would most likely drop him when he woke up, but he decided it was worth it. He pressed his head against Mikuni’s wrist, his pulse lulling the snake to sleep.
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Mikuni woke up the next morning feeling sluggish. He immediately blamed the snake, before his vision even focused. His hand felt strangely warm. He lifted the thing in his hand in front of his face, seeing a familiar black snake curled up and tangled around his fingers. Mikuni held him over the side of the couch and almost dropped him right there, but the soft hissing and nuzzling made him pause. He looked closer at the snake, squinting against sleep. Was he... snoring? Mikuni cracked a smile, sitting up.

He quickly spotted Abel, sitting nicely against the wall and figured out that Jeje must have moved her there. Mikuni raised the snake to his face, watching him wiggle in his sleep. Mikuni suppressed a laugh as the snake slowly slipped down his arm. He pinched the head of the snake and slowly pulled him off his hand, draping him around his neck. The snake quickly nestled against Mikuni’s neck, hissing softly. Mikuni stood up and stretched, deciding it was time for breakfast.
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Mikuni was playing with Abel, much to Jeje’s displeasure. His eve was tying new bows in her hair and having a one sided conversation with her. Jeje was curled around Mikuni’s calf, trying to get his attention. He flicked his tongue angrily, constricting around Mikuni’s leg.

Mikuni, however, was purposefully ignoring the snake. It was just so much fun to torment him. He nodded and smiled at Able, moving her arms like she was telling him an amazing story. “Oh really? You’re so brave Abel!” He giggled, stretching his leg out. Jeje hissed at him. Mikuni kept ignoring him.

Suddenly, Jeje shot off his leg, coiling beneath the window. Mikuni blinked curiously. Jeje shifted to his human form, shooting his arm up, hidden in his sleeve, to yank the blinds closed. The compartment plunged into shadow, the barest hint of light leaking through the thick fabric of the blinds. Jeje stood up, glaring at Mikuni though the eye hole of his bag. He loomed over Mikuni threateningly, staring down at him.

Mikuni cracked a grin, unfazed by the vampire’s threatening aura. “Oh? Did you want something Jeje?” He said teasingly, tying Abel’s hat back on her head.

Jeje leaned down, putting his bags close to Mikuni’s face. “You’re ignoring me.”

“Am I?” Mikuni snickered under his breath. “I didn’t notice.” Jeje snarled, a sharp hiss reverberating from his throat. “Ooooh~ So scary!” Mikuni cackled. He set Able down on his hat, turning to face Jeje. “But you didn’t answer my question. Did you want something from me, Jeje?” He lifted Jeje’s bag just enough to see a snake like tongue flicker out from his scowl.

“Ah! There it is again!” Mikuni laughed, prying Jeje’s jaw open with his thumbs. Jeje’s mouth looked normal, aside from the vampiric fangs. “Awww. I never get to see....” Mikuni pouted. He moved his hands away, but Jeje caught his wrists. “Hmm?” Mikuni hummed teasingly.

Jeje narrowed his eye, hissing again. “Pay more attention to me. Or else our bond will weaken.”

Mikuni quirked up an eyebrow. “Oh will it now?” He leaned his face closer to Jeje’s. He could smell the stale scent of old firewood smoke and green tea. “Then I guess you need more attention....” He pulled Jeje’s bag off his head, dropping them behind him. The servamp flinched, throwing his hands over his face. He glared at Mikuni through his fingers. Mikuni smiled up at Jeje. “What? I’m giving you attention....” He took Jeje’s hands off his face. Jeje narrowed his eye at him.

Jeje’s right eye was clouded and dull. Mikuni traced the light scar underneath it with his thumb. “Does it ever hurt?”

“I don’t notice it.” Jeje closed his eyes, leaning against Mikuni’s hands. The snakelike tongue flickered out from between his lips again, tickling Mikuni’s hand. He sat back, scratching Jeje under his chin. Jeje tilted his head back, hissing softly.

“You’re so easy Jeje...” he cooed. Jeje cracked his good eye open and glared at his eve. Mikuni laughed, letting go of his face. “We’ll be there soon, better change back.” Jeje grumbled something unintelligible and gathered his bags. He shrank back into a snake and hissed when Mikuni lifted him by the tail.

Mikuni considered the snake for a moment, then dropped him down his shirt, giggling when the snake wrapped around him, just long enough to not fall. He looked up at Mikuni with a confused look on his face. “It’s cold outside and I’m not giving you my blood if you get sluggish.” Mikuni raised an eyebrow. “Are you objecting?” The snake pressed his head against Mikuni’s chest, listening to his heart beat. Mikuni gathered his things and stepped out of the carriage. This trip was turning out to be more interesting than he’d thought.

