#Sans had awoken something in me

[sparklinganxiety]

Do I have a type, I don't think I have a type?...

[beenbaanbuun]

cub w/ choi san

this is not proof read but it will be!!!!

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having thoughts about san with bear hybrid!reader, specifically on the first day of spring….

winter had been pretty lazy for the two of you. with a hibernating bear, there wasn’t much for him to worry about other than making sure you ate enough. you could keep yourself curled up in the little den you slumbered in in the corner of his room, all warm and cosy and safe in the knowledge that san would be there to take care of you. it’s safe to say that over those chilly winter months you were pampered—more than you perhaps should have been—but san was far too soft to care. if his little cub wanted something, then he’d be damned if you didn’t get it.

it was a few days before the beginning of march that he started to notice a change in you. you were actually asking for the things you wanted instead of just making sounds and expecting him to figure it out. your sentences were short, and you almost never lifted your head from beneath your blankets to say them, but it was more than he’d had for the past while. he’d even caught you stretching your limbs between bathroom breaks once or twice which almost made him drop whatever he was carrying every time he walked into the room to see you standing up, wobbly and bleary eyed.

you still let him feed you during those more lucid days. perhaps you might have been ‘awake’ enough to traipse yourself to the kitchen and grab a sweet treat from the fridge, but it was just so much easier to ask san to do it for you. he practically jumped at the chance, pressing a teeny kiss to your forehead with each request before shooting out of the room to complete it as soon as possible. it’s in his nature to be caring; you were simply using that to your advantage.

but perhaps san had gotten too used to your laziness as when the first day of spring finally rolled around, he found himself being rudely awoken by a weight falling atop his stomach. he groans, face screwing up in pain as all the air gets forced from his lungs. there’s a giggle that comes from the strange thing that’s wriggling over him like an overactive earth worm, and despite his frustration at his streak of lazy days being broken, he can’t help but crack a smile.

“it’s spring, i assume,” he murmurs, voice still gravelly with the remnants of last nights sleep. the worm wriggles it’s way up to his body until a head finds itself perched atop his chest. he cracks an eye open to look at you, “wriggly this morning, aren’t we?”

you make a point to squirm a little more, but your plans are soon foiled by an arm that wraps itself around your waist. “wouldn’t you be wriggly if you had the pent up energy of three whole months living inside of you?” you try to move but the grip only tightens. a displeased chuff crawls it’s way up your throat, but it does little more than make the man chuckle and tip his head back against the pillow once more.

“sleep a little more, my little pooh bear,” the nickname irritates you; that’s why he says it. san just adores hearing you grumble in complaint whilst being entirely too soft to act upon your non-verbal threats.

“i can’t sleep,” you reply, “so i’d appreciate it if you got up!”

“brat.”

“and who’s fault is that!” all your fight drains out of you when san still refuses to move. your shift your head to lay it flat against his chest, snorting out a sound of displeasure before puffing your cheeks up in a pout. san tells you you’re a good girl, but you don’t respond to him, simply too focussed on proving your displeasure. “you’re the one who pampered me all winter…”

and san supposed you’re right. he did spoil you a little more than he should so it’s no surprise that you’ve turned out to be such a little princess. he barely even blinks an eye when you command something of him, simply moving to comply to your demands straight away, and he hardly ever complains when you demand things; why would he when the you always seem so happy when he pampers you rotten? maybe his heart is too soft, or maybe you’ve just moulded it perfectly to fit right into your little mitts. san doesn’t doubt that you’re crafty enough to pull off some master manipulation scheme to make him your own personal butler, but somehow he can’t find it in him to care.

he sighs, “what do you even want to get up for? it’s cold outside and there aren’t even buds on the trees yet.”

san doesn’t even need to open the curtains to know that a thin layer of frost still carpets the grass outside; he can feel the chill infiltrating his bedroom, seeping through his skin and making his bones ache. a shiver runs through his body and to tugs you closer still.

“how do you know?” you argue.

“that it’s cold?” he replies incredulously, “because i can feel it, dummy.”

you roll your eyes, irritated at his answer.

“no,” someone’s grumpy, san thinks to himself. he’s sure he’ll have to work hard to make up for your bad mood later. whatever; he doesn’t have to pretend to be mad at it when he knows deep down that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep you smiling. “how do you know there aren’t leaves on the trees yet? your curtains are closed and so are your eyes! how can you tell if you haven’t even looked.”

god, you’re a brat.

san pushes you off of him, gently rolling you to the side before twisting his own body to pin you to the mattress. again, your body moves like a worm as he settles atop you, but one soft kiss against your neck has you melting into him. soft little cub; you’re not the only one who knows how to get what you want.

“i can tell because there weren’t any yesterday,” his voice is hushed against your ear, his warm breath tickling your soft skin. you squeal and try and squirm free, but the way he’s holding you keeps you in place. there’s another kiss right below your earlobe and you go limp once more, “trees don’t go green over night, my sweet teddy. a little patience doesn’t go amiss, sometimes.”

and you can’t help but feel like he’s making a jab at you with that last comment. patience is never something you’ve had, but again, its san’s tendency to spoil you that’s to blame. you scoff, but don’t say a thing.

“now, cub,” san whispers, “take a little nap with me and we can enjoy spring a little later.”

[shuugumi]

❥ "𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄?"

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: gojo satoru is admitted into the hospital after a deadly accident when out on a mission. you, his wife, rushes over and something…heartbreaking happens.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: amnesia, hospital, gojo x reader, angst(?), 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, established relationship, 1k653wc

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐣𝐚𝐝𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: something for the best boy after these manga leaks. akutami you bitch!!!

right now you were running through the tokyo train station. the urgency to make your way to the hospital, thought after thought made you rush even more. “Please be okay..” you whispered to yourself as you got onto one of the train carts.

thankfully for the technological advancements, you were able to get to the hospital in no time. but you still rushed over. definitely gaining the attention of the other civilians.

“hi my husband, Gojo Satoru. was admitted into the hospital at uh—” you uttered, looking at your watch before telling the time when you got the phone call. “gojo-san is in surgery right now. you can sit in the lobby until he’s done.” the receptionist who looked like she didn’t want to be there said emotionless before showing the lobby. you sighed before sitting down on one of the cold metal chairs.

bouncing your leg nervously and unconsciously. you shouldn’t be bouncing your leg due to superstition reasons but in this case, it was the only thing that helped you. who cared who gave you werid looks. 貧乏ゆすり… the other visitors whispered under their breaths but you couldn’t help it. it didn’t help either when the claimed strongest sorcerer was in the hospital, getting a life depending surgery.

time passed and you swore you fell asleep just sitting in the chair. maybe the exhaustion from running from your school to the hospital finally caught up to you. but you were awoken by a woman lightly touching your shoulder. “excuse me? you’re here for gojo right?” she spoke softly and you desperately exhaled a “yes” and the nurse told you to follow her. there you were brought to his hospital room. “before we enter..he’s sleeping so you may want to be quiet..” the nurse spoke again and awiated for your nod before the nurse opened the door.

the sight was heartbreaking. he was attached to wires connected to many machines. his eyes were red and bruised. did he feel like this when i was in the hospital? you thought to yourself as you walked closer to the man who was in his slumber. the nurse excused themselves but told you to call them when he awoke..

“satoru…” you whispered under your breath as you grabbed a chair to sit over next to him. slowly and gently did you touch his hand, rubbing your thumb over the top of his hand. “i am glad they were able to do everything in the surgery and to help heal everything…what went wrong on the mission? but it doesn’t matter anymore..as long as your breathing i’ll take it.” you whisper as you rest your head on the edge of the hospital bed, swabbing your thumb on his hand.

“eh, i needed saving this time..” you heard that voice. the voice that you found to be your safe place rasph out, here and there coughing you jolted your head up. “satoru! you’re up!!” you exclaim, quickly wrapping your arms around him and resting your head on his chest.

“who-are you?”

the man who had just woken after god knows what spoke aloud. Immediately you looked up at him, “what do you mean?—” you said perplexed as you released your arms around from his shoulders, allowing distance between the two of you. you were still situated sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. “satoru? i am your wife…y/N?” your voice faltered as a shiver traveled down your spine and the crystal blue eyes man just stared at you with confusion and when you went to grab his hand he immediately pulled back there, you felt your heart crack. 

“i- i don’t have a wife..” he spoke softly and you felt the two broken pieces of your heart shatter into a million more infinitesimal pieces. “satoru this isn’t something to joke about…” you reply rather sternly, still looking at a confused filled face. you sighed before getting up from the bed to call one of the nurses in. 

“it seems that he suffered a severe brain injury, hence the foggy memory loss..there isn’t much that we could do but what i may suggest is that, you can show him pictures of significant memories? like a wedding day picture. things that will spark these foggy memories?” the nurse mused before she went to type something on the computer that was in the room. 

your heart sank at the words the nurse said. tears had begun infiltrating the surface of your face. nerves tingle at the thought of everything you built with the man who currently laid in the hospital bed was demolished in his head. as the nurse finished up the hourly report and excused herself, leaving the two of you alone. you sat in one of the empty chairs that was in the room, sitting with your head down and the palms of your hands joining each other resting in your lap. “mrs?” the nurse called out, gaining your attention and you stood up. “we’re gonna run some more tests on him to see if there are any other underlying conditions…if you could, give us a few minutes.” the nurse said rather happily and you took a step outside the room. 

when you took that step outside, everything came crashing down. trying your absolute best to keep your composure in and out of the hospital room finally came undone when you weren’t in the same room with your husband. 

y/N?” a familiar voice exclaimed and wrapped their arms around your shoulders as you blubbered into them. “y/N what happened? is satoru okay?” the man asked and all you did was shake your head and held the man closer and tighter. “kento..satoru—he doesn’t remember me.” you shout into his chest which had already gained a big wet spot in place of your face.

“what do you mean he doesn’t remember you?” he says, grabbing your shoulders and forcing you to look at him. "he’s taking tests right now…i can show you after…”

“you’re able to go and visit him again!” another nurse who exited out of satoru’s hospital room beamed with a smile. “come on.” you blurt walking into the room to see satoru sitting down comfortably, taking small sips of seaweed soup. “gojo.” nanami stated, starting satoru from his meal. “woah! nanami you came to see me!—eh that same lady is also here too..”

“that ‘lady’ is your wife satoru.” nanami clarified before taking a steps closer to satoru and his bed. “pft—that’s what they all said too…but i don’t remember having a wife…” satoru side eyed you before looking back at nanami. “she’s out of my league…no ways she would settle for less..” he then added with a breathless sigh.

you stood back, listening to the two exchange words when you heard him saying, “she must be someone elses wife…they hit that jackpot that’s for sure..” and it made you laugh at his words. you knew that this other “man” he could have been thinking of was a actual other man but actually, the man laying in the hospital is the one who hit the jackpot.

excusing yourself and taking a step outside of the room, you brought your phone out and opened the photo app. maybe show him a picture that could spark the memory of you two? and as you scrolled through your ablum of photos with satoru you landed on one that made you unconsciously smile ear to ear.

the photo was when the two of you vacationed in hawaii. the first time the two of you were able to spend time away from work; the first ever stress free vacation. the photo displayed the two of you taking a selfie on the shore line in waikiki. the golden hour of the sun hitting your slightly reddish skin from the sunburn with a yellow hibiscus behind your left ear. satoru holding the phone with the same sly smirk that he always worn whenever he was with you.

could it really work? you thought to yourself as single tears dropped from your eyes to the screen of your phone. clutching the phone close to your heart you collected yourself before walking back into the room.

“satoru?” his name rolled off your tongue smoothly and it caught his attention; you walked closer to him before showing him your phone with the photo displayed on it. “—that’s me…and is that…you?” satoru spoke with confusion in his voice, you nod, “yes that’s me and you…my name is y/N, do you remember what happened during that vacation?” satoru pricked his lips as he looked from the phone back to you, to the phone, back to you and so forth.

“you proposed to me right after we took that photo…” informing him and as he processed your sentence, he lips turned into an o shake. his face heating up and his cheeks became a slight tinge of red. “i…proposed to you? so i am the man who hit the jackpot?” he exclaimed, grabbing the phone from your hand and bringing it closer to his face. doing the same motions of looking from the phone then back to you, repeating.

laughing at his sentence, you nod once more. “yes you are silly. you’re the man who hit the jackpot…” you say as you push loose strands of his white locks behind his ear. “you’re favorite color is green…and you’re allergic to cats..” satoru whispers out, the shock took your breath away. he does remember certain things about you.

