Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Humanity had always enticed Shu, even though he knew that he was forbidden to visit, he longed for the life humans had on Earth. After all they were capable of something he never was, creation. So even though it was wrong, Shu still visited the human world whenever he could. He would always stay away from people, even as he longed to live among them, he knew it would be foolish to try and connect with them. This time, however, one young man in particular had caught his attention, and he couldn’t stop himself.

Mika, as he had most days, lurked in the shadows behind the market, hood pulled over his face so the townspeople wouldn’t recognize him. His memorable appearance never helped him in these situations, so he tried to keep his head low while surveying the people. Today, he had his eye on an unfamiliar man, dressed in unusual clothes. His clothes resembled if an alien had tried recreating the way the townspeople dressed using a description alone, almost right, yet so strikingly wrong. Maybe it was a new fad, he thought, but more importantly it looked like the man had money. He slowly approached the unfamiliar person, being careful to avoid eye contact with anyone else. When he was sure the man wasn’t watching, Mika dipped his hand into the bag the stranger was carrying, but to his surprise, the bag was completely empty.

As he was pulling away from the bag, a hand reached out and firmly gripped Mika’s arm. Mika immediately froze, realizing he had been caught. Mika observed the person who had grabbed him, realizing in even more fear it was the person he was attempting to steal from. He could deal with another beating from the townspeople every time he was caught, but he didn’t know what this person could do, especially with the power it appeared he had. The man was tall and slim, with a hollowed-out but immaculately shaped face. If Mika looked closely, the stranger almost seemed to glow.

Shu’s eyes met with the man he had caught rummaging through his bag, which really was just there for show, in an attempt to not raise suspicions. The man was small and frail, not short, but deathly skinny. He appeared unkempt and dirty, though it was hard to tell as he had clearly gone through great lengths to not stand out. Most strikingly however, were his eyes, deep gold and bright blue, they seemed to glitter like jewels when the light hit them. Shu was briefly mesmerized by their beauty, before realizing now was not the time nor the place. The man stood there as if he were stunned, shaking softly in Shu’s grip. He wasn’t very familiar with human emotions, but he assumed this was out of fear. Shu had hoped the man would speak first, as he wasn’t very familiar with human languages, though he had briefly studied as much as he could, he hadn’t had to use it. Unfortunately for him, the man only tried to struggle out of his grip, making little noises to himself and nothing more.

“May I ask what you are doing in my bag?” Shu asked, strengthening his grip while trying his best to not hurt the stranger. “I… erm… thought I saw ya drop somethin’ and I was tryna return it to ya,” the stranger replied, giving him a meek smile. “Do not lie to me. I ask again, what were you doing in my bag?” Shu said firmly, staring into the man’s eyes. “‘M really sorry sir. Ya see, I don’t have much money n’ I can barely afford to survive. Ya look like you have money, so I was tryna see if I steal from ya. ‘M really sorry please punish me however you see fit!” the man stammered out. Shu’s gaze softened, this man really was in a sorry state, but there was nothing he could do to care. He shouldn’t have cared anyways, what did one poor mortal matter to him? But regardless, he felt compelled to help this human in his time of need.

“I see, as much as I would like to offer my help, I seem to have misplaced my wallet. But once that is sorted out, I will assist you as much as I can.” He told the stranger, this wasn’t true, he had no use for human currency and thus didn’t carry it on him. He hoped there was a way for him to get some other way. Man looked at him, stunned for a moment, “Wha- is that really ok? I could never repay ya for this, but thank you! You’re from outta town, aintcha? Without any money ya won't be able to find a place ta stay, so you’re free t’ stay with me, I don’ have much much but it’s better than bein’ out on the street, I think…” Shu hadn’t planned on staying overnight, after all he wasn’t supposed to be down here at all, but something about the man enticed him. “Aren’t you a bit far ahead of yourself? We haven’t even exchanged names, you know.” He figured the man had nothing to lose, but he still found it odd he seemed to have no sense of self-preservation. “Wgah! You’re right, it completely slipped my mind, ‘m Mika!” he replied, holding out his hand expectantly. “Right… My name is Shu Itsuki, it’s nice to meet you,” Shu looked at Mika’s hand for a moment, unsure of what to do with it. He thought had extensively studied human behavior, but he found he still couldn’t grasp how they interacted physically. “Ah, sorry! ‘M kinda dirty so I shouldna assumed you’d wanna shake ma hand…” Mika said, lowering his arm “So, will you come with me?” Shu thought for a moment, he knew it was wrong for him to mingle with a mortal, but something about this one was different. “Yes, I think I will. Thank you Mika.”

