chapter 23 Love Is An Open Door
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dear soulmate,
The sun sets in the west to rise in the east.
We have found each other through the help of this quote I tried to live by. However, this quote also led me to find the person that I, in all honesty, love.
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"What do you say?" the purple-haired male grinned from ear to ear as he showed the girl a magazine's cover page.
"I think they put too much make up in you." the girl answered, index finger on her chin. "And your hair is too long. Did they also put extensions on your already long hair? This is false advertisement. We can sue you."
"H-hey! I'm wearing light makeup in this one! And this was taken before I cut my hair shorter." Yuto defended with a pout.
Both walked slowly along the school's second floor hallway as they both criticize each other's work. The comic for the girl and the modeling job for the male. So far, it has been an exchange of offense and defense. Dissing is much a better fitting word to use rather than criticizing.
"Kou Mukami though." the girl snatched the magazine from the male's hand and started to flip its pages until it landed on a landscape poster of the blonde idol. "He's yummy."
"Yummy?"
"Yes, my dude." she said. "He has a perfect body symmetry. Nicely defined jaw, and pretty pair of eyes that possess different color for each He's a perfect—"
"Drawing reference," the other continued as if he had heard those words for the nth time. Which he had.
"I mean it's crazy," she suddenly sang.
Oh, that line means one thing...
"What?" he sang back.
"We finish each other's—"
"Sandwiches!" both exclaimed.
"That's what I was gonna say!"
"Let's skip the other lines, I forgot the lyrics—"
"Love is an open door!~" and the two weirdos started to sing an overdue song of a Disney movie.
The two laughed at their silliness. Yuto was hysteric, his cheeks pretty much flushed as he held his sides for they ache. The girl, on the other hand, was trying to hold in her laughter because she's the senior and older figure. Gotta act mature.
The male's laugh soon died out as soon as he saw a restroom on their way. "Wait, I need to use the restroom."
With that, he entered the male's comfort room, leaving the girl alone.
Cough.
She silently stood, leaning against a wall next to the restrooms.
Cough.
"All my life has been a series of doors in my face and then suddenly I bump into you..." she softly sang, a small smile on her face.
Cough.
A face of a familiar redhead entered her mind as she sang these lines, making her smile even more.
Cough.
Did she just imagine his face while singing a cheesy Disney song?
Cough.
"No, no..." she said, shaking her head. No she didn't.
Cough.
"Okay, who has tuberculosis!?" she complained, looking at the source of the coughing fit. She was so done with those coughs.
Her bitter attitude, however, was soon changed as she realized who the person coughing was. The said person was leaning on a wall, back slouched. He looked like he was ready to faint here and there.
"Pink salmon!?" without thinking, she quickly ran to him, dropping the magazine she was holding. "Are you alright?"
The redhead was coughing so much as if he was trying to expel his lungs out. His face showed how much he was in pain. His eyebrows were furrowed and an unpleasant snarl was painted on his pale lips. Cold sweat was dripping down his forehead.
"Sh*t man, you look horrible!" she panicked.
'What should I do!?'
"I-I'm fine." Laito managed to choke out, giving her an uneasy smile.
"You're not! Shut up." her heart started to beat faster as her hands started to pat his entire being. She doesn't even know why she was doing such thing. To check for his wellbeing? "What should I do, what should I do!?"
'Can vampires have tuberculosis!?'
"Can you walk!?" she asked. "Let's go to the clinic— It's not far from here."
"..." the male didn't answer, focusing his gaze on the wall.
"You can't!?" the girl asked, taking his silence as a sign of a negative response. Not wasting another minute, she crouched on the ground, back facing his front. "Climb up!"
"... What?"
"Ride on my back! I'm carrying you to the clinic!"
"You can't—"
"I won't know unless I try!" she shouted.
Soon, hesitant pair of cold arms encircled around her neck as the front of the redhead hit her back. She secured his legs underneath her arm and with a battle cry, lifted both their bodies up.
"Did you lose weight? You're lighter than I expected." she pointed out even though sweat from her effort can be shown pouring down her face. "Probably because your name is Light-o!" and came her distressed attempt to laugh.
...
He didn't answer her which really alarmed her further. She started to run, aiming to reach the clinic located on the first floor of the building.
"Just hold on tight, Laito."
