#//old enough to make sense but young enough to be stupid all the time forever 🙏

[agent-kansass]

Sorry for disappearing yall 🙏 got concussed again in training RIP

Anywaysss I have technically been out since literally 2 minutes after, I just did NOT feel like posting (the headaches are ass to deal with 🙏)

[shadesoflsk]

DRUNK WORDS ARE SOBER THOUGHTS

pairing: arthur morgan x fem reader

summary: arthur didn't believe he was worthy at all. however, you made it your duty to turn harsh words into self love.

warnings: reader is drunk, mentions of death, a bit suggestive at the end.

word count: 1.7k

Arthur was a man of few words. Blunt and straightforward statements were his way to go. He was well-spoken, don't get it wrong. But it seemed that his knowledge in words shone the brightest when a plethora of adjectives slipped from his lips at the sight of him in the mirror.

Staring back at him, was a madman. A garbage at most. Dull, horrible, and not worthy of a penny even though a bounty was placed on him.

However, life worked in mysterious ways when someone appeared in his life. He was no longer a cloud on a sunny day but a star in a clear sky. His eyes, at least for now, had a glint that has been lost ever since…—he doesn't know when or which was the ultimate instance in which happiness left his life.

You were a sight for sore eyes, a bandaid for a wound. A one and only in a world of forever ‘ifs.’ A constant where finite was the sole possibility. And lastly, a sweet fragrance mixed with the smell of gunpowder and death. 

However, he seldom thought about a calm life. He was not deserving of silence since it meant replaying his life through his eyes. Maybe that’s why his own mind was sabotaging his happiness. Life as an outlaw at least gave him a purpose, trying not to get killed left him with no time to dwell on his own low self-esteem. 

“You ugly bastard…” Sour as always but not less honest. In his mind, it was a payback. An attempt to not be in debt with life or whatever entity above him. He didn’t deserve a good life, so a few insults at himself would make things even.

Despite the harsh words he shared with himself, there was a chirping but endearing voice that told him otherwise. Ugly would be replaced by beautiful and old with young. 

But words weren’t enough if his shell was hard to crack. Therefore, the change had to come from him and not from a third person. 

"Arthur….” An intoxicated voice called him and brought him back to reality, to his reality. Both of you have shared some drinks that led to being somewhat drunk. Alcoholic beverages affected you a tad more than him, but that didn’t mean you were unconscious.

You were indeed very conscious.

“You know I love you, right?” And perhaps his own demons subtly pull him to believe your words are just drunk rambles. Lies mixed with a hint of just neediness and stupidity. No wonder, he doesn’t let you drink. Because he now has to deal with the slow poison of not being actually loved.

Damn you.

You share a cabin, you share a room and you definitely share days in which boredom was the pillar of your new life. A boredom not less welcomed but still so foreign to the rough man. But of course, in his messed up mind that didn’t mean you loved him.

“You’re drunk…”

His insecurities drowned out any joy he could feel. Dismissing your words was easier than accepting a reality he had never experienced.

Loving himself.

“I am drunk. You’re completely right sir.” The little show you were giving him was rather amusing. He had dealt with a drunk you many times before, but now it seemed there was a sense of purpose behind your actions. 

“But I’m simply telling the truth.” A waterfall of I love you’s escaped your lips. As if every one of them tried to make its way deeper into his system and plant a seed of self-worth.  

Clumsily, your body fell on top of him. However, you were conscious enough not to knock him towards the bed but rather straddle his lap. A poor attempt at caging him and stopping him from evading your words.

A faint of irritation coursed through Arthur as your voice rose slightly. But not at you but at his own incompetence of believing your words as beautiful as they sounded. Nonetheless, he was weak when feeling the warmth of your body embracing his. A reminder of you being alive and well next to him.

“Quit your rambling and sleep, you drunken fool lady.” His words may have sounded harsh but deep down, a tender tone hid behind his call out. Especially with how his hands protected you from falling. 

A smile formed on your face as you felt Arthur’s hands on your lower back. A few months ago, you had told him you felt safe with him, his reply was no more than a scoff but that moment wouldn’t leave his mind. And although he could only see the hands of a killer, he ought to protect you no matter what.

That was the least he could do.

“You may say that but…” Your hand caressed his stubbled cheek. “Drunk words are…” A hiccup escaped your lips. “Drunk words are sober thoughts.”

And they damn were. Even when alcohol wasn’t running through your veins as it does now. I love you’s were more common than greetings at this point.

“You ain’t makin’ any sense, woman.” He whispered, brushing back some hair that was sticking to your forehead.

“You don’t make any sense either, Arthur Morgan.” You replied, this time a bit more serious than all of your previous ‘yapping’.

He groans, knowing you were right. There were days in which his existence didn’t make any sense, at least for him. 

You knew that this simple talk wouldn’t do anything to the so-wounded Arthur. His heart has built an armor so strong that not even truthful words could destroy it. You shifted in his lap and slowly moved closer to him.

“Let’s do something else.” A glint appeared in your eyes as you came up with an idea to sort out the root of the problem.

However, Arthur completely misunderstood your intentions.

“I ain’t doin’ nothing with you. Look at the state you’re in.” He stated firmly. 

“You fool of a man. It ain’t nothing to do with that sort of thing.” You softly punched him in his chest, not really aiming to hurt him but rather reprimand him. 

“Just… hear me out, okay?” Your eyes locked with his blue-ish ones. Amidst the drunken state you were in, your intentions were as clear as if you were sober. “You’re gonna repeat after me, got it?”

“I don’t like this.” Arthur muttered, his nose scrunching up a bit.

You paid no mind, already getting your plan to work. “Listen closely.” 

A hint of curiosity flashed through his eyes as he couldn’t really make out what you wanted him to do. 

“I love you.”

Arthur rolled his eyes at your words. Words he had heard (and said) so much. But there was not a day he did not yearn to hear it from your lips. 

He couldn’t help but sigh, a facade to hide how much he was starting to let himself drown in the feeling.

“I love you.” He finally obliged, his eyes squinting when he saw you grinning.

“Oh honey… I know.” You cooed but your chuckles were obvious to a confused Arthur. You were light-heartedly teasing him.  “But you were supposed to change the ‘I’ for ‘You’ and the ‘you’ for ‘me,’ silly”

“That’s not what the word ‘repeat’ means.” His words are accompanied by his own self of teasing. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Shut up Arthur….” 

“A little demanding for someone who can’t even sit straight on my lap.” And finally, a feeble smile adorned his face. 

“Go on.” You frowned, already waiting to continue with the little game or experiment you were both taking part in.

“You love me?” He repeated questioningly, expecting some kind of correction on your part.

“Very much.” You emphasized, letting your words linger in the air for a bit before coming up with another phrase, another affirmation he had to repeat. “Now… ‘I’m worthy’.”

He furrowed his eyebrows, he hadn’t even said the word yet and it already felt so foreign to him. Worthy of what?

“Say what?” He feigned ignorance, knowing damn well what your little plan was. A playful smile was on his face.

“Don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit you.” You persisted, not allowing him to escape from the inevitable. “Repeat it.”

You gently held his face, your noses brushing in an endearing display of affection. And for a few seconds, both of you just stayed there, embracing the warmth of shared love and unspoken intimacy. 

Maybe he was indeed worthy. Worthy of having someone next to him every time he wakes up. Worthy of having a warm meal every day, and having someone he could so easily love.

Both of you are grinning like idiots, you were drunk on alcohol and he was in the love you were—or rather always provided. 

Reluctantly, slowly, and carefully. He thought about those two words and let them set in his brain before saying them. 

“I’m worthy.” He finally repeated… or confessed? His mind was still adamant to believe it. But acceptance is the first step for a change and you have taught him about the art of betterment.

A lump formed in his throat as he looked into your loving eyes. A feeling of purpose suddenly rushed back to him. After all these years, this was the first time he actually felt worthy. 

“So worthy…” A loving kiss was pressed against his lips. Your words were a silent prayer and the dim room was your sacred place. If God existed he surely did an amazing job forgiving him. 

Arthur’s eyes fluttered closed as your lips locked with his. He was no stranger to your affection but damn he would never say no to them. A strange sense of hope washed over him, maybe this was the beginning of a new era.

He had everything, it was time to enjoy it.

“So worthy…” He repeated even though he wasn’t mean to. Those were your words, but now he managed to sing them as if they were a song he was learning. 

And the phrase was repeated over and over that night. When your eyes got tired of being opened and when the alcohol finally took its toll on you. It was repeated when you finally fell asleep and he admired the face of his life partner. And it was repeated over the course of days, when he found his home inside of you, letting his body show how much he adored you.

Arthur was a man of few words. But now, his mental dictionary was completed and the insults were soon replaced with only words of affection.

Worthy of life and love.

[secondarysefikura]

Back when he was still with Shinra Sephiroth used to secretly write fanfiction about himself. All of it was basically him having a normal life with his friends Angeal and Genesis, and of course his mother Jenova. It was pretty well received by those who read them, but even if they weren’t Sephiroth just enjoyed writing them. Years later after returning from the lifestream yet again Sephiroth decides for old time’s sake to write again. And while people are happy that NormalHuman7777 had returned they’re all also very confused because their stories have now drastically changed. Their new stories are no longer about the late general in a normal and domestic setting, but now their about him becoming a god? And Sephiroth’s mother is also now an alien? Where’s Angeal and Genesis, they used to have huge roles in the stories, but they’re not even so much as mentioned. Also who’s this Cloud person the author keeps shipping with Sephiroth? Every new story now has Cloud in it and the author spends paragraphs detailing everything involving Cloud, talking about how beautiful he is, and how much Sephiroth wants him, and they always get together at the end if not sooner. Is he a self insert? Also the author really hates their OCs Tifa and Aerith, always having the two die in the most horrific ways.

You know what would make this all so much funnier? If young Cloud was a fan of NormalHuman7777's works. Perhaps he even had a bit of a friendship with NormalHuman7777, with the two messaging from time to time and bouncing ideas off each other.

When Sephiroth starts writing again, Cloud gets a little notification about the new fic. He decides that even though he has no interest in reading Sephiroth fanfiction anymore, he may as well comment on the fic for old time's sake. Except when he goes to the comments, people are asking about this new Cloud character and this whole "God" plotline.

Sephiroth's fanfic: Cloud leaned his head back, exposing his neck to his god in a sign of submission. He looked even more beautiful than normal as his mouth parted just enough for his tongue to dart across his chapped lips. As Sephiroth reached out and touched Cloud's neck, the blonde's throat bobbed in nervous anticipation. A rather feminine looking man, it was nearly impossible to see or notice Cloud's adam's apple. Still, the faint bulge of Cloud's adam's apple felt devine under Sephiroth's thumb, and Sephiroth pushed harder to feel the cartilage better.

"Beautiful," Sephiroth praised.

Cloud's eyes fluttered shut with content pride as his god praised him. He felt stupid for ever opposing the great god and for trying to hide from Jenova's warm embrace.

"I know," Sephiroth said, sensing the distress that washed over precious doll as memories of those horrid women came back to him, "but now you are exactly where you belong, and you will never leave me again. We will be together forever--a god and his most cherished possession--and there is nothing those fools can ever do to change that."

"Sephiroth, please," Cloud begged, leaning further into Sephiroth's touch, "please fuck me. I want to be one with you in everyway. I need you inside of me!"

Cloud: What the actual fuck.

[shorlinesorrows]

Percabeth after the first war, who haven’t really gotten to be teenagers, who feel both too old and too young for their skin. Who are so so glad that the war is over, but also feel surprisingly lost, because fighting the war has been their future, their purpose, their job for as long as they can really remember

Annabeth and Percy, who do what all adrift teens do when everything is overwhelming and painful and exciting and when it feels like you don’t have a purpose any more:

they make a bucket list.

it starts small. They go clothes shopping together, close enough to Sally’s house that they can get home quick if they need too. They start to develop their own senses of style. They go to a farmers market. They make graffiti at one point and nearly get caught but the entire time they’re giggling through their fingers.

then comes the hair.

it was just a random item on the bucket list: hair dye.

and they were going to get crazy colors, Percy was going to dye his bright teal blue, no hesitation. He was decided. But then they’re standing in the shopping aisle, looking at the colorful boxes, and Percy’s eyes catch on a model, and they have long dark hair that’s just the same shade as Annabeth’s.

and he scans the aisle, and there’s another one, a bright sandy gold, and he turns to Annabeth, who is debating between silver and purple with all the intensity of a teenage war veteran, and says “I have a stupid idea”

they grab a boxed bleach on their way out.

they dye their hair together, and it’s a mess and the dye gets everywhere and it’s not quite even and both of them get a little light headed from the fumes but it’s so much fun

and they refuse to let anyone in the bathroom until their hair is dyed, rinsed and blow dried even though it takes forever because bleaching is a much longer process

when they finally emerge, Sally gasps and then starts to laugh and then Paul joins in and then they’re all laughing.

Percy’s hair is black, Annabeth’s hair is blond.

They’ve switched hair colors. And it’s silly, but it’s also a constant reminder that they’re not alone.

It’s being able to wake up from a nightmare and seeing blond hair on your pillow instead of black and thinking “Percy”. It’s having a bad day where you can’t seem to keep your mind from slipping away from you, then seeing black hair in the corner of your vision and thinking “Annabeth”. It’s a tangible sign that they are connected, that they are alive, and that there is someone who understands. A physical reminder of love.

When their roots grow out, they look at their inverted hair and smile. Like always, they match.

[ultimateloserboy]

you seem like the kind of guy who just understands them better than anyone else, so i’m curious: what do you think about how old they are? you don’t have to give specific numbers, i just mean like who’s the oldest and are they young adults or middle aged or even older? i used to be a fan of yellow guy as a child, but after seeing people say that was infantilizing and he’s probably just autistic or something i like that better (makes him feel more human and relatable and have more depth)

thank you very much for trusting me with these guys. Now, i have many opinions on this— please read my whole opinion before getting upset (not directed at you but everyone because i think people might be upset at me for this one, sorry guys…)

first off let me address the yellow pig in the room. i feel people project onto yellow so much that they forget— from becky and joes own mouth— he is “the stupid character.” yes of course hes more than that, and definitely supposed to be more human as the series progresses— but he absolutely isnt intended to represent autism or any real diagnosis. as a matter of fact if that was the intention i would be criticizing it because of the way they talk about him in QnAs and such. of course hes very relatable but the truth of the matter is that it was not intended. i fear that people claiming it was is actually a bit harmful in this case. (though im not saying its bad to relate at all!)

calling him a child is not infantilizing, because hes implied to be multiple times, along with the fact hes the only character with a dad in the picture that paints him as the only one not old enough to be around on his own. i feel they make this very apparent. He doesn’t understand adult things and by GOD HE CANNOT CONSENT!!! Ive seen people use this discussion as an excuse to draw inappropriate shit and i dont approve of that. Hes unable to learn how to read in his usual state so he DEFINITELY cant fucking consent!

And this is the part where people bring up his clean-battery counterpart. Who I also think is a child. The difference is that he’s not impaired by his batteries and can see things more clearly with his thoughts together. I think what a lot of people fail to realize is.. kids are people??? And kids can be complex and understand way more than you think!!! Hes not less human by being a kid!! as a matter of fact i think thats an important part of him!!

I think that red and duck are both old enough to where their families are completely out of their lives. (i dont believe their families are real, but just in a figurative sense that theyd be old enough to grow away from those who would raise them)

i think that red and duck are so bitter and cynical because they never got to be children— they were created to be always be pushing 40 while yellow is forever a child. He never becomes cruel or cynical because hes too lost in wonder of the world. he still cares about things that adults grow to be apathetic towards. he manages to find the stairs and lesley and all of that, in my opinion, because hes a child in a house with loser adults whove given up on life

Now with that being said, I do not think their mental and physical ages align. i think theyre physically the ages of their puppet, which changes drastically because their bodies can be replaced. i also think yellow can easily be an adult age even in his puppet, but hes still forever a child anyway. His mentality is of a child, which makes him a child— Their physical ages are impossible to guess and also probably inconsistent.

TLDR i absolutely think that yellow is a kid and i think the fact people think he cant be because hes human or because hes smart sometimes is exactly why i think he is— i feel thats the point.

red and duck are forever stuck in a limbo of pushing forty if not already forty. i think red could easily pass as a younger guy but i think he and duck are the same age mentally.

Adding on a slightly related note though— I do think red and duck are yellows guardians but i dont think theyre good nor are they parents. I see them more as older brothers (Which by the way red calls yellow!) or at the very least theyre his uncles that Really DID NOT fucking want kids. Theyre absolutely not his parents but they do have to take care and watch him. They treat him as older siblings being cruel to a younger one. Duck calls yellow a pet because he doesnt see him as his son but he still has to care for him. its definitely dehumanizing but its said for a reason. which goes hand in hand with what i was saying— people dont see children as people because they cant do anything on their own. but again, yellow absolutely can still be a complex and human character while being a child

if you disagree im not hating— i would love to have a discussion. i personally just dont believe its problematic to call him a child when the only reason that would be a problem isnt canon in the first place?

[ranticore]

i love cain and des and tua and marilyn... do they have any art 👉👈 or any more character description than what is given in the books... theyre so excellent i love cursed weapons and their weary wielders (bowman and esk are also very cool)

i KNOW i have art of young cain and michel hanging around somewhere but i can't find it i'm so sorry... i will say that the 'true' hanged man card for my inver tarot series is actually cain (the scene from the end of tvm u know the one) but i haven't drawn it because it's spoilery. the other hanged man i did was just a placeholder and doesn't even make sense for the meaning of the card.

as for marilyn and tua i have not drawn them (except, of course, the poleaxe on the book cover).

anyway here's some more description for u as an apology for losing my art (tvm spoilers??)

