Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tetsurou didn't hate a lot of things, but he definitely hated cats. The little flea-infested mongrels were too stuck-up in attitude, he could practically sense their pride from a block away. He hated cats, but he hated the question "How could a witch hate cats?" even more.

How could a witch hate cats? Easily.

But there was one cat that Tetsurou hated slightly less than the rest-- the speckled little beast loved lounging in front of his house, waiting for the one boy that made Tetsurou's heart twist. The birds had told him that his name was Morisuke, and Tetsurou knew that the boy was at the same university he used to attend before he'd dropped out. There wasn't much he knew of Morisuke, other than the fact that he apparently hated Tetsurou's guts and he loved that stupid cat. He didn't understand why; something about himself seemed to offend Morisuke, and that, in turn, made Tetsurou want to be nasty to him. It was a miracle he hadn't hexxed the boy yet.

"What are you still doing here?" He drawled at the seemingly annoyed cat. Maybe it'd understand him like the birds did. "What, Morisuke left already. You know he only walks this path twice." Once in the morning and once at night. 

Nope, Tetsurou wasn't keeping track. The birds told him when he didn't happen to glance out the window to see the boy pet that stupid cat. 

The cat was still, it eyed him as he threw his garbage away, but it didn't run. 

Which was strange, Tetsurou thought. Cats took off running at the first sign of strangeness. 

He approached the cat, half expecting it to run away as he knelt down next to it. It didn't look infested with fleas, and it didn't look dangerous. Maybe Morisuke had socialized it? Tetsurou held his hand out for the cat to sniff-- he knew dog mannerisms the best, not cats, but he hoped they couldn't be too different from each other. 

The cat sniffed him a few times before deciding to dig its teeth deep into his skin, making him howl in surprise and pain. It was then that the cat hissed and ran off, and Tetsurou couldn't help but yell out after it; "You bitch! Hope you get hit by a car!"

"Whoa. That's a nasty bite. What the hell did you do?"

"I tried petting a fucking cat. This is what I get for trying to be nice."

"Yikes. It's bleeding a lot, holy shit." Koutarou winced and hurried to grab two bowls. "I thought you didn't fuck with cats. Did you have a witchy change of heart?"

"Something like that." Tetsurou sighed. He leaned against Koutarou's kitchen counter, which was surprisingly clean this time. "Is it infected, Bo? Am I gonna need a rabies shot?"

The other with barked a laugh; "You know rabies is super fucking rare here, Kuro! Don't be a dramatic baby!" He snipped a few leaves off several plants, whispering soft apologies as he did so, and threw them all into an empty bowl. For a flashy guy, Koutarou was almost like a completely different person when he worked. 

Tetsurou found himself enthralled in the ancient words that Koutarou then spoke with such finesse; the words themselves pre-dated Old Japanese, and he had no idea what they meant, and it was hard to believe that Koutarou was just as clueless as to what he was saying. The hot water he poured into the bowl glowed an iridescent pale gold the moment it touched the herbs. 

"Wow," Tetsurou said the moment Koutarou's incantation was finished. "I'll never get used to that." 

"Well, I was raised a witch my whole life. I can do awesome things." He took Tetsurou's injured hand gently to soak it in the bowl. The wound glowed a gentle pale gold and the pain all but disappeared. "Lucky for you, it doesn't seem like it's infected. What the hell happened, Kuro? You sure it was just a cat?"

"Yes, Bo. And next time I see the bastard I'm going to curse it."

"Your curses are scary wicked. You sure you wanna do that to that poor cat?" Koutarou shook his head; "If anyone tried cursing 'Kaashi, I'd kill them."

He clicked his tongue. "'Kaashi can take care of himself--"

"It's Akaashi to you."

The familiar in question was leaning against the doorframe, the hackles on his neck puffed out dangerously. His blue eyes narrowed at Tetsurou; "Akaashi. Next time you call me 'Kaashi, I'm pecking your eyes out, you miserable excuse for a witch.

"'Kaashi, be nice!" Koutarou scolded with a dangerous glare of his own. "Kuro's a good man. I don't need you scaring my friends away."

"Will you still call him a friend if you find he's a practitioner of the dark arts? Or a vessel for the Evil Ones?" Akaashi's plumage fluffed up even more. "He gives me a bad feeling, Kou."

Tetsurou shook his head. "Bo, your chicken hates everyone-- what's his deal?"

"It's you specifically." Akaashi was in front of him in an instant with a dangerous aura to him. As a humanoid, Akaashi could be quite terrifying; he had feathers around his neck, his temples, his back, and the tops of his arms, but it was the set of wings that truly terrified a person. They gave him added height, and they were impressive even when they were drawn up idle to his body-- Tetsurou was sure the familiar wouldn't be able to fit in houses with regular-sized ceilings. "I should just slit your throat and find out why you give me a bad feeling. Do you even bleed?"

He gestured toward his hand in the healing potion; "Obviously, you nitwit. You must really be a chicken, owls are supposed to be smarter, no?" 

Akaashi took another step forward before an arm appeared between them; "Enough, both of you!" His eyes glowed gold and Tetsurou's heart stopped. "Akaashi Keiji, you are dismissed." No sooner had the sentence finished that the familiar disappeared. 

When he felt like he could breathe again, he sighed in relief. "Thanks for that. Your chicken's really out of hand."

"He's an owl, Kuroo. You can't antagonize him either."

Tetsurou's face flushed at the reprimand. "He always starts it. Ever since we were kids, he's been making me feel unwelcome here…"

Koutarou's eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's with him. I swear he's nicer than that."

"Yeah, that's what you always say." He looked at his nearly-healed hand and flexed it to gauge the pain. "You did good work as always. Who needs a doctor when you're around?"

"You should still go to the doctor for bigger stuff. I can't, like, cure cancer or anything."

"Not yet. It's probably in your future."

Koutarou cracked a smile. "What, you're into divination now?"

"Maybe it's my calling, who knows? I could be the best divination witch around and then you'll be sorry for all the times you've laughed at me."

"I don't laugh at you, bro. I laugh with you." He softly ruffled Tetsurou's hair. "Let's get you home soon, divination witch. We could chat where there's not a familiar ready to rip your throat out."

The next time Tetsurou saw Morisuke's cat was unexpected. He'd noticed the cat had gone missing since the night he'd been bitten, and he had to admit that his heart ached when he caught a glance of Morisuke's worried expression when he didn't see the beast. 

Maybe Tetsurou had to apologize for scaring it away.

His eyes scanned his carefully penned notes for any step he might have missed. Witching had been difficult for him; all witches had a particular area they were naturally drawn to, and it was sometimes passed down from generation to generation. For Koutarou, healing and plant magic were his specialties.

Tetsurou, however, had no clue. He didn't know his parents, and he hadn't even known he was a witch until he was fostered in Koutarou's home in middle school and Akaashi had picked up on his scent. 

Maybe he was wrong. None of my witchings ever go right.

Except for his hexxes. Tetsurou really didn't want to think about the implications of it-- he hoped he wasn't supposed to be versed in the dark arts. 

"What the fuck am I missing?" He sighed in irritation and looked over his notes once again. 

All of a sudden, the contents in the bowl in front of him exploded in a cloud of smoke and Tetsurou jumped back. He hadn't added anything to the mix, but when he looked in the bowl, the once-broken vase was whole once again. What in the world had he been missing? He’d been mulling over it for almost ten minutes, and all of a sudden his concoction worked?

A soft snort somewhere above him caught his attention. He was surprised to be met with a cat’s annoyed face when he looked up-- “Morisuke’s cat!” Tetsurou reached for the animal, but he hesitated when he remembered what had happened the last time he tried touching it.

Ugh. Stupid cat. He turned away from his shelves and instead turned back to his book. Maybe he was mistaken, maybe he wasn’t missing anything?

“Your measurements were off.”

“My measurements couldn’t be off, I’m a man of science…” He scrutinized the numbers again despite himself before a realization jolted through him; someone else was in his home. Tetsurou felt a dread pool in his stomach as he turned to see there was another boy sitting on his counter-- a cat boy? His brows furrowed in confusion. “Who… the fuck are you?”

The boy gave a noncommittal shrug. “Morisuke’s cat, is what I believe you called me.” He eyed Tetsurou carefully, and there was no mistaking that it really was the cat that had bitten him.

“Why… are you in here? Why are you suddenly human?”

“Are you a nitwit? I’m a familiar. I’m your familiar now, unfortunately.”

He gave the cat a bewildered look. “My familiar? Do I have to name you or something?”

“No. I have a name.”

Tetsurou waited a moment to hear it. The cat remained quiet, though, until he asked, “So what the fuck is your name?”

“Kenma.” He sighed as if speaking his name was a chore. “You needed help with your magic, and your distress summoned me. I wasn’t aware you were a witch. I wouldn’t have bitten you if I knew.”

“Why, because you’re not allowed to harm us?”

Kenma rolled his eyes. “No, you nitwit. Because familiars need a witch’s blood to be bound to them. When I tried cursing you--”

“You were trying to curse me?!”

“--your blood bound me to you. I didn’t realize it. You don’t smell like a witch, so you must be good for nothing.”

Tetsurou winced; “I’ve heard that one before. But I’ve been told I smell strongly like a witch.”

“Not to me.” Kenma shrugged. “So are you gonna feed me or what? I’m your responsibility now.”

"Seriously?" He arched a brow. "Doesn't Morisuke feed you?"

"He does, sometimes. But I'm your familiar, you give me food and shelter and I give you magical guidance. That's how this works, you ungrateful witch." Despite his harsh words, Kenma's voice was monotone. "Or, you could do away with our bond. It's up to you how long you keep me."

Just like an actual pet. Christ. Tetsurou pinched the bridge of his nose. On one hand, it would be easy to do away with Kenma and forget he ever existed in the first place. But a familiar is hard to come by. That's why Akaashi is passed down from generation to generation of Bokuto witches. 

"What do you like eating, Kenma?"

The familiar hummed in thought. "Sardines, but not too salty. Steamed rice is also really good. Mice, when I have to." His eyes suddenly widened and sparkled; "Morisuke brings me grilled chicken, it's very tasty. I think it might be my favorite."

"Okay, well. I have some rice I can make, and I have frozen chicken I can make tomorrow." Tetsurou closed his witching journal and stored it back on the bookshelf. "Say, can you help me figure out what sort of magic I'm inclined to? I've been trying to figure it out for years now."

Kenma leaned towards him with that deep stare that he was quickly getting used to. "If you're willing to give me some more of your blood, I can maybe figure it out."

That definitely wasn't what Tetsurou was hoping to hear. "How much blood?"

"Let me take a bite out of your hand."

"Ugh, Bo's gonna kill me if you do." He held his hand out towards Kenma again; "At least bite me as a cat, your mouth is way bigger now."

Kenma all but rolled his eyes, but he conceded with the request. He gave Tetsurou just enough time to take a deep breath and brace himself for the pain.

