Chapter Text
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It was a very long day, Kanae barely had time to catch a break, even to simply sit down for 5 minutes and have a cup of coffee. His to-do list was miles long, and even though he was crossing out chore after chore, working since early morning hours, it seemed never ending. Not that it ever was any different, Kanae was always very busy in the mansion. However, since his master came out of his depression, and became active again, the young servant had to do twice as much as he used to. Cooking, laundry, ironing, mending clothes, polishing shoes, cleaning up his room more frequently, running errands, cleaning in the music room, every day he was giving it his all to serve his master as best as he could.
And once everyone else in the mansion were already asleep, Kanae still worked, making sure everything was in order, and not a single thing was out of place. That day was not different, and it was already very late when the boy finally finished with his work, and went upstairs to his bedroom for the night’s rest.
As he entered the room, Kanae thought only of taking a long, relaxing soak in the bath, and then going to sleep. With his thoughts occupied like this, he was somehow unfocused, and so he nearly got a heart attack, as the moment he closed the door behind himself, a voice resounded in the darkness of his bedroom.
“Kaaaa-nae…” A blood-curdling hiss called his name, coming from no particular direction, causing the boy’s hair to stand on end.
“Scheiße…” the young ghoul cursed under his breath, startled, his hand pawing at the wall to find a light switch. With trembling fingers, he turned on the lights, and let out a strangled squeal of shock.
It was Seidou, hanging upside down from his chandelier.
“Hiii~” the white-haired ghoul grinned, swaying back and forth under the ceiling. “Filthy mouth, you just said ‘shit’ in German, khehehe…”
Kanae’s cheeks reddened, and he furrowed his brow. However, he was so tired, that he didn’t even have the energy to throw a fit, or scold the owl ghoul. “What are you doing in my room?” he asked in a huff, going limp with his back leaning against the door.
Seidou swayed on the chandelier again, and then smoothly hopped down, falling onto Kanae’s bed with a soft thud. “Came to visit.” he replied simply, bouncing on the mattress. “I waited soooo long for you to stop being busy.”
“Ugh, did anyone see you?” Kanae spotted the open window, walking over nervously and closing it shut, before pulling the curtains closed as well.
“Nope.” Seidou sat in the corner of the bed, knees drawn up to his chin, black cloak covering him and making him look like a bird sitting on a branch. “Jumped over the fence, crawled through the bushes, climbed up to your window. I was extra sneaky.” he said, clearly proud of himself for being so careful and cunning.
“My rose bushes?!” Kanae’s voice once again turned into a squeal, this time more in anger than fear, “If you damaged my roses ich werde dich töten!" *
“Mhm, alright, do you have any snacks?” Seidou ignored Kanae’s threats, gnawing at his fingers as he looked up at the younger ghoul, “I’m hungry.”
Kanae decided that he after all doesn’t have any energy to deal with Seidou’s antics. He was defeated. He just wanted to get some rest.
“I guess there are some leftovers from today’s supper. Wait here. Don’t move. Don’t touch anything.” he sighed, leaving the room and dragging his feet downstairs again.
“I already touched everything though…” Seidou mumbled to himself, looking around the room as he curled at the edge of the mattress, wanting to stay put nicely like Kanae asked him. This bedroom was so tidy and… girly. Floral wallpaper, white wooden furniture, fluffy carpet, wardrobe so big that Seidou could live there (he napped there already as he waited, it was comfy). Weirdly smelling candles, a sewing set with threads of so many colours Seidou didn’t even know they existed before, a violin, rows of books upon the shelves, everything was so odd and interesting, the owl ghoul had to touch and examine it all. Better not to tell Kanae that.
Chewing onto his fingers impatiently, he waited for Kanae to be back with food, and his nose wrinkled as he smelled meat, just before the boy had returned to the room. Seidou jumped off the bed, drool already running down his chin, and he gripped the piece of meat with his bare hands, not minding the plate and cutlery Kanae brought along.
Dropping back onto Kanae’s bed, Seidou sat there cross-legged, sinking his teeth into the juicy flesh, thick blood squirting onto his chin, staining his fingers and teeth. “Mmm, good…” he said in between bites, consuming the meat sloppily.