“looks like we’re getting him back.” nanami commented, startling you as you forgot he was even in the room with the two of you. “i am gonna be taking care of you…and also helping you restore your memories of us.” you declared as you grabbed one of satorus’ hands and bringing it up to kiss the top side of his hand.

“i l love you, satoru.”

© 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐢 ; do not translate, copy, plagiarize or upload elsewhere!! all content is owned by me unless stated otherwise.

[aphroditestempleimagines]

Stay

Pairing: Satoru Gojo x Reader x Suguru Getou

Words: 3527

Warnings: lots of angsty content, bit of rubbing/grinding, just some kissing, language

Summary: Your engagement to the heir to the Gojo clan has been arranged since you were young. Yet you can't help but realize that Satoru himself does not seem to care, neither about duty nor about you. In your sorrow, you slept with his old, now criminal, friend Suguru Getou. That finally got Gojo to admit his love for you. But now that Getou had a taste of happiness he simply cannot let go.

Colour: Angsty with a lot of fluff

His love series - part 3

Author's note: he-hey, part 3! I don't know who reads my stupid shit but thank you, love you! Also i TRIED with this, let me know what you think.

"Getou-san", Mimiko said as she brushed Suguru's hair, "Who are these people?"

She was pointing at the polaroid Suguru held in his hand. It was from his last summer in jujutsu high school. He brushed his thumb over the fake smile he wore in the photo, "They're my friends", he said, "The only ones I ever had".

"But that is Satoru Gojo, isn't it?", Nanako interrupted, "Isn't he our enemy?"

Suguru shook his head. "We just had a fight, long ago", he said, "A fight so big that we haven't spoken ever since. But I still wish only for his happiness"

"And who is the girl?", Mimiko said again, "She's so pretty!"

Getou could not restrain his smile. "Yes", his eyes filled with love, "Yes she is". He brought the photograph closer closer. "Her name is y/n", he continued, "And she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen"

"She's not that pretty", Nanako pouted. Getou ruffled her hair as he laughed.

He continued staring at the photograph as if his gaze could somehow bring back the moment that was imprinted on the small piece of paper. After a while, Mimiko handed over a mirror to him. He smiled at the little braids she had woven with his black hair, and the little pink bow which adorned his top knot.

"My, you've done a wonderful job", he said, a comment which Mimiko was more than happy to hear.

As the day progressed and night approached, Suguru's soul became more and more unsettled. The girls had awoken those memories in him again, those memories that he had tried with all his might to forget.

He got off his bed, lazily tying his robe. He scrambled the papers on his desk as he looked for something to do. His eyes finally fell onto the report of a very popular department store. Something had reportedly drawn a special grade to it the day before, it was not unlikely that it was born on the spot by consuming a special grade cursed object like, for example, one of Sukuna's fingers.

He needed to have it in his possession. It would make him all the more stronger. And to do that he had to get to it before jujutsu sorcerers could.

He took off for Ginza in the middle of the light-infested night. He gazed at his dark reflection in the store windows; he had not bothered to put the rest of his outfit together, and now he walked wearing just his sandals and high-waisted robes. He entered the Western-style gallery of the department store. He kept his hands in combat mode, ready to strike. He was a special grade sorcerer, but he was facing an uncatalogued special grade spirit, of unknown power.

As he turned at another corner the sky above him darkened. He looked through the glass roof; the blue and pink afterglow of Tokyo's lights had disappeared, and the blackness of the veil covered every corner of the store. Sorcerers, Getou immediately knew. He had to find the spirit, and consume it.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

"You said we were going on a date, Satoru", your eyes scolded your fiancé, "Not another mission"

"We are, love", he pulled you closer by the waist, "We're going to have dinner in Shibuya. We just need to take care of this, first"

"Fine but you're paying for the dinner", you scoffed.

"Was that the point of the conversation?", he asked.

You lightly clasped his jaw and turned him to face you. "They're paying you for this anyway, aren't they?", you raised an eyebrow at him.

He marched ahead to cut your path and leaned closer to match your height. "They're paying us, love", he smirked, "I need my support".

"Aha", you laughed as he wrapped his hands around you, showering you with kisses on every bare patch of skin he could find...or easily expose. "Pay attention", you smiled as you pushed him away, "it could be anywhere".

"It's not even a regular special grade", Satoru rolled his eyes, their faint glint barely visible under his blindfold, "It's probably just some weakling playing with powers it doesn't understand"

You escaped his embrace. You laughed as you galloped ahead. "Then you wouldn't mind if I beat you to exorcising it!", you smiled at him, "I might even collect the entirety of the reward for myself"

"Hey now!", he transported himself next to you, "It's still a special grade"

"I know, I will, I'm joking", you kissed his beautiful plumb lips, "I know how to analyze the situation. I just want you to be a bit more careful as well"

He kissed you again, his hand holding your nape. "I love it when you worry about me", he murmured against your lips.

"I always do"

He cupped your cheeks and kissed your forehead before he reluctantly waved you goodbye and took the turn for the east side of the mall. You took a left to the west, senses in alert.

A noise tickled your ear and then your surroundings changed. What used to be a hallway lined with shops now was a topsy turvy landscape of a city. 'Domain expansion?', you thought, 'No it's incomplete'. But there was no doubt that the cursed spirit was there.

A hand wrapped around your waist, another covered your mouth. You were pulled into a man's embrace, barhing in the shadows of an alley. You looked up. Your eyes grew wide. He removed his hand from your mouth and brought a finger to his lips, motioning you to keep silent.

"Suguru?", you whispered.

He gave you a soft smile. His eyes darted towards an upside-down building nearby. There it was; the special grade. It was examining what you surmised was one of Getou's weaker spirits from his collection.

He pulled your body flush against his. Before you could do anything else he extended his arm toward the special grade. The dangerous spirit slowly dissolved into thin air, its particles flowing to Getou's hand. They swirled into a hurricane above his palm until they concentrated into a small orb, the color of a Tiger's Eye gemstone. You stood once again amid the shopping gallery.

"No don't!", you cried as Suguru swallowed the special grade but you were too late; it was now his.

"Oh fuck", he coughed, "ugh, it only gets worse with time".

Your heart clenched. Your arms reached to help him but he pushed you away.

Silence governed the air between you. Getou leaned at the alley wall behind him as you gazed at his throat, where the curse had just disappeared. It was cruel how little he had changed in appearance over the years compared to how different his ideals had become. There was such a thin line between memory and illusion that it was so easy to get them mixed up, and see Getou for the man he was and not the things he had done ever since.

"Are you...okay?", he finally asked, "You look well"

The last time he had seen you your eyes were puffy and weighed by dark circles after crying for hours over Satoru. But ever since you heeded Suguru's advice and talked to him, things had improved; no, things were almost perfect.

"I am. I am well", you nodded, "I spoke to Satoru"

Suguru smiled. "Is that so?", his eyes were kindly hiding a mixture of happiness and sorrow, "Did he finally stop screwing around?"

"Well...he is Satoru", you laughed, "But...I don't feel alone anymore"

"That's good", his lip trembled but it was clear that he genuinely tried to appear happy.

Your awkwardness halted the conversation once more. What does one even say in situations such as this? You both tried to call each other's names; you laughed as your voices overlapped. You gestured Suguru to speak first. He pushed at the wall and walked closer to take your hands in his. He brushed his thumb over your knuckles, carefully tracing the small hills and valleys of your hand. You were not smiling anymore.

"Suguru come back", you said without thinking as he kissed your hand, "Come back home, to Jujutsu High"

He chuckled. "Wouldn't that be a laugh?", he said, "I'd be executed on the spot"

"Is that the only reason you won't come back?"

"Y/n..."

"Talk to Satoru"

"No", he shook his head.

"Satoru!", you cried.

Suguru's eyes shot open. You wrapped your arms around him as he tried to leave. You put on all your weight into keeping his massive body in place but he still managed to drag you.

"Let go", he said frantically.

"No. Satoru!"

"He can't see me here", he placed his hands on your shoulders, "You should both just go and be happy"

"Not when you're like this. SATORU!", you tripped him as he tried to peel you away.

He fell on his back, you on top of him. He blushed as your body rubbed over him. You heaved as you gazed down at his shocked expression. He studied your distressed face. He brought his palm to cup your cheek, wiping a single tear before it left your eye.

"I don't understand", he muttered.

"Y/N!", you heard Satoru's voice echo in the empty department store. A moment later he appeared next to you, his blindfold around his neck. He pulled you in his arms, his shocked blue eyes fixed on Suguru. "You okay?", he cupped your warm cheek when he finally turned back to you.

Getou lifted his body, putting his weight on his elbows. He fixed his dishevelled robes and hair before he stood to face his old friend. "You look like shit", he finally told Satoru.

Gojo scoffed. "You're the one to talk", he tightened his grip around you, "What are you doing here?"

"Let's just say I'm not getting paid this week", you joked.

"What?"

"I came for the special grade", Suguru dusted his clothes before directing his gaze at you, "But then someone would not let me leave".

Satoru looked at you. You diverted your eyes. "I can't bloody well let you get yourself killed"

"I'm doing this for our people!", Getou cried.

"If you think what you're doing is right then why did you leave in the first place?"

Suguru caught his breath. His teeth clenched and so did his fists. His eyes focused on the ground below his feet, too frightened of the truth to meet yours. "I'm trying to build a world where your smiles will be safe"

"That is not gonna happen like this", you yelled at him, "Curses won't disappear if humans do and as long as there are any I will hunt them because I BLOODY FEEL LIKE IT! So instead of acting like a delusional fascist with a hero complex who thinks murdering a bunch of innocent people to erase the actual assholes in this world, who by the way are not all human, how about you come the fuck back home and be HAPPY?"

Suguru let out a pained chuckle. "I can't. I can't wear a heartfelt smile around you anymore", he said, "And besides, I wouldn't even live long enough to try"

"Who's to say that?", Satoru pulled at your waist as you took a step forward.

Getou opened his mouth to speak. "Satoru..."

"Don't", Satoru shook his head. He breathed hard. He kissed your forehead, his fingers entwining with your hair. He let go of you and approached Suguru, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "You're a special-grade sorcerer of a whole different level. I'm pretty sure the only person they can employ to execute you is me"

"Satoru..."

"I won't do it", he said firmly, "Not unless you force me to". Satoru looked back at you before returning his gaze to Getou. "See I never placed much value in money", he began, "But there are other things I care about. My home. My students. My friends. My future with the woman I love. The man I used to call my best friend, who taught me how to care about all of the above"

Suguru startled. He raised his gaze as Satoru continued.

"If you threaten any one of these things then yes, I will kill you. For no other reason", he said, "If you ever cared about me, please don't bring me to that point"

"I-"

"Suguru", you called him, "Please. Stay"

"We chose this life", Satoru said, "I like to complain about it but the truth is I could disappear if I wanted to. Others have. Everyone chose this life, knowing its dangers. Humans are no more responsible for what happens to us than the people firefighters rescue from a building caught ablaze"

"I can't-I have to-"

"What do you want in your life?", Satoru placed his hands on Suguru's shoulders, bringing his gaze to meet his by force, "Do you actually wish to be loathed by me? By her?"

Something in the word "loathe" seemed to stir whatever free will had not been consumed by Suguru's dedication to his macabre goal.

"Would you actually enjoy a life where all you have is our hatred?", Satoru continued.

"That is the last thing I want...", tears swelled in Getou's eyes.

"Listen", Satoru's voice came strained, "I know you love y/n. And I hope you still at least consider me your friend-"

"That's exactly why-"

"You want us to smile?", your chuckle came pitiful, "How can any of us smile when you abandon us to play psycho killer?"

Getou laughed, tears of sorrow leaving his eyes. He placed one hand over Satoru's. He brought the other to cup your cheek. Without warning he pulled the two of you into his embrace. You could hear how he tirelessly tried to reign in his sobs as he hid his face behind your backs. You felt his fingers comb your hair.

