Chapter Text
With calloused hands, Sakata sighs after finishing mixing the chocolate he was making with a whisk, putting a bit of the dark sauce on one of his clean fingers, delicately bringing it close to his lips to savor and taste the dessert he was creating. With all the ingredients ready, he took the cake batter he had prepared earlier and placed it in the oven, setting it to 180 degrees and carefully closing the door, diverting his gaze to the chocolate he had made. He placed it over a pan on the stove and started heating it again, adding a cube of butter to make it melt faster, waiting for both to melt to the right consistency. He then went to the refrigerator to get two boxes of heavy cream, navigating through the other ingredients scattered around the kitchen. As he reached for the flour packet that was about to fall off the table, he let out an exasperated breath. He grabbed the heavy cream, returned to the pan, and poured the two small boxes into the mixture, keeping the heat low and stirring gently with a spoon to make it homogenous, finally forming a delicious ganache.
"I hope I have enough time," Sakata thought as he took off his apron and grabbed a broom to clean up the mess he had made in the room. He scrubbed the sticky spots with a damp cloth and sanitized the shelves as he removed traces of the ingredients used for the cake. Everything was going well as he waited for the cake to bake. His phone, placed on one side of the table, beeped, the notification sound causing a slight squeeze in his heart and leaving him somewhat stunned. He hurried to grab the electronic device, seeing a message from Shima. It was simple, yet it was enough to put Sakata on edge. The message read:
"I'm done for today, heading home."
A few words in a message, but it was enough to make Sakata feel alert. He glanced at the cake in the oven again and repeated in his mind that everything was fine. After all, he wouldn't lose his composure completely just because of a message. He quickly put away the broom, grabbed an oven mitt from one of the cabinets, and opened the oven door to take out the cake pan, removing it quickly and placing it on the table. He felt extremely proud of having created something so beautiful after years. Slicing the cake in half with a knife, he let out an excited sigh as he cut through, turning off the ganache's heat. He spread the cream on one half of the cake, reassembled the cake, and returned to the refrigerator. He took out a container of whipped cream he had prepared earlier and placed it near the cake, then grabbed a piping bag and filled it with some of the whipped cream, adding it to the cake and using a spatula to make it smooth, good enough for the cake to be presentable. Adding a few purple chocolates as decorations, it was finally done. Sakata had just enough time to wash the dishes and put everything away so well that any traces of a mess would go unnoticed. When he finished, he placed the cake in the refrigerator and turned off the kitchen light, heading upstairs. He thought of taking a shower after all this. After all, he had spent almost two hours trying to fix a single cake; that was enough to make Sakata feel like he could hibernate for at least a whole week.
A few minutes in the shower, and everything was ready. The red-haired Sakata emerged from the bathroom in his well-worn red hoodie, smiling confidently as he lay down on the bed and fiddled with his phone, waiting for Shima, who would be arriving in a few minutes, judging by the time of the message. Checking his social media wasn't so bad; it distracted him until he could hear keys opening one of the doors of the house, followed by a loud and cheerful "I'm home," which was enough to make Sakata jump out of bed to greet and welcome the new addition to the house. He smiled as he saw the purple-haired figure standing at the doorway, opening a small smile, raising his hands so they could come together in a big hug. Despite having been alone for just a few hours, the longing they felt for each other made the air even more charged, a need evident in their gazes, and the gentle touches fitting perfectly to soothe their longing.
"Welcome back!" Sakata exclaimed happily in the arms of his beloved, stepping slightly away from the embrace as he pulled the other's hand with enthusiasm. "Maachan! Come on! I have a surprise for you!" The red-haired Sakata said, leading him to the kitchen, Shima going along with it, just laughing at the other's enthusiasm.
"Alright, alright, what is it? Can I see it?" Shima asked, his eyes covered by the other's soft hands, hearing a small chuckle. He remained attentive while feeling the other guiding him to sit in what seemed to be a chair, probably one from the kitchen, as they were headed in that direction.