Chapter Text

Hyde stood proudly over his achievement. Somehow he’d managed to arrange a completely functional, human sized nest on the hotel bed. He heard the door to the bathroom open and steam poured out. Hyde turned around to see Licht walk out with a towel around his waist. Licht froze when he saw Hyde. He narrowed his eyes at him, inspecting both the vampire and what he did to the bed.

“What is that?” Licht asked, squinting angrily.

“Uh....” Hyde suddenly realized that he’d fallen victim to his hedgehog side again. Who knew the little thing could be so demanding? “It’s uh... a... nest...?” He grinned sheepishly.

Licht narrowed his eyes at the vampire. He walked over to the bed and examined the pile of pillows and blankets. He hummed wordlessly and went over to his suitcase to change into his sleep clothes, a tank top and shorts.

Hyde shifted from foot to foot, staring pointedly at Licht’s back. He focused on Licht’s shoulder blades. Even when Licht wasn’t playing the piano, Hyde could see the faintest outline of wings sprouting from his back. He wondered what it’d feel like to fly on wings. Obviously it’d be a different feeling than when he flew.

Hyde almost didn’t notice Licht turn around. But when Licht raised a suspicious eyebrow, Hyde smiled innocently. Licht eyed the nest of blankets. “How do I...?” He mumbled.

Hyde beamed, lifting a few blankets. “Right in here.” Licht eyed Hyde, then slid into the nest.

Hyde crawled in after and cuddled up next to his angel, purring and chirping. Licht paid him little mind besides rolling onto his side so his back was facing Hyde, a rare show of trust. Hyde purred contently, nosing his angel’s bare shoulder. Licht didn’t respond, but Hyde felt the tension in his shoulders ease just a bit. Hyde pressed against Licht’s back, purring as he lulled Licht to sleep.
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Hyde woke up with Licht sleeping on his chest. Some time in the night Hyde had ended up on his back and Licht had turned around to press his face against the servamp’s chest. Hyde flushed slightly when Licht made a soft sound in his sleep and tugged on Hyde’s sleep shirt.

Hyde made the decision that he wouldn’t move and pretend to be asleep when Licht woke up. He gazed lovingly at his angel, gently running his fingers though his ebony hair. Licht looked so soft and delicate when he wasn’t scowling or yelling. Hyde wondered when he’d fallen in love. Licht stirred, so Hyde quickly shut his eyes and stoped moving his hand.

Licht raised his head, looking at the person underneath him. He noted the blush on his cheeks, the unevenness of his breathing, and the tingling feeling in his hair. “I know you’re awake, stupid hedgehog.”

Hyde didn’t respond beyond the slight twitch of his cheek. So Licht pinched his cheek and pulled. “Owowowow! Lich-tan! Ow!” Hyde yelped, eyes flying open immediately.

“Don’t pretend to be asleep to trick me, demon.” Licht sat up, scooting off the vampire. He readjusted his tank top, glaring down at Hyde, who was rubbing his cheek.

“So mean...” the demon whined. “That actually hurt Licht....”

Licht rolled his eyes. Hyde was going to keep complaining if he didn’t do something. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss against the demon’s cheek.

Hyde froze. Did that actually just happen? He up at Licht, who just stared down at him coolly. Hyde felt a grin spread across his face. “Lich-tan~ it still hurts~!”

Licht narrowed his eyes, raising both his eyebrow. “Not possible. An angel’s kiss heals anything.”

Hyde sat up, laying his head on Licht’s chest. He heard the angel’s heart beat pick up, which motivated him even more. “But Licht~ It hurts here.” He puckered his lips and almost cracked up at the disgusted look on Licht’s face. “Won’t you heal me angel~?” He cooed, batting his eyelashes.

Licht debated for a moment, then grabbed Hyde’s face and smashed their lips together. Hyde kissed him eagerly, wrapping his arms around Licht’s neck. Licht made a muffled complaint, but didn’t kick him or push him, so Hyde kept going. He pushed deeper into the kiss, putting his weight into it. Licht wasn’t prepared for it though, so the two of them toppled over.

Hyde pulled back from the kiss, looking down at Licht. “Hey there.”

Licht narrowed his eyes at him. “Get off demon,” he said without any real commitment.

Hyde nuzzled Licht’s collarbone, chirping and squeaking in quick sequence. He looked up at Licht, who was merely staring at the ceiling. Hyde grinned and pressed a quick kiss against his angel’s throat. Licht sputtered and jumped, trying to roll Hyde off of him, but Hyde just laid on him.

Licht glared down at the demon, his face red. “What are you doing...?”

Hyde smiled innocently, pressing a quick kiss to Licht’s collarbone. “What do you mean?”

