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Protection is a precious thing.
Teru Minamoto out of all people would know that.
His entire life, he has been nothing but a protector. It’s all he’s ever known. His entire purpose is to look out for others, after all; those who cannot protect themselves from the unseen shall not be left hopeless by any means. It would be selfish to let them suffer in silence- to let them be painfully unaware of their danger.
Therefore, it’s Teru’s responsibility to keep those same people safe- to keep absolutely everyone safe. It always has been, he carries the weight of his family’s exorcist name on his back. He’s the strongest exorcist there is; exceeding his father’s power and harnessing his own just perfectly.
He is well aware of his duty. He cannot take pride in it, though he cannot look down upon it, either- it’s an honorable job. He’s done everything in his power to be that powerful guardian his home needs.
What is he to do when he needs to betray that duty?
Would he be viewed as a disappointment? What would he be to everyone he values? What would happen to his oh-so-great title? What about his family? And his friends?
Teru never plans to find out. He will never betray his honor, no matter the circumstance. The safety of his loved ones is in his hands; there’s no way he could just throw that all away. There is no consequence near deserving for doing something so terrible.
And so, Teru will forever continue his role as an exorcist- leaving no mercy for any supernatural.
Except for one.
Akane Aoi is precious.
Teru finds that out soon enough. His feelings aren’t very easy to ignore- it’s hard to resist those pretty red eyes and long eyelashes that flutter like butterflies on a cold, beautiful night. His heart beats a little faster in the presence of his vice president.
Akane is like a gem in Teru’s cold blue eyes. Akane is like no other and can keep up with just about anyone; he makes that his own duty- to be likable to anyone and everyone. He’s a personality shifter and knows how to read the room properly. If someone is upset, Akane can tell and knows just what to do to make things slightly less tense. If someone is hurt, Akane is a professional at dealing with injuries. If that trait of constantly working and being a people pleaser was passed down from family member to family member, Teru wouldn’t be surprised- but it’s Akane’s personal choice to change himself to be socially lovable.
Teru can’t help but fall for him with ease.
Akane doesn’t like danger or risks, so it’s not like he would plan to hurt anyone, anyway. He’s far too caring for that, whether he likes it or not- he’s safe and a wonderful pleasure to be around, despite easily being taken advantage of.
And so, Teru keeps him close. He disregards his main duty for one person, and one person only. Nothing wrong can come from that.
Except a little bit of distraction.
Akane Aoi is the epitome of love.
He’s kind to those in need even when he despises them. He plasters on a smile even when upset easily. It doesn’t matter who you are and what you’ve done to him, he’s always going to help one way or another. He’s helpful in general.
Though Teru doesn’t find it hard to see through his polite demeanor.
He doesn’t mind when Akane rants to him about others, no matter how angry or hateful he seems. Teru feels giddy knowing Akane is that comfortable with him.
He actually feels happier knowing Akane is one absolute shitty excuse for a beautiful and kind role model. He feels better knowing Akane isn’t really that great of a person at all. He may feel like love itself to the exorcist, but Akane is a great reason why no one should hold in their true emotions for too long. His pent-up anger can really dig his grave sometimes, leaving him frustrated and choking on his own tears when he thinks no one is looking.
It’s not like any of that makes Akane a bad person. Saying that would be far too cruel, especially about the boy Teru finds dear. Teru doesn’t think Akane is a bad person at all. Akane is holding himself back to protect others, too. He’s had his terrible share of trauma in childhood. Akane might understand Teru’s position ever so slightly, though he makes an effort to be a little better.
“I hate him. I hate him so much.”
“Is that so, Aoi?”
“He wants me dead,”
“Eh? Don’t you think that’s a little much?”
“Ironic of you to say, considering you and I both know it’d be beneficial if I died. He knows something and I can’t tell what it is, but either way- it’s worrying me..”
“Hmm~”
“Don’t ‘hm’ me, you bastard. Did you listen to anything I even said? You know what?- disregard that, I don’t care, anyway. I don’t have any time for paranoia right now. I have to go help Hirose-san with second period’s work, as well as Fuji-kun with gardening club duties.. and Ao-chan, and-”
Well, it isn’t really for himself. Akane wants to be better for other people; if it were up to him, he wouldn’t change at all. He’s just grown so accustomed to being what others want of him. His true self is a mystery he has yet to discover.
Teru pities him, just a little.
But he loves him just the same.
Akane doesn’t value protection for himself.
Teru takes note of this, too.
