Work Text:
It was around Christmas time for the Sakamaki family and they had gotten in the swing of celebrating the holiday around this time. Though, each year they only spent it among themselves and Yui. This year though they decided to try something new. Much to their displeasure, Reiji had invited the other rival family. The Mukami's and Sakamaki's were never on the best of terms and never got along well. Though, that wasn't entirely true. Subaru and Kou had begun an unlikely friendship even if Kou sometimes grated on Subaru's nerves. Other than that and Shu becoming friends with Yuma again due to their past relationship. None of the others seemed to get along.
This was especially true for one particular pair. Ayato Sakamaki and Ruki Mukami could never see eye to eye. With Ayato's ever looming arrogance and Ruki's constantly cold and overly critical attitude, neither of them could ever seem to get along. Much to each family's dismay. Ayato dreaded the rival family coming and constantly pestered Reiji to call the whole thing off. Saying that they were just fine on their own and they didn't need any guests. With each time the red-haired vampire pestered, Reiji simply brushed him off and told him to stop acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum. That was Kanato's area of expertise.
Soon, Christmas Eve came and the rival family had just arrived. Ayato, being against even being in their presence, stayed in his room and sulked within the confines of his iron maiden. He constantly grumbled to himself that they weren't welcome and they had no right to even be there. Yui tried her best to get Ayato to come out but to no avail. She sighed in defeat and walked back downstairs to join the other 9 people that were gathered in the living room.
Laito, the eldest triplet, decided to speak up with a dramatic sigh "He still won't come out will he?" Yui shook her head. Everyone in the room sighed. "I still don't see why Ayato-kun has such a problem with us! I mean we brushed all that stuff under the rug so he has no reason to be so angry" Kou, the second eldest Mukami, spoke up as if to speak for the rest of his brothers as Yuma and Azusa nodded in agreement. Ruki, on the other hand, stayed silent for the most part. Kanato, the middle triplet, held his precious teddy bear closer to his chest. "He's never acted like this nor was he ever this against you before..." The purple-haired triplet spoke up. Laito nodded in agreement as did Yui. "Honestly, I've seen him act childish before but never to this degree..." Reiji, the second oldest, spoke up as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. Yui held her chin in thought as to why Ayato could be acting this way but nothing came to mind.
Meanwhile, back with Ayato, he still grumbled to himself out of spite and anger. Then he began to think to himself; Why was he so against them being there? His mind wandered to the eldest Mukami whom he despised the most. That smug grin the elder seemed to wear, that air of aristocracy about him, those piercing steel blue eyes, everything about the elder Mukami seemed to irritate the red-haired vampire. To top it off, they weren't even pure-bloods like themselves. Yet, here they thought they could waltz in like they were even welcome in their house after all they had done. They had tried to take Yui from them which angered him to no end. They tried to take his prey away and he wouldn't stand for it. Though, he knew lately they had dropped all their attempts in trying to take her and left her be, but that didn't change anything.
Ayato growled in frustration; Why was he so against them other than the obvious reasons? Every time Ayato was around the dark haired Mukami his blood began to boil and, for some reason, his heart began to race. The arrogant vampire had never felt that way, around another male that is. Everything about Ruki seemed to anger Ayato, but it also caused his heart to race like a teenage girl around their crush. This thought had Ayato shooting out of his iron maiden in shock. There was absolutely no way Ayato had romantic feelings for Ruki. He just couldn't! Then his mind wandered to each encounter he had with the dark haired vampire. Every word of insult, every word of spite, every teasing comeback, all these things had suddenly caused the red-haired male to blush as bright as his hair. "Oh fuck no! I am not in love with that asshole! I can't be, I can barely stand him!" he muttered in denial. He refused to believe it. Ayato Sakamaki could not be in love with Ruki Mukami.
Back in the living room, everyone had found their own things to do. Laito and Kou decided to tease Yui, Kanato sat near Azusa and attempted to talk to him, Shu and Yuma were lost in their own conversation, and Reiji had found himself in an engaging conversation with Ruki about the latest book the elder Mukami had read. As Ruki talked, something started to bug him. Normally, he would be fine if he didn't have to be around the arrogant, red haired male. Though something constantly gnawed at the back of his mind. 'You're upset that he isn't here' his mind taunted. Ruki shook it off, the thought was absurd. It had him thinking though; Was he truly a little upset that Ayato was not in their presence? Ruki tried to drown out the little voice in the back off his mind with his conversation with Reiji. Though it suddenly seemed as though the elders demeanor seemed to switch gears. His other three brothers noticed right away.