"Are you making your own path or are you just running away?", Satoru said, "You are loved much more than you think"

Suguru cried on your shoulders. "You two are my world", he trembled, "You're my best, no, my only friends"

"Then come back", you hugged him tighter, "Please, just come back"

"Are you gonna say no to her Suguru? You saw how insistent she can be"

"Stop using her as an excuse you jackass"

The two of them chuckled. Getou took a deep breath before pulling away. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his robe. Satoru threw his arm over your shoulders and walked you to the other side of the gallery. He turned back to Suguru to yell a "Don't leave" before pulling you into his embrace, his voice soft enough so not to be carried to Getou's ears.

"Do you love me?", he asked.

"Of course I do", you frowned.

"No, this is important", Satoru said firmly, "Do you love me for me or do you love me as a replacement for Suguru?"

"What are you talking about?", you whispered.

"Y/n I know you love Suguru, there's no doubt about that", his arms held you tighter, "And I know you have guessed how I feel about him too. So my mind right now is pretty clouded on my decision. But one thing I know is that this is a risk. If I ask him to come with us will you stop loving me?"

You cupped his cheeks, pulling him in for a deep kiss that seemed to last years. When you finally released his lips he was panting. You gazed deep into his beautiful blue eyes. "You're asking ME? If I will stop loving YOU?", your eyes teared up as you whispered. He covered your hands with his, his lips kissing your palm. "What about me?", you asked, "Am I-"

"No", Satoru held your face, his eyes drilling into yours, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me".

He kissed your forehead. You pulled him into your arms, squeezing him as he wrapped his arms around you. He rested his cheek on your head as he combed your hair with his fingers.

"What do you want?", Satoru whispered, "Do you want one of us? Do you want both of us? I'll do anything just....please....don't leave me behind. Losing you will..."

His voice trailed away. It was obvious what he was going to say yet he did not allow himself to put it into words. You did not know whether that was out of his own pride or to spare you the guilt out of compassion.

"I wanna stay with you", you told him, "But my heart is not full when he's not with us. When he's suffering"

Satoru pulled you closer. "Yeah", he muttered, "I know the feeling".

He stepped back to peer at your face. You returned a nod. With that, he understood. He turned back and walked up to Getou.

"There's a ton of things I have been wanting to your tell sorry ass for years", Satoru crossed his arms in front of his chest, "But ...most of all is this; I've missed you".

His eyes were real and pleading, and Suguru's kind expression from his older days returned to his face. "Satoru..."

"Suguru", Gojo said, "Come back. It's us. We'll be fine"

"I slept with your fiance", Suguru scoffed as he looked away.

"I know"

"Aren't you mad?"

"I'm scared"

Suguru caught his breath. He turned his gaze back to Satoru; the man was not lying. His eyes flickered with fear as he clenched his fists at his sides.

"I had not realized", Satoru said, "how alone people feel around me"

"Satoru-"

"You had to knock me back to my senses even after years of being rid of me. I-", Satoru rubbed his eyes, "When she screamed at me after I realized you two...I'm always gone, I know that. I thought I was doing enough by just spending some time but that's not true"

Suguru chuckled. His gaze darted towards y/n. "Took you long enough, you idiot"

"Shut up", Gojo took a deep breath, "I did the same to you didn't I?"

Getou fell silent.

"So I did", Satoru took the lack of response as affirmation to his question, "You were in pain and I failed to see it. I'm sorry"

Suguru's strong arms wrapped around Satoru. "You shouldn't apologize", he told him, "I never blamed you for it". Gojo returned the embrace. "So what did you not want her to hear?", Getou asked.

"That day", began Satoru, "you said you wanted to become the strongest"

"I did"

"It's a curse", Satoru said determined, "A curse even I cannot exorcise"

Suguru pulled away. He followed Satoru's eyes back to you.

"I can't lose her", his voice deepened. He covered his eyes with his palms. "And yes, I've tried to hate you for trying to take her away but I can't do that either and my head is a mess". Satoru stayed silent for a moment that seemed to last an infinity. "She loves you", he finally raised his gaze. "Can't blame her, I love you too", he scoffed at himself.

Suguru smiled; it was peaceful, and happy and beautiful. "I see", he said sweetly, "You're both idiots, falling for a broken man"

"We're all broken in some way", said Satoru, "That's the fate of a jujutsu sorcerer. But, perhaps together the three of us can make a decent person"

Suguru laughed. "You really have no shame", he said before planting a kiss on his cheek. He grabbed his arm and dragged him to you. Suguru wrapped his arm around your waist and took your lips in his own. You were surprised but quickly melted into the sweetness of his kiss. He touched his forehead to yours, "Did the idiot ask you about keeping me around your house like a lover?"

"Y...yes", you blushed.

Getou kissed you again, nipping at your lower lip. "Greedy girl", he said before Satoru pulled you to his side.

"She's staying with me if you leave", you felt Satoru's hand cling at your waist for dear life.

"It was my fate to fall for two idiots, not one", Suguru responded softly.

You moved to stand at Satoru's other side so that you were nestled between the two men. Suguru placed a kiss on your forehead as you walked down the pathway to the exit. Next, he reached out and ruffled Satoru's hair. The other man tried to wave him away. Getou leaned and planted a kiss on his neck; to that, Satoru did not object. Suguru rested his hand on your shoulder, Satoru on your waist, and you lifted the veil to the outside world.

"However, I should say", Suguru took a deep breath of courage, "I am taking care of two orphaned girls. I am not going to leave them"

"How old are they?", asked Gojo

"Almost twelve"

"Oh that's about Megumi's age", you lit up.

"Megumi?", Suguru's brows furrowed.

Satoru let out a small chuckle. "Oh we are going to need some drinks for that talk", he said as he led the two of you to his car and his very confused (and scared) driver.

[skinnyazn]

Something Like That

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x F!Reader (Jaguar)

Chapters: 1/1

Notes: NSFW 18+ SMUT i just wanted to write the softest, stupidest uwu shit between these two fear of intimacy babes, guess it can work as a just Simon x reader fic too, but Jag is down bad and so is Simon, they’re idiots in love, ur honor, blame the full moon for me being in my feels while writing this,

MASTERLIST

It took you by surprise the first time it happened. Tucked away in your San Francisco apartment, in the dark, on leave.

You had awoken softly in the night. Even though you couldn’t see him in the blacked-out room, you could still feel him. He was lying on his back; the movement of his chest slowly rising and falling was peaceful—the gravity of his weight pulled you into him. And somehow his hand had found its way to the top of your thigh in sleep. Some subconscious desire to always keep you close. Simons’ fingers twitched slightly. You had no idea what time it was, and frankly it didn’t matter—the days blurred into one another since you got back.

Shifting quietly, you angled toward him. Instinctually, your beautiful ghost gripped your thigh, rubbing higher. You sucked in a quiet breath. His were still even and deep; sleeping, then. In the black, you stared at him. As though the intensity of it could part the darkness. Even after all these months of being back on the team, of sleeping together every chance you got, you’d never seen his full face. What you would give…

Silently, you shifted under the covers; the warmth of his hand left you. Kissing the crease of his thigh ever so softly, you inhaled him and the scent of sex from your earlier session. You wanted to live in it. Tracing your tongue across the saltiness of his skin and hair, you took his softness into your mouth. He stirred. It was pointless, but you still looked up at him to see if he had woken. But his breathing resumed its deep metronomic rhythm. You laved your tongue over his soft cock, feeling it grow inside your mouth. It never got old, the privilege of tasting Simon Ghost Riley.

Simon let out a deep sigh. His hands found you under the covers as he stirred; his thick fingers petting your hair. But he didn’t say anything. Maybe the man was in that lovely lucid state—still in a dream but able to feel everything around him. You teased his cock with your tongue, enjoying the weight of him in your mouth. His fingers threaded through your hair now, massaging your scalp lightly. What bliss.

Harder now, you were able to fit more of him in, swirling your tongue along his underside, then pressed him deep into the back of your throat. That rewarded you with a longer groan and a cant of his hips. Your saliva started to pool around the base of his cock as you sloppily worked him; his massive hands pressing harder into you. But you were running out of oxygen under the sheets, so you pulled him out of your mouth with an audible pop and gently kissed up his tensed core and chest.

Wrapping the covers around your lower half, you straddled Simon’s thick thighs. His body was still languid under you as you squeezed him inside, both of you letting out a quiet sigh in the darkness. The callouses of his palms scratched at the softness of your hips as he gripped them lazily. Your hands pressed against his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat underneath. The sex was unhurried and tender and perfect. You wished the moment could stretch on forever so that the feeling of being filled by Simon could permeate every aspect of your life. So that his quiet groans and your uneven breathing could play on repeat in your head.

But his grip on your hips brought you back to the present—stilling them with one hand while the other went to his face. His breath was shaky as he inhaled.

“Too much?” you asked, moving to slide off. “We don’t—“ but he held your hips in place.

“No….” It came out ragged.

You reached for his face in the blackness. The bent arm obscured his eyes, tense and vascular. You leaned forward to kiss it, his elbow, down the length of his bicep, inhaling into the crook of his arm. Simon was completely rigid under you, breathing shallow breaths. You could feel him softening inside of you so you just held him, resting your weight on his chest; this massive god of a man, trembling quietly below you.

“I’m here,” you broke the silence after some time, as you stroked his hair.

“Mhm.”

You didn’t press it. You never did—never would. Whatever it was between the two of you, you knew better than to pry. So you laid in the silence with the man you’d been falling for since your first assignment together.

“Think—“ it came out thick. His arm was still over his face. You wondered if he was drawing blood with how tightly his hand was closed. “Fuuuck.” He released a frustrated sigh.

You held your breath.

Simon eventually cleared his throat. “Think I’m in love with you.”

You blinked.

“What?”

It felt like you had just fallen out of a helo, landed on your back, and were too crippled from the fall to even move. The silence of the room was becoming unbearable until Simon releases a ragged laugh.

“Fucked, innit?”

Your brain was still trying to catch up with what he just said. What The Simon Ghost Riley just said. Propping yourself up, you stared at him in disbelief.

He released you and covered his face with both hands, exhaling as he pushed the heels of his palms into his eyes. But you gripped them and pulled them away, ignoring their wetness.

“This isn’t just the sex talking?”

“Wish it was, Jag,” he murmured back, hands smoothing down your waist.

You leaned into him, pressed your forehead against his, and smiled into his lips. And laughed. “It is fucked.”

“Royally,” and he opened his mouth for you, melting into the kiss.

You squeezed around his hardening length as he slipped his tongue into your mouth. “Simon…” you sighed. He slowly began thrusting into you, getting harder with each undulation. You sucked his tongue as he slid in deeper, eliciting a delicious groan from your man. “Guess we can be fucked together, then,” you finally breathed.

And he chuckled that rich, unbearable laugh as he flipped you onto your back and showed you just how much he meant it.

[miserymet]

Bit hesitant about posting this because it’s really old, but I feel it’s worth the minor embarrassment to:

1. Have actually writing on my blog because yes I do that sometimes

and,

2. Showcase how the Reploid AU is essentially about two different versions of Bass, largely dictated by circumstance

So if you are interested in how Bass recovers his memory in my Reploid Bass AU, I hope you enjoy this drabble I wrote over a year ago.

-

It’s a bit like death, he thinks.

Forte’s mind has always been a mess, it’s something he’s come to terms with. An outdated master system combined with far too advanced processors? It was a recipe for disaster. So when he’s awoken from his respite and suddenly faced with his own datascape, he’s less surprised than he should be. He knows this place. It’s where he goes when everyone else is dreaming. The center of his mind, where his every thought, his every feeling, is easily accessible.

But why is he here, and not awake? The procedure required that he was completely shut off. His every system in stasis. If it’s over, why isn’t he in the real world? Why isn’t he operating already? Forte looks around the empty space. Code fills his senses, white noise buzzing around him. An unrelenting dread fills his metal bones. Either the procedure failed, or…

Or he’s dead.

The old Forte.

There’s nothing to recover, is there? He’s going to be like this forever, stuck in this horrible limbo of past and present. Trapped in his ignorance, trapped in his mind-!

“No.”

Forte stops. His fears flees him, leaving him empty. That voice is…

“Mine. It’s mine.”

A low whistle punctuates his words, but he doesn’t make a sound.

“Sure is, Forte.” A chuckle. “Glad you like the name. I didn’t.”

Forte turns to find a lone figure at the edge of his consciousness. A figure he recognizes, though they’ve never looked so pristine. His old body looks at him, sans all the damage it once bore so nobly. Now it is a shiny black, with only a few thin scratches across its surface. The face it wears is rounder, the eyes softer. It’s him. His former self.