Cain is about 5'8". He has short grey hair and sideburns but is otherwise clean-shaven. He's in his fifties but appears older because stress will age ya. He has an aquiline nose and his build is bearish, he's very strong after an entire lifetime of dragging Des around but he's slowing down with age a little, and his back hurts all the time. His family was formerly noble but they lost their peerage and became lower class. Cain was born after this happened and his family had chosen to stay on inside the citadel as wall guards instead, as they had always been a pretty martial type of family. In his youth he'd hang out with Michel a lot but found Michel to be subtly aggravating, since Michel could just get Esk and LEAVE and it wouldn't even be that big a deal, the longbow is so easy to carry, but Michel just waffled about it forever until Cain had to stop hanging out with him, and eventually his frustration turned to jealousy, and then outright anger. They fought, and Michel died shortly after, making reconciliation impossible and a constant 'what if' floating at the back of Cain's mind that torments him every single day of his life. It's why he jumps at the chance to try to reconnect with other weapon wielders.

Cain has never married and has no kids but he feels fondly about the younger wall guards and thinks of them as his sons in a way. Cain's name has been a placeholder for long enough that I forgot to pick a real name when I publicly released stbh (oops), because 'Cain' is heavy-handed even for me.

Des is a common kingfisher or a big harpoon gun, depending on who you ask. The cradle with wheels is not actually part of the weapon and can be removed without damaging it, they're just there to make transport easier. It can be further apart from Cain than the other weapons can be from their wielders without causing them harm, because the gun is just so inconvenient. You can't even take it up stairs. Imagine. Des is the only weapon name that isn't a shortened form of a more significant word, because I thought it was kinda fun to give it the name of some old fella you'd meet at the back of a pub. Des is the second eldest of the weapons and has a kind of lackadaisical way of looking at the world, mostly born of its own confidence in its power. Very little is capable of breaking Des, so why worry? The last time it bothered to care about the overall destiny/conflict/etc of the weapons was when Cain's family lost their titles, and that was when Des accepted that it was never gonna change anything about the system around itself, so it was best to focus its efforts on keeping its wielders safe instead.

Marilyn is younger than she seems. She has a deep well of knowledge in a very narrow band of subjects (dancing, some bartending, performance arts, and her own family history), but is profoundly ignorant about pretty much everything else. And she knows it. It's why she goes along with things and accepts them at face value, as best she can, because she knows that she's at a disadvantage and doesn't want to seem childish or stupid. She was not aware that Tua was exerting far more influence on her than it should have been doing (Tua, for example, was the one VERY POINTEDLY asking Bowman how much he trusted and relied on Félix, how much he might miss his friend's absence, even...). She was, ultimately, a little abandoned by the people around her who should have looked out for her - Bowman did his best but he was distracted by all that other shit, and Carmen, despite becoming her best friend, struggled to make herself understood at the Pangur household and couldn't get them to show Marilyn more respect. Marilyn accepted, eventually, that she had to learn fast or simply remain unremarkable and unwanted.

Tua is the third eldest of the weapons and largely considered The Boss due to the Pangur family status, and has always been very proud, sure of its privileged position in the grand scheme of things. The Pangur family never truly surrendered to the Aquitanian werewolves, but kept their customs and language alive, and this contributed to Tua's sense of hope - it always hoped, even right up until the death of Síofra Pangur, that they would win. It hoped far more fiercely than Des ever could, more than Esk for sure, and this made the loss of Síofra more devastating than it could handle. It hates everything and everyone, it even hates Marilyn (at the start. it warms up to her), and sees every other living thing as a tool to be manipulated to its own ends. It has a deep sense of disgrace, it's a temporarily embarrassed millionaire, a noble, not a part of the common rabble, and it'll make em pay. With Cormac deal with, it could perhaps find a way to heal, but only if Marilyn is treated with some semblance of respect.

[direscrowley]

OMG... MUTUALS... IM BLUSHING....

But honestly you're God's strongest soldier you've gone through so much and are still doing your best I think that's incredibly strong!!!

And honestly I had no clue, i always thought Belgians were more socially progressive I has no clue abt the cute in a medieval way thing!

And YES the saints are sooo good. I think it honestly makes sense to have a designated guy for separate things (coughs like old polytheistic gods did cough) and alot of their stories (mostly the women's.) Are very inspiring. In Portugal the most popular saints were 3 children that were visited by Mary, well I thought they were all saints but turns out only the 2 siblings that died young got sainthood, the one that made it to old age was only sainted after her death, I couldve sworn they were all saints but whatever.

Anyways Stan Mary forever thank you for rosaries bc omfg. Theyre gorgeous. I have such a pretty one but I feel weird wearing it outside bc I don't wanna seem like a Catholic poser bc it's pretty... alas...

NO OKAY WE ARE SOCIALLY PROGRESSIVE!! our protections for women and trans people are some of the best in europe iirc. it's just like a familial/cultural thing. like the king stepped down for a day when abortion was legalized because he couldn't condone it as a catholic. the separation of church and state is just that good. that's the example I use

could also just be my weird family though. I couldn't tell you WHAT it is, religious or not, but my parents have that "you have to EARN the right to eat and stay here" mentality which also influenced the whole "submissive and docile pushover at all times" thing

the saints are SO good (they do arguably have polytheistic influence, i.e. the irish goddess brigid and saint brigid are often conflated as the same person). it was rly important for me to have powerful female role models growing up the way I diiid. I think lots of other girls felt the same way. I should read more about saints... I don't do it enough. I like the one that levitates and is the patron of stupid people but I can't remember his name. rosaries are so pretty also, I've seen people make them out of bones and rocks and all kindsa weird stuff, they're so beautiful. I don't think anyone would care/ask if you were wearing a rosary around, at least in my experience people won't ask! and if they do you can lie LMAO

[dees-07]

Dead or alive? - James potter (no romantic interest)

Genre: angst, fluffy and sad all together

Word count: 5.1k

Warnings: swearing

Summary: James potter hadn’t died that dreadful night, he had been kidnapped not a single trace left behind. This is his story.

Authors note: this is my first time posting on tumblr bear with me I know I’m bad also this is a really old story, there’s only 3 written chapters and will remain unfinished for a while, I get lots of writers block and procrastinate my rarely available time because I have lovely ADHD. Thank you guys

Chapter 1:

31st of October 1981 was the most horrible and tragic day of James Potters short lived life. Lily, the love of his life/newly wedded wife and Harry, his beautiful little boy, the other love of his love, had been murdered by Lord Voldemort right in front of his very own eyes. That day had passed 20 times before in his life time, normally a day filled with laughter, pranking, treats and an overall sense of belonging. Not anymore.

Every time he'd think of that day from then on he'd breakdown. He felt like he should've been the one to die not Lily or Harry. They had so much to live for and he’d do anything to go back and change the nights outcome. But he couldn’t, that night dark magic was used, magic that in his weak state James hadn’t been able to break.

James was unable to move, feet spelled stuck to the ground and his body frozen still. He was unable to help who he loved the most. Lord Voldemort standing over Lily with a grin as wide as a young child who doesn’t understand the concept of remorse, will forever be ingrained in his mind no matter how hard James may try to forget. Just because he was not in the same room didn't mean for some strange reason it looked as if it unfolded right in front of his helpless body.

He was taken away that night and put in a small and empty basement in presumably a muggle town house never to be seen again. It had no windows and the only light in there was from up the stairs in the actual house, where the death eaters guarded the basement door making sure he didn't try and escape.

The walls were cold and uninviting, bricks placed together with no care making James often wonder how this house was still standing. It was obviously old by the creaking and groaning it would make when the death eaters walked around upstairs.

Every speck of energy stored in James' body had been ripped from him over time, he felt tired and depressed every second of the day, or night. He didn't know anymore.

At first he had tried escaping but the consequences were too painful that he thought no point in trying. The death eaters may as well all go home, no doubt if he tried leaving he wouldn't be able to climb up the stairs, his body too weak.

James heard footsteps and muffled talking. Another shift change and by the sounds of it this was the one who hated James with every morsel of his body. He scoffed thinking no doubt it was Lucius Malfoy. James and the other marauders may have pulled many pranks on Malfoy in the years he was there and it was clear to any innocent passerby that Lucius did not appreciate their existence. At all. He would've loved James to be killed that dreadful Halloween night.

A common misconception about James fleamont potter was that he didn't notice things, in fact he was a very observant person but he never showed it to anyone outside people he trusted his life with. His motto was always why be smart and have expectations placed upon you when you can act stupid and always be underestimated.

As time went by James became more and more numb. He had a routine of waking up when the basement door was thrown open the wood shaking, the death eaters threw him whatever they decided he was worthy enough to have. It was generally moldy bread and maybe if he had been quiet and obedient he would get given fresh bread or a bowl of soup but it was a rarity.

If James wasn't awake by the time they got down there he would be punished. Usually by dark magic especially Crucio. His body would hurt for days upon end, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had two options, either listen to the death eaters demands and survive, or refuse and get tortured, not to death though, because what's the fun in killing him if he won't be able to feel the pain they thrive to give.

Sometimes James would want to die but he knew Lily wouldn't want him to, she'd want him to live the best life he could even if she wasn't with him to do so. That was the only thing that kept him going each and every day.

James goes in and out of regular flashbacks, he fears he has ptsd as certain noises or words from upstairs trigger him and send him spiralling. With Malfoy present, James had spun into Hogwarts flashbacks which switch up between good and bad.

His wand had been snatched from him and hidden after he was captured. James wished and hoped that it hadn't been broken, it was at Ollivanders when he was getting his wand that he'd first met Sirius Black.

He'd just gotten his wand and was walking out of the shop, when in his excited rush he had bumped into someone.

Turning to apologise to the poor person his words caught in his throat realising who it was. Walburga Black. She sneered down at him and he quickly apologised walking away. As he left he locked eyes with a boy who looked really familiar. He was sure that they had met and the boy did look to be his age. He gave James a pitied look before following the woman.

They didn't know it yet but the two boys had just met their platonic soulmate.

They hadn't become friends until the train to Hogwarts but James inquired over the holidays to his parents about the Black family and who they followed and stood for. He could tell Sirius was different, from the way he'd completely avoid speaking about his families views, he'd always tense up when you mentioned his parents and he would try and change the subject to something that made him smile, like quidditch or his brother.

He used to flinch when you would make sudden movements or make physical contact without warning. James learned that the hard way when he went to put his arm around sirius' shoulders, and subsequently got punched in the nose. Safe to say James didn't try that again for a while.

After months of chipping down Sirius' walls he let James in and they went from best friends to brothers. Not by blood but by choice. They were inseparable and you wouldn't see one without the other. It was like they'd never lived before they met.

Sirius was roughly the same height as James maybe a bit smaller on a bad day. He had jet black curly hair cut to above his ears, although through the years he let it grow to shoulder length. He always stood up straight with the correct posture and would only talk when spoken to at first, obviously drilled into him from a young age by his horrible parents. Eventually he got over the quiet spoken boy and would never shut up no matter how hard you tried to stop him. He however never let go of the posture thing, a subconscious habit he couldn't rid himself of.

James knew this was because of how Sirius was raised. In a strict pureblood family Sirius was the heir of the noble and ancient house of black so he was to do good in school and most important of all, get sorted into slytherin just like every other ancestor of his. It was nailed into his brain all throughout his childhood that slytherin was the only choice for him and any other house would not suffice.

The only time he would get a break would be around his younger brother regulus, or as Sirius called him, Reggie. They would play wizards chess for hours on end and build forts together in the attic while their parents had meetings upon meetings forgetting about their two children. The boys didn’t mind because it’s not like they were born from two loving parents, but instead to continue the deranged incest filled blood line.

They bonded over their love for the French language and their tutor was more like a mother than their own to them. She treated them like her own children and they loved her for that. They knew more about her than their own parents.

The time finally came when Sirius wasn't sorted into Slytherin and instead Gryffindor their biggest rival, Sirius was told to never speak to regulus ever again and that broke his heart more than being told he was a lousy disappointment who deserved nothing.

He rebelled against his parents and hated the holidays because he would have to leave the place he called home and return to the hell hole. Spending any longer that's a minute around them was pure torture, the only reason he was still at that house was because of Reggie. He couldn't just leave him alone like that.

One shitty day it became all too much and Sirius could not handle it anymore, he was going to breakdown if he was there any longer. He ran away that night after bawling to Reggie and apologising over and over. Regulus was quiet but crying too.

"Sirius I love you so much and I want you to stay but I know you cant, stay safe out there don't go getting yourself killed I won't be able to handle that, write to me under a different name. Now go before mother finds you I love you."

Regulus managed to say, bawling his eyes out but knowing it was for the best. The brothers shared a long tight hug with Sirius’ parting words being

“I love you more than you’ll ever know reg, stay safe please and know this is not your fault I just can not handle it any more, I love you so much little brother.”

He flew off on his broomstick into the dark and scary night. He became disowned at 16 when his mother found out he left and had his portrait burned off the family wall, becoming a part of the 'black sheep' crew along with cousin Andromeda and Uncle Alphard.

At first he was broken not knowing what to do but mostly worried for Reggie who was now going to have to take over the heir position in the family hierarchy. Sirius felt horrible for leaving but he couldn't stand being in that house any longer.

He went straight to the person who he trusted most when he was kicked out. Freezing cold and teary eyed he asked to stay with James. James didn't need to ask his parents if Sirius could live with the potters, because they'd both said he's always welcome no matter the circumstance. They were a more easy going pure blood family who as Sirius said had felt like was his real parents ever since he'd met Fleamont and Euphemia potter.

They gladly accepted him and he became their adopted son and James' brother. Euphemia was especially happy to be able to spoil someone else because James was slowly becoming more independent and would buy his own things. Sirius was grateful to finally get some attention and soaked it all up.

James met Peter Pettigrew on the boat in first year as they made their way to the great hall ready to be sorted. Peter was about the same height as James probably an inch or two shorter, his hair was a shade or two lighter and looked a lot more neat compared to James' shaggy looking mop of curls he called hair. You would think his hair would be neat and tidy considering his father created sleakeazys hair potion but no.

Peter was a half-blood, his mother was a witch and his father a muggle though he had never met him. For good reason too. He had grown up without a father, never did he contemplate what having one would be like.

Until he'd seen what James and Fleamont were like together. A joking and loving relationship that he envied. When he got to know Fleamont more on a closer level, he'd been taken under his wing and had been given the same love as James had grown up around.

Fleamont and Euphemia had a lot of love to give and the boys got the brunt of it. Not a single complaint from the marauders showed how much they appreciated it.

The potter parents always told the boys to balance their mischievous side and their studying sides. They wanted them to enjoy their schooling years but also for them to succeed in the careers they aspired to enter.

Peter especially excelled at charms and herbology. He found those subjects the easiest and was able to understand the work with not much effort. His weakest one was divination (but who is good at that one anyway) and he was fairly good at transfiguration.

He could've been a lot better but why do theory when you and your friends can flirt with professor mcgonagall, or Minnie as she had first hated them calling her, after a while she got used to it and stopped telling them off because she knew the nickname had stuck, it wasn't going anywhere.

When the boys were planning and doing the pranks Peter would be the one to set the intricate and detailed things in their places. He found enjoyment in being the mastermind in setting up the pranks and loved when they worked out exactly the way they were planned. He didn't like his precious ideas going to waste.

He was a highly intelligent boy and was often underestimated because he didn't flaunt his knowledge. He didn't pay attention in class much, choosing to chat with his friends more often than not. This didn't mean he was failing, quite the opposite actually. He was well above average in most subjects minus divination which he was at average for.

Peter and James hit it off as great friends instantly and had common interests in things like quidditch, although while James loved the thrill and excitement of playing, Peter knew all the stats of every team and you could ask him anything and he could answer, perks of having an idetic memory.

This made the art of pranking so much better and became another thing they had in common. Peter also liked chocolate frogs and liquorice wands but would always offer them to anyone else without a single hesitation.

He was a very generous person, but not many people saw that side of him because he was taught growing up to not trust easily, as his mother fell for that when she met his father, a muggle journalist. He had always had superstitions about magic being real and he had found out that she was a witch.

He had gotten her trust completely and then when she told him that she had magical abilities he had gone and written an article about it to the entirety of England and anyone else who'd listen to his dribble. Thank god the muggles thought he was crazy and he had since been obliviated rightfully.

Peters cared for his mother so much and would protect her for as long as he possibly could.

The first time James met Remus lupin was after the sorting ceremony, Sirius was sitting to his left and Remus was across him with Peter to his right. Peter and Remus had already met as they lived in the same neighbourhood and grew up together.

Pete introduced Remus to everyone else. The quiet boy was an inch or two taller then James and had light brown shaggy hair, nowhere near as messy as James' though.

He had a diagonal scar running across the top of his forehead across his nose and just to the corner of his mouth, James thought it was awesome and wished he could have a cool scar like that. Those were the first words other than hello that he had ever spoken to Remus. The response in return, a red face and quiet stuttered thank you.

Being a shy lanky kid Remus stood out and had terrible posture from constantly trying to hide how much taller he was then all the other kids. James was considered tall for his age but compared to Remus he was nothing but an ant.

Remus was excellent at all the subjects but he was especially good at defence of the dark arts, it was easy for him and he understood it very well, he'd always wanted to be a professor even after the incident his mind would not be altered from its dream career.

No matter how much his father told him he'd never become a professor and to change his ideas for a dream job it was not possible, he craved it more than he craved chocolate. And if you knew Remus you knew how obsessed he was with chocolate.

