champagnekiss

'to stage a perfect fucking crime'

Everyone around Tata knew she was snarky, cunning, manipulative, smart, and calculative, but most importantly she was charming. So charming that everyone glossed over all of her bad traits listed above. She was a nightmare dressed like a daydream and Draken knew that.

He was in love with her more than anyone else, so he let Tata manipulate him in any way she saw fit, anyway she pleased. But he got too comfortable, that he forgot Tata loved men who had the initiative and played her games not prodding along like another lame contestant. Tata would always win but at least he needed to convince her he tried to win.

Before Draken knew it, it was already too late. Draken had become dull in her eyes and she stopped trying to manipulate him by their third year of marriage. To everyone else wasn’t that healthy? She finally stopped trying to control his mind?

But to Draken, it was the worst, when Tata stopped manipulating him then it meant she stopped trying. Sure she still stayed with him, but not for long. If they kept being like this in New York, he would give the two years tops before she left him, chasing a new thrill and fun.

So in a last desperate attempt to save his maariage, Draken made them move to Missouri, albeit her strong resistance they moved there anyway and it began the two-year plan to win Tata back for eternity.

To stage a perfect crime you need a situation, motive, and evidence. Missouri was the perfect place to do that for Draken. There were the Sanos who loved him and wanted him as their in-laws more than anything and lovely neighborhood life who Tata despised, but they loved him.

There was the ex-lover situation Draken knew would become handy and he’d admit never in life Tata was jealous of him. Draken knew if this was back in New York Tata wouldn’t even bat an eye at Emma but with little and nothing to do right here in Missouri? She would have gotten crazy.

And he enjoyed it for the short while there it was, the attention that he longed for, the passion slowly returning to him even for a short period but this wasn’t his whole plan because this was temporary. The background check was now complete.

Moving on to the next step you needed evidence. Like the blood on the floor. It was his blood that he took from his syringe on the pool of blood the police found. Then every marriage problem needs financial trouble, Draken online purchased outfits he knew Tata wouldn’t even wear in her wildest dreams but the police didn’t need to know it.

Keeping it in storage somewhere that soon the police would find. Then made an entire diary, a minimum of 300 pages. You need to create a believable story, Tata and Draken needed to be lovable and magical and it was true, they used to be the perfect couple.

Then you added the bits how the marriage became disoriented, describing how your wife wanted to leave you and had a crazy temper. Added love rivals, from both sides, it added the tension and Tata was until this day had men chasing her, it irked him but oh well.

Did he plan for Tata to see him and Emma in his office, did he ever cheat on Tata? No, he was too in love with her to look at another woman, Draken knew he was a slave to her love and he was fine with it. He did feel a bit sorry for using Emma like that as bait.

Ended the diary with a note, saying your wife looking at you every day with eyes full of hatred, and you were afraid she was going to kill you one of these days, if you went missing please report it after thirty days. Leave this note ‘accidentally’ when you were hanging out with your best friend. He would report it to the police since he was a good man.

There was a slight miscalculation on Draken’s part though, he never added the fact that this way would lead to Tata having an affair with another man. To boot, that man was a freaking rich criminal who would do anything for her.

So he needed the next step, to gather intel that would harm the other man, threatened him with it, making sure Tata had no way but to be back with him. Draken originally planned to be back after three days but because of that affair, he made it to thirty days. Why shouldn’t Tata suffer a bit after making him endure all those marks, all those affairs that she did nothing to cover-up?

Draken needed a place to stay, and a cover story so he set up a contract got a lawyer, and made a plan in advance. He checked himself into a mental hospital, hands all bloody as a sign he tried to kill himself because he was depressed his wife would leave him.

Draken cut himself mere minutes before entering the hospital but they only need to know he was a depressed man who ran here as fast as he realized he wasn’t stable. Then his lawyer would swing by, and make the hospital sign their contract, disclosing Draken’s identity. And that’s how to stage a perfect crime.

“You are joking, right? This was fucking crazy, I heard a lot of fuck up stories, my clients are the definition fucked up but the two of you were…”

Then the man laughed maniacally, Hanma Shuuji the lawyer that had been listening to his own client's stories for this past month was still in disbelief how could this be real.

“You know why I told you right?”

Draken said he wasn’t offended by Hanma’s reaction. The past him would probably think he was fucking crazy too.

“Yes, because I’m obliged to not tell anyone because of my binding legal contract”

Hanma answered after his laughter came down.

“Well, it was time to check me out of this hospital”

Draken got up, ready to leave the room to answer the psychiatrist with how he was already ready to forgive his wife and he needed to be released now since his lawyer just decided to tell him now as he seemed more stable. That his wife was in great danger of going into jail. After all, Draken wanted her to stay, this was just an appeal to win her back. Hanma called him.

“You know the two of you… no one deserves each other more than the two of you and I mean it as a compliment”

Draken smiled and nodded at him, before finally ready to be his wife's savior out of her threatening jail misery.

“I’m sure she killed him, there was a clear power imbalance in that relationship”

One of Naoto’s partners said, Naoto just groaned his case had been sucking the soul out of him.

“We can’t make a murder case without a body, and I think this is suicide”

“Mr. Tachibana, please come here. We found another piece of evidence!”

