Work Text:
When the sun is out, Kuro spends those times in a translucent form and lurking in the shadows, often watching Nazuna from the sidelines while he goes about his day.
The ability to shift into translucence was the first power he ever learned as a demon. Creatures like him aren’t allowed to stay out in the day for too long, as the bright sun up in the big blue sky would significantly drain his power. The translucency helps him tolerate standing underneath the glow of the sun, it’s rays passing through his skin so easily. He learned about this ability the hard way, and he fears what will happen if his power disappears, so he utilizes it the moment he can see the sun rising up high in the sky.
This power comes along with a lot of benefits. He can pass through walls and be unseen by any unwanted strangers. Only the person he is bound to can feel his presence, though they will never determine exactly where they stand unless Kuro chooses to come into contact with him.
When he disappears after waking Nazuna up in the morning and blending in with the air around him, Kuro finds himself following the boy around. He always found the young blonde intriguing, having spent most of his life (at least, what he remembered from it) confined within the four walls of the holy place. His knowledge of the world around him is quite limited, mostly picked up from the books he read, and he remembers how scared Nazuna was when they first met. But now he’s let himself become more loose around him, allowing himself to indulge himself to do whatever they wanted when it’s just the two of them.
Since living here, Kuro memorizes Nazuna’s routine down to a tee. Every single day except on Sundays, he wakes up at dawn and heads for the kitchen to eat breakfast. The meals he ate varied all throughout, but there almost always either bread or eggs would be present. Then he spends his morning tending the garden outside the church, watering the flowers and noting the status of different fruits and vegetables planted there as well. If there is a need to harvest, he would get to it right away. If he finishes early, then he would return back to the church and read up on some books in the small library that the church had since before his arrival. By noon, he would eat lunch and afterwards, comes choir practice.
Kuro loves watching choir practice with Nazuna, not particularly because of the hymns they sang—although, Nazuna’s singing is one of the most beautiful voices he’s ever heard, but because it’s here where he watches him smile his brightest.
The three kids he’s raised to be part of their choir stand tall together in a row. The first one is Tomoya, who sings well and with a clear voice, relaxed all the way. The second is Hajime, whose hands grip tightly at the songbook in his hand and sings his best with the softest tone that Kuro's ever heard. And last but not least is Mitsuru, who stands way too upright and his lips form a huge grin as he sings loud and proud. Though they have such clearly differing personalities evident through their body language, the trio sing very well together in a wonderful harmony.
Watching them do their best to sing the praises to the Lord is quite entertaining, but it's most especially fun when his eyes focus on Nazuna conducting them with a big grin on his face.
Nazuna had opened up to Kuro about them in the past, constantly boasting how proud he is of them in everything they do. The three saw him as their beloved big brother figure—their Nii-chan, as Nazuna is called by, and from the short time Kuro has spent by Nazuna's side, does he understand why. He guides them whenever they make a mistake and lends an ear to listen to their troubles. He blesses them with words of encouragement and often treats them when he can, despite not having a lot of money himself.
Kuro can see just how important the three of them are to him, and in turn how important he is to them. It's like watching a fluffle hopping about with Nazuna taking the lead, holding their hands as he helps them out in every step he can. There is no doubt in how much he loves them.
Soon, practice finishes up and Nazuna waves them goodbye as the trio head back home to the village. Nazuna closes the double doors of the church before heading off to rest up and prepare for dinner.
He dines in peace that evening with Tatsumi, talking church duty business on the table while Nazuna takes small bites from the bread. He remembers overhearing a very important figure coming over, of a one named Eichi Tenshouin, but that's all Kuro can catch. It's a relatively mundane meal, but he seems happy to have Tatsumi by his side to keep him company.
When Nazuna is finished, he heads for his bedroom to fetch his pajamas before moving to the bathroom so he can freshen up before bed, leaving Tatsumi to do his dishwashing duties today. Kuro follows him in a peaceful silence, though he can already materialize into his proper form now that the sun has set, he would usually wait until Nazuna is finally in bed.
Kuro leans against the wall of the bathroom as he watches Nazuna strip off his clothing, dumping them to the hamper on the side. His new clothes are stacked on a table at the corner. The blonde walks slowly for the huge wooden tub before him that is already filled to the brim with water and bubbles floating about. He dips his feet and there is a slight chill that courses through his skin, making him shiver but it's bearable enough for him to sink in.