If you ever needed any you could ask him politely and he might give you a piece or two if you were special. He never went anywhere without it.

Born to a pureblood father and muggleborn mother remus was a halfblood wizard. An incident occurred when he was 5 where he was bitten by a menace werewolf, named Fenrir Greyback as payback from his father Lyall disagreeing with something to do with werewolves.

From then on Lyall lupin despised his son and thought he would never succeed in life with a disease like lycanthropy. He looked at little Remus like his mere existence was a burden in his life.

Hope lupin believed her son could do anything he wanted and told him regularly but would never say that in front of Lyall, she was too afraid of him, she wanted her little boy to be safe and if it meant keeping her thoughts to herself she'd never speak again. Anything for her precious little wolf.

He had a love for reading which he got from his mother and he'd immerse himself in the worlds of each book as he read, if the others didn't make him go to class or go and prank others he'd sit there and read forever.

He loved making sarcastic comments just loud enough so the other boys could hear but no one else. Remus liked wearing baggy jumpers that would have extra long sleeves to hang over his hands and he loved chocolate bars and sugar quills. He was the best at not getting caught pranking and on the off occasion that something did go wrong he was able to just blame it on the boys and the professors woulds believe his word over theirs any day.

The whole innocent boy thing he had going on meant many of the Hogwarts students had crushes on Remus even if he denied, because why would anyone like his ugly scarred body. It took him a long time and many arguments to get used to the fact that his scars were beautiful and they made him his own special person.

James himself was also good at all subjects but went that little bit further in skill in transfiguration. He was easily able to transfigure things and had even gotten a newts test from his fathers office desk and correctly answered all the questions when he was only 7. It just came to him and both his parents knew right then and there he'd be an amazing and powerful wizard while keeping his troublemaker antics they'd watched him grow up using.

He excelled at all subjects but like Pete, didn't flaunt them. Yes he loved attention but to brag about his grades was just stupid when he could be doing many other things instead.

The marauders as they called themselves were a very sought after group looks wise, people either wanted to be with them or be them.

James and Sirius were the most laidback people yet they would soak up every speck of attention shoved their way, almost contradicting their laidback style they said they had. Peter and Remus on the other hand didn't like being in the spotlight too much and happily let the other two boys take the stage.

It took a while but finally one of the four had gotten into a relationship. A party in the gryffindor common room was thrown and no one was allowed out until they were smashed off their face, no point partying if you're not gonna get drunk am I right?

Peter had casual flings for a while before he had gotten a crush. He gushed over Mary McDonald for months, whether it be about her perfect hair or how she smiled and touched his arm the other day. It didn't matter because he was infatuated with her.

Peter wasn't afraid to ask her out he just wanted to make sure she genuinely liked him and was ready for a relationship before he asked her. He took dating seriously and he knew she was the one he wanted to be with for as long as possible.

He'd said that to Sirius and James when they were picking on him for waiting so long, Remus said he agreed with Pete and to let him take his time, rushing into shit was never a good option and didn't end well. Jirius (as peter and Remus called the other two boys when referring to them both, because they acted like an old married couple) listened intently and finally understood it from his perspective to which they did agree with.

Gotta thank Remus for that. As long as Remus agreed with Pete then that means Sirius would too. And who agrees with Sirius no matter what you're asking? James. He got the whole group with just one I agree. 

After a few months of intense flirting he asked Mary on a date to hogsmeade to which she instantly said yes. The boys approved of Mary simply because she made Peter happy, they had decided that for as long as she made him smile they would see her fit to date him. The second his grin was to disappear she would be gone. Even then they were only the second cutest couple in all of hogwarts.

The number one couple you may ask? Sirius black and Remus lupin. Yes you heard right. One half of the marauders quartet took out top spot on the list. It may be a slightly biased list with the marauders taking out top three but hey it's their list.

It took them both way too long to accept the feelings for each other, but once they did it was like they were never anything less. You'd often find them cuddled up asleep on the common room couch way before they dated so the label and the kissing were really the only things that changed.

A lot of people didn't like the fact that they weren't a straight couple. They were heckled all the time no matter if they were holding hands or simply being in the same place at the same time (the four boys were always together so it's kind of hard to be seperate but that's not the point).

Peter and James vouched for the couple whenever anyone said anything to them, they weren't afraid to hex the assholes who dare speak bad upon their best friends. That's what made them such a tight knit group. They trusted each other and would never break that bond.

Remus was the more anxious one when it came to coming out and he denied it for a long time, before coming to terms with the fact he liked boys. Sirius always knew he liked boys, but was brought up in a household where he was told that he was to marry a pureblood female, simply to keep the family line going.

He thought fuck that I'll do what I want and embraced it saying that if anyone had a problem with it, that they should say it to his face otherwise their opinion is useless. Safe to say his knuckles were bruised a lot the following month.

Peter taught him how to fight the muggle way because the wizards wouldn't expect it and it became another thing Sirius and Peter loved to do. They'd have boxing matches all the time always ending in Peter winning, he was just a natural.

When Sirius and Remus decided to come out as a couple officially, their ideas of how were very different. Remus wanted the more subtle way, by walking around holding hands and letting people realise, but Sirius decided that during dinner time he was going to jump up on the gryffindor table, and yell out to everyone telling them to shut up and listen to him.

The great hall quietened down which made professor mcgonagalls yelling to Sirius, telling him to get down this instant much louder but Sirius ignored his precious Minnie and said the following.

"Hey everyone, as you should know I'm Sirius black and I'd like to say something. I am in love with Remus lupin and he is my boyfriend, if any wankers don't agree with that fuck off it's none of your business what I do with my life. Thank you very much go back to what you were doing before." With a wave of his hands at the end.

The great hall was silent for a few seconds as Sirius sat back down, then the chaos was back from before and most people just ignored his announcement, majority thinking they were already a couple.

Remus did not appreciate this but at the same time was glad it was over.

James potter was never one to back down from a public gesture as seen every time he asked out Lily Evans the girl of his dreams and sometimes nightmares too, she was his everything but damn was the girl frightening when she wanted to be .

James however had his sights set on Lily Evans from the moment he'd seen her. Unlike the others boys he was hooked on her like he'd never lived properly before she was in his life.

She stood out from anyone else he'd ever seen with her stunning auburn hair and gleaming green eyes as he so often described to the ever more annoyed group of boys. They put up with it because she made him happy. Sometimes they hated her guts because he'd think he had a chance and she'd shut him down not a single hesitation. They just wanted their friend to be happy and he was a mix of both when it concerned her.

She on the other hand did not see him how he saw her. She rejected his every advance, many of which were outrageous and very public yet he had to declare his love for her some way or another.

He would have flings with other people but only after she'd said no, there was never an emotional attachment to the girls and guys he'd get with, it was always just to blow off the steam. He made sure they knew that too because he didn't want anyone getting attached when he knew he wouldn't feel the same. Just because he likes getting laid doesn't mean he's a horrible person.

It took him years to realise and a bit of maturity that maybe Lily would like him for who he was and his personality not how he asked and humiliated her in front of everyone all the time.

Finally in their last year as head boy and head girl he asked her out normally, just the two of them doing their head duties, on a simple date to hogsmeade and to his surprise she said yes. He was so ecstatic he declared a party to be thrown to celebrate to which she obviously said no but he wasn't James potter without trying anyway.

People often assumed the worst of James when they would see how much energy he always carried with him. He was told by many people that he wouldn't get anywhere in life because he was too ambitious but he ignored them because who were they to tell him he couldn't do whatever he wanted. They were just irrelevant people living in his world.

His world. It no longer felt like his, he had become the irrelevant person living in someone else’s story.

He remembered his years with his best friends at Hogwarts and everything they'd gotten up to.

He thought about the teachers he loved and the teachers he hated. Classes he enjoyed and hours he dreaded. Times he wished he could relive and not have taken for granted. He would trade his life fortunes to go back in time and enjoy every moment when his world was is one piece.

He smiled over his memories and then it hit him. He'd never be able to feel that unimaginable joy he had experienced during his schooling years.

The depressing thoughts crept in overtaking the good, smothering them till they were forgotten at the back of his mind.

It made him sad that he hadn't been able to see everyone for ages. They were probably living their best lives happy as ever never having thought of him again.

James didn't know how long he'd been in the basement for, but he knew it was too long and he was sick of it. The days eventually melded into one and he couldn't tell if it was morning or night. The tallies under the stairs had faded to almost nothing now, barely a scratch on the chipped dusty bricks.

Shuffling upstairs knocked him out of his trance and back to the hard reality he wished he could change.

He laid his head softly back down on the scrap of mattress that made his so called 'bed'.

He closed his eyes attempting to drift back to the happy place with his memories he loved most, dreading having to wake up to yet another day of waiting to die.

[jaguz123]

short poem/letter series about dog

dog about to get euthanized ... bro doesn't know it

enjoy

tw for euthanasia , basically

---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---

AWAY, TO THIN AIR

———————————

I got in the truck today

You let me bring my toy,

There I sat confused- despondent-

as you went back inside

Because why weren't you going with me?

But boy, you were right!

Hesitation fades fast as the car begins to move

You always said I bounced back real quick, even when I got older and sicker

The breeze free to ruffle my fur, grayed with age

Muzzle lifted up to sniff the air

Yet I wonder why your tears stained my back.

They evaporate fast

Just like the worries in the world when you're going somewhere new!

A LETTER OF LONGING

——————————————

If only you were here!

The sights and sounds are immaculate 

I don't remember that type of bird being there at our house

Nor do I remember the grass being this green

Do you know how many toddlers wave at me?

They look so happy!

But their parents quickly hush them, point at the vehicle and whisper the words ‘pound truck’

I wonder what that means…

What a funny sounding new word!

It must mean something grand

If those young children can't speak in my presence!

It's funny to think about though, imagine:

King Max! Riding through town, with his royal escort, the ancient king of ages long gone!

It makes me feel mighty

But I also don't, because the best kings never have that aching pain in their hips

Do kings have ‘arthritis’, as you called it?

Maybe this supposed ‘pound’ can make me feel better.

Best of wishes to me…

LETTERS, TOLD TRITE

—————————————

I haven't eaten in a while…

But that's alright, these new places are enough to fill my empty belly

But at the same time, I want to choke these words wafting through my head down my throat

Because sometimes they feel so useless.

Do your words ever feel like that? 

Like they hang suspended in the air, never to reach home again?

But it can't be true

Not in this wonderful world.

Dreams come true, I think.

MEADOWSIDE DAYDREAMS

—————————————————

I got some kibble, because for the first time in a while, the big scary man driving the truck let me out for a bit!

Sure, I had to bark and scratch at the walls 

And he yelled mean things at me, like ‘shut up’ and ‘stupid dog’...

But it can't be that important.

I don't feel hungry anymore!

I'm sure I'll be back home soon.

Can we play a new game when I get back though? I've called it “King Max”!

I've decided, alongside chasing butterflies in the meadows, that I have a new dream! I wanna be a king!

You can do that for me when I get back, right? After they fix me?

After my joints don't feel old and creaky anymore?

They can take all that away, right?

FREE TO MAKE PROMISES

————————————————

The pound isn't all that it's cracked up to be, is it?

Because I think the wind passing by gave me a new sense of clarity

Told me things I didn't wanna accept yet

I can't be leaving home forever, right?

Is it because I scratched your couch too much? I promise I'll stop.

I really will.

Just please take me home

The trees don't seem so kind anymore

I think they're mocking me

Because how can a chunk of wood be more free than me?

Will I ever see home again?

Wish you were here.

GOOD DOG

———————

I'm a good dog

Please, tell me I'm a good dog

I'm so hungry, but the man won't be letting me out again

You can give me some treats, right?

The joke's been funny so far- you can come out now!

But you're not here, are you?

I'm never gonna be seeing you again, I think.

Dreams come true

Or maybe dreams die.

Maybe they die, like I will soon

Please don't let me die. I'm a good dog.

I'll be a great one, if you want me to

I can do everything a young dog can do

I'm a good dog.

JOURNEY'S END

——————————

I think it's over. The car stopped.

Should I refer to you as ‘you’ anymore?

You're never gonna see me again.

You'll never hear what I had to say.

Why did you let me go so easily that day?

Why didn't you hug me for just a bit longer?

You could've at least told me that it was over- why not?

Do you hate me? Is that why you did that?

I think you're right, I did deserve to be yelled at like that

But you can't hate me, can you?

Otherwise you wouldn't have cried on my pelt that day

But maybe it was out of joy.

I think you hate my guts.

BARGAINING

————————

Please. Please let it be over already. The dread is too much. The cage is too small. My body hurts so bad.

The food is there, but I don't wanna eat anymore

You're not there anymore.

If you ever really were

I think I learned all the nice terms for it

like ethical murder 

putting to sleep 

mercy killing

but I think my favorite is euthanasia!

It's not a happy kind of favorite though

If there's one last thing you could give to me

Spare me with

Just tell me that it'll be over soon.

EUTHANASIA

————————

I think it's time- finally

yes, they have the needle ready

They say it'll pinch 

Then they laugh

because they realize they're talking to a dog.

A dog unable to see its owner one last time

But that's okay

They're gonna fix me. For good

I won't be any trouble to you anymore

I won't hurt anymore

I won't whine anymore when I have to stand up

But when you join me too

Can we play King Max?

I promise we can play Queen Sammy after that, too, if you want some attention.

Just one last question before I finally let my eyes close

Are there any dog biscuits in the great beyond?

haha, just kidding- I think

I'll bring my own

But I think I'd much rather bring you, if I had the choice!

There aren't many curtains falling when you die, though, are there?

In the end, I guess I really was just a dog

The world goes on. So will you. Keep the planet bright for me while I'm gone, alright?

-Max

[megamuscle885-blog]

Reblogging a part 3 here now that I've had some time to think about Jack Slash.

The thing about Jack Slash is that his goal is very poorly defined (or maybe I'm stupid). In my reading of canon (and I'd very much appreciate messages or replies to this post discussing Jack's motives and goals) he seems to want to be at the forefront of the public discourse on capes. He wants to be the Boogeyman that everyone worries about and thinks about. He wants every Cape out there, villain or hero, to feel the threat of his hand on their shoulder. He wants to take the Slaughterhouse 9 from being King's personal goon squad, or harem of murderers, and turn them into a cultural impact that will last for generations. I struggled with this as a reading for a while, and I often thought I just didn't get it.

Except, what if the point is that he's already done it?

The Slaughterhouse 9 are collectively a S-Class threat. Automatic kill orders for any member who joins up, like Burnscar (who is actually a fairly standard cape, all things considered). The willing members, like Crawler, Mannequin, Shatterbird and Cherish, are all unable to engage with cape culture as it exists in the cops and robbers dynamic. Bonesaw was converted, we don't know enough about Hatchet Face, except a pathological hatred of capes (no wonder, considering his power) and The Siberian who was probably invited personally by Jack, no trials needed. All of them exist in defiance of the clean idea of cartoon violence that the parahuman community engages in to keep the status quo somewhat stable.

So long as the S9 exist, there's a very real sense that your peaceful American suburbia or quiet rural town could suddenly be painted in gore.

But here's the kick, if Jack Slash wanted the S9 to be infamous, it's already done. Jack will live in the North American consciousness and in the parahuman community long, long after he is dead. So why is he Slaanesh's champion?

Because he's getting older.

Because it's the same old thing over and over.

Once the mystery of the Siberian was resolved, she stopped being interesting. I suspect Broadcast kept Jack from looking too closely at Manton precisely because if Jack knew about Manton, he'd rank Manton's safety lower, and the Siberian would eventually be caught out, die, and Jack (and Broadcast) would lose access to her invulnerability. Subconsciously, even without Broadcast, Jack knows he personally can't swing with the heavy hitters. Deep down he knows he shouldn't be getting away with any of this. But he's getting older. Bonesaw can't keep him young forever. Eventually she's going to grow up too, and the fairy tale will eventually end.

But Jack doesn't want anything to end. He wants to stay on top forever. There's a clear comparison to be made between King and Jack. Jack eventually comes to mirror him in every aspect. I feel that, by becoming Slaanesh's unwitting champion (which is very true to his character, the idea that something much larger than him is going to be his sugar daddy) he starts to get anything and everything he's ever wanted.

He gets younger, spry, sexy. He starts to indulge. I'll avoid listing his specific crimes, because that would be less effective than the imagination and I'd really rather not discuss things that require content warnings, except that he starts to emulate King more and more. There suddenly becomes no limit to his depravity. People, and parahumans, stop being puzzles and riddles for Jack, and they simply become things he can enjoy himself with.

I'd say he starts losing control over the Nine. Shatterbird starts to see how little he cares for the 'traditions' they established, and soon enough she's splintering off to make her own brand of the S9 and probably drags Burnscar into her camp. They're never as successful as the S9 were, without Jack and Broadcast, but they're still considered S-Class material. Hatchet Face might see everything he hates in capes suddenly come to the front with Jack. Maybe he tries to kill him, and loses, and that becomes the first in a line of betrayals and abandonment that leads to the S9 splintering. Crawler and Mannequin could both leave once it becomes clear that Jack isn't going to pursue their own specific interests.

I can't see Bonesaw and the Siberian separating, but I can't see Jack letting Bonesaw go with his newfound appreciation for 'art'. It becomes like the initial days with Bonesaw. Her anxiety and fear ramping back up, because he's pushing her more and more for new and exciting things. He's refusing to use her pain blockers now. Her mood spirals downwards because she's no longer doing enough to keep him entertained. The Siberian and Jack are sharing meals now, but Manton is increasingly being forced forward as the horrors kick him back into his own mind. He needs to get Bonesaw out of there. And Cherish gets one whiff of this gang and decides she can go to Mexico and learn Spanish (her power makes that easier!) instead of trying to join up since it's brewing into a Heartbreaker situation on steroids.