Licht made a disgusted face and rolled his eyes. But he didn’t kick him, so Hyde took it as encouragement. He nuzzled Licht’s chin and peppered kisses up his angel’s neck to his lips. He closed his eyes and kissed Licht sweetly. Licht kissed him back. Hyde felt his heart flutter.

When they separated Licht was much redder and a little disheveled. Hyde sat back proudly, purring down at Licht. “Are you happy Angel?”

Licht cliched his tongue. “No.” He grabbed Hyde’s collar and yanked him into a deeper kiss, to which Hyde happily obliged.
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Hyde pouted as Kranz scolded him and Licht again. “You can’t keep fighting and causing a scene where ever we go.” He wasn’t mad, just very disappointed. Krantz pinched the bridge of his nose. His holy water water-gun was hanging loosely by his side. Guildenstern sat silently behind them, playing poker with two other subclasses, Horacio and Antonio. Hyde wiped his glasses on his shirt, trying to get the holy water off them without knocking himself out again.

Hyde glanced at Licht. His eyes were glazed over, obviously zoned way out. Hyde snickered discreetly, somehow catching Licht’s attention. Licht looked at him, raising an irritated eyebrow.

”This is all your fault you know,” he said through their mental link.

”How is this even remotely my fault?” Hyde shot back.

”You continued to bother me after I told you to stop.”

”And then you kicked me.”

”It is my duty as an angel to purify all demons, including you.”

Hyde snickered, watching Krantz pace back and forth, waving his arms. ”Oh please Angel-chan, purify me and save this poor demon from sin.” Licht’s eye twitched so hard Hyde physically felt it reverberate through their link. He felt a wicked grin spread across his face.

Licht turned to look at him, his eyes so narrowed they were nearly shut. Hyde grinned innocently. Licht was so much fun to tease. Licht’s eye twitched again, making it look like he winked. Hyde did not let that opportunity pass him by. He returned the wink, even blowing a kiss for effect. Licht’s face turned bright red as his lead appeared with a snapping sound. Hyde clenched his jaw as Licht’s leg shot out and round house kicked the vampire square in the jaw.

Kranz yelped as Hyde flew across the room, tumbling to a stop not too far from the wall. Licht clicked his tongue, lowering his leg. “I’d meant to put you through that....”

Hyde rolled to his feet, flashing a sharp grin at his violent little angel. “You’ve gotten soft Lich-tan~”

Licht’s eyes flashed with holy fire. He would have launched himself at Hyde if not for Kranz stepping between them. Now he was mad.

“That’ll be quite enough, both of you.” His water gun was clenched tightly in his hand. Hyde could see that his knuckles were white. “I’ve just about had it with you two. You fight and break things with no regard for others or consequences. I have half a mind to lock both of you in different rooms and throw away the keys.” Both Hyde and Licht hesitated. That was an unusual threat coming from Kranz. They looked at each other, figuring that they’d put a bit too much stress on the poor man. Licht slowly walked up at Kranz and hugged him.

“Sorry....” he stepped back quickly, looking uncomfortable.

Kranz blinked in surprise. “I... I don’t think you’ve hugged me like that since you were six.” He looked like he might cry.

Hyde approached him as well, feeling the prickle of tears in his eyes. He shoved it down and steadied himself. “Sorry... Kranz. We’ll try to be more careful.” He gave him a light punch on the arm.

Kranz looked between them and smiled, seemingly in spite of himself. “Oh... I suppose I can’t stay mad when you two apologize like that.” He ruffled his hands through their hair. Licht made a small sound of complaint, but didn’t push him away.

Suddenly there was a loud siren blaring, like an air horn. Hyde screamed and with a puff of smoke he was a hedgehog, balled up and bouncing off the ground. The sound stopped as soon as Hyde transformed. He poked his head out of his ball of spikes. Kranz was pale in the face, clutching the shirt over his heart. Licht looked like he was torn between laughing historically and apologizing. He knelt down next to Hyde and carefully scooped him up.

“Did....” He was trying to catch his breath. “Did you get hurt... falling like that...?”

Hyde squeaked and shook his head. “No I’m fine Licht,” he squeaked. Licht didn’t put him down though.

“Don’t be mad...,” Licht snickered. “I changed your text tone a long time ago....” He suppressed a grin. “I forgot about it honestly....”

Hyde looked at him, betrayed. “Licht... that was mean....”

“I didn’t think it’d scare you so bad...” Licht snickered, hiding his smile with his sleeve. “Sorry Hyde....”

Hyde felt a warmth in his heart. He shifted back to human form, holding Licht’s hand. He leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. Then he remembered that there were other people in the room.