The male was actually really heavy. It was true that he was lighter than she expected. However, with her shut-in stamina, carrying a man with this constitution was already a miracle for her. She was thanking the adrenaline currently pumping in her veins.
Her train of thoughts was disrupted as she felt the baggage behind her getting heavier.
"... Laito?" she asked, descending down the stairs as fast as she can while also being careful.
...
"Laito?"
...
"Sh*t." she cursed. The guy fainted!
With a grunt, she adjusted him on her back and continuously sprinted across the hallway. She ignored the looks her juniors were giving them. It doesn't matter.
He needs to be safe.
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"Daddy Nurse!" the clinic door slammed open as a girl drenched in sweat with an unconscious male on her back emerged.
The nurse visibly cringed at his nickname. The two had developed close ties for the girl always uses the clinic to have her nap when she overworks herself with her drawing job. The adult male got his nickname from her when the girl openly told him that he was good looking and very daddy.
"I told you to stop calling me—" he stopped midway, eyes widening once he saw the redhead. "H-how did you c-carry him— n-no, never mind that. Get him laid out on the bed. I'll check him out." He stood up from his chair and grabbed all the stethoscope lying on his desk.
"Yes!" with her last remaining strength, she carefully dumped Laito's body on one of the beds.
Her entire body hurts. Her head started to ache. Her stomach felt queasy, like it wanted to expel something out; she badly wanted to vomit her dinner.
Which she did. But much more than she intended.
She grabbed the trashcan she found beside the nurse's desk and threw up all the food she ate for the day. She regretted all the chocolates she shoved in her mouth mere hours ago.
The nurse gave her a pitying look before his attention shifted to the male student. "Where did you find him?"
With one final choke, the girl in question wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"In the second floor hallway." she answered as she put back the trash can in place.
"Is it the first time he fainted like this?" the nurse started to check Laito's vitals, performing the usual check ups he does with students.
"... Yes? As far as I know..." she trailed off. She wasn't really aware of his activities for the past weeks. "Though I think he was really pale for the past days."
"I mean he had always been pale... But he's just... paler?"
"... Mhmm. Has he been skipping his meals?"
The girl visibly flinched.
Has he been drinking blood? It has already been more than a month ever since he drank from her. Though the fact that he might have been feeding from other girls, especially Yui, is possible. Actually, it's most likely to happen. Why would he abstain from drinking blood now that she won't give him some?
Though such thought leaves a bad taste in her mouth, blood is still something they need to live. There's no way she'd hope the male starve due to a trivial reason he is not even aware of himself.
"I don't know." she finally answered.
"... Mhm... Well, I think that simply explains the situation then." the adult said, taking off his eyeglasses. "He just fainted due to lack of nutrition. Simply put, he has been skipping his meals."
"What!?" she exclaimed. "For how long!?"
The male merely shrugged. "I don't know."
"You should give him food once he wakes up." he patted her shoulder as he noticed her crestfallen expression. "Don't worry. Other than that, he's completely fine. He seems to also lack a few hours of sleep but that's pretty much it. He'll be fine."
He gave her one friendly wink before he went back to his office paperwork.
The girl couldn't do anything but collapse on a nearby stool by the bed where the redhead lay. She felt so weak and tired at the moment. She decided to turn her head to the male. She observed him quietly, memorizing each detail of his sleeping self.
He's still beautiful in her eyes.
"You're stupid." she told the sleeping male. She took out her handkerchief and started to wipe the cold sweat off his face. "Why are you starving yourself? Do you want to die?"
"Stupid." she sighed.
Did he really stop drinking blood because she wasn't the source of it anymore?
"Did you?" she softly asked, eyes showing much affection.
She released another sigh, looking down with eyes closed.
Why can't she just not involve herself with this guy's business? Why does he have to include her in the choices he make in his life? If he continues to come back in every chapter of her life, she won't be able to suppress what she feels.
'You should stop, Laito.'
Once again, she released a sigh.
'I don't know what to do with you.'
She knows that if she continuously ignore him, he would stop his pretentious act of favoring her. After all, it's easy to switch from one play thing to another. Undoubtedly, a guy like him can... but seeing him in this state weakens her defense... She wants to help him even though she knew that such act was like playing with fire.
'Maybe just this once...'
She would give him her blood. After that, she would clarify the distance that they should make from each other. Just this once...
"And after that, let's go on our own ways." she whispered.