Maybe they don't all get away before he starts going off the deep end, but eventually his new version of the S9 would be populated by OCs that fit the new theme. It becomes more like a meatgrinder, chewing up recruits. He starts to have daemons joining in. I imagine a lot of similarities between Jack and Sigvald, his new warband growing with all kinds of fans and villains. He becomes a combination of pop idol and serial killer. I might have to think about this a bit more, but I feel like you're all getting what I'm trying to put down here. He follows in King's ideological footsteps in canon, so with Slaanesh we just keep going along that track, only faster and harder than King ever could accomplish.

This analysis might be weaker than the others, but nobody else really springs to mind in Worm who could be Slaanesh's champion.

Stay tuned for part 4, Taylor and her wacky adventures with Tzeentch.

So, warhammer fantasy? Plus Worm. Lets brainstorm a bit. A non-exhaustive list of who would become champions of chaos, or be chosen by the chaos gods to become their heralds, in no particular chronological order.

Khorne: The Butcher XIV aka Quarrel.

I can see The Butcher turning rabid one awful night. Howling about an infinite ocean of blood. Slaughtering the unpowered members of the Teeth. Killing those who try to reason with her. Infecting others with her madness somehow. Most of the Teeth capes flee north to Boston and Spree's clique when they're told to run by those Teeth that were there for the slaughter. Of those that were present, maybe half maybe more, flee to the New York Protectorate, begging refuge, begging Legend to kill The Butcher before she breaks free, something like that. Incoherent babbling about how she's slathered herself in blood and is killing indiscriminately - Villains, Heroes and civilians alike - piling the skulls of those she beheads in one spot and sits upon it like a gory throne. The Teeth are reforged in The Butcher's charnel house, quenched in blood. The World Eaters. She aspires to wash the entire east coast in blood, a massive sacrifice that will bring daemons through in their millions, and she'll begin in the largest city in north america.

Nurgle: Nilbog aka The Goblin King aka James Rinke.

A particularly terrible winter's night, cold and frigid in Ellisburg, NY, James is holding one of his favourite creations, Polka III, as she dies from disease. He's trying to tell a bedtime story to the rest of the creatures, all sharing their body warmth as best they can, but the cold is making his puppet shiver and he's constantly interupted by a cough that rattles his ribs and won't go away no matter how much he clears his throat. He's in tears over the sorry state of his garden. A like-minded figure sympathizes with his plight. He begs the empty air for something to save them. Something comes. The acrid, infertile land around Ellisburg, stripped of nutrients to create his fantasy creatures suddenly begins to spring to life all around him. Strange and fantastic new fruits and berries curl out of the ground. Caramel-sweet rivers start to form. Everything is verdant and green and hot wherever he walks. His cough doesn't seem to go away, but it doesn't bother him much anymore. Polka III is alive and well. And he's suddenly struck by so many new and wonderful ideas. He goes to the carcass pits and begins to create and create and create. And his Grandfather looks on with paternal joy.

Slaanesh: Jack Slash aka Jacob Black, the Slaughterhouse 9.

This might not click for some people. Personally, I think a man for whom every new terrible torment needs to be more thrilling, more horrible, more impactful than the last fits perfectly here. I'm not entirely sure how to write his first moments though. Broadcast nudges him one way, Slaanesh nudges him another. He starts to indulge more and more. A little less careful. Broadcast's balancing act starts to slip as Slaanesh's prodding throws the relationships of the Slaughterhouse 9 into new dynamics. I might have to come back to this one, but it was one of the first I thought of.

Tzeentch: Taylor Hebert

Now who else would like to see Skitter but with birds? Fucked up mutated birds. Introducing the Raven God and his new magical apprentice. I feel myself running dry here, but I think as our nominated protagonist, Tzeentch is able to lend quite a bit of weight to Taylor's character, and her eagerness to grab onto an escape from her wretched life with both hands and take it to its extremes. Though one thing I will mention is that one of Tzeentch's aspects is as a God of Hope, and that'd be fun to play with I think. Though that's an aspect of his Fantasy version, and I tend to think of the Fantasy versions of the Chaos Gods as more interesting tbh.

[ashwhowrites]

Eddies ex made me sob it was so beautifully written like wow😭

But I had an idea imagine eddies ex but kind of flipped, hear me out. Eddie and reader use to date but they broke up because reader was forced to move leaving Eddie heartbroken and forced to forget about her, then 5 years later reader comes back to find Eddie is with her old best friend🫣But then long story short eddie and reader fall back in love.I dont know if any of that made sense but i think you would write this so well🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Thank you sm!

And yeah I think I can definitely make this work. Hopefully it's what you were looking for

Reader and her old best friend are no longer friends! So no hard feelings when she snatches Eddie back

⚠️ it's going to hurt at first

Not proofread

Eddie fell in love once and only once. He fell fast, hard, and deep. They were young and they believed they'd be together forever. They would defeat all the odds people had against them. It was them against the world.

Her dad didn't like Eddie very much. He hated that Eddie occupied her mind. Corrupted his little girl and made her do things she never would have done.

They were each other's first everything. She kissed him underneath the stars on their first date. Lost their virginity to each other when they drove up to the beach when she ran away for the first time. Admitting how much they loved each other on his birthday as he played on his new guitar.

Eddie truly believed he was going to marry her. Had the ring picked out, the proposal spot ready. He got the courage to ask her dad for his blessing, he said no, vowing Eddie would never be good enough for his daughter. But Eddie didn't feel discouraged, he knew she loved him and she wanted to be with him.

But their fairy tale love came crashing down when she broke the news she had to move away. Her dad got a job in another state and she had no choice but to move with him. He remembers how she cried in his arms. Make up running down her cheeks. He remembers kissing her wet lips as he cried into her skin.

She promised to write letters. She promised to call. She promised she wouldn't forget him and she'd come back for him the second she could live on her own.

And he believed her

~~

It's been five years since she left and she broke all of her promises. He never got letters. He never got a phone call. And she never came back for him.

With a broken heart Eddie had to learn to pick up the pieces. Finding comfort in someone else's arms. He didn't want to move on but he couldn't let life pass as he prayed for the one who got away to come back.

It was stupid but he went after her old best friend. It was the only way he felt like Y/N was still around. Kai was the only thing Eddie had left of Y/N and he was desperate. Now he's been with Kai for two years, and he knew it wasn't love and he'd never love her. His heart would always rest at night in its home, no matter how far away Y/N was.

~~

Y/N took the deepest breath she could manage. Swallowing her nerves as she knocked on the familiar red door. The same red door she closed behind her when she had to leave Eddie for the first time.

She felt stupid standing here. She never received any answers to her letters, always being sent back. Her dad refused to have any phones in the house, refusing to let her call Eddie. But a promise is a promise, and she was ready to come back for him.

But the second the door opened and she saw the familiar brown eyes, she felt the tears welling in her eyes

"holy shit...Y/N?" He gasped out

There she stood, the love of his life on his doorstep. Crying as she flung herself in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, inhaling her familiar scent.

"I did it. I did it for us! I bought an apartment nearby and everything. He can't keep us apart anymore" are explained, pulling away slightly to look up at his face

He felt his heart beating in his chest. His palms sweating as he held her hips. She was here again....she was here for him, for them. And he moved on

She didn't wait for him to say anything, smashing her lips onto his. Desperate clinging on to his body. Relief filling her as he kissed her back, hands cupping her jaw. She moaned as he kissed her harder, her hands moving into his hair as she tugged. Everything felt right and nothing hurt anymore.

Eddie pulled away, eyes staring back into hers. Silently holding each other. Overwhelmed with so much emotion she went to chase his lips again. Eddie watched as she closed her eyes, leaning in. She was inches away from his soft lips when he whispered,

"I have a girlfriend" he choked out

Her eyes snapped open, "what?"

"I...I'm in a relationship. For the last two years"

His body went ice cold as she quickly removed herself from him

"yeah of course. Sorry for that. I shouldn't have done that" she laughed, trying to ignore the sting in her heart

He could always read her. She was seconds away from bursting into tears. He went to reach for her again but she stepped back. He felt his heart drop in his stomach

"I'm sorry" he choked out. He felt like he was seconds away from crying himself

"no it's fine. It was honestly pretty pathetic of me to think it would be the same. I should go. Congratulations on the relationship. I'm happy for you" she choked out, nodding to herself as she spoke. A small tight smile as she turned around

"can we at least catch up?" He called after her

She nodded, handing him a piece of paper with her new address

With a heavy heart, she drove away.

~~

Eddie couldn't sleep that night. The image of her heartbroken face reminded him of when she was forced to leave. He tossed and turned. His eyes watched as Kai slept peacefully. His lips could feel the ghost of Y/N's pressing against his. Shivering as he felt her skin on his.

The girl he's been in love with since he was sixteen was in an apartment alone nearby. And he laid in bed with a girl who could never compare. But he also felt angry. She promised to sit to write letters, to call and she never did. He had every right to move on. He shouldn't feel guilty about it. But he did. He felt so fucking guilty.

~~

Y/N finished putting away her last box, checking the clock to see it was midnight. Realizing she should probably head to bed, she turned off the main lights and began to walk to her bedroom, stopping as there was pounding on her door.

She looked out the peephole to see Eddie on the other side.

She opened the door with a small smile

"hey what's up?"

"you never tried for me, or for us. You can't be mad I moved on when I waited for three years and got nothing" he was fuming. She can't make him feel guilty for this.

"Eddie, what in the hell are you talking about? You never answered my letters you sent them back! And I'm not mad at you for moving on. I knew there was a chance you'd be someone else's by the time I made it back" she confessed

"no what are you talking about? I never got letters, never got a phone call! You broke your promises. Of course I was going to move on. I had nothing to hold on to"

"I couldn't call because my dad refused to let me use a phone. I have boxes of letters to prove to you that I wrote constantly. I didn't break any promises because I tried! And good for you Eddie. I'm so happy you moved on. " She rolled her eyes. Did he have to keep rubbing that in her face?

"what like you never did?" He scoffed

"no Eddie I never did" she confessed as she shrugged her shoulders

"you what?" Relief filling his bones. It was selfish, to be so relieved she didn't move on but knowing his girlfriend is laying in his bed.

"I never moved on. I knew I was coming back for you so I never looked. I spent all my time working my ass off to afford leaving to come back here for you. You told me you'd wait for me. The real liar is you" she snapped

"I want to see the letters" he said, pushing through her door as he walked into her apartment. His mind needed to focus on something other than the fact she spent the last five years only thinking of him.

She walked to her bedroom, grabbing the box. His heavy body sitting on her bed as she planted it in his lap

"here. Five years worth of letters. Everything you sent straight back"

Eddie searched through the box closely. None of the letters looked familiar. There were hundreds and hundreds.

"I never got these" he mumbled out. Opening letter after letter. Dates written neatly in the corners

"stop lying. I get it you wanted to forget about me and move on" her voice week as she yanked the box out of his hands

"I'm not lying and that's not true. I think about you every single day. And I refused to forget you. I kept everything that you left behind. When I told you I was going to love you forever I meant it" he said softly, grabbing her hand and leading her into his lap

"I love you too. But you have a girlfriend and I shouldn't ruin that"

"ruin it. I don't care. Let's ruin it together. I want you and only you. I've been praying you'd show up at my door again and I'm not letting you leave again. We deserve to be together" his soft voice hitting her lips as he rested his forehead against hers

"I'm going to go home and talk with her. I'll be back tomorrow and it'll be just us. The way it was always supposed to be"

~~

Eddie spent the whole night fighting with Kai. Apparently she felt him leave and stayed up, fuming and waiting to snap the second he came back home.

A huge fight broke out and Eddie found out the truth. Kai was always jealous of Y/N. Wanting Eddie for herself but Y/N snatched him first.

Eddie also found out Kai was the one hiding the letters. Sending them back the same day they showed up. Eddie thought she came over every day as a friend to check up on him. Never knowing she was making sure he never once heard from Y/N.

Eddie didn't feel any pain when she slammed the door on her way out. Not caring even one bit that he just broke up with his girlfriend. All he cared about was Y/N and now he gets to spend his life with her.

Making sure the ring is in his pocket, he walked out the door.

Driving to her apartment

The question and the fate of their future on his tongue

And he couldn't wait

~~

Eddie knocked on her door in a hurry. His feet bouncing as he waited for her to open the door.

The second he saw her face, he swooped her in his arms and smashed his lips on hers. Moving into her house with his lips locked on hers. Closing the door with his foot as he pushed her into the wall across from the door. His tongue dipping into her mouth. He could feel his insides crying as his body was reminded of what she feels like. Trying to keep his knees from buckling as she kissed deeper. Her tongue wrestling with his as her hands held on his belt buckle. Yanking him closer and closer.

Once they were breathless, she pulled away. Gasping as she admired his mature looks. He was grown up and more handsome than ever.

"I love you so much" he said, kissing her lips softly

"I love you too" smiling as he kissed her over and over

"I need to ask you something crazy" he said with a deep breath

She nodded, slightly confused

He moved down to one knee, her hands covering her mouth as she gasped

"no way" she whispered

"yes way" he laughed

Pulling the ring out of his pocket

"Y/N, baby, I've been waiting every day for the past five years to ask you this, and I can't wait another second. Will you marry me?"

His brown eyes looking up at her as he opened the box

Her eyes never even looked down at the ring, lost in his eyes as she nodded fast

Sobbing into her hands as she stuck her hand out

Eddie cried silently as he slipped the ring on her finger. Kissing her deeply.

Eddie always knew he was going to marry her.

Tags!

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[bludhavents]

things that each greaser struggles with:

these are mostly headcanons i came up with. also, this gets pretty angsty.

content warning: alcoholism, addiction, anxiety.

darry:

- maturity. he thinks everybody looks at him like the “dad” of the group instead of just another friend, and he loathes it. he misses whenever he was able to skip work to catch a movie at the drive-in or take ponyboy and sodapop up to the dingo for lunch.

- accidental intimidation. his build is very large and strong, which is good for his job and for when he’s actually trying to, well, intimidate people, but other than that it just makes him feel guilty for being so unapproachable.

- relationships. specifically, darry is very insecure in his relationship with pony. he especially hates it whenever pony dogs on him for forgetting things or accusing him of not caring.

- emotional intelligence. he knows he comes across as cold. and he hates it. he has lots of emotions and he doesn’t air them out in a healthy way, so he tries his best to cut all the emotions off altogether in hopes that the negativity will stop, but it just makes him feel even more insecure.

- social skills. in high school, it was all much easier for him, but now that he’s working full-time and running the household, he’s fallen majorly behind in the social scene. he never goes out to the drive-in or to the dingo, and at first it was because he was too busy, but now, even if he doesn’t have a shift, he’ll make up some excuse because he’s too nervous to go and have to talk to people again since he feels like he’s gonna mess up.

- identity. darry was just starting to feel comfortable in himself and in his role in the world right before his parents died, and when they did, he stopped trying to figure out what made him happy. it has made him insecure of the emotional stint that is centered around his ego and sense of self.

sodapop:

- smarts. it’s canon that he’s insecure about this.

- growing up. while everybody else moves on to new things and grows up, he feels like he’s stuck in the same place watching everybody else progress while he stays behind. this was especially true after sandy left, because marrying her was going to be this huge exciting step in his life and when she left, he didn’t have that fulfillment anymore.

- reassurance. he feels a constant need for approval, and he will take it wherever he can get it. there’s a sort of pride he gets whenever he sees a girl checking him out, but there’s a deeper feeling telling him that she’s gonna run away once she finds out about how ‘stupid’ he is.

- authority. soda has a really hard time talking to people who are in a position of power. he gets all nervous and his hands get sweaty and his face goes sheet white in panic. his charm and social skill is enough to satisfy a conversation with a person his age, but he feels silly trying to be confident in front of an adult. he feels like they look down on him and will laugh.

- fatherhood. he’s very insecure about having a family in the future. he feels like he never appreciated his dad’s skilled parenting while he could, and since then darry has been a sort of fatherly figure in the house, but it’s hard for soda to see it that way. he grew up for 16 years with darry as a big brother and for him to suddenly be forced into a father role is troubling for soda. because of this complicated dynamic between soda and fatherhood, he feels like he won’t be able to be the best father possible for his children.

- legs. he hates his legs. you will never see soda in a pair of shorts, not even when he’s swimming. he doesn’t like the way they’re shaped and thinks that they make the rest of his body look odd, so he wears loose jeans to hide them. he’s also embarrassed of being embarrassed about them, so nobody knows, not even steve.

dallas:

- emotional intelligence. his lack of emotional intelligence is something he battles with a lot. he understands what people are feeling, but he has a hard time understanding why they feel that way. he says it’s because he’s too tuff to deal with emotions, but deep down he knows it’s because he was thrust into a traumatic childhood so early on that he never had time to build emotional bonds with people that would strengthen his empathy and understanding.

- his past, another canon take. he hates talking about it, even the good stuff, because when he thinks about new york all he can picture is 10 year old dallas watching a man being covered in a white sheet by the paramedics on the side of the road. he thinks about his friends from there and knows they’re all either locked up or dead, and it ruins any enjoyment he gets from reminiscing on the good times.

