Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The door chimed as Shun and Yuto entered the old antiques shop a couple blocks from their apartment building. The place smelled like.... old. Shun supposed he shouldn't be too surprised given it was an antiques shop, but... he still felt his nose scrunching from the strong scent of dust in the air.

“Are you sure this is where you want to look for Ruri's birthday present?” Yuto asked as he eyed a stack of old casset tapes.

Recently, his sister had called him out on his presents being... 'unoriginal', as she called it. She claimed he got her 'the same thing every year' and had asked him to 'try thinking outside of the box'. Something creative and unique.

Shun shifted somewhat awkwardly, then gave a heavy sigh. “I'm not even sure anymore, Yuto. She said she wanted something... 'unique'... ...What does that even mean? Did she really not like when I usually get her?”

Yuto quirked a grin at him. “Shun... you know I love you, but you do get her the same thing every year. Gift cards.”

Shun blushed. “Well— Gift cards for different places...” he attempted to defend himself. “I thought she liked those! It gave her an excuse to go to the mall with Rin or Yuzu, didn't it!?”

Yuto gave him what looked like a sympathetic smile and patted his shoulder. “I think Ruri just wants something a little more heartfelt. Don't worry, I said I'd help you, didn't I?”

Shun sighed deeply, releasing some of the tension in his body. “Yeah... you're right. Thanks.” his response was a little gruff despite being actually genuine.

His eyes swept over the store with racks filled with an assortment of different items with seemingly no rhyme or reason. “I don't know what Ruri wants... but I thought this place might have something interesting at the very least...” Shun mumbled. As much as he hated to admit it, Ruri was right. Shun hated picking out gifts. It was hard and he was bad at it. He thought he'd struck gold when he'd discovered the gift card route, but evidently, that spring had run dry.

Sadly, this wasn't even the first place he and Yuto had looked. Earlier, he'd considered that maybe Ruri would like some new clothes... but after the two had made it to the mall and into a clothing store Shun felt not so comfortable to be in, he had discovered he had no idea how to pick something out for her and neither he nor Yuto knew what size she was. Anything with sizes seemed like a no... So no clothes or shoes...

In the end, it seemed like the mall was a bad option since it was about 90% clothing and shoe stores. What a waste of space... They could have at least put in a game store or two.

“Well...” Yuto began as he walked through one of the aisles, stopping to look through some items. “This place is certainly...” he picked up a faded old doll that had a coat of dust on it, holding it between a couple fingers. “...Unique.”

Shun was starting to think the was bad at even picking places to shop for gifts. “This is hopeless.”

Yuto set down the doll and looked up at him. “What? Shun, we just started. Who knows! There's a whole store here. We could definitely find something!” he threw his arms out, accidentally smacking his hand into an old throw cushion and kicking up a cloud of dust, causing him to go into a coughing fit.

Shun couldn't help but quirk an amused grin at that. “Well...” he tried to wave off the dust for Yuto. “At the very least, I suppose it could be entertaining.”

Yuto coughed a few more times, then wiped a tear from his eye. “Let's... look somewhere else.”

Shun and Yuto looked up and down the aisles, checking out silverware, old luggage, perfume bottles, books, lamps and more, but they couldn't quite find anything that really suited Ruri... Really... rather than finding something inspiring, he was thinking this store was just full of junk.

He had to say, he was starting to get tired... “Maybe we should go somewhere else...” not that Shun really knew where else to go.

Yuto sighed. “Yeah, I don't know what to tell you, Shun. You may be screwed.”

That got a little huff of laughter from Shun. “Oh, so now you realize?” then he sighed too. “I just wish I had noticed sooner before we wasted our whole day.” He was just going to have to get Ruri his usual and hope she wasn't too upset. Maybe if he got one with twice the value...

“Shun!!” Yuto's sudden shouting startled him. “Mouse!!” He was pointing at his feet.

Shun only had a second to register the mouse under his incoming foot before Yuto had shoved him backwards away from it. He stumbled back into a rack of, horrifyingly enough, glass objects, the terrifying rattle as they jostled behind him almost enough to stop his heart before—

“Shun!” Yuto nearly screamed, “Catch it!!”

Luckily for Shun, his reflexes were as sharp as ever and he easily caught the falling glass bottle that had fallen off a top shelf pretty much right into his hands.

“Fuck,” Shun breathed. “That was close.”

Yuto gave a heavy sigh of relief, placing a hand over his heart. “You're telling me... Sorry about that, Shun. I didn't know what else to do...” He bit his lip. “I just wanted to save that mouse...”

“No, no, it's okay...” Shun looked down at the bottle in his hands. It was a light purple and had an interesting shape to it, long and thin at the top and wide at the base, and a stopper on the top that was shaped like a gem. Larger topaz and tiny aquamarines littered the bottle, giving it a interesting, yet beautiful look.

He paused. “Hey, Yuto...” he held it up to him. “Do you think this is... unique? Creative?”

Yuto raised a brow. “A glass bottle?” he paused. “Well... she does like purple... and yellow.” he noted. “Maybe? I'm not sure what she'd do with it though.”

Shun looked it over before nervously checking the price. $49... Not cheap... but not expensive either... “Well... I think I'll get it. It literally fell right into my hands, so maybe it's fate.” Not that Shun really believed in 'fate'.

“Plus...” he started towards the register. “If Ruri doesn't like it, maybe she won't be so against me just getting her gift cards next time.” At least he tried, right?

Yuto shrugged, “Well, I suppose that's one way to look at it.” he followed along, watching as Shun handed the bottle to the cashier to be rung up and carefully wrapped in paper before being bagged.

“Hey, Yuto...” he began as they exited the store, something occurring to him. “What did you get for Ruri anyway?”

“Oh. Me?” Yuto rubbed the back of his neck. “Nothing too much... I found this nice little necklace that had a little wing as a charm that has little white gems running along the top. I hope she'll like it...”

Shun stopped, eyeing his companion. “...Yuto. Why the fuck did you not suggest something like that earlier?” He thought he might throttle his accidentally, incredibly thoughtful best friend.

Shun sighed as he stepped back into his apartment that afternoon after parting ways with Yuto. He felt tired from running around all day searching, but most of all, in that moment he felt incredibly parched.

Gently, he set the bag on the counter, then went to grab a can of juice from the fridge.

He cracked it open, then eyed the bag. Had he made a huge mistake...? Jewelry... That would have been a much better option. He wouldn't have to worry about sizes with jewelry! God dammit, Yuto... He could have spoken up a little sooner...

Well... at least he didn't have to be worried about Yuto presenting her with something like was a courting thing. Yuto was, after all, dating someone. A man at that.

Not that he would have been too bothered if it were Yuto dating Ruri... He knew Yuto was a good man who would take good care of her, but... he did expect Yuto to talk to him about it first. It would only be proper. They were best friends after all and Ruri meant the world to him.

Shun took another long drink of juice, then set the can down going back over to the bag.

He opened it and carefully unwrapped the bottle from the paper. He held it up. It... was pretty anyway... Despite all the dust, it still sparkled quite brilliantly in the light. Shun hadn't pegged himself as the kind of person who cared much for sparkly, shiny things, but even he found himself a little captivated.

…Well... hopefully Ruri found it pretty too... Even if he wouldn't mind failing and being given the okay to go back to his default present, he did still want Ruri to have a nice birthday... She deserved that.

He set the bottle down, looking at his now dusty fingers. “...Maybe I should clean this before I wrap it...” he mumbled to himself, going to find a clean cloth from the kitchen drawer. He couldn't exactly give Ruri a gift that was covered in dust after all.

Shun dampened the cloth, then set the bottle and the cloth on the coffee table. Wrapping... maybe he should get that too and do it all at once... He might as well do it now while he was thinking about it. Besides, Ruri came over fairly often. He didn't want it just sitting out.

He went to fetch a gift bag and some tissue paper before seting the items he'd collected on the table. He picked up the bottle and cloth, sitting himself on the couch, gently starting to clean it off. He grinned, feeling a little satisfied by how it sparkled as he cleaned it.

The bottle's topper started to shake and Shun, for a moment, found himself wondering how exactly he was managing to do something like that when he was rubbing the bottom half of the bottle.

That was until the topper suddenly popped out and pink smoke started billowing out of the top.

Shun yelped, dropping the bottle onto the couch and leaping off of it, taking a couple alarmed steps back. “What the fuck!?”

He barely had time to wonder what was going on before he appeared.

A man with brown and blonde hair wearing a too-short vest, puffy pants that sat much too low around his waist and a thin, light-blue cloth that essentially floated around his shoulders appeared before him, gently touching his flats-clad feet to the floor.

“Congratulations!!” he exclaimed, raising his thin, bare arms to the sky. “You have freed the great and amazing Sawatari Shingo from his bottle! And as I am a genie of proper conviction, I am therefore obligated to offer you three wishes! Feel honored!!”

Shun thought his legs might collapse from underneath him.

The man—this... Sawatari Shingo—looked at him with a sparkle in his eyes and a mischievous grin that made Shun's stomach turn. He gave him a wink. “It's nice to meet you, Master.”

Chapter Text

In his lifetime, Shun felt that he'd lived through plenty of strange occurrences. When he was a kid, he and Yuto had once gotten some strange, static-y feedback over their walkie-talkies that they had sworn were ghosts. When he was a teen, he, Yuto and Ruri had tried out a ouija board and it had started to move on its own. As an adult, he'd had plenty of instances of putting down his keys or his phone or anything like that for them just to vanish and end up somewhere Shun swore he'd never placed them. He'd always thought that rather strange.

Strange, but with reasonable explanation for the most part. The walkie-talkies were most likely picking up a crossfeed, the ouija board, he was fairly convinced, had been moved by Ruri and his misplacing stuff could be chalked up to simple errors in memory.

But this... This was on a whole different level. This wasn't just strange, this was... insane. Rather, the whole thing left him...

“Speechless?” the genie cut into his thoughts. “I can't say I'm surprised. I am quite the sight to behold. Plus, it's not every day you meet a genie, let alone me.” His smirk was undeniable.

“Oh, but no need to stay shy for too long! I am certainly not against words of praise or amazement. I'm sure you must be excited at the prospect of an all powerful genie after all,” he gloated unabashedly. “And then... after that, I will hear your first wish! I must repay you for freeing me after all! Aren't you lucky!” he clapped his hands together in front of him, shooting him a playful wink.

Shun pressed his lips together, narrowing his eyes at him. He certainly had an ego. Well... he supposed it wasn't like he'd ever met a genie before, so for all he knew, they were all like this.

Still, he had heard about genies before. ...Even if... just in stories. Fictional stories, but... regardless, he wasn't about to be fooled. He knew there had to be a trick to all this. “I'm not making any wishes.” his voice was stern.

The genie, Sawatari, looked at him, his eyes wide with shock. “Wha—Why not!? I've never gotten that reaction before...” he put his hands on his hips and his bottom lip protruded in what Shun could only describe as a pout. “Surely you don't doubt my power. Oh! Here, watch!”

Sawatari snapped his fingers and Shun's cell phone appeared in his hand. “See? Neat, huh? I can do way more than this though. You just have to wish for it!”

Shun immediately patted the pocket the phone had been in instinctively, finding it empty. A small shock of panic erupted in his chest and he swiped the phone back from him. “Give me that!”

Sawatari made no move to stop him, though he tipped his head up as it turning his nose up at him, his hands returning to his hips. “You see? There's no way you can't believe me now.”

He gripped the phone tightly as if that would stop him from losing it again. Shun wasn't about to comment about how his little trick wasn't nearly as impressive or convincing as watching him just appear from his bottle in a puff of smoke. He got the feeling it would just inflate his already inflated ego and, really, that was the last thing he needed right now.

...Still, that display had certainly done the trick, even if, perhaps, not exactly in the way the genie had intended. That small panic was slowly building in Shun's chest larger and larger. He had to do something. Anything.

The idea that this genie could do magic without Shun asking him to was... concerning... And... how was he even supposed to handle a situation like this!? A genie!? This was way over his head. He definitely didn't know enough on the subject.

But... Yuto might... Maybe Yuto would know... He knew he liked some occult stuff. ...Did a genie count as occult...?

“You... just... stay right there. I'm going to make a phone call,” he commanded the strange man, pointing his finger at the couch. He had to keep his cool here... At least for now.

Sawatari plopped himself on the couch and grinned. “Oh? Are you planning on calling your friends to brag? Your parents? Siblings? Coworkers? Well,” he flicked his bangs back with the back of his hand, “I don't mind. Feel free to shout it off the rooftops just how lucky you are to have me at your side!” he sighed. “Gosh, I almost envy you,” he waved his hand casually in front of his face with a little laugh, crossing one leg over the other.

“Just... Just shut up for a second, will you?” he practically hissed as he went quickly back to the kitchen for a little privacy.

...Well, privacy while still being able to keep the genie in relative eye shot. He might not know exactly what to do in that moment, but he didn't think leaving him alone was the right call either.

He found Yuto in his contacts, tapping call before placing the phone to his ear. His heart jumped nervously in his chest as he waited.

After a few everlasting rings, he finally heard the voice of his best friend. “Shun? What's up?”

“Yuto. I need you to come over... right now. It's about...” he hesitated. “Ruri's present. And it's urgent. I... don't think I'd be able to properly explain it over the phone, you just need to come and see it for yourself.”

“Urgent? What did you do, Shun? You didn't drop that bottle already, did you? If you're going to ask me to help you put it back together—“

“No—Yuto, just...” He gave a heavy sigh, massaging his temples with his fingers. “Just get over here, will you? Please? And quickly!” with that Shun hung up the phone. He whirled back around to face the genie with the sudden fear that he might have tried something while Shun wasn't watching.

Sawatari was sprawling himself over Shun's couch, his back arching, accentuating his bare stomach and chest, the small vest he wore shifting to expose more of himself as he stretched. “Mmm...! I'm a little stiff, but the air is so much fresher outside my bottle! I like this!” the genie hummed, then gave a contented sigh. “I missed this.”

Shun bit his lip, suddenly thinking that he should, perhaps, research more on genies and the kinds of traps they laid.

...Not that he knew how accurate the information would be.

Sawatari beamed at Shun as he came back into the room. “Which reminds me! After you've finished showing me off to your friends, I want to go outside! It's been so long since I've been outside!” he stressed in a groan.

Shun immediately bristled. “Ohhh no. That is not happening.” Outside!? Shun couldn't help but feel at least somewhat responsible for this genie, having set him free and all, so he wasn't about to be so irresponsible as he let him roam free!

Sawatari pouted. “What? Why not? That's not fair...”

“Listen, you—“ Shun cut off when he heard a knock at his door. “Stay!” he ordered him firmly, then dashed to the door to let Yuto in.

