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He couldn't sleep. Again.
It was yet another night of him reliving the same nightmare. The devil staring back at him with a malicious smile, turning everything around him to ashes. The disappointed and terrified gazes of his relatives.
He jolted awake, gripping his shirt. His heart pounding against his ribcage. Sweat dripping from his chin onto his shirt. It's been years, but the pain was the same. He didn't know when, but soon enough, it wasn't just his sweat falling from his face. He slowly cupped his face, shuddering in silent terror.
His roommate, Arthur, rubbed his eyes. He blinked in confusion, hearing soft sobs. Was he imagining it? He stood still, listening again. Shinra was crying. The blond boy slowly crept out of bed, and climbed their bunk ladder. He looked at the boy with worried eyes. Not knowing what else to do, he lifted himself into the black haired boy's bed.
Shinra was too distracted to notice the sudden sink of his mattress. He was too focused on trying to stop crying. All of a sudden, he felt a warm embrace wrap around him from his waist. He flinched.
Oh god. He shakily moved his fingers to see who it was, not believing it. It was Arthur, whom he had harbored feelings for quite some time. Tears began to burst through even more. He couldn't believe his crush had to see him like this; in his weakest moment. He quickly grabbed his blanket to hide his ugly crying face, but a swift hand had stopped him.
"A-Arthur. I-" He stopped, as the blond shushed the boy, putting a finger to his lips.
"You don't have to say anything. Just go back to sleep. Tell me everything when you feel comfortable." He softly smiled and wiped away the other's tears.
Shinra just shook his head. With a deep breath, he began letting out his feelings. "I- I had a bad dream. About my past."
Arthur just silently nodded, making the other feel more comfortable.
"When I was younger… there was a fire-" He choked out. Arthur patted his back. Shinra shook his head. "A-An infernal burnt down my house. The infernal burnt my mother. And my brother." He summed it up, not wanting to go into detail. But even the summed up version made him look down and roughly grip his hair in pain. He wanted to pull it all out in frustration. "They called me the Devil. They blamed me solely because of my damned smile. I guess it was really all my fault. I hate it. I hate them. I hate myself. The company's gonna hate me. They'll kick me out after they find out I'm really a monster. A devil." He rambled, gripping his hair even tighter.
The blond's hand instantly gripped the boy's wrist. Shinra lifted his head and was met with angry blue eyes. There were tears in them. He slowly let go of his hair.
"You idiot! How dare you say that!" He yelled. Shinra widened his eyes, and looked towards the room's door frantically. He probably was afraid that the blond would wake the others. But Arthur could care less in this moment. "Listen here. The company would never hate you. It wasn't even your fault. It never was. Besides, everyone here loves you for who you are, especially me." Shinra felt his heart beat faster, he looked away to hide his blush.
Arthur continued. "Your smile is beautiful. Everytime I look at it, I become blind. The flowers practically bloom from the rays reflecting off your teeth. Like how can someone be so gorgeous just smiling? It bewilders me." Shinra couldn't help but smile at that. He even chuckled.
The raven haired boy turned back and stared at the other with a small smile. "Thank you." He whispered, barely audible.
The blond fondly smiled back and pulled the other down to the mattress and closer to his chest. Shinra widened his eyes, but melted into his embrace. He snuggled closer, listening to the soft heartbeats in the blond's chest. Arthur laid his head on Shinra's soft hair and inhaled his scent. It was surprisingly sweet, like candy. He'd expected it to be quite manly like pint wood, but it seems like he discovered yet another side of the boy he never knew.
Both of the boys fell asleep, their soft snores sounding throughout the room.
The following days and nights were unforgettable to Shinra.
To begin with, he finally mustered up the courage to tell the rest of the company about his past after strong encouragement from Arthur. The rest of the company gave him warm smiles and hugs, besides Takehisa who only gives him a pat on the shoulder. Shinra expected nonetheless.
After a few missions, Arthur had asked him out. Shinra hesitantly accepted, still doubting the fact Arthur liked him back. The blond slowly cleared Shinra's belief after sharing a few pecks here and there and tightly holding his hand before missions. Everytime Athur kissed his boyfriend, he'd always stare at Shinra with a smile and say, "Wow. I have such a handsome devil as a boyfriend."
Those words alone made Shinra's confidence rise. He started to adopt the saying and become more bold with his blond boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his waist, nuzzling the others neck, and initiating french kisses before they take on an infernal. It was probably the best feeling he had ever experienced.
Just simply looking at his boyfriend makes his heart feel whole.
And this was when Shinra knew. He was happy.