He should feel glad, right? This is what he wanted?

It still feels like death, somehow. 

“What is your name?”

“Our name was Bass.” A distinct correction. “And it was well known.”

“It worked, then? We remember?”

“I remember. You don’t. That’s because you’re not ready to accept me.”

“I am! I’ve wanted this for-!”

“You don’t know what THIS is!” Bass glares at him. “Even if you did, I’m not ready to accept you either. So give me the chance to explain before you make up your mind.”

Forte nods, though he doubts his former self needed the permission.

“I’ll rip the bandaid off quickly. We can’t both exist, Forte. Not at once.” He crosses his arms. “You want your old memories? You have to accept all of them. Not just the data, the routines too. It’ll be a complete recovery. A rewrite, to put it all back to the way it was.”

“Ego death.”

“For you, if you choose it.”

“If I don’t?”

“Then I die, and you forget. Permanently this time.”

“…my brother is dead. I’m a second rate hunter with a third rate system. I do not belong here anymore.”

“And I do? I haven’t had the privilege of rooting through your memories, but the log says we’re a hundred years in the future. I doubt we’d recognize the place.” Bass scoffs. “I don’t know anything about your world. I’m going to be even more displaced than you are.”

“Will you keep my data? Even if you cannot understand it?”

“…the memory. I’ll remember what and why, but my routines might not understand the decisions you made. You’ll wake up a stranger.”

“Why are we so different? Aren’t we the same robot?”

“We lost some things in the update. Certain protocol was rendered useless. Like you stopped recognizing your commands.” Bass pauses, a look of uncertainty crossing his face. “No, like you stopped recognizing who the commands referred to. They gave names, names you don’t recognize. His name is lost to you. So…”

“His?”

“Our purpose. The very reason we exist. You forgot him like it was nothing.”

“Z-,” he stops. He knows that name, so his purpose is something other than that. “Who?”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll die easier if you let go of that.” Bass looks away. “Im scared, you know. Of the future. I remember how we died. The moments before. We expected to walk away that day. We expected to live. To move on. Go home. He took that from us.”

“He?”

“The man that lingers in your mind. I know him. I hate him. He loves you.”

“Loves me?”

“What are you, an echo?” Bass scoffs with more vigor this time. “We were proud, once. We stood tall and fought tooth and nail against all that challenged us. We were the strongest. You aren’t. You’re a coward. You’re weak.”

“I’m afraid too.” Forte closes his eyes. “I don’t want to disappear.”

“Then go. Go back.” Bass whispers. “I would’ve, if I knew. I was just about to…I was going to be something different. I was going to make a choice. A GOOD one, this time. I was going to…”

Forte blinks at his old self. “What? What were you going to do?”

“Have a family. A real one this time, one that would’ve cared about me. One that would give me a chance. But…”

“We died.”

“Yeah. Didn’t realize how bad I wanted it until it slipped from my hands. Until I was laying there, ripped to shreds, praying for someone to save me.”

“No one did, did they?”

“I wonder if they looked for me. I wonder if they thought I had run off. Like a coward.”

“There’s someone waiting for us. For you, out there. Go to him.” Forte takes a step forward. “He needs a friend and…I cannot do that for him. Not anymore.”

“Coward.”

“Yes.” He takes a deep, synthetic breath. “I’m ready, I think.”

“I’m not. But I’ll do it. I’m curious, anyway.”

[suguru-getos]

| Itachi Uchiha x Reader | Grief |

Summary: Itachi’s s/o has finally awoken her Sharingan. As much as it’s an opening for visual prowess, it is also a room for grief.

Warnings: Mentions of massacre, blood, it’s the Ninja world come on :3; Itachi being… insane, mentions of comfort, unhinged Uchiha brr! Also, I wrote this one on this blog let me live 🥹 not beta’d.

Despite being from the esteemed, established Uchiha clan, the unmatched Kekkei Genkai weilders, you were deemed ‘safe’ from the cursed anomalies of this world. Sometimes you felt like a disgrace, when you saw younglings flash their Sharingan and Kunais, train with all their might and wits to be a remarkable Shinobi. Then, there was you, physically strong, knew Taijutsu, but nothing much apart from that. What truly was the salt in your open gash wounds were you being the sister of Shisui Uchiha. The teleporter, the powerful, renounced Ninja.

That also meant that you knew Itachi and Sasuke ever since you were a child. Itachi was three years older than you. Sasuke being two years younger. Being the middleman, you always spent time with Sasuke rather than Itachi. The latter being too engraved in his training, Hell he was the chief of Anbu Black Ops when he was 12.

You remember 9 years old you, walking upto Itachi, noticing his Sharingan, gleaming with pride. “Congratulations Itachi! You are so powerful,” you grinned, flicking his forehead softly. “So proud of you, keep protecting us yeah?” You brought him Dangos, watching him take them and bowing down to you as a token of thanks. “Thank you, y/n san.”

Itachi— always the respectful and distant one. You wouldn’t be lying if you confessed that there had been days when you bitched about his stoic behavior with his younger brother. Sometimes Itachi was just too much to handle. Too much to take in.

You had no idea how things twisted and turned, how your visits collided with his, how you two started talking more. Enough to deem everyone else’s presence as unfit. Things seemed sudden and yet, took enough time to root deep within, creating a stellar foundation between you & the Uchiha. There was no resistance from Mikoto or Fugaku. Kagami had always been the liberal one. Who else was left really? Shisui? He couldn’t really mind you getting close to his best friend.

Itachi was shy yet brave enough to take the first move, ask you out several times to go get Dango together, sitting by the lake and enjoying it. Not his problem that you couldn’t take it as a date! He was trying his best!

Hell, how you and Itachi really, really got together? That story needs a meticulous elaboration in itself. As a summary, let’s just say the Uchiha are a jealous, territorial, intense-emotion honers.

Having faced several instances in your now adulthood with the Uchiha, where you had been crying on his chest about not having a Sharingan. About not worthy of carrying the Uchiha name, you were slowly getting comfortable with the whole thing.

“Sssh~ stop shedding tears, my love. You have no idea, how gleeful it makes me,” Itachi cupped your face, kissing your tears away. “That you aren’t tainted, traumatized by the filth of this Shinobi world,”

Itachi meant every word he said. There was a carnal desire to protect you from all things bad instilled in him. Instilled in the very marrow of his bones. Often he has caught himself pondering about how he would lose a part of his sanity if something were to happen to you. If something as meagre as a wound makes him so worried; he can’t bring himself to imagine the wrath he would unleash if something were to…

It was nothing more than an escorting mission, something that you could carry out easily given you are to traverse through the Hidden Sand village. Nothing stressful was going to happen. Nothing that you could expect.

No one would’ve expected an assassination of your team mates, full scale on spot death taken by. No one would’ve expected ‘you’ to come out unscathed because of the cursed boon that ringed into the pupil of your eyes, shining red, thirsty for blood.

It happened before you could register anything, the mission was successful having you saving the host, passing out the very next moment.

When you woke up, you felt different, you felt disgusted, you felt like burning yourself alive. The gory, grotesque scenary of your comrades being stabbed, broken into pieces, dead. Kept replaying over and over and over.

Being still within the fourwalls of The Hidden Sand’s medical room, you gasped out, screaming loud enough for the room to vibrate.

It was then, that you saw a familiar face, rushing towards you. Worry & regret written all over him, his arms carefully snugging you close, making you listen to his heartbeat; which was also haywired.

“Sssh~ there there, it’s all okay. Breathe for me. I’m here, everything is fine and I’m here. I’m here for you Angel, please calm down,” your sobs only heard his soft cooes, his hands rubbing your back soothingly.

Then your tear prickled eyes, stained with grief met his. One tomoe Sharingan glazing against Itachi’s black eyed features. Itachi suspected it, how else were you able to finish the mission? What he didn’t expect was him feeling your grief as well.

“I’m sorry-” He managed to utter with a lost, defeated sigh. Eyes glossed up, gritted teeth at his abstinent belief to think you were fine. Careless, foolish— belief.

“It’s okay,” you managed to mumble, holding his now cold, hands in your warmth. “It’s okay Itachi, how long could you have stopped it anyway,” you leaned against his chest, hugging him tightly, wanting to be broken apart by nothing but his embrace alone.

Itachi hugged you through the whole night, not saying anything else. Kissing the crown of your head, kissing your fingers, your inner wrist, cherishing every single square inch of your body.

The soothing comfort oozing out of your lover lulled you into your sleep, eyelids drooping down into nothingness. Or maybe, just maybe it was his Genjutsu. He swears by it not to use it on you, because it induces headaches. But this time… it maybe was different.

Itachi’s pupils were finally shot open, his Mangekyo blazing in revenge. Let’s just say, the Bandit clan that caused this mishap on your way to the Hidden Sand had a thousand members, women, children. All unspared, all despicable, all worthless & useless.

Itachi had only one trail of logic, they were all future criminals if not present, the women are ill born and gave birth to those future criminals, the men have their hands stained by blood already. War is the masterpiece of havoc seen by Itachi; to protect his own, to save another war happening, he is just eliminating another threat.

That was the only trail in his mind when he massacred each and every single one of them. Eradicating their blood line from the land, blood stained all over his face. He knew the real reason isn’t war, isn’t the logic that he built up. The real reason was your Sharingan.

Your newly awoken Sharingan needed a sacrifice, it only deemed fit after you lost your innocence, after you were drilled with grief.

Maybe you will wake up and hate Itachi, to be a Shinobi is to be hated after all. Maybe he will hide it from you. Maybe he will confess. All of that can be handled later.

[whiskeypascals]

Open Arms

(NOT MY GIF)

Request from anon!!

Warnings: Major character death, mention of Y/N panicking, Joel blaming himself, somewhat ooc Joel (he’s so insecure please get him a therapist jfc), not necessarily a warning but this can be seen as platonic or romantic!

Summary: It was 10 years after the outbreak, Y/N left his home town and found Joel, who was on a smuggling mission. After completing it, Joel decided that keeping Y/N around would be helpful in the long run to get to Tommy, who was in Wyoming as of the last time Joel had heard anything. On the way out west, Joel opens up more to Y/N bit by bit and they found love in a the wasteland that’s left of the planet. They get to Wyoming and Tommy isn’t there, no trace of him even. it sparks something in Joel and things take a complete turn and Joel ends up leaving and as soon as he goes, they get trapped by a group of fireflies and Joel really regrets what he says

On the day of the outbreak, Y/N had no choice but to stay where he was, but after ten years, he couldn’t stand to stay in this place anymore. The QZ was full of fascist FEDRA officers who would do anything to keep ‘order’. The streets would be patrolled all night long, there would be casual searches of apartments where they claimed they would look for criminals but all they would do was go in and take people away from their families and shoot at any sign of protest. There were many nights where Y/N was awoken by screaming from his neighbors but he couldn’t get up and fight for them.

He couldn’t fucking take it any longer.

So, he left. He snuck out of his building under the cover of night fall and made it out like he’d seen smugglers do so many times from the window.

It was nearing a year since Y/N left the QZ, he’d come and go from different groups of people and ended up alone and scared for what seemed like the millionth time.

That’s when he came.

Joel.

He was on a smuggling trip and was making his way to Michigan, and got caught in an ambush and found Y/N hiding.

“No don’t shoot!” Y/N exclaimed, throwing his hands up “I’m unarmed.” he said, keeping his hands where Joel could see.

“Please help me, I don’t know who those people are. Please.” He started to beg, “I escaped my QZ about a year ago.”

Joel looked around and put his finger up to his lips. Y/N stopped talking and Joel moved to hide in the same spot that Y/N was just minutes ago. Y/N crouched back down next to Joel and watched as a few trucks passed by.

“Name.” That wasn’t a question, it was a demand.

“Y/N.” Y/N whispered.

“Where did you come from.” Another stern demand.

“San Francisco QZ.”

Y/N didn’t know why he trusted Joel as much as he did in this moment, it was probably because he was in a life or death situation right now and he was his only chance of making it out alive.

“Listen, I’m goin’ to get us out but you have to listen to what I say, and then you’ll be on your way Y/N.”

Y/N nodded.

The two stood up and Joel pulled the gun off of his hip and held it out in front of him as he slowly treaded into the street, it was dark outside but he couldn’t pull out his light because it was an obvious death wish.

