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There’s a rule in Uki’s family that goes like this:
“Anything related to the Yaminos, avoid.”
Of course, Uki had listened to countless stories of terrifying curses around the sorcerers. They channeled the powers of darkness, wreaking havoc and destruction in their wake. Stories of bloodshed and gory chaos, people going insane and murdering everyone they see, their white shikigami fluttering in the air like deadly butterflies.
(It wasn’t what the Violeta family gravitates to. Psychics’ powers run from starlight, bright and shimmering; they act as prophets and steer people away from future harm, earning the respect and admiration of the townsfolk. All grace, no blood, like mortal angels carrying gods’ word.)
That was all before he had met Shu Yamino, though.
Arguably, Shu was the one more like an angel. That was Uki’s impression of him when he interacted with him for the first time. It was another messy party at a downtown bar, dingy with way too many people cramped inside. Hot bodies grazed as retro music blasted from outdated speakers, fuzzy audio still ringing so loud he could barely hear anyone speak. He swore he could smell the faint tint of drugs and marijuana seeping from the mob of people.
Even as someone with Uki’s reputation, he rarely ever engaged in parties as questionable as this. Shaking off the uneasy feeling, he decided to go ask for a drink to start the night. That was when he saw a figure sitting on a barstool in the far corner.
It was someone with very particular hair, a long part sitting on his nape while the rest spread out in messy wisps. There were magenta highlights on both sides of his face, a stark yellow piece in front. His eyes were downcast at his drink, strikingly purple. The misty gaze combined with the pink flush on his cheeks was enough to make Uki go over to check on him, pushing over a near-solid wall of partygoers.
“Hey, are you alright?” he had asked. It wasn’t uncommon for drinks to be spiked at this kind of place. If the pretty boy needed help, Uki would gladly give it. He glanced at the glass in the boy’s hand, trying to figure out what it might be.
“Oh,” was the startled response before the boy smiled. “I’m good— just tipsy, I guess?”
Uki sat down by him and asked for a martini from the bartender. “Sure.”
“You’re cute,” the boy mumbled. He blinked as if he was fighting to keep his eyes open.
“That’s charming coming from someone like you,” Uki replied, still aware of how the boy might fall off the stool. His mouth was used to flirtatious banter though, smooth like water; cool to the touch and evaporating in the morning.
“Uh-huh,” was the last thing the boy said before seemingly passing out onto Uki’s shoulder, the latter quickly moving to catch him.
“Hey,” Uki whispered. “Where do you live?”
The boy didn’t reply. Uki thought he had blacked out for good. He contemplated whether to take him home or to call an ambulance to the hospital.
“…… 5th Crestwood Street.” Uki felt the steady weight in his arms shift, warm breath in his ear with an answer barely audible. Still, he heard it.
5th Crestwood Street was the Yamino house.
According to the Yamino family tree he was told about, that would mean the boy currently asleep in his arms is none other than Shu Yamino, the only son of his generation.
Uki wasn’t as shocked as he anticipated it to be. He was a psychic after all, and he sensed the faint mana radiation off Shu when they touched. It was just so uncharacteristic of someone from the haunted Yamino family, being so soft and vulnerable at a pub by himself, white puffy jacket and hat framing his face so delicately.
(He’ll admit it, Shu was just really cute. It’s always nice to appreciate beauty.)
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The second time they speak, it was on one of Uki’s first missions alone. It was fairly simple: someone wanted a future reading done at their estate, promising a heavy bonus to the negotiated pay. As a Violeta, this was as easy as breathing. The usual background check was done, and the man was clean.
Only he wasn’t. Just stepping into the house, Uki already felt uncanny. The energy surrounding this place was weird, a strong smell of ash in the air. Cautious, he tapped into his powers to see the occurring events— as he peered into the hazy blackness, a shrill shriek ran through his ears and a strong grip latched onto his throat.
Uki could see through his teary eyes that it was a dark spirit, face distorted and froze in screaming. Its hand felt icy cold, tightening more and more with inhuman strength.
The spirit must’ve been latching on the house, not the person, Uki figured. Oh well. He was dying. It was way less interesting than he expected it to be.
