Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Otsunowaru~"

Kanae ends the stream with a click, sitting in peaceful silence for only a few seconds. Until the vampire's loud yawn breaks it.

"Hmmm~ is Kuzuha tired?" He teases, poking at his friend.

The other mumbles a half hearted, "Stop that." and swats Kanae’s hand away, "I'll sleep when I get home - I’m gonna eat something first."

Kanae rolls his eyes, "Do you just see me as a food source?".

"Yes" The reply is instant.

"Ah, I see...So that's the extent of our relationship", Kanae clutches at his heart, wrinkling the fabric of his sweater, "I guess it was only I who thought differently."

"Oi!" Kuzuha calls from the kitchen, "do you have any strawberry lattes left?"

He drops the act, "Yeah, in the second cabinet" . Instead of answering, the vampire hums in acknowledgement.

This is nice, Kanae thinks, it feels like Kuzuha's living with me.

The thought brings a smile to his face, he'd like that...he'd like that a lot. But, sadly no matter how much Kuzuha says Kanae’s house is his - the vampire would never actually live with him. It’s kind of frustrating, the other knows just how lonely Kanae can get sometimes…

Well, he’ll just have to settle for these offline interactions and other means. It’s not enough, and he can’t help but crave more, but...He can’t risk driving Kuzuha away.

High pitched incessant whining trickles out from the kitchen, "Kanaeeee, there's nothing here."

"Did you drink them all last time?" He asks, padding over to Kuzuha's side.

"...Maybe? I don't remember"

Ah, but I know you did. I remember.

"Then - let me make something for you. "Kanae suggests, "You liked my omurice, didn't you?"

Kuzuha agrees and walks off to wait for Kanae to finish, flopping onto the couch, fiddling with his phone.

Kanae huffs, geez, making me do all the work - hands on his hips. He looks annoyed, sure, but that’s all an act. He smiles fondly at his partner’s head. Turning on his heel to begin cooking.

The whole process doesn’t take that long actually. The rice was already prepared, so that only left the eggs. After sprinkling some sugar into the mix, Kanae begins.

It’s a surprisingly delicate process to cook perfect scrambled eggs: the heat can’t be too high and you can’t be too rough. You must take your time and handle the proteins with care.

“It’s done!” He calls, and as expected, the soft pitter-patter of Kuzha’s feet plays behind him.

They each take a seat, and Kanae places the dish in front of his friend, “Let’s eat!” As Kanae eats his own portion, he steals glances at the other - taking notes. Kuzuha never got over his bad habit, still clutching his spoon like a child learning about food for the first time.

And he keeps saying he’ll learn eventually...But Ku-chan uses his spoons like that at his home too.

Dinner comes to an end quicker than Kanae would’ve liked. Kuzuha says a few words of farewell, and takes off into the night.

Of course, Kanae waves to his friend's retreating figure, sending him off with a simple "be careful." On the inside, however, his heart feels like it's getting squeezed - a chilling loneliness quickly seeping into his bones.

It hurts, it hurts a lot, but it’ll be ok. He’ll be ok - he has a solution for this.

Kanae spins on his around, marching right into his streaming room. Sitting himself down at his computer. What he wants is under the desk however, bending down he produces a laptop - one he bought it just for this. It’s nothing special, he doesn’t need it for much more than watching videos and storing information. Although, it does have a very nice screen resolution.

Booting up the machine, Kanae’s fingers fly as he types in his remarkably complicated password, nothing else in his house is protected as well as this single machine is.

After logging in, he sits back, and runs his favourite program. A handful of windows pop into existence, all showing different angles of an empty house. There’s still some time to waste before he shows up, so Kanae spends it browning the library of photos at his disposal. Periodically checking the time, to make sure he doesn’t miss his entrance.

Ah - he should be walking in around...

A door opens with a soft ‘click’. And Kuzuha enters, slipping his shoes off at the entrance with practiced ease. His thin fingers flick on a light switch, illuminating the hall.

"Kuzuha was cute today too~"

The vampire heads deeper into the house, yawning as he wanders into his room. He’s tired, but before he can sleep he's gotta change - one too many times has he woken up stiff from sleeping in his outside clothes.

Kanae moves closer to the screen, sure he's seen this scene many times over, but he can't get enough. Watching his friend strip down, unknowingly putting on a show. That white skin, slowly getting revealed - it's all so delicious.