Yuto gave Shun a weak grin. “Hey, Shun... So where's the fire?” he asked as he stepped inside.

“It's...” Shun stepped aside, giving another heavy sigh. “That is my problem.” he pointed at Sawatari, still sprawled over his couch despite his bit of a pout, though he'd turned onto his side, his cheek propped in his hand. “This... genie!”

Yuto stopped. He blinked. “Um... well...” he shifted from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable. “Shun, I... Look, I uh... know Ruri said she wanted something unique for her birthday this year... and I suppose I should applaud you for uh... stepping... outside of the box, but... I didn't expect you to hire a uh...” he rolled his wrist, gesturing to the male. “I... didn't even know Ruri was into uh... genies...” his eyes wandered over Sawatari's outfit, inspecting him.

“Hire a...?” It took a moment to sink in for Shun before he gasped, face contorting into a mix of shock and disgust. “What?! Yuto—!! No! No, no, no, no, no!! That is... This is absolutely not—!! I would never—!!” he blushed a deep red, becoming instantly flustered. “Yuto, what the fuck! How could you even suggest—!!” Shun felt his skin crawl at the very notion. With all that was going on right then, that kind of thought was the last thing he needed.

Sawatari sat up, tilting his head a bit curiously. “What are you guys talking about?” then he eyed Yuto. “Is this your friend? Is he going to help you make your wishes?” he hopped to his feet, stepping around the table, holding out a hand to Yuto. “Hi! I'm Sawatari Shingo! The great, powerful, mystifying and incredibly handsome genie.”

Yuto hesitated, but slowly took his hand to shake it. “Uh... Yuto... Nice to meet you...” then he looked at Shun, his brow furrowing. “Um, Shun, I uh...” he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I'd rather not go making assumptions again on what he means by 'wishes' or why you might need my help in making them, so you'd better start explaining...”

Shun gave an exasperated sigh, running his hand through his bangs, his cheeks stained red. He couldn't say Yuto's guesses weren't fair ones given that... the reality of the situation was so much weirder, but... God, why did this genie have to be wearing an outfit like that? He was creating all sorts of misunderstandings. Shun was slowly becoming convinced that it was an intentional lure.

“Unfortunately...” he began slowly, “And as unbelievable as it seems, he's... exactly who he says he is.” Shun grumbled, attempting to shake off his embarrassment. “A... genie. A real one.”

Yuto gave him an incredulous look.

“Look, I know it sounds crazy, but... I was getting ready to wrap up Ruri's birthday present and I noticed it was pretty dusty, so... I was cleaning it and then suddenly... he appeared.” he gestured to Sawatari.

Yuto looked from Sawatari to Shun. He furrowed his brows. “Shun, it's a little early for April Fools day. Sort of a strange joke anyway... I mean... Come on, a genie...? It's a bit of a stretch...”

“Joke?” Sawatari gasped, crossing his arms. “You'd better not be calling me a joke. How dare you!”

Shun tensed, then placed a hand on Sawatari's shoulder, but a strange tingling running through his fingers that instantly made him retract his hand, leaving him to awkwardly hover hand instead. “He... He doesn't mean it like that. He's just confused, okay? He's not trying to insult you.” The last thing Shun needed right then was for Yuto to be turned into a... toad or... something...

...Shun really needed to study more on genies.

Sawatari huffed, crossing his legs. “Well he could be a little less rude about it.”

Shun sighed, then turned back to Yuto, “Look—“ he stopped when he noticed Yuto's eyes had gone wide, transfixed downward.

He followed his gaze to... nothing. Quickly though, he realized that nothing was exactly what was strange about it.

There was nothing keeping Sawatari Shingo on level with them. He was sitting before them, legs crossed... floating.

Yuto's mouth opened and shut a few times before he snapped his attention back to Shun again. “...Hhh... Hhhow did...” Yuto cleared his throat, “A-A... genie... you say...?”

Shingo huffed, then seemed to lose interest in Yuto. He drifted away from them, going to peek out the window. “Whoa! We're so high up! I guess this isn't a house then. That's what I lived in last time. ...I mean, before the bottle.” he rambled on as if the world were his audience.

Shun swallowed, then nodded, his eyes moving from Sawatari to Yuto, then back again. “It... seems that way... Yuto... please tell me you know a thing of two about genies. I shouldn't let him go outside, right? And no wishes for sure...” he bit his lip. “It seems like he can use it regardless of me though... That's... bad, right?”

Yuto crossed his arms, his eyes locked on the genie, still wide, though they seemed to carry not just shock, but panic too. “Y-Yeah, um... I won't say genies are my expertise, but I do know a few things...” he kept his voice low. “That's a 'no' to making wishes, since normally genies can twist your words however they want. Taking him outside... I mean, if he's going to do that.” he gesturing to the floating man, “It's sure to cause some sort of panic and...” he bit his lip, his concerned eyes slipping back to Shun. “Yeah, that... might be pretty bad, Shun... But maybe if you can keep him from doing that, then...”

Shun let out an agitated grunt. “Well what am I supposed to do then?”

Yuto flexed his hands, mind clearly racing. “Okay... listen... I'll do some more research on this... but in the meantime... just... try to keep him distracted. He seems to like talking... Maybe you can get him to tell you more about himself or his powers or... something.”

Shun sighed, the prospect of engaging in more conversation with this big headed man was giving him a headache already. He nodded.

“One way or another...” Yuto continued, eyes firm with resolve despite his voice still kept a a whisper. “We have to trap him back into that bottle.” he placed his hand on Shun's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Don't worry, Shun. I'll help you in any way I can.” he gave him one of his more comforting smiles. “I promise.”

Shun nodded. “Okay... thank you, Yuto...”

Yuto stepped away. “But for right now, I'll need to head back so I can do some research. You'll be okay?”

Shun pressed his lips into a frown, crossing his arms as he watched the genie float from one window to another, scrambling to catch a vase he'd bumped off a desk. “...Hopefully.”

Yuto gave him one last apologetic smile. “Call me if you need anything, okay? I promise to keep my phone on me. Oh, and Shun? Even if it's hard, do whatever you can to keep him happy. The last thing we need is an angry genie... Good luck.” And with that, he was gone.

Shun let out a shaky breath. Great. Happy. How was he supposed to do that...?

His eyes fell on the bottle that rested on his coffee table. One way or another, they were going to get him back into that bottle.

But not only that...

Shun grimaced as his next thought hit him like a punch to the gut.

He was going to have to find a new birthday present for Ruri.

Chapter Text

After such a crazy day, with searching for Ruri's present, finding it, Ruri's present turning out to be a genie and realizing he, once more, was present-less, Shun was exhausted.

But more so at that moment he was just... starving. If he was going to be spending his evening babysitting a genie, he was going to need his energy.

Shun gave a sigh, running his hand through his hair as he made his way to the kitchen to figure out what to make for food.

He glanced up at the genie still floating around his apartment. He seemed to be busying himself peeking out windows, but... as long as he wasn't attempting to open those windows, Shun supposed he could just... leave him be for now...

Something simple... that's what he wanted. Shun produced a carton of eggs from the fridge, settled them on the counter.

Scrambled eggs... That was easy. Maybe he'd do that.

Soon enough, he has his eggs whisked up and vegetables chopped and all in his pan, sizzling away. Doing something normal was oddly satisfying in that moment.

“What're you doing?”

Shun glanced up to see that Sawatari had floated his way over to him, peering intently into his pan.

“Cooking.” Shun grunted.

“Yeah, but what?”

“Eggs.”

“It smells good...”

Shun wanted to snap at him to back off and give him some space, but... the way this genie was eyeing his food so hungrily... It reminded Shun of a puppy or... a small starving child.

He gave a heavy sigh, scrapping the eggs onto a plate and plonking it, with a fork, in front of Sawatari. “Here. They're yours then.” He was too soft. ...But it wasn't like he could starve the guy... Genie or not, he probably still had to eat, right?

Sawatari's wide eyes snapped up to Shun. “What!? Really!? Wow!!” he grabbed the fork. “Thank you!! My new master is so kind!” he chimed, happily digging in. “Mmm! It's good! It's been so long since I last got to eat...”

Shun relaxed a bit. He had to admit, that reaction was oddly satisfying... With Yuto and Ruri around, Shun certainly wasn't ever praised on his cooking. Especially not having someone enjoy it this much. “Well... good.”

He turned and got to making a second batch of eggs for himself. He wished he could have eaten first, but he never was the type who could eat while people around him went hungry.

...Wait a second.

“When you say it's been 'so long' since you've last eaten... How long is that?”

“Oh? Hmm... I don't know. Since before I got sealed in my bottle again.” he mused, taking another bite of the eggs.

“...Do genies not have to eat?”

“Well... Not technically.”

Ah. Perhaps he wasn't as close to starving as Shun thought.

Shun finished off cooking his second batch of eggs, lamenting to himself over how soft he was. He scraped them onto his plate, ditching the pan in the sink. He'd... deal with it later...

“Master?”

Shun wasn't sure he liked being called that, but for the moment, he let it slide. “Yes?”

“Do you have a calendar?”

Shun furrowed his brow. “A calendar?” Like a paper one? Did people still use those? “Well, on my phone.”

Before Shun could question further, Sawatari had poofed Shun's phone into his hand, opening it up. “Hey!”

Shun reached over to snatch his phone back, “You can't just—“ he stopped. There had been zero protest in Sawatari's grip and his expression read... blank. His eyes were hallow.

He wavered, narrowing his eyes. “...What?”

Sawatari gasped a bit. “Oh!” he laughed nervously. “No, no, I just... I wanted to know what year it was.” he rubbed the back of his neck. “So... to answer your question, it's been... about two years! Since I last ate.”

Jeez, two years? Shun paused. “...But you don't need to eat anyway.”

He laughed, but the light didn't reach his eyes. “True! But it still tastes good.” he hummed before he went back to eating.

Shun got the feeling that there was something more to his comment than just food.

...But it wasn't his business. What his business was was getting rid of this genie, not having a heart to heart with him. He wasn't some fool that would get attached. For all he knew, this was all some spell anyway.

He... really wish he knew how genies worked. He was depending on Yuto for this...

“Thanks for the meal, master! Let me do something to help you in return!” he winked.

“Wai—!“

Sawatari snapped his fingers and, in a flash, all the dishes were cleaned.

“Oh,” Shun was a little dumbstruck.

Sawatari beamed, placing his hands on his hips. “How was that? Helpful? Feel free to praise me. I know I'm amazing!”

Shun frowned. Obnoxious, more like. Maybe this genie wasn't quite as upset as he had appeared earlier.

...But... still... “Well... that... was helpful...” he admitted reluctantly. “But you shouldn't just... do things without asking! No magic!”

Sawatari pouted. “Why not? Didn't you say it was helpful? I just want to help!”

So he said... but how could Shun trust him? He was a genie. “No magic!”

Sawatari crossed his arms, glowering at him in a way that almost made Shun nervous. Maybe he needed to be careful. Master or not, this was an all-powerful genie. Just how strongly was he bound to listen to Shun? He seemed perfectly capable of doing what he wanted anyway...

His eye caught on the window and he was speaking again before he could stop himself.

“Regular humans can't just do magic or float or any of that. So if you want to go outside, you have to pretend to be a regular human. So no magic unless I say you can. Got it?”

He let his eyes fall on Sawatari again, hoping that had worked.

Sawatari's pout had dropped and his eyes were wide with amazement. “You're going to let me go outside?”

The excitement in his eyes for such a simple request almost made Shun feel guilty that he had any reservations on the idea.

Almost. Until he remembered who he was talking to.

...But still...

He swallowed, crossing his own arms to come across as firm. “Only if you listen to what I say. No magic. No genie talk. No drawing attention to yourself. Got it?”

Sawatari laughed. “Okay! Although I can't promise anything on that last part. Someone like me draws attention even when I'm not trying,” he hummed, tossing back his bangs.

Shun had to struggle not to roll his eyes, though he did relax a little. At least that was one thing settled. For the moment anyway... He could only hope that this genie would be true to his word.

“Okay. Then... tomorrow, I'll take you out. It's late and I just want to get some sleep,” he ran his fingers through his bangs. He could feel exhaustion seeping into every part of him.

He hesitated, eyeing Sawatari. “Um... you do... ah... sleep, right? Do I need to... set something up for you? I don't have a second bedroom...”

Sawatari beamed. “No worries, master! I have a very comfy set up inside my bottle,” he winked. “But your concern touches my heart,” he placed a hand over his heart. “Glad to see my new master will treat this Sawatari Shingo with the respect he deserves!”

“Right...” Well, at least that part seemed easy. “I guess... good night then.” he continued a little awkwardly. “Don't... cause any trouble.” he added. “No magic or the deal is off, okay?”

Sawatari gave him a salute. “Got it! Good night, master,” he chimed before dissipating into smoke and returning back into the bottle.

Shun eyed the bottle a moment longer before he turned and headed to his bedroom. He'd have to text Yuto about the newest update. Hopefully he hadn't just made another huge mistake.

Shun had just gotten through breakfast that morning when he heard a knock on the door.

He crossed back through the living room towards it, eyeing the bottle that sat unmoving for duration of the morning. He'd expected to be assaulted the moment he awoke, but perhaps Sawatari was sleeping in.

That was almost... cute.

Shun shook the thought from his head the moment it crossed his mind, focusing instead on the door.

When he opened it up, he was a little surprised to see not only Yuto, but his boyfriend too.

“Good morning, Shun!” Yuya chimed. He had a backpack with him and a to-go coffee cup in his hand.

Well, he assumed it was full of something sweeter like a hot chocolate though. Yuya was that type.

Yuto stood next to him, two cups in his hands which Shun assumed probably were full of coffee of some sort.

Yuto gave him an almost sheepish look. “Yuya really wanted to come too. Sorry, I couldn't help but tell him. We talk about everything, you know?”

Shun just grunted.

Yuto held up one of the cups for Shun. “I brought you a coffee. I thought you might need it.”

Shun relaxed and took the cup. “Thanks,” he stepped aside to let them both in.

The two entered the apartment. “How was last night? Did you get much sleep?” Yuto asked gently, concern in his eyes.

Shun nodded. “Yes, actually... He's been quiet ever since I told him I was going to bed last night.” Thankfully.

Yuya snickered. “At least he respects bed time hours then. So... where is he?” he pressed, excitement sparkling in his eyes. “I've never met a genie before. This is so cool!”

Shun gestured his head towards the bottle sat on the coffee table. He hadn't touched it since last night. “Sleeping, I guess.”

Yuya quickly moved to it, lifting up the bottle without hesitation. “Oh, it's a nice bottle! I can see why you picked it for Ruri.”

Shun sighed. “Yes, well, I'll have to find something else now...” He was dreading that. There was no way he was going to be able to find something for Ruri that was at least on par with whatever Yuto had settled on for her. He supposed he might have to just accept being outdone another year and more comments on how bad he was at gift giving.

