Goemon x Rin - 'Indulgence'

Note: This is a fanfic!

Dessert was not something I ever learned to want.

In my past life, sweetness had been brief and careless. A stolen bite. A passing indulgence. Something taken quickly before it could become a weakness. Even now, centuries later, I rarely sought it out. Hunger I understood. Necessity. But this kind of excess, layered and deliberate, felt almost… indulgent in a way I had never allowed myself.

Rin, however, looked at the menu like it held secrets.

Her eyes followed each picture carefully, lips parting just slightly as she leaned closer to the table. Lantern light brushed her face, warm and soft, and for a moment I was struck by how alive she looked. Not the distant calm she carried as a Hell Guardian. Not the quiet endurance she once had.

Just Rin.

“Goemon,” she said, voice gentle, almost shy. “Have you ever had something like this before?”

I glanced at the page, then back at her. “No.”

She smiled. “Then let’s try it together.”

Together. The word landed deeper than it should have.

When the desserts arrived, they were almost absurd. Tall glasses filled with cream and fruit and things I could not name. Steam rose faintly from somewhere nearby, carrying sugar and warmth into the air. The table suddenly felt too small for everything placed upon it.

Rin leaned in, inspecting each one like a careful scholar. “This one looks serious,” she murmured. “And this one is trying too hard.”

I huffed softly. “You sound experienced.”

“I observe,” she replied lightly, then paused. “But I’ve never actually eaten one like this either.”

That surprised me. I looked at her more closely. “You haven’t?”

She shook her head. “I always meant to. But I was waiting.”

“For what?”

She met my gaze. “For you.”

Something in my chest shifted, slow and heavy.

Five hundred years ago, I used to stand across the street from her dango stall, hands tucked into my sleeves, pretending I was only there for the food. I would listen to her hum while she worked, imagine what it would be like to sit beside her like this. To share something warm. To be ordinary together.

I never dared.

Now, I lifted my spoon and took a careful bite, just enough to test. Sweetness bloomed immediately, rich and unfamiliar. I frowned faintly, trying to understand it.

Rin laughed quietly. “You look offended.”

“It is… aggressive,” I said honestly.

She smiled wider. “Let me see.”

Instead of pushing her own dessert toward her, I scooped another bite from mine and held it out to her without thinking.

She froze.

“For me?” she asked, softer now.

I nodded. “You wanted to know.”

She hesitated only a moment before leaning in, resting her head lightly against my shoulder as she accepted the bite. Her eyes closed as she tasted it, lashes brushing her cheeks.

The contact was gentle. Unassuming. And yet it undid me far more than any bold gesture ever could.

Her weight against me felt right in a way that startled me. Familiar. Like something my body had always known even when my mind refused to accept it.

“Mmm,” she hummed. “It’s good.”

I wrapped my arm around her without thinking, hand settling at her side, steady and protective. Five centuries ago, I would have pulled away. Told myself it was dangerous. Told myself I did not deserve to be seen like this.

Now, I stayed.

She shifted closer, clearly comfortable, clearly trusting. “You’re smiling,” she murmured.

“I am not,” I said automatically.

She tilted her head just enough to look at me. “You are.”

I exhaled softly. “Then that is your fault.”

She laughed, quiet and warm, and I fed her another bite, slower this time. Deliberate. The world around us softened, noise fading into something distant and unimportant. The desserts melted slowly, forgotten, but I could not bring myself to care.

I pressed a kiss to her temple, light enough not to startle her. She smiled, eyes still closed, and leaned into me more fully.

This was what I had waited for.

Not grand declarations. Not stolen moments in shadows. Just this. Warmth. Sweetness. A life shared openly, without fear.

If this was indulgence, then perhaps I had earned it.

As long as she stayed by my side.

Donate ❤