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Shu crept through the living room carefully on his way back to his room. Vox had passed out on the couch, and Shu didn't wish to wake him--even if he knew Vox's back and neck would likely be killing him the next day from having slept here instead of in his own bed.
That was before he noticed the demon writhing restlessly, mumbling things Shu couldn't quite make out.
"...Vox?" Shu asked quietly.
"Ugh... no, don't..." Vox groaned.
Shu set the mug of tea he'd made himself carefully onto the coffee table and watched Vox with concern. Maybe he should wake him?
Vox's eyes shot open. He swore in a voice that sounded so absolutely broken. Shu's heart ached for him.
"Hey, Vox--" Shu began, causing the demon to flinch and look over to where the sorcerer stood. "Ah--sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Bad dream?"
Vox blinked his eyes sleepily before nodding slowly. "Mm... you could say that." He rubbed his eyes and sighed.
"...I think there's still some tea left in the pot I made," offered Shu, "D'you want some?"
"That sounds nice right now. Thank you." Vox delicately picked up a pillow off of the couch and placed it in his lap, fingers playing with the frills on the edges.
Shu nodded, half-jogging to get his friend a cup of tea. When he got back, Vox was hunched over slightly, resting his chin on the cushion in his arms. He looked over at Shu with a sad smile, placing the pillow aside as he reached for the cup that Shu held out to him. "Thanks."
"Yeah, no problem." Shu smiled at him. He felt like maybe he should do something else. Nightmares were never fun, and Vox looked like death right now. "Do, uh... do you wanna talk about it?"
"Hmm?" Vox set the drink down.
"It looked like you were having a bad dream," Shu explained.
"Oh." Vox sighed. "I... I don't fully remember. I just know I was... back on that night. Defending my clan against Tokugawa. That... that girl, I swear I saw her again. I feel like every time she shows up, the finishing blow is always something different." There was bitterness in his words. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't so creative."
Shu frowned. "That sounds... yeesh..." The magic user walked over to the couch and carefully sat on the edge, giving Vox ample time to react. He didn't, not at first. It was only after a couple moments that he turned to face Shu.
"I think the worst part was the look on her face." Vox's voice was quiet, contemplative. "She... she was smiling at me. I think maybe she felt it was worth it, to have gone down fighting for a place where she had finally belonged. I think that might have made it worse for me. I don't know. I'm not sure."
That's my girl...
"She... really meant a lot to you, huh?" Shu ventured.
"That's the thing. I think, as fucked up as it sounds, I think she meant more to me afterwards. I feel like she's a reminder of what I fight for. I don't... want to lose anyone like that again. But deep down, I know I will." Vox looked Shu in the eye. Were those tears prickling in the corner's of Vox's eyes, or was it a trick of the light? "How long does a sorcerer live?"
Shu shivered. Was that something Vox worried about a lot? "I... I don't know, honestly. But it's pretty hard to take down a sorcerer, I think. We have time, basically." Shu laughed.
Vox smiled weakly. "I'll drink to that." He lifted the mug of tea to his lips.
"Hey... Vox?" The sorcerer began tentatively. "Do you... do you want a hug or something?" Shu was decidedly neutral on hugs. He didn't dislike them--they could be quite nice, actually--but he usually wasn't the one to initiate them. It wasn't like he'd turn them down, necessarily, but he didn't show physical affection often. But right now... Vox kinda looked like he needed it.
Vox downed the rest of his tea and set it aside, shuffling forward and burying his face in Shu's shoulder. He squeezed the sorcerer tightly, hands clutching at the fabric of his shirt as if he was afraid it would disappear underneath him. As if he still wasn't sure if this was yet another dream to wake up from. If Shu noticed the spot of wetness forming on his shoulder, he didn't acknowledge it.
Shu returned the hug cautiously, rubbing Vox's back awkwardly with one hand as the other came up to tuck some of the demon's hair behind his ear. The heavy, shaky sigh that was breathed into the crook of Shu's neck made the sorcerer decide that many, many more hugs were definitely in order.
Eventually, they both pulled away. Vox stared at Shu, inching forward until their noses were almost touching. The demon tilted his head, lips parted slightly... but he remained where he was.
Shu moved without thinking. He gave Vox a quick kiss on the lips, a gentle peck that gave him only a brief moment of feeling the other's mouth against him. Part of him expected Vox to reciprocate, to chase after him when he broke away. Instead, the demon froze in place, staring in shock.
"...Was that your first kiss?" Vox asked.
"...Yeah, haha." Shu admittedly sheepishly, running a hand through his own hair. "I mean, I don't really mind. I know it's like a big deal for some people, but... I dunno, I trust you, I guess. I figure if I was gonna have it be anyone, I'd want it to be someone I really care about."
Vox gave him the first genuine smile Shu had seen on him since he'd woken up. "That... that means a lot to me, thank you. I'm... I'm honored, honestly." It was funny. Vox had certainly kissed many people in his centuries of existence. He managed, despite his usual piss poor memory, to remember all of them. But somehow, he felt like even if he hadn't, even if he existed for millennia afterwards, even if he were to end up forgetting every single kiss he had gotten or given... that this would be the one he would always remember.