He took a sip of his coffee. The warmth of it soothed him and he knew the perk of caffeine was probably just what he needed. He was happy to have a friend as considerate as Yuto. Even if that same consideration was giving him grief in the gift department.

“So... how do you get him to come out?” Yuya asked. The lid was already off, so he tried to peer inside. “I can't see anything. Hello?? Genie??”

Yuya started when the bottle suddenly gushed smoke, fumbling it in his hands before he set it quickly back down on the coffee table.

“Call and I shall appear!” Sawatari chimed, his arms thrown up into the air.

Then he stopped, giving Yuya a once over. “Huh? You're not my master.”

Yuya was dumbfounded for a moment, then he beamed. “Wow, cool! You really are a genie, huh? It's just like the movies!”

Sawatari quickly composed himself, beaming from ear to ear. “Of course! Ah, finally someone with good taste! Who can recognize greatness! Sawatari Shingo! And you are?”

Yuya beamed. “Sakaki Yuya. Nice to meet you!”

Sawatari smirked. “Well, Sakaki Yuya... Shall I give you a demonstration?”

Shun sighed, putting a hand on his hip. “Yuya, don't encourage him. And you,” he narrowed his eyes at Sawatari. “Don't forget our deal. I'm not taking you outside if you're using magic.”

Sawatari pouted, but then let it go. “Fine. But you're taking me out today, right?”

“Oh!” Yuya piped up. He slipped the backpack off his shoulders. “Actually, I brought you something for that.” he unzipped it. “Yuto and I thought you might need a change of clothes, so I brought some of mine. He said nothing of Shun's would probably fit you.” he noted as he rummaged inside to produce some clothes. “Mine might be a little small, but it's better than way too big.”

Oh. Shun gave Sawatari a once over. He hadn't considered that, but he supposed his genie attire wasn't quite appropriate. He eyed his bare midriff. He'd... definitely get some looks in that.

“Oh! A great idea! I forgot all about this. My old master used to insist upon this... too...” His speech slowed as he accepted the clothes from Yuya. He seemed to stiffen, giving Shun an almost wary look for just a second or two before the expression vanished back into a confident grin once more.

Shun couldn't be sure if he'd really even seen that or if it was just his imagination.

“Okay, let's try it on!” Shingo snapped his fingers and in a moment, the clothes in his hands appeared on his body instead.

Shun gave a start. “Hey!”

Yuya's eyes widened. “Whoa!”

“Hmm...” Sawatari checked himself over. “Yeah, a little small...” He raised his hand to position his fingers for another snap before Shun grabbed his wrist.

“What did I just say?” he growled.

Sawatari pouted. “But I just thought this would be faster. Come on, all I was going to do was resize the clothes so they fit better. I can change them back after... I promise I won't do any magic outside, I just want to be comfortable. Can't I have at least that?”

Shun wavered at the certifiable puppy dog eyes this genie was giving him. Augh, again? He really needed to ask Yuto if that was also a thing genies could do...

“...Fine.” he released his wrist. “No magic outside and make sure the clothes are the right size again before you return them.”

Sawatari beamed, then finished snapping his fingers, the clothes immediately growing to just the right size. “Thanks, master! Much better.”

Yuya laughed and put his hands on his hips. “I guess you might have been fine with Shun's clothes after all if you could just do that.”

Yuto chuckled and came closer to put his arm around Yuya. “I still think it was a very considerate gesture of you, Yuya.” he kissed his cheek.

Sawatari raised his brows. “Oh! Are you two...?”

“Dating? Yes.” Yuya leaned into Yuto, wrapping his arms around Yuto's waist. “He's my boyfriend.” Yuto blushed.

“How sweet. I'm envious.” Sawatari noted. “I want to find someone one day too.”

“What?” Shun raised a brow, incredulous. “Genies care about stuff like that?”

Sawatari blushed, then scowled. “Wh-What? Is there something wrong with that?”

“Actually...” Yuto interjected carefully. “From what I read, genies getting married is actually... a thing that happens.”

Yuto gave Shun a bit of a warning look, so Shun decided to back down. He knew that look. It was a 'tread carefully' kind of look. He'd just have to trust him.

Fine. What did he care if genies got into relationships with each other? It did unnerve him to think that there might be many more out there though. He'd have to be careful about buying antique bottles in the future...

Not that that was a common occurrence for him.

“Yeah! See? It's common.” Sawatari pouted, crossing his arms. “Just because I'm a genie doesn't mean I don't want to fall in love. That I'm not worthy of it. Who are you to tell me otherwise?” He gripped his arms tighter as if trying to hold back from saying or doing more.

Shun bit his lip. Okay, angering the genie; bad idea. He got it.

“Okay, okay... I'm sorry. I was just surprised. I don't know much about genies, okay?” he attempted to brush off lamely.

“Yeah, well...” Sawatari turned his eyes to his bottle, glowering at it. “Just... try to be more open minded.” he grumbled.

“A-Anyway...” Yuya put his hand on Sawatari's shoulder. “Are you ready to go? Yuto suggested we take a walk in the park nearby. It's really nice this time of year. The flowers are all in bloom. Do you want to go?”

Sawatari seemed to relax at that, giving Yuya a grin. “That sounds excellent! A perfect first outing. Certainly worthy of my first in a long time.”

Yuya gently hooked his arm with Sawatari's, pulling him through the doorway. “Let's go then!”

Yuto let them go, falling into step beside Shun as they walked a few paces behind. “Close one. You need to be more careful, Shun.”

Shun sighed, running his fingers through his bangs. “Careful...” he gave a huff. “I feel like he'd be hard to deal with even as a human.”

Shun eyed Sawatari as they reached the park. He wasn't sure about Yuto bringing Yuya at first, but it seemed like he was happy to chat up the genie and... if he kept him busy, then that was good. “Good call on bringing Yuya. He can get along with anyone.”

When they stepped had out of the building, the cool morning air surrounding them, Shun had watched as Sawatari raised his arms up above him, gasping about how refreshing the fresh air felt.

He had to admit, he did feel some sympathy for him. Even if he was sure he shouldn't.

Still, as he watched Sawatari approach and touch different flowers or trees with wonder or excitedly crouch down to pet a stranger's dog(after Yuya had gotten them permission), he couldn't help but think he seemed almost... worthy of that sympathy. He didn't seem so intimidating like this.

“Yes, Yuya is great. I also thought it would give me a chance to talk to you.” Yuto began. “Listen, Shun...”

He turned to him. “From what I can tell about genies, the myths and the stories seem to show different variations as far as rules and such are concerned. But what I can't be sure of is if he's calling you his master because he has to or just because he wants to.”

Shun glanced at Yuto, raising a brow. “What do you mean? Isn't that because he owes me three wishes or something? Not that I'd make one. I know better...”

Yuto nodded slowly. “So he says... but there's some lore that I read that made me believe that those three wishes might be optional. He might be offering them to you as a reward more than something he has to do. It all depends on exactly what curse he's under that ties him to that bottle. I think for that, you might need to try and gently pry information from him to learn more about how he got trapped in there in the first place. It might lead you to how to trap him again. But...”

He chewed his lip. “Shun, I read a story about a genie who had been trapped in the bottle so many times that be quickly went from swearing he'd grant wishes to those who freed him to... swearing he'd kill whoever did. I think... whatever you do, you should be careful... Maybe right now he seems harmless, petting dogs with Yuya and talking about how he wants to find love, but... He's still a genie with an unimaginable amount of power that doesn't seem to have any real restraints apart from what he's willing to listen to. You being his 'master' might just be a game to him.”

“And if that game ends...” Yuto stopped and turned to face him, expression grave. “If he finds out what you're trying to do, Shun... You might just wind up dead.”

Chapter Text

The kettle hissed its high pitch squeal as it reached a full boil, prompting Shun to quickly remove it from the heat of the stove.

He and Sawatari had returned to his apartment after their outing with Yuya and Yuto and the genie was currently preoccupying himself with the TV.

At least it was something normal, for once...

...Well, it would be normal if he weren't so amazed by every new show or commercial for a brand-new item he'd never heard of. The apartment was far from quiet and peaceful.

Shun sighed as he poured the boiling water into his mug.

“You might need to try and gently pry information from him.”

Yuto's words echoed in his head. He knew he shouldn't put it off forever... He'd have to go back to work again tomorrow and, honestly, he was a little nervous about leaving Sawatari alone to his own devices. The sooner he had this sorted, the better.

He poured the boiling water into a second cup, then carried them over to the coffee table.

“...Here. Tea,” He set the cup down in front of Sawatari.

The genie's eyes lit up. “Ohh!! For me? Thank you, master. How kind.” He scooped it up and took a partial sip before immediately retracting. “Ah! Hot!” he winced.

That almost made Shun grin. Almost.

He sat on the couch next to him. “Let it cool first. The tea needs time to steep anyway.”

Sawatari got a smug grin. “No need to wait!” He raised his hand and, with a quick snap of his fingers, the tea suddenly had stopped steaming nearly as much and the colour had deepened to a full steep.

“A-Ah...” Shun stared at his mug dumbly. He still wasn't used to that and he didn't want to get used to that.

“What do you think, master? Was that helpful??”

“I...” Shun pressed his lips together. His first instinct was to scold him, but Yuto said he had to be more careful... So maybe this was a 'pick your battles' situation.

Besides... he wanted him to be in good favor right then.

“I... suppose it was,” he allowed, though somewhat reluctantly before taking a small sip of his tea. It was the perfect temperature.

Sawatari beamed brightly, “Oh? Are you finally starting to see just how amazing I am? About time!” He took a sip himself, then made a bit of a face.

“Actually, you know what this tea could use? A bit of sugar!” He raised his hand again, snapping his fingers. Shun's sugar bowl poofed into existence on the coffee table in front of them, making Shun tense again.

“Perfect,” Sawatari hummed as he reached for a couple sugar cubes, plopping them into his tea.

Pick your battles, Shun. Pick your battles...

Shun did his best to untense his shoulders, taking another sip of his perfectly steeped tea. He didn't want to admit it, but it was way better than he could usually make.

“...So,” Shun averted his eyes, taking another sip of the tea before proceeding. Here goes nothing. “I was hoping you could um... tell me a little more about yourself.” he peeked back at him.

If Sawatari's eyes weren't sparkling before, they certainly were now. Shun found himself quickly averting his gaze once more.

“Yeah?? Okay! I love talking about me! Let's see, where should I start?” Sawatari hummed. “Sawatari Shingo, all-powerful, all-talented, mega attractive genie. I'm a Leo, so I'm driven, compassionate and a natural-born leader. Really, the total package. I'm practically perfect.”

Well, certainly not modest anyway.

“Oh, and I'm a hopeless romantic too. I hope to find someone one day who sees me for all the amazing that I am.” Then he scoffed. “Not that I'm hiding it. They need to be worthy of me too, of course.”

He was going on about this again... Shun wasn't sure he cared, but he was curious... And maybe a little bit concerned. “Are there really that many genies around?”

Sawatari raised a brow. “For what? I mean, there might be, but I haven't met any, honestly. I mean, apart from my papa.”

“I mean, for... romance... or whatever,” he almost cringed at the word. He wasn't all that comfortable talking about this kind of thing. It felt... awkward.

Wait. Papa?

“Wait, if you have a father, does that mean you were... born?”

Sawatari furrowed his brows and pressed his lips into a pout. “What do you mean? Of course I was born. How rude,” he pointed to his stomach. “I've got a belly button just like you, don't I?”

Shun followed his finger to Sawatari's soft, but slightly toned stomach before immediately turning his head away again, busying himself with a sip. Why did he insist on changing back into this outfit again, anyway? Shun couldn't help thinking it was better when he had been in Yuya's clothes. More... covered up. Like this was...

Distracting.

...Distracting?

“And anyway...” Sawatari continued, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back into the couch. “Who said I have to date a genie. Humans are fine too. I mean, I don't have any problems with dating one.”

Shun turned his eyes back to Sawatari, a little shocked by that. “Humans? You want to date humans? How would that work? Aren't genies like... hundreds of years old or something?” What was this, some teenage fantasy novel? Well, he supposed someone like Sawatari might like books like that...

Sawatari choked on his next sip of tea. “Hundr— How rude!” Sawatari straightened again, jabbing a finger at him. “Do I really look that old to you!? I'll have you know that I'm only 24! And just how old are you, Mr. Judgmental?”

Shun reeled back a bit. Only 24? The same age as Yuto then... Younger than Shun. “t...twenty-seven.”

“See? You're even older than me! Sheesh! I can't believe you! Are you this rude to everyone you know?”

Okay, now he was starting to grate on his last nerve. “Look, I just assumed it was one of those 'eternal beauty' deals they have in those YA novels, okay!?” he snapped. “I'm not exactly used to being around not-so-mythical beings!”

That stunned Sawatari into temporary shock before he got a cat-like grin. “Oh? Are you calling me beautiful then?”

Shun blinked, taking a moment to process before he blushed. “What? I was just—!”

“Okay, I think I can forgive you then. Just this once. I'm a gracious kind of beautiful too,” he winked.

Shun massaged his temples. He was giving him a headache. “Ugh, fine, whatever,” He had to get this back on track. “Well... what about your curse? Wouldn't that get in the way of your... romantic ambitions?”

The genie's grin dropped and his eyes widened. “I... well, it...” he bit his lip and averted his eyes. “I'd, ideally, like to find some way to break it first.” Then he turned his attention back to Shun. “Hey, maybe you can break it? Try wishing for my curse to break. I don't know if it'll work, but maybe!”

“No,” Shun retorted immediately. That was the opposite of what he wanted!

Still the heartbroken, puppy dog eyes Sawatari was giving him made his heart squeeze. This damn genie... This had to be some form of emotional manipulation. His heart was racing. “You won't...?”

Shun swallowed and turned his eyes away. “I... I told you, I'm not making any wishes!” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “This included!”

Sawatari's cheeks puffed out into a pout, glowering at him with all the strength of a Pomeranian before he let out a sigh, relaxing back again. “Well, whatever. I guess it's fine. I'm not trapped right now anyway... So I should still be able to live my dreams just fine so long as you don't—“

He was cut off by a knock at the door and Shun cursed his luck. As long as he didn't what? That sounded like exactly what Shun needed to hear! “As long as I don't what?” The person at the door could wait, surely.

“As—“

There was another knock at the door followed by, “Shun? Are you home?”

Shit. Ruri.

“Oh? A girl?” Sawatari perked up, getting to his feet. “She sounds cute.”

Shun immediately leapt to his feet, placing his hands on Sawatari's shoulder. “Stop!” he snapped, a little louder than he'd meant to.

