Title: It's in His Blood
Author: Fainn
Rating: PG-13 (Shounen-Ai. Pretty mild.)
Pairing: Mori/Hunny
Number of Words: 1093
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Warning: Probably very bad -.-;; :heh:

It's in His Blood

"Why is Mori-sempai always with Hunny-sempai?"
"…It's in his blood."

There was never a time that Mori doubted his loyalty towards Hunny.

He knew the situation was strange, and he wasn't deaf towards the whispers that surrounded their strange relationship. Master-servant relationships just didn't happen anymore, weren't practical for the dispassionate dealings required to live in modern society. That was probably why Mori liked history so much; things weren't so cold then.

Mori never denied that the arrangement was complicated, and he'd never bothered to explain its workings to anyone. His family understands when he rushes out in the middle of the night or interrupts a business meeting whenever the one he cares about needs him, and as long as they give him this freedom nothing else matters.
…but on days like this, when the sun is setting and the world seems perfect, he doesn't mind telling people about how it all started.

As far as he can remember, he had lived a quiet, meaningless existence as the Morinozukas' son. He lived life without tasting it and watched time past without a second thought. "Takashi," his father had said one morning, and the next thing he knew he was in a black car, going to visit his cousin who lived a few streets away. His father had explained to him that this cousin was very important to his family, and went into detailed explanation of the Morinozuka - Haninozuka relationship. Something about "magnetic attraction" and "inseparable bonds." Mori wasn't paying very much attention.

They came to a large black house, and the first thing Mori remembered was a flash of golden hair in the backyard. Mori's sure that his aunt must have come out to greet his father, but he doesn't remember the details. All he remembers is golden-brown hair shining in the sunlight and a dizzying sensation that lasted for hours.

"Takashi, meet your cousin, Mitsukuni." He stared at Mitsukuni. So small. Was he really his age?

"Hello, Takashi." Mitsukuni smiled, ever the polite host. As soon as his mother's back was turned, however, he transformed into a devil.

"Takashi! Do you know how to play Tag?"

"Takashi! Look at my Usa-chan! Isn't he adorable?"

"Takashi! It's time for a tea party! Go get my dolls!"

"Takashi! Make my bed for naptime!"

—and sometimes just plain:

"TAKASHI!"

Mori ran after him, running after this little kid whose maturity was so far below his own. He didn't understand how Mitsukuni could have so much energy. He was a bit annoying, child he was, and Mori knew he should be nearing the limit of his patience soon. But something about Mitsu drew him in, captured him, and like a moth he trailed after his light blindly. It wasn't until after three tea parties, four games of Tag, five rounds of 52 Pick Up, seven rounds of two-person Dodgeball and Mitsu's nap did Mori finally find the guts to say something.

Mitsu, eyes shining, was saying, "Takashi! How would you like to play—" when Mori blurted out,

"Can I follow you?"

"Eh?" Mitsu stared at him strangely, momentarily distracted from his never-ending schedule of fun. Mori felt himself blushing slightly—well, at least he thought he was. His cheeks had never felt so warm in his life.

"I meant…can I follow you?" Mitsu just stared, seeming to think it over. "Follow me—what are you saying, Takashi?"

"I…don't know." What was that feeling in his chest? Sort of like a cross between choking and a twisting knife…decidedly uncomfortable.

"Follow…like, forever?"

"…okay."

"Forever forever?"

"…yes."

"Forever as in—oh! You mean role-playing?" Mitsukuni's eyes lit up with joy. Mori wanted to see more of that.

"Y-yes."

"Yay! That'd be SO FUN! Let's see…I'll be Lord Haninozuka, ruler of all Japan, and you can be Morinozuka, my faithful samurai warrior, right?" Mori nodded dumbly, a little bewildered.

"Yah…let's see. Lord Haninozuka. Haninozuka. Never mind, I don't like that. How about…Hunny? Hunny-sama! How about that?" Mitsu—no, Hunny was ecstatic.

"Yes…Hunny-sama."

Hunny squealed in delight and, without warning, leapt into Mori's arms in a fierce hug. "YATTA!" Still snuggling Mori, he added, "…but Takashi…" Wide, innocent eyes stared up into Mori's, and he felt the choking knife being replaced with something more akin to a gentle, melting sensation.

"You can still be Takashi, okay? Because I have a feeling that Takashi's irreplacable."

When it was time to go home, Mori's father seemed to understand when Mori told him that: "A good samurai never leaves his lord. I cannot leave Hunny-sama." That was when Mori started spending his days in the Haninozuka household as Hunny's personal playmate, servingman, and samurai. When he was with Hunny, he felt like he could fight off the world's finest armies, breathe underwater, and touch the stars with his fingertips. When Hunny was hurt or mad at him, he felt exactly the opposite, and tended to crawl into corners and snarl at the ones around him. Either way, Mori decided he quite liked this new existence. He felt alive.
"Takashi! Will you—" Hunny doesn't even have to finish his sentence before Mori's by his side. Over the years, Mori's become eerily attuned to Hunny's every movement, every word, every mood. Hunny's never doubted Mori's devotion simply because he's never given him reason to. What Mori probably doesn't know is that the devotion goes both ways, and Hunny likewise knows every little detail about Mori.

Everything.

"…Takashi?" Years of Host Club membership have given Hunny the ability to bewitch anyone in the world with his cuteness. He knows Mori's no different.

As Mori stares at him with patient, waiting eyes Hunny reaches up and cups Mori's left cheek. Dumbfounded, Mori lets Hunny draw him down closer before he asks,

"Hunny? What…?" Hunny shushes him with a finger to his lips, a mature gesture that would've stunned any observers…but not Mori.

The soft sweetness of Hunny's lips make Mori dizzy, and it isn't until they finally break apart that Hunny gives any explanation.

"I'm bored with the Master-Servant game, Takashi. Let's play a new one…"

Mori's eyes widen as Hunny whispers it into his ear, his heart beats faster and his eyes gaze in wonder as years of suppressed longing and adoration wash over his normally impassive face...

Hunny smirks in a decidedly un-Hunny-like gesture.

"So it's agreed then. Lord Hunny and his faithful concubine, Lady Takashi!"