- health. he definitely has crohn’s or IBS or something else that makes his stomach hurt whenever he eats, and it embarrasses him to no end. he’s always anxious that his stomach is going to start hurting when he’s with the gang and is going to have to find some excuse to leave. he smokes so much while he’s out with them to keep from getting hungry until he gets back to buck’s place.

- his friendships. the shepherd gang is close-knit. then, the curtis’ are brothers, steve has known them forever, and two-bit is outgoing enough to make himself fit in to the group. johnny is the closest person dallas relates to, and it’s the friendship hes the most secure in.

- his smile. he knows smoking ruins his teeth, and he knows they’re crooked all over, and he knows that when he smiles his lips crack and stretch out.

johnny:

- his appearance, canon insecurity. he looks young for his age, and when the gang found him in the lot after he was beaten by Socs, they all started treating him like he was young too. he didn’t think the scar on his face was tuff, it just reminded him of being attacked.

- his voice. this is less about how it sounds and more about him not being able to speak over the shouting at home. he hates yelling, and he won’t stand in to speak up for him cause he’s too afraid of being told to “stop yelling”.

- being average. johnny feels painfully average in everything he does. he’s tried to find a skill that he truly loves and wants to take time to be good at, but he always gets frustrated and quits before he can improve.

- romance. almost every aspect of it terrifies johnny. he doesn’t know what a healthy marriage looks like, what he does know was from Mr and Mrs Curtis, but seeing them die together warped his sense of love. he doesn’t understand why you would want to love somebody so much if you didn’t have to. he doesn’t like the “til death do us part” aspect of marriage, because it makes him feel trapped. he’s not afraid of commitment, he’s afraid that he will end up in a marriage like his parents’ and not be able to leave.

two-bit:

- alcoholism. he’s an alcoholic and he knows it, but he’s been stuck in the vicious cycle of addiction for such a long time that the only way he knows how to cope with the emotional baggage of addiction is to drink more.

- social awareness. as of now, he’s very self-aware and extremely skilled in reading a room, but he didn’t used to be. he used to crack jokes at the wrong time and get scolded for it, and it made him feel horrible. like he wasn’t able to experience all the same sad feelings as everybody else because they reacted differently to the sadness than he did. they wanted to process the sadness while he wanted to ignore it.

- being absent at home. he knows he spends the majority of time at the curtis house, and he also knows that his mother spends the majority of her time at work, which leaves his little sister at home alone. he has a good relationship with her, but he doesn’t like for her to see him drunk, and as his alcoholism progresses, that gets to be more and more often. he knows this, and it’s one of the main reasons he’s so insecure about his addiction, because she’s the one who let him know that it wasn’t a one-way street. his problem affected him and her.

- commitment. two-bit is young, but he feels old enough to know how relationships work. he saw his dad walk out on them, and he was never able to process how you could go from marrying someone to leaving and never looking back. at first, he thought that his dad was just a selfish jerk, but when he met johnny and saw that his parents were also married and simultaneously abusive, he convinced himself that all marriages were bound to end up that way. he believes that if the curtis’ lived longer, they would have eventually gotten bitter and tired of each other, because in his mind, that’s just what couples do.

ponyboy:

- confidence. he has a lot of insecurities, and they’re shared pretty evenly between physical and non physical. he doesn’t like his body or his eyes. he doesn’t like how impulsive and dramatic he is.

- security. not in himself, but in life. he’s permanently on edge, feeling anxious about who’s going to be around the corner and what would happen if he got jumped and how many Socs he’d be able to fight off in case anything happened. his parents’ sudden deaths did not help this. he feels like life is constantly tossing him around, and he never feels completely safe.

- emotional outbursts. this isn’t exclusive to ponyboy, but he struggles with it the most. he hates getting upset with people, and he hates hurting other people’s feelings. when he’s feeling too many things, he starts to speak without a filter and gets mad at the littlest things, and he knows that it makes everybody around him feel bad.

- fitting in. in contrast to johnny’s insecurity, ponyboy wants nothing more than to fit in. he’s tired of being the only greaser in his classes, he’s tired of his isolated taste in movies and theatre, he’s tired of being a track star, and he’s tired of all the pressure put on him since he isn’t average.

steve

- masculinity. his dad always enforces an unrealistic standard of being strong, independent, and logical. steve is inherently all of these things, but the pressure he feels to keep it up weighs him down.

- comparing himself to others. it started in middle school when he noticed all of the people liked sodapop more. from then on he couldn’t help but feel like soda was more attractive and charming, darry was stronger and smarter, two-bit was funnier and cooler, dallas was tougher and unbothered, johnny was more likeable and down-to-earth, and ponyboy was more creative and well spoken.

- addiction. there was a time in steve’s life where he was getting high every day. at first it was fun, but then he had to quit track because he wasn’t as athletic as he used to be. it ruined his health and motivation. he started working on cars more to keep himself busy, and it helped a lot, even got him a job.

- hyperindependence. steve’s biggest character flaw is that he can’t ask for help. whether it’s asking for help in school or asking for soda to hand him a tool in the garage, steve can’t bring himself to do ask. it makes him feel like he’s not good enough to do it on his own.

[greyfrey3]

Runaway

Izuku leaves his village one morning, the intention in his heart pure and unwavering. He knows without a shadow of a doubt that it will be the last time he ever lays eyes on his home again.

No more early mornings under a sky painted in golds and pinks. No more sneaking out and borrowing a horse for an afternoon ride. No more evenings curled up, drinking thick stew to warm his bones. He can’t even bring himself to glance back one final time as he crests the hill that will block it from view. He is officially severing ties… forever.

“It’s better this way,” he murmurs quietly, wiping his eyes one last time.

There is a tradition in his village. It takes place after the first heavy snowfall, and is one that he has dreaded for years. The seer gathers all the children who have just come of age, and one by one, reveals the names of their soulmates.

It’s supposed to be fun. After all, a soulmate doesn’t necessarily have to be a lover—they can be a dear friend or relative, someone with whom an instant, deep connection exists. Many of the former children already sense their other half, and the seer is merely confirming what they already knew in their hearts.

For Izuku, however, it was a terrible experience.

“Are you certain?” he asked the seer quietly the evening prior. “Can you check again?”

“It’s Katsuki Bakugou,” she reiterated, brow furrowing. “It doesn’t matter how many times I read the bones, that’s who it is.”

“How?” Izuku whispered quietly. “He hates me. How could we possibly…”

“You’re not the first to express these types of concerns.” She settled a hand atop his. “Some soulmates just need time. If it makes you feel any better, your connection is the deepest I’ve seen in a long while. Your romance will be for the ages, I have no doubt.”

“R-romance!” Izuku choked, covering his rapidly heating face. “That can’t be! You’ve read it wrong!”

“Oh, dear.” She moved her hand to his cheek, patting consolingly. The sympathy didn’t last long. “I’m never wrong. Now get out, please, I still have to read the other’s.”

Izuku staggered out of her tent and then continued to stumble all the way to his own, head spinning as he came up with a plan. It was a death wish to flee by horseback at night, and through a snowstorm no less. But he used yesterday evening to pack the things that would help him survive, readying himself for a life of solitude.

After Katsuki learned the news, there was no way he would want Izuku to stay. He’d be furious, beyond disappointed that he was stuck with Stupid Deku forever. Izuku was doing them both a favor that morning when he slipped out of his home, and left for good.

He just isn’t prepared for how much it hurts as he descends the hill that cuts his village off from his sight. “I’ll find a new home. Far away. Maybe I can’t have a soulmate, but I’m not the first one who hasn’t.”

The first hours pass peacefully. From a young age, he’s been taught how to endure the cold. He’s dressed warmly enough and anticipates no trouble with his journey. But his youthful confidence wanes as the hours pass and he realizes just how difficult it is to wade through inches of snow. He longs for his horse, but knows it would be cruel to bring an animal along that’s not suited.

It’s slow work, but he makes decent progress. Then he starts to shiver. The cold has crept in deep, settling into his bones like an old friend who visits and never intends to leave. It makes Izuku’s jaw chatter, his entire body quaking. After a few more hours, he stops dreaming about stumbling upon a nearby village, and starts to question himself.

Why did he take off now? Why didn’t he wait until spring?

Even the thought of seeing Katsuki’s disappointed face isn’t so bad. Not when there’s a chance he might freeze to death.

When Izuku pulls the food out of his pack and sees that it’s iced over, he realizes he’s made a horrible mistake. His gaze drags towards the horizon, back the way he came. While snow no longer rides the wind, the gusts are getting stronger. Another storm is approaching.

Izuku abandons his plan of running away. It’s midday when he turns back. He won’t reach home before nightfall… But if he doesn’t stop moving, there’s a slim chance he’ll survive this, losing only a few fingers and toes in the process.

A handful of grueling hours later, he sees something. He’s not sure if he’s hallucinating, desperate for another soul to appear in this endless white landscape. He stares for a while at the black dot as it crawls towards him, unsure of whether or not to continue. It takes him too long to recognize the shape—a wolf, and a giant one at that.

Oh no, he thinks, dread gripping him tight. His mouth opens briefly in a silent scream before shutting tightly. Without thinking, and with energy he doesn't even know he had, he turns and runs. There’s a small chance he might survive and return to his village… but not if a hungry wolf gets ahold of him first.

He knows he’s fighting against certain death, that he literally has no chance of winning this. Even in ideal circumstances, he can’t take on a direwolf, let alone wrestling against one when he’s in snow up to his mid-calf. The wolf will down him before he starts to put up a fight, before—

“DEKU!”

Izuku spins and looks over his shoulder. No, there is no mistaking what he heard, and whose voice it rang out in. Katsuki is closing in fast, his direwolf hardly impeded by the drifts in its way.

Katsuki sounds angry.

Now Izuku’s running for a different reason.

When Katsuki is mad at him, Izuku knows the best course of action is to get away. It’s worked as a useful tool in the past, helping him to avoid any quarrels. Today, he has no shot. Katsuki and his wolf are at least five times faster than he is. After a few minutes of Izuku scrambling frantically, they cut him off, planting themselves directly in front of him.

“Deku, what the hell?!”

A strangled noise dies in Izuku’s throat. He scrambles to the side in a wild, desperate attempt to go around them. Katsuki snaps an order and the wolf grabs Izuku by his pack, suspending him in the air.

Katsuki dismounts and stomps in front of him. He commences shouting at the top of his lungs. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?! What kind of idiot heads out in a storm?! What was your stupid ass plan?! Are you suicidal or just a complete moron?!”

Izuku winces as he meets Katsuki’s furious gaze. If looks could kill, he’d be a ghost already. The wind kicks up again and he shudders.

Katsuki’s eyes narrow. The next shout is still angry, but there’s a touch of concern in it, too. “You’re done running, right?!”

Izuku nods dumbly.

Clicking his tongue loudly in annoyance, Katsuki growls out another order to his wolf. She obediently lowers Izuku to the ground. The blonde wastes no time, closing the distance between them immediately. He raises his hand and Izuku squeezes his eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable slap to the face.

Instead, Katsuki brushes the snow from his hat and wipes the frost from his eyelashes. “You look half-dead,” he informs Izuku sourly. “You’ve got ice all over you. If I was any later finding you…”

“Wh-wh-why are y-y—”

“Save it.” Katsuki covers his mouth with his gloved hand. It’s a good thing he does because there’s a sharp ache in Izuku’s jaw when he talks.

The blonde helps him on the back of the direwolf. More gently than he’s come to expect from him, Katsuki wraps Izuku in some blankets. He also passes him a large mug of still-warm butter tea before he slides into place behind him.

“We’ll have to check your limbs when we get back. No telling what sort of damage you have, you absolute idiot,” he mutters bitterly, arms sliding around Izuku’s waist. “Hold on tight. Let’s go, Akela.”

Izuku doesn’t so much hold onto anything as he is secured in place. Katsuki is gripping him so tightly, he couldn’t fall off if he tried.

It takes a while to warm up enough to speak, and when he does, the first thing that falls out of Izuku’s mouth is an apology. “I’m s-sorry, Kacchan.”

“You should be,” he replies gruffly. “Can’t believe you just snuck off without saying a word.”

Izuku’s mouth, unseen beneath his neck gaiter, twists into a frown. “I kn-know I’m a d-disappointment. You don’t want to be s-soulmates—”

“What?” The arms around his waist squeeze the air out of Izuku’s lungs. “Who said I didn’t want to be soulmates?!”

Even though they’re moving, Katsuki shifts to the side so he can get a clear view of Izuku’s face. The expression he’s wearing is one of stunned disbelief.

“It always s-seemed like you hated me,” Izuku tells him plainly. That’s how he’s interpreted it, anyway.

Katsuki moves back, sinking into silence. The trip back to the village passes quickly and quietly. Izuku is hyper focused on the man behind him, but he gives nothing away until the village is almost within sight.

“I looked for you, you know,” Katsuki tells him, leaning forward to murmur directly into his ear. “You left immediately, so I thought you didn’t want me either… I decided to give you some space. Didn’t realize until a few hours ago that you ran away.”

Katsuki speaks so quietly it’s difficult to hear him over the howling wind. Still, Izuku concentrates with all he has. “I’ve never hated you. I just… don’t know how to express myself sometimes. I tend to push away the people I want to spend time with. The people I need the most. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Izuku thinks he understands, and if he manages to thaw sometime in the next few days, maybe he’ll work up the courage to talk to Katsuki about it.

“I was excited to hear the news that you’re my soulmate, Izuku. I know you probably can’t believe that. I was so happy,” he explains, his words heating up, impassioned. He pulls Izuku flush against him. “And then I was scared. Fucking terrified. Because you were gone.”

Izuku is having trouble processing it all. It’s everything he’s wanted since he first learned about soulmates and thought ‘I hope Kacchan is mine.’ That was almost twelve years ago, when he was four. After that, they faced hardship after hardship—it tore them apart, made him believe that Katsuki wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Despite that, never once did his heart waver.

Deep down, he always held onto that hope. Hope that Katsuki would remember how close they used to be. Hope that one day he would let Izuku through that wall he’d built up.

Hope that they would end up together, when all was said and done.

“You mean it?” he asks quietly. The question comes out shaky, like a newborn robin taking wing for the first time. The first sign of a warm spring to come, of that hope blossoming into something real.

“You make me happy, Izuku. I’m the luckiest in the world,” he breathes into Izuku’s ear. “And I’ll make it all up to you, okay? Starting now. So don’t… don’t run away again. I don’t think I could take it.”

“I won’t,” Izuku promises.

Katsuki pats Akela on the back once, urging her to move faster over that last hillcrest. “Let’s go warm you up.”

[starshipsofstarlord]

Can you do a reader x Damon salvatore where everyone thinks the only reason they are together is because damon sired her, but she gets angry and tells them the truth that she always had feelings and didn't say anything because she knew he liked Elena...

Sire Or No Sire

damon Salvatore x reader / masterlist

summary; it is easily perceived why you look at Damon the way that you do, though most people think that is an affect of him having turned you to save your life. And that is the last straw of you realising that they know nothing / warnings; mentions of Damon x Elena, mentions of Damon x Caroline, jealousy, angst, mentions of the sire bond, mentions of sex, swearing, angst, breakup, toxic friendships

Their voices, their aloud opinions, brought you nothing but pain, the tragedy seeping into your vervain allergic veins, as you shook your head. It was as though they thought that you were unable to hear their chatter, but you knew that they would be wrong with assuming so. You were no longer weak, with human senses flooding your every whim, you were a vampire.

An immortal. It felt strange to think that you would no longer age in physical layers, instead, your mind would be the only participant within your body to forever grow with the various memories that you would be collecting through the next decades. Though, you weren’t the only one, Caroline was in that room, reprimanding Damon for saving your life.

You could hear her words loud and clear, as the Salvatores and the rest of your friends stood by, some agreeing with her, such as Elena, whereas others remained silence, such as the vampire that had turned you in the first place. The viscous tone hissing out of the blonde’s mouth scathed you emotionally, and ended with you thudding back against Damon’s bedroom door, before entering the room, and ensuring that it was locked behind you.

“The two of you are only together because of the sire bond. You turning her, had become nothing more an excuse to fuck and put a label on it!”

Did she think that she was defending you? Because to you, it didn’t sound like it, but that was Caroline for you, always insistent of her opinion, though, you two did get along. The pair of you understood what it was like to be on the sidelines, whilst perfect Elena played the victim every time, and got any guy she wanted, even her friends were swayed with the young gentlemen first.

Elena Gilbert was the epiphany of perfect; she was the damsel in distress, giving the opportunity to whomever she sought after to come and save her. You weren’t her, dissimilar to the whiny brunette, you were prepared to fight the monsters that threatened your life, human or not. And that included Damon long ago, before you saw how sweet the over century old man was.

One thing that you had never done though, was date someone and bluntly flirt with their brother. That was crossing a line, you appreciated honesty, especially in this lifestyle, and Caroline had declared her thoughts. She spoke truthfully, believing her own words, though they were far from facts.

They needed to know that you weren’t invested in a relationship with Damon because of him turning you, it was something you had never asked for, nor dreamed about. But it had happened, and whilst it brought the pair of you closer, there was no maker bond, instead, there had already been a flirtatious brewing between the pair of you whilst you were still human.

You becoming like him gave the two of you more time together as he trained you to breathe idly in and calm your bloodlust. Or how in the middle of the night, he would come by your house, and awake you from a terror, afterwards taking you for an innocent stroll through the woods.

Without him, you’d have been on a path to nowhere, lost and unable to find a route to continue on, wading through the life after death with no direction, nor set course to keep you in line. Surely, you’d have murdered many a man or woman, if you were dependant with surviving with her bewitched curse of immortality, digging into their inviting throats with your dagger canine teeth, that pulsed to be fed.

