seeinside | open post.

[ ❤ ]

Hmm, I'm not sure I could pull off the sort of stuff sensei wears. His legs are so slender compared to mine, I'd just look silly!

Maybe something strapless, though. I do know I have him beat in the chest department.

[ Shame?? What the hell is that. ]

[ In all honesty, the fear came and went pretty often.

Of course he's afraid. He's alone somewhere out on the ocean in the hands of criminals who apparently know enough of their stuff to not only know what a youkai is but to have an anti-magic talisman on hand. Whether they knew exactly what he is or not, they decided to get the most bang for their buck and double it as a blindfold, which felt like adding insult to injury. He can't grow any new eyes, can't use his strength, couldn't even take the damn thing off himself if he could get out of these bindings, and he can't look around at his jail like a normal human being would! Ugh.

But what's been getting him the most is the boredom. He's received only a few visits from the same few people, and none of them have been too entertaining to talk to. He can tell there are more people around, the sound of voices and footsteps are common enough to hear from outside, but they're too muffled to make out any actual words so he'd have something, anything for mental stimulation other than running through the same few thought experiments on getting out over and over and over and over...

--Noise. A single pair of footsteps approaching. Not immediately something to get excited over, but they just keep getting closer until they're at what he's assumed is the doorway and it finally opens.

Must be time for another check in. Boring as they usually are, he can't help but perk right on up at something tangible to pay attention to. ]

Hello! Good--ah, is it afternoon or evening? Been getting hard to tell.

[ Whether you're in the camp of it being grotesque or gorgeous, it's hard to deny the thing is eye-catching.

It's been nicknamed The Heart of Geb, probably due to it looking uncannily like a human heart blown from glass until the venae and arteries give way to a more crystalline formation, suggesting it was pulled right from the earth. The smoother sections of the ventricles are somewhat foggy, but what looks like a thin, glossy liquid can be seen stagnating inside, facets of light mysteriously catching from within to project what can only be described as rainbow constellations when plunged into complete darkness. It really is a sight to behold.

But most of the time it's not for anyone but its "owner" to see, locked away in a much less brilliant box for safekeeping. Once in a blue moon, and only then, does the "owner" feel a sliver of generosity in their own heart to allow the starved masses a few moments to glut themselves on its presence...for the appropriate fee, of course.

That's what has the museum in such a tizzy these recent nights. The exhibit isn't fully set up for the paying public just yet, but of course word's already gotten out that this precious thing is swapping its usual maximum security cage for a slightly less reliable one. Seeing Zwei agents on duty is enough to scare most two-bit punks with delusions of grandeur off, but that doesn't mean they get to just sit back and be intimidating their whole shift.

Another name has wormed its way into public consciousness in the past few months: Dodomeki. A demon with many eyes. That's what the fella calls himself after he swoops in unseen to snatch such oddities for himself--or is it all for himself? Rumors have gone this way and that about mysterious sums of money going to places like orphanages and hospitals, or to businesses with already shady reputations; it's difficult to tell what's an actual lead and what's just curious people extrapolating and spreading fantastical stories as a way to kill time.

On this night, in this corner of the property, his presence is still a looming threat. No one's seen hide nor hair of him, though, let alone any kind of ne'er-do-well, so maybe they really can relax for just a second. Just a sec. Lil breather, it'll be fine.

So long as they don't notice a vivid red eye blink into existence at the edge of a corridor wall, looking every which way as if to hastily find its bearings. ]

[ ❤ ]

[ Thankfully Maruki is spared holding a strange youkai's hand all the way to a nearby hospital.

The place is huge, clean, and busy despite seeming like it has plenty enough staff running around all seeing to their duties. It also gets easy to tell who's newer and who isn't from their reactions to Akira, some only recognizing the name while others greet him warmly, excited to show him one thing or another or beg his opinion on something, all of which he has to tear himself away from due to some very important business with his guest, here.

He does promise to do his best getting back to them before the day's out, though. Hard to keep his curiosity at bay once it's piqued.

