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Floating...
That was the only thing it was aware of.
It didn't feel like it was anywhere in particular or even actually feeling anything.
It was just...floating.
Its surroundings were quiet, for a while. Peaceful.
And then it felt...warmth. Warmth all around it. It was encased in...arms?
And then it breathed for the first time.
It gulped in its first breath, and a small shiver escaped it, unused to the new sensation. It was overcome with...something. Emotion? Yes...yes, some kind of emotion, maybe even multiple. It wasn't sure if they were good or bad, though.
Something wet was on its cheeks. The fluid was coming from it...its eyes? It couldn't stop it.
There was noise above it. The sound was garbled for a bit, until its ears adjusted.
"...no use for it, Ei. Look how it sheds tears upon its first breath."
The hands holding it tightened, and it let out a barely audible whimper. A second voice, softer than the first, said, "And what would you have me do with it, Miko? I will not have it destroyed."
A sigh echoed from the first, before speaking in a gentler tone, "I know it reminds you of your sister, Ei, but it would make an inadequate host for the gnosis. It's ultimately your decision, but I encourage you to discard it and start anew. You already have the necessary means to create a new puppet. The schematics just need to be tweaked."
The sound of clothes rustling grew fainter as the first voice walked away.
Silence.
A breath.
And then—
"I'm sorry, little one."
And then it was floating again.
...
...Wait.
No.
It was falling.
A distressed noise left its throat as it flailed its body, desperately trying to grasp onto anything to stop its descent. It struggled to no avail, but then—
It opened its eyes for the first time.
And all it could see was bright violet lightning descending upon it.
Kunimitsu let out a strangled gasp as he woke up abruptly, fighting to untangle himself from the sheets that made him feel trapped. Upon untangling himself, he fell onto the floor next to his bed with a harsh thump and a wobbly cry that was more out of surprise rather than pain.
A rugged coughing fit overtook him as he shakily pushed himself into a kneeling position, panic constricting his chest. It felt like he couldn't catch his breath, and yet his lungs were too full at the same time.
Rain rattled his bedroom window as the storm outside grew. Thunder rumbled as a stroke of lightning lit up his room briefly, and his mind went blank.
His skin tingled as if the residual electricity from his dream still crawled over his skin, waves of it leading back to where it was concentrated at the back of his neck.
He couldn't take it.
His nails dug into the delicate skin at the back of his neck and pulled, trying desperately to claw out the mark he knew was still there. The mark that taunted him for centuries. That branded him as hers ever since his creation.
He didn't want it.
Didn't deserve it.
He didn't deserve something that signified his original purpose. Something that he immediately failed at upon his first breath.
He was too weak.
Scratch.
He's still too weak.
Scratch, scratch.
He's useless.
Scratch—
Useless, useless, useless—
He didn't realize how loud his distressed cries were until soft, warm candlelight filtered into the room, followed by rapid footsteps.
"Kuni, oh my Archons, what—"
His glazed eyes suddenly focused as they snapped up to see Kaveh and Alhaitham, one in obvious shock and worry while the other was slightly more subtle about it, but concerned nonetheless.
Kunimitsu's breaths stuttered for a moment in his own shock at seeing the couple, but then his ragged coughs re-ignited as lightning crackled and boomed once more. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they continued to simultaneously claw at his neck and cover his ears.
"Oh, sweetheart, hey," Kaveh's voice broke through the tumultuous thoughts in his head as the blonde handed the candlestick to Alhaitham before kneeling in front of Kunimitsu. "Honey, can I touch you?"
No matter how much he wanted to respond, all Kunimitsu could do was give a choked hum as he leaned forward slightly.
Then, he was enveloped in warmth.
He trembled harshly as Kaveh wrapped his arms around him, and he finally registered the tears that were leaving tracks down his cheeks. He was abruptly reminded of his dream, and he flinched, close to yanking himself back out of Kaveh's embrace if it weren't for the architect's tender yet firm hold on him.
"I've got you, Kuni. It's alright," Kaveh soothed. The blonde shifted slightly to address his partner, "Alhaitham, bandages?"
"Mh, on it," the Scribe hummed. He set the candlestick on the floor so as to not leave Kunimitsu and Kaveh without a light source before he went to search for a medical kit in Kunimitsu's bathroom.
"Alright," Kaveh murmured as his attention shifted back to Kunimitsu. One of the architect's hands slid up his back and shoulder before landing on his own hands that were still digging into his skin. "How about we let go of your neck, okay, sweetheart? Let go, honey."
