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~*~ Ouch. You tensed at the slight pressure you put on your leg, only to lift it back up again.
Urg.. how am I going to fight with a useless leg anyway? You thought with a huff, already a bit nervous since this is your second time you've broken your sword. Your swordsmith has a bit of an attitude towards others.
I hope he has mercy on me. But, I think there's a zero percent chance that'll happen. You let out an exhale, laying on the front porch of the mansion, getting some air for a bit. You've met him before without letting him kill you. You suspect he's an old man, for now.
In the corner of your eye you find a figure walking towards you. You turn your head to find Haganezuka, unarmed. Thank goodness. You let your body relax for a bit before getting up. You put no pressure on your right leg as you stumble over to Haganezuka.
"Hello, Haganezuka." You gave a simple greeting as the swordsmith unwrapped the cloth the sword was placed in. A slight grumble came from his mouth, looking at you in the eye with his mask, almost like he was glaring. You paused, staying quiet.
Silence pasted through the butterfly garden until you decided to speak again. "I'm sorry I broke my sword... again, but I was really scary situation!" You apologized with a bow, gently taking the sword. "Don't EVER let it happen again." Haganezuka huffed as you gave a quick, silent nod.
"I could um... offer you some tea, dango, whatever you like." You quickly change the subject with a deep exhale. Haganezuka hesitated a bit, slightly tapping his foot against the ground with a slow nod.
"Great!" You smile, signaling him to follow you. Your goal was to befriend Haganezuka. It's very difficult due to a hotheaded person, but it'll be nice to get to know him. You can always go one step ahead for it to turn into more than friends.
"Enjoy." Aoi gave a slight bow, placing your trays infront of you. "Thank you." You returned the action, fixing the position of the trays. You both sat outside, eating a bit of food that was on your trays. The food kept Haganezuka calm and quiet, thankfully.
You eye his mask, tapping him on the shoulder, getting his attention a bit. "What do you look like under your mask?" You question, tilting your head with a blink. "... Why do you want to know?" Haganezuka cleared his throat, taking a bit of his dango. He had most of his face covered up, except for his mouth at the time.
"I just want to! C'mon, lemme see!" You reached for his mask has Haganezuka pulled from out of your reach, swatting your hand. "Stop." Haganezuka huffed. You pause with a frown, taking a couple of bites of your food before being disobedient and taking the mask off anyway, catching him off guard.
Almost forgetting how to do simple things the body is supposed to do, you pause with your eyes widened at his face. "I- woah.." A slight mutter came from your mouth. He's gorgeous! You put your hands over your mouth with a pink shade across your face. Haganezuka narrowed his eyes at you in confusion.
"Please, don't put your mask on again." You set the mask aside, out from his reach. A annoyed grumble came from Haganezuka's mouth as he took more bites of his food, each bit getting more and more aggressive.
"Hey, are you alright?" You blinked concerningly. Haganezuka gave a slight nod before doing his aggressive action again. He's very handsome, but he still has that same personality...
~*~
You've been taking some free days to hang out with Haganezuka. Each time you've been around him, the more friendly he gets, only in the slightest, though. This day, something changed about him. Almost everything about him.
"And then-" You stopped your mouth from running as Haganezuka looked like he had something to say. "Y/N." He turned his head over towards your direction with a inhale. You waited for him to continue.
"We've been 'frenemies' for awhile now. I think we're more than that now." Haganezuka paused again. "Like actual friends?" You blinked as you questioned. "More... than that." The swordsmith gave a slight shrug. Something's off about him. What's he up to? You think, tapping your fingers against your clothing.
Haganezuka took his mask off, placing it between you and himself. "I love you more than a friend." Haganezuka cleared his throat, stammering over his words as you got the point the first time. Man, he's bad at confessing, but I can't blame him. You gave a bright smile towards the swordsmith, giving him a hug.
"I get it. I love you too." You gently tap his nose before letting go of his torso. You carefully look at the details in the mask Haganezuka wears, resting part of your head on his lap.
You both doze off as you hold Haganezuka's mask close to you with a faint smile.
~*~ Again, Haganezuka's face reveal really caught me off guard. He's 37, but I imagined him as an old man at first.
