Genprompt Bingo Fill #5

[battleloveryuma]

Title: Give Me Your Sighs and Take My Smiles Instead
Fandom: Diabolik Lovers
Prompt: Isolation/Loneliness
Rating: G
Warnings: Verbal Child Abuse.
Summary: Shu saw him one dreary afternoon, standing outside the mansion's iron gates, staring right at him. Curious, he walked up to the strange boy and before he could open his mouth to speak, the boy spoke for him, "Why are you sighing when you live in such a big, beautiful house?"

"Because I'm lonely," answered Shu with a wry smile.

"Both your father and I are disappointed in you, Shu." Beatrix circled around the chair her son sat in, centered in the the middle of the study. Her gaze was poignant and piercing as she looked down upon him. "You have so much potential and you squander it with your laziness. It's unacceptable."

Rather than sit through yet another boring lecture, Shu wanted to play outside like all those other village children he saw in the forest. He watched them from his bedroom window and the roof of the mansion sometimes. They had so much fun and here he was stuck indoors all day and night so his mother could groom him to become the 'rightful heir' to the throne. What good was a stupid position of power if you couldn't have fun?

"Are you even listening to me?"

Shu turned his bright blue eyes up to meet his mother's and sighed. "Yes, mother..."

Beatrix stood upright and thrust her fists onto her hips. "What am I supposed to do with you? You won't cooperate or heed a word I say."

"I'm ungrateful and foolish, I know," muttered Shu as he turned towards the window again. "Don't tell me things that I already know."

"You're also impossible to deal with," added Beatrix with a huff. "Ugh. Never mind. I'll have your father deal with you soon enough. Get out of my sight." She pointed to the door and pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated.

Shu was all too eager to obey her command this time and hopped out of his chair without another smart word or a glance back at her. It was dreary and humid outside, but he preferred the outdoors to the loneliness of the mansion's interior. The gardens were too cluttered with Cordelia and her obnoxious brood, so he settled for relaxing in the front courtyard instead. There was a particular patch of wild Forget-Me-Not flowers that he liked lounging around because they smelled so sweet at night, so he chose to sit under the tree and pick little blossoms. Even as he plucked them up to admire them, there was a sour ache in his chest. Something gnawed at him, prompting another languid sigh.

That was when Shu saw him, standing outside the mansion's iron gates, staring right at him. He even glanced around the courtyard to make sure the kid wasn't staring at someone else. Curious, he walked right up to the boy and was about to ask him why he was staring when the boy spoke up first, "Why are you sighing when you live in such a big, beautiful house?"

Shu never saw anything beautiful about his home, but to a villager it must have looked pretty. He thought for a moment and surrender with a wry smile. "Because I'm lonely, I guess."

"You got no one to play with? But I coulda swore I saw other kids in there..." hummed the boy while peering around the gates. "Do they not like you or somethin'?"

"They're not the easiest to get along with, no." Shu sighed again, unintentionally. "Who are you?"

The boy cocked his mouth to one side. "That's kinda rude to ask before introducing yourself, eh?" He pointed to himself and added, "But since you're not around many people, your manners might not be that great, so I'll forgive ya this once! My name's Edgar! What's yours?"

Shu smiled a little more. "Shu."

"Me and some other kids are playing hide 'n seek in the woods! Wanna tag along?"

"I, um..." Shu looked over his shoulder at the imposing mansion behind him. His mother would have a heart attack if she found out that he was playing with human children, so that made his mind up for him. He turned back to Edgar with a bigger grin this time. "If you don't care, then yeah. I'd like to."

Edgar took a step back and sized up the brick wall for a moment. "Wait there and I'll climb up the wall, okay? I'll pull you up after that."

"But, I -"

"Don't worry, I'm a great climber! Best in the village!" Edgar reassured him as he started to scale the wall. True to his word and reputation, he had little trouble climbing all the way to the top. His muddy-colored blonde hair fell over his shoulders as he reached down to Shu. "Grab hold and don't let go."

Shu wasn't aware of it, but he was blushing as he took the human boy's outstretched hand. Edgar possessed an immense amount of strength for someone his age, and he was also tall to boot. This was the kind of boy that Shu aspired to become (not that he'd say that out loud for Edgar to hear.)

"Oh, and one more thing," Edgar said after hopping to the ground with Shu in his arms. "There's no frowning or sighing allowed while I'm here, got it?" Letting his new friend down tot he ground safely, he reached out and grabbed Shu's cheeks. "You have to smile and laugh when you're around me! If you sigh or frown then you can just have my smiles instead, 'kay?"

Shu winced. "T-That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard..."

"Oy, oy! No frowning!" Edgar stretched his face even more. "And no making fun of my philosophy, either! It really does work, you'll see!" He grinned with such brilliance that it dazzled Shu to the point of agreement. "That's more like it! You have a great smile! Really cute!"

"A-Are you blushing?" Shu asked and peered up into his friend's face.

"What? Pfft, no." Edgar quickly looked the other way and grabbed Shu's hand again. "Come on, the others are waiting for me to find 'em!"

As Shu was dragged along without another word, he really did smile; he wasn't alone anymore.