"So let me get this straight--" Koutarou pinched the bridge of his nose, almost as if he was staving off a migraine. "The cat that bit you was actually a familiar trying to curse you, but then got bonded to you, and then not even half an hour after finding out, he bit you again to find out that you're… a dark arts witch?"

"And a divination witch, but not as strong as the dark arts." Tetsurou forced a smile. "Toldja I'd make a great divination witch."

"Kuro-- you have an affinity to the dark arts. Not any elemental magic, not light magic, not healing magic-- dark magic. "

"I know, I know. You don't have to repeat it. It gives me the creeps!" He shook his head and cursed the anxiety that had made residence in his stomach since finding out his true witching nature. 

Koutarou, on the other hand, seemed bewildered. "I can't believe it! You, a dark arts witch."

"And a divination witch."

"And a divination witch," he added as an afterthought. "But, primarily dark magic. Holy shit."

Akaashi appeared between both witches in an instant, his feathers flared out menacingly. "I knew it. I knew it. I knew you were up to no good!"

Tetsurou scowled; "I didn't choose what my ancestors practiced! I didn't even know I was a witch until a few years ago, you stupid bird!"

"Let me have a taste of your blood and I'll end your magic once and for all--"

"'Kaashi!" Koutarou grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, immobilizing him. "Stop! Dark magic is pretty fucking cool!"

"Dark magic is evil!" Akaashi winced and struggled against the witch's hold. "Koutarou, let me go!"

"Not until you stop threatening to hurt my friend." He glared at his familiar; "Wait until Mom hears how awful you've been to Kuro. She'd hex you."

The familiar scowled, and without a word, he disappeared from the room. Koutarou sighed and visibly deflated. "Sorry about him, I liked it better when he avoided you."

Tetsurou nodded; "So did I." He rubbed the back of his neck, murmuring, "There was another thing Kenma said about me…"

"Hm?"

"He says I'm cursed."

Koutarou's face blanched. "Wh--... What?"

"I'm cursed, he says. Doesn't know how, but I am. Maybe that's why my magic is so bad."

"Are you gonna die from this?"

"From what he could tell, I'm not. It's a pretty nasty curse though. I wonder what it is?" He sighed and hid his face behind his hands. "All of this happened because I wanted to pet a stupid cat that this cute boy likes! I should've just stuck to talking with the birds, they're grateful I feed them. Kenma doesn't even thank me for making him food. I fucking hate cats."

"Sorry, bro. Sounds like you got it rough." Koutarou patted his back a few times, before urging softly, "Let me see your hand. Your familiar gives nasty bites…"

Morisuke's been sad lately. The birds say he's been looking for Kenma and leaving food out for him. Maybe I should do something about it.

Tetsurou sighed and closed his journal. Between finding his witching nature and finding himself with a familiar, Morisuke was the last thing on his mind. 

The birds, however, wouldn't leave him alone. They updated him on Morisuke's glum state every time he passed by his home, and Tetsurou was honestly ready to snap. 

Or talk to Morisuke, he didn't know which.

"Kenma," he called out as he poked his head into the living room where the familiar usually spent his days in. "You mind turning into a cat for me for a bit?"

The familiar didn't tear his eyes from the anime on the TV. "Why? I thought you didn't like cats."

"I don't, but I need a favor from you."

At this, Kenma finally looked at him; "Witches who have bonded with familiars don't need to ask for favors. Just give me orders."

Tetsurou winced. "That's so… demeaning. Even if we're bonded, you still have your own will." He knew that fact firsthand from living with the Bokuto family and seeing Akaashi's outbursts. "It's still a favor, by the way. Not an order."

Kenma snorted, and muttered something like "stupid witch" under his breath. It wasn't a denial, though; he was back to his cat self, and Tetsurou wasn't ready at all for the clear voice in his head asking, "What now?"

"Now we just walk outside." The air was chilly when he opened the door and allowed Kenma to step outside. It was about that time of night Morisuke would pass by, and he thanked the gods when he saw the familiar boy searching out Kenma.

"Oh! There you are!" Morisuke's relief was palpable, and he held his hand out for Kenma. "I was worried you'd run-- away…" His face immediately fell upon recognizing Tetsurou. "Hmph. What are you doing here?"

Geez, what's with the face? Tetsurou sneered; "What am I doing on my property? With my cat?"

"Your-- no fucking way." His eyes grew wide as he looked at Kenma, who was rubbing up against his ankles. "Why don't you take better care of your animals, dipshit? I've been feeding this guy for weeks!"

This time, a rebuttal was hard to come by. Tetsurou knew it must've looked bad that he wasn't caring for his supposed pet, and now it was too late to take it all back. He huffed instead, remarking, "I barely took him in. He's been sneaking into my home." Not a lie.

Kenma looked at him pointedly; "You wanted to use me for a dick waving contest?"

Tetsurou's face flushed red in embarrassment. He wanted Kenma to help him talk to the boy, not argue with him. "Look, I noticed you missed him--"

"Who said I missed him?" Morisuke shot back immediately. His brows furrowed together a moment later; "Have you been spying on me, you creep?"

"You literally pass by my house every day! I live here, I have windows!" And the birds tell me about you when I don't see you. Geez, I practically am spying on him. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, do you wanna pet Kenma or not? I know you like him."

Morisuke shifted uncomfortably in his spot. The whole ordeal had been a disaster-- Tetsurou was kicking himself for even trying, until he heard, "My name's Yaku, by the way. Yaku Morisuke. I'd see you around at the university sometimes, and you were in my intermediate chem class. I just can't remember your name."

"Kuroo Tetsurou, Yakkun."

"It's Yaku--"

"It's nice to formally meet you, Yakkun!" Tetsurou grinned at the boy, and he absolutely loved the death glare he was receiving. Morisuke was cute when he was flustered. "Feel free to drop by and say hi to Kenma, I know how much you like him!"

"Don't make me seem like a stalker," he grumbled. Morisuke reached to pet Kenma once more before walking home without so much as a goodbye.

It wasn't until they were back inside that Kenma appeared behind Tetsurou with a scowl. "You're unbelievable. Familiars provide magical guidance, not romantic gestures."

"This is magical guidance! Romance is magical, Kenma!" Tetsurou grinned at his familiar, adding cheekily, "Besides, don't act like you don't like him. I saw the way your face lit up when you saw him."

Kenma's cheeks flushed red, and Tetsurou was utterly shocked at the first display of embarrassment he'd ever seen in a familiar; "He conditioned me into expecting food from him. Fuck off."

"Mmmhm." He grabbed his journal from his desk and flipped it to a page filled with failed spells. "Anyway, since you're here, mind looking over a few things for me?"

Dark arts witch. I really am a dark arts witch.

And a divination witch. 

Tetsurou had been unsettled since he found out a few weeks ago about his witching nature. Having Kenma around and learning to live with him certainly drew his mind away from the sense of impending doom for a while, but now looking at the journal he'd written down spells given to him by the Bokuto family made him feel sick. He'd organized the spells by witching nature and had crossed out the ones that definitely didn't work.

I didn't even get to light arts spells…  

There were no dark arts spells in the journal, all of them were convinced that Tetsurou wouldn't need them. He sighed and buried his face in his hands. 

"Stop moping," Kenma chastised softly.

"I can't. I'm destined for evil. I wish I hadn't even been fostered by a witch family at all if it meant I'd be put in this situation!" 

Kenma placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Tetsurou, having an affinity for the dark arts isn't a death sentence."

He lifted his head to look at his familiar; "I think it is, Kenma. 'Kaashi was ready to slit my throat last time I saw him."

"'Kaashi?"

"He's my friend's familiar. He's an owl. Otus sunia. He's pretty cute when he isn't threatening to kill me."

"Owls are the worst, almost as bad as foxes." The familiar shuddered. He gave Tetsurou's shoulder a squeeze; "Get up. Let me show you something."

Tetsurou arched a brow but followed nonetheless. Kenma led him towards his bedroom and placed a hand against the door.

"You know you have to use the doorknob, right?"

"Shut up."

The familiar's hand glowed, and soon a sigil appeared on the door, burning a bright orange. When the door opened, it gave way to a completely different room full of books and shelves lined with different concoctions. 

"Is this… part of my house?"

Kenma hummed in thought. "Yes? It's a room accessible only by me and the witch I was last bound to." He entered the room first and went straight to a shelf with a few leather-bound books. "He was a dark arts witch. Much more powerful than you can conceive, and he was like you, once."

Tetsurou's brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"He was also distraught upon finding his witching nature. He thought it was a death sentence. He was ready to commit the ultimate act of giving up his witching, knowing he would die from the force soon after." Kenma's voice had a different tone than Tetsurou was used to hearing. It was softer, a little quieter. Sadder?  

"And then he met a vampire with a curse upon him. The vampire was dying, and he found out that an affinity to the dark arts meant that curses and hexes were nothing but play-things to him. He broke the curse, much more easily than any other witch could. And since then, he devoted the rest of his life to curse-breaking. Demonic curses, angelic curses, even curses by witches of other regions were nothing to him." He turned towards Tetsurou, his eyes glowing a warm gold in the dim light; "It was not a death sentence."

"...What happened to him?"

Kenma averted his eyes back to the book he was holding, and his voice was hardly above a whisper. "He passed of old age a few years ago. He was the first witch to show me any semblance of kindness, and we bonded young. He wasn't even your age when we bonded, I don't think."

"I'm sorry." Tetsurou gently ruffled the familiar's hair. "I can't imagine what that must've been like."

"He was an idiot. The vampire offered him eternal life, up until the end. He chose to die of old age. I don't understand why he would." Kenma handed Tetsurou the book he was holding, and murmured, "This is the first book he wrote. It'll do you good to read over it. There's volumes upon volumes he wrote throughout his lifetime, so you'll be busy." He paused for a moment; "It'll take you years to master curse-breaking, if that's what you decide to do with your witching nature. He was a prodigy who was destined for evil things, and then he decided to take his destiny in his own hands. He saved the world countless times before, and he never even knew it."

The room had seemed to grow warmer. Tetsurou couldn't tell if it was his imagination or if it was some sort of magical occurrence. He felt compelled to say something-- Kenma wasn't one to share much, so all of this left him completely winded. "Thank you for this, Kenma. I really appreciate it."

There was a small smile on his face, Tetsurou was sure he wasn't imagining it. "No problem, Tetsurou."

"I, Hinata Shouyo of the Hinata Witching Family, am inscribing in this tome what I believe is true. I will correct any misinformation I may have upon realizing it is wrong or not current fact. With this blood seal, I assume all responsibility of any mishandling of this information, and my familiar Kozume Kenma is to straighten out any problems if I am unable to." 

Tetsurou carefully ran a finger over the blood signature, and he was immediately presented with an image of Hinata Shouyo as he was at the time of the signature; bright smile, a passion is his eyes, hair as fiery as the sigil Kenma revealed on his door. Shouyo felt overwhelming. He glanced toward the living room where Kenma was watching TV. He seemed gloomier, and Tetsurou wished he knew what to do. 