Kou was the first to walk over and place a hand on his older brothers shoulder. "Ruki-kun? Are you alright?" he asked in a gentle voice since the younger sibling was worried. Ruki turned to Kou with a look of slight shock though it shouldn't have surprised him. Kou always seemed in-tune with how the elder seemed to be feeling. Ruki got up briskly "I just feel a little stuffy, I'm going to walk outside for some air. If you'll excuse me Reiji" he said in apology as he got up and walked out of the room.
Everyone seemed on edge at this point, first Ayato and now Ruki was acting very strangely. "What's his problem? He was fine a few minutes ago, what got under his skin?" Subaru, the youngest Sakamaki, piped up as he walked up to Kou who stood a little dumbfounded at his older brothers actions. Kou shook his head and ran a hand through his blonde tresses. "Even I don't know...he's never acted like this before. Other than our previous problem concerning M Neko-chan, I can't think of anything that could be bothering him" Kou explained as he looked down. Reiji held his chin in contemplation and then thought back to how Ruki seemed to act during their conversation. Ruki seemed distracted, like something else seemed to be on his mind. When Reiji had asked him what was wrong, Ruki had brushed it off as if it were nothing. Reiji then had asked if it was about Ayato and saw Ruki's jaw clench for a moment before he had answered with a simple shake of his head.
Reiji looked up suddenly as if coming to a realization and a small chuckle left his lips. Shu, the eldest Sakamaki, looked over at Reiji with a raised eyebrow. "You figure it out?" He asked while looking at Reiji. "Well, this is an interesting development. I never expected this..." Reiji spoke with a small grin plastered across his face. Kou saw the look then something clicked in his mind and a large grin spread across his face as he laughed. "I can't believe I didn't see it till now!" Kou sniggered. Yuma lightly growled at Kou's laughter. "Mind filling us in Kou the rest of us are fucking lost" the taller, brute Mukami spoke up while giving Kou a look. Kou simply gave Yuma a look that said it all. "Well well well, it seems that your older brother has a crush on my brother then~" Laito snickered as he tried to hold back a laugh. Yuma's eyes widened in shock "You gotta be kidding me! Ruki's got a thing for the brat?!" He yelled in shock. Shu simply chuckled at Yuma's exclamation "It seems that way doesn't it" the elder said bluntly.
Laito then thought of something "Hey, maybe...." he trailed off. Yui looked over at Laito with a look of curiosity "What is it Laito-kun?". The Emerald-eyed vampire chuckled and looked down at Yui "Isn't it obvious Bitch-chan? Ayato probably feels the same way about Ruki-kun~". Yui's pink irises widened in shock as she made a noise of surprise. "That would explain Ayato's behavior..." Reiji chuckled as he stood up and walked over to the others. Azusa then spoke up "Well...how do we...get them to confess?" he asked while looking to the others. This thought had the others baffled as they tried to come up with a way to get the two in question to confess to each other. Yui thought for a moment, then an idea came to her. "Um how about we use mistletoe?" she spoke up meekly. "How would we use that M Neko-chan I don't think a plant will get them to confess to each other" Kou said while looking at the blonde. Yui shook her head "No, don't you know the tradition with mistletoe?" she asked. Reiji piped up "Mistletoe is usually placed in an archway and when two people meet underneath it they must kiss one another. It's a Christmas tradition" he explained while looking at the others.
Meanwhile, Ayato still sulked in his room. The thought of being in love with the dark haired vampire still couldn't process in his mind. Then he signed in defeat "Maybe I am...but why that asshole of all people I mean I like girls not guys yet..." his voice trailed off. His thoughts were broken when he caught the sight of a familiar head of dark hair out in the garden. "What the...why is he in the garden all alone?" he asked as he walked over to his balcony window and watched the other. He instantly noticed that Ruki didn't look like himself. This bothered Ayato for some reason. He thought this had something to do with his growing affection for the other male. Maybe it did, even still it bothered him as he walked out of his room and down the stairs.
