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Yoh kneels by Mizuki's feet, head hanging down, well aware of the punishment he's about to receive.
Mizuki can feel the vein on his forehead about to pop. Not even his cute, pitiful eyes can move him today.
He thought that Yoh would have learned his lesson since the stormy day of Typhoon No. 5, but it seems that it went through his head, and he didn't internalize what was really important.
"I swear, I didn't mean to take long, I just—"
"And what?" Mizuki interrupts. "Have me come back to an empty house instead of letting me know where you were off to?"
Yoh flinches. What he will say next is merely an excuse, as valid as it is. Doesn't he realize how terrifying it is for the house to be completely quiet when Yoh was supposed to stay all day with him? It's one thing for him to leave and go to the supermarket because they didn't have the ingredients Yoh planned to cook for lunch, but the fact that he even forgot his phone behind, so Mizuki couldn't even contact him to ask him where he went, was low, even for Yoh. He was lucky that it only took five minutes until Yoh opened the front door. Mizuki was about to go insane and call Kanami in a panic.
Seriously, if Yoh wanted ingredients so bad, he could have called Mizuki, too. He went outside himself to run some errands; can't he rely on Mizuki for that, too? Yoh didn't have to do everything himself… he thought Yoh knew that.
"I'm really sorry…" Yoh says in a quiet voice. "I wasn't leaving, I promise… I just forgot my phone."
Oh, so he's aware of that. But he misses the point again, as is typical of him.
Mizuki taps his bicep on his crossed arms, looking down at Yoh. What should he do with this naughty boy? Tying him up is too redundant, and he's just gonna take the wrong lesson from it. And there's no point in sulking over it, either, and Mizuki doesn't want to waste this day giving Yoh the silent treatment.
He looks around the living room and spots the folded laundry that Yoh still hasn't put in Mizuki's drawers. He squints his eyes and takes one of his ties, unfolding it loosely. Then he takes the dining room chair and puts it in the middle of the living room.
"Get up and sit."
Yoh looks at him confusedly, but Mizuki pulls him up and lets him sit on the chair.
"What do you want me to do?"
"For you to reflect on your actions."
Yoh still doesn't know what's going to happen, and Mizuki doesn't give him the luxury of an answer as he covers Yoh's eyes with his tie and binds it tightly on the back of his head.
"Huh?"
Yoh immediately touches the tie, but Mizuki lowers his hands. Yoh's eyebrows are furrowed above the blindfold, but he keeps his fists curled on his lap as Mizuki stares him down. Not like he knows that Mizuki is looking at him, though. Still, Mizuki covers Yoh's fists with his hands as he crouches down, looking up at his bowed head.
"Do you trust me?"
"Um…"
Wow, that hurts. "Answer me."
Yoh shudders. His lower lip trembles at Mizuki's tone, immediately noticing the irritation in his voice.
"I do."
Yoh probably means it. He was only hesitant in answering because of the suddenness of the situation, but Mizuki's not ready to forgive him just yet. Not even his direct answer is convincing enough.
"That's nice," Mizuki mumbles. "Because I don't trust you right now."
"M-mizuki-san?"
Oh, of all the times to call me by my name, Mizuki thinks. Actually, Yoh had gotten better at it, as he had started calling his name much more in bed or if he really needed something, this opportunistic bastard. But it's the little wins that count.
So this is going to hurt a lot more.
"You're going to have to do something for me to regain it, okay?"
"Wh-what do I have to do?"
"You will stay here." Mizuki stands. He watches Yoh's head follow the sound of his voice. "And until I say so, you're not allowed to leave this seat, and you're not allowed to remove the blindfold either. Understood?"
"But…"
Mizuki squints at him. "But? What do you have to say against it?"
"No…" Yoh shakes his head, and then he hangs it low, as if he were looking down on his hands. "But I promised you I'd spend time with you today…"
Mizuki smirks. That's a different answer than he expected. Did Yoh really look forward to Mizuki's day off today? Is that why he rushed outside to get the ingredients he needed for their lunch? Then Yoh should have planned better, and maybe they'd have had more time to be together.
"You did, but you had to pull this stunt, so this is what you're doing today."
"I'm sorry…"
Mizuki sighs and ruffles Yoh's hair. "No more apologies. If you really want me to forgive you, you have to follow what I say."
"Okay…"
He smiles fully. Yoh now seems determined to regain Mizuki's trust, sitting properly as Mizuki asked him to. He retrieves a book and proceeds to sit on the couch, keeping Yoh in his vision as he starts to read.