"Not yet," the red-haired Sakata removed the other's hand from his eyes as he moved around. "Don't open your eyes!" He quickly requested as he opened something and took out something heavy, which resulted in a slight grumble from Shima as he placed it on the table in front of him. "Alright, now you can!" He said as he adjusted the sleeves of his hoodie, slightly nervous.
"Oh, wow," Shima feigned surprise at the cute display of the cake that Sakata had made for him. 'Feigned'? Well, he had known for a while; Sakata might not know, but being a demon, Shima could do many things, and one of them was knowing what his adorable boyfriend might binterestingCertainlye up to. He had been even more excited to get home and see what the other had prepared for him. Waiting until the right moment when he could return home despite the surprise not working out, the display of affection through the cake was evident, and Shima felt even more excited. He was getting up to see what the other had prepared. His voice sounded soft with a touch of affection. "Is this for me? It's perfect~" The tenderness in his voice could be explained just by looking at the cake. Sakata, a bit awkward, just scratched the back of his neck and nodded, despite all the affectionate touches and honesty, he felt shy when Shima was close, which wasn't common given Sakata's usual easygoing nature.
Shima got up from the chair, a mischievous smile appearing on his lips. His eyes roved to the figure at his side, and he was receptive enough to guide one of his hands to Sakata's waist, the other cupping his chin, their eyes meeting. The energy transmitted through their pupils—love, pride, temptation, and that burning passion, hungry and filled with desire—all the pleasures contained in that one look was enough to make the purple-haired Shima give a genuine smile. He brought their lips close, meeting Sakata's encouraging pout, guiding them into a calm and secure kiss, a kiss that exuded nothing but tranquility, the calm and peace that washed over them, no matter what was happening in the outside world when they were together.
All of this had started when a young Shima was at home with his mother, having a conversation while paying vague attention to the human world, seeking something , after all, the youngest of the Tsukizaki felt disinterested in the people of the land, all ambitious, irritating, and proud. He disliked it, despite having to tolerate an even harsher world. He was certain that humans didn't make sense to him.
"Thinking again, Shima?" his mother asked, smiling lightly at the young one in front of her. "You know, if you like the human world so much, why not take a look?" she continued, sitting on one of the elegant sofas and enjoying a glass of expensive wine.
"I don't like the human world! I... just don't understand," he looked at the horizon again. "There's nothing interesting about it, Mother! How can you like it so much?" the boy asked, flustered, observing his mother's surprise turn into laughter.
"Oh, dear, it's common at your age. I used to be like that too." She approached the purple-haired boy and patted his head. "At some point, something or someone will catch your attention, and you'll want to observe it closely until you gather the courage to go there and see what it's truly like." She spoke simply, leaving Shima confused.
"What would that be?" he asked, stopping his fiddling with the toys he had laid out in the room.
"Why, isn't that obvious, dear? Someone special to you," she replied with a small smile. "At some point, that person will appear, and you'll fall in love with them. It's simple." The woman said as she took another sip of her wine.
"That's impossible. I won't fall in love with a human," Shima said with disdain.
The woman laughed again, affectionately ruffling the boy's hair. "Only time will tell, dear." She shrugged and left, leaving a slightly confused and pouting Shima behind, thinking 'She's wrong, she has to be!' as he tidied up his toys and sighed. He looked at the face of the human world once more, wishing that he would continue to lack interest in it. A place without meaning, designed only to hurt others and be hurt in return, what beauty was there in that? Even as a demon meant to observe passion in others, everything was different; nothing in this world was beautiful, it was just monotonous, empty, and colorless, which only left him even more frustrated. He stood up from the floor, indifferent to his thoughts, walking out of the room, glancing one last time from the corner, certain that what his mother had said would never happen.
As time went by, he grew older, even though it was a small amount compared to the outside world's vastly different age comparison. His mother, excited for his son's big party, thought of various things she could do to make the boy happy; after all, it was his birthday. The woman moved around the house, talking to some butlers and assistants to plan her dear son's day. Everything was going well; Shima had just woken up a few minutes ago and was being congratulated by everyone. His ego was inflated on his special day. Walking through the hall while thinking about what to do for the day, he entered a room that gave him a certain nostalgia. The room had an opening to the human world, but now, it was different. The pale and colorless form that had filtered into the world had vanished, and he felt curious enough to get closer and see what might have happened.