He taps on his ‘screenshot’ hotkey a couple of times, adding to his growing collection. In the morning he’ll go through all the images he amassed and sort them into the correct folders.

"Remember to fold your clothes this time, Ku-chan." He voices. The guy’s room is always a mess, various items of clothing strewn about. Kanae recognises a few too, he bought them after all.

Kuzuha doesn't, throwing his shirt and pants onto the floor. Kanae's a bit annoyed, but one day he'll be able to pick them up and fold them himself.

Kanae takes the time to get changed himself, he knows he won't miss anything for now.

Now, it’s time for them to brush their teeth. Gathering the laptop in his arms, the angelic man takes it with him to the bathroom. Honestly, watching Kuzuha brush his teeth is a spectacle in itself. The man holds his toothbrush in the same fashion he holds spoons, and violently scrubs it against his teeth - white foam spills from edges of his mouth.

How lewd, Kanae thinks, "Kuzuha~ you really have to work on your bad habits. I wonder if you’ll let me brush them for you next time?"

He watches Kuzuha as he spits into his sink, wiping the back of his hand against his lips.

He watches Kuzuha wash his face with water - following in suit with his own skincare routine.

He even watches as Kuzuha uses the bathroom.

The two head back into their rooms. Kanae places the laptop on the empty space next to his pillow, and climbs into bed. His eyes have already started to droop, but he can’t fall asleep - not yet.

Zooming in as far as the hidden cameras will allow it, Kanae observes Kuzuha’s breathing. Slowly but surely, it gets deeper and slower until it eventually evens out.

"Goodnight Kuzuha, I'll see you tomorrow."

He closes his eyes, and doesn’t dream.

Chapter Text

Heavy red covers rustle as Kuzuha shifts beneath them, twisting and turning. He's restless - has been for days.

Something's wrong, the air in his apartment has shifted somehow - no longer is it warm and welcoming. It's stagnant - he feels like a stranger living in someone else's house.

Kuzuha kicks his blanket off and rolls out of bed, feet making a soft ‘thump’ as they hit the floor. Red eyes quickly glance about the room, maybe he's just being paranoid...But lately, it feels like he's being watched.

The vampire can’t exactly pinpoint when he began to feel this way...It was like - one day he returned home only to be met with the chilling sensation of eyes watching his every move.

Maybe his apartment recently became a haunting ground.

He pads quietly around the house, unable to sleep, but too worked up to do much else. Shuffling aimlessly, the vampire comes to a stop in his living room - the anxious pit in his stomach deepening.

Moonlight streams through his windows, reflecting off the surface of his electronics. They twinkle like hundreds of little eyes.

Kuzuha hides in his kitchen, the smaller space gives him comfort. While he’s in here, he might as well drink some water, who knows - it might help calm his nerves.

It doesn't, well - that's not exactly right. The glass never even touched his lips.

He flings open the cabinet door a little too forcibly, rattling the delicate glasses inside. Panicking, he thrusts his hand in to still their movements. Yet in his rashness, one of the taller glasses gets knocked over.

"Ah, wait!" he cries. Thankfully it didn't break, but it's still annoying that it fell in the first place.

Huffing to himself, the vampire ungracefully sets it back up. It tinks against something on the cabinet wall.

Confused, Kuzuha blindly pats the wood, fingers running over a smooth bump - odd, considering how coarse the wood is.

What is this?

Plucking it from the wall, he scrutinizes the small object. Rolling it around a few times. He has pretty good eyesight in the dark, so he can see it perfectly fine, but he just can’t seem to place what it is...It’s so familiar too -

Suddenly, he freezes, eyes widening in shock, "What...What the fuck is this?" He utters, slightly laughing in disbelief.

It's a camera, a small small camera.

Kuzuha's hand starts to tremble, No way. This is a lie, right? Just some joke that the previous owners of this apartment set up…There hasn’t been any previous owners for the last 20 years, his terrible thoughts whisper.

The camera falls from his grip, it clatters to the ground. Shattering in the process, tiny pieces of circuit board scatter across his kitchen floor.

Heart pounding in his ears, Kuzuha runs out of the kitchen - the space doesn't bring him comfort anymore. Rushing into the living room, his eyes catch onto every sparkle. Every slight twinkle. They loom oppressively over him, silently judging. His breath catches in his throat.

How many are cameras?

The vampire lets out a furious yell, fear twisting itself into anger, "Bastard, getting some sick joy out of watching me, huh!?" He growls.

He hopes to sound threatening, but that’s hard when he’s shaking like a leaf.