“Shun?” Ruri called from the other side of the door. She tried the knob, bit it just jiggled. Thankfully.

“One second!” He called back to her, adrenaline racing through him as he turned his eyes back down to the scantily dressed genie in front of him.

“Bedroom,” he decided, turning Sawatari so he could start pushing him towards the room. “Bedroom, you're going to hide in there and don't come out.”

“Huh? Why? I want to meet her. First name basis, is she your girlfriend?”

Shun cringed at that. “My sister, now get in here.” he gave Sawatari a gentle shove into his room, the genie stumbling a bit before turning to face him.

“But I want to—!”

“No! Now stay here and don't make a sound!” Shun demanded, before quickly snatching Sawatari's bottle off the table and shoving it into his hands. “And take this too.”

He shut the door before Sawatari was able to protest, then quickly dashed back to the front door, opening it up.

“Ruri!” he sounded more alarmed than he'd meant to. “Wh-What are you doing here? You should have texted me first.”

Ruri raised a brow. “Since when? You usually love when I come to visit.”

“I was... busy,” Shun bit his lip, trying not to appear as nervous as he was.

“With what?”

“...It doesn't matter. Why are you here?”

Ruri was giving him such a suspicious look, it was almost making him sweat. Almost.

“...I just got back from a visit with Yuzu. She gave me some nice tea, so I thought I'd bring you some.” She held up the little bag. “...So are you going to let me in?”

Shun, reluctantly, stepped out of the way, “...Yeah... Yeah, Of course.”

Ruri came into the room, then stopped, “Oh. Do you have company?” she asked, looking around the apartment.

Shun's heart jumped into his throat. “Wh-What make you say that? There's no one here.” he replied maybe a little too quickly.

“Then...” she pointed to the tea cups on the table. “Have you started drinking two cups at the same time?”

Shit.

“Ah... Ahhhh... yes, well, Yuto... was here earlier. That's all.”

He quickly tuned on his heel to hurry into the kitchen. “Yuzu gave you some tea? I'll boil some water then.” He didn't need any more questions... He could feel Ruri's eyes boring into his back.

Ruri picked up the used cups. “Still warm. I suppose I must have just missed him then,” she noted, following Shun into the kitchen innocently enough. “That's a shame.”

“Mm,” Shun didn't need to incriminate himself any further. He busied himself getting fresh cups from the cupboard. “What kind of tea is it?”

Ruri poured out the half full cups in the sink. “Oh, it's a lovely citrus blend. She said that her and Masumi picked it up at the street market they went to last weekend.”

“Nn, well, I guess citrus is kind of her thing,” Shun grunted, little by little starting to relax again.

Ruri giggled. “That's what Masumi said to her too. You know, I know they say it wasn't a date, but I bet those two would make a cute couple, don't you think?”

What was it with everyone and romance today? Couldn't she talk to Yuto about this...? “...I suppose. I haven't given it much thought.”

...He could just hear that idiot genie making some sort of sweeping declaration about love, prying for every detail. At least he was keeping quiet. Truly, a blessing...

“Oh, come on, Shun. Don't be such a stick in the mud,” she playfully shoved his arm. “You know, one day you're going to find someone and fall so hard in love that I'll be able to tease you relentlessly about it.”

“Sounds wonderful,” he deadpanned, taking the kettle off the stove as it whistled.

Ruri laughed, putting the loose leave tea into the small teapot she'd brought in her purse. “Honestly, I'd love to see someone crack that hard exterior of yours. Just like Yuya did with Yuto's. ...Well, I guess Yuto was always soft around us though.”

“Yeah, yeah, Yuya's great,” Shun rolled his eyes as he poured the tea into the pot. “We hear that from Yuto enough.”

Ruri snickered then took the tea cups to take back to the coffee table, Shun soon following behind with the tea pot.

She raised a brow. “The... sugar bowl is already over here?”

“...So what?”

“So... neither you or Yuto add sugar to your tea...” She sat down, the suspicious look returning to her eyes again.

“Oh... did I say Yuto? I meant Yuya,” he sat down. “How long will this take to steep?”

“A few minutes,” Ruri tipped her head a bit. “Yuya came without Yuto? Usually those two are glued at the hip on weekends.”

“...Yeah, well... it was just tea. Don't think too hard about it,” he dismissed. Why was she coming for his throat like this? Ruri's bullshit detector was too strong for her own good. “Anyway, this tea sounds good. It's too bad we have to wait for it.”

And then he heard a familiar snap, his blood running cold as he watched the tea swirl and deepen in colour much faster than it should be, just as it had earlier.

He quickly stood, blocking Ruri's view of the tea, but also making her jump a bit. “Anyway!” he exclaimed louder than he meant to. “How's Yuzu? What's going on with her?” His gaze wandered to his bedroom door which now was open just a crack.

He shot a sharp warning look at the dark opening. He knew encouraging him earlier was a bad idea!

“Ahh... she's... fine... What are you looking at?” Ruri glanced back over the couch to the bedroom door Shun's attention was directed to.

“Nothing!” Shun sat down again quickly, grabbing Ruri's shoulder to turn her back. “Hey, look! I think the tea is ready.”

Ruri looked back to it. “Already?” she raised a brow. “Well that was fast...” she leaned over, picking up the tea pot to pour them both a cup.

Shun felt like he might have a heart attack before this was through.

He picked up the cup, taking a sip. At least the tea was calming. Once again, it was the perfect taste and temperature...

“What did you and Yuzu do today?” he tried again now that he was a bit calmer.

Ruri was staring quizzically at the cup, but she seemed to let it go, taking a sip. “Oh, we went for a nice hike. There were some beautiful birds on the trail. I took some pictures. Would you like to see?”

Birds. Now that was a subject Shun could talk about. Way better than... romance. “Sure.”

Ruri dug in her purse. “Hm? That's weird, where did my... phone go...?” she mumbled to herself, patting her pockets before standing up. “Do you see it, Shun?” she got up to look around.

Shun heard another snap, then followed by a rather loud text tone that made them both jump.

“Oh!” Ruri followed the sound to the kitchen, picking up her phone. “Here it is! I must have set it down when I took out the tea earlier,” She unlocked it, then raised a brow. “I wonder what that tone was for... there's no notifications on my phone...” she mumbled.

Shun cursed under his breath. Fucking Sawatari... Why couldn't he take no magic seriously!? “...Who know. Phones are weird sometimes.”

Ruri took a few steps back towards the couch, then stopped, her eyes trained on Shun's bedroom door.

“...What is it?” Shun could tell the door had cracked open a little further, but he was praying that Ruri didn't notice.

“Are you... sure there's no one else here?”

Was she always this perceptive? “That again? Of course not.” Shun denied. “Who would be here that I would hide from you?”

Ruri eyed the door a moment longer. “I just thought that I...” she paused, then shook her head. “You're right,” she sat back down on the couch. “You wouldn't hide anything from me.”

Shun felt a stab through his heart. Sorry, Ruri... It was for her own good...

Thankfully, the back half of the visit went rather uneventfully. Once Ruri got into showing him her hiking and bird pictures, he felt much more relaxed. Not to mention he didn't hear anymore snaps.

“Well...” Ruri stood up. “I guess I should get going. You have work in the morning, right?”

Shun nodded, “Yeah, I do,” he collected the tea cups to take to the kitchen. “Thanks for stopping by. It was nice seeing you,” He placed the cups in the sink with the others.

When he turned back, Ruri was holding something.

“...Is this Yuya's shirt?”

Oh. “Ah... yeah, he... spilled on it last time he was here, so I washed it for him. ...Which... is why he was here earlier too. without Yuto, I mean. But then I guess he forgot it,” Shun rubbed the back of his neck. “Must have gotten distracted.”

“...And his pants too?” Ruri held them up and Shun flushed, feeling himself sweat again.

“...It was a bad spill. I'll just... give them to Yuto next time I see him.”

That same suspicious look returned to her eyes again and she took one more cursory glance at Shun's bedroom door before she offered him a soft smile. “I'm sure Yuto will appreciate you returning them. Yuya does mean a lot to him, after all.”

Ruri folded up the garments again before she walked back to the front door, Shun following her.

“Good night, Shun.” She eyed him a moment longer before adding, “Make good choices.” then disappeared down the hallway.

Shun had a bad feeling about what that could mean.

Chapter Text

Shun massaged his temples, doing his best to try and pay attention to his current client as they went through the workout regiment Shun had crafted for that day. His mind kept wandering back to Sawatari.

How could he concentrate when he had a genie sitting in his home?

At least... he'd better be sitting in his home...

Shun had made sure stress quite firmly that he stay put until Shun got home that evening. There had been some protest on Sawatari's part, but he finally won him over by promising he'd bring him back a treat if he was good.

...For a genie, he seemed to be easily swayed by food or treats. He hadn't realized genies could have a sweet tooth. Honestly, he hadn't expected that old tactic he'd used on Ruri as a kid to work.

It was a little cute, all told. Not that he was cute or anything...

Besides, Shun was still very aware of the threat a genie on the loose could pose and it was his responsibility to make sure he kept that threat contained.

...Threat. Somehow it was hard to imagine when he thought about Sawatari. He was sure that that pompous genie was probably lazing about on his couch watching TV or... lamenting his own boredom. Maybe searching through Shun's apartment for something better to do...

He... hoped he didn't make too much of a mess of it by the time he got home. Not that he couldn't clean it with a snap of his fingers... Despite how much Shun insisted he not use his magic, he seemed set on it.

Much as he had the night before with Ruri... He mentally groaned thinking about it. Shun had been sure to scold him for it after, but he seemed to brush it off, convinced of his helpfulness.

What an annoying genie.

...He wondered what kind of treat he'd like...

“Ah,” Shun snapped back in attention when he realized his client wasn't using proper form. “Hold on, that's not quite right.” he noted before stepping in to help adjust them.

At lunchtime, Shun headed to a nearby cafe. Yuto had asked him to meet him there on his break. He'd insisted that it was urgent. It had to be about Sawatari. As he stepped inside, the bell jingling on the door as he entered, he wondered what other terrible secrets Yuto had uncovered about genies.

“Shun,” Yuto waved him over to the table he was waiting at. He was picking at a croissant, but there was an untouched sandwich and coffee sitting in front of the empty seat across from him. Presumably for Shun.

His best friend was quite thoughtful like that.

“Hey, Yuto,” he greeted as he sat down at the table. “Thanks,” he added as he picked up the sandwich to take a bite.

He'd long since given up on insisting he'd pay Yuto back. The other man always turned him down. He wouldn't even cash any e-transfers Shun had tried to send him in the past. He'd learned the best way was just to get Yuto's meal or drink the next time.

Yuto nodded. “Sure.”

Shun swallowed his bite. “So... what's up?” he took another.

Yuto bit his lip, seeming to consider his words for a moment. “So... Yuya told me that Ruri was asking him a lot of probing questions last night. About his relationship... with you.”

Shun raised an eyebrow. “With me? Why would she—?” and then it clicked.

“Oh. Fuck. Yuto, it— Listen, it's just a stupid misunderstanding. We aren't—“

Yuto raised a hand to stop him. “It's okay, Shun. I figured that out quickly enough. I would never doubt Yuya, after all.” Then he paused. “Although I am hoping you'll explain how it came to this.”

Shun heaved a heavy sigh. “I was trying to ask Sawatari some questions, so I thought I'd butter him up first with some tea... which he, I guess, drinks with sugar,” he massaged his temples. “But before I could get any information from him, Ruri showed up. I made him hide in my room, but she saw the tea cup... and the sugar... so I said it was Yuya's cup from when he'd been over. I... guess she found the idea of Yuya spending time with me by himself when you had the day off anyway was suspicious.”

He bit his lip, “And... then she saw the clothes Sawatari borrowed from Yuya...”

He was mentally cringing thinking about her accusatory eyes as she'd picked up the pair of pants. Truly, her judging him for things he didn't do was the last thing he needed right now.

Yuto eyed him carefully. “Perhaps you should have just told her the truth,” he took a sip of his coffee. “Surely that's better than her thinking that you're cheating with my boyfriend.”

Even if Yuto said it was okay, Shun could tell there was a slight edge to his voice. It wasn't entirely okay, it seemed.

Shun shook his head. “I don't want to get her mixed up in all this. You said it yourself, Sawatari is dangerous. What if he hurt her, Yuto? I could never forgive myself.”

Yuto was silent for a moment before he sighed. “I don't particularly like the image that it's reflecting on Yuya, but... I suppose I can see your point.”

It was Yuto's turn to massage his temples. “I'll explain the situation to Yuya and we'll try to go along with your lie for now. Although... next time, you should tell us the situation first. I trust Yuya 100%, but I'm sure it didn't feel very nice for him to be questioned like that.”

Shun nodded slowly, feeling a twinge of guilt. “Right. Sorry. I was so busy dealing with Sawatari after she left, I didn't even think about it. I'll... try and remember next time.” Yuto was still eyeing him sharply, so he continued. “And I'll apologize to Yuya next time I see him too.”

“Good.” Yuto seemed to relax at that. Shun hoped that meant he was out of the weeds. At least for now... It was like Sawatari was determined to get him into every kind of trouble he could...

Shun really did have terrible taste in presents... But he'd never expected it to get him in this much trouble. Maybe he really should just stick to gift cards...

Shun finished typing out his reports for that day's training on his laptop, then closed the lid with a sigh.

He leaned back, lacing his fingers together and raised them above his head in a stretch. Time to go home... Finally. Hopefully it wasn't too much of a mess from whatever that damn genie had done to it.

Which reminded him... he had to make a pit stop.

Shun made his way to where his car was parked and drove it to a nearby gas station. It worked out since he needed to fill his tank anyway.

Once he'd done just that, he stepped into the tiny gas station store. It was empty at this time, most of the patrons only there for gas and choosing to pay at the tank rather than come inside. It's what Shun would have done if he hadn't had other business to take care of inside.

He figured a chocolate bar was good enough. As long as it was something sweet, he was sure that qualified as a 'treat'.

He eyed the selection of assorted chocolates just below the front counter, pondering what would be a good choice. He didn't love sweets himself and, as far as chocolate was concerned, he preferred dark chocolate.

But... something told him with how much sugar Sawatari had plopped into his tea cup the night before, he wouldn't be too impressed with that.

He was definitely overthinking things. Did it really matter?

He snatched up a pack of M&Ms and set it on the counter to pay.

Shun trudged up the steps of his apartment building. He was tired from a long day, but he was only on the third floor and he couldn't bring himself to wait for the elevator. It was a waste of time when he had two perfectly good legs, after all.

He took out his keys when he got to his door, putting them in the lock. He took a deep breath, ready to face his next obstacle.

Here we go again... He thought to himself before twisting the knob and pushing open the door.

“Sawatari, I'm back.”

Silence.