Chapter Text

“Erm, it’s gettin’ late, we should start headin’ back soon, I don’t wanna walk ya home in the dark,” Mika said, looking up at Shu, who was notably not as stressed as Mika thought someone in his situation. “I don’t live that far out o’ town, but it’s better to be safe.” He explained, knowing that if he was seen here after dark he’d be attacked and not wanting to put Shu in danger.

“Yes, that makes sense. Go on, lead the way then.” Shu agreed, looking at him expectantly. Mika wasn’t sure why this stranger trusted him so much, but he was really no different, inviting a complete stranger into his house. If you could even call it a house. Mika couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but something was different about him.

Instead of cowering in fear around him, Mika felt safe around him. other people tended to look down upon him, treating him like scum who wasn’t even worth the ground he walked on. However in this moment, Shu looked to him for help, trusting him and treating him as if he was his equal, rather than worse than nothing. Mika wasn’t familiar with this feeling of being treated like a person with a reason to be alive. He had spent his entire life in the shadows, being ridiculed for trying to survive. He couldn’t help the situation he was born into, but it seemed to be all he was worth to most people. But instead this stranger looked to him for help, it was his responsibility to guide this stranger, something Mika had never experienced before.

Mika grabbed Shu’s arm, guiding him down a back alley. He gracefully navigated his way through the dark back alleys of the town that would usually go unnoticed. Carefully weaving through the shadows as if he knew it like the back of his hand. He was careful to not step out into where the light hit him, so he wouldn’t be caught. Shu, meanwhile, stumbled over his own feet, struggling to keep up. Shu wasn’t used to this human form yet, so he wasn’t steady going so quickly, especially not knowing where he was going next.

“Mika, was it?” Shu started, “If you don’t mind me asking, why are we going through all these back alleys? I can’t imagine it’s some kind of shortcut or something.” he asked, ducking behind a house to catch his breath. Adapting to the restrictions of this new human form was a challenge Shu had not anticipated, however he hadn’t anticipated chasing a stranger down the back alleys of this little town either. Mika, however, seemed completely unphased by the entire ordeal.

“Oh! Uh, well, ya see, most people ‘round here don’t take kindly to me hangin’ around like this,” Mika explained, giving Shu a meek smile. “‘M not very proud of it, but I tend ta steal what I can from ‘em, just enough to survive… so ‘m not really welcomed ‘round here.” Mika said, embarrassed. Mika looked away for a moment, expecting Shu to scold him. After all, it wasn’t like the townspeople were wealthy by any stretch, so he really was the worst.

Shu stared at him silently for a moment, as if deciding the appropriate way to respond. “Hm… I see.” he said. “Well, let’s not sit around for too long then. Let’s go.” Shu stood up, waiting for Mika to take off again.

Mika sighed a silent sigh of relief. “Y-yeah, let’s get goin’. Follow me!” Mika said, beginning to go down the back alleys again. He ducked between the dark crevices of the town with such care and precision that it was like it was second nature to him.

It was almost sunset when they arrived at Mika’s place. It wasn’t really a house, but more of a little hut. It was made mostly of whatever wood and stone the builder could get a hold of, but despite its small size, it was clear to Shu that great care had gone into its construction. It looked to be built very solid, yet it was built so precisely that the way the materials were placed seemed to form an intricate pattern across the outer walls.

“Alright, it’s not much, but here we are!” Mika said, opening the door into the hut and welcoming Shu in. “Sorry, ‘ts kinda cramped in here. Better than livin’ on the streets, I think…”

He was right, but rather than think about the size, Shu was captivated by something else. Incredibly detailed paintings lined the walls and half-finished sewing projects were sewn across what little space there was. It was incredible, at least to him. This man had nothing, yet he continued to create such alluring art with just the scraps left for him. Of course he was jealous, he had always wanted to create something beautiful like humans could, but more than anything he was moved. All this beauty was tucked away into the crevices of humanity, and Shu was in awe witnessing it. He was filled with such an indescribable wonder he couldn’t even speak.

“Ack! ‘M sorry! I should keep this place cleaner, I wasn’ expecting company! Please ‘scuse the mess!” Mika suddenly blurted out, trying to pick up what he could. Shu didn’t respond, continuing to look in awe. Mika’s stomach suddenly let out a low growl, as he remembered he hadn’t eaten all day.

Shu jumped at the unfamiliar sound, not knowing where it came from. “A-are you alright?” he asked, turning to Mika. He physically seemed fine, if not a little embarrassed, but Shu wasn’t very familiar with human anatomy, so he asked anyway.