A loud bang suddenly exploded from behind them, the spirit shrieking again. Suddenly dropping to the ground, Uki coughed at the sensation of air surging through his throat.
Something white was in the air. Uki squinted.
It wasn’t one, big thing.
It was a thousand or so shikigami.
He looked in shock at where the paper cutouts were coming from. The boy from that day at the bar— Shu, as he remembered— was floating with his arm outstretched, devilish purple flames erupting from his back and his hands. His eyes were closed, brows furrowed in concentration as he muttered incantation by incantation, glowing fireballs hitting the spirit as it wailed and writhed.
It was definitely deadly. Uki holds his breath. He couldn’t tell if he was scared, worried, or stunned by how beautiful the scene looked.
With a final blow, the spirit dissolved into ashes that scattered in the wind. Flames dampening, Shu dropped to the ground with a soft thud as the dark cloud circling the front yard dissipated.
“Shu? ” Uki asked, getting up and walking closer to him. It was obvious that he was unwell. His face and lips were paper white, and he was lightly trembling.
Uki felt anxious. He didn’t know how to help, so he gently patted his back as Shu rested his head on Uki’s shoulder. Closing his eyes, Uki slipped into Shu’s consciousness. Immediately, he was worried by the tangled mess of black in the forefront, sizzling with dark energy.
“May I? ” he asked quietly. Shu didn’t move, but Uki read from his mind a “yes”.
Taking a deep breath, Uki stepped back into the foggy wasteland, the light hiss of the evil spirit still audible. He touched a piece of darkness first experimentally, beaming in it immediately clearing up.
When he was done, the dark voices stopped screaming, black lifting up to reveal Shu’s mind. It was a light lavender land of clouds, golden streaks of lightning sizzling in the background. Not wanting to intrude further, Uki slipped back into the real world.
Shu was looking at him curiously. Uki was sure he mirrored the look— just like how Shu has never experienced psychic powers before, Uki has never witnessed sorcerer powers in action either.
“Let me thank you for saving my life first,” Uki said. “That was hot, by the way.”
“Huh— wait — That’s what you think? ”
“Your powers are like, really cool. I can tell why the townspeople are scared shitless of you, though.”
Shu laughed, the adorable little crinkle at the corner of his eyes catching Uki’s attention. “How you can just erase the rebound darkness is really cool too. It feels weird, but still cool.”
“Rebound darkness?”
“It’s like a side effect of banishing dark spirits,” Shu explained. “I absorb part of the emotions of that spirit. It was never this strong, though.”
They looked at the empty space in the yard. Nothing except the scattered shikigami served as a reminder of what had just happened.
“It’s my first time banishing a real dark spirit,” the young sorcerer said wistfully.
Uki smiled. “It’s my first time going into someone’s mind.”
“Oh yeah, what is going on with this house?” He asked as an afterthought. “I saw a few the dark spirit’s thoughts when it grabbed me. They are definitely coming for revenge or something.”
“It’s mad,” Shu started. His gaze darkened. “But the guy you were supposed to see is definitely a bad person. He knew his house was possessed and hired a sorcerer to banish the spirits, but didn’t tell your family what was going on. You almost died.”
Uki gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Well, I lived. We should still leave, though….. The energy is probably still messed up.”
Shu nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
He waved a hand and light purple mana spread, the tattered remnants of paper shikigami fluttering along the light to a pouch on Shu’s side.
One of them floated up to Shu’s cheek. Uki took it off, the little paper cutout still making grabby gestures at its owner like a baby.
Shikigami were described as terrifying, but this turn of events felt fitting to what Shu’s personality is like. He could definitely kill someone with a snap of his fingers, but he wouldn’t do that because he’s so kind and friendly.
“It’s so cute,” Uki tapped it with a finger. He placed it back in Shu’s palm who smiled and put it away, a soft blush on his face.
“…… I guess it’s about time to go?”
“Hey,” Uki interrupted, stepping close to lightly tug on Shu’s sleeve. He had to tilt his head up slightly to look into Shu’s eyes. “Let’s go get something to eat?”
Shu looked caught off-guard. “Um…… uhh— Yeah?”
Uki grinned, happy for the win. “There’s this cute shop downtown that sells really good dessert.”