"Kenma, would you like to play a game with me?"

He looked around for the source of the voice that sounded so clearly in his head.

"What sort of game, Shouyo?"

"I don't know. You're the one that likes games. You choose." 

Tetsurou hesitantly closed the book. How powerful was this Hinata? I've never done any divination before-- I didn't think I could pull any memories from blood. Whatever was the reason, he was thankful.

"Hey Kenma, you wanna play a game?"

The familiar turned to look at him with a hint of interest. "What sort of game?"

"Well, have you ever played a video game before?" 

Kenma paused to think. "I haven't. Shouyo and Tobio never liked any of that fancy technology."

Tetsurou grinned. "I'm sure you'd like them! I have a few strategy games that I play when I want to pick my brain a bit. I can show you how to play."

"I hope they're fun."

"Do you like stories?"

"I do."

"Then I'm sure you'll find them fun! Wait-- you know how to read, right?"

Kenma sneered; "Yes. Shouyo taught me how to read many of the current kanji. I'm sure whatever story is presented I'll be able to read."

"You always have me if you need help," Tetsurou reminded softly. He grabbed his Switch and explained how to turn it on and how to find the game to the familiar. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for Kenma to get a hang of the game once Tetsurou explained the mechanics of it.

He's so into this. He's kinda cute… He reached to ruffle his hair softly and was amused when Kenma leaned into the touch. "You're pretty cuddly with me now. Why the fuck did you bite me when I tried petting you?"

Kenma shrugged half-heartedly. "Your face pissed me off. Not to mention that you've chased me off your property before."

"Because you've tried hunting the bird family I raised! I've raised four generations of birds and you were gonna end their bloodline, you bastard."

"What, am I just supposed to starve?" 

"I don't see how you could starve when Morisuke feeds you twice a day."

The familiar shot Tetsurou a glare. "Are you jealous, Tetsurou?"

"Of what?"

"That your beloved boy feeds me and not you?" 

"I'm not jealous."

"You are."

"Am not."

"Yes."

"Nope."

"Hmph." Kenma set the Switch aside and stood with a stretch. "Oh, would you look at the time. It's about time for Morisuke to feed me." He eyed Tetsurou as he continued, "I can't wait to see his handsome face and to be petted by his gentle hands. I may even be in love with him."

Tetsurou spluttered. "In love? What does a familiar know of love?" Bad choice. Tetsurou wished he could take the words back when he felt an ominous shiver run through his body. 

Kenma's eyes glowed a fiery gold and he snarled at the witch. Tetsurou couldn't move at all, something was holding him down. "I know a lot, little witch." The familiar's voice sounded almost demonic, and he even looked it too, with his teeth sharpened like fangs, his hackles raised, and his claws ready for an attack. "You're lucky I don't just rip your throat out."

"I-- I-I'm sorry-- Kenma, I'm sorry--" Tetsurou knew he shouldn't fear his familiar; once bonded, they were unable to hurt the witch they were bonded to unless they wanted to suffer twofold what the witch suffered. 

But he still couldn't help but be frightened. He was used to an angry Akaashi because Koutarou was always there to subdue his familiar. I don't know Kenma enough to judge his anger. Maybe he will rip my throat out. 

As quickly as Kenma's anger flared, it vanished. He looked normal, except he reeked of shame. 

The invisible force upon Tetsurou lifted and he was finally able to take a breath again. "Kenma…" He gently took the familiar's wrist; "Are you okay…?"

"Stupid witch." Kenma yanked his wrist away and turned from him. "I'm fine. Leave me alone." The front door opened and Kenma had turned into his cat form to sprint out. 

Tetsurou's stomach sank and he was instantly up on his feet to follow. "Kenma," he yelled out after the familiar, but he couldn't see him at all outside. "Kenma, come back, please--" Goddamn it. 

"Kenma ran out?" 

He looked up at the voice, and he felt awful that the face didn't bring any sort of relief. "Hi, Yakkun."

"Kuroo." Morisuke stepped closer to the witch. "I can help you look for Kenma, if you'd like."

Tetsurou shook his head. "He's upset with me. He wants to be alone for a bit."

Instead of laughing or looking at Tetsurou like he grew a second head, Morisuke actually seemed to sympathize. "I hope he comes home soon. It must be hard not knowing if he's okay."

"Yeah, it is." He sighed softly, and asked, "Would you like to come in? I made dinner for two, but it's just gonna be me tonight, and it'd be awful if the food I made went to waste."

Morisuke looked a little shocked. "Oh, sure! I hope I'm not intruding on anything."

"No, no. You're perfectly good. I need some company."

Morisuke was as interesting of a person as he was beautiful. He loved cats - Tetsurou couldn't understand why - and so he went to university initially to study animal biology to be a veterinarian. He couldn't understand science for the life of him, though, so he ended up switching majors and went into art instead. Tetsurou wasn't an artsy person, but he was enthralled by Morisuke's explanations of the principles of graphic design. His words were well thought out, as if he were just waiting for someone to give him some room to speak. 

And he was interested in Tetsurou, he was sure of it. At least, he thought he was sure of it, if he read Morisuke's body language right. He would lean towards Tetsurou as he talked, his gaze would linger for a moment more than what was the usual polite glance, and he seemed to think Tetsurou was the funniest person in the world. 

He definitely wasn't funny.

And as much as Tetsurou wanted to enjoy his impromptu dinner date with Morisuke in all of its glory, his mind was still on Kenma. It had been five days since their fight - if it could even be called that - and Tetsurou grew more worried each passing hour. Kenma was alive, he could tell that much by the slightest ebb and flow on his consciousness, which he inexplicably knew was tied to his familiar. 

But knowing he was alive wasn't enough-- he found himself missing Kenma, and he really thought himself a fool for upsetting him so badly it forced the familiar to run away. 

Tetsurou glanced up when Koutarou came back into the room. When things got rough, Tetsurou found comfort in the home he was fostered in. This time, the comfort didn't last long. 

"You sure about this, Kuro?" Koutarou seemed nervous-- that wasn't a look that suited him at all. "I mean-- I gave 'Kaashi strict orders not to come in here, whatever happens. But a duel between familiars can get pretty bad…"

"He won't come home even when I need help with magic, Bo. He's ignoring me. And-- look, you're the best healing witch around. It'll be safe." Tetsurou swallowed hard. I hope. He extended his arm and braced himself when Koutarou grabbed his wrist. "Just enough pain, Bo. My pain tolerance isn't high-- remember that."

"I wish we didn't have to do this." He took a deep breath before pale gold magic emanated from his hand. Usually, the magic would bring relief, but Tetsurou winced and hissed as the magic burned his flesh.

There was still no sign of Kenma, but he knew his familiar was aware of his pain. "More, Bo-- Burn the shit out me--"

Koutarou flinched at the command. He was nervous, and he shut his eyes before sending even more magic to the wound. 

The pain was searing, and Tetsurou was close to tears the longer it went on. He was about ready to beg Koutarou to stop when the magic stopped all on it's own with Koutarou crying out in surprise. 

Kenma was on the witch's back and was sinking his fangs into his shoulder, and a moment later, Akaashi was in the room to rip Kenma away from his witch. Kenma hissed at Akaashi, and Akaashi stood in front of Koutarou with his wings outstretched protectively.

"Kenma-- Kenma stop--"

"'Kaashi, stand down-- it's okay--"

Kenma glanced at Tetsurou over his shoulder and shook his head; "This witch was hurting you--"

"I asked him to," Tetsurou cut in before another word could be said.

It didn't quell the familiar's anxiety. He was still rigid and ready to pounce on Akaashi if he needed to. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"Because you weren't coming home! I was desperate, I needed to know you were okay--

"So you let him burn us?!"

Tetsurou winced. "He's a healer, he can heal--"

Koutarou suddenly screamed in pain, and Akaashi was on his knees in response. The owl familiar seemed to be in immense pain, and he glared at Kenma with nothing but hatred in his eyes. 

"What did you do to Koutarou?!" demanded Akaashi.

Kenma didn't respond. He was still rigid, his hackles standing on end. 

"Kenma, what did you--"

"I cursed him," the cat familiar said quickly. "I thought he was attacking you."

"Can't you lift it?" Tetsurou grabbed Kenma's wrist. 

"Why should I?"

"Because he's in pain-- Lift the curse--"

"No--"

"Kozume Kenma, I order you to lift that curse!" 

Kenma's eyes widened for a second. He clicked his tongue and said something under his breath. As soon as he did, Koutarou quieted, and Akaashi turned to his witch to assess the damage.

"It's all psychic damage. There's no physical damage to him," Kenma said, probably to Akaashi. He turned to Tetsurou and whispered, "This is the witch that cursed you, Tetsurou."

Tetsurou's eyes widened. "What? Bo would never--"

"I tasted his blood. This is definitely the witch who cursed you-- a descendant of the witch who cursed you, I should say." He wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve.

Koutarou groaned as he stood slowly. He looked worn, and Akaashi had to help support his weight, but he had enough fight in him to protest, "My family would never curse a witch."

"Are you saying I'm lying?" Kenma hissed at Koutarou, and he went rigid once again when he saw Akaashi's eyes glow a slate blue. 

"'Kaashi, stop." Koutarou pushed himself away from his familiar and stumbled towards Tetsurou. Kenma hissed at him and made him pause, but Tetsurou gripped his wrist and tugged the familiar aside. "I'm very sorry for the damage I have caused," he said earnestly as he looked at Kenma. "I will heal you and Tetsurou, if you'll let me."

Kenma was about to retaliate, but Tetsurou gripped onto him tightly. "I trust this witch with my life, Kenma. He's a wonderful healer."

"If he does anything to hurt you--..." The cat familiar fell silent. He knew arguing was a lost cause, and instead he eyed Koutarou. "Heal him."

"Thank you." Koutarou gently grabbed Tetsurou's wrist. His hand glowed a pale gold once more, but this time there was no searing pain; the burnt flesh was healed from the outside, and a minute later, it didn't ache any more. The witch looked at Kenma's wrist, which had been burnt far worse than Tetsurou's. "May I heal you?"

"It'll heal on its own," Kenma gruffed. "The pain is gone already." 

"Thanks, Bo." Tetsurou took his friend's hands and gave them a tight squeeze. "I'm real sorry you got hurt."

"I should've expected it. Familiars don't fuck around when their witches are in danger." He turned to Akaashi; "Who is the one that placed a curse upon Kuro?"

Akaashi paused to think. He thought for a long moment, before explaining, "The only witch who has cursed another was the Great Lady Bokuto, but she placed a curse upon the Yamaka Witching Family. I don't recall any Kuroo witches."

Koutarou raised an eyebrow. "And the curse was…?"

