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It wasn’t the first time that happened, and it seemed it wouldn’t be the last.
It began way back then, when Shuten had little to no recollection of being the big shot he truly was. Even when they met beautiful and strong women — yes, the strong was a very important detail. Ibaraki Doji had no interest on weaklings —, Ibaraki would first compliment their beauty, only to say the exact same thing afterwards.
“Of course, she has nothing on my good friend!”
It was enough to make Shuten annoyed at first, and confused after a while. He previously thought it was only a way to boost his bruised ego because of Momiji, a sad attempt to lick his wounds because of her rejection. However, that habit persisted even after Shuten Doji regained his status as the true Demon King, his hair white and his posture changed… Ibaraki would still say the same.
It was confusing, and even worse, it started to be a reassurance that Shuten started to look after.
When Kujaku-Myoo danced, Shuten was somewhat impressed. She was beautiful, it was true, and his friend seemed even more entranced by her looks. Even then, there it was, that good old sentence that made him smile.
“Heh, I guess you can say that” the oniou said, smirking. Maybe he should test the waters, try something new “Don’t you think there’s someone else more beautiful as well, though?”
“Not really, I must admit her beauty is very rare and mesmerizing” Ibaraki mused, looking curiously at Shuten “Who could that be?”
“Well, I’m looking at him.”
That made Ibaraki Doji stare at him, shocked and a little embarrassed. It was a rare sight, one that Shuten Doji was sure to enjoy. It was not everyday that he managed to get the other man this flustered… maybe he should do that more often.
“My friend, surely you jest…” the demon looked away, but his smile showed how happy he was to hear that “Still, I am honored to receive such a compliment! I shall accept it… even if, to be fair, I was not expecting that.”
“Well, I guess beautiful is not a compliment suited for a man like you. Handsome seems more like it” Shuten insisted with a confident smile, testing waters. He didn’t understand fully why he wanted that so badly, but he was determined to see Ibaraki squirm with many compliments “Truly a work of art, after all.”
Ibaraki Doji stared at him for a few moments, long enough for Shuten Doji to think that he won. That was it, he managed to fluster the other man to the point of silence, and that fact was enough to make something inside of his chest flutter like he was a little maiden. At least that was what he thought…
Until he saw his right-hand man smirk and reach Shuten’s face with his massive hand, claws gently scratching his cheek.
“Oh, my dear friend… you clearly play a dangerous game, complimenting me like that. But that is not one I would ever lose… for my admiration for you is bigger than any compliment you can throw me” the way Ibaraki said those words, it was almost sultry, enough to make the oniou blush with eyes wide open “Haha, are you already embarrassed? My king, you have no idea of what you do to me. If you ever become ready, I could show you how much you truly mean to me.”
In that light, with Ibaraki Doji smiling at him like he was his entire world… Shuten was at a loss of words. He was defeated, if Ibaraki knew that the key to defeating him was just to act as smooth as that…
He blinked and swatted away that hand playfully.
“Maybe another time” he joked, but the king could not ignore his own words. That wasn’t a no.
By the surprised look on the other man’s face… he knew that as well. It would just take time.
And sure it did. A long time, after all those battles against the massive thread towards basically everything that breathed. It was a pain, it was tiring… but it was over. And that finally gave Shuten Doji time to think. As they were still taking care of things on Mt. Oe, he stared at Ibaraki’s back as he helped a few smaller spirits.
Ibaraki Doji… was a very interesting man.
There was no one more patient than him, when it concerned how Shuten was in the past. With memories lost and a massive crush on someone that didn’t care about him at all, he knew he had been hard to deal with. Shuten even refused help, saying things like “You won’t be the one to fill the hole in my heart” towards his good friend. And yet… there he was, ready to support him until Shuten regained his memories and status.