Licht stared a Hyde, looking very tempted to kick him across the room again. Hyde looked up at Kranz, who looked unimpressed. He looked at Gil and his other subclasses. Horacio and Antonio both handed several bills to Guildenstern. How dare they bet on them?!!

Licht rolled his eyes and stood up. “You got a text remember?”

Hyde blinked. “Oh yeah.” He tugged his phone out of his pocket and checked it. “It’s from All of Love...?” Hyde’s face paled as he read it. “Oh no....”

“What?” Licht leaned over him, trying to read it upside down.

“Big brother Sloth....” Hyde felt a shiver run up his spine.

Licht snatched Hyde’s phone. “What about Neko-san?” He read the text. “What instincts...?”

Hyde unconsciously fixed his hair, knowing exactly what was coming. “Big brother Sloth has a... feline parental instinct.... Poor Mahiru.” He huffed.

Licht looked down at Hyde skeptically. “So Neko-san acts more like a cat like how you act like a hedgehog?”

Hyde nodded. “Except he’s a lion, so it’s worse.”

Licht raised his eyebrows, looking down at the phone. “We’re going to go see Mahiru and Neko-san on my next weekend off.” He looked up at Kranz. “When is that?”

Hyde’s jaw dropped. “No! Nononono! Absolutely not!” Licht ignored him. Hyde felt a heavy feeling settle in his stomach. “Oh no....”

Chapter Text

Misono was sitting in the garden, on a little swing bench that was shaded by a blanket of ivy that had climbed the metal cage frame. Misono swung slightly, barely paying attention to it. His mind was buried in his book. It was an old text that he’d dug out of his father’s library. He had thought he’d find out more about the unusual, animalistic behavior of the servamps in it, but there was hardly anything concrete. And most of it was about Lily.

“He likes flowers.”

Misono groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Just then he felt his hair shift in an odd way. Misono narrowed his eyes, pulling out his phone and turning on the front facing camera. Using it as a mirror, Misono saw that his suspicions were right. “Ahh! Lily! I told you not to land in my hair.” He shook his head, dislodging the butterfly from its perch. The butterfly flapped around Misono’s head a few times. Misono fully expected for Lily to transform and sit with him. But instead Lily landed in his hair again. Misono blinked, holding his phone up again. He saw Lily fan his wings slowly and suddenly remembered that he’d seen a note about that in the book. He turned back a few pages and saw, in neat handwriting, a note from his great-great-great-aunt.

“I tried a new shampoo this week and All of Love seems to love it (No pun intended). He’s nestling in my hair more than usual and when I asked him about it he said he likes the scent. Apparently it’s made with real flowers, although it doesn’t smell like that to me.”

Misono raised an eyebrow. “Lily?”

A soft hum reverberated through their link. Lily didn’t sound too conscious. His wings laid open, shaking slightly in the breeze.

Misono felt a small bit of panic well up inside him. He’d never heard Lily seem so unfocused before, even when he had, as a child, woken the servamp after a bad dream. “Lily?!”

Lily made a series of small humming noises, but didn’t respond. He sounded drunk. Misono quickly flipped back through the pages of the old book. And there, an entry in bold, harsh penmanship from his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.

“All of Love frightened me this morning. He showed up to breakfast in only his underpants, a sight I shall not soon forget. He was nearly unresponsive and his subclasses seemed worried. So I took him back to bed. He was barely coherent and simply mumbled and pointed to the open window. There I found several branches of plum blossoms growing there. We had just planted a full grown peach tree there. It apparently had several plum clippings grafted onto the top of it. Afterwords, and after moving All of Love to another room, he told me that plum blossoms affect him strangely. I’ll talk to our garden keeper to see what we can do without hurting the tree.”

Misono felt a heavy weight drop in his stomach. When he and Mahiru had gone out shopping a few days ago, after the whole fiasco with Kuro’s lion form, he’d bought some cheep plum scented shampoo. Lily had been distracted with teasing Kuro with the cat toys in another aisle. “Oh no...! Lily!” Misono jumped to his feet, panicking. Lily fluttered off his head, then circled around and came back towards him. Misono grit his teeth. He hated doing this to Lily. “Lily. Stop.”

Lily froze in place, his wings quivered for a moment, then he fell into Misono’s open hands. Misono carefully cupped him in his hands and quickly rushed him into the house.

Lily laid completely still as Misono set him on his bed. “Okay Lily. I’m going to go wash this out. You can move as soon as I’m gone.” The butterfly’s wings twitched in affirmation.
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Misono didn’t think he’d ever taken a faster shower in his life. He completely coated his head in his normal shampoo, drowning out the scent of the plums. He made sure to drop the mostly full plum shampoo bottle in the trash.

When Misono returned to Lily’s room he found the servamp stretched out on the bed, an ice pack laid over his eyes. “Lily...?” He asked quietly.