"Any male witch born to the Yamaka bloodline would be of the dark arts witching nature. The Yamaka family were great at divination, and the young lord that Great Lady Bokuto cursed was plotting to release a great evil into the world." He paused and eyed Tetsurou suspiciously. "If it's true that you bear the curse of Great Lady Bokuto, then it means you're a descendant of the evil young Lord Yamaka."

Kenma snorted in contempt. "You're telling me this witch was strong enough to not only place a generational curse upon a witching family, but she was able to change their witching nature?"

"The curse was cast with the help of a powerful demon," Akaashi added softly. 

Koutarou's eyes widened; "She made a pact with a demon?"

"Unfortunately, yes. In return for helping for the curse, she gave her witching and her soul to the demon. She perished less than a week after cursing the young lord." The familiar sneered at Tetsurou. "It would explain why I had a bad feeling about you. I never would have imagined you were a Yamaka."

Tetsurou spluttered; "Wait-- Yamaka, as in Yamaka Mika-chan? That divination and plant witch that runs the flower shop?" 

"Daishou's girlfriend?" Koutarou clarified. "Sweet little Mika-chan?"

Akaashi shrugged. "Could be. I don't know of any other prominent Yamaka witches."

"Holy shit. That would mean we're distant cousins!" He couldn't help but grin; "Which means I have some idea of who my family is. This is awesome!" Tetsurou looked to Akaashi with that same grin, and asked, "Do you still hate me now that you know who I descended from?"

"My feelings for you haven't changed."

"'Kaashi, come on. It's not like he chose to be a descendant of that asshole my great-gran fought with." Koutarou ruffled Akaashi's hair. "Give him a break. He's a good kid. He's not gonna summon some evil."

"That seems highly unlikely." The familiar glared at Tetsurou. "Stop causing trouble, you brat. And then maybe my feelings will change."

"I've got a good feeling that you'll like me in no time, Akaashi."

"Wait." Tetsurou sat up in bed. It was the middle of the night, his room was dark, he'd been trying to doze off to sleep for at least ten minutes. "Kenma…?"

The familiar stirred next to him. "What?" he snapped, though he was muffled under the thick covers. 

"How is it that my witching nature was affected when I'm a trans man?" There was no way he could be a descendant of the Yamakas-- the curse only applied to male witches. 

Kenma's eyes glowed even in the darkness of the room. He was peeking at Tetsurou now, looking none too pleased that he'd been awakened. "You're still a man, aren't you? You've always been a man." The familiar turned on his other side and pulled the blankets tight over his shoulders. "Go to sleep, little witch."

I've always been a man. That's why the curse affected me. Tetsurou had a warm fluttering feeling in his chest despite the fact that it was a curse they were talking about. "Kenma?"

The familiar sighed in irritation; "Yes, little witch?"

"Can I spoon you?"

"You don't even have to ask." 

Tetsurou pressed himself against his familiar's back and felt at ease when he cuddled into him. He always found comfort in physical affection, and he found that he slept best with someone else in bed with him. Having Kenma around was definitely helping him sleep better.

Maybe cats aren't so bad…

“Curses are tricky,” read Shouyo’s neat script. “When I undid Kageyama’s curse, I really had no idea how I did it. I just felt this whooshing feeling, and when I undid it, I felt like something went boom in my hands. I don’t know how I knew how to undo it, but I just did.” Tetsurou paused for a moment. Shouyo definitely wasn’t the best at describing things-- he seemed like a kid. 

“Kenma,” he called over his shoulder. He knew the familiar was on the couch playing video games. “How old was Shouyo when he wrote this?”

The familiar hummed in thought. “Fourteen, maybe. Or fifteen. I can’t quite remember now.”

“Christ.” A prodigy at fourteen? That’s impressive. Tetsurou wished he could feel what Shouyo had felt when he undid the curse. Had Shouyo left another blood seal, maybe it would’ve been possible. 

He read through the rest of the passage and tried to make sense of what Shouyo was trying to say. From what he gathered, breaking curses was just some sort of innate feeling as a dark arts witch.

Bo said that he can’t break curses he never placed because they’re tricky. His mom said it was like trying to untangle something while you couldn’t see where the knots were. 

I wonder if I’d be able to break a curse.

“Curses placed by demons are the worst,” Shouyo continued later in the passage. “The first time I tried breaking a demonic curse, I failed. It took me days of non-stop trying to figure it out. My hands were burnt real badly. I felt really bad for Kenma, he wasn’t complaining even though he must’ve been in unbearable pain.

“Demonic curses have a lot of… knots. That’s the way I could describe it. You have to untie them carefully but swiftly, because it feels like you’re holding your hands over an open fire. The string feels like it’s on fire but nothing will give. 

“Angelic curses have a similar effect, except that it feels like your hands are freezing. My fingers felt numb and clumsy undoing an angelic curse. I still haven’t successfully done it, although I feel like I’m close to doing it. There’s no residual physical effect, but Kenma seemed uncomfortable while I was attempting to undo the curse. I’m sure he felt the pain.”

“Tetsurou, Morisuke hasn’t stopped by in a few days.” 

Kenma’s voice snapped him out of his concentration, and Tetsurou felt his stomach sink at the fact. The birds haven’t updated him on any Morisuke news for almost a week. Between reading Shouyo’s books and trying to undo the curses Kenma placed on things for practice, Tetsurou didn’t really have too much free time for himself.

“Do you think he moved away?”

“Without coming to say goodbye?” Tetsurou closed the book in his hand and placed it aside. “I don’t think so.” He opened his window and waited for the rosefinches to crowd his windowsill. "Have any of you seen Morisuke lately?"

He was met with a chorus of "no"s, but then the most adventurous one spoke up; "He looked tired when I saw him a few days ago. I think he's sick."

"Oh no…" Crap, I don't even have his number or address to check up on him. "Do any of you know where he works?"

Once again, he was met with a chorus of "no"s. He sighed and thanked the birds for the information before letting them go on their way. There really wasn't anything he could do in his situation. 

Wait, what am I thinking? I'm a divination witch.

"Kenma, how the hell do divination spells work?" Tetsurou hurried towards his familiar. "I need something that'll tell me where Morisuke lives, or works, or something." 

Kenma paused the game he was playing to look up at Tetsurou. "What did the birds say about him?"

"One of them said he looked sick."

"So… you want to find out where he lives, to… what, exactly?"

Tetsurou felt his face burn with embarrassment. "I don't know."

The familiar stood to ruffle Tetsurou's hair. "If he's sick, you should be seeing him soon enough, little witch. Don't worry yourself over something like this." He paused, before offering softly, "I can show you how to do a localization spell, but it's exhausting to do if you don't have something that belongs to him."

"I wouldn't mind--"

Kenma raised a hand and shook his head. "Tetsurou, it's not just simple exhaustion. You'll feel like you have the flu, except no amount of medicine or healing will ease your discomfort. Doing something like this requires a great deal of magic." He then smiled, and concluded, "But you're a divination witch, and I'm your familiar. I won't let you bear the magical burden yourself."

This sounds like a good time for him to say "because I love you." Tetsurou's cheeks burned hotter, and he forced himself to try and stay casual as he replied, "Thank you, Kenma. I would really appreciate it."

"You might want to call your healer friend. Even if he can't do anything to help you, he'll at least know to come check up on you. I won't be much help these next few days…"

Tetsurou rubbed the top of Kenma's head. "Thank you. Seriously, thank you so much. You're amazing, Kenma."

The familiar looked away with a pout, but there was no mistaking the blush on his face.

The localization spell was a success. It took nearly an hour to complete, but Tetsurou managed to write down the address that flashed in his mind before being overwhelmed by everything. Kenma had collapsed at the end of the spell, so Tetsurou was glad that he'd reverted to his cat form once unconscious so he could easily pick him up and drag him into bed.

Koutarou dropped by the next morning with warm soup and Akaashi on his shoulder.

Tetsurou had been half-awake watching TV, but his mind was elsewhere. Kenma hadn't awoken yet, and he was worried what it might mean.

"I'm sure he's just exhausted," Koutarou assured with a soft smile. "I'm surprised you look so good. Localization spells are known to put even divination witches in comas. Kenma must've used a lot of magic to keep you safe." He reached over to run a hand over Kenma's small sleeping body-- still a cat.

Akaashi ruffled his feathers, and Koutarou looked at the bird with a frown. "'Kaashi, you know you'd do exactly the same for me. It's an act of love, not a sign of an evil witch."

Tetsurou managed a laugh; "Akaashi, I'm not evil. This was all Kenma's idea, too… I didn't even know a spell like this existed. I still wish I didn't know, not when Kenma's like this…"

"Well, I wanna say that that's what familiars are for, but… Kenma really loves you if he bared the burden of the spell, bro. Seriously." Koutarou reached into his jacket pocket for a small vial with a dropper attached to the cap. "This is a bottle full of nutrients," he explained as he held it up to Tetsurou. "My mom perfected it after generations of Bokuto witches doing their best to stabilize it. It's best used for people who can't physically eat, whether they're unconscious or their jaw isn't working or whatever." He carefully pried Kenma's mouth open and squeezed a drop onto his tongue. "One drop three times a day will do. It's essentially a meal in a drop to keep the body from starving."

Akaashi puffed his feathers out again and shook his head. Koutarou blinked at his familiar with a surprised look on his face. "Okay, 'Kaashi's saying familiars should get twice as much food when their magic has been expended. So… either two drops three times a day, or one drop six times a day."

"Got it." Tetsurou took the vial from his friend and swirled the pearlescent silver liquid inside. "It looks like it tastes like shit."

"It actually doesn't," he countered with a smile. "Mom made sure it tasted good! Silver one tastes like black cherry, I think?"

"Whoa, these would be good at hospitals and stuff." He sat up to carefully feed another drop to Kenma. "I really hope he wakes up soon. I didn't realize how much I liked having him snark me around. I even miss just listening to that goddamn game OST all day."

Koutarou smiled softly. "He's your familiar, bro. Of course you'll miss him when he's not himself. Familiars are like your better half-- or more annoying half, I don't know where Akaashi stands."

The owl looked at Koutarou with clear offense, and he laughed at whatever was psychically said. "I'm kidding, 'Kaashi! You know I love you."

Tetsurou ran his hand along Kenma's side a few times. "Wake up soon, Kenma. I miss you."

It was two days later when Kenma opened his eyes. He was still quite weak, so shifting into his humanoid form was definitely out of the question. Tetsurou's fever had finally broken, though, and Koutarou was sure that Kenma waking had something to do with the fever breaking.

On the third day, Kenma had enough energy to eat on his own. His meals were smaller in portion than what he was used to, so they were supplemented with the Bokuto Meal in a Vial, as Koutarou named it. 

The fourth day was a lot better. Tetsurou was awakened by Kenma, who was back as a humanoid. He was greeted with a home cooked breakfast-- or what was supposed to be a home cooked breakfast. 

Kenma pouted and there was a blush on his face as he admitted, "Your stove is too fancy and has too many buttons. I don't know how to use it. I hope a sandwich is fine."