Yoh senses what Mizuki is doing, but he sits still. He seems reassured by the flipping of the pages, too. Occasionally, Mizuki looks up from his book and watches Yoh fidget in his seat. He's probably getting bored as he pulls his legs up from the seat and hugs his knee, but he doesn't remove the blindfold. Mizuki didn't even restrict him from talking, but he's as quiet as he usually is, which makes Mizuki smirk.
He's really determined to be a good boy, isn't he? Mizuki seriously feels giddy. Yoh may act like such a brat, but he wants Mizuki's approval more than anything else. He can deny and turn his head away all he wants, but the truth will always show itself in the end. It doesn't matter how dishonest Yoh is with his feelings, because Mizuki knows what to give to Yoh when he needs it.
To deprive him of it is what Yoh is going to unfortunately learn if he keeps being reckless.
It's for his sake, after all.
When Mizuki checks the time, he realizes that forty minutes have passed since he told Yoh to stay in his seat. He's probably a bit sore since he'd been changing positions on his chair the entire time, but he didn't stand up once. Well, he figured that since the only thing Yoh does is stay at home all day and draw, that's one hurdle jumped.
Here, the real test begins.
Mizuki stands and closes the book, making sure his feet land with heavy steps as he walks past Yoh.
"Huh?"
Mizuki returns the book, and he loudly walks to the hallway. He opens the front door and closes it loudly enough so that Yoh can clearly hear it from the living room.
"Mizuki-san?"
Putting his slippers by the doorway, he then walks back to the living room as silently as he can, even avoiding the space around Yoh, because he's somehow sure that Yoh is attuned to Mizuki's presence even without vision. He sits on the couch slowly, watching Yoh's head turn from side to side, trying to sense if Mizuki is around at all—Mizuki is successful, seeing as Yoh isn't aware he has never left.
Mizuki covers his mouth, thinking that maybe even a silent, amused laugh would make Yoh sense him there. It's not that Mizuki is laughing at Yoh, but the punishment is a lot more effective than he thought it would be. He watches Yoh rub his knees, the fidgeting worsening with each passing minute.
"He's coming back, isn't he?"
Mizuki leans forward. So he's only talkative when Mizuki isn't around to hear him? Yoh continues to mumble, rubbing his arms as if he were cold.
"Maybe he forgot to buy something from earlier…"
No, I didn't, Mizuki wants to rebut. But he stays quiet, still watching Yoh, whose hands have now resorted to clenching so tightly against his chest that his knuckles have turned white. Through his baggy hoodie, Mizuki can see that Yoh is shaking.
It should be terrible that delight surges through him seeing Yoh like this, but he doesn't feel guilty at all.
Yoh, who is usually aloof and air-headed, would have probably just waited on his own without any problem. That's what Mizuki assumed anyway.
"Where are you?" Yoh's voice is now louder, the tremor evident in his pleas. "You didn't leave me, didn't you?"
Now he's practically begging for him. Yoh, who only gets what he wants by being a brat, is finally in grief over being held back from the one thing he needs most. Poor thing.
"Come… Come back…" Yoh begs, his moaning making it seem like he's in pain. "Mizuki-san, please…"
Yoh's body curls in on itself as he hugs himself tightly, trying to find comfort in the vast space Mizuki left him in. It's like the opposite of claustrophobia, where Yoh is in intense anxiety over the uncertainty of openness, with neither touch nor sound reassuring him of his fate. He's only abandoned in the darkness of the blindfold, which is ironic, considering that it's still just the afternoon and the sunlight is shining beautifully on their living room.
This is precisely how it feels for Mizuki.
"Mizuki-san… Mizuki-san…"
Amidst the sadism coursing through his veins, he silently thinks, serves you right.
It's not that he wants to make Yoh suffer, but Yoh is just so careless and inconsiderate of what Mizuki feels that even tying him up on his bed was ineffective in getting the message across. Maybe he was too lenient, giving in too quickly when Yoh begged him to come back for him, which left him with a fever right after sex.
The simple truth is that Mizuki's life is completely dependent on Yoh.
He did not lie when he said he needs Yoh to breathe. Everything else is pretense—sure, the weather may be his life's career, but having a job is simply a means to an end. What he has right now is all to be able to support the lifestyle he has with Yoh, and he's not as frivolous as to have material wants that get in the way of that. Well, if Yoh wants any, then Mizuki is glad to give them to him if he just asks. Mizuki has no problem spoiling Yoh absolutely rotten, but this boy is guilty of all the wrong things and shameless about the ones that leave Mizuki reeling.
So it's only right that Mizuki teaches Yoh the consequences of his actions.
But Mizuki is not so cruel as to leave Yoh like this for any longer than necessary. He may be a strict lover, but not a terrible one. Hopefully.