Akane is not careless by any means. He’s very careful, actually. He keeps track of everything he does and limits his mistakes the best he can. He’s not weak or vulnerable, either- when he’s not with Teru, his guard is always up. There’s not a single person who can truly catch him by surprise.
That is, most of the time, at least.
Sometimes he’ll come to the student council room with small wounds.
“Where did you get this from?”
“Clock keeper things. I slipped off the ladder, it’s not that big of a deal. Kako didn’t tell me Mirai had broken it last week,”
“It’s not? I know it’s hypocritical for me to talk, but that looks.. a bit bad, Aoi.”
“Huh? Well, I couldn’t care less..”
“And what about that injury? Is that from your clock keeper work, as well?”
“No, I got hit trying to stop two kids in one of my classes from fighting. They were really going at it, and no one else seemed to be doing anything..”
“Ah, I see.. I’m assuming you’ve noticed it’s swelling up already?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I have.. okay, well.. anyway..”
There are a few things that seem to go by him. While Akane will take care of others and their responsibilities, he never prioritizes his own health. It’s always everyone else’s opinions that seem to be more important than himself.
Teru never really finds out why. Perhaps it’s one of his childhood issues? That would make the most sense. If Akane had something similar when he was younger, then it wouldn’t be surprising. He knows the boy has childhood trauma, after all- that’s no secret. Anyone can tell.
If he could, Teru would hold Akane in his arms and make sure everything would be okay for him.
But alas, Akane is still supernatural.
Teru finds this a problem, even if Akane is his exception for everything.
The boy he adores is something he’s meant to destroy. Akane’s comforting freckled face and soft voice aren’t enough to prove his humanity to Teru. His cute laughter and gentle touch just aren’t going to get to the exorcist that easily.
So what is Teru to do? He’s left wondering in the middle of the night.
“You’re still up?”
“Mhm~”
“But your duties are complete already. Go to bed, pres..”
“I’m not all that tired, I don’t feel like sleeping just yet~ why are you up, Aoi?”
“None of your business.”
“Hm.. well, fair~ let’s make a deal. If you get some rest now, I will, too. How does that sound, my dearest vice president?”
“Sounds like a trick to get rid of me. If you don’t want me to call you, you should just say so, you know?”
“Well, you sound way more tired than me~ I love your silly midnight calls, don’t assume such things,”
“I do not.. and I’m just saying, if you don’t want to hear from me, then..”
“I do want to hear from you. Your sleepy voice is just so cute~”
“Tch.. on second thought, let’s do that stupid deal of yours..”
But he’s not left alone.
He can never feel alone when he has Akane.
Akane is a fragile being.
Teru unfortunately learns this, too.
Akane’s body is human. It doesn’t matter what sort of changes he goes through, it doesn’t matter what inhuman tasks he has to complete to be loved- he’s still himself in the end. That body of his is his and will always be his .
Some people don’t get the hint.
“Don’t let them take me,” Teru hears that gentle voice crack. His heart does the exact same. He feels it sting in his chest. “Minamoto-kaichou, I don’t want to die. I don’t..”
Teru holds his sword shakily in his hands. He feels sick by the sight in front of him- how could anyone confuse Akane for a pure supernatural? Who would try that hard to remove such a loving person from this awful world? If Teru waits any longer, Akane won’t be human at all. He’ll die.
Akane is bleeding in far too many places. Whatever exorcist got to him before Teru had a job to do, and they knew how to do it well. They had absolutely no mercy. They definitely had something they wanted to protect, didn’t they?
“Who did this to you?”
“I don’t know,” Teru listens to the heart-aching sobs as they go on, “..just get me out of here, it hurts- it hurts so much..”
“I’m going to, Aoi. Please, don’t struggle too much, you’re going to hurt yourself even more.. you’re going to be okay, just try to calm yourself down..”
Some people won’t understand at all.
Teru doesn’t know how he ends up with an injured supernatural in his home. He doesn’t know how this started; he doesn’t know how he ends up holding that same being in his arms gently.
“How are you feeling now?” he whispers, “Try not to sleep just yet, we don’t know how much blood you’ve lost.. it’d be difficult to tell if you’re ever going to wake up.”
“It still hurts,” Akane mumbles back, “and my chest still burns, too. I think I’d rather just go to sleep..”
“That’s going to burn for a while, I assume..” Teru slowly rocks their bodies from side to side. He makes sure to be extra careful for Akane’s sake; he can’t help but be beyond worried. “You have to wait a few more minutes before we know if it’s safe or not. I apologize, I’m not..”
“..too good at bandaging? Yeah, I can tell. You’ve never used a safety pin in your life..” Akane sighs, “But I don’t care, you.. still helped me. I don’t understand why, but..”