“That’s a load of- you know what, think what you want to think, you have a history of jealousy filled, toxic and werewolf involved relationships, you are not exactly the best person here to judge me on my healthy and loving romantic partnership with y/n!”

Damon half yelled at the vampiric blonde, however, another tone was fast to respond to his defensive outburst and cause the both of you a disgruntled pair of expressions. “She was turned by you brother, that runs the risk of a sore bond appropriating her feelings.”

Oh, noble Stefan. He had caused you to snap, thrusting the door open to his brother’s bedroom open, making its hinges weaken, as you whisked through the halls in seconds, joining the compendium of mystic falls in the living space, all eyes turned to you, well aware that you had heard all their smart mouthed and toxic opinions.

The sire bond wasn’t something that was too uncommon, however it affected nothing in your life. It was just for them to pick at something that was good, they could never allow something that was actually decent to revel in existence. They had to be the ones with the perfect prissy lives, not others.

“Shut your mouth, ripper!” Yes, you pulled at that string of his life, dangling it degradingly before his eyes, watching as his eyes that were focalised into you turned sour. “I love your brother, and just because you loved the love triangles the pair of you would be involved in with bitchy Gilbert over there, or bloody Katherine, does not make any other people that he or you are with invalid!”

Elena stepped forwards, her doe eyes boring with contained anger towards you. Though instead of speaking to you, her words were directed at her ex, and she wanted to gouge your reaction. “You promised me that we were going to last forever, are you going to do the same to her?”

“No, because I don’t need a time span to appreciate her presence in. I don’t need to tell her lies nor make selfish promises, because with her I am a better man.” Damon sneered at her, coming to stand beside you, protectively wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

“It’s the sire bond.” Elena stated furiously, hating the fact that she was not getting her way. In turn, you laughed, shaking your head at her incessant denial of allowing Damon to move on.

“Shut the fuck up, if you had maybe given a shit about me in the past, you’d have realised that I would stare at you enviously when you were at his side. But maybe you knew, and you just wanted to brag, but I can prove that there is no bond other than the one we already built together.”

“Yeah, and how are you going to do that?” She pestered, and with a sorrowful glance directed at Damon, you dropped your head, anything but proud with what you were about to do. Swiftly you turned, watching as Damon’s eyes widened.

“I’m going to leave.” Whence you began to walk, a hand grasped your wrist, keeping your feet locked where they were. Caroline’s voice broke through the air, her eyes were filled with regret, from all the things that she had said, and all the opinions that she had formed.

“You’re not serious! You’re gonna break up with him because of us?” Stiffly you nodded, watching as Damon felt a taken back. He gaped his mouth open, in shock.

“I’d do anything for my friends, despite the circumstances not being reciprocated. I’m not even allowed to be in a relationship with the man that I love because you are all endorsed with the idea that it’s some stupid bond. Yes, we have a bond, but it’s not a sire one.”

“Baby, don’t.” Damon practically begged, watching as you yourself were torn and conflicted in regards to the situation. A sad smile monitored your face, as you slipped out of his grasp.

“We might have to wait another lifetime until we’re allowed to be together without resorts of undermining and people that don’t really care about us. Some people want there to be a whole ass agility course to separate us, but maybe if we wait, we can prove how wrong they are, if they’re not dead by then.”

Caroline felt terrible, once again Stefan had taken his brother’s life from him, and Elena, well she felt accomplished. She went to reach for Damon’s arm, but he threw her consoling manner and herself across the room, heading straight after you, with a bottle of bourbon.

If you could leave them to prove a point, so could be; he loved you. That was enough, especially for him, he could leave those doses of poison behind, if he would grant himself permission without asking, a peaceful life with you.

[tennessoui]

Please give me the TA scene where Vos takes Obi-Wan to a bar to get drunk and forget about Anakin and pick up some hotties but oh no Anakin is there and Obi-Wan is a little tipsy and doesn’t want to be rude so he goes to say hi. Then for the rest of the night when he tries to go Anakin pulls him back into conversation because he doesn’t want Obi-Wan going home with someone else

yes!!!!!! TIS THE SEASON (halloween)

(2.3k)(the first TA obi-wan snippet!!)

The thing about Quinlan that Obi-Wan hates the most is that his friend is the only person in the entire world that can out-stubborn him. That’s usually not a problem. But sometimes it is. Sometimes it results in Quinlan forcing Obi-Wan into doing something he’d rather not do.

All those people that say peer pressure isn’t really real have never met Quinlan Vos.

Obi-Wan sort of wishes he’d never met Quinlan Vos when the man shows up at his door on Friday evening carrying three different bundles of clothing.

“Because I’m nice, you get to choose what you want to be for Halloween,” Quinlan announces, laying out the options on Obi-Wan’s coffee table.

“Drunk and alone in my apartment,” Obi-Wan says. “That’s an option, right?”

“Just for that, I’m taking Indiana Jones off the table,” Quinlan replies, not sounding sorry about it at all. “I’ll be that one. I think I could make the whip look hot as hell.”

Obi-Wan crosses his arms and peers at the costumes. “Sexy nurse or sexy….Red Riding Hood? I’m not wearing that. I doubt it would even fit me.”

“Bullshit, you have a very dainty waist, Obi. But hurry up and choose because we’re going to be late.”

“We’re going tonight?” Obi-Wan splutters. “It’s not even Halloween!”

“It’s the Halloweekend, Obi-Wan. It’s like you’ve forgotten all of our sophomore year.”

Obi-Wan’s tried to block most of it out, that’s true. The parts he remembers, at least. “I think we’re a bit too old for Halloweekend, Quin,” he protests, staring down at the costumes. “And I--”

“Have been obsessing over this so-called hottest professor in existence, yes, I know.” Quinlan holds up his hand when Obi-Wan starts to disagree. “No, you know I’m right. I don’t want to hear your excuses. I’ve never heard you casually talk about someone so much and I’ve been there for all of your co-ed crushes. So what we’re going to do tonight is go and get your hot professor fucked out of your head, and the best way to do that is either sexy nurse or sexy Red Riding Hood. So.”

“I do not want this,” Obi-Wan reiterates slowly. “I very much am not aboard this plan.”

“Don’t make me invoke the BFFFOC, Obi,” Quinlan threatens.

The BFFFOC, or Best Friend Forever Failsafe Override Code, was thought up between them one night their first year of college. If ever one of them was going down a path that the other deemed unwise, they had the right to invoke the override and talk some sense into them.

“I don’t think me not wanting to dress in a slutty and offensive nurse outfit counts,” Obi-Wan protests loudly.

“It’s not about the costume, Obi, and you know it. It’s about this professor. You know you need to get over him. So get under someone else. I’d offer, but that would be in complete violating of--”

“BFFNBTBT,” Obi-Wan finishes with him, rolling his eyes. “Yes, I recall.”

That one, Best Friends Forever No Below The Belt Touching had been resurrected after a very unfortunate one night stand. The grounds for that code are some of the ones Obi-Wan is still trying to forget.

“Fine,” he snaps and hates himself for it. One day he’ll learn how to say no to Quinlan. “But I’m going with Red Riding Hood.”

“I thought you would!” his friend cheers. “The cape’s long enough to cover more of your upper thighs and you’re a bit of a prude.”

Obi-Wan snatches up the packaged costume from the table. “Fuck off,” he says, quite pleasantly in his opinion. “And I’m not paying you back for this.”

“You should shave,” Quinlan tells him as he turns towards his bedroom. “Really commit to the role!”

Perhaps tonight Obi-Wan will strangle Quinlan with his own length of Indiana Jones whip. The thought puts a smile on his face.

In the end, Obi-Wan does end up shaving. It’s not something he does often, but he’d looked at the costume. The dress doesn’t even come down to his fingertips. The hooded red cape somehow just a little bit longer.

And he thinks making Quinlan wait for thirty minutes while Obi-Wan gets ready is the very least of what he deserves.

Dragging out the process, however, doesn’t magically give Quinlan enough time to realize how stupid this is, because when Obi-Wan peers around the edge of his door, Quin’s on the couch in full Indiana Jones costume regalia, flicking through his phone.

“I look like a pervert’s idea about what Swedish barmaids looked like in the 18th century,” Obi-Wan complains, trying to flatten the hem of the flared out dress as he regretfully leaves the safety of his bedroom.

“That’s what the hood’s for,” Quinlan says sagely, looking up from his phone to take in Obi-Wan. “What, no makeup?”

“I need you to know that my biggest regret in my entire life will always be that I sat next to you on our first day of chem,” Obi-Wan tells him placidly, adjusting the cape around his bare shoulders. He hates to admit it, but the feeling of the inner fabric of the hood feels good against his skin. Soft.

“Oh, don’t say that, Obi, I’m sorry. You’re pretty without makeup.”

“I’m about to throw a punch,” he warns.

Quinlan grins and slings an arm around him. “Well then, looks like it’s time to go.”

----

They slide into two seats at the very crowded bar only thirty or so minutes later. Everyone around them is wearing some sort of costume, some so wild or revealing that Obi-Wan doesn’t even necessarily feel bad about the amount of skin he’s showing off.

Someone walks by in a golden speedo and Obi-Wan takes a gulp of his drink. At least this place does some heavy pours.

Quinlan leans into his ear. “See anyone?” he yells of the din of loud music and voices.

“I see a lot of people,” Obi-Wan reports back immediately.

“One more tongue-in-cheek response out of you, and I’ll make you do tequila shots, young man!”

Obi-Wan narrows his eyes, but then a girl in a french maid costume smiles at him flirtily from across the bar. His first thought is that he likes Professor Skywalker’s smile a lot better. Then he wonders about what Professor Skywalker’s doing tonight, if he likes Halloween. If he’s dressed up. If he’s alone.

“I would like two tequila shots,” he tells the bartender when she passes them.

“Obi-Wan, you shouldn’t have!” Quinlan tosses his arm around his shoulder and pulls him in for an awkward, but enthusiastic hug when the shots arrive.

“They’re both for me,” he responds. “You can choke.”

“You wound me so precisely,” Quinlan shakes his head, and flags down a bartender to order his own. Obi-Wan decides to ignore him, licking at the back of his hand quickly before sprinkling the salt onto the damp skin.

The first shot goes down easily, but he doesn’t even wait ten seconds before he’s brought his hand back to his mouth for another lick.

Halfway through, he looks up at the feeling of eyes staring at him. He follows his own instincts until his eyes latch onto bright, familiar blue ones across the way.

If he’d taken the shot, he would have choked in this moment when confronted with Anakin Skywalker, out of the lecture hall and looking so intensely at Obi-Wan that he feels strangely vulnerable. Examined.

He breaks eye contact with his professor when Quinlan’s arm tightens on his shoulder and he knocks their shot glasses together.

It’s second nature at this point to do shots with Quin, and he drinks his down automatically as his eyes can’t help but to dart back to Anakin--Professor Skywalker--at his table.

He’s sitting alone. Not even that dressed up. Obi-Wan has no feelings about this.

Quinlan, who is frighteningly observant at the worst times, clues into Professor Skywalker’s presence before he thinks he should, after only ten or so minutes have passed. “That guy is staring at you,” he whispers very loudly to Obi-Wan, taking a pointed sip of his newest drink. “Or maybe me, but he sorta looks angry whenever I touch you.”

As if to prove this, Quinlan moves in to place a sloppy kiss on Obi-Wan’s cheek. Obi-Wan can’t shove him off quickly enough.

“Yep, definitely looking at you.” Quinlan concludes. “Looks blond, older than us, but like. Not ancient. What are you thinking? Wanna go over? I think you should, he looks like he’d give you a good time.”

Obi-Wan stares down at his drink. Quinlan doesn’t know what Professor Skywalker looks like. He doesn’t know that he’s actually cajoling Obi-Wan into the arms of the one person he’s set against him seeing. If Obi-Wan were a better friend, he’d tell him. But Obi-Wan isn’t. Obi-Wan’s feeling a little tipsy from the drinks, and his legs are all smooth, and he wants to talk to Professor Skywalker. He wants to see if maybe the man could want him if he’s wearing this. If he looks like this.

“I’m gonna go over and talk to him,” he decides in a rush, already lifting himself out of his seat. Quinlan crows in delight and reaches out to steady him when he stumbles a bit.

Water next, Obi-Wan thinks. He’s going to have water next.

It’s a short trip across the room to where Professor Skywalker is sitting. It just feels longer because of nerves. God, what is he doing? Why is he doing this?

But suddenly he’s at Anakin’s table. Suddenly he’s standing right in front of him, drink clutched in both hands, very aware of how much skin his outfit is showing off.

Anakin’s eyes dart down and the back up again before lingering at the exposed skin of his thighs. If it were anyone else, Obi-Wan would think he’s being checked out, but it’s his professor. And no matter how much Obi-Wan may want Anakin’s eyes to stick on him like a brand, he knows the older man would never want that same thing.

“Professor Skywalker, hello,” he finally says, fiddling with the straw in his drink. A few seconds later, he takes a sip, conscious of the way the man follows this motion. If it were anyone else--

But it’s not.

“Obi-Wan, I’ve told you to call me Anakin,” the professor scolds. “Especially outside of the classroom.”

“Sorry,” he says immediately. “Um. Anakin.”

Anakin’s arm drapes itself over the back of his booth as he sits more comfortably in his chair. “Please, sit.”

“I don’t want to intrude or anything, I just saw you and thought I would say--”

“Obi-Wan, sit,” this is a much clearer instruction. Obi-Wan drops into the other chair. Anakin looks him over again. “I have to admit, I didn’t have you pegged for being into this holiday,” he says roughly. “Or so committed to it.”

Obi-Wan thinks he’s probably blushing as red as his hood. “No, I um. You’re right. My friend, I--he wanted me to come out with him, and he only got me two costumes--I wouldn’t, but he--”

“Indiana Jones?” Anakin cuts in to ask sharply. “Sounds like a bit of a controlling boyfriend if he made you do something you’re not comfortable with.”

There’s an air of protectiveness in Anakin’s voice that makes Obi-Wan feel warm on the inside. Even though the professor couldn’t have been more wrong.

“No, no,” he corrects him anyway, even though a part of him is yelling that Anakin really doesn’t care that much about the details of his personal life. “We’re just friends. And I….”

He trails off, and Anakin arches one of his thick eyebrows in expectancy.

It may be that expression, the knowledge that Obi-Wan could give Anakin the answer he’s looking for, or the drinks in his system, but he finds himself continuing, admitting quite quietly, “I like it.”

Anakin straightens in his seat and takes a long pull of his own drink. “You like it,” he repeats. “Am I to assume you’re just a fan of the fairytale?”

Obi-Wan bites at his lip. He knows he shouldn’t say anything more, but....but they’re so far from the lecture hall here. It’s hard to remember why they shouldn’t talk about this. It’s hard not to let his mind wander to what he would say if the person he was talking to was not his professor, but a man he was interested in spending the night with, someone he was trying to seduce.

He shakes his head shyly.

“I like the hood,” he admits, because once he’s thought of it it’s incredibly difficult not to say it. He hardly even tries, if he’s being honest. “The cape is just long enough I can feel it on my thighs. And I like the skirt and--” he hesitates here, but it’s not called liquid courage for nothing. “The lingerie it came with.”

Anakin freezes with his drink halfway to his mouth. Slowly, he sets it back onto the table again and studies Obi-Wan with darkened eyes. His expression is unreadable and it makes Obi-Wan squirm in his seat.

“Fuck,” Anakin breathes out, the word almost lost to the roar of noise in the bar.

Obi-Wan fidgets in his seat. “Actually, sir,” he says suddenly. “I’m sorry, I should go, I only meant to say hello--”

“You should stay,” the professor interrupts, leaning forward and placing his hand on Obi-Wan’s forearm. The touch is electrifying. “For a drink.”

“Just a drink,” Obi-Wan agrees probably too quickly, a part of him responding to Anakin’s pleading expression perhaps more than it should. “My, what big eyes you have,” he jokes in regards to his professor’s begging look.

“The better to see you with,” Anakin replies immediately. For a second, his hand on Obi-Wan’s arm doesn’t move. Then his thumb strokes over the smooth skin there before he pulls back. “My dear.”

[darkdevasofdestruction]

A Thousand Year Love ~ Ryomen Sukuna x Kitsune!Reader

Okay, I wrote the Reader's name as "Kitsune", but that's mostly because I envisioned a nine tailed fox without an actual name, that everyone would just call her "Fox" as if she wasn't anyone worth naming, despite her rank.

This is a little fic which explored Sukuna's supposed backstory, 1000 years prior to he action of Jujutsu Kaisen - Idk if it's accurate, I didn't yet read the manga, I still have 6 more episodes from the anime, but I had this idea and I couldn't stop myself from writing about it.

Most of it builds up the bond that very slowly grows between Sukuna and Kitsune, then snaps during a scene somewhere around episode 4 of the anime, when Sukuna takes over Yuji's body, and Yuji can't switch for a while, but with enough altercations that it's not exactly the same as in the said episode.

Hope you enjoy this <3

-------------

"What are we doing here...?" Kitsune asked her parents in a voice that was barely audible as she looked left and right at the huge estate's gardens.

Estate? Rather said, palace, since this place was grandiose - Most likely, even more so than the Emperor's own Palace, the girl thought to herself. Everywhere she looked, cherry, plum and pear trees were in blossom, even though it wasn't their time. Statues and little shrines, along with various small pools with flowers, lanterns and lotuses were scattered as much as her vision would allow her to see. Looking up at the estate, she realised just how small she was in comparison to the intimidating and imposing energies radiating all over the place.