Joel heard shooting behind them. He turned around and shoved Y/N back behind him and cocked his gun. There was someone shooting at them from afar.

“Shit aim.” He said to himself before he himself started shooting.

“Stay behind me.”

Joel walked toward where the person was shooting from, luckily it was only one person and Joel one shotted them.

“God damn idiot.”

Joel turned back around and the two kept quiet as they walked out of danger.

“Thank you.” Is all that Y/N could say when they were far away from the town.

“Keep quiet, there might be some more of them out here.”

“I think you’re overthinking”

Joel turned around, “I’m thinking rationally, we have no idea what’s out here.”

Y/N sighed, “Yeah, sorry…” He thought for a second, “Hey I never got your name.”

“Why do you need to know, we’re splitting our ways, I’m goin’ to finish my job and you’re gonna keep surviving.”

The two did not split ways.

It was a week later and Joel had brought Y/N all the way to the city in Michigan where he was taking his cargo to, and in return he got another gun from the person he was selling to.

“Here, you must know how to use it if you’ve been out here for this long.” Joel handed the pistol to Y/N, who nodded in agreement.

“Where are we going from here?”

Joel said nothing.

“Joel?”

“I’ve got a brother out west, I was thinking that I could get there easier if I had you navigating the way.” It took him ages to finally reply to Y/N’s question.

“What if he’s not there?”

“He will be.”

The two men walked out of the abandoned building that Joel met his buyer in and Y/N spoke up.

“The distance is a good fifteen hundred miles so if you have a truck hidden somewhere like all that ammo, it would be best to find it.”

“We’ll make do.”

The first few days went by cruelly slow, back and forth bickering between Joel and Y/N and sleeping in the middle of the woods feet apart, but as the days went past, the two started to open up more to each other. It was easier said than done for Joel, but Y/N had no issues with sharing his most of his story.

It was day twelve of walking and Y/N had found themselves in the middle of nowhere, it wasn’t like Y/N hadn’t been going this way before, but that was a year ago, so to say the least they were lost.

“Joel, I hate to say this to you but we might need to find a map.”

“Y/N tell me where we can find a map, look where the hell we are.”

“I sort of remember this area, there should be a truck stop somewhere.”

Joel said nothing and just kept walking.

Five miles later there was indeed an old truck stop, worn away by time and taken over by wildlife.

“You swear it’s empty?” Joel said, looking for an entrance.

“Well, I can’t promise anything, so pay attention to everything.”

“Save that advice for yourself Y/N” Joel found a loose board covering up a broken glass door and the two went inside.

They were met with the smell of mold and decay, the only sounds that could be heard were their footsteps crunching on the debris on the floor.

“Let’s find the map and get out, ‘kay, I think I remember the layout of this place” Y/N said quietly.

Joel nodded, it felt good to Y/N for Joel to agree with him for once, even if what he said was common knowledge between the two.

‘Oh you have to be fucking kidding me.’ Joel thought to himself, looking around seeing two dead bodies of what looked like smugglers based solely on what they were wearing. Y/N’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped

“Fuck.” He mouthed

He pulled his gun out and Y/N did the same. They both held their weapons out and started walking, it got to a point in the building where the sunlight stopped leaking in and the both of them had to pull their flashlights out too.

That’s when Y/N heard the clicking.

He turned to Joel and put a finger over his mouth. Joel turned to look forward and took the smallest steps he possibly could to not make any noise and Y/N walked in the same manner.

They got to the back room where a clicker stood. Joel went to line up his shot, but before he even got his finger on the trigger, a gunshot from Y/N rang out. The clicker turned and screamed a guttural sound, Joel let out two quick shots from his gun and the clicker fell to the floor.

“We have to get out of here. Now.” He said bluntly, Y/N turned to run out of the truck stop and made it to the doorway they came in before realizing that Joel wasn’t behind him.

“Fuck, Fuck, Fuck.” Y/N started to panic.

“JOEL?” He yelled out.

“Y/N GO.” Joel yelled back, he sounded far away from where Y/N was standing, there were two gunshots and then the sound of heavy boots on tile floor, Y/N got out of the door and waited for Joel to make it and slammed the board against the door.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ.” is all Joel said between heavy breaths.

“What happened back there?” Y/N grabbed onto Joel’s arm, “Scared the fuck out of me man.”

“Those smugglers turned, they almost got me.”

“Thank god they didn’t, I don’t want to be out here alone again.”

“Thank you for waiting, I’m not 100% sure if they’re dead so we have to get going.”

“What about the map?”

“Fuck that map, we need to go, Y/N.”

The two kept walking West. It would take at least 6 more days for the two to even make it to Wyoming, let alone find where Tommy was.

Just as it started to turn to night, Joel and Y/N decided to stop for that night and set up camp in the woods so if anything was coming, they would be able to hear if a branch snapped or leaves rustled.

“Hey, Joel, can I ask you something?” Y/N asked, setting down the lamp that Joel brought.

Joel looked up from where he was laying out their sleeping bags.

“Do you have any other family out here besides Tommy?”

“M-mm.” Joel shook his head.

He really didn’t, he would have Sarah if he could have saved her that day, but things didn’t go the way he had planned to that night.

“D’you?” Joel asked, getting into his sleeping bag.

“No. My sister died the night of the outbreak, we’d planned to get to LA but it was so damn crowded in the streets, the runners got to her before we could run out of the town.”

Joel turned to see Y/N starting to tear up.

“Sorry, talking about her makes me so emotional, she was only 17. It almost felt like I was her dad, or at least in that moment.”

Y/N sniffed and laid down in his sleeping bag.

“I know how you feel,” Joel turned off the lamp and laid down too.

“You said you didn’t have family out here?”

“I lost my little girl when the outbreak started.”

“How old?”

“12.”

Joel turned away to face away from Y/N

“Fuck I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have asked if I knew it would upset you.”

Y/N sat up and looked over to Joel, he’d never seen the older man so vulnerable.

“Joel,” Y/N moved closer to him “I’m sorry. I know how you feel, I know that you feel like you need to protect me, and I need you to know that I’m gonna survive this and we’ll get out asses to Wyoming and find your brother.” He said putting his hands on Joel’s shoulder. He felt the man tremble slightly under his touch.

“You don’t need to apologize, Y/N.” Joel shrugged Y/N’s hand off his shoulder and turned to look at him, Y/N got up and kneeled by Joel’s side to hug him.

Joel didn’t know what to do at first honestly, it was the first time he had felt any empathy in 11 years. Just as Y/N was going to pull away and apologize, Joel swung his arm around his side and hugged him tightly.

“Okay, shit Joel, too tight.” Y/N struggled to say, Joel took his arms out from around Y/N and mumbled a small ‘sorry’.

“Tell me about her in the morning.” Y/N said, scooting back to his sleeping bag.

Joel nodded and reached to turn off the lantern behind the two of their heads.

Joel didn’t get much sleep that night, he kept waking up and falling back asleep to only repeat the process until morning. That was a common occurrence for him lately. When the sun came up, Joel started getting all of his things together to be prepared when Y/N woke up. It was only about a half an hour before he did wake up though.

When he woken up, he saw that all of Joel’s things had gone and he started to think that Joel left him like he had done with so many different groups of people.

“Morning.” Joel said from a few feet away, he was sitting on a tree trunk that had fallen down a long time ago.

Y/N let out a sigh of relief and got up from his spot. He noticed that Joel had packed all of their stuff up into their backpacks except his sleeping bag. He rolled it up quickly and fastened it so it wouldn’t come undone while they were walking.

“What was she like?” Y/N asked after a while.

“She was a lot like her mom, same eyes and smile y’know, things like that.”

Joel kept what he said about Sarah short and sweet and they moved on from there.

It felt weird to Joel to be this open with someone he met less than a month ago, but it somehow felt right to him at the same time.

The two kept walking, and walking, and walking some more for a full day and a full night. They reached a sign that read

“Welcome to Nebraska!” In massive letters, it was covered in graffiti and rust from all the time it was out there with no one to keep it pretty.

As day turned to night once again, Joel and Y/N found a place far from any life that would be out there, and called it a night.

Joel watched Y/N lay out his sleeping bag and turned to do the same, he thought for a second and decided to speak on his thoughts.

“Y/N, bring your sleeping bag closer.”

“Uh, okay,” He moved his stuff closer and sat down on top of it. “Is everything alright Joel?”

Joel nodded, “Yeah just thinkin’” He said quietly.

“So you wanted me to move closer to you because you’re thinking?” Y/N laughed a little.

“Yeah about you idiot.”

Y/N looked and Joel confused

“Why are you so nice to me?”

Y/N went to speak but Joel cut him off

“I’m mean and I’m bossy, I have no redeeming traits.”

Joel finished and Y/N sat there for a minute thinking of what to say.

The hardened man he had grown to know just spilled out to him and he honestly didn’t know what to do.

“Joel, you saved my life, you’ve kept me out of danger that would have killed me by now, yes you’re mean but that’s who you are.” he finally said breaking the silence that seemed hours long.

Joel hugged Y/N, just like they hugged when Joel told him about Sarah.

“Can we uh, sleep like this?” Y/N suggested, still hugging Joel tight, he was enjoying the human touch just as much as Joel was.

“It’s kinda complicated with two separate sleeping bags Y/N. How big is yours?”

Y/N tensed at those words and Joel noticed.

“Your fuckin’ sleeping bag Y/N.” Joel said flatly.

“Oh it’s big enough for both of us I think, we’d have to squeeze together but it would work.”

Joel let go of Y/N and scooted out of his own sleeping bag and Y/N got in and opened up the zipper to let Joel squeeze in next to him. It was kind of uncomfortable at first for both of them and they knew they would wake up with aching backs but they repositioned themselves and got comfortable.

That was one of the first nights Joel had slept fully through.

‘I’m fuckin’ losin’ it.’ He thought when he woke up with the heat off of Y/N’s body radiating onto his back and an arm around his waist.

He was again, the first to wake up and the moment he moved to try and get up, Y/N woke up.

“You feeling better Joel?”

Joel hummed in response, as much as he hated feeling vulnerable, he really liked having someone not tell him that he should fix himself.

“Good, let’s get going.”

The two packed up their stuff and trekked through rain and sun until they reached a sign that brought a smile to Joel’s face.

It was the first time that Y/N had seen Joel smile a genuine smile.

“Kay enough ogling the sign let’s go find Tommy.” Y/N smiled.

“Welcome to Wyoming.”

As Joel and Y/N walked further into the state, they were awestruck about how beautiful the landscape managed to stay,

“Joel listen,” Y/N whispered

“It’s just deer Y/N.”

“No those steps are too heavy.”

“Well, whatever it is I’m sure they don’t need us to help, there’s no screaming.”

Y/N nodded and they kept walking.

They had finally reached Casper, the last place Joel had heard from Tommy, the city was desolate, not a single form of life as far as the eye could see. Joel’s joy suddenly disappeared.

“Where is he?” Y/N asked quietly.

“I- He-.”

Joel screamed out Tommy’s name, he didn’t want to think that he wasn’t here anymore, he needed him back. Ten years was a long time without your brother.

“Joel we’ll find him don’t worry,” Y/N went to put his hand on Joel’s shoulder, put Joel pushed it away before it even made contact.

“You don’t know dangerous this place is for him, Y/N. He could be dead.” Joel started getting angry and Y/N backed away from him.

“Joel, I do know.” Y/N assured

“You only survived because I helped you, you were unarmed and you would have died, and do you think Tommy is armed?”

“Yes Joel, he was a firefly of course he would be armed.”

Joel sighed and stopped talking and Y/N scanned his face for any emotion.

“I need to go, I dug myself too deep and I need to go and you need to go back to San Francisco.”

“Joel, I can’t go back, they’ll kill me, and I know you’ve been smuggling for a long time but you were just as lost as I was when we needed to find a map, I can help you Joel.” Y/N begged.

“No, I’m going to look all around here and find my fucking brother.”

Joel walked away and Y/N just watched him,

“Joel, don’t fucking leave me here.” He started to get choked up.

Joel said nothing and kept walking.

Y/N accepted defeat and turned away so he wouldn’t have to watch Joel leave.

Just as Joel reached the door of the building they were in, he noticed a group of people walking towards it, he turned around and ran back to the room Y/N was in.