It would have been easy to simply take the throne. Shuten was weaker. If that was his intention, it would have been a very simple job. But Ibaraki Doji never wanted that, and Shuten Doji knew it. With time, he got used again to his friend’s persistent companionship. And with even more time, and memories regained…
He started to enjoy it again.
Shuten smiled, as he watched Ibaraki Doji talk to Yamawaro. It had been very curious, how he wrote to the other one as a way to give him strength. Even if it ended on a huge misunderstanding, it was still oddly cute of him to do that.
“What’s wrong, my friend? You’re spacing out” oh, he didn’t even notice Ibaraki was already done and staring at him.
“It’s just… you really grew on me after everything, you know. I was just thinking about that” the king smiled, happy to see his friend smile as well “You were really patient with me even when I was at my weakest…”
And I appreciate that more than you could ever think.
Those words were a bit scary, if Shuten were to be honest. Hah! The King of all onis, afraid of feelings? People would laugh if they knew, but it was the truth. He had recovered much, but everyday he regained something new, something he thought he lost back then. And one of those things were a little feeling, deep inside his heart, that told him to caress Ibaraki Doji’s face.
He was tired of hiding that. Of thinking, thinking and thinking, and not doing anything about it. What did he truly have to lose, if Ibaraki Doji was that loyal? Would his feelings ever scare a man that was that devoted? Shuten doubted that.
Someone that would stay at his side no matter what. Someone that he could learn to enjoy the company, to drink happily, to fight to his heart’s content.
That someone was no one else but Ibaraki.
“Do you want to drink with me, my friend?” Shuten invited him, turning around as they walked “I think we deserve a good drink after everything that happened.”
“Of course! Let us drink to our hearts’ content!” Ibaraki grinned.
Just like that, they went to drink, the sake being poured by the swift hands of Hoshiguma Doji. The shorter man gave Shuten a look, one that clearly said he knew what was going on. No way he could hide anything from that man, apparently… which, coupled with the fact that he was great at keeping secrets, made Hoshiguma a great confident.
“Ibaraki, can you wait a little bit? I need to get something” Shuten gave his friend a smile, but stared at Hoshiguma enough for him to get the message. They needed to talk.
With a slightly confused Ibaraki — but that still complied with Shuten Doji’s wishes no matter what —, the king and his smaller companion left to another room.
“You know… I was expecting to see that ages ago, before you lost your memory” Hoshiguma started as they got to the room, crossing his arms and staring firmly at Shuten with a smile on his face “You always got too chummy with him, and it was never a bad thing. Quite the opposite, you even got more responsible and a better king thanks to his influence!”
“I guess that’s true” Shuten smiled “He’s truly something, isn’t he? I was thinking, and… this is not something that grew on me just now. I can still tell; this feeling is familiar. It was something I felt before, and I want to let it grow. I just don’t know what to do.”
“…you’re still the same, after everything” Hoshiguma Doji raised a hand to his mouth, clearly trying to muffle his laugh and failing at the task, something that made the king frown “How can you be so blind? That man is so into you, you could simply sit on his lap and that would make his day.”
“I guess I just want to do things right. I was nervous about this feeling before, didn’t want to admit to myself that after such a long time of rejecting his advances that it was meant to be” the oniou sighed, it was kinda embarrassing to admit that. So uncool “I don’t want him to fall for me just because of the past, though. I want it to happen because he likes what he sees now, even if it’s not the same as before.”
“You are so… ugh!” the smaller man raised his hands in defeat, exasperated “Ibaraki is sharper than you give him credit. He knows you from inside and out, what makes you think he doesn’t know you’re not the same? You grew. You flourished, and he was there to see every single part of it. If anything, knowing that you went through all and became stronger in the end only made him fall harder.”
Oh.
That made sense. More sense than Shuten Doji expected, but it lined up perfectly with how Ibaraki Doji acted next to him. They both grew with time, and while Shuten thought Ibaraki was the one clinging to the past… that had been Shuten, instead. He had been the one haunted by his past, enough that it was used against him once when it came pounding on his head, saying how much he was failing with his people.