"You are going to meet someone very important, dear." her mother spoke, yet her voice wasn't as gentle as usual, rather, it sounded stiff, on the edge...Almost afraid, maybe? It was foreign for young Kitsune, as she has been confined in her little palace her whole life under the pretext of keeping her safe. But it did exactly the opposite, she believed, considering she itched to explore and go on adventures with each second passing. "Who is it?" she asked as soon as they stepped inside the palace...But it was so dark, save for the red, malicious light from the lanterns and candles lit in just the perfect places so it would guide them to the room they had to go to. "...You will find out soon." her father snapped at her, and she could only frown, her fluffy ears flicking as her tails wrapped protectively around herself. She knew something was wrong, and she had half a mind to believe she was brought there as a sacrifice for some War Deity that would allegedly save them from this era of war...Or something along the lines.

After a longer walk than expected, they found themselves in front of two large, red doors, and without any kind of reticence, Kitsune effortlessly slammed the doors open and saw a dimly lit room with a few stairs and a throne where a man with short, kinda spiky pink hair, garbed in a loose, white kimono was smugly sprawled over that royally embellished chair, while tons of gorgeous women dressed in the most luxurious kimonos, their hair done up with intricate headpieces and flowers that would put any living being to shame...

But what is this about? Kitsune was more confused than anything, and she could only step inside the room, slowly and carefully, before turning to look at her parents, who had a pitiful look in their eyes.

"What is going on?" Kitsune demanded an answer, her voice agitated, her body ready to go into a fight or flight mode, her eyes darting rapidly between her parents and the man on the throne whose name she wasn't interested in finding out. "Well, darling...You see...You had to find you a husband. You are old enough to be married, and you can't stay with us forever. You need to have a family and children. You are the princess of the Fox clan, there is nobody more beautiful than you -..." her mother tried to reason, but the young girl wasn't stupid. She understood what was going on. "No. No. If you want to speak - Then speak the truth. Don't lie to me. This guy is strong, isn't he? Some kind of demonic thing that everyone is afraid off. You are giving me away to this guy...To be his...Thousandth concubine in his harem or something, just because you're too weak to take care of our kin. That's the truth, isn't it? Go on, admit it. Stop trying to sugar coat the situation." her nine tails opened from around her in a large, undulating fan, making her aggression obvious, as fire began to immolate the tips of her fur. "SHUT UP, IMPERTINENT, UNRULY CHILD!" her mother slapped her face, not wanting their benefactor to hear his future concubine speaking so foul of him. "You are a woman, and the princess, nonetheless, and your role is to continue our kin and obey your family and husband. Do not speak unless you are allowed to!" but before her mother could grab her face, Kitsune's tail slapped her hand away, and she stepped back. "I am nobody's toy. I will not obey anyone's orders. Not yours, and not his. I will not be just another concubine for some disgusting, good for nothing lecher with no redeeming quality." the girl snarled at them, ready to make her escape out of there, if needed. "If your sister was alive, she would have sacrificed herself for the greater good of this family! You are nothing more than a selfish brat!" it was her father's time to accuse her, which made her ears perk up, while her tails completely deflated. "Yes, of course, how could I forget. It was me who should have died, not my perfect elder sister. Sorry, but you should curse the Gods, not me for that. But, since it seems that my life is meaningless to you, then I will make you a favour! I will end it myself! I'm sure you'll be happy without me, won't you? Ahh...But how will you save our war-ridden? Too bad I won't be alive to witness your demise, huh?" with a dark chuckle, Kitsune's hand went inside her kimono, taking the small kodachi sword and unsheathing it, hearing only the gasps and shrieks of fright from the harem girls. Kitsune could only guess that these girls were all high-born and unfamiliar to the horrible things happening outside of these walls. "What the hell are you doing, you idiotic child?! Cease this madness at once!" her mother shrieked at her, lounging towards her, trying to stop herself from impaling that blade through her body, and yet...

The second the girl launched her hand down to stab herself...She got stopped. The whole place became instantly silent, save for the sound of a blade bouncing down as it fell on the wooden floor. "Enough." a dark, annoyed voice resounded through the place as Kitsune's wrists were grasped by the man's...Front hands? While her body was immobilized in an embrace by his other two arms. "I was promised a beautiful princess as a concubine, and you failed to do as you promised. Leave, before I get bored and kill you." he threatened the two adult fox people who scurried away in a hurry, leaving behind their only daughter without a second thought. "You, however...Will remain here." he chuckled in her ear, but Kitsune wasn't one to be messed with. Her answer came in the form of lighting up her tails on fire an wrapping them around the man, who hissed and unhanded her, allowing her enough time to go into a corner and get in a fleeing stance. "Why did you stop me? I have no intention of being one of your whores. You should have let me end it right there." she scoffed at the man, who dismissed the bottom pair of arms and laughed. It was almost a psychopathic laugh, she thought, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up - Unsure if it was from fright or disgust. "You amuse me, little vixen. Very much, you amuse me. Having a little fox wag her tails around this place, all fired up, would give some sense of fun, wouldn't you say?" his voice was grating her, and she only wanted to sock him in the jaw. "Keep on dreaming. I'm not your toy, and I'm not here for anyone's entertainment. You have enough girls in this place to amuse you. I'll be going now, and even if you chain me, you can't stop me from achieving my freedom." Kitsune growled at him, slamming open the sliding door that would lead into the balcony, from where she could jump the hell away from there. "You proved you value your life even less than your parents do, so chaining you would do nothing. I have never seen a woman as fiery as you. All the ones I have are the same. Meek, soft...Afraid. Boring. They all like the same things, and hate the same things." he groaned pitifully, evidently bored out of his mind. "They hate you, don't they? You want women, but you don't bother treating them right. Can you get even more typically terrible? Pitiful and disgusting, that's what you are. You just want to break people for your entertainment. You are nothing more than a selfish megalomaniac. No wonder you are in need of entertaining, you are thoroughly boring." Kitsune's degrading words, however, didn't seem to phase the man at all - In fact - It made him laugh. Never, in this life, has he heard anything this degrading before - Everyone tried their best to appeal to his benevolent and merciful side - To at least spare their lives. He was stronger than anyone alive, so nobody dared speak up in front of him. It was obvious she had no idea who he was - All the better - He thought. "Ryomen Sukuna, missy, but you can call me your Emperor." that confident laugh was enough to drive Kitsune up the wall with anger as she stomped to his side and actually punched his jaw. It was annoying - The height difference - As he towered over her entirely, but at least she managed to reach where needed, little miss firecracker. "Piss off." the fox girl growled in anger at him...And yet...He only...Laughed. And he cupped her face, getting his own so close to hers that they could feel each other's breaths. "You. Are. Mine." his grin was so wide and sociopathic that he might as well have had his face split in two. "I will never be yours. I will never be anyone's. I'm not an object. I will not obey anyone. The second you leave me out of your sight, I will flee, and you will never see me again. And if I can't, I will find a way to kill myself. I have nothing to live for, but everything to die for." Kitsune bared her elongated canines at him, and gosh, was she enticing. "And if I get rid of the harem?" he asked, not bothering with everything she talked before. "You'll be a heartless jerk who'll destroy

the lives of so many women." she refuted just as quickly. "And if I don't fuck anyone but you?" he threw that, wanting to fluster her, but the fire in her eyes only ignited even higher. "As usual, you can only think with the wrong head, can't you? There's nothing to you but your stupid little prick. How pathetic. And you call yourself a man. Go die in the war or something." she grabbed him by the loose neck line of his kimono, only to hear him laughing condescendingly. "But darling, that just couldn't possibly happen. I am simply too strong to get killed. Everybody fears my power, why else do you think your parents were so willing to give you away? They were weak, just like you said, and every weakling needs the help of Ryomen Sukuna, Japan's own God of War." this statement made the girl's gorgeous eyes widen in shock...Only to start laughing, almost hysterically. "Oh, bow down to the self proclaimed God of War! Can you believe that! Your majesty, tone down your arrogance, it's gonna get yourself killed! I knew it, you're absolutely useless! All you can do is bark, no bite, little puppy! The only thing intimidating about you is your height, other than that, you are just a generic man who thinks he's all to powerful. How ridiculous." the fox girl couldn't stop her degrading laughing, which confused the man for a while, only to smirk and pick her up bridal style, carrying her out of that room, not letting her get out of his grasp, no matter how much she tried to wiggle or burn him. "I won't let you go until you acknowledge my infinite strength, cute, little fox. But don't think that just because I favour you, I will let you get away with all the shit you called me." his voice sounded darker, more ominously, but it didn't seem to intimidate the girl. "Not in a million years. Not even in your sweetest dreams. You're pathetic and I'll never acknowledge you as anything else but a disgusting, lecherous pig!" she yelled at his face, to which he responded by letting her roughly fall on a soft futon, then crouching by her side and gripping her face just as her mother did before. "Say that again when you'll end up screaming my name as if your life depends on it." he laughed at her before leaving her new room, which she won't leave for a while.

This annoying girl, Sukuna was intrigued by her, but at the same time, he was very tempted into strangling her or snapping her neck - Despite all that fire she lets out, he was curious if she'd end up groveling in self-pity, begging him for mercy, going back on her previous misguided and foolish courage. Wasn't it bad enough that she had no idea who HE was? He also had to endure such disrespect - And even worse - Enjoy it? That little fox bitch was ready to commit seppuku in front of everyone just to prove a point, what the hell else could be more entertaining? All the women he's had were given away by their families as tributes, and none said a word. He was a jerk to them, he fucked them, he mistreated them - Sukuna didn't give a fuck about any woman, man, child, animal...Or any living being in the world, except for himself. All were beneath him - Unworthy, weak, frail -...

And yet, they still lie to his face, trembling as they say all the fake, sweet nothings - "I love you, My Lord" the women would say, their voice shaky, jumping in fright as he'd touch them. He was a rough man, he never knew gentleness, nor mercy, no love - Through all the words spewed by the firey woman, the part where she declared he had no idea how to treat women properly - Yes, it was true, but did he care? Of course not.

Humans were all puppets with whom he could play as much as he wanted - All instruments for his entertaining in this terribly boring world, he would manipulate everyone like dolls on his strings, and when they've exhausted their means of entertaining him, the string will be cut, and the puppets will fall in an abyss of infernal fire.

For the first two weeks, Sukuna and Kitsune were literally acting like a cat chasing a mouse - And each time, the cat would surprise the mouse just as she was about to survive - He was giving her hope of success, only to pick her up by one of her many tails, or embrace her from behind, pick her up, trip her, show up from behind a tree, play with her hair as he came up from a tree behind her, and sometimes, even going as far as to mock her by pointing her the way out of the place.

But very soon, she gave up, and decided to starve herself to death by not leaving her assigned room, ignoring him entirely whenever she'd get visited by him - But that ended in the worst way possible - With her fainting and unable to wake up, and Sukuna freaking out because he didn't want his little toy to die before she got boring.

He laid next to her on the futon, holding her in his eyes, brushing her hair out of her face, playing with her vivid red hair - She truly looked like a fox in Sukuna's eyes, and he almost felt his heart warm up as he felt up the soft fur on her tails, waiting for his cursed energy to heal her up. After some time, he noticed the little red ball of fur getting smaller and smaller as she cuddled into his chest, resembling a defenseless kit searching for warmth, love and safety from its mother. She was so much smaller than him - So frail, so thin, so soft...So cute? - What was it that he was feeling? Calmness? Protectiveness?

He was furious at her for neglecting her health just so she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of toying with her - But that was also endearing, in its own, messed up way? She would go to such dramatic extremes to prove him wrong...It seemed that no matter what she did, it would still make him enjoy her company.

Whenever he'd fuck one of his harem girls, he wouldn't stay over, not even for a kiss - Hell, he didn't even know most of their names - Why should he? They were all the same to him - But he felt such a strong sense of protectiveness over he - He didn't want to strangle her to death anymore - Maybe just a bit of fun, some teasing, some startling - His hand around her supple neck as she looks up at him with her sparkling eyes, calling out his name - Sukuna, Sukuna - Pleading softly, but desperately to him for her sweet release - Sukuna, Sukuna - And he will be merciful, for once, and give her what she wants.

Just as he was caught in his own, sick fantasy, he felt the girl move and grumble, turning on her back, her small hands flying to rub her eyes awake - And he rolled over her, a playful, teasing smirk on his face as he waited for her to realise the position they were in - And yet, she was still out of it, for her eyes were half-lidded and gleaming, she was still weak from her lack of self-care, and she could only look up at him, dazed..."Sukuna...?" she mumbled in a whispery tone - What is she doing to him?! How dare she entice him so much? He wasn't supposed to be attracted to her in any way, so why...?!

"Relax, sweet-cheeks. I'm here." he spoke in a low voice, not wanting to alert her...Wait, what - "...Thanks." muttering that, she let out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes again, the corners of her mouth slightly turned upright as she allowed herself to fall back asleep and rest, not caring too much that she felt a slight pressure on both of her hands, in the form of the demon man pressing his own hands to hers, intertwining their fingers together as he towered over her, watching her chest rise and fall rhythmically as she breathed, her kissable, pink lips just a tiny bit parted. He couldn't stop himself - She was too irresistible, and he was much too insatiable - And he leaned down, pressing his own lips over hers - Gently - Very gently in fact, almost as if afraid of breaking a porcelain doll, as if afraid to crush a snowdrop he just picked from a glade, one just just barely managed to get out from under the remaining, melting snow of early spring. "You'll be the death of me, cutie." he found himself saying as he licked his lips, taking in the sweetness of the kiss.

Since then on, despite not being exactly friendly with the man, the fox girl didn't hate him that much anymore. It even got well enough for them to eat in the same room, or play shogi - The girl beating him at it more often than not, which left mixed feelings in his heart - And then he showed her the musical instruments that the concubines would sometimes use whenever he'd want a banquet and more sinful indulgences. He didn't ask her to play for him, though. He realised that the more he tried to push the girl, the less likely she'll actually do anything he wants.

Even more, the more time they spent together, the more his concubines would get neglected - So much that he was completely drawn to this fox girl and all the other women were completely wiped from his head. - And he started gifting her a bunch of beautiful kimonos, only to find them in front of his room's door, rejected. She didn't want anything from him, nor did she want his favour, so she continued wearing her simple clothes.

Until...

Until one night - It was a special night, really - For the moon was full, and big, and gleaming with such a beautiful silver light that neither of them saw in the many years they've been alive. And Kitsune dressed in one of her festival yukatas and went to the lotus pond, surrounded by a few wisteria trees, as the mirror of the water reflected the celestial orb like sparkling zircons. The fox gingerly jumped in the middle of the sheen, walking on it like a spirit, only her feminine silhouette being seen, as her long hair was gently blown by the warm spring wind and her tails were dancing around her in perfect sync. As her feet moved to the sound of the melody she played on a vertical flute she was given by the owner of the place, Sukuna found himself unable to move from his place on the palace balcony, his sight fixated on the woman's form as she alternated playing the instrument and dancing with ribbon-fans.

Her moves were fluid and mystifying like those of a priestess leading a will'o'wisp to rest into kakuriyo, the land of the dead - what was he supposed to do now? He was confused and mesmerised. He's seen his fair share of beautiful women playing instruments and dancing for him - Hundreds of them, in fact - But none could match the effect this nine tailed fox girl had on him.

This continued days on end, but he never admitted to her that he was stalking her every night, nor that he was completely enchanted and under her spell, at the point of no return.

"I'm going to war tomorrow." he told her one evening as he poured himself some sake. "...Good for you. Finally, more entertaining for the most powerful man on Earth...Or something. Bring me a souvenir when you return, I guess." the girl merely shrugged her shoulders as she took the tea pot and poured herself some tea, not bothering with any reaction. "You're not worried for me, are you? What if I die tomorrow? Will you weep for me?" he leaned forward, taking her chin between his fingers. " 'Course not. You're the one who keeps boasting about how you're the most powerful man on Earth and The God of War or something. Besides - If you die, I will just steal all your money and get the hell out of this place, so I can finally see the world through my very eyes, not through inked letters on paper. I want to be free and fly. Life here is boring. I've had enough years of being home stuck, don't you think?" she snapped at him as she snatched the now empty sake up and poured herself some alcohol. "And what if I promise to take you out to see the world when I return?" he smirked at her, watching her ears perk up a bit at the proposition. "...I don't believe you." she looked away before she could reveal any real emotion in her eyes. "I promise. But you also have to promise to relax around me. You're always on the edge, even if you've been here for a whole year. I saw you play in the winter, jump to collect autumn leaves taken by the wind, pick up fruit after climbing up the trees, and make flower crowns in spring. I saw you get buried completely in snow, only one of your tails being seen, I saw you make fruit wine in autumn, send paper lanterns into the sky and bathe in the lotus ponds. We're not strangers anymore, and I've never hurt you even once. So, do we have a deal?" his hunter-like eyes carefully watched her every reaction, noticing how her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly, before biting into it softly - She was nervous, that much was obvious - And Sukuna was now a pro at reading her behaviour. "...I'll try. But if you go back on your promise...I promise you, you won't wake up the next morning." she scoffed, threatening him, but it only ended up making him laugh. "The little kitten has claws, how adorable. That's fair, I'll let you have that." the man chuckled at her, petting her hair just between her ears, making her close her eyes and blush just a tiny bit. He was finally able to reach her - Not by much, but even this much was enough for him...For now.