One of his other juniors shouted, Naoto immediately ran there finding the frivolous spending evidence in the back of this storage room. It was hidden well and his detectives didn’t even find it the second time they scoured this house. Was his team incompetent or does this couple have way too many secrets? Naoto immediately rang Tata’s phone to question her.

“Mrs. Ryuguji this is Detective Tachibana coming from your own house, we tracked your credit card bills and we found some shopping bags full of clothes inside a storage room, untouched”

“Oh, those clothes? I thought Ken bought it for Emma”

Tata answered him nonchalantly and wasn’t even nervous about it.

“Mrs. Ryuguji we knew about your frivolous spending-“

“Detective I’m sorry, but do I look like a girl who wears knock-off clothes? I mean look at this face, I would rather die than wear one”

Tata cut him off, and while Naoto appreciated it, he still couldn’t count her out from lying.

“Mrs. Ryuguji I didn’t mean to offend you, but how do you know it’s knock-off?”

“Search for a high brand collector, they’d know if you didn’t trust my word”

Naoto took a long breath, this couple was exhausting him. Then one of the juniors called, coming in with a purple-haired man on the doorstep.

“Detective Tachibana, there is someone here to see you!”

“I’m sorry Mrs. Ryuguji but I have to cut our conversation now.”

He hang up the phone and walked towards the doorstep to find Ryuguji Ken’s supposed-to-be best friend, Takashi Mitsuya with a book in his hand. This man had given him various testimonies about how Draken’s marriage had completely fallen apart.

“Detective, I think you need to have it”

Boom, the last evidence, the game-changer of this case had been found according to the plan.

'the unattainable tata'

From the very moment Draken laid eyes on her he knew Kudou Tata was out of his league, so he had to work hard to make up for it. And when he finally arrived at her circle that when he realized, she wasn’t just out of her league. Kudou Tata was unattainable, not only to him but to everyone around her.

She had this untouchable aura, that he couldn’t quite explain. She was alluring, everyone got lured into it but not one could touch her without her permission. That was why when he came into her world, Draken realized he was nothing but then she accepted his pursuit.

Out of all the guys in the world that this amazing woman could choose, Tata chose him. A special bond, a fairytale where the princess chose the knight instead of the devastatingly charming prince she could have.

So when did all of these go wrong? The rest of the universe would love to ask that too, especially Tata. As she was once the center of New York high socialite, of course when her husband went missing and she admitted to cheating everyone took an interest in it.

“You were in and out of your boyfriend’s penthouse when your husband went missing. Don’t you have at least a bit of conscience to be concerned about your husband's whereabouts? What if he got murdered? Or maybe are you his murderer?”

The TV presenter asked her, all her life she had been used to the attention so to her this was nothing, just another interview to answer.

“I admitted, I was a douchebag but at least I was upfront with it. Do you know what I consider a murder? When you woke up in the morning then you looked into the mirror and you didn’t recognize yourself anymore, because you changed so much from a man who took your pride, dignity, and everything until you no longer existed. That’s murder”

For the first time, her tone became chilling, seething with anger. The whole room went silent, awkward tension-filled up inside the room.

“Also, I have no reason to murder him as you know I handed him a divorce paper and if I wanted to murder him, why didn’t I do it two months ago? America, you knew me. Kudou Tata was never desperate”

Her tone went back to normal like she didn’t say anything that made everyone in this whole room terrified of her.

“W-what do you want to say to your husband right now? To the camera please”

The TV presenter resumed, never before in her career did she feel such an overwhelming and scary presence. Tata turned to smile at the camera and said this exact specific set of words.

“Ryuguji Ken if you don’t come home, there is going to be a new man of the house soon to replace you. if you catch my drift”

The interview ended right there. Do you want to know the real answer to the first crack of their fairy tale? Let’s see from Tata’s perspective, to her it was when Draken made her move from her glamorous life in Manhattan to mere suburbs in Missouri.

She, an upper-echelon became a mere housewife in the suburbs. No more upper east side, Ryuguji Ken took her everything away but she was willing to try. Why? Because he was her husband damn it!

Draken said the reason was that he wanted to rebuild a facility, to help those kids in the brothel he grew up in to be freed from that. Tata couldn’t care less about it, instead, she was suspicious. Was there someone in it? But turns out it wasn’t the inside she should have been concerned for, it was the outside influence.

There was Emma, according to everyone around her apparently, Draken’s first love. And then it began, she lingered around too much, did she know when to back off? The man already had a wife.

Jealousy was boiling inside of her, yet Draken, her sweet husband who used to adore and put her first always defends her now, saying she was just a childhood friend. The perfect fairytale couple no longer existed, the screaming matches of the regular marriage? Yeah, they became like the one thing they swore not to become.

One morning, Tata take a hard look in the mirror and saw how much he changed her in the span of two years. It mocked her, the reflection haunted her. She became a nobody, she became an average and that was her worst nightmare became a reality.

She became this pathetic, jealous woman who she was never before. Tata was confident, in the past would think that Ryuguji Ken should be grateful she chose him and he had the fucking audacity to cheat on her and anger her?

How ungrateful when she was the one who rise him to her level. Well, it’s game on now. She tried to recapture herself back and there was no best way for it like returning to your ex-lover’s arms?

But for Ryuguji Ken, it was different. At least this one reason was different.