The others had heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Yui was the first to look as Kou and Laito seemed to follow. "Are~ looks like Ayato-kun finally came out" Laito said with a small chuckle. Kou laughed as well "You think he's going to find Ruki-kun?". Laito nodded in agreement "It would be the most logical reasoning". Yui looked between both males then looked to Reiji "Should we follow him to make sure he's alright?" She asked in a timid voice. Reiji shook his head "Leave them be for now, but if you want to follow them and potentially get yelled at then be my guest" he said simply. Laito and Kou grinned at each other as they ran to follow Ayato. Reiji shook his head and pushed up his glasses "I warned them". Shu then placed a hand on his younger brothers shoulder "They'll learn the hard way Reiji, just leave them be".
Ayato made his way out to the garden and spotted the elder sitting on a small bench looking a bit troubled. He took a deep breath before walking over to him, trying to fight the blush off his cheeks. "Oi, why do you look so glum huh?" he asked in his usual blunt tone that he always took on when talking to Ruki. Upon hearing Ayato's footsteps, Ruki looked up at him and shook his head. "Wow, never thought you'd actually care about my well being Sakamaki..." Ruki spat in his usual smooth yet cold tone. This was how they usually spoke to one another. It seemed almost monotonous for them. This time though, Ayato could feel the sting behind Ruki's words.
The red haired vampire clicked his tongue and placed his hands on his hips as he spoke. "Hah? Where's that attitude coming from? Not that you aren't always a cold, heartless bastard" he spoke with a bit of a spite behind his tone. Ruki looked away and looked a bit hurt at the others words. Normally the older of the two wouldn't be so bothered by a comment like that. Coming from Ayato though, it seemed to hurt just a tad. Like the small pinprick of a needle hitting his heart. Ruki stood and ran a hand through his dark hair while sighing "It's none of your business, though I can't fathom the idea of you actually showing an ounce of kindness towards me. It's laughable at best..." Ruki replied in a clipped tone. He couldn't show weakness not to Ayato of all people even if he did have some feelings for him. Ayato took a step back, almost feeling the physical sting of his words. Why were they effecting him this way? Ayato growled in anger "I was trying to be nice for once ya damn bastard!" he yelled as he glared the other down. Ruki chuckled, seeing Ayato so angry was a usual occurrence though this time he wasn't amused in the slightest. He scoffed "You? Being nice? Either you seriously damaged your brain or you aren't the Ayato Sakamaki I know" Ruki looked away from Ayato's piercing green gaze. There was always a fire in Ayato's eyes whenever the two got into a confrontation. Ruki enjoyed seeing him so fired up. This time, it wasn't near as satisfying.
Ayato had just about enough of Ruki's attitude as he walked over to the other and grabbed him by the collar of his grey blazer. "Oh yeah well times have changed asshole! I'm still pissed off that you tried to take Chichinashi from me and I'll never forgive you for that....but..." his voice seemed to trail off. Ruki raised an eyebrow at the red-haired vampires words. This wasn't like Ayato at all. Ayato would never act this way in front of anyone. A soft pink blush had crossed Ayato's cheeks as his grip on Ruki's blazer went slack. "I don't get it....I should hate you for all the bullshit you did. Yet, I don't hate you at all anymore. Whenever I come around you...my heart won't stop going a million miles a minute....but I like girls not guys. Then there's you...." Ayato spoke while looking down, his hair covering his eyes. Ruki stood completely frozen in shock. He almost couldn't believe his ears. Was Ayato admitting to having feelings for him?
Ruki looked down at the male in front of him and let out a soft chuckle that caught the others attention. "So you're saying that you have some attraction to me, is that it Sakamaki?" He asked while he fought back the urge to smirk. Ayato made a small noise and gritted his teeth. "D-Don't call me by my last name...." The red haired male spoke up loud enough for him to hear. Ruki had to raise an eyebrow at his request, but he sighed and let the smirk he tried to hold back cross his features. "Fine...Ayato" he spoke in a low tone by the younger vampires ear. Ayato felt a shudder run down his spine at the elders way of saying his name. The shudder didn't go unnoticed by Ruki, of course. His smirk grew wide at the motion and let a light chuckle pass his lips. "Well well well, I never thought the most arrogant Sakamaki would be so submissive to another male such as myself..." He said teasingly. Ayato pouted, now Ruki was just teasing him.
