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His heart stops. Iori can hardly believe his eyes for a second.
“—Well,” Nii-san continues. He ignores Nikaido’s dirty look at him for perching on the kitchen counter. “If things do go to hell by any chance, we can always whip out our kagune and finish things in a jiffy. It’s not as if our side is lacking firepower any more than they are.”
An easy smile slides to his face, belying the hint of protectiveness that enters his eyes. Nii-san has always been more protective of their mismatched gang than anyone else, even if his words conceal it.
“Are you kidding? A fight between the family restaurant and Yaogiri in the café?” Nikaido snorts on a laugh. “It’s going to be a full-blown bloodbath, isn’t it? Count me in.” His eyes gleam with a similar light.
The two of them are rising up to a challenge that shouldn’t even be happening, and it’s taking all of Iori’s dispersed focus to keep up with the conversation.
Yotsuba is revving up for a battle-
“Does that mean I can finally show my powers?!”
-Osaka is trying to keep everyone rooted in reality-
“Let’s hope things don’t escalate to that extent.” Osaka lowers his gaze worriedly. “We don’t want any casualties to come out of a peace treaty.”
-And the numbers on his wrist are still ticking down, every second pointing to a chance meeting during their newly scheduled peace treaty.
“Nii-san,” Iori breathes. The abrupt tone of his voice draws the attention of everyone to him. Iori usually hate to disrupt their plans like this, but- “There may be a small problem.”
-
Riku gasps. It’s a soft sound that would usually not capture anyone’s attention, except of course, his Tenn-Nii remains as attentive to him as he always was when they were younger.
“Riku,” Furrowed brows and pink ombres turn to him, cutting off the conversation sharply. “Is there something wrong?”
He flushes. It still feels flustering, to receive Tenn-Nii’s attentions after he had that kagune implanted in him, turned into a half-ghoul, and left Riku only to return a year later with a gang of ghouls attached to him at the hip.
Don’t get him wrong. Riku would still die for his older brother. He’d entered CCG to get the data on Tenn-Nii, and still often slips into his commanders’ database as often as he eats Tsunashi’s red velvet cakes.
But this is the one secret that Riku can’t let Tenn find out.
“It’s nothing.” Riku smiles weakly, subtly positioning his right wrist behind him. “Just feeling a bit breathless at the moment.”
Tenn falters. He gives him a stern look.
“Where’s your inhaler? I’ll brief you on the important points later, so you can step out if you need to.”
He’s not about to step out on an important meeting like that.
“It’s nothing serious. Really.” Riku adds reassuringly at Tenn’s stare that lasts a split second too long. Riku turns his attention back to Gaku. “Gaku-san, you were saying something about partnering with the Izumi’s to turn on President-san?”
“Huh? Yeah.” Gaku gets the hint. “That shitty old man… He intends to use our store as a means to make an example of the Izumi’s for all the other growing peace factions. And don’t get me started on how he intends to reimburse us for the damages. There’s a reason why I've always disliked my old man’s tactics.” Gaku folds his arms, a smirk spreading on his lips. “Which is why, instead of volunteering our café for that bastard, we’re going to be partnering with the Izumi’s to show him why small factions aren’t to be messed with.”
“Hyuu, hyuu~ Gaku, you’re too cool!” Momo whistles and wolf calls out into cupped hands.
“I know, aren’t I?” Gaku puffs up.
“Isn’t it kind of lame to say that about yourself?” Ryuu sweatdrops.
“Eh?”
“Ignoring the embarrassing person over there-”
“Who’re you calling embarrassing?!”
“—how are you intending on matching Yaogiri in numbers?” Tenn questions, a tad exasperatedly. “We only have five people here on our hands here, discounting Riku. I highly doubt the Izumi’s will agree to put themselves in meaningless risk.”
Riku tries not to bristle at the way he’s excluded so simply. He can help too! He knows he can! He even has a plan to do it discretely!
But Tenn shuts him up with a sharp, knowing look.