A quiet place, a small schoolyard in the background, a distant park with few people, and finally, another child who seemed to be around his age was nearby. He held a cup-and-ball toy as he sat on one of the benches. His uncommon red hair was a stark contrast, but his attire made him seem fitting. His euphoric smile was strange, genuine, unlike any other humans Shima had seen. He felt mesmerized, unable to take his eyes off the unfamiliar yet oddly familiar person. It was strange. Without even realizing, his body wished to take a closer look. He took a few steps until he was halfway between worlds, now completely incredulous that this had happened. He spotted the other boy looking at him, his large curious eyes, his expression seeming more startled. Shima wished he could disappear for a moment.
"Wh-who are you?" the redhead asked, sounding anxious, as if he expected yet another person to mock him, gripping his toy tightly. The child decided to move away slightly, inching toward the edge of the bench. Strangely, Shima was puzzled by the other's behavior, now observing the redhead up close and noting the minutiae in his actions. He smiled faintly, only to be stunned by his own lack of response to the other.
"Sorry! Um, my name is Shima, Tsukizaki Shima. I...ended up here by accident." The purple-haired boy spoke, making a quick gesture with his hand against his body, signaling the other not to worry. The redhead quickly relaxed, opening a gentle smile.
"Shima? That's a really cool name!" the other said, smiling and leaning back on the bench. "I usually don't have many people to talk to other than Urata-san. Where are you from?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "By the way, my name is Sakata, Akira Sakata!" His smile widened as he finished speaking, looking at Shima with excitement.
The younger Tsukizaki felt something strange in his heart, body, mind—everything was changing as he looked at the other. The gentle voice, the actions, the way he looked at him—everything left Shima confused, disoriented about what he should be feeling. But for him, this was good. Somehow, it made him happy, and he wanted to embrace this feeling forever. So, when he sat down beside the other, he made sure to engage in cheerful conversation about anything and everything, finding common ground. Everything seemed possible for them to connect and form an imaginary bond. Not far away, Sakata also felt good talking to the other, even though they had just met. It made him happy to see Shima smiling and engaging in conversation with him. Unlike Urata, this boy was special to Akira, capable of easily bringing a smile to his face with any word spoken. They remained like this for a while, chatting about mundane things in the world, not worrying about anything other than being together.
As time went on, it was getting late, and Sakata remembered that his brother should be returning home again. He had sneaked out because there was no one at home—his father was working, and his brother didn't have time to take care of him. All these factors led to him feeling lonely in his everyday life. Sighing, he stood up, leaving Shima confused.
"It's getting late. I should go home, or Nii-san will scold me," the redhead adjusted his clothes while looking at Shima again. "It was great meeting you, Shima-san!" he said with a smile, moving closer to the other and timidly giving him a warm hug. "If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to meet you again another day. Today was very special, thank you._Sakata looked at the ground as he spoke, letting go of the embrace and then running towards his home, waving one of his hands while saying a vague 'bye,' making Shima smile, sighing as he turned around, slightly startled to see his mother with crossed arms looking at him, her smile was confident, and she seemed as excited as ever.
"Eh? Met a friend on your birthday? I thought you didn't like the human world, right, Shi-chan?" The irritating nickname was enough to make him want to have a war with his mother, looking at her with an annoyed expression that made the older woman laugh.
"How long have you been there?" The boy asked as the woman just smiled.
"Long enough to realize how much you liked that little boy, oh, Sakata-chan, right?" She laughed again, and Shima just rolled his eyes, sometimes his mother could be annoying.
Despite that, he felt excited to think that the other would want to see him again, going to the same place every day in search of the other, who occasionally appeared, smiling, talking more with him, even bringing things to show him, and all of this continued until they grew up, Shima forcing himself to attend school to stay by Sakata's side, getting to know other people, and finally having a good life.