“You know, there was a man who lingered around her way too long. He never back off, he stayed there for fifteen years even when we had already gotten married”

Draken said again to the man in front of him in this all-white room.

“Is he the man who cheats on you, is that why you ran away? To compete for her attention?”

“He is and yes maybe I am, I was always scared she came back to him at one point because he was always there and especially when gifts started to appear at my doorstep every month, then it became weeks, soon it became every day. We always got into huge fights about those gifts.”

Draken said smiling a little bit sad about this recollection of memory.

“Who was his name?”

The man in front of him asked, ready to take a note with a pen in his right hand.

“His name was Kakucho, her high school sweetheart. You know I was always jealous of him, she was with her way before Tata became this wicked and calculating, I think she was genuinely in love with him”

Draken groaned remembering the man with the scar on his face, whom his wife blatantly cheated on him, not hiding it anymore, especially these last two months. In him, probably Tata felt he brought back the fragments of her old self and he did.

She may no longer shop in Manhattan every day but the man brought Manhattan to her when she couldn’t come there. Not before long after the affair started, Tata went back to regaining her old self.

The one problem was, that Draken became invisible in front of her and she shifted all her attention back to Kakucho, she didn’t even have the energy to cover up her affair. Worst of it was, she didn’t care for Draken anymore to lie.

“Then why did it end?”

“He changed way too much for her. Tata had always been frivolous with her spending, and she never did ask Kakucho for it but fuck our society and our mindset that men always had to take care of their women in a material way”

Draken took a deep breath before continuing.

“And that’s what he did, he did some bad shits I don’t know the details of but he got the money, he came from the scraps the only quick way to have money he could think of, was it. Tata loves people's devotion to her. But certainly, she loved her pristine reputation more. Especially back then, she still had so much ahead in front of her. So she broke it off and it broke the man into pieces”

Draken explained and the man wrote it all down on his note.

“In his defense, Tata was difficult to please and to understand”

Draken added his bits, which got written down on the paper.

“You know what’s funny? She said it was because of that but in one of our fights she said this…”

And Draken proceeded to tell him the whole story of one of his many fights with his wife. It was of course because of the gifts appearing on their doorstep every single morning.

“You can’t accept these gifts, I’m your husband and I said no to it!”

Draken screamed, which was a favor she gladly returned.

“Oh, really? Because at least he gave me a piece of Manhattan back. Ken, you ripped me off everything. You made me this useless, another suburban wife. At least Kakucho loves me enough, what you can’t give me!”

“He’s a fucking criminal Tata!”

“At least he had a job and what are you? You moved back here, and after rebuilding the shelter you made you refuse to go back and work alongside Seishu. We wasted a fucking year just so you can be near that younger perky first love you had!”

Then the fight went on, screaming matches like that every day until the gifts didn’t come anymore. Because Kakucho just moved into the penthouse in St Louis.

'loving her made me feel like a super human'

“Mrs. Ryuguji, I need you to tell me where are you before you found your husband missing this afternoon?”

The detective asked, while the person in question was not even a bit unfazed or sad, which was ridiculous. We were talking about her husband missing today, yet she didn’t even freak out.

“I was at the inside penthouse of a man I’ve been cheating on my husband with”

She answered, didn’t even bat an eye. To Naoto, the detective on this case, this was ridiculous. He knew who she was more than beyond her marital status. She was Kudou Tata now Ryuguji Tata, the once-hot sensational socialite, who had been dubbed by vogue countless times as one of the most beautiful women in the world.

She had several acting gigs in the past, and all of her performance was flawless. Yet in this house, she didn’t even have the decency to act sad about her husband being missing.

“Mrs. Ryuguji please be serious-“

“I’m serious though, see these bite marks? these are from my lover”

Tata said cutting Naoto off, she pointed out the visible purple hickies on her neck.

“And oh, don’t worry about Ken. He’s probably running off somewhere else, not dead”

She continued, while Naoto was still standing there, shivers running down his spine with how cruel this woman in front of him was with her husband.

“Or you could murder him because you want to be with your lover”

“Left night table beside the bed, second drawer, you would see a divorce paper that had been there for two months and today on our anniversary dinner, he supposed to say his decision”

Tata answered, which made Naoto more inquisitive.

“So because he didn’t sign the papers, you got more and more impatient and decided to kill him?”

“If that had been the case I’d kill him two months ago, why do I need to wait?”

Naoto was a bit frustrated, this woman in front of him had all comebacks to his question, and not even once did she stutter. She was confident and Naoto would appreciate it if the situation was anywhere besides this, when he questioned her about murdering her husband.

“Then are you suggesting it’s a suicide?”

Then she laughed real hard, like something he said was a funny joke, which it wasn’t. Naoto was even more puzzled now.

“Ken was pathetic, he knew how long the affair had been going on and I’ve never even hidden it from him. He saw the bite marks, he saw the scratches, he saw the gifts yet he still slept beside me on the bed every night. The man wouldn’t give me up even if I didn’t care about our marriage anymore, detective”

Tata answered, a smile tugging on her face.

“He could be devastated and desperate for your one last attention”

“Look detective, Ryuguji Ken would die under two circumstances only. Natural causes or when I perish from this world. As long as I’m breathing, he wouldn’t dare to be dead”

Tata answered him again with a smile with utter certainty that Naoto had never found in his years as a detective.