“I have my methods, if you can call it that.” Yuki smiles smoothly. He shares a smile with Momo. “It’s a little known secret, but the Izumi’s chef, Nikaido Yamato-kun, has a bit of past with me. We can also count on the Hoshikage backing us up should all things fail.”
Confused but resigned looks shared amongst the other members of the café go unnoticed. They’ve all grown used to Yuki’s cryptic past.
“It’s just… hmm… If I were to head to the Izumi’s by myself, I’m afraid that they wouldn’t trust me. Yamato-kun should be easily convinced, but strength is of no importance when it comes to a matter of trust.” Yuki hums, holding his chin, troubled eyes sliding to Riku in a sly suggestion. “What should I do………”
“I’ll come along!” Riku volunteers at once.
“Riku—” Tsunashi’s concerned call is met with more earnest words.
“Having a human come with you will make us seem sincere about partnering with them! In that case, it makes more sense for me to go!” Riku is so proud of himself for his logic.
“No.” Tenn interjects frostily.
The room’s temperature goes down by a couple degrees.
Riku whirls on him.
“Tenn-Nii—”
“No.” Tenn repeats. He glares at Yuki. “We’re not putting Riku into unnecessary danger.”
Riku’s familiar with this. It’s a downward spiral which has been happening constantly ever since their first reunion at this café – Tenn-Nii would deny him of all attempts to help. Riku would have to sneak more into CCG’s database. He’ll volunteer information, which makes Tenn-Nii all the more enraged that he’d placed himself into ‘unnecessary danger’ for their sake. Tenn-Nii would walk out on him, hissing out the words ‘I don’t need your help’. And everything would end up in a familiar cycle where Riku holds back his tears till he breaks down in the midst of coffee-making, salty tears slipping into a concerned customer’s drink, and Tenn would apologize with arms that twitch towards him but falls back down by his side, always so afraid to touch Riku these days.
Riku really wants to avoid going back to that cycle again, if he can help it.
“Hey, Tenn. Don’t you think we can trust Riku to protect himself?” Gaku interjects. “Despite everything, he’s a CCG investigator too.”
“Maybe we could hide his quinque somewhere in his clothes,” Ryuu adds worriedly. “Then, he wouldn’t be put at risk—”
“No.” Tenn says, sounding only like a dictator. “Riku will not participate in this plan.”
Riku shakes. He grips his wrist with a tightening hold. But as his thumb rubs against the skin of his timer, it occurs to him.
“But Tenn,” Momo tries persuading him. “Don’t you think we’re in kind of a tough situation here with our backs pressed to the wall?”
“Do you not understand me the first time I said it?” Tenn sighs. It’s a prologue to the usual course with eyes darkening into kakugan. “I said no—”
“My soulmate’s an Izumi!” Riku blurts.
The ongoing tension drops from the air. Gaku, who had been inching towards Riku with ukaku getting ready to fend off stray attacks, halts. The bleeding shadows slip away from Tenn-Nii’s eyes, replaced by stunned pink ombres that widen by a fraction. Time stops for a moment as everyone stares at him, dumbfounded.
“…What?” Tenn-Nii utters faintly.
Riku inhales. His throat’s clogged up by the air. He smiles, strained, and lifts his wrist to show them the ticking timer.
“My soulmate—” He repeats nervously. “—He’s one of Izumi’s faction.”
-
Riku’s bummed. Tenn-Nii is not helping.
“There’s no need to be so upset over his fit. You know how Tenn is.” Gaku pats him awkwardly on the back.
Riku slumps a bit further in his cloak. Yuki shoots a smile at Gaku from under his half-mask.
“Really, it never fails to amuse me, how tactful you are, Gaku-kun.”
“Riku, don’t mind, don’t mind~” Momo chuckles over the earphone. “Tenn will come to his senses soon. It’s just that it’s taking Big Brother here a liiittle time to come to terms with the fact that his cute little chickling is all ready to leave his nest, ne?”
Riku manages a faint smile at the cute metaphor.
“Thanks, Momo-san…”
“There, there~ Now, let’s all focus on conquering the demon castle before us, alright?”