Lily sat up, pulling the ice pack off his face. “Ah Misono. There you are. Sorry for worrying you.”

Misono shook his head, cautiously approaching his servamp’s bed. “No, I’m sorry. I had no idea plum blossoms... did that... to you.”

Lily laughed softly. “I’m sorry I forgot to mention it. I’m alright now. I appreciate the concern, but you can come closer now.” He patted the bed beside him. Misono hesitated for a moment longer, then sat next to Lily, leaning his head against his shoulder. Lily gently petted his hair.

Misono pressed his face into Lily’s arm, holding his sleeve tightly. Misono hated seeing his servamp, his friend in pain. He looked up to see Lily smiling at him, despite the tired and hazy look in his eyes. Misono steeled himself, gripping Lily’s sleeve harder. “We- we should do something...!”

Lily blinked, tilting his head. “Oh? What did you have in mind, Misono?”

Misono mentally cursed his outburst, scrambling to think of something. “We could... play chess...?”

Lily laughed, a musical sound that Misono had never heard anyone else replicate. “That sounds wonderful Misono.”
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Lily held in a laugh as best as he could. Misono had, metaphorically, died. After five very tense games of chess, just barely pulling a win from three games, playing with the subclass children for a little over two hours, and the added stress of the day’s earlier adventure with the shampoo, Misono had died. He lay face down on the couch in his room, a barely audible, continuous whining noise was emanating from the pillow Misono had buried his face in.

Lily laughed as quietly as he could, sitting down by Misono’s head. He petted his hair, now vanilla scented. “Misono, are you alright?” He asked, unable to help the small laugh that made its way into his voice.

Misono let out a slightly louder whining noise. At least he rolled his head to the side so Lily could tell that he was actually breathing. Misono never was very good at being busy. He probably needed a nap at this point. “Misono, why don’t you sleep now? I’ll wake you in time for dinner. You should recover your energy at least a little.” Misono argued a lot less than Lily would have thought. He scooted forward and rolled onto his side so his head laid in Lily’s lap. Lily felt affection bubble up inside him. Truly, his eve was the most adorable. He wondered how Lawless would react to that. His brother was always so competitive. Lily distantly wondered if Lawless, Hyde, had gotten his text about Kuro. He hadn’t heard back from him. Lily let his mind wander as he petted his eve’s hair.

Chapter Text

Mahiru felt a vein by his eye twitch. “Kuro... move....” He glared down at the massive lion head laying on his lap, successfully pinning him to the couch once again.

Kuro made a grumbling sound. “Nooo....” He didn’t even open his eyes or stop purring. His tail flicked, seemingly on its own, smacking into the back of the couch. “Ow....” That actually made Kuro open one eye, glaring back at his tail.

Mahiru took his chance and lurched to the side, slipping out from underneath Kuro’s head, effectively rolling off the edge of the couch. “Freedom...!” He landed in a crumple of limbs and pain. “Ow....” He laid still for a moment before he felt something lifting him off the ground. He looked at his back, seeing one of Kuro’s claws carefully hooked through his shirt. “Kuro no.” Kuro carefully lifted Mahiru—poor helpless Mahiru—gently placing him back on the couch, then proceeded to lay on him again. “Oh come on!” Mahiru struggled and squirmed, trying to pull himself out from under Kuro.

Kuro responded by wrapping his paws under the struggling eve and tucking him beneath his mane. Mahiru reluctantly stopped yelling, not wanting to get a mouth full of hair. “Kuro...,” he growled through his teeth. “Get off.... Licht and Hyde are going to be here soon....”

Kuro let out a low grumble, pressing his face against Mahiru’s back. “Noooo....”

“I told you they were coming today.” Mahiru pushed Kuro’s mane out of his face and gratefully gulped down fresh air. He twisted as much as he could, looking back at Kuro, who raised his head just enough to look at him.

“Such a pain...,” he grumbled, pressing his face against Mahiru’s back again. Mahiru sighed, reaching for his phone, which, he realized, had fallen out of his pocket when he fell off the couch. He sighed and banged his head against Kuro’s paw a couple times.

A sharp knock at the door caught Mahiru’s attention. “That should be Licht and Hyde now. Kuro let me get the door....” He pushed up with all his might, raising his chest by a few inches.

“Noooo....” Kuro moaned, pressing his face against Mahiru’s back more forcefully.

“Then you go get the door.”

“Nooooo...,” he moaned slightly louder.

“Then get off!” Mahiru glared back at Kuro’s neutral lion face.

“I can’t get up. You’re laying on my arms.”

“You’re a lion! Just move them!” Mahiru yelped as there was a sudden puff of smoke, which blinded him for a minute. When he opened his eyes again he saw Kuro back in his human form, laying on top of him, thankfully much lighter.