“Mrs. Ryuguji, remember you are the prime suspect in this case”

Naoto tried to dignify his authority, but this woman seemed didn’t even acknowledge it from the moment they met.

“Yet you can’t arrest me because of lack of evidence”

And she was right, Naoto knew damn well she would still walk out here a free woman. There was no murder case if the body hadn’t been found, and the man went missing not even 24 hours long.

“…That’s what probably she was going to do”

Draken said to the man sitting beside him in the garden.

“Wait, so you’re telling me your wife would outright admit she was cheating on you? Don’t you think she had a bit more of a heart than that?”

The man sitting beside him retorted back, what kind of husband predicted his wife would do all of those things. Even if what Draken did and said was proven to be the truth.

“With all due respect I know my wife better than anyone else. She is smarter than playing the part of American sweetheart because she calculated my moves too.”

The first step to clearing your name of a crime scene, be truthful. Lay out all your pieces of evidence before the enemies could use them against you and that was exactly what Tata did.

“Then why would you want to stay?”

What to say, what to answer, hm. Draken pondered to himself. There were so many reasons why he couldn’t leave Kudou Tata. But let’s start on their first meet. The first time Ryuguji Ken laid eyes on her was when her sports car broke down and he was the only garage open in the middle of the night back in New York.

From the very first gaze he laid upon her, she was dazzling and mesmerizing even when her action was stepping down from the car. He didn’t always work up this late, especially without his friend, this was his first time being here all alone at midnight and then her perfectly fine car suddenly broke down. It was like fate arranged this little meeting.

“Alright, your car is already fixed but you need to swing by a couple more times”

Draken said after done fixing her car, hoping to see this attractive woman a couple more times and maybe snag a coffee date with her. “Oh no, I’m going to sell this car after this”

Tata replied to him, there went Draken’s hope away vanished just like that.

“Why? This car is still great”

“I can always get another one, new is always better”

Tata then handed Draken the money from her purse, which he declined but Tata still held out the money.

“Always?” He questioned back, finally taking the money after feeling Tata glare at him

“Always, …unless” Then she stopped, keeping Draken in suspense. She opened her car door, while he still watched her every movement.

“Unless what?”

“My, my, you are curious aren’t you? Unless there was nothing like it anymore in this world, and it’s good enough to keep and repair over and over, a rare one. A limited-edition in this world”

Draken felt like this conversation was no longer about cars as he watched her getting inside of her soon-to-be abandoned car.

”Goodbye handsome, see you around”

She bolted out of his place and then it hits him, he was a fool to think he had a chance with her for even a second. Tata was clearly out of his league.

So, he worked hard to be in the same circle as her, to be playing in the same league as her and he needed to do it fast or else someone may snatch her away. Luckily fate was helping him again this time, quickly his business and Inupi went booming. He was known as the best, he became the best only to impress her.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Mr. Ryuguji”

Tata was amused when she saw him again. Draken certainly got his second chance to be with her and Tata certainly didn’t mean her words when she said see you around. Color her impressed with him.

Because he fell for her, he worked so hard then Draken the one who stood in front of Tata now was the ultimate Draken, the very best version of himself he didn’t even know existed. Chasing her, getting her attention, and trying his hardest to make her fall in love back with him was exhilarating.

Loving Tata made him a superhuman, it made Draken feel more alive than he ever felt. He was the way he was, attaining this massive success was all because of her, she pushed him to do all the things he never knew he could achieve. As he said, there were so many reasons why Draken still wanted Tata but it all boiled down to only one reason.

“What else? I’m in love with her. Always be, always will”

Draken said with absolute certainty and a smile on his face, after all, what do we need in this world besides love, right?

“Kamu ganteng banget deh”

Tata menangkup wajah Kakucho di tangannya. Wajah pria di depannya langsung berubah warna menjadi merah masam seperti buah tomat. Tata hanya tertawa kecil melihat reaksi Kakucho yang menggemaskan di matanya.

“Ganteng” Kecupan di layangkan di kedua pipi Kakucho. “Ganteng” Kecupan lain di hidungnya. “Ini juga ganteng” Kecupan kali ini di kening.

“Apalagi yang ini, paling ganteng”

Lalu Tata mengecup bekas luka di bagian mata Kakucho dari atas hingga kebawah mengikuti polanya, berkepanjangan.

Tata memberikan atensi lebih detail pada area ini, dimana kekasihnya selalu merasa tidak percaya diri.

Namun untuk Tata, justru bekas luka itu adalah bagian dari fitur wajah Kakucho yang paling indah, membuatnya menonjol dari yang lain. Malahan itu adalah tempat favoritnya mencium Kakucho.

“Kamu... tumben kok, kenapa begini?”

Kakucho kehilangan kata-kata atas tindakan yang baru saja dilakukan kekasihnya. Dia tidak tahu harus bereaksi bagaimana, karena jujur pujian dari Tata biasanya disampaikan secara singkat, padat dan jelas tanpa berlama-lama.

“Ya gapapa dong, kan mau memuji Kakucho nya Tata soalnya ganteng banget sih”

Tata mengusap pipi Kakucho dengan jemarinya. Memang Kakucho dapat dikatakan adalah pria yang tampan,

Hanya saja dia tidak pernah menyadarinya karena A) Tidak peka dan B) seluruh atensinya sudah tertuju kepada Tata, Kakucho tidak punya waktu serta kapasitas untuk melihat yang lain.