The ‘demon castle’ in question looks nothing like its name. Whilst the walk over to Izumi’s had been terse and depressing, Riku feels his shoulders drop as that two-storeyed shop comes into view. Its white second storey is overfilled with an abundance of flowers, warm lights illuminating the building like a star in the night sky. Despite the unearthly time they’re taking to meet up, the front sign still appears welcoming, elegant letters carving out ‘IZUMI’S’ in white against black to compliment the red brick walls of the restaurant.
“Somehow… this… isn’t it too homey?” Riku utters aloud, surprised.
He’d participated in break-ins of other ghoul cafes before, mostly reluctantly because there are ghoul cafes which act as a place to fish for humans, but none of them had been like Izumi’s.
There’re several figures at the front of the café.
Riku stiffens. Gaku brushes up against his shoulder at the side.
“Remember the formation.”
“Right.” Riku nods.
Four figures stand out at the front, donning masks the same way their side did.
“Welcome, Ouroboros.” The one out at the front – S Rank, Carnelian, named for his brightly jewelled dark mask – gives a nod. His voice is high, almost energetic. “You’ve kept us waiting for quite a while! Do you know how long we’ve been freezing our butts off?” His laughter is amicable, as if it’s not their first time meeting. It’s that easy warmth in his voice which both endeared and enraged some of CCG’s more ghoul-hating investigators.
Gaku plays along with a dip of his head.
“Sorry, sorry… One-Eyed was keeping us with his hissy fit, you know? It happens from time to time.”
Riku winces.
“Is that so?” Carnelian sounds as if he’s smiling. Riku thinks they might get along well if they aren’t on the opposite sides. Or – they will soon, he hopes. “Well, we can talk about everything else when we’re inside. Come on in, Ouroboros and gang! It’s chilly out here—” Carnelian shudders, rubbing himself for warmth. “—Makes me pity whoever’s going to stay out here to stand guard.”
His mask makes it hard to see where he’s gazing at, but Riku gets the feeling that it’s him.
He smiles under Gaku’s sideway glance. Riku readily skips over to Izumi's A rank Rabbit, who turns only a fraction towards him.
“If you’ve truly got any pity in your heart, then please make it quick for me!” Riku calls out to Izumi’s leader, clapping his hands together in prayer. “Or our Ouroboros will have your head for making me a human popsicle!”
Rabbit tenses. However, Carnelian chuckles, leaning in towards Gaku.
“That’s a pretty fun guy you’ve got there. Where can I get one?”
“Unfortunately, Erin’s are all out of stock. You’re going to have to wait till the next life.”
Riku watches them step in with astute eyes. There doesn’t seem to be a hint of threat so far, which is all good. He rubs his wrist nervously as he takes in the dark masks. He wonders which one of them is his soulmate.
-
“Why are you with them?” Iori questions.
“E-Eh?” The little redhead jumps. It’s a quirky motion, one which makes his badly adorned wig tumble just a bit more to show fiery locks underneath his large hood. Iori feels the side of his lips turn up at how adorably clumsy this person is under his mask.
“It’s odd, for a human to be siding with ghouls – whether they are of the special diet or not.” Iori eyes the other. “Is there anything they’re making you do besides coming to an unreasonable meeting like this?”
The other pursues his lips. He petulantly huffs.
“This meeting isn’t unreasonable. And no one is forcing me to do anything anyways.”
“Is that so?”
“That is so!” ‘Erin’, his name is, if he remembers correctly, looks down right affronted that Iori would even suggest otherwise. “Why are you even talking to me? I thought you’re totally determined to do the whole good bodyguard thing; You hadn’t moved an inch from your position since this started. Is it for the information? You’re definitely after some information, aren’t you?!” The human accuses, lips pinched into a pout-like sulk.
“And also, Momo-san, would you stop laughing?!” Erin throws in, pressing a hand to his mic.
What a cute person.
“I merely figured that we should make some conversation if we are teaming up. You’ve been shifting on your feet for the last fifteen minutes or so.” Iori points out calmly.
“Gh-……!” Erin winces at being caught.
Iori smiles under his mask.
“You’re not exactly being discrete about it.”