Shun felt a chill run down his spine as he looked around the empty apartment. “Sawatari?”

He put his bag down, “Hello?” he called, then poked his head into his dark, empty room.

Nothing. Nowhere.

He felt dread slowly creep over him.

No, no, no need to panic just yet. His bottle. Maybe he was just sleeping.

He rushed over to it to snap it up off the coffee table. “Hey. Sawatari. Are you in there?” he peeked into the bottle to try and see inside. It was dark and he couldn't see a thing. He pondered for a moment how strange it was that he truly couldn't see anything inside, but he dismissed the thought. It was magic after all.

He hesitated, then tried rubbing the bottle, “Hey. I brought you your treat. Come on out,” he attempted. Surely that had to get him out.

However, once again, he was met with nothing. Silence.

Shun swallowed, eyeing his front door. That could only mean one thing...

He placed the bottle quickly on the coffee table where he'd found it, snatch up his keys once more and dashed out the door.

Chapter Text

Shingo let out a satisfied hum as he stepped out into the sunlight outside of his new master's apartment building. Even though it was Fall and there was a crispness to the air, it was mid day and he could feel the pleasant warmth of the sun on his skin.

This was much better than staying inside that stuffy apartment all day.

Shingo had done his best to be good and stay put like Master Kurosaki had asked but honestly... he'd only lasted a couple hours. He'd just been so bored and it looked so nice out... There was no way he could stay inside until Kurosaki came home! He was sure he'd understand. He'd even made sure to use his magic to lock the door behind him when he left! No problem.

Well, maybe he wouldn't entirely understand... Kurosaki was certainly a high strung one, but... Shingo was positive that he could handle being outside by himself! All he had to do was pretend to be human while he was out, right?

Easy. He'd done it before with no problems! He'd done it successfully the day before too, today would be no different!

Apart from the fact that he'd decided to skip the disguise. Did he really need it...? He'd considered it at first, but when he picked up Yuya's shirt, he'd heard an uncomfortable sentiment from his past echo in his head.

“Only wear those clothes inside the house. You have to cover up when you're out. It's better that way.”

Better... Better for who? Shingo had been eager to listen back then, sure that the stern words had been wrapped up in care and affection, but...

Shingo shook off the thought and the bitterness slowly creeping back into his heart. He didn't want to dwell on it a moment longer! That was then and this was now. He could make his own decisions.

Besides! What did he care if he 'stood out'. He liked standing out and he liked his regular clothes. He liked how open and flowy his clothes felt and the weight and jingle of his golden jewelry as it bounced against his skin as he walked.

As long as he walked instead of floated, then surely, there would be no difference.

He was about halfway through his stroll through the park he'd been at yesterday when the crispness in the air started to feel more like biting on his bare skin.

He shivered. Okay, maybe there was some benefit to his outfit from yesterday...

“Why should I give you my coat? Then I'd be the cold one. You're a genie, I'm sure you can handle it yourself, right?” The familiar voice echoed in his head again.

He took a steadying breath and straightened, willing away the voice once more. But it was true... He was a genie. He could handle it himself.

He ducked behind a tree, glancing around to make sure no one was watching before he raised his right hand, snapping his fingers.

A few sparks popped around him and he slowly felt heat warming his skin to a more comfortable level. He sighed contently. “Much better...”

Okay, so he wasn't supposed to use magic, but it wasn't like anyone would be able to tell that he was using magic to warm his skin. Not after the initial spell was cast. They'd have touch him and, even so, Shingo could just claim to have a naturally high body temperature. No big deal.

He stepped out from behind the tree and continued down the path again.

Shingo gazed up at the clear sky, spotted only by a few small, but rather puffy looking clouds.

One day, he'd be free... and then he'd have to learn to be independent. That's what he'd told him back then too. Shingo had shrugged it off then as well, but perhaps it was good advice.

Even if the memories of back then haunted him still.

Shingo stopped and slapped his cheeks with his hands. Enough!! He wasn't going to think about it anymore. He'd already spent too long thinking about it already.

In fact! From that point on, he wasn't going to do any more thinking that day! No thinking, just action!

He wasn't sure how long he'd walked through the park for, stopping occasionally to pet a dog or two, but he found that eventually he'd reached a small shopping area. There was something going on in the little village... Booths and balloons and an assortment of food vendors.

Oh, what fun!

Shingo approached a booth full of handmade jewelry, eyes sparkling as he ran his fingers over one of the pieces.

“These are beautiful!” he declared to the lady manning the booth. “I'd love to add one to my collection.”

She beamed in response. “Thank you, darling! All handmade. The prices are stickered on the back.” she encouraged, clearly eager for a sale.

The sparkle in his eye dimmed a bit. “Ahh... right.” Prices... Jewelry was one of those things that required 'money'. He remembered that now.

“Don't be stupid. Don't you know how much rings cost?”

Shingo felt a stab in his heart and tried his best to swallow a grimace.

“You've got some fancy pieces there yourself!” the woman piped up, snapping Shingo's attention back up. “Where did you get them? There's some beautiful detailing on that jeweled headband of yours.”

“Ah,” Shingo slowly cued back in and grinned. “Yes!” He placed his hands on his hips. “Nice of you to notice! I've had this since I was small, actually! A gift from my papa! A family heirloom!”

“From your papa, huh?” This seemed to make the woman laugh. “Well, he's got good taste in jewelry.” He glanced back at a man sitting at the back of her booth, “Jackson, come take a look at this.” she urged him.

Jackson, who was intently, and rather boredly, staring at his phone glanced up. He eyed Shingo for a moment before standing to come closer. “What is it?”

“Take a look at this man's jewelry. A family heirloom.” then she turned her attention back to Shingo. “Real gold then? And the jewels?”

Shingo beamed brighter. “Real, of course!” He held out a hand next to show off the golden hathphool that laid beautifully over it. The gold glittered in the sun. “This too. Another family heirloom. I took good care of it, as you can see from his sparkle.” Even if he care was the magical kind.

“My...” The woman gently took Shingo's hand to admire it. Beautiful. Don't you think, Jackson?” she urged the other man, Jackson, who just watched carefully.

Jackson gave a nod then offered a somewhat disinterested. “Yeah. Pretty.”

Shingo couldn't help but puff out his chest with pride. See? This is exactly what he needed! Some praise for once! His new master was so stingy with it. Hadn't Shingo done enough to impress him? Clearly he just needed to go out and meet better people with better taste. “Thank you! It certainly is! Of course, jewelry looks its best when it's worn by someone equally beautiful,” he couldn't help but add, tossing his bangs. “Perfect for someone like me.”

The woman laughed. “Can I hold it?” she asked, pointing to his head piece.

This made Shingo hesitate. He didn't usually take it off... “Ahh... I better not.” He took his hand back. “Thank you for the compliments though! I hope you sell a lot of jewelry today!” he stepped from the booth and turned to quickly hurry off.

What a nice lady... He wondered if there was anything he could do to help her business.

Well, something that wouldn't get him into more trouble...

He pondered it a moment longer before something else caught his attention.

His eyes widened.

Before him was a booth that seemed to sell... clouds. Coloured and bagged ones!

He gasped, stepping closer to the booth, watching with wonder as a man twirled a stick in a large metal bin, slowly spinning a pink cloud to life. Amazing!!

“What is this??” he asked the man, eyes full of wonder.

The man laughed. “What, you've never seen cotton candy before?”

Cotton... candy? Wait... candy??

He gasped. “You make candy clouds??”, this earned him another laugh.

“I suppose you could call it that,” he handed one of the clouds to a little girl who was standing near the booth with her father. She squealed happily before diving into eating it. The man in the booth turned his attention to the girl's father and Shingo stepped away to take a look at the different coloured candy clouds.

He wanted one... His eyes fell on a blue one in a bag and he reached for it, easily plucking it free.

Blue... Maybe his master would like some too. He seemed like he liked blue... He wondered if he'd ever had a candy cloud before.

That was it! Maybe if he brought one back for him, he'd be so grateful, he'd forget all about being mad for Shingo stepping out today!

Plus! Then he'd prove that he was fine going out on his own and Kurosaki would be sure to see how wrong he was about it!

He turned from the booth, heading off with his newly acquired cloud when suddenly...

“Hey!!” A voice boomed behind him. “You!! Aladdin!! You gonna pay for that!?” the man from the booth was stepping out from behind the counter, coming right towards him and Shingo froze.

Oh no. Oh no... What was happening? Pay? But hadn't he just given one of his clouds to that little girl? Wasn't this the right human thing to do? Was he going to get in trouble?

His dreams of his master giving him free reign seemed to be crashing down around him in an instant.

And then... his flight instinct kicked in.

Shingo turned on his heel and ran.

“Hey!!” He heard the man yell, but Shingo wasn't stopping, clutching the blue cloud close to his chest as he booked it out of there.

He wasn't used to running and he could feel himself running out of steam faster than he would have liked.

He peeked back, the man was hot on his heels, only spiking his fear and adrenaline further. Poof away, he could poof away, surely. Then he wouldn't have to run anymore.

But!! He couldn't!! Too many people!! He couldn't mess that up too! He could hear Kurosaki's voice echoing in his head. “No magic!!”

Shingo whined, then made a hard turn around a corner and, soon, one more sharp turn into an empty alleyway.

He took a quick glance around and then raised his right hand and...

Snap.

Shingo collapsed onto his knees and then his hands, heaving heavy, exhausted breaths. His life spent confined in a bottle was catching up with him...

He flopped onto his back, laying on the cool concrete of the rooftop he'd poofed himself on to. He could still hear the commotion from below, but he was certain he was safe up there.

He shut his eyes, desperate to catch his breath.

Hot. Now he was entirely too hot.

Shingo raised his right hand feebly and snapped his fingers, feeling the magical warmth dispel from his skin.

He sighed in relief. Much better...

He wasn't sure how long he laid on that roof for, but he noticed that the sky was slowly turning from blue to shades of orange and pink.

Sunset... It had been a while since he'd watched one... It felt weird to do alone.

Slowly, when he was ready, he sat himself up. He reached for the blue cloud which he'd discarded nearby, drawing it closer.

He'd bring some back for his master, but... not before he tried it himself. Surely he wouldn't notice a little bit missing... right?

Shingo opened up the bag, pulling a stringy mess of blue free from the mass. He watched it for a moment, the gently breeze catching some of the loose strands.

What a strange substance...

He brought it to his lips like he'd seen the little girl from earlier do and touched it to his tongue.

It immediately melted into a sweet, sticky substance which both startled and pleased Shingo.

“Wow!” Delicious...!! Shingo had no idea that clouds tasted so good... He couldn't believe that humans had figured out a way to harness the clouds in this way. Without magic! He wondered thoughtfully if he could do it with magic if he tried...

Shingo took more out of the bag, the contents slowly disappearing bit by bit as he watched the sun slowly start to sink.

Before he knew it, he'd eaten about 3/4s of the bag already.

“Ah... I'd better stop...” he mumbled to himself. He'd need it to appease his master.

Which... he supposed he'd better start heading back... He had no idea how long his master's job lasted each day, but surely he'd be home soon...

He stood once more, dusting himself off again and raised his right hand and snapped.

He stood in the alley he'd abandoned earlier. He could only poof himself short distances, so he knew he'd have to walk him from there... But that was fine. He had a pretty good sense of direction.

Thankfully, when Shingo walked back the way he'd came earlier, the man and all his colourful candy clouds were gone. It seemed as those most of the booths had packed themselves up for the night too and the town had quieted significantly from earlier. It almost made it... peaceful.

The park was even more empty. There were even stretches where there was no one at all. Only him and the stars...

He could feel the chill start to creep into his skin again and raised his right hand once more.

But before he could complete the snap he felt a solid hand clamp down on his shoulder, making him jump, heart racing.

He glanced back over his shoulder to see...

That man from the booth earlier... Jackson.

“Oh. It's you,” Shingo smiled. “Hello again.”

The man smiled cooly. “Hey, buddy. I was wondering if you'd let me take a closer look at that fancy bling you've got on.”

Shingo gave a laugh. “Still stuck on that, huh? Sorry, I prefer to keep it on, but you're welcome to look from where you—“

“I don't think you understand me,” Shingo felt his shoulder being shoved back, off the path and into the shade of a tree. The jagged bark of the tree bit into his bare skin and he winced. “It wasn't a question.”

Shingo opened his mouth to protest, but froze when he felt cool metal touch his exposed stomach. His eyes peeking downward.

There was a box cutter positioned against him, threatening to pierce his skin if he so much as breathed.

Jackson leaned in closer to him to murmur, “Feeling a little more willing to play show-and-tell now?”

Shingo's mind was racing once more. What did he do? What did he do?? Genie or not, he could still bleed... He could still feel pain... Sure, he could heal his own wound with a snap of his fingers, but that didn't make it any less terrifying.

“I-I...”

He couldn't part with his jewelry though! It was from his papa!! He just couldn't!!

Magic. He had to use magic. He had to poof himself away from his situation.

Once more he could hear Kurosaki's voice echoing in his head, “No magic!”

He swallowed. But what else could he do...? “I'm sorry, master...” he thought before raised his right hand, pressing his thumb against his middle finger.

“Hey!” the other man ceased his hand, “No funny business!” he twisted Shingo's wrist, causing pain to shoot through it. Shingo yelped from the pain.

And then...

Shingo felt a gush of cool air as the man was suddenly yanked back from him, tossed aside by a solid punch from...

Shingo gasped. “M-Master...!!”

Kurosaki's foot stomped down on top of the dropped box cutter, expression dark and intimidating as he glowered at Jackson.

“You. Get lost.” The venom in his master's tone sent shocks through Shingo. He'd heard him groan at him plenty of times since he'd met him, but it was nothing compared to this. His mere presence felt icy and demanding of compliance, lest the unwilling participant face harsh consequences.

Jackson seemed to feel it too, his eyes widening as he cupped his slowly bruising cheek, momentarily stunned.

Kurosaki cracked his knuckles. “Or do you want another?”

The man who had seemed so scary just moments earlier seemed to shrink in fear as he scrambled to his feet, stammering a pathetic, “F-Fuck you, man!” before taking off back the way he'd came.

Shingo still had has back pressed against the tree, clasping his now injured wrist as he watched Kurosaki was stunned amazement.

“Fucker,” Kurosaki grumbled, bending down to pick up the box cutter from under his foot, retracting the blade before chucking it further away from them.

Slowly, he felt those piercing yellow eyes fall on him, but there was no longer any venom in them. At best, there was mild irritation along with... relief and perhaps... concern...?

“M-Mas—“

He gasped when he felt himself being pulled from the tree and against his master's hard, but warm chest. “Idiot!” Didn't I tell you to stay put!?” Kurosaki snapped, his arms tightened around Shingo's waist. “What were you thinking!?”