He stands as Yoh's breathing turns heavy, the moaning finally turning into horrible cries, wetting the tie over his eyes. He walks in front of him, still keeping quiet about his presence.
"Please," Yoh pleads. His words are cut off with every hic and sob, unable to bear the loneliness any longer. "I'm sorry, come back—don't leave me alone, please—"
"Have you learned your lesson?"
Yoh jumps as he hears his voice, and his hands immediately reach out to where he is, desperate for his touch. "Mizuki—Mizuki-san—"
"I got you," Mizuki catches Yoh's hands, immediately pulling him into an embrace. Yoh sobs into Mizuki's chest, still seated, as he wraps his arms around Mizuki tightly. "I'm here now."
Mizuki belatedly realizes that Yoh is still seeking his permission. With a chuckle, he pulls Yoh up from the chair, but Yoh is clinging to him so tightly that they stumble backwards into the couch behind Mizuki. Ow, Mizuki flinches as his back hits the couch's armrest, but that doesn't matter for now. Yoh sobs into Mizuki's shoulder as Mizuki undoes the blindfold, pulling it from his head and throwing it on the coffee table beside them. "I'm sorry, forgive me—"
Mizuki pulls Yoh away from him, his face now a mess of tears and snot. He smiles, unable to help being so fond of Yoh despite how desperate and pathetic he is. That's what love is, isn't it? He would scoff, even be downright disgusted, if he saw this from someone else, but finds that he loves every part of Yoh, even at his worst. Mizuki tilts his head up, wiping away the tears with his thumb and licking it with his tongue. Maybe he's being delusional, but the tears taste just as sweet as they are salty. They seem endless, with Yoh's lashes glimmering as they keep streaming down from his face. Mizuki only sighs as he plants soft kisses on his wet cheeks.
"I know you are," Mizuki whispers, pulling Yoh closer and letting him snuggle against his neck. "And I forgive you."
Yoh lets out a relieved sigh, his tense body collapsing further into Mizuki's arms, still unable to stop himself from crying. Oh, well. Mizuki will let him cry as much as he wants. He's completely adorable this way, too. He kisses his forehead and strokes Yoh's hair, relishing in his cries while enjoying how much Yoh is relying on him. Hopefully, by now, Yoh realizes that it isn't wrong for him to depend on Mizuki like this. Are there better ways to convey it to him? Yeah, but this is how it works for them, and Mizuki knows that Yoh wants this as much as he does.
As if to confirm it, Mizuki kisses Yoh's crying face, licking into his mouth even when he's struggling to breathe. Sure enough, Yoh reciprocates the kiss with the same enthusiasm despite choking during it. How delicious. Yoh grips Mizuki's shirt even tighter as his body tangles itself with Mizuki's like tree roots engraving themselves into the forest floor until they're indiscernible from each other. They kiss until the sobs die down, and the only remnants left are Yoh's sticky cheeks and quiet sniffles.
Mizuki gives him one last peck before pulling away, rubbing off the last of Yoh's tears with his fingers. Yoh stares at him with dazed eyes, looking into his face as if he were afraid Mizuki would disappear. "Feel better?"
Yoh nods, blinking blearily. Mizuki sits up, but Yoh tightens his grip on Mizuki. "No!"
"Hm," Mizuki hums, still amused by Yoh's clinginess. "We haven't had lunch yet."
Yoh nuzzles against Mizuki's neck, forcing him back down into the couch again. "J-just a little longer."
Mizuki sighs in exasperation, chuckling as he's finally rewarded with the Yoh he'd been wanting all this time. It's not hard to ask for it, is it? You don't have to be drunk to be clingy. He wraps his arms around Yoh again, patting his back as if he were a child seeking comfort. This isn't what they both had in mind when Yoh promised to spend Mizuki's day off together, but they managed to do it. Maybe.
For now, they lay on the couch, melting into each other's touch, knowing that the longer they stay together, the harder it is to let go. Mizuki doesn't have any complaints, though. "Anything you want, Yoh."
And later, when Yoh regains his energy, Mizuki will still be the one to take care of him—making the late lunch they were planning, feeding him on the couch to replenish the lack of touch from cooking for twenty minutes, hugging him from behind in the bathtub as they bathe in milky waters. Mizuki will make sure that Yoh will be so spoiled by the end of it that he will feel his teeth rot from his sweetness, and that he will be forced to pry Mizuki's hands from him after having begged his touch for even a few minutes. And then, they will sleep together with their limbs tangled under the blankets, because it's completely futile for him to uncoil the grip Mizuki has for him, the same way Yoh has for Mizuki.