Soraru x Mafumafu

With You - Chapter 6

Warning: This is an AU fanfiction!

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Soraru breathed out slowly.

He was sitting on the low stone walls at the royal garden, looking up at the dark, cloudy night sky without the presence of the moon or any stars. It had been several days since Soraru saw Mafumafu back at the slums, and never once since then had he come over to the castle. Each night, Soraru would come over to the garden at the same exact time they would meet back during the first and second encounter, and he would wait.

He waited, and waited, and waited.

But Mafumafu never turned up.

He went back to the slums to see if he could see him again, but he never found him. Still, he never gave up. He would find a reason to excuse himself from castle duty, and would search frantically for him, but of course he couldn't totally abandon his duty as a knight every day so he kept it at minimum and only did it twice or thrice a week.

Soraru couldn't thank the King enough for letting him take some time off to attend to some private matters. The King told him that it was time he had some time for himself, and it was good for him to go out of the castle once in a while.

"You're already at the age of marriage after all. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a woman or two in town!" the King laughed happily when Soraru apologised on his third time asking for permission to go outside of the castle. "Go, Soraru. I'm sure she's waiting for you,"

Soraru only smiled at the King.

If only that were true, he thought. If only he was waiting for him, he wouldn't be looking for him everywhere. He didn't know where he lived, he didn't know where he should wait; he was absolutely clueless. It was as if he disappeared, gone, poof, just like that.

He was worried. He was afraid that something might have happened to Mafumafu because back then at the slums, at the back alley, it was obvious that something was wrong with all the visible injuries on his face. He blamed himself night after night. If only he had stopped him, if only he made him stay, he would say to himself.

When Soraru saw tears running down his cheeks, he felt something in his chest squeeze a bit, making him run out of breath. It was painful watching him like that, and without giving much thought, he decided to hold him. He felt Mafumafu's tears dampening his coat back then, and he frowned. He had never felt like this before, not even when Lon cried. It was different.

He wanted to do something for him, but the fact that he didn't know how he could, frustrated him. He felt useless, powerless. There was nothing he could do other than telling him words of comfort as he sobbed in his embrace.

He couldn't forgive himself for letting him go. He should have kept him with him, bring him back with him to the castle or something, but he knew Mafumafu would hate it, so he didn't.

Soraru held both of his hands together, and squeezed tightly.

He wanted to see him.

Someone was walking into the royal garden, and Soraru's ears perked up at the sound of the footsteps, but almost immediately sat back down on his seat on the low stone wall, bringing one leg up then putting it under him, letting his other hang below him, and turned back to look out at the garden. The person stopped in front of him, but Soraru hadn't the energy to bring his head up to look at him.

"Geez, what are you doing here, Soraru-san?"

"... What do you want, Kashitarou?" said Soraru without even batting an eye at him. From the sound of the footsteps, he knew it wasn't Mafumafu. It couldn't be.