Wajah Kakucho masih memerah namun kali ini senyuman kecil terbentuk di wajahnya yang kemudian menjadi cengiran besar.

Perkataan Tata tentang dirinya menjadi milik Tata berulang-ulang terus di kepalanya, sampai membuat dirinya tak kuasa tersenyum, sedikit seperti orang bodoh di mabuk cinta.

Tata menempelkan keningnya dengan milik Kakucho, sekali lagi membuatnya terkejut.

“Apalagi kalau tersenyum kaya gini, makin ganteng! Makanya sering-sering nyengir sama senyum dong depan publik juga, jangan depan aku aja, biar semua orang tahu kamu ganteng. Pilihan aku yakali nggak sih”

Sahut Tata terkekeh lalu menautkan bibirnya dengan pria setahun lebih muda darinya ini yang sudah menunggu-nunggu kecupan di bibir dari nona manisnya.

“Kamu ganteng banget deh”

Tata menangkup wajah Kakucho di tangannya. Wajah pria di depannya langsung berubah warna menjadi merah masam seperti buah tomat. Tata hanya tertawa kecil melihat reaksi Kakucho yang menggemaskan di matanya.

“Ganteng” Kecupan di layangkan di kedua pipi Kakucho. “Ganteng” Kecupan lain di hidungnya. “Ini juga ganteng” Kecupan kali ini di kening.

“Apalagi yang ini, paling ganteng”

Lalu Tata mengecup bekas luka di bagian mata Kakucho dari atas hingga kebawah mengikuti polanya, berkepanjangan.

Tata memberikan atensi lebih detail pada area ini, dimana kekasihnya selalu merasa tidak percaya diri.

Namun untuk Tata, justru bekas luka itu adalah bagian dari fitur wajah Kakucho yang paling indah, membuatnya menonjol dari yang lain. Malahan itu adalah tempat favoritnya mencium Kakucho.

“Kamu... tumben kok, kenapa begini?”

Kakucho kehilangan kata-kata atas tindakan yang baru saja dilakukan kekasihnya. Dia tidak tahu harus bereaksi bagaimana, karena jujur pujian dari Tata biasanya disampaikan secara singkat, padat dan jelas tanpa berlama-lama.

“Ya gapapa dong, kan mau memuji Kakucho nya Tata soalnya ganteng banget sih”

Tata mengusap pipi Kakucho dengan jemarinya. Memang Kakucho dapat dikatakan adalah pria yang tampan,

Hanya saja dia tidak pernah menyadarinya karena A) Tidak peka dan B) seluruh atensinya sudah tertuju kepada Tata, Kakucho tidak punya waktu serta kapasitas untuk melihat yang lain.

Wajah Kakucho masih memerah namun kali ini senyuman kecil terbentuk di wajahnya yang kemudian menjadi cengiran besar.

Perkataan Tata tentang dirinya menjadi milik Tata berulang-ulang terus di kepalanya, sampai membuat dirinya tak kuasa tersenyum, sedikit seperti orang bodoh di mabuk cinta.

Tata menempelkan keningnya dengan milik Kakucho, sekali lagi membuatnya terkejut.

“Apalagi kalau tersenyum kaya gini, makin ganteng! Makanya sering-sering nyengir sama senyum dong depan publik juga, jangan depan aku aja, biar semua orang tahu kamu ganteng. Pilihan aku yakali nggak sih”

Sahut Tata terkekeh lalu menautkan bibirnya dengan pria setahun lebih muda darinya ini yang sudah menunggu-nunggu kecupan di bibir dari nona manisnya.

“I was and still in love with you, Circe”

Morax said, his tone chilling. Anger seething from each word he said.

“But I’m not!”

Circe retorted back, but she knew all she could do was scream at him. In reality, she was powerless, there was nothing she could do at the moment.

“Just accept the fact we are tied by the bound no one can’t break, a contract. You signed this contract”

“Because you left me no choice! So, we slept together one time, big deal! Just let it go, Morax, please. You can undo this contract. Venti is still sleeping, I need to take care of Mondstat”

She pleaded with him, this was unfair the seven-nation was already established. Morax had no right to do this to her. The seven-nation war already happened, he already got his piece of land a thousand years ago.

Now he threatened to invade Mondstat during Venti’s sleep? When Durin had already fallen? And there was no way Circe could fight him back when she was all alone protecting Mondstat.

“For what? Sleeping around with mortals?”

His voice was mocking, daring her to say a word again. Circe flinched, but she wasn’t afraid one bit. Sure she didn’t like to be tied down but it was her damn business and Morax shouldn’t even have to bring it up when it didn’t concern him she thought. Although to Morax it was different, it did concern him and it was indeed, his business

“It’s my private matters, why are you so obsessed with me? I never indicate anything that I was interested in a relationship with you, not even once Morax!”

False, everything related to her automatically became his problem. Why couldn’t she just see that she belong to him? For Morax, the moment he laid eyes on Circe, it had become clear that she was the one for him.

She was the fairest of them all, she was radiant, wouldn’t she befit the most with the high and mighty God of War, the strongest of them all? But Circe never thought of that even for a second.