The teasing was bad enough, but it felt like Ruki was taunting him. Ayato wouldn't stand there and take that. "If you don't feel the same way just walk away now and forget we ever had this conversation..." He spat while looking away, his eyes brimmed with rejection. Ruki was taken completely off guard seeing that look in Ayato's once feral green eyes. The sad look was almost heartbreaking to witness. Ruki did in fact hold some affection for the red head, but his prideful persona would never let him admit it. Though seeing Ayato Sakamaki, self-proclaimed Yours Truly, in such a state was too much for the elder. He just couldn't hold it in. Ruki stepped back for a moment and gripped Ayato's chin then forced him to look up into his steel blue eyes. Ayato didn't know what to expect when he looked up at the taller male, but the look in Ruki's eyes said it all. Neon green met steel blue and nothing had to be said.
What the pair didn't realize was that two pairs of eyes were on the two as they were about to embrace each other. Kou almost couldn't take the suspense. "Will you two just kiss already?!" The idol blonde shouted, and the unsuspecting two looked toward the voice. Laito shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose "They weren't supposed to know we were watching them". Kou felt a small sweat drop fall from his forehead "Whoops....my bad".
Ruki and Ayato looked over at the peeping toms and glared. "Oi! What are you two doing over there!" Ayato shouted as he walked away from Ruki but he stopped him. "What?" The red head asked and Ruki just shook his head. "Leave them be, besides I think we should head back inside. It is getting cold out and we shouldn't keep the others waiting should we?" He said with a genuine smile that had the red head blushing. "Yeah, I guess so..." He said in a shy voice while walking back inside. Ruki stayed a few steps behind the male but stopped near the entrance to send an icy glare to Laito and Kou. Kou flinched and laughed nervously "Ehehe, no hard feelings Ruki-kun?". Ruki just gave a knowing grin "Oh not at all Kou, though you will be cleaning dishes for the next month as punishment" with that Ruki walked back inside. Kou pouted and Laito patted his shoulder "It could have been a lot worse Kou-kun" he said in an attempt to console the pouting blonde. "Oh shut up Laito-kun..." Kou spat as they walked inside.
As they walked inside, Kou and Laito entered the room first. Not even seeing the small sprig of mistletoe that hung in the doorway to the living room. Ayato walked and stood in the doorway with a tiny blush. Yui was the first to speak "Oh Ayato-kun! I didn't think you'd come join us" Ayato just looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well I'm here cuz you guys were being idiots...." He said not looking at the others directly. Ruki soon entered and stood in the doorway "I apologize for worrying you all, I hope I did not cause you any trouble" Reiji held up his hand to silence him. "It is no trouble at all Ruki. Though I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I believe the both of you should look up" He spoke with a small grin. The two looked confused until Ruki looked up and saw the mistletoe. Ayato looked up as well and instantly realized the situation the two were in. They had to kiss, it was a tradition after all.
Ayato blushed about as bright as his hair and looked up at Ruki. "W-Well what should we do...we can't exactly get out of this one..." He said while looking down out of slight embarrassment. Ruki chuckled softly and gripped the younger vampires chin again the tilted his head up to meet his eyes again. The look in Ruki's eyes was a soft and caring one. "Why not follow tradition Ayato it is only fair" he spoke in his calming tone and smirked lightly. Ayato stared into his steel blue eyes and felt calm. Though he'd have to get used to this feeling. "Yeah..." Ayato spoke as he leaned in closer his lips at least an inch away from Ruki's. "It is a tradition..." He spoke up again before Ruki leaned in and pressed his lips to Ayato's. The younger male let out a small noise as his neon green eyes closed in relaxation. Some of the others, namely Kou and Laito along with Yuma, cheered at the two.
Ayato gripped onto Ruki's blazer then wrapped his arms around the taller males neck. Ruki placed his hands on the red heads hips and pulled him closer. The kiss got much hotter than either anticipated. After a few moments, the two pulled back a small string of saliva still connecting their lips. Both males panted softly and stared into each other's eyes. Ayato was practically rendered speechless as he tried to gain his breath back. "Well, Ayato? How was it? Kissing your first male" Ruki asked a small grin playing on his lips. Ayato blushed and shoved a hand against the elders chest "Shut it ya damn smart ass" he spoke with a small hint of a laugh in his voice. This was the beginning of an unlikely relationship.