“Y-yeah! Of course, ‘m just hungry.” He said, giving him a weak smile. Mika didn’t understand why Shu was so frightened, but it was nice to be cared about, even if it was just for a moment. “Ah! you must be hungry too! If I had anything good, I’d offer it to ya, but I really dunno if I do… ‘M so sorry! Man, this is no way ta treat a guest…” Mika said, suddenly dejected.

“Oh, I’m alright. I don’t typically eat very much anyways, but will you be alright?” Shu asked, trying to think of a way to help. The first part was technically the truth, he didn’t need to eat at all, so he only ate when he came down to earth to enjoy the creations of humanity, to Shu even something like cooking was a beautiful form of art. However Shu didn’t know what humans usually ate, much less how to prepare it. Mika looked unwell, so slim he looked like he could blow away if you breathed too hard next to him, so Shu assumed he didn’t eat very often, if at all.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine! I’m used to it!” Mika said. However Shu’s expression darkened after he said that, so Mika guessed it didn’t help him stop worrying about it. Mika didn’t know why he even cared in the first place, nobody ever had. To everyone else Mika wasn’t even worth the little space he took up, but here was this complete stranger, worried that he’d starve to death overnight. If anything, the people in the village hoped he would starve, it’d save them the trouble of chasing him out of the village again next time he was hungry. He didn’t understand, but sometimes it was nice to have someone care, not that he knew what it felt like before this.

“Uh… anyways, you can have the bed if you’d like, it’s not a huge improvement but it’s better than the floor, which I guess is where I’ll be sleeping.” Mika said, trying to steer the conversation away from his questionable eating habits.

“That can’t be comfortable at all, why don’t you just sleep in the bed too?” Shu asked, “I don’t move in my sleep, so it wouldn’t be too cramped, surely?”

“W-Wha? You’re jokin’ right? I couldn’ possibly do that to ya!” Mika said, his face suddenly red. Shu didn’t know why Mika would react so strongly, he thought he was asking something helpful.

“I’m sorry, did I say something inappropriate?” Shu asked, confused. “If you’re embarrassed I can sleep on the floor, it’s no problem to me.”

“N-no, you’re fine, I’ll jus take the floor. It’s okay.” Mika replied. Maybe it was normal where he’s from, Mika thought. Then again, Mika didn’t know what the normal was anywhere, since he’d never been close with anybody before.

“Alright. Goodnight Mika.” Shu said, pretending to fall asleep. He had to leave soon, it was hard to keep this form for too long, but he was already planning on coming back when Mika woke up. He didn’t know what it was, but he was so enticed by this strange human he had to know more. Besides, he couldn’t just leave him here struggling. Shu wasn’t sure how to do it, but he knew he had to do something.

Chapter Text

Shu stared into the distance, deep in thought about the experiences of the day. He couldn’t stop thinking about Mika, this poor stranger he just happened to come across. He knew it was forbidden to interact with mortals, nevermind become attached to one, but here Shu was, unable to quell his feelings about him. He was more beautiful than any work of art Shu had ever seen in his adventures within humanity, Mika was so tragic yet so perfect. Shu questioned if this was love, but to his knowledge he wasn’t even capable of loving, especially not a mere human.

“Oi, Itsuki! What’s going on in there?” a voice from behind him called. Shu jumped at the sound, he was so distracted he had forgotten his surroundings. He immediately knew who it was though. “Something good happen? You’re smiling to yourself like a child.”

“Oh, it’s you. Hello Kiryuu.” Shu said, turning to look at him. Kuro Kiryu had been one of Shu’s dear friends for as long as he could remember, and Shu didn’t have a weak memory. In the past, he had a streak of trouble and violence that almost got him exiled, but recently he had gotten back on track, even being more approachable than Shu most of the time. “No, not particularly. I just feel like smiling, is that so wrong?”

Kuro burst out laughing, “You? Smiling for no reason? Come on, tell me the truth,” he prompted. Shu had a reputation for being in a constant state of anger among those who knew him, so smiling just because he felt like it was definitely out of the question. Suddenly, Kuro gasped. “Itsuki, it isn’t a human is it? You know you’ve already got in some deep trouble talking to them before.”

Shu turned away, covering his face, and Kuro knew he had gotten it right. “Aha! I knew it! Really though, what do you see in them? They’re a lot of useless flesh bags if you ask me.” Shu had always been interested in humanity, which left Kuro often covering for him while he spent time mingling with humans. Unfortunately, Kuro wasn’t very trusted by most people, so oftentimes it didn’t end very well for either of them.

“Tch… Why do you even care? I just happen to find the gall of their species fascinating, nothing more.” Shu said, avoiding eye contact with Kuro, who was now just inches away from his face.