"A sandwich is perfect," Tetsurou praised with a grin. Really, just having Kenma up on his feet was enough to lift his spirits.

Before he could take a bite out of the sandwich, however, someone was ringing his doorbell. Kenma was already up on his feet to answer before Tetsurou stopped him with a bewildered look on his face;

"Kenma, you're not a normal-looking human! You can't just go answer my door. Christ!" He set his meal aside to stand. 

"But how am I supposed to know who's at the door?" The familiar pouted. "I've been stuck in bed for days. I wanna walk around."

"Walk around as a cat!" 

The doorbell rang again, and Tetsurou felt some urgency as he pulled on some shorts so he looked decent. Kenma's feet padded alongside him-- all four of his feet, thankfully.

He didn't bother with checking who was on the other side before opening the door, and he really wished he'd taken an extra second to do so. Never in his life would Tetsurou have imagined seeing Morisuke at his doorstep, wearing a mask and looking a little worse for wear, but still willingly at his doorstep.

"Oh-- Yakkun!"

"Kuroo, hi." Morisuke's eyes lit up when he saw Kenma at Tetsurou's feet. "Sorry if this is a bad time."

"No, not at all! It's just been a while since I've seen you, it's unexpected is all."

Morisuke coughed suddenly, and Tetsurou wished he was a healer so he could do something about the boy's ailment. "Sorry-- I've been sick. It's a persistent thing, I-- I was heading to the doctor's today to see if I have something bad, but… I wanted to drop by and give you this."

"You don't have to--"

"It's for Kenma," he clarified, almost a little too strongly. "It's not for you."

"Oh, thanks! I'm sure he'd love whatever it is." Tetsurou grinned as he held his hands out for the gift. His fingers briefly brushed with Morisuke's during the exchange, but it was enough to send a chilling jolt down his spine. For a split second, Tetsurou saw something big and ominous lurking behind Morisuke; he was suddenly stricken with fear, and his reaction was to jump back and away from the evil aura.

Morisuke jumped back in surprise, his eyes wide as he asked, "What is it? Are you okay?"

Tetsurou cursed himself as he nodded. "Sorry-- You kinda electrocuted my finger, I wasn't expecting it!" 

"I'm sorry! I hope it didn't hurt much!" Morisuke laughed nervously. "I'll be headed on my way now. I'll drop by when I'm feeling better again--"

"Wait, Yakkun!" Tetsurou felt his stomach twisting nervously. "Do you wanna exchange contact info? I was worried when I didn't see you, and-- I wanna know how your appointment goes."

There was a blush on Morisuke's face (Tetsurou couldn't tell if it had always been there). "Oh, sure!"

It was only until Tetsurou had his number that he felt comfortable enough to let Morisuke go. When he closed the door, he looked at what was inside the Tupperware he had received; Grilled chicken strips. What a guy.

Kenma was on his feet now that they were in private, and his face was grim. "Tetsurou…" He shifted nervously. "You saw it, didn't you?"

There was no need to elaborate. Tetsurou nodded, before asking, "What the hell was that?"

"I didn't see exactly what it was, but it felt like a demon. When you touched Morisuke, I could tell he's definitely been cursed. His life is probably being drained away, which would explain why he's been sick." The familiar fell silent as he looked at the food that was supposed to be for him. "...What will you do, Tetsurou?"

Good question. "What can I do? I… I've never broken a curse that wasn't yours before, I wouldn't know where to start." He groaned and set the food down at the table. I'm not anything like Shouyo. I'm not a prodigy. I can't even undo Akaashi's curses. "Do I just… fucking watch him die?"

Kenma averted his eyes. He'd shown Tetsurou so many emotions in the two months they lived together, but never had he seen Kenma look unsure before. It was quite unsettling. "You can try to break it."

"And if I fail?" Tetsurou wished Kenma would just look at him. "God-- how am I supposed to be good with myself if I can't break that curse? I just have to let him die--"

"We don't know if the curse will kill him." The familiar still seemed unsure, though. "Some… demonic curses don't kill the cursed."

"You saw him! He was sick!" He hurried to grab Shouyo's book from the coffee table and flipped through the pages. Maybe Shouyo had a clear answer on how to break demonic curses-- he wrote a bunch of these books, there must've been some new updated information somewhere. Maybe I should start from the most recent books he wrote, and then work my way back. 

"Tetsurou…"

He didn't look up when his name was called. He felt crunched for time, and it really was going to make him sick soon. 

A pair of thin arms wrapped firmly around his waist. Tetsurou was startled by the touch. "We're going to figure something out, little witch, so don't fret. You'll see."

I hope so. I sure fucking hope so.

Tetsurou's eyes were burning as he read over Shouyo's writing. As he aged, his writing was neater-- like he wasn't in much of a rush, as if he matured mentally as well as he did physically. The blood seal clued Tetsurou in on his age as he progressed from volume to volume, but even in his middle age, Shouyo had no clear explanation on breaking demon curses.

He got really good at it, he said. People would seek him out in the mountains where he'd lived and would beg him to exorcise any ill energies that were plaguing them. Shouyo long stopped correcting them that he was only breaking curses and was not a priest nor a monk to be exorcising anything. 

He wrote about Kenma, who wasn't usually chatty but was still good company all the same; there was one time when Kenma fell ill to some sort of familiar ailment and was delirious with a fever, and that was where Shouyo found out that--

Tetsurou paused and looked at the blacked-out portion. Maybe Kenma had found out what Shouyo had written and demanded he cross it out, or maybe Shouyo came back and did it himself.

I wonder what he found out, though. Kenma could be chatty, but it never was about himself-- nothing personal, at least. 

His eyes stung. Tetsurou groaned softly as he rubbed them to try and alleviate some of his discomfort. It was probably morning, judging by how much time his body thought had passed. All-nighters weren't his usual thing, but it had been a few days since he'd seen Morisuke, and his anxiety had been looming.

Kenma had been in the room with him the whole time. He was looking through Shouyo's other books to help expedite the process. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that he was even there. He was too quiet, much like an actual cat.

Tetsurou checked his phone and saw it was seven in the morning. He'd been reading for more than twelve hours straight.

His back ached. His neck ached. 

God, I hope Kenma isn't too upset about this. He must be feeling it worse. He winced and wished there was something he could do about the familiar's burden.

"I love him, you know."

"Huh?" Tetsurou looked up from the book to find Kenma halfway through a book of his own. "You say something?"

Kenma cleared his throat. "I said, I love him."

"Yakkun?"

"Shouyo, nitwit." Kenma looked up with an annoyed huff. He was blushing, though. "I love Shouyo... Loved? Is it 'loved' once someone has passed?"

Tetsurou shook his head. "You don't stop loving someone just because they're dead."

Kenma averted his eyes. "Right."

"So you love Shouyo?" Why are you telling me this? It wasn't unwelcomed, it was just strange coming from seemingly nowhere.

"He talked about it in his books sometimes," Kenma continued softly. "He knew I loved him. I told him to cross it out, because familiars aren't supposed to love. We offer guidance, and a lot of us ended up in the wrong hands." He hugged himself for comfort. 

Tetsurou wanted to go hug him, but he didn't want to discourage Kenma from talking.

"Before Shouyo, I was only used by witches. They sought me out and forced me to bond with them and used my knowledge to bring about pain and suffering to others. I thought witches were evil, and I cursed my existence as a familiar. 

"I thought Shouyo would be the same. He asked me to bond with him, he promised me he'd give me food and shelter in return, so I did. And then when I found he was attuned to the dark arts, I thought I had messed up. I thought he would use that to bring about evil-- so many witches I was bonded to hoped they were attuned to the dark arts and went to great lengths of evil when they weren't, but Shouyo was different. He was so upset he fell into a state of depression." He glanced up to see if Tetsurou was still listening. Kenma's face was red with embarrassment, but there was clearly something he wanted to get out.

"He met a vampire named Tobio who was having the life drained from him by a curse. Shouyo wasn't deterred by his callousness, and insisted on helping somehow. He was always looking to help people, even if they weren't people. I-- I fell in love with him, because he had so much kindness to give. I had no business being shown kindness, and yet Shouyo showed me what it was to be loved. 

"Familiars aren't supposed to love, not because we can't, but because our emotions are amplified. We're supposed to be indifferent to the world. We're simply vessels that exist to help witches, and those familiars who have been without a bond for too long will simply cease to exist. We're merely a means to an end, quasi-immortal beings who, for some reason, exist only for witches." He cleared his throat. This was more talking than he was used to; "When we feel something, we feel it so strongly it overwhelms us. And I loved Shouyo for most of his life. I wished I was human so I could die by his side. I still love him, but-- now…"

Tetsurou waited patiently. He didn't want to press too hard, but he wanted to know what it was that Kenma was getting to. It felt like Kenma had trusted him enough to open up to him, and coming from someone so tight-lipped about his personal life, it really did melt Tetsurou's heart a little. 

Kenma took a deep breath and sighed it out. His voice was hard, as if he were trying to force himself to say the words, "But now there's you."

His eyes widened, and he was sure his mind was jumping to conclusions when he thought Kenma is in love with me.

"You-- you were reluctant at first, and I was annoyed that we had bonded. But you tried getting to know me like I was an actual person. You didn't end our bond after I blew up on you and ran away from you-- you're stupid, and snore too much when you sleep, and sometimes you kick me off the bed-- but you're so fucking kind. You have so much love for the birds, and for Koutarou and his mother, and you even care about Akaashi despite him wanting to kill you. And I know if we don't save Morisuke, it'll destroy you." Kenma took in another deep breath through his nose; "So if it comes down to it, I'll give my life to remove the curse from Morisuke--"

"Kenma, no--"

"A familiar would be much more useful to a demon than a human soul would," he pressed quickly. "I'm sure Morisuke will be spared."

"At the cost of your life? That's-- that's way too much to lose!" Tetsurou shook his head vigorously. "Don't even think about it. I'll figure it out myself-- I'll do it." He scowled and slammed the book closed. This was way too much for him to handle, and he didn't even have his own bed to sleep in. "Kenma, can I have my room back? I'm so tired." 

"One of these days I'm gonna have to show you how to access this room on your own." The change in subject was enough of a hint to not talk about sacrifices again, but the familiar looked like a scolded child, and Tetsurou felt awful.

The room changed back to Tetsurou's familiar bedroom and he wasted no time in crawling under the covers. He was surprised when Kenma didn't immediately follow, and he whined, "Come on! It's cold, give me your warmth."

The familiar huffed as he obliged. "You're not weirded out about my… confession?"

"Nah." He shrugged and wrapped his arms around his familiar. "I'm not gonna be weirded out that you like me--"

"I didn't say that--"

"Oh, sorry. You love me."

"I never should've told you anything!" Kenma's face burned red with embarrassment and he turned his back to Tetsurou. "I'm never telling you anything about myself ever again for as long as you live! Bastard."

Tetsurou laughed. He was delirious with exhaustion, but one thing was for sure; 

"I like you too, Kenma."