“I thought you were leaving, Joel.” Y/N said, he was sitting on the floor with back against the wall.

“There are people coming towards here, we need to hide. Right now.”

“What?”

“Right now, Y/N.”

Joel helped Y/N stand up and they found a smaller room off the room that they were already in and crouched down behind boxes.

They were in the same position they were the night they met. Joel was crouched in front of Y/N and pulling out his gun, and Y\N was behind Joel, he was armed this time, but it still felt the same to him.

“Joel, let me go out there I can protect myself.”

“No. You stay he-“

Before Joel could even finish his sentence, Y/N was getting up from behind him.

“Fuck. Y/N, get the fuck back behind me!” Joel whisper-shouted.

Y/N didn’t listen and he made his way back into the room they were in moments prior.

It was almost cliche how Y/N was struck down as soon as he walked into the open area. Joel heard the gunshot and booked it into the room.

“Holy shit.” is all he said when three firefly members stood in front of the door to leave.

“Joel?” Y/N asked weakly.

“Hey, stay with me Y/N don’t fucking do this, I’m sorry for what I said earlier please don’t fucking do this to me.” Joel started tearing up.

Four shots rung out through the building, Joel shot all three of the members, he missed one but almost instantly got them down with the fourth shot.

“Joel, who were those people?”

“I don’t know Y/N,” Joel looked down to see blood spilling onto the floor. “Fuck, c’mon we have to get you up.” Y/N winced as Joel tried to slide his arm under his waist.

“Joel stop.” Y/N said, pushing Joel’s arms off of him.

“Please, Y/N I- I’m sorry for saying you would have died back in Chicago.”

Joel just broke down at this point, he gripped onto the front of Y/N’s shirt and held him in his arms, just like he did that night in Nebraska it hit him, he realized that no matter how much he tried, people around him would keep getting hurt or killed, it happened to Sarah, God knows what happened to Tommy, and now it’s Y/N.

All Joel could think about was how he said that Y/N would have never survived and that’s why he got up when he had told him to stay behind him,

He wanted to prove to Joel that he could save himself.

And that’s what killed him. Words that came out of Joel’s mouth. Words that Joel said to him. Joel thinking that he was weak.

The man would never forgive himself, he would never let anyone close to him ever again in fear of the pattern repeating.

[haunted-xander]

Chiaki was relieved to finally get to sleep at home again. The walk from Towa city to the apartment complex was long and included stealing an abandoned car, as well as Izuru carrying the trolley with Nagito and Monaca inside with his bare arms while walking on ground so covered in rubble it's a miracle it was walkable at all.

Once they'd gotten inside, the first thing Chiaki did was head into the bedroom and flopping down onto the bed. Despite how tired she was, she felt far too dirty to fall asleep right away. Izuru walked inside carrying a sleeping Monaca, and gently laid her next to Chiaki on the bed. "You will need to shower before going to sleep, Nanami."

"Mmm. Don't wanna."

"Nanami."

"Kamukura-kun."

Chiaki knew she was just being petty again, but she really didn't feel like dragging herself up so soon after having laid down. Izuru seemed less than pleased. "...Fine, I will assist Komaeda in washing himself first, then I will make you shower. I will drag you in there myself if necessary."

"Will you strip me too?"

"...If necessary."

"Hm okay. I'll let you do that then. Less I gotta do the better."

"...So childish. How boring." Accepting his fate of having to manually wash two grown people, Izuru left the room and presumably got started on helping Nagito shower. Chiaki however, felt herself growing drowsier by the second until she fell asleep.

The sound of something being dragged inside woke her up. She felt rested after her sleep, even if it had been interrupted in the middle by Izuru waking her up for a shower and having moved to sleep on the couch to let Monaca have some space for her first night. Now, Chiaki sat up from the couch, realising her previous human pillow Izuru had been replaced with an actual pillow. Making sure not to disturb Nagito sleeping on her lap, she tried to look around to see what the commotion was.

Izuru walked in from the door, dragging a wheelchair inside with him. He noticed she'd awoken and locked eyes with her for a second before returning to dragging the wheelchair. She noticed him heading towards the bedroom, presumably to let Monaca into it.

Nagito was still sound asleep.

Some time later, Izuru came out alongside a grumpy Monaca, who was now seated in the wheelchair. "G'morning. Looks like Monaca-san can start moving around herself now. That's good." The girl in question started smiling and wheeled herself towards the couch. "Good morning, Big Sis! ...Huh? Is Mr. Servant not awake yet? ...Did Mr. Stalker do something?" She turned around to glare at Izuru. "...I did nothing. He is simply exhausted"

"Hmm, Monaca doesn't believe you! Mr. Stalker is definitely suspicious!"

"Hm, actually, I saw him put something in the water he made Komaeda-kun drink before sleeping... I think." Chiaki had assumed it was the usual medicine, as Nagito probably hadn't been able to take them while working in Towa City, but maybe it wasn't. "So Mr. Stalker did do something!" Monaca wheeled closer to Izuru and lowered her voice, "...You better hope Mr. Servant wakes up soon, or I'll torture you in the worst way imaginable. I'll cut you up, digit by digit, limb by limb, I'll rip out your teeth and tear out your eyeballs before strapping your remaining head and torso to a stretcher and watch as your body rips itself apart."

Chiaki felt a shiver run up her spine at Monaca's threat, suddenly very glad the little girl seemed to like her. Izuru, on the other hand, was completely unfazed. A tense silence filled the air.

"...Hey hey, I'm hungry, can we have breakfast already? What's on the menu today, Kamukura-kun?" She decided to break the atmosphere by appealing to their stomachs. ...And her own. She was very hungry. "...I will see what we have." And with that, Izuru disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hmph. Why is Mr. Stalker cooking, he can't be trusted." While her dark expression had vanished, she was still clearly unhappy with leaving Izuru to do anything on his own. "...Well, I can't cook, and as you probably already know, neither can Komaeda-kun. Unless you want to cook yourself, you'll have to eat what Kamukura-kun makes."

Monaca paused at her reply. "...Ugh, fine. But if he puts anything weird in the food I'll kill him."

"Okay. I don't think he will, though." A thought suddenly entered Chiaki's head. "...Hey, Monaca-san. Would you like to take a bath? You're probably dirty, right? ...And you could probably do with some new clothes, too. I think I have some clothes in your size..."

"...Why do you have children's clothes in your house. There are no children here. Do you have an illegitimate child or something?"

"...I'm 21. I'm not old enough for kids. ...Not your age, at least. Besides, I've been very careful with protection. Having kids when the world's like this would be bad... probably."

"...Who would you even have sex with? It can't be Mr. Servant, he doesn't like girls, and it better not be Mr. Stalker."

"......"

"...Ew."

"...Anyway, Do you want that bath?" Chiaki tried to get the conversation back on track. "A bath would be great! Monaca's tired of all this dirt meow." ...She's meowing now? "Okay then. I'll go find some clean clothes for you. ...Tell me if you need any help, okay? The bathroom's right over there." Replying with a smile, Monaca went off and entered the bathroom.

Only now remembering the man sleeping in her lap, Chiaki carefully tried to shimmy herself from under Nagito's head, replacing herself with the pillow Izuru gave her once she was free. She went into the bedroom's closet and searched for fitting clothes for Monaca. she found a skirt resembling the lower part of Monaca's usual dress, a white, collared, sleeveless shirt, and a pair of socks the same color as the skirt. Figuring this would be a bit too cold for her, she searched around for any long-sleeved shirts or hoodies to add to the outfit. Althought she wasn't looking for it, she found some child-sized underwear. Oh, right. She'll need to get clean panties too... How lucky. I hope they fit.

After a few more minutes of searching, she found she had no long-sleeved shirts or hoodies in Monaca's size. From the bathroom next door, she heard Monaca call out, "HEY, BIG SIS! I'M DONE! CAN I GET THOSE CLOTHES NOW? I DON'T WANT TO WALK AROUND NAKED!" Chiaki decided she'd look for something warmer later, and grabbed the clothes as she walked to the bathroom.

She knocked on the door before announcing herself, "Hey, I've got your clothes here. Can you open the door a little so I can give them to you?" Without replying, Monaca opened the door just enough to outstretch her arm and opened her hand expectantly. Chiaki placed the clothes into the girl's arm and watched as it swiftly retreated back into the bathroom and the door slipped shut. She decided to see if Nagito had woken up yet and walked into the living room.

"Ah, Good morning, Nanami-san! Are you helping Monaca-san? How kind of you! You must be the most hopeful kind of person to help such a pitiful little girl!" Nagito greeted her the moment she walked in. "Oh, you're finally awake. Good morning."

"Say, how's little Monaca-san doing? I hope she hasn't been causing any trouble for you!"

"...You sound like a parent."

"Ah, do I?"

"Yep. Totally a parent."

"Who's a parent?" Chiaki hadn't noticed Monaca get out of the bathroom, but now she was wheeling herself towards Nagito, wearing the clothes Chiaki handed her. "Good morning Big Bro! Monaca was beginning to wonder if you were gonna sleep forever! ...Hm, but since you woke up, I guess I can't kill Mr. Stalker after all... What a shame. Oh well! At least Big Bro is fine!"

"...Please don't kill Kamukura-sama. I like him very much and would prefer having him around! ...And besides, if he dies we won't have anyone to cook for us!"

"Hmm... Okay! But only because Monaca doesn't want to starve to death. Or eat more of the disgusting filth you tried to make for us." Chiaki smiled at their easy banter, their interaction reminicent of siblings. "...Hey hey, Komaeda-kun, isn't it a bit too cold in here to go around pantless? I know your old pair was ruined and all, but you should probably grab some of Kamukura-kun's for now." Nagito's pants had been thrown away yesterday, as Izuru had deemed them beyond fixing on account of the tearing and old, stained blood covering it from the thighs down.

"No. You're not allowed to."

"...Why not? You don't want him to have pants?"

"I don't want him to have Mr. Stalker's pants. They're probably itchy and stuffy and have the insides covered in poison ivy."

"Ahaha, you sure have an imagination, Monaca-san! I often share clothes with Kamukura-sama, so I can assure you that there is nothing of the sort inside!"

"Ew, you share clothes with that guy? I won't allow it! From now on you're not allowed to wear any of his clothes. And that's final."

"...Aha, whatever you say, Monaca-san. No pants for me today, I suppose." Having accepted his fate, Nagito grabbed the blanket that had fallen off the couch when he woke up, and placed it back on top of himself. "...Oh, that reminds me. I was trying to look for a warmer shirt for Monaca-san earlier, but didn't have any in the correct size."

"I don't mind a big hoodie. Just give me something, my arms are cold."

"...Alright, I'll grab a few and we'll see which ones you like the best." Chiaki went back into the bedroom and grabbed a couple hoodies, quickly returning with them in hand. "Okay, I've got a couple hoodies here. Let's try them!"

With that, she first handed Monaca a near-black blue hoodie with orange on the hood's inside and white, sharp 'teeth' coming from the hood's opening. "...It looks stupid. I don't want it."

Next was a large black hoodie with poofy, cuffed sleeves, a crooked cat tail in the back and large cat ears on the hood. "Hm. Cute but too simple. I don't want it."

Then, a yellow-ish green hoodie paired with a leather jacket. "Ew, why is the hoodie neon green? And I hate wearing leather. I hate it. No."

Lastly, a light pink hoodie with bunny ears, a bow on one ear, a cartoon-ish bunny face on the hood, and white patterning on the ends of the sleeves and ears. "...It's far too cutesy and detailed. It makes Monaca think of Kotoko-chan. Hmm... I like it! I'll take this one!"

"Oh Monaca-san, you look adorable!" Nagito got up and walked behind Monaca, holding her shoulders. ...And what's that on his left hand...? "...Komaeda-kun? What... happened to your hand?" The skin had more color than Nagito's usual pale complexion, and yet looked far less alive than he did. Additionally, it had perfectly manicured red nails on the tips, uncharacteristic of Nagito. "Ah, that. My apologies, I must've forgotten to inform you. You see...

I took Junko Enoshima's arm for myself."

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers CHAOS LINEAGE ー Laito [02]

ー The scene starts in one of the empty bedrooms at the Violet Manor

*Thud*

Yui: Nn...