“I can’t....” he whined. “You’re too heavy....” Mahiru felt the vein near his eye twitch again.

“You... Kuro, seriously, I need to get the door.”

“Not anymore,” another voice said. Mahiru looked up and saw Licht standing behind the couch, leaning against the back of it with an unamused look on his face, per usual. Kuro let out a huff and switched back to his lion form, making Mahiru grunt as the weight suddenly returned. Licht stepped around the couch to stand in front of Mahiru.

“Hi Licht...?” Mahiru blinked. “Uh... how did you...?”

“The door was unlocked.” Licht tilted his head. “That’s not a wise decision when there are demons around.”

Mahiru laughed slightly. “You’re right. I was sure I had locked it though....”

Licht reached down towards Mahiru, only to freeze when Kuro let out a deep growl. He raised his eyebrows in mild shock. “So the stupid hedgehog wasn’t kidding....” He offered the back of his hand to Kuro. “You remember who I am don’t you Neko-san?”

Kuro let out a low rumble, sniffing at Licht’s hand. Then he licked it, closing his eyes and crooning. He reluctantly slid off of Mahiru, curling up on the other end of the couch. Mahiru looked between Licht and the lion. “How...?!!”

Licht smiled and sat down next to Kuro, scratching his ears. “It’s because, I’m an angel.” He smiled at Mahiru, who found the explanation infinitely irritating.

Kuro felt bad for not listening to Mahiru.

Must. Touch. Mate.

His instincts had been practically screaming at him all day to be in contact with Mahiru, even though he knew that’s not what his eve wanted. His lion instincts fought against her servamp instincts. He felt the angel’s fingers running through his fur and scratching that spot on his head that felt nice. He found himself letting out a soft purr as Licht and Mahiru chatted. Mahiru didn’t talk much, leaving the angel to talk his heart out, which he seemed to need. Licht talked about how his piano recitals were becoming tedious, sometimes having three performances a day and how Hyde was slowly working through his emotional mood swings.

“Speaking of Hyde...,” Mahiru started. “Where is he? I thought you two were coming over together.” Kuro cracked an eye open, also curious as to where his bratty little brother had gotten to.

Licht rolled his eyes slightly. “He fell asleep. So I left him exactly where he was.” He shrugged off his backpack, a rare occurrence in Kuro’s experience. Licht pulled the backpack into his lap and unzipped it. A familiar looking ball of spikes rolled, literally rolled, out of Licht’s backpack and into his lap.

After a moment a small head poked out of the ball of spikes, followed soon by four little stick legs. Hyde yawned and stretched, letting out a soft squeak. Then he froze. “Ah...! Licht...! Is it time to go already?”

Licht raised an eyebrow. “We’re already here demon hedgehog.” Hyde looked around.

“So we are!” He stretched out again, struggling to roll over. “Licht I’m stuck.” He squeaked, kicking his legs in the air.

A worrying smile slid across Licht’s face. “So you are.” Hyde let out a series of chirps and squeaks that Kuro unfortunately recognized. He groaned as he sat up, transforming back to his human form. He gently lifted his brother from his eve’s lap, looking down at him.

“If you’re going to flirt, do it somewhere else.”

Hyde let out a squeaky laugh, stretching out in Kuro’s hand. “But I’m cute...!” He squeaked when Kuro poked his belly. “Big brother...! Don’t! I’m ticklish.” He kicked his little legs.

Protect the little one.

Kuro yawned hugely and shifted back into his lion form, dropping Lawless between his paws. He laid his head to the side so he wouldn’t squish him (again).

“Ah! Big brother! You’re to hairy!” Kuro felt Hyde squirming and kicking his feet. The next thing Kuro knew, he had started grooming him. Hyde hissed and balled up. “See Licht?! This is why I didn’t want to come over!” Kuro felt a low rumble creep out of his throat.

Mahiru laughed softly. “That’s been most of my week.”

Licht, looking rather pleased with himself, stood up. “Mahiru, I need to talk to you about something important.” Before Mahiru could answer Licht had grabbed his hand started pulling Mahiru out of the room.

“Ah! Licht! H-hold on...!” Mahiru protested, catching himself on the wall. “Can’t we talk about it here?”

“No.”

And with that, the humans were gone. Kuro raised his head to look over the back of the couch to see where they went, allowing Lawless just enough breathing room to transform back to his human form and roll out of Kuro’s grasp.

The instant Hyde’s hands and feet hit the floor a weight pinned him in place. He recognized the paw shape of the weight. Hyde groaned loudly. “Awww...! Come on Big Brother.... You can’t baby me anymore....!” Sleepy Ash ignored him as he picked him up by his scarf and dumped him back between his paws. “...Don’t you dare....” Kuro licked his hair. “Gah!” Hyde swatted at Kuro’s muzzle, pushing it away from his head. “Quit it!”