With the passing years, in a school, Sakata could be seen eating some sweets while talking with his friend, smiling slightly and being expressive enough to garner good laughs from both of them, that would be good, if Shima didn't twist with jealousy at the sight, his desire to have Sakata only for himself increasing, squeezing the soda can in his hand, muttering inaudible words as he made his expression become serious, which surprised his friend, Senra, a bit, after all, the purple-haired one didn't get angry so easily, and that made him smile slightly, seeing how noticeable the difference was in how Shima presented himself to Sakata, the blonde holding back his laughter, he approached the other, trying to find the right words so the other demon wouldn't succumb to madness.
"Hey, Shima, you know, there's no one who will take Sakata away from you." The blonde said as he carefully took the soda can from the other's hand. "You should know that you're the only person on his mind, don't you see?" He asked, making the other look at the redhead again, who was telling something extremely happy in great detail.
"You don't understand, you don't know what it's like to have more than thirty people trying to compete with you, I know they can't win, but it annoys me that Sakata doesn't understand that, damn it." The purple-haired one raised a fist against the wall, causing a big crack where he hit, Senra becoming more anxious as he watched him. "How can he be so genuine about everything? I don't understand how he doesn't realize that people who didn't even talk to him are trying to hit on him." Shima sighed and just stared at the blonde as he walked into the room again.
"Sometimes finding your soulmate so early can be difficult." Senra shrugged, taking a deep breath as he approached Sakata and Urata, smiling slightly at both of them, feeling an annoyed look on himself. "Relax, come on..." Senra smiled slightly, and Shima just nodded, scratching his neck lightly and sitting next to Sakata.
Even though his feelings were blossoming with war every time other people got close to Sakata, his heart would calm down when he was next to him, a feeling of peace stabilizing in his mind, the way the redhead looked at him with so much affection, everything was good enough for him to forget everything he felt before, a wave of negative feelings being transformed into peace and harmony, all just because of one person, and that person was the one everyone in the abyss realm called his wife, despite being a man, Shima felt happy enough to call Sakata his wife, if that's what the other liked too, after all, even though he was obsessed with the other, he would give the redhead enough time to understand his feelings.
"Maashi! I was waiting for you to come~ I was talking to Ura-san about that day when we went to the amusement park." The redhead smiled as he sat in the chair. "Wasn't that day fun?" He asked animatedly while eating another one of his cookies, making the said boy laugh.
"Yes, Sakata, it was fun! Anything with you will be fun for me." The purple-haired one opened a smile as he ran one of his hands through the other's soft hair.
"Hmm!" The redhead let out a happy hum as he chewed, catching Urata's attention.
"Honestly, I don't know how you guys understand each other sometimes." The brunette laughed slightly, making the others curious about his point, making Urata look at them indignantly. "What? Even I, who have known Sakata longer than you, don't have this connection with him, it's like you guys were... made for each other, it's bizarre." He argued, making Senra nod in agreement.
Shima and Sakata looked at each other confusedly as they looked back at the other two. "It's just Ura-san's imagination." Sakata said blushing slightly, stuffing another cookie in his mouth, avoiding saying anything else. Shima, who only watched him, looked at the other two and just gave a sighing smile, laughing slightly at the redhead's perspective, just nodding, agreeing even if he denied the occurrence.
It was always like this, Sakata tried to avoid the subject while burying himself in something else, making Shima sigh for the tenth time, maybe he didn't understand the seriousness of the matter, but Shima would wait, wait long enough until his beloved could understand how he felt. Then, after a few more years passed, he finally understood, on a stroll where they hid from the rain, long steps, broken umbrellas, and strident laughter carried by the raindrops, Shima and Sakata walking in the mud, the synchrony of their steps, their bodies joining in rhythm, the gentle touches of their hands together, united, completely linked by the monotonous downpour of the night. The relaxed sighs, the connection of their breaths, everything formed beautifully in that darkness, Sakata laughed, pushing a part of his bangs away from his face, soaked by the weather, his eager smile mirrored on the other's face, a fire ignited in his heart, like a bonfire, blazing and bringing the missing part to end his absence, his home, his shelter, Shima was his support.