"Shit....." He whispers. Does he stay and look for the cameras? What if the culprit comes back. Does he leave? Where would he go anyway? Hundreds of thoughts and worries swirly around his head. Freezing him in place.

"AHHHHG" he screams, "This is bullshit. Some neet idiot broke into my place for this? Fucking pervert." With rage as his confidence, Kuzuha breaks free from his frozen state and stomps back into his room. Cursing out the 'disgusting pervert' all the while. Wait...That fucker must’ve placed some here too, watching him get dressed and sleep. The thought sends a shiver down his spine. What else has that bastard seen? God, he doesn't want to think about it.

A light flashes from the bed. His phone.

….

What if he called Kanae?

That guy's probably asleep, but Kuzuha doesn't care. Unlocking his phone he calls his friend.

Kanae picks up surprisingly quickly, "...Nn? Kuzuha? What is it?" He asks sleepily.

"I'm coming over." Kuzuha states, he’s not going to admit he's being stalked, just yet - it'll make him seem weak.

"Okay~"

"...You're not going to ask why?"

"Hmmm no, because I know you'll tell me later."

For the first time that night, Kuzuha smiles, he's really glad that Kanae understands him - not that he'd ever say it out loud, "Yeah, whatever" he huffs, ending the call.

Taking one last survey of his bedroom room, Kuzuha sticks his tongue out, "Idiot." and with that he leaves. Completely forgetting to pack things like clothes and toiletries.

Sometime later, he ends up in front of Kanae’s door - unlocking it with a spare set of keys the other forced onto him.

"Ah, Kuzuha - welcome home"

"Eh? Uh yeah, I'm back." He mumbles.

Kanae walks to his side and asks if he wants a hug to calm down.

Kuzuha’s bottom lip scrunches upwards.

So, Kanae pulls him into a tight hug. Gently rubbing his back, "Whatever happened, I'll help you." he whispers comfortingly into Kuzuha's ear. It tickles.

Letting the vampire go, Kanae slips behind him to close the door - it clicks as it locks, "Come on, Kuzuha" He says, beckoning him to follow deeper into the house.

"...Yeah." Kuzuha replies. The air here already feels less dense than that of his own home, taking a deep breath he follows.

Feeling safe as he unknowingly traces the footsteps of a devil wearing the skin of an angel.

Chapter Text

It's been three days since Kuzuha took up residence in Kanae's home. Three whole days where Kanae could watch his friend in person, feel the heat radiate off his skin, and talk with him whenever he wanted. Heaven.

For the time being, they’ve been using the Chronoir channel to stream. It’d worry listeners if Kuzuha was to disappear for longer than a day without warning, so he tweeted out that he will be staying at Kanae’s for a while.

Of course, they already talked to the company about the it too, but when they offered a hand in solving Kuzuha’s problem - Kanae rejected it. Stating that they should let everything settle down first. It wouldn't be good for Kuzuha to deal with this many things at once.

The company obliged him, allowing the vampire to live at Kanae’s house, and okay-ing their continued use of the partner channel.

Once that was out of the way, the angelic man had set his friend up with a few sets of clothes; shirts, pants, jackets, socks, and even underwear. All his. Though, he did promise Kuzuha that the underwear was fresh from a pack he never opened...

He truly loves the fact that the other is here, but the possibility of sleeping without the lullaby of Kuzuha's breathing makes Kanae uncomfortable. He ended up substituting the live feed with recordings.

If Kuzuha asks, he can always say that it’s just background noise to help him sleep.

Today, the two have traveled back to Kuzuha's apartment in search of cameras. Which they do find, they find a lot actually - some in the weirdest of places.

Kuzuha laughed when he picked one out of the eye of a My Melody doll Kanae forced onto him a while back. So far it's his favourite spot, saying that he 'saw something that in a movie once.'

Kanae laughs with him, having seen something similar, it’s where he got the inspiration after all. Before turning back around to ‘search’ for cameras, his eye twitches in annoyance. He really liked the angle that one provided.

"What kinda person does this stuff?" Kuzuha asks out of no where

"Who knows." Kanae runs his fingers along picture frames, ignoring any suspicious bumps. He murmurs, "Maybe they're lonely..."

Kuzuha snorts, "Yeah, right. Lonely enough to stalk someone? That only happens in anime"

Kanae clicks his tongue, "That's no good, Ku-chan~ What about all the other victims of real-life stalkings?" he asks, slightly chastising the vampire.