Shu was fiddling with his shirt hem, gaze averted. The tips of his ears were pink.
“Oh, and this is a date.”
Shu sputtered in surprise as Uki laughed uncontrollably. “Sorry, just let me….. you’re just so cute!”
“What— I’m not— ”
“You’re blushing,” Uki leaned in. “C-u-t-e.”
“Please, Uki…… ”
“Okay, I’ll stop,” Uki said, feigning disappointment with a pout.
“It just means a lot coming from you,” Shu quickly added.
“Well, does that mean you think I’m cute too?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
It was Uki’s time to blush. “Shu Yamino, a natural flirt?”
Shu smiled and extended a hand. “I’m kinda craving that sweet ice cream now.”
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Uki usually spends New Year’s with his family or out with his friends. This year turns out to be different when his parents have to fly out for a sudden important prophecy, leaving the Violeta house pretty empty aside from some houseworkers.
Did that necessarily have to mean inviting Shu over to stay the night? No. Did Uki do that? Yes.
He was intrigued, curious, and definitely attracted as hell to Shu Yamino. That isn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was Shu accepting the invitation.
Shu arrived at ten and they watched a movie, clearing out the hidden ice cream carton on the bottom shelf of the fridge. An hour flew by, and thirty more minutes too.
Shu was in a purple hoodie with a cartoon on it and worn-down blue jeans, almost making Uki forget that the young boy was a sorcerer with dozens of spells under his belt. He laughed at dumb jokes in 90s sitcoms, so normal yet so endearing. It makes Uki want to tease him, to see how much more different sides to him he could see.
“Shu,” he whispered, leaning super close to Shu’s ear. The latter jumped and looked at Uki both flustered and confused, cheeks pink.
Uki smirked. “Let’s go outside. It’s almost midnight.”
“Oh— sure.”
“You should put on a jacket, it’s kind of cold. You can take one of mine, if you want.”
“I’m not thick,” Shu refuted, yet his bright gaze and smile gave him away as he caught onto the flirting. “You just want me to wear your jacket, right?”
“Are you going to?”
“Umm…… yeah, then.”
Uki couldn’t hide his smile as Shu shrugged it on, almost fitting him perfectly except for the slightly short hem.
“Now I don’t have to see the ugly frog on your hoodie,” he said anyway as they slipped out to the yard.
“Wait— what do you mean it’s ugly…… I’m hurt!”
“Okay fine, it’s cute. And you’re cute.”
Shu closed his eyes forcefully, exasperated noises muffled as he put his face in his hands and just stayed there, ears pink.
Yeah, Uki’s totally head-over-heels for this person.
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The yard was pretty impressive during the day. Aside from trimmed flower bushes lining the paths, there were also marble fountains and pergolas in the delicately designed garden. At night it all blends into a dark blue mob, but the starry night sky itself is enough of a view.
“I got my powers from a random star out there,” Uki said. The grass was wet from rain so they couldn’t sit down, but Shu seemed content just strolling around the maze-like paths.
“It actually fell in your eye?”
“Yeah, and it burned. I thought I was going to go blind.”
Shu’s expression softened in the bluish moonlight. “No powers ever come without a price.”
Uki nodded. “Not even the physical pain, I suppose. The townspeople seem to like us and respect us, but they’re just scared. The feeling of your subconscious intruded isn’t that good. They’re scared of their own secrets revealed.”
Shu stopped walking. Uki caught on to him just a few steps later, and Shu laced his fingers between Uki’s.
“You’ve seen my mind,” he started, voice quiet. “It’s pretty messed up.”
“The dark spirit wasn’t a part of you.” Uki replied, leaning in. “I haven’t seen a lot, but I can already tell you it’s the most beautiful mindscape I’ve ever seen.”
Shu smiled. Being this close, Uki could see the swipe of magenta eyeliner on purple, glittering eyes, feel the faint heat from the other’s skin radiating.
“Rebound darkness always made me feel more uncomfortable than others,” Shu whispered. “You helped a lot.”
Uki encircled an arm around Shu’s waist, bringing their bodies together. His eyelashes were fluttering. If Uki stood on his tippy-toes, they would probably kiss.