Shingo found himself... momentarily speechless. Out of everything he thought he might do if he discovered Shingo's outing, this... wasn't one of them.

But at the same time... all the fear from earlier was catching up with him and he felt his emotions bubble quickly to the surface in the form of a sob.

“I-I'm s-sorry, master, I...!!” he blubbered, though he couldn't get his words out clearly. “I-It was all so scary and I just...!!”

Kurosaki sighed, but gently stroked Shingo's back. “Okay... It's okay... you're okay now...” the growl of his voice was much softer now.

He stayed close to him, stroking Shingo's back until his sobs slowly started to subside. His strong arms made Shingo feel safe... and... protected and... warm too... even if he could still feel the chill of the night air against his exposed skin.

Slowly, Kurosaki pulled back to look at him, eyes stern, though his voice was still showed a hint of softness. “How did you even get yourself into a situation like that? Aren't you supposed to be some all-powerful genie? Why didn't you protect yourself?”

Shingo swallowed, eyes casting downward. “I-I... You told me not to use magic, master...”

“Oh sure, now is when you choose to listen to...” Kurosaki grumbled under his breath.

“A-Also, I...” he clasped his right wrist again. “He twisted my wrist when he grabbed me... I can't snap my fingers like this... It hurts...” it came out as a whimper and Kurosaki seemed to soften sympathetically again.

He gently took Shingo's wrist, taking a closer look at it. Then he sighed.

“Come on... I can put a tensor on it and some ice when we get home...”

He let go of Shingo's wrist and Shingo nodded.

And then... Kurosaki did one more thing that Shingo didn't expect.

He took off his coat, draping it over Shingo's chilled shoulders.

Chapter Text

“Here, sit down. I'll get you some ice,” Shun guided Sawatari to the couch, watching him sit before he went to the kitchen to get a ice pack from his freezer.

Sawatari was rubbing his wrist, making tiny pathetic whimpers that made Shun's heart squeeze.

Who knew it was so easy to bring down a genie... He couldn't say he looked so intimidating now.

Not that he was sure 'intimidating' was even the right word to use for this man. 'All-powerful' or not.

“Here,” he handed him the ice pack. “Put this on your wrist. I'll get some tensor to wrap it for you.”

Sawatari accepted the ice pack, tensing as he held it to his wrist before relaxing slowly. “Th-Thank you...”

Shun nodded, then headed to his bathroom, opening up his medicine cabinet to get the tensor. Luckily he had plenty around. His job as a personal trainer certainly called for it at times.

He sighed. Well, at least with his wrist injured, he couldn't be doing any magic which meant he wouldn't be giving him any trouble for the next little while. Honestly, this could be a good thing. Maybe Shun should have injured it himself in the first place.

He winced, immediately regretting the thought. No, as much as he wanted Sawatari to disappear from his life, this wasn't how he wanted to go about it. Genie or not, the man still felt pain the same as everyone else and Shun wasn't about to cause him any if he could help it. He wasn't a monster...

The image of Sawatari's terrified face and tear filled eyes flashed in his mind and he grit his teeth. Plus, he... didn't want to see him like that again...

Shun came back into the room, eyeing Sawatari. His nose was still a little red from his sobbing earlier and he wore a miserable look on his face as he held the ice pack against his wrist.

He shouldn't care... but he just couldn't help it. Shun had never been able to turn his back on someone so helpless.

Shun sat down next to him and held out his hand. “Okay, let me see.”

Sawatari placed his wrist gently in Shun's hand and Shun slowly began to wrap the bandage around it.

The man was still trembling...

“Wh... Why are humans so cruel?” Sawatari's voice was came out in a shaky whine. “I didn't do anything to that man, but he still...”

Shun pressed his lips into a line. “That's just how people are. You can't trust everybody. Most people are only looking out for themselves.”

Sawatari's eyes glazed over as if he were thinking about something that was far out of Shun's grasp and he mumbled, “Yeah... I guess you're right...”

Shun couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He couldn't imagine being jumped like that had been a very pleasant experience. It wouldn't be for anyone.

He finished wrapping the bandages for him and sat back. “Okay, you're all set. That should keep your wrist from moving around too much. Try and let it rest so it can heal, okay? Don't push it.”

Sawatari just nodded, examining the bandage, a distant, empty look in his eyes.

Shun bit his lip, wishing there was something he more he could before remembering something. “Oh.”

He fished the pack of M&Ms out of his pocket, then presenting them to Sawatari. “I shouldn't be giving you these because the deal was you'd get a treat if you stayed put , but...” he sighed. “Given everything that's happened tonight... you could probably use it.”

Some life sparked back into Sawatari's eyes as he looked over the offering. “For me...? Chocolate?” he took the bag, a weak, but wide smile spreading across his lips. “Thank you, master...” he tore it open and he wasted no time in dumping some into his palm and tossing them back. He sniffled, but chewed happily, appeased.

Shun couldn't help a bit of a smile watching him. He really did prefer when he was smiling... It was a much better look on him.

Shun suddenly straightened. There was no reason for him to be having thoughts like that and it sent a bit of a shock through him.

He needed to take his mind off it. “Hey... uh... look...” he rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. “Yuya invited us over to his place on Saturday. He has a lot of animals... like that dog you saw at the park, but a lot more.” He peeked back at him. “If you'd... like to do that.”

Sawatari's eyes brightened as he raised them from his M&Ms to Shun's and Shun felt his heart skip a beat.

“But!” Shun raised a finger. “Only if you promise to be good and stay put the rest of this week! No going out on your own again!” he added in firmly.

Sawatari smile faltered for a moment before he seemed to push through. He gave him a thumbs up. “Okay, master! I promise. ”

Cute... He really was cute...

...There really was something wrong with him lately... Genies were truly scary creatures.

“Welcome!” Yuya chimed as he threw open the door that following Saturday. “Come on in!” he stepped back from the doorway to let Shun and Sawatari in.

The week had passed by, surprisingly, uneventfully. Sawatari really had kept his word and been on his best behavior. Maybe it was because his wrist had been sore, but whatever it was, Shun was relieved. It gave him one less thing to worry about...

Granted, Sawatari had noted to him that morning that his wrist was feeling much better and had, much to Shun's displeasure, been testing out his snaps all morning...

“Yuya! Good to see you again,” Sawatari beamed. “My master tells me that you have a wide variety of animals to show me!”

Yuya laughed. “Well, you could put it that way.”

Yuto stepped into the room, casually putting his arm around Yuya's waist. “Ah, welcome. I was about to make some lunch. Are you all hungry?”

Yuya beamed and kissed Yuto's cheek. “I'd love some! Thanks, Yuto.”

“Yeah, sure. I'll help you out with that.” Shun gave Yuto a meaningful look and Yuto nodded.

“Thanks. Then... you can introduce Sawatari to the pets?” he patted Yuya's hip and Yuya grinned.

“Of course!” Yuya turned his eyes to Sawatari and gently pulled away from Yuto. “C'mon! En and Core are just inside. I'm sure you'll love them!”

Sawatari beamed. “You mean they'll love me,” He corrected, following Yuya further into the apartment.

Shun rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help a tiny grin. Typical Sawatari. He didn't know where he got all his confidence from, but it was both exasperating and... almost... a little bit... endearing.

He followed Yuto into the kitchen area. They were separated enough that they could talk without being overheard, but they could still keep an eye on Sawatari and Yuya from over the island. Perfect.

“So,” Yuto began as he dug out a few ingredients from the fridge and set them on the counter. “How has information gathering been going?” As usual, he and Yuto seemed to be on the same wavelength. As expected of his best friend.

Shun sighed, leaning against the counter as Yuto grabbed some bread from the cupboard. “Slow... I almost got him to talk to me about his curse once, but then... well, that's when Ruri showed up,” he shook his head. “And then it's just been work and one thing after another and I just... haven't been able to find the right timing to bring it up again...”

Yuto nodded. “Well... that's fair,” he took out a cutting board and starting to slice up a tomato and some lettuce. “It isn't exactly something you want to rush since you don't know how he'll react if you say the wrong thing. I'm glad to hear you're being careful, actually.”

Shun scoffed. “You say that like I'm reckless.”

Yuto laughed. “Mm, aren't you?”

“Tch, shut up. Not all the time,” he rolled his eyes, Yuto continuing to snicker.

Shun's eyes snapped up when he heard Sawatari yelp, though he relaxed when he realized the cause was likely the dog currently sitting on his chest, licking his face. Especially when it was followed with the delightful sound of his laughter.

He found himself going into a bit of a daze watching him. “...You know...” Shun mumbled. “Sometimes I wonder if he's really all that bad...” Then he shook his head. “But that's crazy, right? Surely it must be some kind of... I don't know... genie mind control or... something. Right?”

He peeked at Yuto for some confirmation, but Yuto was furrowing his brows at him. “Shun, I... don't think genies have mind control... Besides, didn't you say he has to snap his fingers to use his magic? Even if he could do that, you probably would have noticed something weird going on by now. I mean, you've been with him for a couple weeks now just about.”

Shun huffed. “Something weird is going on, Yuto. Sometimes when I talk to him, I feel all...” he furrowed his brows, “...Fuzzy.”

Yuto stopped chopping, focusing his attention on Shun instead. “Fuzzy?”

Shun let out a heavy sigh, massaging his temples. “I don't know how to describe it, Yuto. It's like a weird nervousness that I'm unaccustomed to and when he smiles like... like that, I—“ His cheeks grew warmer. “My... body feels hot and... uncomfortable. Weird. Sometimes I feel like my head is in the clouds and it feels almost impossible to focus on anything other than...”

“Him?” Yuto finished for him.

Shun snapped his fingers. “Yes, exactly! That sounds fishy, right? Doesn't that sound like I've been... charmed in some way?” Shun pressed.

He watched as Yuya lifted En off of Sawatari, handing him the small dog after he was able to sit up again. Shun didn't know that genies were so good with animals, but even Core was nuzzling his head into Sawatari's side. A soft smile reached his lips without his permission.

Yuto was eyeing him quietly, studying him. “Shun... do you think that...?”

“What?” Shun snapped his attention back to Yuto. “Do I think what?”

Yuto was quiet for another moment before he shook his head. “No... nothing, it's just that... what you described does sound familiar to me, but...”

Shun's eyes widened. “Familiar? Like something you read? I fucking knew it. So it is a genie trick!”

“Ahh...” Yuto shook his head. “No. Nothing like that. It actually sounds more like how I...” he trailed off.

Shun furrowed his brows. “How you what?”

“Mm, no, don't worry about it,” He patted Shun's shoulder. “But I'm sure it's not a genie trick. Listen, your priority right now is to find out more about his curse, right?”

Shun nodded slowly, suspicious now. What wasn't Yuto telling him? “Right..”

“So...” he began slowly, turning his attention back to his cutting board, working on slicing some cheese next. “Maybe you should try and... spend some more time with him. He'll likely open up to you if he's feeling happy and comfortable, right? Yuya and I are planning on going to an amusement park next weekend. Why don't you come along?”

Shun raised his brows. “I... suppose... Do you really think that would work?”

Sawatari was always bugging him to go out. Maybe taking him on a well-monitored field trip would be just what he needed.

Yuto paused, raising his gaze to fall on Yuya for a moment as if considering something. He let out a slow sigh and shook his head. “I'm... not sure, but... I think it'll do something anyway.”

Chapter Text

“Amusement park? Like… that place with all the games and those big machine ride-things and all that?”

Shun nodded. “Yes, that’s the one.” Had he been to one before…? “Next weekend. With Yuya and Yuto. If you want to go…?”

“I–” Sawatari’s cheeks flushed a bit. “Wait, is this like a…? Are you asking me to…?”

Shun furrowed his brows. “To go to the amusement park with me? Yes.” What about that was hard to understand?

“Wow! I… don’t know what to say. It’s… so unexpected! …Well, I mean, maybe not that unexpected considering it is me.” he laughed, splaying a hand over his chest and tipping his chin up with an air of smugness.

Shun was becoming more and more confused by his rambling. What was he going on about now? “...So do you want to or not?”

“I’d love to!” he grinned. “My master is so kind.”

Shun hesitated. “You know… you don’t have to call me ‘master’... Kurosaki is fine.” It was a little awkward anyway.

Sawatari smirked at him. “Okay. Master Kurosaki,” he winked.

Shun’s cheeks flushed and for a moment he couldn’t help but think about how cute that wink was. Augh, another genie trick… He knew Yuto said genies couldn’t do mind control, but Shun wasn’t so sure… Maybe it was just one of those snaps he hadn’t noticed before…

Either way, he was going to have to sort this out quickly before it got too much worse. He hoped Yuto’s plan would work…

Shun was waiting outside of his apartment building with Yuto that clear and sunny afternoon. It was a warm day, but not so hot that it was uncomfortable. Really, he couldn’t have asked for better weather for their location. There was a part of him that wondered if it was really luck or… if it were at all possible that Sawatari had something to do with it… Could genies control things like weather too…? He supposed in the grand scheme of wishes, a sunny day was probably one of the more modest ones…

Yuya had brought over some clothes for Sawatari and was helping him get ready up in Shun’s apartment. Shun had assumed Sawatari would kick up a fuss about having to dress up in different clothes like he had before, but, surprisingly, he seemed quite eager.

Maybe he was finally understanding that dressing a little more normal would get him less attention.

Which… thinking that now, perhaps that was why he wanted to dress that way in the first place… But it drew negative attention too… And Shun didn’t want him to get in trouble again. He understood that, since it was him that woke him from the lamp, protecting him was just as much his responsibility as containing him.

…Right? That… felt right. 

Especially when he thought about Sawatari’s tear filled expression that day…

“Thanks for waiting!” Yuya’s voice came from behind them.

Shun turned to see Yuya and Sawatari approaching them from the doors.

Yuto smiled. “You look lovely, Yuya,” he kissed his cheek.

Yuya snickered. “You saw me earlier when we met up.”

Yuto chuckled. “And now I am seeing you again. You still look lovely.”

Shun rolled his eyes, then his gaze fell on Sawatari who was giving him an expectant look, his eyes glittering with eagerness.

“So? What about me?” he twisted so Shun could see more of his outfit.

He was wearing tight grey jeans that were rolled up a couple inches above his ankles with a white t-shirt that was tucked loosely into them and a loose, soft pink short sleeve button up on top that was left unbuttoned. The pants showed off the shape of Sawatari’s legs much more than Shun was accustomed to seeing and it stirred a strange feeling in his stomach. It wasn’t as though there was anything particularly special about the outfit… It was pretty normal… but Sawatari wore it well. It caught him off guard.

“This should work,” Shun nodded. “It’s very normal.”

Sawatari pouted. “ Normal? Oh, come on… Can’t you say something a little nicer than that?”