After a moment of consideration, Kuzuha replies, "Ehhh, then I didn’t say that. Stalking people is bad and happens in real-life. Also, stop calling me that."

"Hmmm, no. Anyway, I was wondering. How long are you staying? Not that I mind."

The vampire groans, "Till my place is free of this gross stalker shit, at least." He rustles through the leaves of a plant - finding yet another camera, "There's so many of these...Is this bastard rich or something?!"

"Haha! What if he is rich?”

"Do you think he'd give me money if I ask? Payment for looking at me like a pervert"

Kanae pauses, looking back towards his friend, "Would you really?" He looks curious, almost intensely so.

"Nn? If the guy's an oil king, then I can live out my dream can't I?"

Somehow that answer pisses Kanae off, "Then is anyone fine?" He hisses, "Does money really mean that much to you?"

The harshness in his voice takes Kuzuha aback, what's gotten him so mad? It's not like he hasn't joked about this before.

But before the vampire can say anything, Kanae completely relaxes, all anger vanishing, "Hey Kuzuha? Let's come back later" he suggests, "It's already been a couple hours, and we haven't even done half your living room."

Kuzuha says nothing - he knows the decision has already been made for him.

"Let's go to that new place. The one that with some desert you wanna try - then we'll go home." Kanae continues.

He doesn’t have any complaints, and it seems like Kanae is fine so, "You're paying." Kuzuha states, already moving towards the door. He stills for a second, "Wait - let me grab some stuff."

"Okay~" Kanae chuckles, really - Kuzuha's love for sweets was too cute. Makes for an easy distraction too.

Kuzuha walks to his room, gathering some basic day to day necessities - shoving them in a he picked off the floor bag haphazardly. Mind wandering to the sweet shop Kanae mentioned. What was it again? The thing he saw online...

Absently, he picks out a few pieces of clothing. Well, 'pick' is a relative term - it was more like he just grabbed whatever. He just needed clothes that fit - Kanae's were just too short on him. Whenever he stretched his stomach would get cold.

Wasn’t it something like shortcake? No - that's not it. Was it chocolate? I remember it being bread-y though...Uggh, what was it?

Soon enough, Kuzuha returns to the living room, brain still in the clouds. Only to be greeted by Kanae's phone getting shoved in his face.

“EH!?!”

"Look, isn't this what you wanted?"

“Huh? Wha?” Blinking his eyes back into focus, Kuzuha looks down. The screen shows a photo of honey glazed toast, whipped cream spread between thick slices of milk bread.

"AH! This is it!" he cries, voice rising an octave. Kanae had found it!

Hm? Kanae found it? Something about that sounds off.

Kuzuha's brow furrows unconsciously. Now that he thinks about it...He doesn't remember telling his friend the name of this place, or of its existence at all.

"I know you like sweets so, when I noticed this place opened. I figured you'd want to go." Kanae's voice breaks through his thoughts. The man's face is locked in a smile, one that crinkles his eyes.

That makes a lot of sense, but then why is his smile is forced? "Oh, duh."

A genuine smile blossoms over Kanae's face, "Let's go then" He tugs on Kuzuha's arm, pulling him back towards the door.

Stumbling after his friend, Kuzuha forgets all about the suspicion budding in the back of his head. Even forgetting how Kanae knew what dish he wanted despite never getting so much of a hint.

The new café isn’t that far actually, which is one of the reasons Kuzuha wanted to go so badly. They each ordered the same thing - Kuzuha because he wanted it, and Kanae because he wanted to eat what Kuzuha eats.

"Thif Ish gud!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full..."

"This is good!"

And Kanae has to agree, while he's not as big a fan of sweets - this honey toast is really well balanced. Not too sweet and somehow still crunchy.

"Come on Kuzuha, let's finish up and get home." Kanae has something to record at the company tomorrow, so he wanted to get some good sleep in.

Kuzuha nods, making quick work out of the rest of his meal. Swallowing a bite that’s a little too big for him. Kanae gets a clear view of his pale throat working to accommodate its size.

Suddenly he feels a bit parched.

"What are you doing? Let's go home."

Oh, Kuzuha was already standing ready to go.

Kanae rises from his seat too, thanking the staff on their way out.

He smiles. Home. Kuzuha said ‘home’, just like he's always wanted. Ever since the vampire came to live with him - he’s not once felt the bitter cold of loneliness.

......

He's going to drag this out for as long as possible.