“H-How are you so confident that we’ll be teaming up anyways?” Erin turns away. Mistake number one, because half his side is open to attacks that way. Iori’s not sure to be happy or not the other lets his guard down like that around him. “Sure, we came to ask for an alliance. But you’re not one of the ones making the decisions, are you?” It’s a question carrying not the slightest bit of doubt.
Really. He’s such a failure of a bodyguard through and through, it’s almost unbelievable.
Iori sighs, smiling as he slowly sits down. Erin looks at him incredulously. He’s absolutely confident there’s no need to keep his guard up around a human like this.
“Izumi’s will side with Yaotome’s. There’s no doubt about that.”
“…What’s up…with that unwavering confidence?” Erin sounds suspicious. He should be.
“My Nii-san… He’s unexpectedly rather fond of straight-forward people like Ouroboros, you know?” Erin looks completely doubtful. It makes Iori chuckle. “Not to mention, we at Izumi’s have a little mindset that we like to keep to.”
That is, to nip all threats in the bud before they could escalate. It certainly helps that Yaotome is reaching out of their own accord before they deal with Yaogiri; They weren’t exactly planning on allying with such a dubious organization to begin with. A little lesser known fact? Osaka’s extremely talented at talking terms down to their advantage, and Nikaido is skilled at manipulating secrets. Not that Erin needs to know that, of course.
“You’re strange. Totally strange.” Erin squints at him. “I’m not so sure if I like that.”
“…Erin-san.” He sighs. “Ghouls are strange by humans’ standards. It’s just a matter of perspectives.”
“Smartass Rabbit.” Erin grumbles, eyeing his mask.
“Objective Bunny.” He prefers.
“You’re such a mouthy ghoul.” Erin complains. “So not cute.” Oh. He’s pouting. Iori’s only more tempted to tease him.
“The same could be said of you.” He mutters without thinking.
Erin turns to him, lips still downturned in a ‘^’ shape. It’s terrifyingly adorable, even with the upper half of his face obscured. Iori absently reminds himself that he’s playing with fire – which the other may very well be the epitome of, with crimson locks peeking out from under his grey hood. He finds that he doesn’t care, not when his attention latches on to the new detail of overly large clothes engulfing the other’s frame.
“What’s up with your dress code anyways? Did you wake up and pick up the first article you come across? That doesn’t seem your size at all.” Iori nitpicks.
“This is…! This is just Ryu – Ookami’s-!” Realization flickers across his face. Erin cards his fingers through his wig irritably. “Aaaahhh! You’re so infuriating!”
Iori is completely entertained. Suddenly, standing guard doesn’t seem to be the least appealing position.
“You know, if you’re not a member of Izumi, I would so dig my fingers in your sides right now.” Erin tells him in a hushed whisper, leaning in threateningly.
“Should I be offended that you think I’m so weak I’d fall to a human’s attacks?” Iori question lowly in turn. “I’ll have you know. Your words have absolutely no effect on me.”
Erin growls, leaning in closer. For a split second, Iori thought he would totally jump him.
“Infuriating.” Erin bops his nose. Iori blinks, stumped. “You’re so infuriating.” Erin reaches up and tugs at one of his mask’s floppy ears, like an elementary school child. Their wrists brush against each other for a split second. It's short but it reminds Iori of a less happy fact.
Iori pulls away. He pursues his lips.
(This is no good.)
“I could say the same of you.” He ends the conversation curtly.
Erin peers at him, confused. Iori ignores him. The Yaotome shrugs and turns his attention back to dismantling a shrub.
-
“-Oh… Why is that so, Iori?” Rokuya sounds dejected even through the doors. “Even after you’ve planned out so much to discuss at our meeting at the Yaotome’s.”
“I’m just not feeling well, Rokuya-san.”
Iori clutches onto his wrist. The timer continues ticking down. Two days and a couple more hours till they meet Yaogiri. His soulmate will be there.
“Please pass my apologies to them.” He requests.
“I understand.” Rokuya speaks in his broken Japanese. “Please rest well.”