Kaveh's hand rubbed at his own, not forcefully pulling his hands away from his neck, but not relenting either. Kunimitsu gradually emboldened himself to retract his nails from his skin. Not sure of what else to do with his hands and nervous energy, he found himself gripping onto Kaveh's nightshirt, burrowing his head into the blonde's chest.
Don't leave me, please! Don't throw me out! Don't toss me away! Don't leave, don't leave, don't leave—
"We're not leaving, bud," Alhaitham's solemn yet earnest voice replied from beside him and oh, he must've said that out loud.
"That's right, we're going to be right here with you as long as you want," Kaveh reassured as he began to rub Kunimitsu's back in wide strokes. Kunimitsu marginally relaxed, but he still felt like he couldn't catch his breath as he gasped for air. The blonde must've noticed his struggle because he said, "Can you follow my breathing, sweetheart? Let's try, okay? In, 2, 3, 4...hold, 2, 3, 4...out, 2, 3, 4..."
Kunimitsu's chest heaved with effort as he attempted to follow Kaveh's rhythm. Kaveh's hand that was rubbing his back followed the count as well, providing something extra to help Kunimitsu ground himself. The architect's hand moved to his upper back, paused, and then moved back down before repeating the process.
Up...pause...down...repeat.
Breath in...hold...breathe out...repeat.
It felt like an uphill battle trying to get his breathing even somewhat under control, but with the architect's soothing words and ministrations, Kunimitsu gradually found himself regaining his senses. He huffed out a tired sigh and gently tugged Kaveh's shirt to get his attention.
"Ah, feeling a little better, honey?" Kaveh asked, pausing his motions and marginally pulling back from Kunimitsu to glance down and take stock of his condition.
Kunimitsu merely hummed in response, afraid to open his mouth to verbally respond lest he lose his concentration on his breathing and breakdown again.
"Kuni," Alhaitham began gently from beside him, "I need to clean your neck and bandage it. May I touch you?"
He couldn't help but let out a soft whine as he shuddered, panic briefly overtaking his being once more. Thankfully, he managed to quell it before he could spiral again, settling back into Kaveh's embrace with a gulp and a nod.
"I'll be as quick and efficient as I can," Alhaitham reassured, and then he set to work.
Kunimitsu sucked in a harsh, hissing breath through clenched teeth as the Scribe began cleaning his wound. His body trembled, muscles tensing as Alhaitham diligently yet carefully cleaned his neck. He heard the silver-haired man let out a questioning hum, sounding both concerned and confused, but otherwise remained silent as he finished dressing the gashes and cleaning Kunimitsu's nails of residual blood.
"There, all done, bud," Alhaitham murmured, giving his shoulder a light pat before tucking away the first aid supplies into the med kit.
Kunimitsu sighed as his body practically wilted, exhaustion overwhelming him to the point that Kaveh had to shoulder most of his weight. The architect let out a soft coo as he pulled Kunimitsu closer into his embrace for a moment. Once Alhaitham finished packing up the med kit, he shuffled closer to the two, not quite joining in the hug but allowing his presence to offer comfort as he tenderly ran his fingers through Kunimitsu's hair.
"It's alright, Kuni," Kaveh soothed. "You're okay. We're okay."
Kunimitsu let himself bask in the soothing company of the couple as he gradually came back to his senses. All was quiet in the room except for the blonde's gentle words and the rustle of clothes. The storm, though still there, settled down to a soft drizzle, raindrops quietly hitting his window with a pitter-patter.
He slowly and reluctantly pulled back from the embrace, wiping away the residual tear tracks from his cheeks with a final sniff. He couldn't quite meet the couples' eyes, embarrassment heating his skin as he murmured in way of apology, "I...I didn't mean to wake you two..."
"Oh, no, that's alright," Kaveh reassured. "We were just about to get up to start our day anyways."
Alhaitham hummed in agreement.
Kunimitsu felt his resolve strengthen to finally raise his head and meet their gazes. Kaveh's eyes still held a certain amount of concern, but it was overshadowed by the soft yet fierce affection that burned there. Alhaitham, on the other hand...
Though he was obviously still worried, Alhaitham studied Kunimitsu with a look of barely-concealed curiosity mixed with confusion. He hated to admit it, but the Scribe's stare made his skin tingle as he became increasingly apprehensive of the man's thoughts. He swore he could actively see the gears turning in Alhaitham's head, trying to piece together some bits of information. But what...?
