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It took Kaoru months to finally work up the nerve to tell his best friend the truth. He figured it would go one of three ways:
1. Kojiro doesn’t believe him, but after some convincing thinks it’s really cool.
2. Kojiro doesn’t believe him, and subsequently stops talking and hanging out with him.
3. Kojiro believes him but his family turns out to be a long line of vampire hunters, or something. With his rotten luck, it’s a serious possibility.
It’s late one night at the Nanjo household when he confesses. Their homework is done, and Kojiro’s trying to prove to him he can make bombolini. Koaru takes it upon himself to sit on the counter and tease his friend as he kneads dough and stirs pastry cream.
Eventually, Koaru draws in a breath. He can’t mess this up.
“Kojiro, I have something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” He starts simply enough.
“Hm? What’s up?” Kojiro turns to him, licking icing from his finger. Koaru’s eye twitches. He presses on. “I know this is going to sound unbelievable, but I promise it’s true and I don’t want to hide it from you any longer.”
Kojiro’s eyes light up, color rushing to his face. “Y’know you can tell me anything, dude.”
“I just don’t want this to change how you see me, or our relationship,” Kaoru admits, his gaze set on the tile below.
“That could never happen.” Kojiro says, voice unsteady, “whatever it is, I promise I’ll listen.”
“I’m a vampire.”
“What.”
“I’m a vampire, like I crave blood and can’t walk in direct sunlight.”
Kojiro's face shifts through a myriad of emotions, disappointment, astonishment, before finally landing on a strained smile.
“Kaoru, you can just tell me if you’re into bloodplay.”
The vampire reels, he can’t believe he loves this fucking idiot. “What? What the fuck did you just say?” He bristles.
“I mean, you can just tell me what you’re into, you don’t have to be all coy and make excuses-“
“Shut up. Oh my god, shut your moronic, inept mouth.” Kaoru cuts in, dragging his hands down his face. “I’m telling you my innermost secret, and you’re accusing me of haematophilia.”
“Are you expecting me to believe you? This joke isn’t really funny, Kaoru.” Kojiro turns back to his ingredients, face hard.
“Yes!” Kaoru exclaims, “Because I’m not joking!”
“Oh yeah?” Kojiro challenges, he quickly moves, closing the distance between him and Kaoru. He lingers before reaching up and yanking down his shirts’ collar. “Prove it.”
Reddening, Kaoru shoves Kojiro away. “I’m- I’m not going to feed from you!”
Kojiro scoffs, “Why not?”
“Uh, maybe because it’s a painful and humiliating process and I care about you too much to put you through that?”
“Then how am I supposed to believe you? It’s humiliating enough that I’m humoring this.” Kojiro leans back, crossing his arms.
“Try thinking about it with your fucking brain, maybe? The sunscreen I always have on, my unusually sharp teeth, the fact that you always have to invite me in,-” Koaru takes Kojiro’s hands and laces their fingers together. “-my absolute lack of body heat.”
Kojiro is quick to snatch his hands back. “Stop messing around,”
“I’m not.”
It’s quiet, Kojiro looks like he’s trying to process his friends’ words. “But like -I can’t believe I’m saying this shit- I’ve seen your reflection before, and I see you eat like almost everyday, and you age .”
Koaru nods, they’re valid concerns. “Typically, a vampire’s reflection doesn’t appear in mirrors because of the silver they’re made from, but mirrors can also be made with aluminum, or nickel, so it’s not a guarantee. I can eat or drink human food but it doesn’t really..do anything for me. I don’t get energy from it.” He shifts, tucking stray hair behind his (noticeably pointy) ear. “And born vampires age! It’s only those forcibly turned who stay that age.”
“Real convenient,” Kojiro grumbled indignantly.
“Those are the actual reasons, you ass!” Kaoru growls, “Will nothing I say convince you? Why can’t you just trust me?”
“Why are you so dead set on convincing me? Aren’t you not supposed tell anyone or whatever the fuck?”
“Would you prefer I just hide this from you for the rest of our lives? Have you never truly know who I am, and keep you in the dark on such an important part of myself?”
Kojiro stiffens. “Maybe you should leave.” He says, not meeting Kaoru’s eyes.
“What?” Kaoru panics, getting down from the counter and trying to reason with his best friend. “Kojiro, please, I don’t know how I can prove this to you, but the last thing I want is for us to fight over this.”
“Stop saying things like that!” Kojiro snapped, “and stop lying to me, I don’t understand why you’re doing this!” He reached over the bar, grabbing Koaru’s bag and shoving it in his arms.
“Just take your stuff and go.” He says grimly.
Kaoru is finally able to meet Kojiro’s gaze. “Will you just stop for one goddamn second and listen to me?!” He seethed.
And he did. Freezing mid-motion, Kojiro’s eyes went wide, a question on his tongue but unable to articulate it.
“Oh fuck,” The vampire says in realization, dropping his compulsion spell. “‘Jo I’m so sorry- I didn’t mean too-“
“What. The fuck was what?” Kojiro clutches himself, sounding dumbfounded.
“I accidentally compelled you, it’s like a vampire hypnosis thing, I’m so sorry, maybe I should just-“
“Do it again.”
Kaoru’s eyebrows lift, “What? Are you sure?”
“Yeah I- I just wanna make sure it was real.” The teen fidgets, adding a quick, “I guess.”
“Okay..um,” Koaru donned a cocky grin, “Admit that you’re the one who threw my copy of Moon by the Window into the canal!”
Kojiro grunts, trying to keep his mouth shut, but the words come anyway. “Alright, fine! It was me! But- you’d already read it three times, what was the point of a fourth?!” He confessed. Having heard enough, Kaoru drops the spell once more.“It’s a captivating and informative read!”
As Kojiro is released from his compulsion, he reels, Kaoru’s unable to be compelled, but he can’t imagine it's a very pleasant feeling.
“You’re..a vampire, huh?”
“No, what gave you that idea?”
⌑ ➤ ⌑
“What the fuck was all that, back then?” Kaoru asks from his place against Kojiro’s chest.
Kojiro runs a hand through Kaoru’s hair, “Gonna need you to be a little more specific,”
“Back when I told you I was a vampire and you tried to kick me out?”
“Oh. Then.”
“Yeah.”
Grumbling, Kojiro pulls Kaoru into his lap, trailing kisses down his shoulder before saying, “Originally I thought the whole thing was just an act to make fun of me. I thought somehow you had figured out my feelings, and came up with the vampire plot as like, a cruel analogy.”
Koaru snickers fondly, “What? I tell you I’m a blood-sucking, creature of the night, and your first concern is your gay agenda?” He teases.
“In my defense! You opened up with a big speech about how you needed to tell me something that might change our relationship forever, and also held my hands halfway through too.”
“That part was on purpose, I take every opportunity to hold your hands.” To emphasize his point, Kaoru grabs his husband’s hand and places it against his cheek, nestling into it.
“Hm. You act all cute now, but I’m still not entirely convinced you don’t just love me because I’m AB-,”
Kaoru buries his head in the crook of Kojiro’s neck. “Shhhh,” He smiles, “I fail to see how that’s relevant.”
He pulls away from Kojiro, only to close the space between them once more in a deep kiss.
Back then, Kaoru had failed to consider a fourth option: that Kojiro would love him, wholeheartedly and fervently, no matter what form he took.