Nazuna succumbs himself to the cold, bubbly chill of the tub, sitting on the tub and leaning his back against the wood to relax himself with eyes fluttering close. Kuro watches the content smile curve on the boy's lips, and the demon can't help but allow himself to smile as well.
"Kuro-chin?" Nazuna's eyes open up as he inquires for the demon to make his presence known, and immediately Kuro materializes from where he stands.
"What's up, Nazuna?" Kuro asks right away, tilting his head and pondering why he had called for him.
"Oh, you're really here!" Nazuna's mouth gapes open in awe, before smiling and patting a hand down on the water found at the opposite side of the tub. "Come over here, bathe with me!"
"...Oh." Kuro's eyes widened, shocked from the offer suddenly handed to him. "...Is it okay?"
"It's fine~" Nazuna assures him. "Now come on!" He pats the water again, small splashes made whenever the palm of his hand hits the water.
Kuro never says no to any request Nazuna gives him, no matter how silly they are, so he walks over and sits down on the tub the opposite side of where Nazuna sits. The water is cold, and if he were human then he might have quickly pulled himself out of the tub. But anything that is chilling and even below freezing becomes something Kuro can bear to withstand.
Now here he is, sitting together with Nazuna in the bathtub a few feet apart. Nazuna doesn't seem to be in the mood to do anything risque from the looks of it, so Kuro can assume that Nazuna just wants his company tonight while he bathes.
"So…"Nazuna starts, drawing circles on his knee. "I felt your presence earlier during choir practice. Or, well, I did the entire day but it was pretty strong during that time. Did you like my kids' singing?"
"Ah." Kuro scratches the back of his head, blushing a little. "Yeah, you guys were amazin' there. I know ya love to talk 'bout them lots, but watchin' them sing really is somethin' else."
"Hehe~ I'm glad you think so!" Nazuna beams brightly. "I love them a lot, and I would do anything for them. We all worked hard to be who we are today so hearing your praise motivates me even more."
"It does, huh?"
"Yeah." Nazuna nods. "I've been training them for a few good years now, and remembering their progress from back then till now makes me feel proud of them.
"Mmm, I see." Kuro smiles as he listens, watching the soft expression Nazuna has on his face whenever he talks about them. "You really love them, huh?"
"Yeah." Nazuna pauses a bit, before looking up at Kuro. "Er, do you have someone like that, Kuro-chin? Someone you raised up with all the love in the world?"
A face flashes before his eyes, and there is a somber smile on his face as he remembers him. The boy is a year younger than him—a freshly recruited member of their group...or, was.
Often he wondered where Souma would be now. He's never seen him since parting ways with his old group, erasing his presence from the world and becoming just a fading memory to the people who knew him. He knows he's just like him now, but for years he never really tried to find out where he is.
Kuro hopes that wherever Souma is, that he is doing well for himself without his or Keito's guidance.
"I did once." Kuro speaks in a hushed tone. "A long time ago, I don't know where he is now."
"Oh..." Nazuna droops. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright." Kuro reassures him. "I trained the kid in all the years I've known him, so I bet he's doin' well himself. One day, I hope I can meet him again."
"Oooh, I wanna meet him too!" Nazuna grins from ear to ear. "That would be okay, right?"
"Yeah, of course you can." Kuro smiles back.
The two continue to talk quietly in the bath about anything and everything, with Kuro later helping Nazuna scrub the suds on his skin from the back. Most of their time is spent with Nazuna's bedroom door locked while Kuro feeds on him, but he finds himself enjoying these peaceful moments like this too. It reminded him of a time when he was human, where he used to enjoy things like food and baths and spending time with friends.
But with his new form did the time for him to enjoy those moments dissipate, replaced instead with a curse to feed on a human's carnal desires until the end of his days. Those he contracted with only saw him as a beast that latched onto them. They never allowed him to do anything until the clock struck midnight, not like Nazuna who asks for his company in this small little tub.
It really was lonely.
But here was Nazuna who never treated him like a monster, sharing stories with him like how a human would with another—reminding Kuro of what was important to him, and what he once was. Though he knows he can never turn back time and remove this curse, Kuro never regrets meeting with Nazuna.
It really must be fate and a blessing, to be bound with the one person who treated him with the same kindness and love as he did to the people he loves.