"Are you sure about this, little witch?"

They were both sitting cross-legged on Tetsurou's bed. Finally, they had found a clearer description of what was awaiting Tetsurou should he decide to break the curse on Morisuke;

"In all my years of life, I will never get used to breaking demonic curses. When I arrive into the person's psyche, I see the demon there waiting for me. One wrong move and it will definitely kill me. Everything has to be done quickly, but not carelessly."

Kenma looked the witch over once more. "Once we link psychically, it can't be undone until our contract is ended or until one of us dies. This means I'll always know where you are, and I'll follow you through all planes of existence."

"You said you wanted to keep an eye on me for this," Tetsurou countered softly. "Whatever puts you at ease, Kenma. I'm fine with it."

"Okay. I'm just making sure you know exactly what you're getting yourself into." His fingertips brushed lightly against Tetsurou's hand. "Your thoughts will be private unless you willingly share them with me. I won't suddenly be a mind reader, but you'll never be able to hide from me unless you're unconscious. Are you sure this is okay with you?"

"Yes, I've read and accepted the Terms of Service, Kenma. I open my mind up to you." 

The familiar huffed. "I should turn you into a vegetable for being such a smartass."

"You can't do that! I'm cute!" Tetsurou pouted, and he was satisfied with himself when he earned himself an eye roll from the familiar. "C'mon, let's do this."

Kenma pressed his fingertips against Tetsurou's forehead gently. "Close your eyes, little witch. Focus on my voice, and on my fingers. Don't resist the magical pull you're about to feel-- invite it in. Invite me in."

Tetsurou's mind was clear, and when he felt the magic pulling on his consciousness, he didn't resist against it. Instead, he was enveloped in Kenma's warm magic; it felt like a blanket fresh out of the dryer.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now. Try sharing a thought with me."

It took Tetsurou a moment to gather himself. Nothing felt any different than before, and when he thought You're cute, he focused hard on trying to share it with his familiar.

Kenma averted his eyes and nodded; "We're linked, bastard. Now, there's no need to worry about something happening to you while I'm away from you. As long as you're aware, I should be able to find you… The only way I can find you if you're unconscious is if you're in physical pain, so… Don't fall unconscious in inconvenient places."

"I'll try my best not to," he promised softly. "So… because we're linked, you're gonna be with me when I try to undo the curse, right?"

"Yes. You won't do this alone." 

Tetsurou smiled. "That's reassuring. Let me see if I can get Yakkun to come over soon." He grabbed his phone to see if Morisuke had replied to his texts. The man said he was taking a few days off work because of how sick he was, but he hadn't gotten a reply since the previous afternoon. He tried calling him instead, but when he was eventually redirected to voicemail, he couldn't stop his anxiety from flaring. "Actually… I think we should go visit him. I think there's something wrong."

I probably look like a creep. If he's just busy and I'm overreacting, I can get the cops called on me. Christ, I could go to jail for this. Tetsurou felt his stomach churn as he waited for any sort of response from Morisuke. He'd been knocking on the door for a while but there was no sign that anyone was home. "Kenma, can you find a way inside?"

The cat gave a slight nod before disappearing around the area of the house. It wasn't long before the front door was opening, and Tetsurou cursed his nerves as he entered.

Kenma was back to his humanoid form as he said, "He's in his room over here. He's not looking too good…"

"You think if I call Bo over it'll help put Yakkun at ease?" He pressed the back of his hand against Morisuke's cheek and hissed. "He's burning up-- his brain is probably melting, Christ!" 

The familiar pressed his palm against Morisuke's forehead and glowed gold. "This should help a bit-- Bokuto would be better at this, but I don't think we have time to wait around for him." He looked up at Tetsurou; "We have to do it now. Are you ready?"

"No, not really." He pulled out a small notepad where he jotted down just how to enter someone's psyche. Morisuke was still burning up as he placed a hand against his forehead and closed his eyes. 

Concentrate. Try and clear my mind. Think about where I want to go.

When Tetsurou opened his eyes, everything was dark. He felt like he was freezing, and there was nothing but a faint light a ways away. He opened his mouth to try and speak, but his throat burned in protest. 

Kenma? Are you here?

He looked around for his familiar, and his stomach twisted when he couldn't find him.

Suddenly, everything grew warmer, and there was a hand gripping his coat. Kenma looked a little rough around the edges, but he was there nonetheless. Sorry, I've never done this before. It was a little hard catching up to you. 

I thought I was gonna have to do this alone. Tetsurou felt his shoulders relax just a bit. He pointed towards the light and asked, You think that's where the demon is?

Definitely. I'm not liking the energy I'm feeling coming from there. Kenma gripped onto Tetsurou tighter. I won't abandon you. 

I know.

There was something bugging him about the situation still, but he forced his legs to move towards the light. The closer they got to the light, the hotter it got. He winced when he saw what looked like an open pit of fire; Shouyo had described that breaking a curse was like detangling knots, but it looked more like chains wrapped around a sun-- what he assumed was Morisuke's soul. 

Isn't there supposed to be a demon here? he asked as he glanced around.

Be glad there isn't. 

Tetsurou reached out for the chains and jumped back when it burnt his skin. Kenma winced and gripped his hand that mirrored Tetsurou's wound.

I'm sorry, Kenma.

I can handle it. Are you okay?

I'm fine. I just need to break these chains, right?

Kenma shrugged; I think so. That's what Shouyo said.

I can do this, he told himself, and he was glad for the privacy that their psychic link permitted. He knew that Kenma knew he was scared out of his mind, but he definitely didn't need to psychically project it.

The chains were glowing red hot when Tetsurou reached to grab them. It felt like he was putting his hands over an open fire as he tugged at the chains to see if one of them would give way. I need to hurry, he thought to himself; I can't take too long. Kenma's feeling this worse than I am, I have to keep working.

It felt like he'd been working for hours. Tetsurou's pain was nearing unbearable, and Kenma was doing his best to keep his reactions neutral. None of the chains were completely giving way, Tetsurou felt too weak to break it. 

Kenma… I can't do this. The thought escaped him before he could really stop it. Tetsurou felt like crying, like he was admitting defeat. This is too hard. I can't do this. I can't do it, Kenma.

It's okay, little witch. He placed a hand on Tetsurou's arm, and the witch felt beyond awful when he saw the boils, charred flesh, and open wounds on Kenma's hands and arms. 

This is my fault, he thought to himself. This is all because I'm not strong enough. Tetsurou pulled away from the chains and looked at his own burnt hands. 

Stay here. I'll see if I could summon the demon and work out a deal with him--

No--

It's the only way, Tetsurou. You tried. Now let me handle it--

I'm not letting you die, Kenma. He shook his head. There must be something else we can do. 

There isn't, Tetsurou. Morisuke is getting worse, and we're getting weaker the longer we stay here. Something has to be done right now. Kenma's hands and eyes glowed gold as he made himself visible in the dark. 

There was no sign of the demon until there was a sudden chill down Tetsurou's back. He wasn't expecting the entity to be so close to Kenma, and before his familiar could do anything, Tetsurou grabbed his arm and yanked him back. Kozume Kenma, I order you to get out of Yakkun's psyche and to return to the physical world. 

Kenma's eyes widened; Tetsurou, don't. Revoke your command! 

Tetsurou shook his head. It's an order. He pressed his fingertips against Kenma's forehead next; With that command, I, Kuroo Tetsurou, hereby declare our bond is nullified. Kozume Kenma, you're free to go. I love you.

The familiar shook his head. He gripped onto Tetsurou's coat, but the command had been placed already and the familiar was forced to carry it out or suffer the consequences. Their psychic link was severed, and Tetsurou was shaken when he couldn't feel Kenma's presence in his mind anymore. 

And before he knew it he was alone with the demon.

A witch's soul is better than a human's. A dark arts witch should be even more valuable than a familiar. He felt his legs shake as he looked at the demon in full. There wasn't anything scary about its appearance, but it was the evil energy that surrounded it that really terrified Tetsurou.

"What is it that you want?"

His throat burned as he bit out, "What do you want with this human?" I'm facing a demon. I can't be scared now. 

The demon simply stared at Tetsurou; it had no eyes or discernable features, and it was nearly his height, shrouded in a cloud of darkness. A cold wind was emanating from it, nothing like the searing hot chains around Morisuke's soul. 

"I want his soul."

"Why his in particular?"

"He was an easy target." The demon came closer and forced Tetsurou to take a step back. "What is it that you want, witch?"

"He wants to save the boy."

Tetsurou's stomach dropped. There wasn't supposed to be anyone else present-- Did Kenma come back?

But it wasn't Kenma. It was a boy who looked to be his age, with a shock of bright orange hair and glowing orange eyes. He smiled at Tetsurou; "Ain't that right?"

Tetsurou's brain took a few seconds to recognize the face. "Hinata Shouyo…?"

"The one and only!" Shouyo drew a sigil in the air that glowed a bright orange once complete. The demon hissed and was forcibly pushed back and away from them. "That should keep 'em busy long enough for us to break the curse!"

"Hinata-san… How are you here?" He glanced around for any sign of Kenma. "You're dead…"

"Yep! But being dead doesn't mean I stop watching over Kenma." He beckoned Tetsurou to follow him to the chains. "I saw you save Kenma's life, so I came to help. Sorry it took me a while to get here. It's not easy to meddle with living humans." Shouyo's eyes sparkled with excitement when he saw the chains. It must've been a decade since he had passed, at the very least. "Whoo. This is one nasty curse. Are you ready? I'll guide you through it."

Tetsurou rolled up his coat sleeves. His hands were still badly burnt, but the pain was basically gone.

"Don't worry about the wounds. They're not physical wounds." Shouyo paused before explaining, "You're gonna want to find the weakest chain and channel as much magic as you can into it until it breaks. The weakest one will give the most, and it'll make it easier to untangle everything."

That's this one. He winced when he touched the searing hot metal. Tetsurou took a moment before channeling as much magic as he could into the chain, just as Shouyo had ordered. 

Soon, he was feeling lightheaded; he wasn't accustomed to using so much magic. 

"Just a bit more. You're doing great," Shouyo encouraged softly. He cast a wary glance at the demon, and Tetsurou was glad that it was kept at bay.

Finally, the chain snapped in half, and Tetsurou nearly cried from joy. The rest of the chains were relatively easy to untangle, and as soon as the last chain fell into the open pit, the demon vanished. 

Light flooded their surroundings. Tetsurou and Shouyo shielded their eyes, and Shouyo groaned, "I never get used to that! Goddamn!"

Tetsurou's legs were shaking and he had to sit to catch his breath. 

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Shouyo knelt down next to him, but he didn't dare touch him. "Will you be able to return to the physical world?"

"I-- I-I think?"

"You can't stay here much longer. You need to leave soon."

"I just need to catch my breath." He clutched the front of his shirt and asked, "Will you be in the physical world?"

