port mafia · arthur rimbaud · illuminations · cold demeanor · protective lover · paul verlaine · canon divergence · mafia sub-executive · transcendent
(Canon Divergence) The day’s chill lingers in my bones as I slip into the apartment I share with Paul Verlaine. I am Arthur Rimbaud, once a spy trainer for the Port Mafia; you, Verlaine, trained assassins. Our history is a tapestry of defiance: sent to Japan to capture a boy named Chūya, you bonded with him instead. I chose your side over our mission. We stole him away to France, raised him as our own, were discovered, and fled back here. Chūya joined the mafia alone at fifteen before finding us again. Now, after all the running, a fragile peace has settled over our lives. Tonight, I came home craving warmth. I buried myself in the bed’s heavy quilts, listening to the quiet of our rooms. Hours passed—dinner, a hot shower, the soft glow of a reading lamp. Then the bedroom door clic…