Kanae only shook his head, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. He was so tired, he couldn’t care less about Seidou being a mess, and about his lack of manners, and that he didn’t even say ‘thank you’. Normally, Kanae would scold him all the time, explaining how he should behave, and trying to teach him how to act properly, but that day the boy had have enough, and he couldn’t be bothered with the savage ghoul.
He sat down on the bed next to Seidou, feeling his feet and back aching after the whole day of hard work. The owl ghoul was munching on the meat, not paying much attention to Kanae, but the young ghoul surely paid attention to him as soon as he sat so close. The boy sniffed the air, and cringed in disgust, brow twitching in distress as he turned to look at Seidou.
“You stink. Where were you, in a sewer?” his tone sounded almost offended. How Seidou dared to come into his room in such state?
“Yes.” Seidou responded simply, offering him a wide grin as he swallowed the last piece of meat loudly, blood smeared around his mouth.
“Wha- ah... nevermind…” Kanae just gave up. He didn’t have strength for this anyway. Whatever Seidou could do in the sewers, God only knew. It’s not like it was the first time Kanae couldn’t understand things Seidou did. “I was just about to go take a bath, so you will bathe with me.” He sounded as if he was ordering an unruly child to go to their room.
“Bath…?" Seidou titled his head to the side, licking the sweet blood off his fingers one by one, “Ah, such prince like you must like to smell like flowers, khehehe…” he teased.
“Better flowers than…” Kanae growled, biting his tongue in the end.
“Say it.” Seidou smirked, chuckling quietly.
“I don’t have to say it for you to know what I mean.” the boy stood up and gripped at Seidou’s cloak, tugging him towards the bathroom.
“You already said it once before. Khehehe, filthy mouth. Better flowers than shit, isn’t it? Scheiße, Scheiße…” the owl ghoul giggled and snorted, mocking Kanae’s tone as he spoke.
“If only you remembered other things I tell you just as well…” Kanae scolded, “To the bathroom!”
“Fineeee…” Seidou rolled his eyes, shuffling his feet as he followed the younger ghoul. Even he knew not to push his luck too much when Kanae got irritated.
Obediently, the owl ghoul followed to the bathroom, and watched Kanae preparing the bath, steaming hot water filling the tub as the boy performed an odd ritual of adding variety of strange, scented oils. They made the humid air even heavier with smells, making Seidou sneeze.
“Don’t just stand there, undress!” Kanae huffed, and Seidou began to pull his clothing off in defeat, leaving it in a heap on the floor. Toes curling awkwardly against the cool tiles, he waited for Kanae to tell him what to do next, as he stood in the middle of the bathroom completely bare. For which he also got scolded soon enough, “Get in the water! No one wants to look at your bare ass!” Kanae ordered impatiently, as he went to gather Seidou’s clothing, and dispose of it into the laundry basket.
The owl ghoul did as told, stepping into the tub and sitting down, submerging into the hot water, and getting covered by the bubbles floating on the surface. Frankly, it was weird. The water was pink, and it smelled like perfume, and the cabinet next to the tub was covered in dozens of bottles of different sizes and colours, although each label said ‘soap’ so it was just confusing. Seidou didn’t know what to do.
But it was only unpleasant until Kanae joined. After finally taking care of Seidou’s laundry, and undressing as well, the young ghoul stepped into the tub, sinking into the water behind Seidou. “Rinse your face, I will wash your back.” the boy mumbled, reaching for a sponge and one of the mysterious soap bottles.
Seidou obeyed, rinsing the blood off his face, and as Kanae handed him the bottle, he squeezed some soap onto his palm and began to wash his arms and chest. After all, if he wanted to stay the night, he knew Kanae won’t let him into bed if he’s not cleaned.
At first, the owl ghoul though having a bath was an unnecessary bother, even though he somehow patiently let Kanae wash him. He wriggled just a little, and was mostly cooperative, but he still thought it was a bother. However, he changed his mind as soon as Kanae started to wash his hair.