The first time they slept together was all the confirmation Morax needed to believe that they belonged together. Alas, to Circe it was a drunken mistake that wouldn’t happen again. She left immediately the next morning leaving Morax, all alone in his chamber.

Morax tried to vie for her attention the next day, the usual way. He tried to gather intel, with her underlings on the work if Circe had any interest in him at all or not. But Circe was sharp, she knew there was something off with Morax and his attention to her.

So she threaded along the lines carefully, saying things that they wouldn’t work out but never a call of bad names slipped out of her pretty lips. She was smart enough to know not to anger Morax.

Then the time came for choosing sides, it was the war for seven archon posts. Morax ask Circe to join hands with him, it was sort of a marriage proposal tying her to him until the end of the time but she refused firmly. Saying she would help Barbatos because Mondstat had a special place in her heart, he let her go while gritting his teeth.

Again, when Circe had the habit of sleeping around with beautiful gods, their underlings, or mere mortals albeit Morax's distaste of it, it was better than her promising herself to someone else. Then came along her favorite lover of them all, Odysseus.

She favored him even if he was just a mere mortal. Morax who had been eyeing her all this time couldn’t let it slip out. So he alienated the enemy, and his body was found o the bottom of Starfell Lake.

Yet after all he did for her, Circe never realized her destiny; to be with him. Instead, she suspected him, but there was no evidence in sight. It was already far too long as he waited for Circe to come to her senses. Morax took matters into his own hands, it was time for her to do her responsibilities.

“Oh, but you did and I have been patient enough”

Suddenly he caged her on the bed, she knew where this would lead and Circe was horrified by the thought of it. “No, no, no, Morax!” Could be heard repeatedly. But Morax didn’t care, it was his right, she did sign the contract yesterday (reluctantly).

And a contract with a God of Contract? Was the unbreakable one. He force himself on her and there was nothing Circe could do. Sure she was once a god, but there was no way her power would be comparable to the almighty God of War. All of his sacrifices for her would be paid from today and onwards.

Morax was giddy just thinking about it, he formed a devilish grin on his lips. Then today, let him have a piece of fun that he had been missing for thousand years.

Kakucho and Tata were cuddling on her sofa, watching some rom-com she picked out which Kakucho had totally forgotten about. All he could think and sniff was her scent and the close distance between them. But he didn't want to be that guy who got horny in the middle of watching a movie and ended up with Tata not wanting to do normal activities with him. Tata shifted her body a little, Kakucho tensed up and she could feel it. Then she looked down and figured out why he tensed up.

“Oh, you're hard down there”

Kakucho was embarrassed he got found out, while it wasn't anything surprising for Tata. She did suspect it but she didn't know he would be shy enough not to ask for it.

“Want me to suck it?”

Tata said and Kakucho was ready to say no, but she slide herself down to the sofa first, sitting on her knees directly under him. His face was burning red, especially when Tata grabbed his pants' zipper and then unzipped it. Her expression was indifferent like it was nothing, while for Kakucho it was the first time he experienced it.

Tata pulled down his underwear, and his dick sprang over all hard and tense. No matter how many times she had seen it, Tata was still amazed by how massive Kakucho’s cock was.

He got the length and the girth, she couldn’t believe how this thing had entered her inside countless times and how this massive thing even fit inside of her. Kakucho felt so awkward with the way Tata stared at his thing but was too embarrassed to say anything.

“Is this your first time Kaku?”

Tata finally looked up, noticing his red embarrassed face. Kakucho only nodded, too embarrassed to say something. Tata’s grin got wider and then she gave it a stripe of lick for the first time.

It was tingling, the sensation was burning but he liked it? Kakucho couldn’t describe it, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked down and saw the sight of her licking him and her fingers wrapped around his thing.

Kakucho felt awkwardness running through his spine, but Tata was making him too good down there. He didn’t know how to react, only slipping out a grunt and moan here and there, one of his hands resting uncomfortably on the sofa. Tata knowing by his body language that he was still tense, took a break and threw her bralette away, exposing her breast out cold open to the air.

“T-tata, what are you doing?”

Kakucho stuttered, but Tata was getting impatient and yanked his hand finally grabbing his hand and guiding it towards her breasts. She just casually planted it, forcing him to grope it. Kakucho.exe stopped working for a moment there.

“I know you like playing with it”

Tata didn’t even bat an eye at her statement before continuing to suck at his dick. Kakucho was too stunned, he swore to god he could pass out right at this moment but how could he do that when Tata looked heavenly gagging at his cock trying to shove it all in and wrapping it with her pretty lips?

Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me

Tata was washed up, too much drinking, too much crying. A make-up couldn’t conceal her red eyes. It was another break up right? She was so used to breaking up with Draken that she didn’t shed a single tear anymore nowadays.

But why was this time the tears were overflowing so much? The tears had finally stopped, but the taste of betrayal was still there, even the amount of alcohol she consumed which was a lot couldn’t wipe the taste off her tongue.

Then there was a loud banging on her door, a man who had been waiting for her at every single of her breaks, usually she would be happy just to run to Kakucho.

Though this time, this break-up between her and Draken felt different, something major was going to change and she knew that this was going to be a turning point in her relationship with Kakucho too. Especially with that look planted on his face.

“Kakucho, what are you doing here-“

Then he cut her off in an instant, with a determined look.

