Rui x reader - Promises

Chapter 8

A knock sounded on the door to your room. "Come in!"

You were sitting on your bed, hand sewing some dolls for the younger siblings. You expected Jiri to come in, and you nearly had a heart attack when Rui walked through the door.

He came up next to you and offered you his hand, without saying a word. You set down the doll and took it, your heart throbbing when he interlaced his fingers with yours.

You didn't know which emotion was stronger, curiosity or excitement, as he led you out of the house and into the forest. He didn't follow a trail, but instead he cut a new path ahead by whipping around silver webs in front of you.

"Where are we going?" You asked.

Rui stayed silent, but he stopped cutting away a path. He stepped through a thick bush, and you followed. On the other side was a cramped gap in the trees. The foliage was thick, and you couldn't see past a few feet away.

"I wanted to tell you something. But I've noticed someone being particularly… observant towards us and I wanted you alone." Rui said quietly, even though nobody was around.

Your heart rate picked up again, and you were horribly aware of how Rui had said 'us'. You liked it though.

"Okay, what is it?"

Rui began fiddling with a lock of your hair, twisting and untwisting it around his finger. "Do you remember when I said you stole something from me?"

You nodded. Finally, you would get to know! It had been bugging you so bad ever since that strange day. Now you could prove him wrong, because once you knew what was stolen you could show him that you didn't have it.

He leaned in towards you, his lips brushing your cheek and he breathed into your ear.
"You stole my heart, Y/n."

The silence that followed that sentence was almost palpable. You were speechless, completely caught off guard. He leaned away from your ear and stared into your eyes. Twisting your hair around his finger once more, he yanked on it, forcing you towards him. His other hand slid around your waist and pulled you in.

Your lips met in the most tender kiss you could even imagine. His lips were so soft, due to the excessive moisture now dripping from his mouth. It was probably hard for him to have his mouth on a human and not be eating it. When he parted from you, several strings of saliva still connected your lips.

His gaze slowly lifted from your lips to your eyes. He waited, as if expecting some sort of allowance or approval. But you couldn't give it to him. You were lost, lost in his touch, lost in the sensation of his kiss. The way he held you like you were a thin vase that would crack with a whisper, but would also be so harsh with you at the same time.

"Ru- Rui, I…" you tried to talk but it was as if your emotions swelled up in your throat and choked your words down. You wanted to tell him how you felt. You wanted to scream to him how much you realized you loved him. Your eyes started watering as you failed to create any verbal communication.

You wrapped your arms around him and kissed him again, your tears falling onto his cheek. He pressed you up against a tree and kissed you more, now holding you almost as tight as you were clutching onto him.

You paused to catch your breath and looked up at Rui's eye. It felt so good to stand there in his embrace. Suddenly he started laughing.

"Ha.. hah hahaha!!" His laughs grew stronger and he scrunched up his face, a blissful smile revealing his fangs as the beautiful sound filled the air.

"We- we're very messy," he choked. He lifted a hand and wiped your tears from under one eye, then the other. You chuckled, and used the sleeve of his kimono to wipe off his chin. It slightly felt like you were cleaning up a baby after a meal. A very dominant baby who could rip you to shreds in moments if he wanted to.

You laughed with him, your bodies racking in unison. After a seemingly endless amount of hysteria, he smiled at you, still clutching his stomach.

"I think I might love you, Y/n."

[Commence cliffhanger]

Kioti walked outside one day to see Jiri sitting down by some bushes, weaving a grass basket. He headed over to her.

Jiri turned around when she heard him coming. She grinned. "Hi!"

He came up beside her and began the hassle it was to set his crutch down, and sit down. Before he could though, Jiri reached up a hand and poked the stump of his leg. He blinked, surprised.

"Sorry. I've just wanted to do that for a while," she said with a sheepish smile. "It felt funny."

"No, you're fine. I just wasn't expecting that," Kioti chuckled. He bent down and sat next to her, looking over her half basket.
"I didn't know you knew how to weave," he commented. She proudly held up the pile of grasses.

"Mhm! Do you want me to teach you?" She asked.

Kioti smiled, and nodded. "You can show me something new for a change."

Jiri showed Kioti the patterns of overs and unders for each piece of grass. Despite her best explanation, he sucked.

"No! You need to go around that one since you're at the corner!" Jiri exclaimed.
"Ah, sorry," Kioti said. He'd always been a slow learner, but now he felt unusually embarrassed.

The third time Kioti failed to do the most basic weave, Jiri gave up. She put her hands on top of his and guided his movements. Her frustration blinded her for a few moments, but after a moment she froze, and looked up at his eyes.

He was surprised, and a faint dash of pink could be seen under his eyes. She herself started blushing, especially because she hadn't realized how close she was to him. She leaned away. "Um. Sorry," she mumbled awkwardly.

"No- d- um!" He stuttered with a few awkward sounds, not sure if he was telling her it was okay, or if he was weirded out.