Kuro stared at him blankly, his tongue sticking out slightly. He blinked slowly and turned his head away. “Sorry....”

Hyde blinked. “Wait... do you seriously have no control over it...?!”

Kuro shot him a mild glare. “No.”

Hyde looked infinitely confused. “But... you haven’t lost any jin. It shouldn’t be affecting you... at all really... right?”

Kuro huffed, laying his head on the armrest. “It’s the jin in the air. There’s so much I can’t even turn into my cute cat form with out a lot of effort. And if I try to sleep as a cat I wake up as a lion, which has flattened some very good pillows....”

Hyde made a skeptical face. “But my hedgehog instincts only kicked in again after I lost my jin and my power....”

Kuro raised an lion-y eyebrow. “That’s strange....”

Hyde rolled his eyes. “Obviously. Did you talk to All of Love about it? Do butterflies even have instincts?”

“He mentioned something about being allergic to plums... other than that, no.” Kuro looked thoughtful. “Maybe it’s something else....”
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As soon as Licht slammed the door shut behind them he was nose to nose with Mahiru. “Something’s wrong.”

“O-oh...?” Mahiru blinked, stepping backwards. He held his hands up between them, just barely pushing Licht backwards. Licht ignored that.

Licht pushed Mahiru’s hands down, holding his wrists. He leaned close and whispered to him. “Something’s wrong about this. Hyde said he lost control of his instincts when he lost his jin. But Neko-san hasn’t lost any right?”

Mahiru’s eyes widened. He seemed to be thinking. “You’re right. Kuro said he lost control because of all the jin in the air though. Maybe it’s that and Hyde was just wrong.”

Licht shook his head. “If it was that it wouldn’t coincide with Hyde’s mood swings. When he gets small and quiet he gets scared easily and turns into a hedgehog instantly. And then he starts crying.” Licht grit his teeth. “I talked to his subclass and Gil said that he’d never seen him like that before. And what’s more, Hyde’s getting worse. I....” Licht caught himself, picking his words carefully. “I don’t know if he’ll eventually get stuck... as a hedgehog.”

Mahiru’s eyes widened. “Now that you mention it... Kuro’s been spending more and more time as a lion.” His face shifted to one of determination. “We need to get them checked out. If it’s serious....” He raised his head, looking at Licht with a fire burning in his eyes. That fire is what Licht admired about Mahiru. “I know exactly where we can get some answers.”

Licht nodded. “Then we should go. Soon.”

Mahiru grinned and nodded back at him. “Yeah. ...By the way, why are we still whispering?”

Licht straightened up, stepping back. “Demons have excellent hearing.” He raised his eyebrows. “They might try to listen in.”

Mahiru looked exasperated, which Licht elected to ignore. “Right. Well, let’s go back and make sure they aren’t trying to kill each other.” Licht nodded, leading the way back to Mahiru’s living room.

When they got there, it was quite a sight. Hyde had managed to wedge himself under the shorter couch, most likely trying to get away from his brother. Neko-san however was merely peering underneath the couch, still in his lion form, trying to swat Hyde free. Which caused Hyde to hiss and spit at him. Mahiru planted his face in both his hands. “What are you guys doing?!” He quickly marched over and instructed Kuro to help him lift the couch.

When they raised it enough for Hyde to move again, the hedgehog shot out from under the couch straight towards Licht. The small ball of fur and spines clung to Licht’s leg, about half way up his shin. Hyde purred and cried, turning his big, bright, adorable hedgehog eyes at Licht. Licht managed to resist Hyde’s tearful face... for about two seconds. He scooped the hedgehog up, gently holding him against his collarbone. Hyde squeaked and sniffled, nuzzling his face against the warmth of Licht’s neck.

Mahiru raised his face to look at Licht, an understanding passed between them. They needed answers soon. Mahiru let out a soft sigh. “Alright. I’ll make dinner. But everyone has to have thumbs before I’m letting anybody eat.”

Neko-san, unfortunately, shifted back into his human form, his arms draped over the back of the couch. “Want ramen.”

“We’re not eating instant ramen when we have guests.” Mahiru responded, not missing a beat. Kuro grumbled and sank down against the couch.

Hyde rubbed his face against Licht’s neck, making it clear he didn’t want to be put down. Licht let him stay for the moment. Licht moved to sit on the couch across from Kuro, cradling Hyde carefully.
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When Hyde finally changed back into his human form, Licht made sure to never forget it. His hair was sticking out to one side, looking styled. His glasses were askew and his shirt was uneven. Hyde glared at him. “Not a word....” Licht didn’t even need to open his mouth. He just raised one eyebrow, sending Hyde into a sputtering spiral. Licht could watch that for days, but Mahiru called them for dinner again. Hyde took the opportunity to rush to the bathroom to fix his hair, claiming he was going to wash his hands.