“I know you just broke up but I need clarity, Tata. Your choice, it’s simple. Him or me. And I know you both go way long back. But Tata, I love you, in a really, really big way like pretending to like the taste of a cigarette on your lips, letting you eat the last piece of pizza, waiting patiently for you to break up with him even if it slowly kills me a little every time. Unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you. So pick me, choose me, love me.”

He said it all in a single breath, now he was breathless. It was rare, this was the first time Kakucho let Tata know his truest feeling right down to the roots.

“Kakucho”

Tata suddenly called him out, sure she was shocked but her facial expression didn’t change at all.

“Yes?”

His heart was racing, was he going to finally get his answer? What if it wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear?

“Are you going to stand all night long on my door? Come on in first”

Tata said finally smiling after three days of not smiling even once, Kakucho was a bit embarrassed, but nevertheless, they went in and sit on her couch.

“Look Kaku, I just got out from probably one of the biggest fights my relationship had. I need time, I need time to think, I need time to breathe! I had been with him for 6 years, 6 freaking years! What do you expect? And probably Draken and I will get back together because it’s just… it’s us. I don’t expect you to understand, Kakucho”

Kakucho’s face fell, he should have expected it. What was he thinking that she would pick him over a guy who had been with her for six years?

“So, your answer is him, I’m-”

Kakucho said, trying to sound calm even if his heart was breaking inside but Tata cut him off unexpectedly.

“I’m not finished”

She shouted a little bit angrily, making him surprised before turning her face towards him.

“But then you came around and since then you changed what was supposed to be my constant. You aren’t like-, it wasn’t like with the other guys. When you did something I liked, I didn’t think of I wished Ken could do this instead. I’m glad that you did those things for me, I like it and I only want you to do it, no one else. You aren’t a replacement in my head, Kaku”

It wasn’t a love declaration, it wasn’t an answer but Kakucho’s heart was soaring anyway. He stared at her in disbelief, does this mean he got a shot with her? Many thoughts were running in his head until Tata snapped him off, continuing her speech.

“Look I guess what I’m saying is, to me you aren’t an affair. You weren’t Ken replacement despite what other people might say. I really have genuine feelings towards you and I mean it, Kaku”

If his heart was soaring before, this time Kakucho's heart might stop instead. This was in her own way, Tata’s confirming her feelings for Kakucho. His face was bright red, and his feeling was reciprocated.

She had feelings back for him. But then again she still didn’t really answer his real question. Kakucho’s mouth was agape, tata knew he was trying to ask her that question so she just took a deep breath and answered it instead for him even if he didn’t ask for a second time.

“This doesn’t mean I’m picking you. I will be straight with you. I can’t promise you anything, Kakucho. I can’t promise you a commitment, I can’t promise you a relationship. You only get a month for my undivided attention, three months maximum for me to not be in any relationship. Are you willing to take me up on this offer?”

Did she have to ask? Kakucho wanted to scream that. Yes in the end she didn’t pick Draken or him but tata should have known that he was in love, too in love with her that he would take the scraps.

Even the tiniest bit chance of him having her, he would take it. Why do you ask? Because it’s love, it’s her, she had him wrapped all around her fingers. He would keep trying even if most of the results were a failure.

“You are selfish”

Kakucho replied back, and although his heart skyrocketed when she admitted her feelings toward him, he still felt a little bit disappointed.

“I think you know that first hand, it’s my main trait.”

Tata's lips formed her snarky smile, despite what Tata said about her messy appearance. To Kakucho she was still breathtaking, the same way as the night he first saw her and that would never change. Kakucho pinned Tata down to the sofa, his hands cupping her face.

“So, are you letting me use you again?”

Tata giggled, tangling her fingers on his neck, letting his face inch closer to her.

“Well, what do you think?”

It was more like an answer rather than a question as his lips crashed against her, he would make sure to ravish her every being tonight, and every part of her would become his. He knew he was being used, so he let her.

Kakucho didn’t care, as long as he got her confirmation of feeling tonight, he wouldn’t mind as long as he was still useful to the woman he loved. Kakucho was ready to be drowned in a sea of foolishness called love once again because of that tiny hope called feelings he got from Tata.

The vow of forever

Tata sat up from the bed while Kakucho was still groggy, she buttoned her shirt. He saw her back with his eyes half-lidded. She was quick to go when there was no reason to hurry. His house was nice compared to when he was a teenager, it was a big penthouse from all the murders and dirty works he did for being Bonten’s number three.

It was luxurious, and Kakucho knew the woman he was in love with was made for finer things in life. They met at a bar a few years back, she was so done after the nth break up with her boyfriend, who he recognized as Draken, toman’s ex-vice captain, and that day he just finished another Bonten’s work.

At first, it started with a talk, she complained about the trust issue her relationship had which they’ve never gotten over even if they love each other so damn much. Kakucho didn’t talk, but Tata knew his line of work and his gang without him ever mentioning it and she didn’t judge him which was a surprise to him although later he discovered she was too egocentric to care for anyone except the people she loved’s well being.

Then it started to get handsy, fast forward a few months it became a routine he started to talk then fell for her when he knew damn well Tata was here only because she was on another break with Draken.