“..neither do I,” the exorcist responds, “But that doesn’t matter one bit, what matters is that you’re safe now.”
“Why aren’t you glad that they did this?”
“Why would I be glad?” he can’t help but be a little worried by that response. He doesn’t want to consider that Akane might have wanted this to happen to him. “I don’t know what I’d do with myself if you were ever hurt badly enough to cause something serious.”
“..I was shot with exorcist arrows. I think that’s a little serious..”
“Well, I mean if something killed you- then I’d never forgive myself.”
“But isn’t that your job?” the apparition questions, “Aren’t you supposed to get rid of me? Aren’t you supposed to kill me?”
“Ah..” Teru blinks. That isn’t an easy question to answer- he’s not so sure himself. Sometimes he wonders if he should abandon his duty completely for Akane. “My job is to protect people, Aoi,”
“But I’m..”
“..not a person?” he interrupts, “No matter how supernatural you are, you’re still Aoi, aren’t you?”
“I guess,”
He doesn’t like that answer.
“I’ll protect you the next time another exorcist decides to even look at you.”
“President,” Akane pauses, “That’s.. wrong.”
“Wrong?” Teru deadpans, “Now, how is that wrong? Don’t you see what happened to you today? You were terribly injured. If I got to you any later, then-”
“I think.. you’re forgetting something. I’d also like to forget I’m half supernatural, but..” he feels Akane’s hands grip onto the back of his shirt. His grip isn’t very strong- it shows vulnerability, just as Teru expected. Akane is vulnerable around him. He isn’t protected. “It’s still an obvious trait. I’m.. just surprised another exorcist was able to find me,”
“That doesn’t matter to me,”
“It should.”
“And you’re right,” Teru knows. He knows it all. “It should matter,”
“Then why doesn’t it?” Akane blurts out, “Why are you going soft for me ? That other exorcist.. they wanted to get rid of me, Minamoto-kaichou. If you keep pushing your own duties back, someone else is going to..”
“No one is going to hurt you,” the former interrupts, “I’ll make sure of it.”
“You’re dishonoring your title. You’re dishonoring your family.”
“..I’m aware,”
“..so why are you doing this? For me, out of all people?”
“Protecting is my job, Aoi,” he thinks for a moment, “While I may be betraying my family and my name.. I’m still protecting you, aren’t I?”
Akane falls silent.
“Mhm, there’s my point. Well, I believe it’s safe enough for you to rest now,”
“..my mom is going to be pissed if I’m not home in ten minutes, though.”
“Let her be. I’ll find an excuse, just let your body heal.” Teru hums, “Exorcism wounds like those leave deep scars, and you’re.. far too fragile to recover from one of those easily.”
“I am not. I’m nowhere near fragile, don’t call me that.”
“You don’t take care of yourself the way you’re supposed to in the slightest. When’s the last time you got proper rest? A proper meal?”
Akane goes quiet once again.
“That’s what I thought,” Teru clicks his tongue. He acts as if he’s proving a point despite being hypocritical. “Off to bed with you we go~ your sleep schedule is far too messed up, anyway.”
“Hypocrite.”
“Mhm, whatever you say~”
Teru sits beside Akane a few hours later.
The boy is sleeping soundly; he’s positioned in a way that none of his injuries will ache in the morning. It took Teru all afternoon to put on his bandages, and so he’s left glancing down at night.
He slowly puts one of his hands in Akane’s hair. The apparition doesn’t seem to respond to it- he’s really completely knocked out. It didn’t take him very long to fall asleep. The injuries must have taken a huge toll on his energy.
Teru brushes through his hair with his fingers slowly.
Akane is safe with him around. It’s not like Akane needs to be protected- Teru knows that much. Akane was right, he isn’t fragile. Teru just sees him that way due to their differences.
Though they’re similar all the same ways. Sometimes, Teru wants to feel like someone wants to protect him and look after him the same way he does for everyone else.
Teru wonders if Akane wants to protect him at times, too. He wonders if Akane worries the same way he does. He wonders if Akane will ever understand what it’s like to have that one exception.
He wonders if Akane will ever understand what it’s like to betray everything for one person.
Teru sighs softly as he retracts his arm. He’s getting lost in thought because of a stupid crush, but he supposes he doesn’t really mind deep down. His priorities are all over the place.
Even if he’s betraying his family name, he’s bringing protection to the boy he loves the most. That has to be worth it, no matter what anyone says.
Sometimes betrayal is just as precious as protection is.