Mismatched violet eyes met purple ones. “Close your eyes,” Uki whispered, voice barely audible.
Their lips brushed, a sigh slipping out of Shu and Uki effectively silencing him, a tentative hand moving to touch his cheek. It was barely a kiss, just lips touching; Uki had gone way beyond this, yet he was just as breathless as Shu, who was clutching the front of Uki’s shirt and still stunned.
“Hey,” Uki lightly tapped on the tip of Shu’s nose. “You still here?”
Shu covered his face again when embarrassment kicked in, a delayed reaction. “…… Oh my god we kissed— ”
“Is this too fast for you?” Uki asked. “I know we haven’t met for long. I just kinda went with the moment, so do tell me if you’re uncomfortable, okay?”
“Oh no no no, it’s fine.”
Uki hugged him again, a stupid grin on his face. “It’s almost midnight. Let’s go see the fireworks— Oh shit.”
From the second-floor window, a woman with distinct purple hair was waving something at them.
“Uki Violeta—! Come back this instant!”
“Is that …… your mom? ” Shu asked. Uki turned back to explain in panic, but Shu was stifling a smile. He definitely meant that pun.
“If you don’t want to die here, run.” Uki started, then lowered his voice. “Okay, I’m the one that’s being skinned if she gets me. Please help? ”
Shu was obviously amused at the commotion. “Well, sorcerers can’t teleport.”
“I’m pretty sure sorcerers can run just fine.” Uki retorted. “What— Mom’s poking at my mind now. She’s so pissed. I’ll probably be disowned.”
The smile still hasn’t dropped from Shu’s cheeks. Fine. Uki could never be mad at this precious soul.
“Sorcerers can’t fly either,” he heard Shu say by his ear. Strong arms cradled his shoulders before Uki felt his body floating off the ground, settling in Shu’s embrace.
“— but Shikigami can.”
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They lifted up into the air, cold December air biting Uki’s cheek as he stared in wonder. A few thousand or so paper cutouts were linked together with glowing purple mana, acting as a sturdy carpet that supported the weight of them both. Shu’s face was shining with sweat, gaze bright and victorious, beaming proudly.
“How the fuck— you’re crazy!” Uki shouted over the wind whooshing by their ears, heart bubbling with excitement, nervousness, and amazement. He looked at the town below lit up with decorations and lights, then back to Shu who was smiling shyly.
“Damn, I want to be a sorcerer now,” Uki breathed out. Shu laughed. His hair was blown messy by the wind, nose pink from the cold wind up high.
“Sorcerers don’t do this, though,” he said, “This is the first time I’ve ever tried flying.”
Uki stared at Shu in shock. “You’re actually crazy.”
“Ack-shually,” the sorcerer said back in a teasing tone.
Uki smacked him on the shoulder. “You’re funny, huh.”
The view was breathtaking. The moon illuminated everything in a bluish glow, narrow streets lining blocks of houses. Dark shapes of faraway mountains are blurred in misty clouds, the deep cobalt of the night sky crisp and clear.
“Look, there’s your house,” Uki pointed at a house with turrets and tiled roofs.
Shu was pressed up against him, warmth comforting as he too pointed at a building. “That’s the bar we first met.”
“You remember?”
“Yeah,” Shu turned to look at Uki, cheeks flushed with a smile. “I thought you were the prettiest person I’ve seen ever.”
“…… Wow, give my heart a warning before you say that,” Uki replied, slightly breathless. “Are you trying to go for my hand in marriage this quick?”
“I can’t genuinely win at flirting with you,” Shu laughed, putting his hand on top of Uki’s. “Look, the fireworks are starting.”
The soft explosions of bright lights erupted from a distance, muffled by air as colorful sparks shot through the sky. It was just as any other past year had been, yet so decidedly different— not considering the fact they were flying in the air— but his heart was fit to burst.
“Happy new year,” Shu said. His eyes were reflecting the bright lights as he looked at Uki like he was everything.
Uki had to kiss him. At this moment, they were above the whole sky.
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“Wait, who’s controlling the shikigami?”
Shu blinked, then looked up sheepishly. “Uh, I think we are in the next town—”
“Shu Yamino!”