Which is why he keeps at dragging Maruki along until they're finally alone in an office on one of the upper floors, clearly not used very often what with how organized and lacking in any personal touches it is. For that extra bit of security he even locks the door behind them, placing the key used on top of the desk, well within either of their reach.

It's a quiet promise that this isn't some kind of trap to pounce and chow down on him after all, only a safety measure, and Maruki can still back out at any time he chooses. ]

Please, take a seat anywhere you like.

[ Maruki trusts Akira. And at this point, it isn't even against his better judgment.

He's a caring, affectionate man who has, to Maruki's knowledge, never been dishonest with him. Yes, he can get intense about his interests, but– well, so can Maruki. That's something inherent to people who seek out knowledge above all else, he thinks. Even when it's occasionally unnerving, it's never dangerous. Really, Maruki feels perfectly safe with him, youkai or not.

Of course, there's always the possibility that he's got it all wrong, that he's walked right into the belly of the beast and will be devoured soon enough. But some wires of his cognition are permanently crossed, and even that potential is thrilling in its own way.

One nice date snowballs into another, and another, and another, and it's truly a phenomenal thing that Maruki gets up the nerve to accept an invitation back to his hotel room.

His very luxe hotel room.

Suddenly, Akira's ability to spoil him on those dates makes a bit more sense... Oh, to have a doctorate degree that isn't functionally useless.

It's there, on a plush loveseat in a suite that surely costs more than his life, that Maruki finds himself deftly pulled into the good doctor's lap. Awkward, gangly limbs splay to straddle his lap, and his already flushed cheeks flare brighter and hotter as his palms come to rest flat on Akira's chest, and he laughs through his shock and fluster. ]

Ah, I keep forgetting just how strong you are... [ Not that it takes much to muscle around a guy as slight as him, but still. ] I wish my own abilities granted me any sort of practical side effects like that. You've certainly got one over on me!

[ GOD, PLEASE GET ONE OVER ON HIM. ]

[Preamble schmeamble. Satan's Big Kink is spanking. Akira is interested in studying his capabilities. Satan can transform into a fucking furry behemoth with big ole paws, too big for anywhere bar a warehouse or the like, but hey, he's not the only guy Akira's probably had to 'treat' of this size, so it's not like it's hard for them to find a space to do this. In fact, it's a relief to be able to stretch for a bit, really fuck around with his powers and get praised for it like he's actually special.

And sometimes, Satan likes to indulge in a bit of mind-reading to see what this little non-human, buzzing with energy and curiosity, is thinking. One thing leads to another, and really, is it any surprise that Satan's sat down, yanking Akira over his big, veiny thighs (so close to his sheath, oh dear) and rumbling in amusement?]

You're a pain in the fucking ass, so I figure you should learn what that feels like too, huh Doc? Reckon no one's ever disciplined you like you deserve; types like that crave a sharp hand across the ass, kekeke!

[A gentle stroke from mind to mind, to make sure that Akira's alright with this in ways that Satan's clumsy words don't fully allow. Imperceptibly small, almost. But it's only fun if they're both having fun.]

[ Had they never stumbled back in time, a night like tonight would normally be spent alone.

Things are different now, though. When Miki slips away after school lets out on Friday to spend the weekend with his sister, Hatanaka, and their new baby, instead of penciling himself in for a candlelit dinner for two with his sailor uniform catalogue and early night's rest, Haruaki found himself poking his head into the nurse's office to see if the ~~terrifying~~ good doctor might have an evening free.

And where an enthusiastic yes might have sent him spiraling into instant cowardly regret and running for the hills anyway–

They're sat across from one another at the low table in Haruaki's dormitory room, a couple beers deep after enjoying dinner at one of the stalls in town, and he's only feared for his life less than half a dozen times! It's going pretty well!!

His phone buzzes, a photo from Miki of Hatanaka passed out under a pile of his own children. Haruaki beams down at it, turns it toward Akira before tapping out a quick reply of ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡!!!!!!!!! and then setting it aside. ]

That reminds me, Akira-kun– when you were patching up Hatanaka-kun's injuries after he was brought back from Kyoto... did he ever tell you how that all happened?

no subject

for @blattella

@blattella