Shun sighed. “Why does it matter?”

“It matters!!”

“Shun…” Yuto encouraged gently, giving him a bit of a look.

Shun rolled his eyes. “Okay… you look… good. Those clothes suit you.”

Sawatari brightened at that and trotted closer. “Thank you, master!” he took his hand. “So kind, as usual!” he beamed before adding, “And if you think up any more compliments later on, I’ll gladly hear them then!”

Yuto glanced at Yuya. “I didn’t know you had clothes like that.”

Yuya laughed. “I don’t. Sawatari didn’t like what I brought so he changed them into clothes he liked more. You better change those back when you return then!” Yuya scolded was a laugh, wagging a finger at him.

Sawatari scoffed. “Why would you even want a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts to begin with is beyond me. I’m pretty sure I just drastically improved them. But… I suppose that was part of the deal for lending them to me,” he waved off. 

Meanwhile, Shun's focus had been on something completely different from the light bantering occurring before him. 

Sawatari had taken his hand… Why had he done that…? It was making all these weird feelings in him stir up even more than usual…

But… there was an advantage to this too… One less hand to snap with… and if he was holding his hand, he wouldn’t go running off… So maybe this was for the best…?

Yes. It only made sense for Shun to keep holding his hand. For the safety of others. After all, he didn’t know what chaos would occur if he let a genie just run loose.

With that thought, he curled his fingers more securely around Sawatari’s hand.

Sawatari looked up at Shun with a smile and he felt a small jolt run through him at the sudden attention. “Shall we, master?”

It was then that he noticed that Yuya and Yuto had already started on their way to the bus stop without them. “R-Right…” He stepped forward to follow after them.

Shun was quickly noticing how fast a perfectly warm and comfortable day could turn into an almost too hot one when it was amplified by thick crowds of people. The park was absolutely packed that day. There was a drone of chatter all around them and a background of somewhat drowned out music pumping from speakers placed around the park and from some of the rides themselves.

Admittedly, amusement parks weren’t Shun’s favorite places. He preferred somewhere quieter and with less people. He heard enough noise and chatter from the gym when he was at work, he didn’t particularly seek it out on his weekends too.

But… he had been here plenty of times before with Ruri when they were younger… She loved the rides and she always asked him to win her a prize from the fairway. It was horrific to think about how much money he threw away trying to win her that big, pink stuffed bear she had her eye on only for her to lose interest in it after a week.

But… they were good memories all the same… 

Lamely, he wondered if that would be a good cop out gift for her birthday this year too… Since he still hadn’t figured out what to get her after her real gift turned out to be… well… alive.

Said gift gasped beside him and Shun felt his grip tighten just a bit on his hand.

“Master!!” He exclaimed, finger jutting out towards something. “Look! Look, look!!” he bounced. “That’s it! That’s the cloud I had the other day!” he looked up to Shun, eyes wide. “The one I was going to bring you before I lost it!”

Shun raised a brow, eyeing the food stall with the hanging bags of cotton candy. “Oh.”

He approached the stall and took out his wallet. “You don’t have money, right? I’ll buy you one. Which one do you want?”

“Master…” Sawatari’s eyes glittered with appreciation. But really, Shun was more concerned that if he didn’t buy him one, he might try and steal one again… That was a scene he would like to avoid if possible.

“I want… the pink one.” he decided. “I got the blue one last time… So I want to see if this one tastes different.”

Shun nodded, then spoke to the man at the counter, pointing to the pink bag of cotton candy.

Once he purchased it, he turned back to Sawatari, handing it to him. He beamed. “Such a gentleman.”

Shun raised a brow. Was buying cotton candy to prevent a potential theft a gentleman thing to do? Maybe…?

Still… he couldn’t help a sense of satisfaction from watching Sawatari stuff some of the pink fluff happily into his mouth.

“Ooh, cotton candy! Can I have some?” Yuya urged, reaching for the bag. 

Sawatari pulled it away. “No way! This is a special gift from my master, so I’m not sharing! Get your own!”

Yuya pouted and Yuto patted his shoulder. “Probably best not to fill up too much on junk just yet. You said you wanted to ride that new roller coaster, right?”

“Oh right!” he turned to Yuto and hooked his arm in his. “Yeah, let’s go! Before the line gets too long!” he trotted off towards it, tugging Yuto along with him.

Shun got the feeling that racing to the line wouldn’t make it any shorter… but he followed along either way.

He jolted when he felt Sawatari hook his arm in his just as Yuya had done with Yuto. He looked down at him, brows raised. Sawatari grinned. “This way I can eat the candy cloud and hold onto you. Smart, right?”

Shun’s cheeks flushed. “I… guess so…” He supposed that made sense… It was crowded, so losing him here probably wouldn’t be hard if they didn’t stay connected…

The line for the ride was indeed long, but luckily, Yuya was able to smoothly make small talk with Yuto and Sawatari to pass the time. He told stories about his dad’s performances and his pets and all sorts of little things. 

There was something relaxing about just listening to him and Sawatari prattle on. Although when he started getting in a bragging match about how much better his real magic was to Yuya’s dad’s fake magic enough to raise his fingers for a demonstration, Shun felt once again like he was babysitting as he snatched his hands in his.

Surprisingly… Sawatari listened to him this time when he told him ‘not here’. He’d stopped, looking at Shun with those big, surprised eyes of his, then dropped his hands, letting Shun just hold them instead. That was a relief…

Once they finally reached the front of the line, Sawatari and Shun slid into their car, Shun pulling the bar down to lock them in. “Have you ever been on one of these before?” he asked him, probably a little too late for it to make any difference.

Sawatari shook his head. “Nope! I’ve always wanted to try it though but my–” he bit his lip to cut himself off, his brows furrowing for a moment before he relaxed into a smile again. “Nope!” he concluded simply.

Shun raised a brow, but decided it probably wasn’t important. “Right, well, just hold tight to the bar, okay? And no matter what, do not try anything magical. If you’re scared, I’ll protect you, so no magic, got it?”

“Master…” Sawatari’s cheeks flushed and he smiled. “Okay. I’ll count on you then.”

There was that strange feeling again… Shun was starting to think his smile might be a trigger… but he had to do more research…

The roller coaster shot out from the start and Sawatari screamed as they went up and over drops and around loops, though soon enough, it was hard to tell if he was screaming or laughing. He had though very quickly abandoned holding onto the bar like Shun had told him to, instead, hold onto him.

Well… this was fine… He’d be safe either way…

Soon enough, they were let out of the ride and were able to meet up with Yuya and Yuto again. Yuya was bouncing on his heels. “That was awesome! Those double loops near the end? Super fun!!”

Yuto chuckled. “It was certainly exhilarating.”

Sawatari grinned widely. “What was that called again? A roller coaster? Are there more of them here?”

“Hmm, there are a couple others,” Yuya agreed. “But!” he whirled around to face Sawatari, one hand on his hip and his other raised to the sky. It’s way more fun to break it up with different rides too. Come on! There are lots to try. We’ll give you the whole amusement park experience!”

And with that, they were led onto a tilt-a-whirl, a swinging ship, tea cups, a carousel, another roller coaster, and a UFO spinner before they finally stood in front of their next destination: A haunted coaster.

Yuya was taking deep, calming breaths as they waited in the line to prepare himself.

“You know… we don’t have to do this one…” Yuto urged gently.

“No, we do!” Yuya denied. “I mean… you’re right, I’m scared.. But you love haunted houses, Yuto! So we have to! It’s only fair. You’ve done everything I love so far. It’s your turn.”

Yuto hesitated. “Sure, but…”

“Don’t worry!” he hugged Yuto’s arm to his chest and nuzzled his shoulder. “I’m scared, but I know that you’ll protect me no matter what… right?”

Yuto relaxed into an apologetic smile, then nodded. “Of course.”

Sawatari tipped his head, looking up at Shun. “Is there… something to be afraid of on this ride? Lots of drops like that last roller coaster?”

Shun shook his head. “No… there are just things inside to try and spook you like… ghosts and monsters and… things like that.”

Sawatari’s brows shot up. “Real ones!?”

Shun’s also raised, but it was Yuya who spun around to speak first with horror in his tone. “They’re real!?”

Sawatari shrugged. “Well… I mean… I’ve never seen any… but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.” 

Yuya groaned and held his head in his hands. “I really wish I hadn’t just learned that…”

Yuto chuckled and hugged an arm around Yuya’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, Yuya. I’ll protect you from all the real ghosts and monsters out there too. I promise.”

“Yuto…” he leaned into him. “Okay… but me too! I want to protect you too, Yuto!”

Sawatari peeked up at Shun. “What about you?”

“What?”

“Would you also protect me? From ghosts and monsters and all that?”

Shun snorted. “I feel like you’d be in a better position for that than me, what with your unimaginable power , wouldn’t you?”

Sawatari pouted, “That’s not really the point. But… Oh… You’re right. Okay!! Then I’ll protect you , master!” He clasped a confident hand in front of him into a fist, then knocked it into his chest. “I promise!”

Shun couldn’t help a bit of a helpless smile as he shook his head. “Sure, sure…” 

That being said, when they finally got on the ride and as the haunted coaster made its way through the house, it was still Sawatari who ended up screaming and burying into Shun’s side. 

He put a comforting arm around his shoulders, stroking his shoulder with his thumb. 

In moments like this… he really didn’t seem like the threatening genie he was supposed to be… Just… some guy with a burden of power he possibly didn’t know quite the limits of.

It made him wonder just what he’d been through in his life…

When they got off this ride, Shun noticed that the sun had almost completely set. They’d spent the whole day here, but Shun still hadn’t learned anything more about Sawatari’s curse… 

“Let’s go to the ferris wheel next,” Yuya pointed to it. “Looks like the lights are turning on since it’s getting dark, so now is the perfect time.”

Yuto nodded. “That sounds like a great idea,” he agreed as he let Yuya pull him along.

The ferris wheel… Maybe that would be a good time for them to get information from Sawatari… It would be private and quiet, so maybe, between the three of them, they could get the information they needed… That seemed like a solid plan.

However, when they got to the front of the line, just as it was time for them to get in the car, Yuto stepped back. “We’re… going to get the next car. You two go ahead.”

Shun eyed them, his brow raised. Their cheeks were flushed and Yuya was grinning ear to ear.

Oh. Maybe Yuto thought Shun could get more information from Sawatari if he were alone…? He supposed that made sense…

He nodded. “Okay, we’ll go ahead.” He patted Sawatari’s back to urge him forward. “Go on.”

Sawatari smirked at Yuya, giving him a wink. “Have fun,” he chimed before disappearing into the pod.

Shun followed him inside, taking a spot on the opposite side to him.

The door was shut behind them and soon their pod started to rise.

At first, there was just silence between them. Sawatari was staring outside the pod as they rose higher and higher, watching the twinkling lights below them as the noise from the park slowly faded out.

Honestly, in a different circumstance, Shun might have liked to just watch them too… But instead, his eyes were trained on Sawatari as he contemplated his next move. How should he bring this up…? He couldn’t be too blunt… But if he said nothing, would they stay in silence the whole time? That was no good either… 

“Master…” Sawatari began slowly before turning his gaze to him to smile at him. But rather than the bright, excited, confident ones Shun had grown used to seeing, this one was… soft. Maybe even warm... “I had a great time today… Thank you for this. It’s been a long time since I–” he stopped, then shook his head. “Thank you.”

“Sure…” Shun swallowed. This was it. Now was the time to ask. Even if he didn’t have the perfect thing to say, he had to try. He wasn’t sure when he’d get another chance if not now… “Sawatari…” he began cautiously. “I have been… wondering… There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you…”

“Yes?” Sawatari’s eyes were suddenly bright and eager and he sat up a little straighter. Anticipation was written across his features.

“You know… about… your curse… how does it, y’know… work?”

Sawatari’s smile faltered. “Oh… that.” he looked out the window, seeming to debate what to say and Shun made sure to stay perfectly silent. He didn’t want to give him any outs if he was considering telling him now… He just needed anything… a hint might even do. Any kind of clue…

“It’s… just what I’ve told you. I’m bound to that bottle. My master rubs it and I am temporarily set free until they make 3 wishes. Then… it’s back to the bottle until the next one.”

Shun was momentarily stunned. That was what he told him, but it could not be that simple. Not to mention… “That’s it?” But that didn’t make any sense… “If that’s what happens, then why do you want me to make 3 wishes so badly? I thought you hated being trapped in there,” This sounded like a trap. It was too easy…

“I…” Sawatari looked out the window, a half-hearted smile. “I don’t know… I think it’s just… easier. It’s fun being free and all, but I know it’ll never last and… when it’s over, I’ll never see that master again. In fact, I don’t really want to either. I mean… maybe at first I do, but then… After all… In the end, they just…” he stopped and chewed his lip.

There was something that Sawatari wasn’t telling him… It was written all over his face… He just had to press a little deeper… “After all…?”

Sawatari let out a single huff of a laugh, but it sounded hollow. “I… don’t really want to bring the mood down… So… I’ll just say that… I always thought it could go one of two ways. The 3 wishes are made quickly and then I don’t ever have to think about that person who decided to trap me again or… if I’m lucky…” he shifted in his seat, then looked down at his hands, which were clasped together on his lap.

“Maybe it’s silly… but I’ve always thought… maybe if I could impress someone enough with the first two wishes; if I could really give them everything they wanted with just two… Then maybe…” he stopped again, seeming to hesitate with an uncharacteristic amount of insecurity scrawled across his face before he continued with an even quieter voice. “Maybe… they would save the last one for me…”

Shun froze. In that moment, he felt a strange sense of sympathy wash over him and once again he found himself thinking that maybe… he really was just someone burdened with this power… When he spoke about it like this, his existence sounded rather… lonely. Forever either trapped in a jar or serving someone who didn’t care about him…

And Shun… could he really say he was any different…? After all, even in that moment, he too had been trying to find a way to get rid of him.

The guilt shot him right through the heart. “Sawatari… I…”

“But… you know!” Sawatari cut him off, his voice lifting and a smile returning to his lips again. “Today was fun!” He slid himself to Shun’s side of the bench. I think… I wouldn’t mind if you did decide to never use your wishes like you said. Things are pretty nice just the way they are. I wouldn’t mind being bound to you like this forever. In fact, maybe it’s better this way.” Then he laughed before adding. “Although you should definitely learn to trust me a little more. I really can do some amazing things, you know.”

Better? Was this really better…?

“Sawa–” Shun turned his head, but found himself cut off by Sawatari pressing his lips to his. He froze.

Sawatari pulled back and smiled at him sweetly. Shun felt like his head (and perhaps his heart too) was about to explode. His cheeks flared red. “Wh-What was that?!”

“A thank you,” Sawatari replied, though a nervous uncertainty along with a blush bloomed across his face. “Uh… too soon…?”