And with that, she stood up and marched out the clinic, unaware of the amused smirk that was on the nurse's lips.
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"I would like to buy these." the girl pointed at the stacks of bread she made.
The canteen maiden eyed her from head to toe, slowly packing the packets of bread in a plastic bag.
"I would also like to buy twenty packs of your soya drink?" she added.
Once again, the older woman gave her a judging look. Just how can a petite girl even eat all of those? Despite how she was against the young girl, she didn't bother to voice out her concerns and objections. It's the girl's body to ruin.
"What are you doing?" A gruff voice asked as a familiar albino stood next to her on the counter.
"Buying food." she answered her junior. "What else would I be doing?"
He didn't answer her.
"That would be 5,370 yen." the grumpy canteen maiden dumped the plastic bag full of goods in front of the girl.
"Here." Subaru intercepted the girl who was about to pay, handing out bills that sums up to 6,000 yen. "Keep the change."
He then turned around and started to walk off which of course, left the girl confused.
"What just happened?" she asked the canteen maiden.
"He has the hots for you." the other female answered with a poker face.
"What? Nah." she shook her head, grabbed the plastic bag, and ran to catch up with the youngest Sakamaki. "Why did you treat me?"
Both walked side by side in rhythm.
"You look hungry." he nonchalantly answer with his rough voice. "It's also payback."
"Payback for what?"
"For what I did last time."
"Last time?"
"... I don't know."
"..."
Her conversation with the albino male had always been like this. So dry.
"... You know what, Subaru, I started to wonder that maybe, me accidentally ending up in your household is actually fate's work."
"Huh?" he gave her a dafuq face, eyebrows raised while his lips formed a thin line. Why did she suddenly go philosophical on him?
"The sun sets in the west to rise in the east." she quoted. "Maybe that idiom is true, after all."
She looked down at her feet, remembering that upon meeting the Sakamaki brothers, she also met her missing soulmate as well as the person who actually understand her the most.
"Oh." was the male's only response.
"..."
Again, with the dead air. Times with Subaru are really fun. Note the sarcasm.
"These food aren't mine." she said, opening another topic yet again. This time, it was an ending topic.
Though, it was true. She planned to give Laito bread in case the redhead would like some human food. On the other hand, she bought soya drink for her if he decides that he wants blood. She needs iron to function, after all.
"What!? Who are those for?" Subaru asked, voice raising. He forgot the philosophical question landed upon him in a flash. He was now concerned if his attempt to be good would go waste.
"These are for your brother. He fainted." she replied.
"Then I'll take them back." he male started to reach for the bag but she quickly dodged, protecting her free goods with her arms.
"No refunds." she stuck a tongue out at him and ran away before the albino tries another trick. "Thanks for the food, Subaru babe!"
"You idiot—!"
She ran further away from the fuming male, her steps taking her closer to the clinic. She was thankful that Subaru gave her a break from reality. However, it was now time to get back to it.
She was nervous, mind drifting off to space. It was never in her nonexistent bucket list to offer her blood to a vampire. What has the world she grew up in come to?
The girl stopped in front of the door that determined her fate. Giving him blood would further strengthen the fact that she couldn't leave him alone. It would strengthen his resolution to have her back as her plaything.
Can she really do this? Can she go back to being happy while doubting the affection given to her?
But no. She promised herself that this was the last time. She won't let herself be manipulated.
"I'm going to keep a straight face to whatever is to come. I can do this." with that, she opened the door with renewed determination present in her eyes.
Her gaze quickly went to the bed where Laito was resting... only to regret her life decisions once again.
'When did I even not regret it?'
On the bed were two bodies firmly close to each other, no gaps present in between. The familiar blonde girl was half naked, her blouse hanging lazily on her arms which exposed her pale white skin and underwear. She had her back against the girl by the door while the redhead was facing her directly as he suck on the blonde's neck. The girl can see his eyes widen in shock as he looked straight at her eyes.
'Oh.'
...
"Love is an open door!~" she sang outloud, slamming the door shut. "... And now, close it."
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Love Is An Open Door
A cheesy song from the famous Disney movie entitled "Frozen."
QED.
(BKM: Pastel Magazine made by yours truly. I admit that I enjoy drawing Yuto a lot.
Did you love the new chapter? I certainly enjoyed writing it. I even listened to the song in order to internalize it.
Don't forget to comment and vote! I love your comments the most.)