Kakucho just hoped Draken was dumb enough to keep having breaks with her so Tata would eventually get tired broke up with him for good and finally be with him, he had already done it for years after all. Unfortunately for him, Draken wasn’t that dumb and Kakucho’s fate was deemed doom after all.

“Kaku, there’s something I need to tell you”

By her tone, Kakucho knew it was something important. He immediately jolted from his spot, joining her beside his bed. Tata cup his face with both her hands gently, staring deep at his eyes. Oh no, this couldn’t be it. Kakucho’s mind went to a panic state, it was shown clearly in his face but she needed to say it anyway. At least she would give him the truth.

“I heard from Takashi and Seishu, that Ken would propose to me tomorrow when we saw each other again to end yet another break. If I got engaged, I don’t want to be in an on-and-off relationship, I guess we have to get past our trust issue and worked on it no matter how hard is it rather than me storming out. I have just to blindly put my faith in him this time, the same thing he will do to me.”

Tata took a pause, Kakucho wanted to say something back about what he could offer her. She deserved to be pampered and not work a single day of her life, bathed in that Chanel No 5 perfume she always had on her purse. Right now he could offer that, he knew it wasn’t like she couldn’t buy those things, she was the top on her field but did Draken deserve her?

Tata didn’t deserve to live in a suburb, with white picket fences near the garage because of him. She deserved to be somewhere secluded, somewhere expensive like this penthouse without lifting her finger yet with the other guy she still had to go to her own job every day. But then again Kakucho realized his job was dangerous, at least Draken’s way was an honest way to make a living. You couldn’t compare safety to material things, right?

“So in other words this is a goodbye”

Then Tata closed the distance between them, she kissed him tenderly while a single tear fall from his eyes. They stayed like that for a moment before eventually, she broke it off.

“This is our last kiss and goodbye, Kakucho”

Tata smiled before leaving his home, for the last time and Kakucho just watched the love of her life go away forever and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Will you marry me?”

The proposal was grand, here Draken on one knee proposing to her in the backyard of what was supposed to be their future home. Rose petals were laid everywhere, and a candlelit dinner was set on there waiting for them. Draken set this place up all romantic with the help of Seishu. Tata got the biggest smile on her face in forever but she shouted her answer.

“Yes, Ken. A thousand times yes!”

The kiss right there was the new commitment they made that they did not broke, no more break they said and they stayed true to that arriving on their wedding day.

The bells chimed, the bride entered the church, and all of a sudden the attention went to her including Kakucho’s. Tata was breathtaking, she sparkled even more in her fitted with a twist wedding dress, a long train too as she had always wanted.

Kakucho glanced at the man on the altar and he saw Draken was holding back his tear, this was it, this was the moment their fates would be intertwined together forever and he was ready to spend the rest of his life without a break (pun intended) with the love of his life. Their eyes met and Draken knew, he didn’t make a mistake, their journey even the bumpy road was worth it because it lead them here.

“You are the most beautiful woman in the world, Tata”

Draken smiled when Tata arrived at the end of the alter, he offered his arms and she took it smiling back at him.

“Ken, you know how I think that kind of compliment is a bull-“

“But to me you are, Tata”

With one look at Draken’s smile, Tata knew he meant it and she didn’t mind losing the argument this time.

The minister started the ceremony, and the members of the audience filled with people they love went silent paying attention to them. While Kakucho was on the dark corner of the second floor, watching the woman he loved sealing her fate with away with another man.

It was Draken's turn to say his vow, he took a deep breath and looked deep at her eyes.

“I promise to love you even if when we are in a fickle, no more running. Nobody walks out, no matter what happens. I’m going to spend the rest of my days loving you to the utmost God allowed a person to love someone. This is us, this is forever.”

And It was her turn to say her vows.

“Honestly… marriage vows are all craps”

Cue the gasp from the audience and the minister, not Draken though he knew what was he getting into. Tata snickered before resuming her vow.

“But there are three things I will promise you and I won’t break it. I promise you my love, honesty, and my faithfulness to this constitution of marriage to the eternity”

Tata gaze into Draken’s eyes and he holds it. They meant their vows and couldn’t wait to spend the rest of their days together without a break allowed on each other part. They’d just blindly trust and hold on faith in one another.

Although Tata did promise Draken her honesty, there was a secret, a part of her heart that Draken wouldn’t know. The one she would keep to her deathbed because Kakucho would always live on her heart, he owned that piece. She would bury it until it got forgotten and didn’t exist anymore in her mind.

There was a sense she couldn’t shake that maybe Kakucho was her perfect piece but then again Ryuguji Ken would always be the greatest love of her life no matter what happened. Tata chose the blue French horn, the destiny she wrote for herself instead of the yellow umbrella the one destiny waited for her to pick it up and continue the journey with it, this was her decision.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace”

The minister said, Kakucho so severely wanted to rush down to ruin the wedding and begged her to run away with him. But he knew it was going to be futile, because Kakucho knew the woman he loved, once she made up her mind there was no going back. So what was the use for him to try?

“I pronounced you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride”

People cheered hearing that last line from the minister. Draken dipped Tata to the floor taking her for a passionate long kiss, that made her lips giggle and her heart beat as if it was the day he asked her out to be his girlfriend.

Kakucho just watched knowing his fate and place in her life now, the stranger who watched from the sidelines as the newly married couple walked out from the church announcing their sacred bond to everyone in the world.