Even now, a part of him was still haunted at how he failed. He wanted to do better. Wanted to be a better king, a better friend… and if possible, a better partner.
“You’re right. Damn, you’re good at helping people.”
“I’m good because unlike you two, I use my brain.”
“Hmph. Don’t get too cocky” Shuten frowned, but soon enough he smiled “We kept him waiting long enough. I’ll go back, you feel free to do anything you want.”
“You bet! I’m going to clean the place; we all know you two won’t do it good enough anyway” Hoshiguma sighed “A man’s work is never done…”
With a thunderous laugh, Shuten nodded as he walked away, going back to where Ibaraki was. He was blessed with the sight of the oni sitting, looking a bit anxious… only to light up completely as he saw Shuten Doji join him.
“My friend! You sure took your time!”
“Yeah, I needed a moment” and now, he needed all of the courage liquor could give him, so he started to drink. Shuten needed to stop thinking, or he would get nervous. He needed this moment, needed to accept his feelings that insisted on growing towards the other man… needed to let himself get closer. With a smile on his face, gentle enough to almost close his eyes, he decided to simply pour his heart as if it was the sweetest wine in the entire world “You know, I have been thinking of you a lot. Of us.”
“Really?” the shock was written all over Ibaraki Doji’s face, mixed with some insecurity. It was such a rare, odd sight, being enough to make Shuten feel bad for it “What about us?”
“We went through a lot together, you know. Now that I remember how things were before, I guess I spent a good amount of time thinking how I could make it up for you… for everything I did when I lost my memories. I know it wasn’t easy, dealing with me like that. I have never seen a more devout man than you in my entire life, even when I was the Divine Child” Shuten felt like he was talking too much, trying to avoid the way his stomach churned and his eyes seemed unable to focus “I guess I’m just… impressed. At you, I mean.”
“My friend… following you was the best decision I ever made in my entire life” the other man spoke, so serious there was no way one could doubt his words “I would never lie to you, when I first met you it wasn’t as obvious that it would be good to me. It took some time, but after a while I understood your greatness. And no one, nothing, could change that. I knew that you needed help to become the true oniou after being beheaded… and I would take all of the time in my life if it was necessary to help you. You were no chore, my friend. You were always my delight.”
How?
How could a man be this good with words when Shuten was struggling to face his own feelings, to get the right words? The king blinked a few times, before laughing. It was a weak, brief laugh, but enough to get some of his anxiety gone.
“You’re far too good to me, Ibaraki Doji” he said with a smile that felt too sweet for his own tastes, but seemed to make his right-hand man surprised. Heh, maybe being sweet wasn’t too bad, if the other didn’t seem to think he was being too soft “I told you to your face, once, that you wouldn’t be the one to fill the hole in my heart. What would you think of me if I said now that I was wrong? You filled the hole in my mind… it shouldn’t be a surprise that you would fill the one in my heart as well.”
“My friend?” Ibaraki Doji looked at him, uncertain.
“What I’m trying to say is…” I love you; I love you so much; I want you beside me always- why couldn’t he say those words?! Shuten Doji inhaled deeply, but before he could even speak anything, Ibaraki raised himself, startling him.
“I think I know what you want to say, but feel free to punish me later if I am wrong” and with such a sentence, said with a most powerful voice, Ibaraki got closer and pulled Shuten by his shoulders into a soft, quick kiss.
Shuten barely had time to think enough to reciprocate, but Ibaraki didn’t seem to mind as he separated them. No, the oni had a smile on his face, so full of love that it made the king almost dizzy.
“You went through much, it’s understandable that you don’t know how to express your thoughts well yet” Ibaraki spoke softly “I won’t make you say something you’re not ready yet for. I just hope you know, after all, that my feelings for you never changed. They only grew.”