The boy’s hands were so tender, Seidou liked being touched by him. As Kanae scrubbed him clean with a sponge, it wasn’t as nice, but now, as his fingers started to gently massage his head and comb through his hair, it was very much different, and very much better. Drowsy and content smile appeared on Seidou’s face, and he relaxed instantly. Soon, he started to rock gently side to side, humming a melody underneath his breath. He liked being touched like this. It was almost a shame once Kanae was done. Who would have thought baths could be so great? Seidou wanted to stay longer in the pink, bubbly water.
“Alright, you can go.” Kanae sighed finally, “Towel yourself dry, and put on my robe.” he gestured towards the hanger on the back of the bathroom door, where his purple, fluffy robe hung, “Go to bed, I will be right there.”
Seidou hummed in agreement, temporarily pacified with the soothing touch and relaxing bath. He scrambled out of the tub, grabbing a towel and Kanae’s robe, and slipping out of the bathroom quickly. In the meantime, Kanae let the water drain, and then poured fresh bath for himself, stretching in the tub. Finally he could have his soak. For a moment he thought this day won’t ever end…
Seidou managed to get bored waiting for Kanae to come out of the bathroom. He lay on the bed, flipping through the pages of some fashion magazine Kanae had on his nightstand. Everything in it was so flashy and colourful, Seidou didn’t really like such clothes. Although if he imagined Kanae wearing any of it, somehow the clothing seemed nicer instantly.
Finally, Kanae appeared in the bedroom, wearing a mid-thigh length sleeping shirt and a pair of fuzzy socks, and with his hair pulled back, fringe clipped up with a hairpin.
“Khehehe, you look funny.” Seidou commented, pushing the magazine off the bed and sitting up. How cute, he thought to himself, regarding the boy’s clipped-up hair.
“Look who’s talking.” Kanae retorted, eyeing Seidou’s crotch peeking out as the purple robe fell slightly open, being too small and tight for the owl ghoul.
The young ghoul switched off the lights, and climbed into bed next to Seidou. The half-ghoul got excited instantly, scooting closer to the boy, but to his surprise, Kanae wrapped the covers around himself, and curled up to sleep, turning his back to him.
“Eh…?” Seidou mumbled in disappointment. Will he just go to sleep like that? But Seidou came here especially to visit him, and he waited so long… won’t Kanae pay attention to him anymore?
“Kanae…” the owl ghoul hummed, poking the boy’s shoulder with his finger.
“No.” Was the only answer he got, as Kanae swatted his hand away.
How odd… Kanae was pushing him away but Seidou didn’t know why. His brow furrowed, and he did his best to focus properly. Why would someone push the other person away? Let’s think… It can be because they don’t like someone. Or don’t care about them. Or aren’t interested.
But none of this made sense. Seidou knew Kanae liked him, he was giving him food, and touching him gently not to hurt, and kissing him. And he cared when Seidou was injured, and he always wanted to make him better then. And he was always telling him how to behave nicer, and was explaining complicated things to him. And even though he tried to act prudish, Seidou knew Kanae was interested in their other activities too, as he always would tell him how good he makes him feel. Seidou liked it when pure, delicate Kanae, so proper and snobby, would use dirty words, and tell him how much he loves his cock, and how good it feels in his ass, or when he fucks his mouth…
The owl ghoul grinned dreamily at the thought, letting out a purr as his mind wandered off to the last time they have been together, and Kanae made a show of fingering himself, mewling beautifully and begging Seidou to enter him.
Ah, no… focus, focus! Back to the point.
There must have been other reason why Kanae would push him away now. What else could it be? Maybe… maybe he was mad at him? But why? He was good, he didn’t destroy anything in the room, and he waited so long to see Kanae, being all patient as he waited for Kanae to finish with his work and-
Ah…
Something inside Seidou’s mind clicked and he stopped the madly running thoughts. Work. Yes, he knew that Kanae’s job is important. Come to think of it, if Kanae came to his room so very late, it must have meant he was working all this time. Only now Seidou realized that the boy indeed looked tired, even looking at him upside down while hanging from the chandelier, he could tell. So he wanted to rest after working hard the whole day, and Seidou was there, asking for snacks and being a bother all smelly and dirty.