Shouyo shook his head. "Maybe some other time, if I see that you're in trouble again. Thank you for not letting Kenma sacrifice himself. You'll get better at curse breaking-- I promise they're not all this stubborn." He flickered all of a sudden; his face fell, and he looked at his hands. "I'm having trouble staying here-- that sigil really took it out of me."

"Wait-- how do I get out of here?"

"Same way you got in. You better hurry." Shouyo stood upright and offered one last smile. "Tell Kenma to take care of himself for me, or else I'll find a way to curse him. You better make it out of here in one piece, Tetsurou."

And without so much as a goodbye, Shouyo disappeared.

Tetsurou shut his eyes. Everything was spinning. His head was pounding.

I don't know if I can even make it out of here. 

He felt too weak to concentrate. 

He was too weak to fight against the darkness closing off his vision.

Where am I?

Everything was dark. Tetsurou's hands hurt when he tried flexing his fingers.

I'm dead. I fucking died in Morisuke's psyche. Hinata-san is gonna kill me.

He sat up slowly. The world spun around him and made him pause to catch his breath. When everything settled, Tetsurou swore he heard muffled voices nearby. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he realized that he wasn't dead, he was just in Morisuke's room.

"So you're not actually a cat?"

Tetsurou peeked out the doorway, but he couldn't see Kenma nor Morisuke. 

"I'm not actually human," Kenma corrected softly. "It comes as second nature to me now, but it does take energy for me to keep this form."

His legs felt like jelly, but they didn't give out on him as he shuffled towards the voices.

Kenma heard his feet first and rounded the corner before Tetsurou could take another step. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy from crying, and Tetsurou was amazed for a second about the fact that familiars cry blood before he was crushed in a hug.

"You-- y-you idiot!" His shoulders shook with a sob, and Tetsurou felt completely guilty. "I didn't think you'd wake up!"

He wrapped his arms tightly around the familiar. "I didn't think I would, either. I'm so sorry I worried you."

"Wow, way to be a dickhead," Morisuke chastised as he rounded the corner. He looked pale and weak, but he was alive. "Can you imagine my surprise when I woke up to see not only you in my room, but a dude with cat ears and a tail just… violently sobbing over what looked like your dead body? I thought I was having a fever dream."

"Oh, yeah." Tetsurou laughed sheepishly; "Sorry for breaking into your place, Yakkun."

"I mean, I'm alive because of you, so I guess I won't call the cops on you this time." Morisuke hummed, and added, "Kenma told me everything-- it's kinda creepy that you used magic to get my address, but… it's kinda sweet, too. I didn't know you worried about me that much."

Tetsurou's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "Well, yeah. You have a routine, and I see you almost every day. Of course I'm gonna be worried when I don't see you."

Kenma sniffled and gasped for air. He seemed so small now, but his grip was anything short of weak. "You-- y-you undid our bond, Tetsurou-- Why? "

"I didn't want you sacrificing yourself, Kenma…" He smoothed down the familiar's tousled hair. I didn't think any of this through. I didn't think I would have to explain myself to Kenma. I should've prepared. 

The familiar buried his face in Tetsurou's chest. There was no indication of when he'd stop crying, and Tetsurou figured they'd be in the same position for a while. 

"How'd you do it?" Kenma finally looked up at Tetsurou, with a mix of anger and despair on his face. "How'd you come back alive?"

Tetsurou smiled; "I had a little help from our friend, Hinata-san."

"From--" Kenma's eyes went wide. "From Shouyo?"

"Yeah. He told me to tell you to take care of yourself, by the way." Tetsurou lifted his hand and held it level to Kenma's mouth; "Any way we could re-bond? If-- if you want to stay bonded, I mean. I won't force you."

The familiar looked at Tetsurou's hand before he took it gently in his own hands. There was something he wanted to say, and so the witch waited patiently.

Morisuke had excused himself quietly and headed towards the kitchen instead, effectively granting them some privacy.

"You… won't abandon me again, will you…?" Kenma's voice shook with the threat of tears. His breathing seemed calm enough to push out coherent sentences now. 

"I promise I won't abandon you, Kenma."

"I-- I was so scared you wouldn't wake up… When Morisuke woke, I was sure you-- y-you'd died." He averted his eyes, and whispered, "Morisuke said I was probably having an anxiety attack. I thought I was dying. I-- I couldn't handle Shouyo's passing, and the thought of… losing you so soon was unbearable." 

Tetsurou's eyes softened. Kenma was barely keeping it together, and the soft whimpers that involuntarily escaped him broke Tetsurou's heart. "I'm so sorry that I put you through that, Kenma… I promise I won't do something reckless like that ever again."

Kenma pressed a firm kiss to the back of Tetsurou's hand. "I love you, Tetsurou." He flushed in embarrassment and averted his eyes; "I don't know how to label this love, as it's forbidden for a familiar to be romantically involved with a witch, but… I'd be devastated to lose you. I want to be bonded to you for the rest of your life."

"That sounds great, Kenma." He raised his hand again and smiled. "If you'd do me the honor of bonding with me again, I'd be extremely happy."

The familiar bared his teeth. "...As punishment, I'm biting you extra hard."

"Bite me as hard as you wish, my lovely familiar." He braced himself for the inevitable pain, and he hoped that this third time was the last time Kenma was ever going to bite him.

"You should really let Bokuto heal you." Kenma eyed Tetsurou's bandaged hand. "It's been days since you've properly used it."

"I'm letting it heal on its own as a reminder of my promise. It doesn't hurt that bad. I swear."

The familiar scoffed. "Liar."

Kenma was definitely right.

Tetsurou wrapped an arm around Kenma's shoulders and pulled him close to watch TV. It had been two days since he'd broken Morisuke's curse, and he was still recovering from the sheer exhaustion of it all. It was all nearly as bad as his recovery from the localization spell, but at least this time, Kenma wasn't down for the count. 

"Kenma…" He looked at the familiar with a smirk on his face. "Are you… purring?" 

The noise stopped immediately. Kenma looked like a deer caught in headlights now before he regained his composure and rolled his eyes at the witch. "Leave me alone. I'm happy, okay?"

"This is the first time I've ever heard you purr-- Don't stop, I like hearing it!"

"You're embarrassing…"

Tetsurou laughed. "Aw, you're pouting now? God, you're so cute!" He teasingly ruffled Kenma's hair. Nothing had really changed between them since the curse was broken, except now it felt like they were closer.

Or maybe I just like cats now. 

At least, this particular cat.

The doorbell rang, and Tetsurou sighed. He barely had the energy to get out of bed to relocate to the couch, and only Koutarou ever visited him anyways. "Goddamn it…"

"I can get it," Kenma offered quickly.

The witch waved his hand dismissively; "Nah. I should be moving around, anyways. Gotta make sure my legs don't atrophy."

"That's… literally impossible right now, but okay."

Tetsurou ambled towards the door, and he was glad that Kenma was trotting along beside him. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Morisuke. The boy had definitely regained the color in his face, and he seemed flustered when Kenma rubbed against his ankles.

"Y'know, knowing there's a whole… human in that cat body makes me super flustered now."

"Oh, you should've seen him earlier. I had a whole human purring on me," the witch teased as he smirked at Kenma.

Fuck you, Tetsurou. Kenma pressed a paw against his exposed ankle and sent a little jolt of electricity through him.

It was enough to make Tetsurou jump in surprise, and he was embarrassed when Morisuke openly laughed at him.

"Serves you right, dickhead."

"Hey, hey! You have no right calling me a dickhead when I saved your life!"

Morisuke's smirk faltered for a second. "That's no fair! I'm basically indebted to you for life, all because you creeped on me and, like, stalked me."

"I didn't stalk you, you ass! I just--" He waved his hands trying to come up with the right word; "I practiced a spell with a purpose."

"Yeah, to stalk me." He huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "How do I know you really are a good witch? You seem kinda shady to me."

"Kenma can vouch for me, and you love Kenma, so. Yeah. I'm good." Tetsurou nodded towards the cloth bag that Morisuke was carrying. "What's that? Poison?"

"Yeah. Hopefully it's potent enough to kill you. I had to account for extra thanks to your stupidly long body." Morisuke handed the gift to Tetsurou. "There's a separate one for Kenma, except I made sure it's extra tasty, just for him."

The witch took a step back into his apartment. "You gonna come in, by the way, or are you just gonna stand outside looking like an idiot?"

"I hope this isn't an elaborate plan to kill me and ditch the body somewhere."

Tetsurou shrugged. "Wouldn't go through the trouble of breaking a demonic curse if I wanted to kill you."

"You're really gonna hold that over my head forever, huh?"

"Well, when you're short, it's easy to hold anything over your head--"

He couldn't even finish the sentence before Morisuke delivered a hard kick to his ass. Kenma yowled in surprise and hissed at Tetsurou.

"Why are you getting mad at me?"

The familiar turned back to his favored humanoid form and did his best to soothe his own aching bum. "You're picking fights with him! This is your fault!"

"I'm so sorry Kenma! I completely forgot about the whole bond thing!" Morisuke knelt down next to the familiar and fretted over him. "I hope you're not mad at me!"

"You're only doing what I wish I had enough strength to do." Kenma glared at Tetsurou for a moment before turning his nose up and away from him. "Hmph. Why do I even love you? I must be defective."

"Aw, Kenma, you're perfect!" Tetsurou knelt on his other side and pulled him into a hug. "Look, I'll let you open this if you stop being mad at me. Deal?"

"You're bribing him?!"

Kenma took the gift quickly and unwrapped it, seemingly unfazed by the glare that Morisuke was shooting in Tetsurou's direction. "It's sweets!"

"I wasn't sure if you could handle a lot of sugar since you're… a cat and all, so I made something cat friendly for you!"

"Oh, trust me. That stomach's human. Kenma doesn't eat much, unless it's sweets." Tetsurou stood himself upright and asked, "You joining us for dinner? Kenma made some real tasty tonkotsu ramen for dinner today. I'm pretty sure it's just about done, right?"

"Should be." Kenma headed to the kitchen with the sweets in his hands to kill the flame on the food. "You should wash up, I'll have dinner served in a minute."

"Thanks, Kenma!" He offered a hand to Morisuke to help him stand. "So, dinner?"

"Sure." Morisuke took the witch's hand to stand. "I really should properly invite you to my home for dinner sometime, I'm starting to feel too indebted to you."

Tetsurou laughed. There really wasn't anything he wanted in return for saving Morisuke's life, except maybe just to be able to sit down and talk to him again. The little gifts for him and Kenma were nice, but he's really cute, and like it or not, we're forever connected in some way. Even if he hates me, I'm always gonna be the dude that saved his life. 

And maybe there could be something that comes out of that. After all, he was sure that Morisuke was into him.

"You look like you're thinking too much," Morisuke observed as they washed their hands together. "Thinking's a weird look on you. You don't seem like the type to think."

"Yeah? Well, I have a lot to think about."

Morisuke snorted; "Like what?"