"Maashi is soaked." Akira laughed, letting his chuckles bounce off the empty street, Shima swaying to the other's lively tune, laughing along.
"It's not like you're worse off than me." The purple-haired one spoke, squeezing the hand he was holding Sakata's in, their eyes locking again. A perfect fit, few words, the silence of the rain – everything was so right for their day. The carefreeness of it all, the melody of cars and the patter of heavy raindrops, it was enough for Tsukizaki to draw nearer to the other, cradling the redhead securely in his arms. Their breaths became close, and it all felt like a dream, a dream that couldn't end, at least not at Shima's request. "Sometimes getting wet in the rain is nice, isn't it?" He asked distractedly, making Sakata nod his head, even though he felt nervous.
"Yes! It's a lot of fun when it's not just me." Sakata laughed as he moved closer to Shima, suddenly feeling anxious.
"It's much more... intimate." Shima brought his face closer to Sakata's, smiling as he watched the other's cheeks blush a shade of red even in the nighttime.
"What... do you mean by that?" Sakata asked softly, even though deep down, way deep down, he knew the answer. This made Shima's mind spin; witnessing this scene was enough for him to lose total control of what remained of his restraint. He got even closer, bringing one of his hands to the other's cheek, sighing lightly as he gazed at him.
"What do I mean? Well, I'd better show you in practice." Shima finally brought his lips to Sakata's, conveying all the pent-up feelings he had harbored for all these years. His heart felt at peace again, and his ego swelled when he thought that he was the first person to do this with Sakata. Oh, he was loving being the first to let Sakata experience so many things; he was adored every day for it.
Just when he thought it was time to pull away, Shima tried to step back, a bit surprised to find arms tangled around his neck. He smiled throughout the kiss, leaning in even more to show more of his love for the other teenager. Both were too caught up in the kiss, making it last longer than anticipated. The complexity faded away, leaving only the simplicity of how easy it is to express love with a simple kiss. And it was there, on that rainy, foggy day, where Shima and Sakata decided that things could be different. Not just one, but both of them – together and complete.
So, when Shima comes home from work and sees everything Sakata has prepared for their anniversary, he feels good. He's happy enough to shower the same love and affection back onto him. He hugs him and peppers him with kisses all over his face. His heart fills with peace, joy, and fun. Sakata is happy; Shima can feel that Sakata is happy. He can feel the redhead taking pride in having done something so cute for their anniversary. He can feel the other liking being spoiled with anything Shima gives him. He sees in Sakata's eyes that he truly loves him. So, he's fine. Despite what he thought before, his mother was right: only time will tell. Despite everything that could happen, despite hating the human world and all the people on this filthy planet, there's only one person who can fill his heart. Someone he can't judge, someone he can only care for with all his strength and need. And, frankly, it's ironic to think that this person is from the human world, and Shima doesn't feel bad about it. He feels happy enough to open a big smile and declare to everyone that Sakata is the love of his life.
As the embrace ends, Shima smiles at the other, who just laughs and goes after their pets. He offers an explanation that his little dog and pet squirrel are dressed cutely for this memorable day. Shima waits obediently as Sakata chases after the animals, laughing. He quickly grabs his phone and sees a message in his contacts, mocking. He just leaves the phone on the table, going after Sakata to retrieve the two animals and enjoy the rest of the day and weekend they have – just the two of them, and no one else.
The purple-haired one's phone vibrates again, and now its screen lights up, showing a message from his mother. She's very cautious about her son's life and her brother-in-law's, treating them like children. She's had petty fights with Shima over who's better for Sakata, who just laughs at both of them and enjoys the bargaining that's won by the end of the day.
"Don't mess things up this time, Shima. Mom is worried about this request, so make sure to make Saka-chan very happy!"
And so, Shima would end the day, fitting in the missing piece of his relationship, and finally making his life the most perfect union he had. Despite being a human, Shima was happy because of Sakata. When he had Sakata, everything was fine. Sakata was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Despite his old aversion, despite his jealousy, everything was fine with Sakata by his side. Now he understood how time worked, and how it had worked so well for him.