Spellbound Affection

Chapter 5: The Mage's Magic

(Third Person Point of View)

"How to break the curse?" Tendou was impatient for answers.

"Hold your horses, lad. It will be better if the other Mage is here, don't you think?"

"Who? Koutarou? The Koutarou of the East?"

Kuroo threw a laughing fit.
"Dear lord, they still call us that? It sounds so horribly stupid. It's not like we are legendary or something."

"But you are amazing, Kuroo-san!"

"WERE." Kuroo corrected Tendou's grammar tenses, as if emphasizing that was all in the past.

Tendou shook his head. "I still believe you are as great as they say you are!"

"Thank you. Hah. You want to know why I attend the ceremonies of marriage in the Adventurers' hall?"

"Why? I've been wanting to ask that, too."

Kuroo smiled sadly. "Because the couples who get married, whether hetero or homo, their love is the real thing, not a spellbound affection."

Tendou suddenly hugged Kuroo.
"Don't cry, Kuroo-san."

"I'm not, you are!"

They both laughed afterwards.

Tendou looked at the doorway. "Just like Iwaizumi-san and Oikawa-san, huh?"

Kuroo laughed harder. "Theirs was the best! I remember that Oikawa slipped on her own gown at the day of her marriage, face first. Iwaizumi almost passed out laughing."

Tendou held his chin. "Wait, you say 'the other Mage'. Koutarou? You say it as if you are close."

"We are!" Kuroo says proudly. "She's my best bro! Even if I can't fathom her level of stupidity sometimes. Tell you what, get her ass here and we'll spill everything. That is, if she is able to get a break from everything at the hall."

"Wait, you don't mean--"

"Bokuto Koutarou." Kuroo winked at him.

Tendou was about to run to fetch Bokuto's ass when Kuroo tapped his shoulder.

"Tendou, make a change. Please don't repeat the same mistake as we did."

Tendou dashed to the Adventurer's hall, at who-knows-what speed, dashing to the reception lady's desk.

"BOKUTO-SAAAAAAAAN."

Bokuto smiled at him, lovely as ever.
"Hello, Tendou. It appears that Ushijima is not with you. You're not here for a quest? How can I help you then?"

"Bokuto-san. Kuroo-san. Spellbound Affection."

Bokuto blinked at him. "Ah, it appears Kuroo told you everything. Did you really go your way to say 'Hi'?"

Tendou looked away, "Well, Iwaizumi-san knew the place... So.."

"Well? You're here for what, then?"

"Kuroo-san wants your ass up there to tell me everything together."

Bokuto laughed. "Tell you what, I knew from the start you were a Mage affected by the said fucking curse, but I didn't want to ruin it. You looked happy with Ushijima, didn't you?"

"I.. Uh,"

"Have you ever wanted to stay that way?"

Bokuto was right. Tendou always had that option. To live with the curse.

But no, he already made up his mind.

"I don't want to drown myself in lies, Bokuto-san."

Bokuto smiled knowingly. "Hmm. I see. Let me ask Chigaya Eikichi-kun if he can cover my shift the next day."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I'll meet you at Kuroo's tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Yes! Thanks, Bokuto-san!"

Now there was one problem. How the hell is he going to tell the Violet Eagle that he's going to be occupied tomorrow?

I have an appointment with The Feline Alliance and Silver Parliament's Mages tomorrow, so sorry. Like hell he's telling them that.

Oh I want to break the spell that some goddamned stupid Mage passed on to the generations of Mages as his fucking legacy. Like hell they will believe that. Semi would just scoff and look at him like he's insane.

"Satori."

"eek!!!"

Tendou almost jumped when Ushijima suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I've been looking for you since you didn't come to the pub. Have you eaten your meal?"

"I'm good, Wakatoshi-kun! I.. Listen, tomorrow, I'm going to the blacksmith's to strengthen some of my equipment so I won't be able to join you... Will that be okay?"

Please buy the lie, please buy the lie,
Tendou thought

"I can join you." Ushijima offered.

Something in Tendou screamed 'LIES', and it hurt him in ways more than one.

"Oh no, it's okay. If you want we can meet at the pub the day after?"

"Okay. Take care Satori."

LIES. LIES. LIES. Tendou tried his best not to give Ushijima a pained look.

"I'll see you then, Wakatoshi-kun!"

Tendou was still groaning early the next morning when he trekked the way to Kuroo's shop.

"Explosion!!!"

"Bokuto shut the fuck up you're going to make the villagers fucking suspicious!"

Tendou bowed. "good morning, Kuroo-san, Bokuto-san."

"Good Morning Tendouu! Oya oya, come see my magic."
Bokuto was forming some sort light in her palms.

"Bokuto--"

"godammit Kuroo, it's been ages since I last did this. Please let me be. We can just tell them that we were training."

"Oh yeah, we're fucking training with explosion magic only Silver Parliament can pull off."

"Oh."

Kuroo sighed, and pointed her staff at the heavens,
"Lightning hail."

All of a sudden, the sky rained down on thunderstorms and lightning.

Bokuto squealed. "Yiiee! Electricity, one of the best techniques The Feline Alliance has to offer."

Tendou smiled sheepishly. He was standing as the same ground as these two great Mages.

"What about you, Tendou?"
Bokuto asked him

"Oh, it's embarrassing, considering how amazing you both are."

"nonsense!" Bokuto was now dragging Tendou. "Everyone started from zero!"

"Bokuto, we're all here to talk about the curse of Spellbound Affection--"

"Unleash it!!!"

"Night Dance."

Swirling shadows came forth. They're not big, but they're not relatively small either.

"It's supposed to nullify, but I--"

Bokuto held Tendou's cheeks. "You sweet thing, you're great for your level, you know that?"

"Thank you, Bokuto-san."

"EXPLOSION!!!"

There was another explosion heard deep within the mountains.

"Bokuto!!" Kuroo hissed. "We are trying to live with the rumour that the great mages died. Do want them to fucking know you're alive?"

"Right.. Sorry. So, Tendou, I'll be telling some tales of the East for you so why don't you sit back and relax?"

Tendou smiled. If he loses Ushijima because of the curse, he still had Bokuto and Kuroo.

Maybe he was really out of the confinement of desolation.