Iori blinks away the fuzzy daze in his eyes as a ray of sunshine breaks in through his curtains. Things don’t get better, even after he’d narrowly avoided a meeting with that human – Erin. The simmering relief doesn’t ebb away the rising guilt suffocating him at all. Bitterly, Iori laments once again the fact that he’s a ghoul – that his soulmate is, as all things natural, doomed to be some human-eating ghoul over at Yaogiri’s. He doesn’t hate being a ghoul. However, there are disadvantages which just brings him down every now and then.
Iori cracks his eyes to a gentle rap on his door, soft but firm.
“Iori, are you feeling better?” Nii-san’s voice slips through the door. Iori hears him sigh, exasperated, knowing. “Erin made some coffee for you. It’s quite good.”
He hesitates before he slides his feet into bedroom sandals, opening the door just a crack to see his brother’s smile. The white mug is warm in his grasp, steam drifting off with an ugly coffee art at the top. Iori can’t tell what shape it’s supposed to have.
“He’s terrible at this.” Iori’s lips quirk up a little. He wonders why the other thought of him after the way he ended their conversation. (He wishes his soulmate is someone like him.)
“Isn’t he?” Mitsuki snorts out a laugh. “But it surprisingly tastes quite good!”
The first sip warms him inside out, sweetly bitter. He sighs and lowers the mug from his lips.
“It’s good.”
-
The coffee-trips continue. Iori can’t tell if the other realizes he’s trying to avoid him, or if Erin is genuinely concerned. Every coffee sent down his way makes the warmth intensify.
With that said, the meetings go well with Nii-san and Nikaido acting as Izumi’s representatives. Ouroboros and Curse – Yaotome Gaku and Yuki, their names are, he learns, even if the later is highly likely a codename – drop by once or twice to puzzle out the details with Izumi’s leaders. Everything is going smoothly. …Or at least, until hours before they are due to meet at Yaotome’s.
The day is slow. Iori has closed up shop and turned the sign over. Osaka is talking to Yotsuba in soft tones.
Then out of nowhere, a highly flustered ghoul bursts into Izumi’s, brown eyes desperate as the words tumble out of his mouth in a mess.
“Riku-kun has been taken…!”
Iori’s heart stops once again in its stutter over the unfamiliar name. Riku…?
-
With his timer counting down, there are three possibilities for who Riku’s soulmate could be: Yaogiri President himself, some random grunt in Yaogiri, or some man off the streets. None of them seem like the highly prospective soulmate Riku would be willing to bring before his Tenn-Nii’s mighty wrath. With Tenn’s increasing agitation over the last few days, Riku can only imagine what his half-ghoul brother might do to his soulmate. The thought makes him wince.
He has to get out of here (for their sakes).
Just when that thought comes to his mind, the alarms go off. Riku lifts his head in surprise, watching the Yaogiri ghouls run about barking orders down the hallways.
“There’s an intruder in the base!”
“Eh… it can’t be…” Riku shudders. “Tenn-Nii…?”
Their plan was not to rip off anyone’s heads.
He’s got to escape.
Riku looks around his cell and finds the bar-laced windows.
This in itself would normally be an easy way to escape, should he have his quinque, of course. The fact is that he doesn’t, and he has to find secure the help of the ghouls lying in the cells across him. He searches the cells with his eyes, wondering who to call. There’s the girl who had been brought in after him, eyes burning silently when the rugged ghouls had marched her over to her cell and leered at her, demanding that she sit. She’d sat with her back straight, dignified even as they threatened her father. There are a couple other, some suited, some flamboyantly dressed.
Riku realizes again, with building anger, that Izumi’s might not be the first ghoul association Yaogiri is hunting down. He parts his mouth to call out.
“Hey-!”
Riku sees the kagune coming before it does. He lifts his arms, obscuring his face as wind bats at his face and the metal pillars collapse with loud clinking. The girl stands with wing-like ukaku fluttering from her shoulders when the dust settles. Her eyes bleed blacks but her brows are furrowed as she peers at him. They’ve got no more cages between them.
“I heard,” She tells him.
“What are you doing?!” Screams the pink haired man (he’s a man, right?), waving at her. “Hurry it up!”
