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The autumn leaves made an uncomfortable crunching sound under the weight of his boots, the wind picking them up and scattering them everywhere onto what remained of a dirty stone path.
Minami hated it.
The sound. The cold wind that ruffled his clothes and threatened to steal away his hat. The lack of shade caused by the trees shedding their foliage as they made way for winter. The browns, oranges and yellows that permeated the landscape as far as the eye could see.
He couldn't find any beauty, personally. There was nothing about this season that inspired him to write songs—not even lyrics. Dead trees weren't a good thing to write about, anyway.
"What a horrid season…" Minami muttered to himself, slowing down in an attempt to make the repetitive crunch under his footsteps just a little more bearable.
There was a time, he was sure, where he enjoyed jumping through these piles of leaves and crushing them for fun, kicking them everywhere and helping the wind carry them even farther away still.
There was a time, he was sure, where he looked forward to this very season every year in hopes of finding inspiration for music, where he enjoyed warm drinks and even warmer clothes as the wind picked up and spread the message of faraway snow.
There was a time, he was sure, where what awaited him after a long day out was a warm bed and even more comfortable pajamas.
There was a time, he was sure, where he didn't carry countless sin on his shoulders.
It was darkly funny—how autumn used to be his favorite season, but now the mere sound of the leaves flying in the wind were enough to make him go insane with irritation.
He wondered what the demon back home had to say.
—
Miserable people typically held onto each other.
That's why Minami was traveling with a man he found so very infuriating, holding both of his hands on his.
Touma was someone that shone far too bright for Minami's comfort. His smiles were always full of teeth and rosy cheeks, furry ears always facing upwards and tail wagging behind him, persistently illuminating the very room he was in.
Yet he was, also, none other than a cunning man, who used his charms to cast chains and hold people captive with the sweetest and kindest of words, making them perform for his amusement.
Minami wasn't immune to him no matter how much he wished he was, but rather a willing victim to those charms and whispered sweet nothings.
It was unbearable, sometimes.
"Whatcha' thinking about?"
And yet, he didn't wish to escape.
(He was so pathetic.)
"Nothing important." A piece of stale bread was offered to him, alongside a cup of soup that would barely be able to fill his stomach tonight.
It had no flavor other than the bitterness of the vegetables. No salt to make it savory nor more pleasant to the tongue, either.
If it weren't because Touma had made this, he would have already tossed it into the nearest bush he could find.
"You sure? You know you can always tell me everything."
Everything, he says…
The light of their bonfire casted haunting shadows on Touma's face, showing the demon he actually was between the darkness.
Minami wondered if he was aware of how easily his cover could be blown away.
"I'll keep it in mind."
Did he care? That Minami could see his monstrosity in full splendor just like this?
"I hope you know you can trust me…"
Minami wanted to tear that mask off, to scratch away skin and tissue, until he finally rearranged that face to reflect the demon that was hiding underneath those eyes filled with concern.
Kindness was never given without expecting something in return. Kindness was something convenient. Kindness was what demons used to get their victims close and feast on their flesh.
And kindness was everything Touma had.
His kindness was so very effective, that if he decided he wanted to devour Minami whole right that instant, then he wouldn't try to run away.
"You know that, right?"
Touma's little frown and the slow sway of his tail was very effective in making Minami feel guilty.
"I do."
Such an excellent manipulator, he was.
—
Touma always left his neck wide open when he slept.
He slept facing up, and his head always lolled to the left, facing the tent's wall.
It'd be easy to slit his throat. The blood would flow like a fountain from his exposed neck, his body would grow cold and his face would be drained of color.
It'd be easy to strangle him. His chest would heave as he struggled for breath and oxygen. Bruises in the shape of fingers would blossom on his skin, and his heart would beat no longer.
It'd be so easy to get rid of him. No one would look for a runaway slave. No one would search for a beastfolk. No one would bother putting a name to his murderer.
And yet, though Minami's hands shook with an urge he was barely able to control, he found himself sweeping Touma's bangs to the side, exposing his forehead instead.
Touma always looked restless when he slept.
He would fidget in his sleep and turn around over and over, miraculously ending in the same position he first lost consciousness in after a while.
Minami wished he could comfort him, but he didn't know how to do such a thing. He had never been comforted himself, so it was not something he understood.
Even though they held hands regularly, and even though they danced together under the moonless sky more often than not, he couldn't give even an ounce of the comfort Touma was searching for.
Minami was not a mage that could do away with bad dreams through the wave of a finger, nor was he a knight in shiny armor that could make Touma feel secure enough to have dreamless sleeps.
He was not kind nor warm.
He was an assassin, and the only way he could make Touma sleep peacefully was by making it so that he could never wake up again.
It'd be easy, truly.
But his dagger remained on the sheath strapped to his thigh, and his fingers sank into the sea of red locks, nails scratching Touma's scalp in an attempt to soothe him.
…Minami was pathetic, wasn't he?
Letting this demon into his life. Reaching up to it and keeping it close to his heart. Willingly putting himself at its mercy, time and time again.
It'd be easy to kill him
It'd be so easy.
It'd be painless, too.
He would bury him under a field of beautiful flowers and play a tune in his lyre. He would offer him everything he had and worship him like a god.
He would try everything if it meant Touma would not crush his heart. He would try everything if it meant Touma would not burn him with his gentle fire and leave him completely hollow once more.
Was this love? Was this twisted thing in his chest love?
"Mina…? What's wrong…?"
It was so unbearable.
He could not stand it.
"Nothing is wrong."
Touma was the most horrifying monster he had ever met.
"Go back to sleep."
Forcing him to lay his heart bare, just like his mentor did once upon a time.
"Hmm…"
Minami would be waiting, for the day Touma took everything from him and left just a carcass behind.