“Really, ‘cuz to me it looks like there’s more. Is it love? Itsuki, are you in love with a human?” Kuro pressed, clearly unsatisfied with the information he had been given so far.

“What? Of course not, don’t be ridiculous!” Shu said, suddenly even more defensive than usual. “I don’t think I’m even capable of such a thing. Why would you even suggest that?”

“Of course you are, now come on tell me more!” Kuro demanded. He had seen through Shu’s facade, though he was sure anybody could’ve. Shu wasn’t very good at lying, especially not to him. “Are they cute?”

“First of all, I’m not in love. Second of all you should learn to mind your own business. So what if I’ve taken an interest in a human? It doesn’t matter.” Shu replied. He did wonder if Kuro was right, maybe he was in love with Mika. He didn’t know what love was supposed to feel like, he hadn’t ever felt it before. He couldn’t stop thinking about him, Mika practically consumed Shu’s every thought. Still, he surely couldn’t be in love with a mere human, it just simply wasn’t possible.

“Doesn’t matter? Itsuki, you know exactly why it matters! It’s a human for crying out loud, you know you’re not even supposed to be around them, nevermind fall in love!” Kuro refused to drop the topic, he needed to know about this human, this was Shu they were talking about after all. “Who is it? You can’t just not tell me!”

“Enough of this. Fine, you win, I’ll tell you about this human. On one condition, you help me save him.” Shu sighed. He figured that if Kuro was going to find out anyways, he might as well use it to his advantage. “It’s rather unconventional, he doesn’t have much money and has no family, he’s completely alone with nothing to live for, yet he continues to create the most wondrous art. His existence is a tragedy yet he continues to exude beauty in everything he does.” Shu trailed on, slowly realizing that maybe he did talk about him like he was in love. But he couldn’t be, he couldn’t be in love with a human, it wasn’t right.

“Right, but what do you want me to do about it? You’re the expert here.” Kuro said, satisfied with the information given. He would never understand what Shu saw in humans, but he might as well help out, for Shu’s sake if anything

“I need you to come with me to their world and help me get him on his feet. For now I just need you to follow me. Bring me what I need and watch. If he spots you, just follow my lead. Please Kiryuu, I really am at a loss here.” Shu said. It was embarrassing to ask for help, Shu never needed help from anybody, but he was so desperate to help Mika he had to ask.

“I’m not running around being your little human errand boy, why would I ever want that?” Kuro said, rolling his eyes. As much as he wanted to help Shu, it wasn’t worth it to risk everything just to do things Shu could do himself.

“Ugh, please Kiryuu. This is embarrassing enough, I’ll make it up to you if I absolutely have to.” Shu pleaded, he couldn’t bear to make eye contact with him. With the things he did for this absolute stranger, Shu guessed it wasn’t hard to make the assumption that he was in love.

“Alright, I’ll do it.” Kuro said, quietly resigning from his plans for the next little while. “None of this is like you at all, you must really like this guy.”

“Thank you, it won’t take much. Also there is no ‘liking’ involved, I just happen to take pity on him.” Shu scoffed. “Regardless, let’s go. Follow my lead and try not to be spotted.”

They arrived in the human realm just past Mika’s home, with Shu assuming the same human form he had the day before, with Kuro following behind him, invisible to the human eye. Shu carried a basket of local fruit, conveniently growing on the surrounding trees. “There, that should do for a little while. I doubt it’s very good to just eat this, it's better than nothing.” Shu said to himself, plucking another fruit off the tree.

“Shu! Are ya up this way? ‘t’s dangerous to wander around here alone!” A voice called from further down the path. Without even turning to look, Shu immediately knew it was Mika.

“Is that him?” Kuro hissed, motioning towards Mika. Shu nodded. “Hm… Something about him feels awfully familiar…” He muttered to himself. Suddenly, Kuro gasped and pulled Shu by the arm. “Listen to me, Itsuki. You can’t be here with him. He’s dangerous and you’ll never survive if you’re found out. You need to get out of here.” Kuro said with an intensity Shu had never seen before. It almost looked as if Kuro was scared, which was something that rarely ever happened.

“What are you blabbering about? I told you to be qui-” Shu started, but it didn’t matter. Kuro had already gone. “Damn him… What was that all about?” He continued grumbling to himself, but he knew if he went to find him again he wouldn’t be able to come back again for a while, and if he wasn’t here now who knew what would happen to Mika.

“Ah! There ya are! ‘T’s dangerous to be out here all alone, ya shoulda told me were you were goin’!” Mika called, approaching Shu. It didn’t matter what Kuro thought, since even the sound of Mika’s voice made Shu less on edge. Not that he was in love, that couldn’t possibly be it, because Shu Itsuki could never love a human.