As Kuro went to drag Hyde out of the bathroom, Licht and Mahiru shared a look. “I know where we should go first. It’s where I went to get Kuro out of that ball.”

Licht nodded, remembering that strange experience. “When should we go?”

Mahiru touched a finger against his bottom lip. “What’s your schedule look like?” He smiled.

Chapter Text

Tetsu looked down at the tiny bat hanging off his finger. Hugh was sleeping a lot more than usual during the day. He’d asked about it, but Hugh said it had basically brushed him off, which made Tetsu even more worried. He considered asking Mahiru or Misono about it, but decided that they had better things to worry about. Besides, if it was something to worry about, Hugh would have told him... right?

Tetsu shook his head slightly, gently standing up so he wouldn’t swing Hugh too much. He carried him over to the grandiose bat bed he’d made for him. It was the bat equivalent to a four poster bed, complete with fancy curtains and the like. Tetsu was rather proud of it.

He held Hugh up to the hanging bar in the middle of the box. “Here Hugh.”

Hugh cracked open an eye and made a chittering sound. He rubbed at his face, then gave a large yawn. Then he rubbed at his face again. Tetsu assumed that he was grooming or something. Hugh glanced up at him, then closed his eyes again. He hadn’t moved from Tetsu’s finger.

“Hugh. You gotta get off.” Hugh merely cracked an eye open again, then closed it and chittered contently. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Of course I am! The brilliant Pride is never anything but okay!”

Tetsu’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to nudge Hugh onto the bar. Hugh flapped his wings and gave a small screech in protest. “What are you doing? I’m trying to sleep!” Hugh clung to Tetsu’s finger with his wings now, as well as his feet.

“Why are you trying to sleep on my finger?” Tetsu asked.

Hugh huffed, his ears flapping and wiggling. “I don’t want to sleep by myself! I’ll get cold and lonely!”

Tetsu thought for a minute. “Then, maybe this would work....” Tetsu lifted Hugh up, then set him in his hair.

Hugh chittered happily, splaying out over Tetsu’s head. He let his wings drape down over the sides of his head. “This pleases the great and magnificent Pride!”

“Glad it does. I’m gonna get some work done, so hang on okay?”

“I shall do that!”

Tetsu stood up, barely feeling Hugh nestled in his hair. He figured that it was a good thing, but made a mental note not to forget that he was there.
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Not long after Tetsu had finished his chores and was settling down to do his homework, he felt something shift on his head. “Oh. Hugh. I forgot you were up there.”

He reached up and patted Hugh’s fuzzy bat form. He felt something slimly rub against his finger. He withdrew his hand, squinting at his hand. “Hugh, did you just lick me?” He tilted his head backwards, trying to look at Hugh, forgetting how physics worked for a moment. Hugh squawked and clung to Tetsu’s hair desperately.

“What are you doing Tetsu? I’ll fall! I’ll fall!” Tetsu carefully picked Hugh up, detangling him from his hair. Hugh let out a sigh, slumping in his hand. “That was a rude awakening.”

Tetsu hummed softly, rubbed his thumb over Hugh’s head gingerly. He smiled when Hugh nuzzled his finger. “Sorry Hugh.”

Hugh cooed and licked his finger affectionately. “I suppose I can forgive you.”

Tetsu smiled slightly and nodded. “Thanks.” He watched as Hugh clung to his hand again, closing his eyes. “Hey Hugh... have you noticed that you’re sleeping more than usual?”

Hugh mumbled something and nuzzled Tetsu’s thumb. Tetsu was about to ask again, demand an answer when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Hugh’s ears perked up, but he didn’t show any other interest. Tetsu pulled his phone out, seeing a text from Mahiru.

M: “Hey Tetsu. Something’s been going on with Hyde and Kuro. Is Hugh acting strangely?”

Tetsu considered the tiny bat nuzzling his hand and replied.

T: “Yeah. He’s cuddly. More than usual.”

M: “Licht and I are going to take Hyde and Kuro to the scientist I met at Mikuni’s shop, to get them looked at. You should bring Hugh too! Just to get a check up.”

T: “Ok. What time should we meet and where?”

Mahiru texted him the time and address of Mikuni’s shop. Tetsu saved it in his phone and leaned against the wall, watching Hyde groom himself.

He hoped his friend was alright. He was acting more and more like an actual bat and... that worried him. Tetsu really hoped he wasn’t losing his partner to his animal side.