“You’re the dove who’s been helping us?” She asks.
“Eh… Yeah. Mmn. I am, I think?” Riku replies awkwardly. His eyes flicker to his quinque – the box’s firmly locked up in yet another cage.
The girl follows his gaze and smiles. She reaches her kagune out between the cage to grab the box, gently lowering it into his grasp.
“I am Takahashi! Takahashi Tsumugi!” The girl offers one bright smile. “Thank you for helping my flower shop last year!” She races off after her friends.
Riku remains gaping after her. What just happened before him?
“The captives have escaped!” Yelled someone. A rugged, ghoulish someone. Quite a few number of someones. Riku jumps at the voice and quickly races down the hallway in the opposite direction of those ghouls. It’s no good if he ends up leading them to that group afterall. Besides, if there’s anything Riku’s confident in, it’d be that his friends are coming to save him.
There’s a ghoul in front of him when he turns around the corner. Riku grits his teeth and slams the side of his suitcase into the guy’s head. He’s not using his quinque on a ghoul. (He doesn’t like the look everyone at Yaotome’s take on when he does, even if it’s necessary. Moreover, Yaogiri President may be bad, but no one’s bad to the extent that they need to be killed, heavens forbid.)
“Riku…!” Someone screams. “Riku… Where are you?!”
He recognizes the voice.
“Mitsuki-san…?!” He comes to a screeching halt. “Why are you here?!” He’d expected Yaotome’s, but not Izumi’s-!
“That voice… RIKU?! What floor are you on?!”
It’s coming from below him. It’s definitely coming from below him.
“HE’S THERE!” Yaogiri Grunts scream.
Oh no.
Riku gulps at the gathering men, spinning around.
“We’ve got you.” Sneers the ghouls on the other end. One of them has that distinct bump on his head inflicted by his suitcase.
Riku chuckles nervously as he backs up against the side of the hallway. This… really has to be the worst possible circumstances. A narrow field with guys full of kagune on their end? Give him a break really. He’s not meant to be an on-field agent to begin with! His quinque is also only C-grade! It’s one measely informant against over two dozen ghouls!
“Ahaha…! Is there any chance I can surrender now?” Riku sweatdrops. Mitsuki, please get a hint…!
“Huh?! What did you say?!”
“What do you think?” The ghoul up front lifts a brow at him.
Riku’s all but ready to collapse. Come on! He still has asthma, you know!
“Nanase-san! JUMP!” A completely different voice screeches at him.
“EH?!” JUMP WHERE?! “HYAAH-!” He ducks just in time to avoid an ukaku that comes at him. Too close… That was way to close… And he shrieks again when another rinkaku brushes against him. Is that… Is that needles on those tentacles?! Riku’s contemplating death by his own quinque. It has to be less painful than those—
“Just…JUMP ALREADY!”
Riku shrieks, high and hiccupping, at the kagune which shatters the windows.
“Alright! Alright, I’ll jump-!”
He feels something brushing past his ears.
As the world freefalls around him, Riku sees a purplish red kagune extending out from the window. That had almost been him…! Aaaand… he’s free-falling!
Riku squeezes his eyes shut and prepares to scream his lungs out.
“SOMEBODY, SAVE ME—”
He’s caught, by a strong kagune that wraps around him.
Riku’s whimpering. He hears the fate of his quinque when it continues free-falling behind him. Cracking his eyes open, the world’s completely disorientating, limbs tangled in a complete mess. As that long high-pitched ringing gradually fades from his ears, Riku thinks he sees the white lines on his wrist change into a complete zero. He sees blue below him, complete navy intersecting with ocean-deep hues. And when he looks up, he sees the most ridiculous, beautiful ghoul he has ever seen, donning a rabbit-hooded leather jacket as if that’s supposed to make up for his lack of a mask.
Navy eyes peer at him in what seems to be awe. His lips are parted, speechless.
Riku can’t believe it for a moment.
This is his soulmate. He’s so pretty.