“I… fuck, man” Shuten said, both of them laughing a bit “I guess Hoshiguma was right, guess I’ll have to thank him later. Still, there is something I want to say to you, and I think it’s only fair.”
With that, the oniou held Ibaraki Doji’s face and stared at those beautiful eyes, almost losing himself in them. Ibaraki seemed a bit excited, curious to hear what the king had to say.
“Everyone else has nothing on my good friend’s looks” with a smile, Shuten closed the gap between their lips once more. Their kiss started slow, with an initial gasp from Ibaraki but quickly reciprocated into a deep, more passionate moment between the demons. A hand went through Shuten Doji’s hair, pulling slightly, which Shuten’s hands caressed Ibaraki Doji’s face. As the kiss ended, they stared briefly at each other, until the king finally managed to say what his heart truly yearned “I love you.”
It was worth it, going through everything to be able to say those words, and Shuten would do it all again if only to see the look on Ibaraki’s face. There he was, his right-hand man with a flush on his face and looking as if the world was handed on his lap. There was so much cheer, so much happiness and emotion contained in a single smile, the way his eyes crinkled a bit… it was a scenery worth painting.
“I think you already know, but I’ll always say this to you, my friend” even his voice, usually so full of confidence and booming, was soft-spoken as if the moment would shatter if he did anything else “I love you, and I would consider myself lucky to be your lover as well as your friend.”
“No one else could be that. It was a spot made for you” Shuten confessed, pulling Ibaraki to a tight hug. His chest was pounding with how hard his heart beat, every single beat for the man in front of him. He was sure Ibaraki could feel it, in the same way he could feel the other’s heart beating furiously “You’re my everything. I will move mountains to make you happy, I promise you. In the name of my own throne, you will be the happiest you have ever been.”
“In the name of- my friend!” Ibaraki gasped “For someone who didn’t know how to say three words, you surely are quick to say such important things!”
“I guess you’re just a good source of inspiration, huh?” the oniou laughed, holding the other by his waist “You’re too precious, Ibaraki Doji. Strong in so many ways and handsome, I really lucked out.”
“Hmph. If you think you will defeat me with your sweet words, you are solely mistaken! You cannot ‘outsweet’ me when I spent many years just thinking of all the things I could say to you” Ibaraki looked at him full of confidence, clearly aware that just that sentence was enough to make the king widen his eyes.
“Wait, you already liked me for how long? Hold on!” and yet he got no answer, as Ibaraki simply removed his hands from that beautiful waist and walked away with a smug smile “Ibaraki Doji, don’t you dare! Get back here and answer me!”
“Oh, don’t worry, my king…” Ibaraki turned around, only to face Shuten with all of his adoration and love “I’ll have much time to compensate for all of it.”
With an exasperated laugh, the king went after his beloved. Just like that, making it seem so easy… they were together. There was nothing that could separate those two, not even death managed that before and it would surely fail if it tried again.
“He is truly handsome, I must admit…” Ibaraki said, watching another man with a smile “But clearly, he has nothing on my good friend and good lover!”
“Heh, of course not” Shuten said full of confidence, pulling Ibaraki Doji closer “And clearly he has nothing on you either, my beloved.”
“Beloved? That’s a new one.”
“For you only, of course.”
After all, that space inside his heart was meant for Ibaraki. Just like he occupied the same space inside Ibaraki’s heart for who knows how long — the oni refused to say for how long, clearly only to tease him! Still, things were good. After a long time of hardships, Shuten Doji could truly look at his life… and say it was the best life he could ever wish for, next to people he cherished. Specially the one he cherished the most.
For everything he still needed to figure out, it was ok. He could take his time, time to think about his feelings, about when it started for him, because he had everything he needed to continue moving forward.
A king without a truly loyal man would be too sad to continue. Good thing that the oniou had the best man next to him, the strongest one in so many ways. And most handsome too! Nothing could beat that. Together… nothing could beat them.