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I made my way to the entrance of the Mukami household, a whole intimidating scenery full of crimson roses greeting me with eerie silence. The clock has struck past midnight, but that’s the time when vampires such as the Mukami brothers are active the most, isn’t it?
I paced up the staircase and made my way to Azusa’s room where a faint scent of blood tickling my nose, causing me to frown. Is he hurting himself again?
But no. The scent smells too strong for a simple scratch on the arm with a silver knife. So what in the world is he doing?
I slowly pushed the doorknob, but the door couldn’t be opened. It’s as if something big and strong is blocking it.
I decided to knock. “Azusa? Are you in?”
Then I heard something— or is it someone?— fall to the ground hard, followed by a faint reply by Azusa saying my name. “(y/n)?”
“Can I come in?” I asked hesitantly, because it seems to me that what he’s doing inside was private.
“No… not yet… I haven’t cleaned up the mess yet… I don’t want you to see it…”
Out of nowhere, bandaged hands wrapped itself around my waist and pulled me closer towards his warm chest. I tilted my head to the side, only for my gaze to meet with a pair of emerald-purple orbs.
I sighed. So he is hiding something behind that door. And now I’m dying to know what it is. Azusa isn’t the type of person that likes to hide things especially from me.
My gaze then moved to his hands that are currently wrapped around my waist, and my eyes widened instantly the moment I saw a fresh scar on the back of his palm. “What’s this? Did you hurt yourself again?”
I’ve known him since he was little, and I was also the one who saved him from those bullies that would constantly hit him until he broke down. Not to mention that I’ve developed feelings for him since he became so attached to me…
I tried helplessly to calm down my throbbing heart while I took his hand in mine. “We have to treat it quickly!”
“No… it’s fine…” Azusa’s grip on my waist became even tighter and he buried his face in the crook of my neck, his lips brushing against it makes me shiver.
“W-what are you doing…?” I stuttered, not expecting him to get so intimate. He wasn’t usually like this, he was usually so innocent and sweet like an angel— probably because he thought of me just as his older sister.
“Where… have you been? I… missed you…”
My face flushed beet red upon hearing his words. But if I thought about it rationally, he does have a point. I haven’t been here since a few days ago due to my busy schedule of college and work.
I lifted up his head slowly from my shoulder and turned around in his arms, hugging him back for a moment before looking up directly to his face. This is the time I act like how a big sister should and the time when my feelings must be tossed aside for a while.
Azusa’s face was covered in old scars that couldn’t be healed, and it makes my heart ache. He doesn’t deserve all this pain. He deserves to be happy, to be able to have all the things he wanted.
“(y/n)… don’t cry…”
I felt a warm finger caressed my cheek, wiping away a stray tear that even I don’t realize has slipped down from my eyes.
I smiled forcefully. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to cry, I-I was just… it’s painful to see you like this. I want you to find happiness, and— and I want to cure these scars, but I can’t, so—“
My tears started falling again, but I forced myself to speak. “So please don’t ever hurt yourself again. I know those people from your childhood liked seeing you in pain, but I don’t, Azusa. If you hurt yourself, you’ll also hurt me, not on the outside but on the inside. I hate it when you’re in pain.”
I buried my face in his chest, not wanting anyone else to hear or see me crying. Who knows, maybe the rest of the Mukamis were somewhere near us, hiding behind their bedroom doors while eavesdropping.
Suddenly Azusa’s bedroom door opened and I released my arm from him instantly to see who opened the door— or probably to avoid misunderstandings between me and the emerald-purple eyed vampire in front of me.
But before I could see whoever it is who came out of the door, Azusa pulled me back to his chest, engulfing me in a tight hug so that I couldn’t see anything.
“Stay like this… with me… for a while…”
His words made me weak, and I found myself giving in to his request immediately. I closed my eyes comfortably the very moment my cheek was pressed against his chest.
“I love you…”
My heart did a great ka-thump inside my chest upon hearing those three words coming from him, and I could feel his hand gently caressing my hair from behind and his chin resting on top of my head.
I didn’t say anything, mostly because a part of me thinks that actions are louder than words at times like this, but there’s a tiny part of me that refuses to believe he loves me in that way— it’s just impossible.
“As a sister…?” I asked him after a few moments passed of me holding back my curiosity.
I thought something like “no… it’s not that…” would come out of his mouth, but instead of those words, Azusa lifted me up bridal style and entered his room with me on his arms.
He closed the door and gently sat me down on the sofa inside his room as I looked up to his eyes confusedly. Then his face inched closer to mine until our noses are almost touching while his index finger tilted my chin up. Don’t tell me…
“Close your eyes…”
His lips captured mine in a sweet kiss, and I closed my eyes in contentment as my fingers entwined themselves behind his neck. I pulled away just in time before the kiss gets deeper and turns into something else.
“Who taught you to do this?” was the first thing that came out of my mouth due to the embarrassment. I looked down, not daring enough to look at him in the eyes because I knew that my face would be super red right now.
“Kou,” he answered with an innocent tone, and I mentally made a note to myself that I would smack Kou in the head with a baseball bat when I see him next then thank him for teaching Azusa how to convey his feelings.
“Did he also taught you how to flirt with girls? Because if he does, I’m not going to be so nice,” I said jokingly while caressing his cheeks which are just a few inches away from my face gently. He leaned in to my touch before finally sitting down next to me and resting his head on my lap.
“No… he didn’t. I only asked him… how to make you love me back…”
I was left dumbfounded at his words. So that’s why he’s being so straightforward today. He thought that my absence these past few days was because I didn’t care about him anymore.
My hands ruffled his soft hair lovingly and I smiled genuinely while staring blankly at a random corner of the room. “You don’t have to do anything, Azusa. I love you just the way you are. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to come here recently. I’ve been busy with my job, college, and, uhm… other stuff.”
No reply. Honestly I was expecting him to ask what those ‘other stuff’ was. But I guess he doesn’t really care, after all.
I looked down at him, only to be surprised by his soundly-sleeping face. It’s surprising how fast he’s able to fall asleep on a sofa like this.
I took his injured hand in mine, cleaning it with an alcoholic wipe before wrapping it up with bandages— I always carry small medical stuff inside my pocket whenever I go to the Mukami household because from what I experienced, Azusa never allowed me to treat his wounds so I have to do it when he’s asleep and it could be anytime.
I kissed his forehead gently as soon as I finished treating his injury. A sleeping Azusa has always been my favorite type of Azusa, because he looks pure and innocent— like an angel.
And for me, being with him feels like home.