If Riku stretches his hands out, he thinks he might be able to touch him. And it clicks in some part of his mind that this – this guy, he’s that Izumi Iori – stupid, foolish Rabbit, who he could have met a lot earlier if he just showed his face. But Riku understands, because he was sort of afraid too, of liking Rabbit too much after that one meeting. He didn’t like the way his heart had risen and plummeted after each time Mitsuki and Yamato arrived without Rabbit. It’d felt like he was betraying his soulmate somehow.
But this… This is perhaps the best thing to ever have happened to Riku.
“Hi.” He utters breathlessly. If he wakes up and finds himself back in the cell, Riku’s sure he’s going to cry.
“Hello.” Replies his soulmate, eyes equally befuddled as his.
“Are you guys just going to continue staring and greeting each other for eternity?” Mitsuki deadpans at them from the side. “You’ve already met!”
“Ah –“ Riku flushes. “Erm. Nice to meet you. Ah, that’s right. I shouldn't greet anymore. I’m Nanase Riku— OUCH!”
He scratches himself on the window in his haste to slide back to whimper-worthy safe, safe ground.
“You… Are you an idiot?!” Tamaki screeches at him. “You’re totally an idiot, aren’t you!?”
“Riku-kun, be careful!” Sougo’s eyes go wide in alarm.
“Ahaha… Don’t mind. It’s sort of the usual—” Riku laughs sheepishly. Ah… He embarrassed himself in front of his soulmate.
But all Iori does is to strut forward, rip something from his shirt, and bandage Riku’s arm.
“Honestly, how clumsy can one be?” Iori inhales deeply. Riku’s stumped. His soulmate is a ghoul and he’s not shielding away from Riku’s bleeding arm the way Tamaki is. He’s more perfect than Riku thought he’d be. Navy eyes meet Riku’s and Riku’s surprised by the bop on his nose. “I already know who you are, Erin-… Nanase-san. It’s nice to meet you, too.”
His face is pink, and he’s averting his eyes. Riku’s fairly certain his own is flushed too, but… there’s just something about the way Iori does that that’s just so cute.
Riku thinks he might be ready to die today.
“Uh. Eh.” His brain is fried. Riku pulls together a smile. “Just call me Riku?”
“Oi, somebody. Give me something to knock reality back into these two lovebirds so WE CAN GET OUT OF HERE!” Mitsuki emphasizes.
“There’s no need to be in such a hurry anymore.”
“Gaku-san!” Riku quickly tears his gaze away from Iori to blink up at his leader. (He fails to notice Iori’s disappointment.)
“Riku. You fine?” Gaku rolls his shoulders, shifting his neck uncomfortably.
Riku smiles shyly at his soulmate.
“I think I’ll be?”
Iori flushes. He stutters, averting his gaze from Riku.
“W-What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
Riku notices, with growing delight, that Iori doesn’t shove him away.
“What do you mean by ‘no need to hurry’?” Mitsuki questions, confused. “I thought the plan is for us to escape?”
“Ah – that is. Well.” Gaku is an ashen shade, scratching the back of his neck. “Tenn has him covered.”
Riku pales, whipping his face away from Iori so fast, his head spins. (Could it be the lack of blood? It could be.)
“Tenn-Nii is…? Will there be anything left of Yaogiri President after this…?” He asks, full of trepidation.
“Who knows.” Gaku meets his gaze. “He is his father-in-law in any case, so there should be something left by the end of the session.” Ah, hedging. Riku doesn’t like the way his words make Iori pale. (Everyone pales, actually.) Gaku catches his gaze, scowling fiercely. “But anyone who touches one of ours needs to be made an example of so others will be deterred. Even if it’s my Old Man.”
“…I agree.” The grip on his shoulder tightens. Riku blinks at Iori’s steely gaze. The soft way he’s looking at him – it makes Riku flush, feeling the temperature in the room grow higher. “Even if it’s the stupidly optimistic Nanase-san he captured, he must be taught a lesson.”
Riku pauses mid-flush, thinking over the words in his head.
“What do you mean by ‘even’?!” He yelps.
Iori breaks into a chuckle, muffling his laughter with the back of his hand.