Ship: Komari & Midousuji Fandom: Yowamushi Pedal Major Tags: tags omitted Other Tags: tags omitted Word Count: 491 words
Character death, violence, angst - this turned out a lot darker than intended!
***
There’s a boy with a fox mask watching him. His hair is blue, held back with a headband of cherry blossoms, and his yukata is blue as well.
Midousuji stares at him and nibbles at a dango. Midousuji doesn’t have a mask; the money from his mother’s life insurance is enough to get him through school, if his aunt is careful with it, but not enough for luxuries like toys and masks. Even his bike is the same bike he’s had since he was a child, altered and extended so he can still ride it.
The boy dances forwards, darting through the crowd, and stops in front of Midousuji.
“What are you eating?” He asks and his voice is a breathless singsong, the chant of priests at temples corrupted and inverted.
“A dango,” Midousuji says, holding the stick a little more tightly. Some of the boys at school like take his things for the fun of it. He won’t let this be taken from him too, not when it’s such a rare treat. His aunt has money to spend on her children but she won’t extend it to Midousuji as well because after all, she’s being so very charitable already by taking him in (and she’s made sure he knows that).
“Only one?” The boy laugh-sighs, leaning forwards, and offers Midousuji a little mochi cake wrapped in an oak leaf. “Here, you can have this.”
“I’m not supposed to take food from strangers,” Midousuji says even as his stomach rumbles.
“Strange adults. I’m not an adult, Akira. I’m just a child like you.” The words are almost cooed and Midousuji reaches for the mochi before he realizes what’s wrong.
“How do you know my name?” He asks, hand hanging in midair.
“I know the names of all the lonely children and on Children’s Day, I come take them away to a place where they’re wanted,” the fox-masked boy says and laughs. “Will you come with me, lonely Akira?”
Now that Midousuji’s looking for it, he can see the ghostly outline of a tail swaying near the boy’s ankles. It’s tipped with white and moves like smoke in wind.
Kitsune magic!
Midousuji thinks of his mother, thinks of how it felt to be wanted and summons up his courage.
“I’ll come,” he says bravely and puts his hand into the other’s. On his palm, he can feel pads.
*
Deep in the clearing, there’s no light. They’re so far from the festival that Midousuji can’t even hear it anymore. The treetops crowd together and block out the moon.
“Is this it?” He asks, looking around with a little frown. “Where’s my mother?”
“Oh, Akira. I never said that it was she who wanted you.” The mask comes off; the face underneath has no eyes, no nose, just a mouthful of teeth.
“And I never said what you were wanted for.”
Midousuji has just enough time to scream before the mouth descends over him.
FILL: Team The Prince of Tennis, M
Fandom: Yowamushi Pedal
Major Tags: tags omitted
Other Tags: tags omitted
Word Count: 491 words
Character death, violence, angst - this turned out a lot darker than intended!
***
There’s a boy with a fox mask watching him. His hair is blue, held back with a headband of cherry blossoms, and his yukata is blue as well.
Midousuji stares at him and nibbles at a dango. Midousuji doesn’t have a mask; the money from his mother’s life insurance is enough to get him through school, if his aunt is careful with it, but not enough for luxuries like toys and masks. Even his bike is the same bike he’s had since he was a child, altered and extended so he can still ride it.
The boy dances forwards, darting through the crowd, and stops in front of Midousuji.
“What are you eating?” He asks and his voice is a breathless singsong, the chant of priests at temples corrupted and inverted.
“A dango,” Midousuji says, holding the stick a little more tightly. Some of the boys at school like take his things for the fun of it. He won’t let this be taken from him too, not when it’s such a rare treat. His aunt has money to spend on her children but she won’t extend it to Midousuji as well because after all, she’s being so very charitable already by taking him in (and she’s made sure he knows that).
“Only one?” The boy laugh-sighs, leaning forwards, and offers Midousuji a little mochi cake wrapped in an oak leaf. “Here, you can have this.”
“I’m not supposed to take food from strangers,” Midousuji says even as his stomach rumbles.
“Strange adults. I’m not an adult, Akira. I’m just a child like you.” The words are almost cooed and Midousuji reaches for the mochi before he realizes what’s wrong.
“How do you know my name?” He asks, hand hanging in midair.
“I know the names of all the lonely children and on Children’s Day, I come take them away to a place where they’re wanted,” the fox-masked boy says and laughs. “Will you come with me, lonely Akira?”
Now that Midousuji’s looking for it, he can see the ghostly outline of a tail swaying near the boy’s ankles. It’s tipped with white and moves like smoke in wind.
Kitsune magic!
Midousuji thinks of his mother, thinks of how it felt to be wanted and summons up his courage.
“I’ll come,” he says bravely and puts his hand into the other’s. On his palm, he can feel pads.
*
Deep in the clearing, there’s no light. They’re so far from the festival that Midousuji can’t even hear it anymore. The treetops crowd together and block out the moon.
“Is this it?” He asks, looking around with a little frown. “Where’s my mother?”
“Oh, Akira. I never said that it was she who wanted you.” The mask comes off; the face underneath has no eyes, no nose, just a mouthful of teeth.
“And I never said what you were wanted for.”
Midousuji has just enough time to scream before the mouth descends over him.