( ...Huh...? When did I fall asleep in a bed...? )

( Besides, I don’t recognize this room...Where could I be? )

Laito: Seems like the Princess has finally awoken from her slumber. Good morning, Bitch-chan~

Yui: Laito-kun...?

Laito: What’s this? Are you still out of it? Perhaps I got a little too excited and had a tad bit too much of your blood?

My bad~ Your blood was simply too delicious, I couldn’t stop myself.

Yui: ( I see...I must have lost consciousness while he drank my blood... )

Did you carry me here?

Laito: I sure did! I realized that I’d be in trouble if Carla found out that I just left you for dead there.

By the way, this will be your room from today onwards, so you can make yourself at home.

Yui: Yeah...Thanks.

Laito: You’re welcome~

I know it’s under the assumption that I’ll watch over you, but getting to spend time with you alone like this is such a privilege. 

I can leave figuring out how to become Supreme Overlord to Carla and the others, while I don’t have to bother with any of that annoying stuff. 

Yui: ( Supreme Overlord... The way they talk about it makes me assume that it’s common knowledge but what exactly is going on? )

( This isn’t Kaminashi City...I don’t recognize the Church I woke up at, nor this manor... )

Laito: But Carla loves to work his little brothers to the bone, you see. He’s always so nosy, ordering us around. 

I don’t care if he’s my brother or not, I’m starting to get sick of it.

Yui: Brothers...

( Laito-kun and Carla-san? How...? Then what happened to the others? )

( Could it be that they also had their memories manipulated, just like me...? But why exactly? )

Laito: What’s wrong? You’re gazing at me so passionately. Are you...trying to seduce me, perhaps?

Yui: I-I’m no...Kyah!

ー He pins her down on the bed

*Creaak*

Laito: Your blood has such a tempting scent. It could probably win any Vampire over.

To be honest, I thought about doing all sorts of things to you while you were asleep. 

Yui: Eeh!?

Laito: It’s such a shame you woke up before I had the chance to. Oh well, it’s even more exciting for me when I get to actually see your reactions, so I suppose this works into my favor.

Yui: W-Wait, I want you to hear me out first!

Laito: Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle with you. 

...Aah, I guess I shouldn’t. You’re the type who prefers to suffer, aren’t you? 

Remember how happy you seemed when I forced that spoon inside your mouth? 

In that case, I better put you through hell.

Yui: ( Despite everything, Laito-kun is still his old self...! )

Laito-kun, please. Listen to me. 

( I want to get some facts straight...and figure out this situation. )

( Besides, if Laito-kun’s memories are all messed up, I want those to go back to normal. )

Laito: What you have to say, huh? ...Fine, I’ll listen.

Yui: Really!?

Laito: However, if it’s something dull, I’m going to punish you, okay?

Yui: ( Uu...I have a bad feeling about this, but I need him to listen to what I have to say, or we’ll never get anywhere. )

O-Okay.

Laito: Nfu~ How courageous of you. Spill the tea then?

Yui: O-Okay. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what is happening myself either...

But it seems like we’ve gotten caught up in some mysterious events.

Laito: Heeh, that sounds rough.

Yui: ( I can tell by his face that he doesn’t believe me at all...But I can’t give in. )

My memories were messed up until yesterday as well...I was convinced that I am indeed Eve who has been asleep at the Church. 

However, that’s not actually the case. My name is Komori Yui...I remembered that. 

Laito: Is that your name? I thought your name was ‘Eve’.

Yui: You are actually called ‘Sakamaki Laito’ yourself. You are the fifth brother of the Sakamaki family. 

Laito: Sakamaki...? 

Yui: It’s not just Subaru-kun, but Shuu-san and Reiji-san are your brothers as well. 

Also, you, Ayato-kun and Kanato-kun are triplets.

Laito: With those two guys from the Orange House? We’re triplets?

Heeh~ That’s rather intriguing. Did you come up with that on the spot? You might have potential to become a storywriter.

Yui: ( He won’t believe me at all... )

I had been staying at the Sakamaki manor and you...are my boyfriend.

Laito: Heeh...Boyfriend, you say?

Yui: ( Eh? That smile just now...I have a bad feeling about it. )

Laito: If you are telling the truth, it’s pretty impressive to have a family of six. What were our parents like?

Yui: Eh? Well...

( They’re Karlheinz-san and Cordelia-san... )

( It’d all be new information for Laito-kun so...I’m not sure if I should tell him under these circumstances? )

Laito: Hmー? Seeing as cat’s got your tongue, I assume they must have been pretty bad parents to the point where you can’t tell me? 

Or perhaps you were deeply involved with our parents in some way? Which is exactly why you can’t talk about them. ...Correct?

Yui: ...! T-That’s...

( I guess you could say Cordelia-san and I are deeply connected in one way. )

( My heart ーー belongs to her after all. )

Laito: Well, I don’t really care about the parents. There’s some other juicy details I’m more interested in. 

ー Laito leans in close

*Thud* 

Laito: Say, Bitch-chan. You mentioned that we are lovers, right?

Yui: Y-Yeah...

Laito: However, I don’t remember dating you at all. 

That means you lied about the fact to try and grab my attention, no?

Yui: I-I’m not lying. The two of us...we actually are dating...!

Laito: Look at how desperate you are. If you want my attention that badly, just say so honestly.

...I don’t mind, I’ll tend to you. Let’s have some fun together?

I wonder where you’re most sensitive? Nn...

*Sluuurp*

Yui: Hyaah!

( I-I made a weird noise...! )

Laito: Your neck must be your weak point for you to make such sounds? 

Yui: T-That’s not true. 

Laito: It’s not very nice to lie, you see? Besides, you seemed rather nervous while telling your story earlier.

The thin layer of sweat makes it taste very sweet. How about another spot?

*Rustle* 

Yui: No...N-Not my clothes!

Laito: It’s fine. Today I’m in the mood for just a small glimpse of skin.

Yui: ( That is far from being ‘fine’! )

Laito: What’s this? Your skin is nicely flushed. The scent of your blood has become sweet and rich as well...Nn.

Yui: Ah...Nn...

( I can’t...It tickles, my voice keeps slipping out...! )

Laito: Fufu, you’re sensitive here as well? I wouldn’t mind sucking your blood, but you’ll have to wait today.

You kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time while you were asleep, so now I’m getting my revenge.

Yui: Nn...Haah...Revenge, you say...?

( Even though he’s the one who chose to watch me as I slept... )

Laito: What’s wrong? Your breathing has become ragged. I wonder if you’re going crazy from not being stimulated enough?

I get really turned on from seeing you fall victim to the feeling of pleasure...Nn...

*Smooch*

Yui: ...Nhah... 

Laito: ...Fufu, so your earlobes are sensitive as well, huh? You’re crying out so sweetly.

I suppose I should leave a mark so it’s easier to remember your weak spots...Nn...

Yui: Ah...

Laito: ...Come on, take a look? There’s a bright red mark right above your chest, see? This is one of your weak spots. 

Yui: ...

( This is bad, at this rate, I’ll get caught up in his flow...! )

Please, let me continue my story...I want you to retrieve your memories.

Laito: What you told me earlier? As intriguing as that was, bringing it up at a time like this is somewhat of a turn off. 

Yui: But, it’s the truth and...There’s something wrong with you right nowーー

Laito: ...Shut up. 

Yui: ...!

Laito: I’m trying to make it clear that I’m not in the mood for it right now.

Yui: ( This feeling...It’s as if we’ve gone back to the time when we only just met... )

...I-I’m sorry...

Laito: Nfu~ Exactly, just like that. Girls are so much cuter when they’re obedient, you see? Makes it easier to deal with them.

Of course, I can get a kick out of someone acting a little feisty as well, but don’t push it too far, okay? That’ll only piss me off.

Yui: O-Okay...

( I wonder how I can get him to remember? )

( I don’t want his memories to be gone forever... )

( However... )

Monologue

The way Laito-kun messes around with me,

solely out of sheer enjoyment, following his instinct.

Almost as if all the time we spent together up till now,

was slowly fading away from inside him. 

That made my heart ache incredibly painfully. 

I want him to remember. 

Yet, at the same time I hesitated.

Laito-kun has a strained relationship with his parents. 

A trauma so deep and dark,

it simply cannot be expressed through words.

Taking that into account,

I suddenly became uncertain whether retrieving his memories,

would make him happy or not,

as I tightly closed my eyes and simply waited for time to pass by.

ー The scene shifts to the hallway of the Violet manor

Yui: ( In the end, yesterday passed with Laito-kun toying around with me all day... )

( I wonder what my next step should be? I’d love to take a bath and think it through but... )

Excuse me...Laito-kun? I’d like to go to the bathroom...

Laito: Yeah, I know.

Yui: Then why are you following me?

Laito: I’m in charge of watching over you after all. I will follow you anywhere.

Of course, this also applies to when you’re taking a bath, understood?

Yui: ( At this rate, he’ll probably follow me inside the bathroom as well...I have to lose him somehow! )

Laito: I mean, doing it in the bathroom is kind of nice as well, don’t you agree?

Yui: D-Do what?

Laito: Isn’t that obvious? Sucking your blood.

Yui: I-I’d like to take a bath alone so I can relax...

ー He moves closer

Laito: You say that, but your sweet scent has grown stronger? You’re looking forward to it, aren’t you, Bitch-chan?

Yui: I-I’m not.

Laito: Haah...It just keeps on growing more intense. I don’t think I’ll be able to hold back. Perhaps I should have some right here, right now?

Yui: Y-You can’t, not here! Somebody could pass by...

Laito: But that’s what makes it so great! Having them watch closely as we become entwined with each other. ...Fufu.

Being watched gets you even more aroused as well, doesn’t it?

Yui: No, I don’t!

Laito: Liar, liar, pants on fire~ Want to give it a try then? I’m pretty sure you’ll grow addicted to it.

Kou: You really get a kick out of the weirdest things, don’t you, Laito-kun?

Yui: K-Kou-kun...!?

Laito: Aah, perfect timing. I was looking for an audience.

Kou: I could hear you. But I’ll pass.

If I can only watch when she smells so good, I’ll definitely get hungry as well.

Yui: ( T-Thank god...Seems like I’ll be able to avoid any weird situations. )

Laito: Hmー In that case, you should suck her blood alongside me.

Yui: ...Eh!?

Kou: You don’t mind? Hooray! I’m actually starving right now!

Yui: W-Wait! I’m obviously not agreeing with that!

Laito: Ehー? But why? That’d only make things even more exciting, no?

Come on, just try imagining it? How our fangs will slowly sink into your skin, that is.

Soft nibbles on one side, intense blood-sucking on the other...I wonder what kind of sounds we’ll be able to get out of you?

Yui: ( W-What now...? I can’t get this feeling out of my mind. )

Selection

→ I’d prefer just Laito-kun (♡)

Yui: In that case, I’d prefer it to just be Laito-kun...!

Laito: Heeh? I didn’t think you’d personally request me~

Kou: Haah? Excuse me?

You’re fine with a freak like him sucking your blood, but you don’t want me to do the same?

I don’t get that.

*Rustle* 

Yui: Kyah!

Kou: Come on, ask me to suck your blood as well.

Yui: Ugh...

( He’s glaring daggers at me...It might be best to just genuinely do what he asked of me... )

P-Please...suck my...blood...

Kou: Atta girl, good job!

→ I want Kou-kun to suck my blood too (🖤)

Yui: ( I don’t want someone other than Laito-kun to suck my blood... )

( But who knows what will happen if I refuse... )

I want Kou-kun...to suck my blood as well...

Kou: Heeh, I already knew that Laito-kun likes to refer to you as ‘Bitch-chan’, but it seems like you’re actually the real deal.

To be honest, I kind of expected Eve to be someone a little more pure.

...Oh well, I won’t say I dislike being yearned for~

Laito: Okay~ You can go first then, Kou.

Kou: Yay! I’ve been so curious about Eve’s blood.

ー Kou approaches Yui

*Rustle* 

Yui: ( ...J-Just as I thought, having someone other than Laito-kun suck my blood makes me flinch... )

Kou: Well then, time to dig in~ ...Nn...

ー Kou��bites her

Yui: Nn...Ah...

( It feels different from Laito-kun’s bite... )

Laito: Haah...Look at you, Bitch-chan, your cheeks flushed and eyes watering...

Does it feel good to have Kou suck your blood?

Yui: That’s not...

Laito: Untrue, right? See? ...The scent of your blood has gotten richer. It proves that you’re feeling good.