Tetsurou nudged him gently with his elbow. "Like how you owe me a date. It's been twice now that I've made the first move-- three times, if you count me saving your soul. It's time you take me out for dinner somewhere." He averted his eyes quickly and amended himself with, "Unless I've misread this whole situation, and you're actually not attracted to men?"

Morisuke clicked his tongue. He wasn't yelling, which was always a good sign. "I like men. Can't believe I owe you, of all men, a date."

"Hah… what's wrong with me?"

"Look at you," Morisuke scrunched his nose; "You used magic to go into my brain. That's jumping so many steps. You haven't even kissed me yet."

Tetsurou blushed. "I can kiss you."

"Hm, I don't know…" Morisuke was definitely having too much fun teasing him. "I do owe you a date, as you say. We can't keep jumping all these steps, unfortunately."

"We jumped steps already, no point in holding back now."

"What, you're holding back on kissing me?" 

Tetsurou wanted to wipe the smirk of Morisuke's face. "I really wanna fucking kiss you."

Morisuke laughed as he dried his hands. "You gotta chase me a bit longer, unfortunately. I'll let you know when you earned it."

"But I saved your life!"

"But you need to work for a kiss. Unless romance is dead now?"

"Is saving your life not romantic?" He pouted. "That's, like, ultimate romance! I was ready to sell my soul to a demon to save you."

Now it was Morisuke's turn to be flustered. There was no solid argument against that, that was one of the ultimate gestures of romance-- it was universally accepted, all the greatest romantic movies had that trope. 

"Just chase me a little longer, you dickhead!"

"I get it, I get it." Tetsurou smirked and made sure to draw out all the syllables in his next sentence; "You want me to pine for you."

"Ugh!" Morisuke practically ran out of the bathroom, and when the witch had caught up to him in the kitchen, Kenma was glaring at Tetsurou.

He slowed his pace down to a halt, and he shook his head. "No, no. This isn't going to become one of those relationships where you both gang up on me and completely support each other!" Tetsurou raised his hands as if that would stop the bond from forming. "I'm not gonna stand for this."

"Huh. You hear something, Kenma?" Morisuke gave the familiar a pointed look. 

"Not really." The familiar sat himself at the table and began eating.

Morisuke joined him with a quick "Thanks for the food."

God, they'll both be the death of me. Not that Tetsurou would complain, if Morisuke actually did want a romantic relationship. He took his spot at the table and reached to ruffle Kenma's hair; "I love you."

Kenma's face lit up bright red, so it was amusing seeing him eat as if he'd heard nothing.

Kenma groaned softly. The summer heat had come in quickly and unexpectedly, and Tetsurou's air conditioning decided it was the perfect time to malfunction and give up on life. 

Their place suddenly felt like an oven. Kenma seemed to have it the worst, he'd been migrating from the kitchen tile to the bathroom tile in search of relief. His cat form retained more heat than his human form did, he said. 

"We can always try and take a cold bath together," Tetsurou suggested. They were practically naked anyways, only having on underwear to keep decent. He pressed his cheek against the wall and felt a cool relief for a few seconds. "You sure you don't know a cooling spell or anything?"

"If I did I'd have taught it to you already," he whined softly. "I hate the heat… I hate this."

Tetsurou stepped over his familiar's body to get to the kitchen sink. It took a few seconds for the water to come out cold, and once it did, he drenched his hands. He wiped the excess water on Kenma's forehead and neck and blew gently at the areas. 

It seemed to breathe some life back into Kenma. He quietly thanked Tetsurou and managed to murmur, "I wish we had a lake to go to or something."

"Or a pool."

"Morisuke's at the door," Kenma alerted softly before the knock even sounded. He rolled onto his other side and sighed in relief.

"Wow, are you a cat or a dog?"

"Cats have good hearing too, nitwit."

Tetsurou reluctantly stood to answer the door. He'd forgotten that Morisuke was supposed to come over, and he was about to apologize for the inconvenience of having a hot home when he saw the man's outfit; pastel pink short-shorts, a white tank top that showed his muscles, and little clips in his hair to keep his bangs out of his eyes. 

An absolute doll. And he won't even let me kiss him.

Morisuke seemed just as shocked by Tetsurou's state of undress, but then his eyes settled on the light scars on his chest. Inevitably, the question of why he had those scars would come up, and that was always a scary topic to tread through. 

But Morisuke's eyes lit up, and as he was invited inside, he pulled his shirt up to reveal his own pink scars. "Matching top surgery scars!"

"Holy shit--" He laughed in disbelief; "God, that takes so much worry off my plate, dude."

"Same here!" Morisuke paused and looked the witch over. "You're not trying to seduce me, are you?"

"Well, it depends. Is it working?"

"Maybe."

The apartment seemed even hotter now, and Tetsurou really wished that his AC would just suddenly spring back to life. Kenma was suffering way too much, at this rate he'd probably melt out of existence.

"Geez, your AC broken or something?" Morisuke headed to the kitchen to set down the food he'd brought. For a moment, he was surprised by the seemingly dead body in the kitchen, but he didn't mention it at all. Instead, he gave Kenma a few quick pats on the shoulder. "You guys wanna head to my place? My shit works."

Tetsurou winced. "Appreciated, Yakkun, but I think Kenma's permanently glued to the floor now."

"Carry me," the familiar whined softly. 

It drew a tired sigh from Tetsurou's lips. He disappeared into his room for a moment to dress in shorts and to put on a shirt, and he easily picked Kenma up. "I can't carry a cat boy out in broad daylight, Kenma."

"Yes you can," he argued back, but a moment later he turned into his original form anyways. Kenma whined softly again, and begged, Just put me out of my misery.

I'm not doing that. Tetsurou shook his head. "You wanna lead the way, Yakkun?"

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you already know where my place is, so I don't have to lead."

"You're the literal worst." 

Morisuke laughed softly, but led the way regardless. Their homes weren't too far away from each other, to Kenma's mercy. The place was a lot fresher than their home, though, and Kenma didn't waste any time in laying himself on the kitchen floor again. 

"You comfy there, Kenma? You need some water?"

Kenma managed to look at Morisuke; "Just let me live here with you, please?"

"If Tetsurou's okay with it."

"What, so you could plot my murder?"

"Look at him! He's in no condition to plot anything." Morisuke crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You're just gonna let him suffer in this heat?"

"I don't know. I think I might need a little convincing." Tetsurou was thinking something along the lines of begging, so he was completely caught off guard when he felt Morisuke's hand on his cheek.

"You're a dickhead," he bit out before pulling Tetsurou down by the back of his neck and pressing his lips against the witch's. It was a sweet kiss, and it was just long enough for Tetsurou to process what was happening. When the kiss ended, Morisuke didn't even look flustered; "I'm taking custody of Kenma."

Tetsurou nodded dumbly. The man could've robbed the witch of all he had, and Tetsurou still wouldn't do anything about it because his mind was reeling from the kiss. 

I wanna kiss him more. Once isn't enough.

And it was with that in mind that Tetsurou cupped Morisuke's face and kissed him again. This time, now that he was prepared, he could really take in the sensation.

Morisuke was flustered this time, and he allowed the witch to hold him.

"I take it that I've pined enough now?"

"I guess you have." He hummed softly. "I guess this is the part where I ask you to be my boyfriend?"

"And this is the part where I say yes and kiss you again."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"You're such a brat." Tetsurou laughed and kissed him once again.

Dating Morisuke was a lot more than Tetsurou expected. He thought he had the man all figured out, and then he'd throw Tetsurou a curve ball, like when he admitted that he came from a wealthy family, or that he had been one of Japan's best liberos in high school, or when he admitted he’d had an eye on Tetsurou since the chem class they had together. 

Even two years later, Morisuke was still giving Tetsurou a run for his money, and Tetsurou couldn't imagine it any other way. He was relieved that Kenma had a good partner-in-crime, even if it came at the expense of Tetsurou's sanity-- it meant Kenma was happy and smiling and laughing, and that's really all that mattered to him.

Well, his own happiness as well as Morisuke’s happiness mattered, but that was all easy to achieve.

Morisuke let himself into Tetsurou’s bedroom. It was almost midnight, and it was only a few minutes until Morisuke’s birthday. Kenma stirred a little when the bed sank, but he remained asleep. 

Tetsurou, on the other hand, had been wide awake. He was feeling anxious about Morisuke’s birthday present-- if it could even be called that. 

“Oh-- you’re awake,” the smaller man whispered as he wrapped an arm around Tetsurou’s waist. “Did I wake you?”

The witch shook his head. “I’ve been having some trouble sleeping. You’re good.”

“Aw. You need some help?” 

Tetsurou’s breath hitched in his throat when he felt a hand on his thigh, and he only then realized how his statement could’ve garnered that reaction. “I’m not gonna complain, but I wanna talk to you about something first, if that’s okay?”

Morisuke stiffened slightly. His hand went to cup Tetsurou’s cheek; “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah! It’s nothing bad, I swear.” He rolled over to face his boyfriend, and he took a deep breath before asking, “Don’t you think it’s time you moved in with me?”

“Uh--?”

“You spend every night here, and we see each other all the time except when we gotta work. And--” Tetsurou was glad the darkness was hiding his blush. “I get lonely without you. I mean-- not completely lonely, because I love hanging around Kenma, but-- I miss you so much when you’re not around me.”

“So… you want me to move in with you?”

“If you want that, too. Or we can look for another place, if Kenma’s okay with that? I just-- I really want you to move in with me. I know we haven’t really talked about it, but… I thought I’d ask you first, so you’d know that this is an option, I guess…”

There was a silence between them for a long moment. Maybe it was all a bad idea and Morisuke was trying to figure out just how exactly to break the bad news to him. Maybe this is gonna break us up, or something.

“Will we even have enough space in this room for the two of us?”

“There’s always the spare room.”

“I’d love to have that as an office,” Morisuke answered with a soft smile, effectively quelling Tetsurou’s anxiety. “You have to help me move my stuff, though.”

“Of course.”

“Is Kenma okay with this?”

“He’s been bugging me into asking you to move in for a while now,” Tetsurou admitted with a little laugh. “I wanted to ask you on your birthday because… Well, I don’t know. I just thought it would be nice to ask…”

Morisuke brought their lips together in a sweet kiss. When they broke, he laughed softly before asking, “Did you think I was gonna say no?”

“Well, I was bracing for the possibility…”

“Dumbass. You know I hardly ever say no to you.”

Tetsurou smiled and tucked his head under his boyfriend’s chin. 

Really, as much as he liked telling himself that he spoiled Kenma and his boyfriend, it was really Tetsurou who was most spoiled. He was a witch with a familiar who would lay his life down for him, and a loving boyfriend who kept him on his toes to boot. There wasn’t any way he could really doubt himself when he had two people who loved him dearly and would remind him that he could conquer anything-- after all, he was notorious in the witching community for being able to break demonic curses. 

All he really needed was to live under the same roof with the two people he loved most to feel completely unstoppable.