"Kuni," Alhaitham began, "we don't have to talk about any of this until you're ready, but I couldn't help but notice that your blood was...abnormal, to lightly put it."
Kunimitsu's body went ice cold.
Oh. Crap. He didn't think about how his violet "blood" wouldn't go unnoticed by the Scribe. And the electro mark, fuck—
"Easy, bud," Alhaitham rumbled when one of Kunimitsu's hands flew to cover the back of his neck. "We don't have to discuss it now, just be careful not to reopen the wound."
Kunimitsu gulped in a quick breath and held it for a second before shakily releasing it. He hesitantly lowered his arms once more, only to instead wrap them around his knees, pulling them close to his chest. He just...he needed to feel somewhat protected for what was to come.
"I'll...I'll tell you."
So he did.
Not everything, of course, and certainly not anything specific—he wasn't ready to dump all of his past traumas onto the couple in front of him just yet—but he told them that he wasn't human. He was a creation. A puppet, who was swiftly discarded by his creator after he failed to fulfill the requirements he was specifically designed for. Because he had shown weakness upon his first breath.
Because he was weak, and he was useless—
"Oh, sweetheart," a wobbly voice broke him out of his inner turmoil. Slightly startled, Kunimitsu looked up to meet Kaveh's sorrowful expression, warm magenta eyes glittering with tears. The blonde reached out to tenderly cradle one of Kunimitsu's hands as he continued, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. No one deserves that, human or puppet."
Kunimitsu swallowed thickly, and gently squeezed Kaveh's hand in silent appreciation. A separate hand came to rest on his head, and he turned to meet Alhaitham's intense teal gaze.
"Kunimitsu," Alhaitham began softly, eyes hardening in determination, "we're not going anywhere."
Kunimitsu couldn't help the shocked gasp that left him, fully understanding what the Scribe meant in such a simple yet heavy statement.
We won't leave you behind, even in times of hardship. We won't turn you away, no matter who or what you are. We're here to stay, as long as you want us.
Kunimitsu felt his lips tremble as new tears slipped down his cheeks. He slowly leaned forward and lightly rested his head on Alhaitham's shoulder, knowing that the Scribe wasn't always fond of physical affection. He was pleasantly surprised when Alhaitham's hand gently nudged his head to encourage him to rest more of his weight on the man's shoulder. The Scribe's fingers started to softly card through his hair as Kaveh's hand tenderly rubbed his own.
Content silence settled over the trio as they savored each others' presence, simply breathing and existing in this one moment in time together.
After an indiscernible amount of time later, Kunimitsu broke the calm stillness among them. He carefully nudged his head against Alhaitham's shoulder before carefully lifting it to sit up straight, and he squeezed Kaveh's hand one more time before reluctantly letting go.
"Thank you," he whispered, hoping the two would realize the weight of his words and everything he wanted to say in them but couldn't bring himself to speak aloud.
"Of course," Kaveh murmured with a smile, accompanied by a hum from Alhaitham. Kunimitsu watched as the blonde rose to his feet, wiping off nonexistent dust from his sleepwear as he continued, more upbeat, "What do you say about making some breakfast, hm? Then we can have a lazy morning after!"
The Scribe let out a soft snort as he also stood up, smirking, "Always thinking with your stomach first, Kav."
"Hey! It is actually morning now, so of course I'm going to suggest we have breakfast, Haitham!" Kaveh exclaimed as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes exaggeratively, drawing a chuckle out of Kunimitsu. The architect glanced over at the sound, and his face broke out into another smile. "Would you like to help me, Kuni?"
He couldn't help it as the corner of his lips tugged up into a half-smile-half-smirk, rising to his feet as he agreed nonchalantly, "Sure, why not."
Kunimitsu glanced to his window as he began to follow the couple out of his room. It was no longer storming outside. Instead, the first rays of sunlight were peeking over the horizon, accompanied by the vibrant sound of birds chirping, signifying the start of a new day.
He would share his full story with Kaveh and Alhaitham. One day, eventually. For now, though, he would cherish these little moments with them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kunimitsu saw Kaveh's body go still as he cooked their breakfast. Curious, he turned towards the blonde, taking in the way Kaveh seemed to be puzzling something out in his head. Kaveh shifted towards Kunimitsu and let their eyes meet.
"Wait...if you're a puppet, then...you really weren't joking when you said you were over 400 years old?!"
"..."
"..."
"Why would I joke about that?"
"H-huh?!"