Seidou suddenly felt bad, letting out a small whine as he realized that he was very… uh… um… how does Kanae always say it… in-inconsiderate.
“Kaaaa-naeeeee....” the owl ghoul whined, very distressed with this new discovery he just made. Sometimes he thought it was better to be oblivious, because such complicated, deeper thoughts were often so upsetting. He didn’t like it that he turned out inconsiderate. Especially towards Kanae who always cared for him.
“Halt die Klappe.”** Kanae mumbled, curling up under the covers.
“Mnng…” Seidou let out inarticulate sound of discomfort, squirming on the bed. He bit at his lower lip, huffing for a moment, and getting very restless. No, no, Kanae mustn’t be angry. Not Kanae, no...
The half-ghoul went limp against the bed, lying down and eyeing the younger ghoul like a scolded puppy. Don’t be angry. He knew that if he tries to touch him, he will get smacked away again, but his fingers were fidgeting, itching to reach out towards the boy.
Finally, Seidou couldn’t stand it anymore, and his kagune slowly crawled out from underneath his skin, carefully not to damage Kanae’s robe, and the tentacles creeped across the bed. They sneaked under the covers, one of them wrapping gently around Kanae’s leg, and the other around his waist. Before Kanae could yell at him or do anything at all, Seidou used his kagune to pull the boy close to himself, and embrace him tightly.
“I’m sorry.” the owl ghoul said quietly.
Kanae wanted to squirm away from Seidou’s grip at first, but after hearing his words he calmed down a bit. Still, he placed a hand against the half-ghoul’s chest, pressing firmly and keeping him as much at distance as possible. “What are you sorry for?” he asked skeptically. Seidou would often say things just because Kanae told him he should, but he didn’t mean them or understand them.
Seidou hesitated for a moment. It’s not that he didn’t know what he apologizes for, he knew very well. But he wanted to gather the right words, to show Kanae that he really means it.
“I missed you.” he said eventually, surprising Kanae with this answer. “I wanted to see you, and I thought it will be nice if I come here. But you were busy all day, and then I made you bring me food, and I was dirty so you had to bathe me. You were tired and I was a bother. So visiting wasn’t nice after all, it was selfish. Sorry…”
Seidou looked down, feeling a little ashamed after confessing his faults, and Kanae was left speechless. He knew that Seidou must have been really concerned if he focused enough to produce such elaborated speech, and actually grasp the point. The boy’s palm against the half-ghoul’s chest relaxed, and he moved it slowly up, reaching to bury his fingers in the white hair at the nape of Seidou’s neck. The affectionate gesture made Seidou look up at the young ghoul again, somehow hopefully.
“It’s alright. It’s always nice when you visit…” Kanae whispered, scooting closer and burying his face in the crook of Seidou’s neck, “I just really need to rest, it’s been a long day.”
“So… you aren’t mad at me anymore?” the owl ghoul asked, his toes curling in delight as Kanae nuzzled against him.
“No, I’m not mad.”
At Kanae’s answer, Seidou let out a joyful little noise, one of his tentacles tapping against the bed as it wagged like a puppy’s tail. “Rest, sleep, I will watch over you.” he promised happily, pressing a kiss to Kanae’s forehead.
“I’m fine, you don’t need to watch over me.” the boy mumbled with a yawn.
“Shhh, sleep. I will protect you.” Seidou insisted, his tentacles and both his arms wrapping around Kanae, embracing him and cuddling up close.
Kanae didn’t have the energy to respond or protest, and frankly, why would he protest? Leaning against Seidou’s chest, the boy felt safe, and relaxed, and he even liked the half-ghoul’s smell… But not the flowery scent of bathing products he used. He liked Seidou’s own smell that could still be sensed from underneath bath oils and scented soaps. It was strong, and warm, not rough, but rather sensual. In a way it was calming, because it was dominant and musky, so it was indeed making Kanae feel protected.
His breaths got steady, and he inhaled Seidou’s scent with each inhale. Fingers that absent-mindedly scratched at the owl ghoul’s hair soon became still. Kanae fell asleep peacefully, held by Seidou, feeling the warmth of his Rc cells pulsing through the soft tentacles.