For a whole month, Kitsune was all alone in the palace - Or so she felt, despite the numerous harem girls and the servants - All who had to obey her every order - But she refused any of that. If she wanted to eat, she would make food for herself. If she wanted to drink, she'd get some herself. If she wanted to bathe, she would prepare the bath herself - Just as she's always done. However, all this time, she was never in need of company. She couldn't handle people, nor their fakeness and many other useless emotions that would only make them vulnerable and susceptible of being used and taken for granted.

She's been through that numerous times while living with her family, and she wasn't about to let that happen again.

Thankfully, Kitsune never felt lonely, nor bored - However, she realised that she actually enjoyed Sukuna's annoying presence, and somehow, she found herself awaiting his coming back sooner.

"Master came back, vacation's over. Take care, everyone...I heard he's been injured. Can you believe it? Never thought demons can bleed." the many rumours circulated around the palace, but the fox girl only snapped at the gossipers, glaring at them to shut up. But she didn't go to greet him, like everyone else did. Instead, she waited until night to go to his room, and she found him on the ground, calmly drinking some sake.

"Ah, look at this, a little fox found its way in my humble abode. What ever could you be doing here, I wonder?" he chuckled teasingly, as she only looked down at him, giving him a slight head tilt, yet no expression on her blank face. "Are you wounded?" she muttered in a low voice, almost half-wanting not to have been heard...But she was. "Ha! So you heard those rumours too, haven't you? How ridiculous! Me? Ryomen Sukuna, the God of War, getting injured? Preposterous!" his bark-like laugh echoed through the place, but it didn't move the girl in any way. Instead, slowly crouched next to him, snatching down the already loose kimono top from his torso, letting it fall down to his chest, as her delicate fingers traced his chest, arm and back, analysing each and every fresh wound and scar alike. "I thought you could heal. Cursed energy magic or something. What you did to me when I passed out. Stupid liar. All you know how to do is to boast to everyone, but you can't even admit that you are still capable of making mistakes sometimes." her voice was obviously pissed off, but not enough to sock him in the jaw again. "Anti-regeneration magic. I didn't know something like that existed. Gimme a break." he scoffed, looking away in mild embarrassment. "Lucky you. Now don't move, or you'll really piss me off." she sneered at him as she made blue fire light up her palms and focused on healing him. It was then that she realised how good it felt to feel someone's bare skin, to feel his muscles, sore from fighting so much. He was finally beginning to look more like a man - A warrior - Not like some obnoxious, bratty, entitled casa nova. "I didn't know you could heal people. It tickles." he smirked slightly, turning his head to watch her focused face. "You don't know many things about me, Sukuna. Don't even bother trying, you'll never be able to, anyway." she scowled at him, but this time, it wasn't as aggressive as usual. "I've always loved a challenge, sugar." he chuckled boastfully, only for her to frown and look at him. "Is that all I am for you? A challenge?" she asked in a softer voice, sounding almost disappointed. "Not anymore. You've always been an enigma for me. You were fun, that's why I kept you around. If you weren't, I'd have killed you. I have no regrets about killing anyone, reason or not. But you got under my skin. I don't want to unveil the enigma behind you anymore. I just want to know you." carefully, his hands found their way on her hips, just before pulling her on his lap, only for her to stiffen up completely, her hands quickly taken off of his skin, as she quickly snapped her head away from him, her face covered by the long hair that resembled the blood he spilled on the battlefield. "Aww, are you shy, cutie~?" his seductive voice was back again, one of his hands reaching up to cup her face - But she couldn't bring herself to speak - Instead, she just gulped and jumped away from him, taking a few deep breaths before getting out of the room, and climbing up to the roof, hugging her legs to her chest, leaning her chin on her knees, her bottom lip bitten into to the point of drawing blood.

What the hell was she thinking, letting herself getting touched like that? By someone like Sukuna, nonetheless, who, if given the chance, would have his way with her, then toss her aside like he did with all the other women in his enormous harem. Her heart was beating so hard, so fast against her chest. It was a foreign feeling that scared her so much that for a long while, she couldn't help but avoid him once again, going out of her way to only leave her room when she was sure he wasn't there. It didn't always work out as she wished, but she still tried nonetheless, as succeeded for most of the time.

"Are you scared of me?" Sukuna asked the girl one night, when he found her softly shedding tears up on the roof. "...No." she offered a monotone answer. "Then why are you avoiding me again? Do you hate me?" he asked again, only for her to hang her head and hug herself. "I realised that I shouldn't be alive. All my life I've known only two emotions - Hatred and Rage - All of them masked by a facade of complete neutrality, passiveness and uncaring. But, now...I can feel my heart beating. And it hurts. I was so ready to throw away my life, and I knew I would have no regrets. I lived for nothing. I have no memories of anything good happening in my life. I thought that...I thought that maybe...I would be able to feel, staying here, with you. I wanted to feel something good, for once. What was that called...Happiness? Love? I wanted to feel those too. I guess it's too much to ask from this cruel life. The second you touched me, I started panicking and I got scared. I was afraid. Not of you, but of the idea of possibly getting hurt. I don't know how to feel, and I don't think I'll ever be able to be a proper being...But maybe...Someday...I will be able to look up at the same sky, at this very same moon, and the very same stars...And smile...And my chest won't be hurting anymore. And I won't be afraid anymore. Maybe, in the next life...Or the one after that...I will be lucky. Maybe times will change, and people won't be so cruel anymore. I'm sorry, Sukuna. I didn't end up being who and what you thought I'd be. I will forever be a disappointment to everyone I meet." she wasn't sure if her words were directed to anyone at all, or if she just found the courage to speak for the first time in her life - To acknowledge the existence of feelings altogether - But Sukuna understood her. Except for the thrill of the kill and fleeting quenched lust, he didn't feel any relief. Just like her, anger and hatred, for the entirety of his life. How different and similar the two of them really were, he realised, as he went to hug her from behind, resting his chin on top of her head. "You have never disappointed me, Kitsune. You cannot disappoint me. I understand what you're feeling. It's a cruel world, and we are much crueler to everyone around us, including ourselves. If you ever think you have it in your heart to accept me, I will be waiting. Forever, if needed. And if not, I will be awaiting in the next life. Or in the next one. I won't give up on you." and saying that, he planted a kiss on her temple before leaving her alone to watch the same silver moon they've been looking up at for so long. "...Thank you." she spoke to herself after who knows how long.

And she smiled.

Every day passing, she would look at the pink haired warrior, and every day, she'd want to throw herself in his arms, but every time, she'd start shaking, and she'd turn around and leave the place. This whole ordeal continued for well over three months, until one day, the palace was attacked with burning arrows, and the whole place was lit aflame.

In the mayhem in cause, the fox girl made sure to gather all the civilians in the huge estate and lead them to safety, and by the time she was done, she rushed to search for Sukuna, the person the enemies wanted to bring down, once and for all. However, by the time she found him, the whole place was ablaze, the once blooming garden was now turned into ashes, and the Demon God of War was heavily bleeding, slouched and leaning his back against a wall.

Opposite of him, many meters away, a menacing looking enemy who had spears in his hands was ready to throw them at him...And Sukuna merely smirked, defeated, and closed his eyes, awaiting for the impact of his ultimate death.

"Sukuna...Keep your eyes closed." Kitsune's low, shaking voice called out to him, but instead of doing as he was told, his eyes snapped open, only to widen in terror seeing the girl he grew to love, impaled by numerous spears, acting as a shield for him. "K...Kitsu...Ne...?!" he managed to usher after getting over his shock. "I told you...To keep you eyes closed...Idiot." she shook her head as she curled her fingers on the wall, taking a few deep breaths, despite her legs shaking. "Idiot. Idiot. You are such an idiot." "No...You...You were supposed to run away...I told you to run away...I told you...To...Live..." his voice was desperate, trembling, not believing what he was seeing before his very eyes. "Not without you...We were supposed to...Go...together...And be happy...And look at the moon...And stars...Together..." but as she said that, she heard the air getting split by yet another set of spears that go through her tails and torso, making her lose strength and fall over the man she was shielding. With her last strength, she punched back the spears out of her body and crawled on his lap, cradling his body, wrapping it up protectively with her tails, holding tightly onto him. "I never learnt how to fight...I never had anything to protect...Until I found you. I have no regrets dying, if you live. Close your eyes, Sukuna. I...I love you." and just before all strength left her body, she cupped his face and stole a weak kiss.

She was happy. She finally found her courage to act as she wished - With her heart, not with her fears. She was finally able to expel all the bad things possessing her. She died, and yet, she was finally smiling. She regretted nothing.

She was really happy.

"...Look there, Kitsune. Look at the moon. And the stars. And we are together. In this life. And the next one...And the one after...I will find you. And I will protect you. Don't be afraid anymore...Nothing will hurt you again. Until then...Sleep well, my Princess...Wait for me...Very soon."

---------

"Don't worry, Yuji! We will find all the victims of this place and rescue them! You'll see!" the cheerful nine-tailed girl wagged her fluff left and right as she dragged her best friend to the ominous place, as their other two team mates followed soon after, both having different reactions, as usual.

As her shikigami fox and Megumi's white wolf were assigned to make sure no cursed spirit would sneak up on them, they tried to make heads or tails of the distorted reality inside the place - They knew they may be dealing with a Special-Grade monster, but to have power of such magnitude seemed...Unreal...And unsettling.

"Guys, calm down. This is the Innate Domain...Cursed energy made this foul play...But I've never seen anything like...This. We have to move fast, and not split up, or we'll get picked one by one." Kitsune gritted her teeth, feeling the fur on her tails stand up. "Where's the door?!" Megumi yelled, turning around, only for everyone to gasp, realising the way they got through completely disappeared. "Th-The door's gone?!" Yuji blinked, incredulous at what he was witnessing. "How?! We just came in through here, didn't we?!" Nobara freaked out, only to make a short, brain dead dance with Yuji. "Calm down. The dog remembers the scent of the entrance." saying that, the two fawned over the two canines as they let them lead the way, only to find three mangled corpses, one of them having a name tag - It was the name of the child of the desperate woman outside of the place, pleading to the police to rescue him.

However, a fight erupted between the two boys who couldn't decide whether they should run away or rescue the corpses, as closure for the woman outside, at least, and while Nobara yelled at them, trying to make them stop...She...Disappeared?! Through a makeshift hole in the floor that wasn't there before.

"B-But...Megumi's demon dog and my fox should have been able to sense the curse...!" Kitsune then quickly turned around, only to gasp, noticing the bloody corpses of the said shikigami protruding from the walls. "NO! CYNDER!" she whimpered, hating to see her lovely companion in such a state. "ITADORI! KITSUNE! WE HAVE TO RUN! WE'LL LOOK FOR KUJISAKI AND -" but before he could finish speaking, Kitsune's whimper, that grew louder, along with the presence of the demon she was pointing at, staring straight at her...Made both boys stop in their tracks, wide eyed and shocked...And very much afraid.

The trio was sweating bullets, trying to move, trying to get the hell away from there - But Yuji moved first, taking out his knife, slashing at the Special-Grade....Only for his hand to go flying far away...From the impact.

"Megumi, run away! Go find Nobara, I'll stay here and create a diversion! Give us a signal when you're out of here! Yuji can get Sukuna and save us!" the fox girl yelled at her brunet friend desperately as she pushed him away, but a mouth on Yuji's cheek, speaking very derogatory, pointed out he doesn't give a fuck about Yuji's body, and that he won't die, even if his vessel does. "Nope~! Even if parts of me inside you die, I've still got 18 other fragments of my soul! Still, irritatingly enough, I don't have control of this body, so go away and switch, if you want! But once you do...I'll kill that brat before the cursed spirit can! Then, I'll go for that woman. She's a lively one. I'll have fuck with her. And then...I'll claim this cute fox girl that you care so much for!" Sukuna kept talking, and it was creating a state of panic in Yuji's heart. "Don't listen to him, Yuji! I know you won't let him take over you completely! You can't hurt us!" Kitsune yelled at her friend, trying to snap him out of the trance Sukuna put him in. "No, no, no, darling, you're wrong. If he's too focused on me, his friends WILL die~!" the demon kept laughing at his vessel, until the Special Grade unleashed a full blast of pure, cursed energy. "Yuji, look out!" she jumped at him, getting him out of the blast's range. "Stop listening to him, and take care of yourself! This isn't Jujutsu, this is pure cursed energy! We have to buy Megumi and Nobara enough time to get the hell out of here! Look at this jerk, he's having fun. I'm sure we can figure something out." the fox girl gritted her teeth in anger, but before either of them could try to attack or dodge - In the blink of an eye, really - She felt herself getting picked up and slammed on the wall before her by yet another blast of cursed energy - Followed by another, that flew her on the bridge in the next room, rendering her barely conscious. "KITSUNE! KITSUNEEEE!" she heard her pink haired friend's desperate wail as he tried to shake her awake. "...Sukuna...?" she asked, her shaking hands trying to rub away the tiredness from her eyes, as she looked up at him with gleaming, half-lidded eyes.

Before he could answer, shocked that she would call him by his demon's name, and even more, his own demon shocked, hearing her say something like that, she managed to cling onto the boy enough to get herself back on her feet, turning towards the attacker, her big, fluffy tails opening like a protective fan for the boy, as she created a blast of blue spirit fire to try to counter the cursed energy blast from the enemy. It made her growl from the pain, but her mind was blank - She had no regrets - No matter what life she was living, she will only get stronger and stronger, until she succeeds and protects the ones dear to her.

But not in this lifetime.

She wasn't strong enough yet. She was nowhere near her mentor, Satoru, in power. She had no way to compete with him, nor could she protect her friends when needed.

How pathethic.

It was her last thought before the cursed energy took over her, burning away some of her skin and creating even more damage after getting slammed and breaking yet another wall. With the last bit of consciousness she was able to hold onto, she saw her pink haired friend still alive and well - By some standards, at least - And she could merely smile and fight back the darkness threatening to take over.

But...Something happened, for the boy now seemed fearless - And he even taunted with the special-grade...And then he healed his own arm, before going to her, looking down at her, shaking his head. The markings on his face...This wasn't Yuji. This was...

"Idiot." a much darker, more masculine voice came from the body of the teenage vessel as he crouched down to the girl. "You never change, no matter what life you reincarnate into, do you? But that's the charm about you, stupid fox. You never really lose your memories of the past, do you?" he gently caressed her face, feeling his heart beating a bit faster as he noticed she was smiling and leaning into his touch. "You said you'll find me...So what is there to fear?" she mused weakly, before she got picked up bridal style, allowing her to cuddle into his chest, finally allowed to rest at ease. "Let's teach this weakling a lesson and get the hell out of here. The moon is up." Sukuna chuckled as he walked up to the demon, effortlessly punching in the head, slamming it into the bridge, only to smash his foot into its head, breaking the bridge altogether. As they fell, the monster grabbed his leg, but the fox-fire burn on his hand was enough to get his to shriek in pain and let go, as Sukuna jumped on one of the falling rubbles, taunting and laughing condescendingly, as he ripped apart the monster limb from limb before impaling it into a wall, as soon as they reached the watery ground. "Honestly, I'm jealous. I could never get to your power with jujutsu alone. Satoru said this thing is 80% born talent. How disheartening." she grumbled, feeling better already. "There's nothing cursed in your heart, sugar. Let the killing to me. I promised I'll protect you, I'm not going back on my word. I'm not going to see you die again." he threw her up a bit to get a better hold on her. "Hang onto me, foxy. Let's show this sucker how we do things." seeing his infamous smirk on his face, she threw her arms around his neck, holding on tightly, seeing as he did a hand seal, calling out his Malevolent Shrine...And they were back home, dressed the same as they were so long ago...A thousand years ago...And the monster got split in 5 slices, before Sukuna dug out another one of his soul-fingers, and he started grinning even laughing even darker, realising that Yuji couldn't switch bodies again, which made villain jump out of the facility, right on top of it. "I guess...No matter what life we live, the sky is going to be forever beautiful." Kitsune sighed as soon as he let her down, but she didn't let go of him. Not this time. Fears won't take over her life anymore. "And yours is even more eternal than the moon's or the stars." he cupped her face, taking in her beauty for the first time in over a thousand years. "It's been to long. I made you wait far too long. I hope you didn't miss me too much." one of his hands found its fingers raking through her hair, and she closed her eyes a bit, taking in the warm, loving feeling that completely took over her. "I'll forgive you. You did take your bloody time...But at least you're here now. And you're not going anywhere. I won't let you." her hands slid down to the neck of his blouse, pulling him to her level, which only made him smirk smugly. "Good. That was my intention." his charming, dark voice spoke, making her heart beating faster, and feeling the hair on the back of her neck and the fluff on her tails stand up from excitement. "Won't it be weird? Being Yuji's body...?" she asked shyly, as he only chuckled, pulling the same Malevolent Shrine trick, so they finally looked as they did when they first met. "Better, sweet cheeks?" he pulled her flushed to his body, as she got on her tippy toes to get closer to his face. "Spectacular."

As the fox girl couldn't stop touching his face, raking her fingers through his hair, feeling his body closer to hers as her whole body felt hotter than ever before - It was just a kiss - His lips so sweet against her own, his arms, so strong, holding her, feeling her, loving her.

It was only them, under the gentle light of the silver moon, guarding them, as the stars softly twinkled, embellishing gold into the dark sky - Just like this love light up the darkness in their hearts.

Her tails wrapped around him instinctively, as they pulled apart, and looked each other in the eyes for the first time since they've known each other. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness, her lips were curled into a kitten-like smile, and she was glowing - It made Sukuna's heart have a pleasant arrhythmia as he saw in front of his very eyes a sight that he's been dreaming about for over a millennium - The woman that captured his heart - Happy, in his own arms, safe, and very kissable.

This feeling and image were worth waiting a thousand years.