“You… You kissed me?” Shun breathed, touching his lips as though that would help him make more sense of the strange situation they were in now.

“Well… yes,” Sawatari’s cheeks only darkened. “Did you… not like it?”

“That’s–” Of course he didn’t. Why would he? …Right? He didn’t… right…?

“It… wasn’t… bad…” he found himself saying before he could reconsider. “But… why? Just as a thank you?” It was a pretty strange way to thank someone… wasn’t it? Not that Sawatari wasn’t all-around strange in general, but–

“Well...” Sawatari shyly brushed a lock of his hair behind his ear. “A thank you… and also because… I like you. You’re a kind person, Kurosaki… Thank you for taking such an interest in me and… taking me on this fun date.”

Date?

The ferris wheel suddenly came to a stop and the doors opened. Sawatari got to his feet. “I guess that’s it! Let’s go, master.”

And with that, he stepped off the ride.

Chapter Text

The door to Yuto’s apartment opened, revealing the shorter male. “Oh, hey Shun,” he smiled, stepping aside to let him enter. “Come on in.” 

Shun gave a short nod in response, then entered. Yuto’s apartment was neat and tidy as always and there was the comforting scent of food cooking wafting in from the kitchen. From the smell, Shun figured curry or something of the sort. He knew it was Yuto’s favorite.

“You can sit down,” Yuto encouraged. “I’ll make some coffee. Dinner will be ready pretty soon. I assume you’ll be staying for a while?” Shun nodded again and Yuto disappeared into the kitchen.

Shun sat down on the couch with a sigh. It was a safe guess for Yuto to make considering Shun had been over the past 4 nights in a row after work. Leave it to Yuto to take quiet note of that and make dinner for him as well… Maybe he should have at least been bringing food…

The playstation controllers sat on the coffee table from where Shun and Yuto had left them the night before. Shun picked one up and turned on the console to look through the different co-op games Yuto had.

Yuto returned a moment later to set a cup of coffee down on one of the coasters in front of Shun. “What did you want to play today?” he asked before sitting down himself.

“Oh, Yuya and I have been playing through ‘Untitled Goose Game’ lately,” he continued unprompted as Shun clicked past it. “It’s been a lot of fun. Yuya gets really worked up. Sometimes I think watching his reactions to the game is more fun than the game itself,” he chuckled, a look of tender fondness in his eyes.

“Ah–But it’s fun. Since I know the answers to a lot of the puzzles from playing with Yuya, it wouldn’t make sense for you to play it with me, but maybe you could try it with Ruri,” he added as Shun paused his scrolling to lift his cup and take a sip of his coffee. “I know she’s not much of a gamer, but she might enjoy this one.”

What was he even doing here…? The more Yuto talked casually with him, the more Shun felt himself dissociate. His best friend was being nothing but kind and he wasn’t even slightly nosy about why Shun kept showing up unannounced with no explanation. Yuto was a saint. It wasn’t the first time Shun had considered how he didn’t deserve someone like him and certainly not in moments like this. He knew in his heart that Yuto would never ask, not out of lack of interest, but to give Shun time and consideration to come to it himself. 

But he couldn’t keep doing this… He was taking advantage of his kindness.

And why? Because he was too afraid to face what had happened with Sawatari?

When had he become such a coward…?

4 nights in a row he had come here looking to try and escape all the questions racing around in his head and the strange feelings growing in his chest, but even he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to keep this up.

Finally, he cracked, letting out a long groan as he dropped his face into his hands. “Yuto… What the fuck am I doing? I don’t even know anymore.”

Yuto paused, ceasing whatever it was that he had been discussing with him a moment earlier that Shun had been carelessly tuning out.

“Do you want to talk it out with me?” Yuto proposed gently, shifting gears in an instant.

Yuto had probably been waiting for this. As much as Shun wasn’t really one to just talk about his feelings, with Yuto… he was willing to make an exception. If there was one person that he trusted with his whole heart and soul, it was him.

“I’m… not sure if I’ll make much sense,” he ventured cautiously.

Yuto shrugged. “That’s okay. Try me.”

Shun lifted his head, though he kept his gaze pointedly on his cup of coffee resting on the table. “I… So the other night… on the ferris wheel…” he hesitated again, biting his lip. Yuto didn’t urge him. He just waited patiently for his response.

He really was too good for him.

“He–Sawatari, I mean–I asked him about how his curse worked and all that and he… told me…” he began slowly, figuring this would be important context.

…Probably. Was it even? Well, Yuto would be curious. This was supposed to be their main goal after all until…

…Until what, exactly? Wasn’t it still? His head felt like such a mess.

“And?” Yuto asked.

“He told me that if I made 3 wishes, he would be sealed in his lamp again until the next time he was released.”

“Hmm…” Yuto hummed. “And that’s it?”

Shun nodded. “It sounds too easy, doesn’t it? But… what he told me… It didn’t sound like he was lying.” The way he had bared his heart to him… Could he really be that capable of a liar? It didn’t seem possible. Everything that he said rang with such unguarded and genuine feeling.

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it? Easy is good if it’s true.” Yuto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But I suppose you would still be cautious… Have you been trying to think of what you might wish for?”

“I… N-No. I haven’t.” When Yuto said it so plainly like that, it made him wince. That’s what he should have been doing, wasn’t it? It’s what he should be discussing with Yuto at the moment. But instead…

“Well, I suppose there’s still the initial concern that he might twist your wish into something untoward…”

Shun chewed his lip.

“There’s… something else…” he began cautiously, already feeling his cheeks start to heat and his heart beat faster.

This was Yuto and he knew Yuto would never judge him, but… “On the ferris wheel, he also, uh…” God, why was this so hard to say!?

Maybe because he’d been doing everything in his power up until now to block it out.

Which had been proving to be an impossible task, try as he might…

After probably a much longer silence than Shun meant, Yuto spoke up. “...Kissed you…? Perhaps…?”

Shun’s head snapped up, gaping at Yuto with disbelief. “You–How–?”

“I… had a feeling it might have been something like that,” Yuto shrugged.

“You had a feeling? And what the fuck does that mean!? How could you possibly–!?”

Then he froze. Sudden clarity about recent events snapped into place in Shun’s mind. “Yuto…” his gaze sharpened and Yuto sat up a little straighter, his careful smile betraying just a hint of nerves. “...Did you set us up on a double date on purpose?”

“...I may have.”

Shun leaped to his feet, his already piercing glare intensifying. “ Yuto! Why the fuck would you–!?”

Yuto immediately held up his hands in front of him. “Easy now! I just–I don’t know–from everything you told me, it sounded like that was the direction your heart was going in.”

“The direction my–Yuto!! He’s a genie!”

“Does that matter?”

“Of course it matters!”

“But why?”

“He’s… dangerous! I mean, he’s unpredictable! Why aren’t you more concerned about this!? Aren’t you afraid he might do something to Yuya!?” Shun snapped, feeling exasperated.

“Well…” Yuto began slowly. “Because Yuya trusts him.”

Shun gaped at him. “That’s it!?”

Yuto shrugged. “Yuya isn’t incapable of being tricked, that’s true, but, for the most part, he’s always a good judge of character. He can see the good in people, even in those who can’t yet see it in themselves. Yuya says he likes him. Well… most of the time. He said that he can be a bit arrogant, but he seems like he has a good heart.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Yuto, he’s a genie! They’re supposed to be cunning! That’s how they trick you! That’s how–!”

“And do you think that’s who he is?” Yuto cut in, making Shun stop. “Do you think Sawatari is a cunning person out to trick and harm?”

“I…” Did he think that…? All he could see when he thought of him now was how vulnerable he seemed in that moment.

…Actually… not just at the amusement park, but other times too, like when he had gotten jumped by that man and sprained his wrist. 

How his voice shook and his eyes brimmed with tears…

Were those moments really just constructed to fool him…? 

“It’s not really important what I or even Yuya thinks,” Yuto continued, his expression turning more serious. “What do you think of him, Shun? Set aside him being a genie for a moment. What do you think of Sawatari as a person?”

“I…” What did he think of Sawatari as a person…? “He’s… reckless. And irresponsible. And insufferable. Not to mention vain…” he huffed. “But…” he hesitated. Even if he said all those things and even if all of them were true… For some reason, the image of Sawatari in his head… The image of him in his heart…

“I think… he’s kind… when he wants to be. I think he’s a hard worker… Definitely passionate. He has this brightness to him that’s almost infectious. An idiot for sure, but… I guess in a kind of… cute… way…” Shun could feel his heart start to race and his cheeks heating up. “F-For lack of a better word, anyway.”

Yuto relaxed, a softness returning to his gaze. “There it is.” 

“What?”

“You’re smiling.” 

“I’m–” Shun quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. What? Smiling?? When did–?

“You always smile like that when you talk about him,” Yuto noted. “Not at first, of course. I know you were stressed about what he is and what you were going to do about it and all that, but… in times when you’re not thinking about that… In pockets of time when you’re just looking at Sawatari for Sawatari… you’re always smiling.”

Was… that true…?

“Sure, it’s a bit of a complicated situation, but… I’ve never seen you smile at someone in the way that you smile at him. And… maybe I’ve made a huge mistake and if so, I apologize, but I thought… perhaps, if I’m right, it might be something worth pushing you towards. That’s why I set us up on that double date.”

Shun was stunned. Since when had Yuto been seeing these things…? And if it were true… then how was it Shun himself didn’t even notice?

“Just… humour me and consider for a moment… Putting aside what he is, when he kissed you… how did it make you feel? And… is it something you might want to do again?”

Now that question was terrifyingly easy. Horrifyingly easy. The memory of that kiss had been playing on loop in Shun’s head for days. Regardless of how much he tried to occupy his mind with work or with gaming with Yuto, it would still return to him in any space of time he let his mind drift and always in his dreams.

The gentle warmth of his breath, the soft plush of his lips against his… The tender look in his eyes and that honey sweet smile…

The thought of it filled his chest with an unfamiliar, but pleasant warmth that he couldn’t quite describe.

The thought of doing it again was…

He swallowed. His mouth suddenly felt so unbearably dry.

“Yuto…” he croaked before slumping back down on the couch. “What… What do I do now…?”

“Well, that’s the easy part, Shun,” Yuto smiled. “Go home.”

Since he and Yuto lived in the same building, it didn’t take too long for Shun to reach his home after he’d left.

Granted, it hadn’t given him any time to mentally prepare himself either…

He took a deep breath, then twisted the knob, stepping inside.

Sawatari, who had been sitting on the couch, jumped to his feet. “Oh! Welcome home, master!” 

Shun swallowed, then quickly averted his gaze. He could feel his heart pounding. Oh fuck. It turns out being completely aware of his feelings actually made this a hell of a lot harder than it was before. “...Hi,” he mumbled.

He stepped past him to head to his room. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t fucking do this. Didn’t Yuto say this was the easy part!? Even just being in his presence was making his cheek flush and his heart race.

“Master?” The brightness from his tone had dropped, replaced now with uncertainty. Shun bit his lip. 

“I’m going to get changed,” he wasn’t ready. He needed a moment to calm down. He still didn’t even know what he wanted to do; what he wanted to say. Did he want to say something? He should, but–

“Master, wait!”

Shun felt Sawatari’s hand close around his wrist and he froze in place.

“I… I know you’ve been avoiding me lately. You used to come straight home after work. I know it was just to ‘check’ on me, but it…” he heard a bit of a waver reach Sawatari’s voice and it made his heart squeeze painfully. “But now, you’ve been out late and then going straight to bed when you get back and…” 

He heard Sawatari suck in a breath before he continued. “Look, maybe I read the room wrong. Maybe I made a mistake the other night, maybe the vibe I was feeling was all one-sided, but–!! But I do not like to be ignored, so!!”

Sawatari released his wrist and for a moment Shun thought he might be letting him go, but then he heard the snap.

He felt his body suddenly jerk back around to face Sawatari without any will of his own and Shun’s instant reaction was the snap at him for it, but his eyes widened as he took in his face. Sawatari’s eyes were glassy, like he might be on the verge of crying. 

Sawatari took Shun’s face in his hands, his gaze full of a frustrated defiance, but moreover… hurt too.

Hurt that Shun was causing him. That his silence and his avoidance was causing him.

He was so very close like this… Shun couldn’t help his gaze flicking down to Sawatari’s lips, the lower one currently protruding in a pout with the barest of tremble.

He wanted to take that hurt away from him… He wanted to…

“Just talk to me! This leaving me in suspense is killing me! I may be a genie and I know you have some kind of weird prejudice against me because of it, but, believe it or not, I’m a person too, y’know!? I have feelings! I… I meant what I said before. I really like you, master! So, if you don’t feel the same, you could have just–!”

Before Shun could fully process what he was doing, he had grasped the back of Sawatari’s head and pulled him in, smashing their lips together.

He felt Sawatari make a small gasp and for a moment, he thought he might shove him back. Honestly, he would be right to. For a fleeting moment, Shun thought he might have made a huge mistake, but instead… Sawatari pressed into him.

He was cute… Even when he was upset, he was cute… But now, with the way his hands had slid down to his chest and fingers dug into the fabric of Shun’s coat; the blatant eagerness of his kiss… It made Shun want more.

He moved one hand to Sawatari’s waist, turning him so he could press his back up against the wall. He tilted his head, kissing him deeper in the way that had been playing unbidden in his dreams the past few nights. 

It felt electric. Like one wasn’t enough and neither was two… or three… or four… until he felt himself losing count.

Sawatari ran a hand through the back of Shun’s hair, holding him there as if to encourage him further and Shun felt his heart fluttering happily in his chest. If Sawatari wanted him to continue, then Shun would gladly kiss him breathless.

He brushed his tongue across Sawatari’s lower lip and he eagerly parted his lips for him. His tongue met Shun’s and he heard the other whimper out a soft moan, making him shiver.

There was nothing that he had seen and felt Sawatari do up until now that could compare to the pure magic he felt between them in that moment.

And fuck, he had to admit… Sawatari was a surprisingly good kisser.

Eventually, Sawatari pulled back with a gasp, panting a bit to regain his breath as he looked dumbfounded up at Shun. “W…Wow…” there was an adoring sparkle in his eyes as he panted out the word. “Can I… take that as your answer…?”

Shun cupped Sawatari’s cheek, brushing it softly with his thumb as he gently rested his forehead against his. “Yeah…”

“Wait, no–” Sawatari patted Shun’s chest. “I changed my mind, I want to hear you say it,” he encouraged eagerly.

Shun let out a short huff of a laugh, his cheeks flushing hotter than they already were. “You’re insufferable,” Then he gently brushed a lock of Sawatari’s hair behind his ear. “But I… for whatever reason… really like you, Sawatari… Shingo.”