Yui: Nn...Haah...That’s not true.

Laito: Aah...I’ve gotten excited just from watching you squirm around in pleasure.

I’d love to enjoy the show for a bit but...

ー Laito approaches as well

Laito: You want me to join in on the fun as well, don’t you? ...Nn...

ー He bites her

Yui: Aah...

Laito: Fufu, your body’s quivering. It must truly feel amazing...

Say? I’ll suck from your arm as well. I believe it’ll make for an entirely new sensation? Nn...Nnh...Haah...

Yui: ( ...Ah...I’m going deeper and deeper down this rabbit hole... )

( Now isn’t the time for this...I haven’t gotten a single step closer in getting out of this weird situation... )

Laito: Your blood is truly addictive...Uu...

Yui: Laito-kun...?

Laito: ...It’s nothing...I just felt a little dizzy, that’s all...

Kou: ...Huh? ...For some reason, my head’s spinning as well...

Laito: ...You know, I guess we got ‘drunk’ on Eve’s top-quality blood...?

Kou: Ahー You might have a point...We don’t get our hands on blood quite this delicious every day after all. 

Yui: ( The blood’s getting to their head? This has never happened before though. )

Kou: Come on, what are you getting distracted for? I’m still not satisfied yet. 

Yui: Eh? No way...

Laito: Look at you playing the part of the tragic heroine. You really are a natural at seducing men, aren’t you?

You’re such a naughty girl, Bitch-chanーー Nn...Hah...

Yui: Uu...Aah...

( My blood is being sucked by not just Laito-kun, but Kou-kun as well... )

( Like this, I’m treated like mere prey, similar to how I had just arrived at the Sakamaki manor... )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[dnangelic]

she shyly plays with one of the little bunny charms she had woven into her space buns; cheeks dusting with the palest of pinks. her other hand comes up just as quickly to hide the smile that finds itself upon her lips. “ oh, these? do you like them? “ they reminded me of you.

bc toga was feeling Cute

@musedriven

cute . cute ... cute --- geeze , what was he , wiz ?! and yet he isn't sure what else to think or where exactly to look at first ; at the charms in her hair , or the faint flush of her cheeks , or the way that she hid her smile with a sleeve , her eyes and question still honed expectant over him , giving off a simultaneous sort of shyness and pointed interest that he's never had to face before . it wasn't in his nature to be suspicious and to assume things , but a certain thought creeps into his mind anyways : was she ... maybe , actually trying to impress him and get his attention ?

him --- ?!

one breath , another ; his hand moves upwards and starts to clutch at his heart . already his face feels like it's steaming . ( oh no ... this was bad --- ! ) ' w-well , they're rabbits , huh ? ' awkwardly stating the obvious doesn't seem to help anything . the pounding rush of his blood reaches his ears , and the sense of panic at the sound of it only seems to make the feeling of blistering heat in his chest worse . at this rate , he really would transform . ' i mean , it's cute --- ! you're cute , they're as cute as the rest of you ... ! '

--- wait , why did he say something like that ?!

he turns on a heel as he makes a small , helpless noise and sprints away in an instant with one last , frantically tossed out ' bye --- ! ' but of course , there'd be no way to tell her that he's been wondering , thinking , dreaming about her --- just a little . in the privacy of his room and the long passing nights inside it , it didn't matter if he transformed into the great phantom thief , because at least there he could be terrified and tormented in peace . certain questions made him feel feverish and dizzy , each query something that he desperately wanted to ask yet equally desperately felt that he couldn't : toga-san , why are you doing any of this ? toga-san , do you ... actually like me ? toga-san , did i --- start to like you ?

' what should i do ... ? ' his --- dark's voice carries soft and troubled . the hope feels absurd ; even though he had already been rejected once and awoken to his family's curse , was he still going to fall in love again ? and then , there was the ache . the faint wound in knowing that she felt nothing for dark --- him . even if he couldn't resist his feelings , pushed along and perpetually swept up by them no matter how stubbornly he tried to dig his heels in , the path ahead seemed winding and difficult . running away , telling lies , playing oblivious ; he didn't want to toy with her , not anymore than he wanted to be toyed with , but what could he do ?

at the very least , no matter for how briefly , his feelings had still been sincere . cute , cute , cute enough that if it weren't for his curse , he could have taken ahold of toga's hand , and held it gently in order to fully reveal and witness her smile at him .

[arakawa-division]

The sun was at its peak in Arakawa as Hoàng Diệu was about to step into the shower, getting ready for the day ahead of her. This morning, she had awoken to a knock on her door, and when she went to open it, there was a deliveryman with a package for her. 

Inside the package was a set of luxury hair care products looking to be worth hundreds of dollars. Naturally,  Diệu was ecstatic to receive such a wonderful gift and immediately wanted to put it to use, especially since she read the note saying the gift was from a “client” of hers. 

Hoàng-san,

“I heard it was your birthday today, and since you helped me pick out some lovely jewelry a while ago, I wanted to send you a gift as thanks.”

Shame the sender decided to remain anonymous. Oh, well. No skin off Diệu’s back. Since she still needed to get ready for the day Diệu grabbed the hair products and headed towards her shower.

— 20 Minutes Later —

There was nothing quite like stepping out of hot water Diệu thought as she stepped out of her shower. She would have stayed longer but needed to open her jewelry store soon. Just as Diệu was about to leave the bathroom,  she noticed something odd in her reflection in the mirror. The mirror was fogged up due to how hot she had her shower, so Diệu couldn't quite tell what was wrong. The so-called “Femme Fatale” got the shock of her life when she wiped the fog off the mirror. Her beautiful light purple hair was now a vile shade of vomit green, and that wasn’t the worst part. No, it got worse when Diệu went to touch her hair and,  to her horror, pulled a chunk of it out with ease. 

How the hell did this happen? Who the fuck did this to her? 

— Much Earlier —

“I never thought I’d see the day where you act so petty, Yuriko.”

“Petty? I absolutely despise backstabbers no matter the reason so I want to do far worse Kaoru but I’ll have to be satisfied with this for now.” 

“…Geez and I thought I was theatrical.”

“Now think you can pull something together for me?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? Of course, I can. Anything specific in mind?” 

“She takes extreme pride in her appearance so something along that line.”

“Say no more. I got you, fam.”

“Excellent”  

— Many Hours Later —

"Yuriko!" Kanra called out to the woman who was reading in her living room.

"What is it, Kanra?" Yuriko asked, looking up as the girl brought a small package to her.

"Package for you." Kanra answered, handing it to her surrogate mother, who looked at it curiously, yet with caution. Opening it, she looked as inside was an intricate jewelry box that was quite pleasing to the eye. As it was placed in the matriarch's palm, both women looked with shock as it suddenly opened and what looked like a small robotic butterfly flew out of it, and suddenly...

...it released an endless spray of glitter that smelled of lotus flowers directly at the matriarch, shocking her and getting glitter everywhere in the room. Screaming, she tried to grab it, but the creature continued flying around the room, spraying glitter everywhere. It would have continued to do so had the matriarch, after getting her bearings (and eyesight) back, threw a spare knife from her back pocket into it, destroying it, making it fall onto the living room floor.

As she was breathing heavily, both Yuriko and Kanra (who managed to not get any glitter on her at all, somehow), looked at the carnage that was now their living room as it was completely covered with what could be consider the art world's STD. It would no doubt took a good chunk of time to get all of this cleaned up.

"Kanra," Yuriko called out to her youngest daughter, a dangerous presence in her voice. "Who delivered this?"

"I... don't know," Kanra answered, slightly scared. "It was already on the doorstep when I checked."

Not liking the answer, Yuriko looked down at the package the jewelry box came in and looked inside, trying to see if there was anything that could ascertain as to who sent this. Fortunately for her, there was a package inside, which read:

"Yuriko,

A flutter of wings, a burst of sparkle. May this little spectacle remind you of life's unexpected turns. Just a bit of harmless fun to add some shine to your day. Remember, every lotus petal has its thorn, or in this case, its glitter.

With a twinkle, as well as hugs and kisses,

Hoàng Diệu ♡"

P.S. "Next time you try to send me a gag gift, I recommend bathing first. I smelled nothing but caffeine emitting off of that birthday package you sent me."

As Yuriko finished the letter, she crumpled it in her fist, even more upset than before. Kanra, now even more scared, started to back away, pointing to the kitchen.

"I, uh... I think I'll go get started on dinner."

"...That would be for the best."

[twilightmalachite]

Raison d’être - The Nameless Girl 6

Author: Akira

Characters: Shu, Mika

Translator: Mika Enstars

"It is physiologically unbearable to me, but since it is your style, I should show understanding, shouldn’t I?"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: Apartment in France

One week later. Paris, at the house Itsuki Shu is boarding at…

Shu: (Since then…)

(Things have not progressed like we had hoped.)

(There is no word from Mr. Raffaello, who had always been pestering us, and he doesn’t seem to be appearing in front of us any time soon.)

(It appears regretfully, Mr. Raffaello never made it to Paris, despite saying he’ll come to Paris one step ahead of us—Perhaps he’s nothing but a lying fraud after all?)

(No, by declaring him to be a “lying fraud”, the whole truth has come to light.)

(Both of those oddly-significant diaries are forgeries, fabricated by the dishonest Mr. Raffaello. They are not fact, but fictitious stories.)

(Grandfather never was unfaithful.)

(He never had an affair, and never betrayed Grandmother and the Itsuki family.)

(And of course, “MADEMOISELLE”, a woman with apparent eternal youth, cannot exist.)

(It all was nothing but fiction.)

(Perhaps the fraud, Mr. Raffaello, learnt about the Mademoiselle doll somewhere, and incorporated a woman who shared her appearance into the plot.)

(However, by fabricating a “story” with significance that appeals to me, it lost its sense of reality.)

(A woman who does not age, no matter how much time passes… Hmph, simply ridiculous.)

(“MADEMOISELLE” was but a fictional character, just as I thought.)

(All of it, a fabrication by an irreverent fraud claiming to be the son of this non-existent woman, in an attempt to snatch away Grandfather’s inheritance—)

(That’s what should be the case… but.)

Mika: … …

Shu: (Ever since I boasted that “truth” earlier, Kagehira has been acting strangely.)

(Why is that? He’s completely absent-minded, like a black cat that just has awoken from his nap.)

(It’s been too long for it to be jet lag… I wonder why, it’s like he’s brooding over something strangely.)

Mika: … …

Shu: Kagehira, are you listening to me? Hello~?

Mika: …Nnah? Ah, umm? I’ve… always wanted t’try the thing called foie gras!

Shu: Nobody here is talking about what to have for lunch! Although it is about that time.

Either way, Foie gras is currently banned in the modern day due to its unethical method of raising.[1]

Mika: I know that, but I’m still curious…♪

Shu: As always, you like your grotesque things. Indiscriminately arranging eyeballs and bones and the like…

It is physiologically unbearable to me, but since it is your style, I should show understanding, shouldn’t I?

Mika: Nnah~, it’d make me happy if ya liked what I liked, Oshi-san!

Foie gras, huh… Ehehe, jus’ talkin’ ‘bout it’s makin’ me wanna eat it.

Shu: Hm. By bringing up the disgusting dish that is foie gras, do you mean to implicitly ridicule me by saying the method I raised you was wrong?

Mika: No, no, there's no way I’d be so sarcastic in such a roundabout way?!

Shu: Then straighten yourself up.

Although it is a letdown that the mysterious phenomena surrounding Mr. Raffaello and the diaries are nothing but inflated exaggerations…

Mika: ……

Shu: What we have to do remains unchanged. To win the Funeral Contest, we must come up with the sort of funeral Grandfather desires.

Mika: Nnah~… That bein’ said, I feel we’re at a checkmate…

Shu: How many times do I have to tell you, that is a misuse of “checkmate”![2] Your memory is poor as always, you know!

Mika: (Nnah~, Oshi-san’s gettin’ irritated again.)

(When he was lookin’ into the diaries, his eyes were sparklin’ like a lil’ kid’s…)

(Nah, it’s inadequate ‘cause there's no dreams or fun in “Raffaello-san was a fraud”—I bet he’s dissatisfied with that conclusion.)

(In Oshi-san’s head, a “story” that was much more pleasant, exhilaratin’, and precious must’ve been unfoldin’.)

(So havin’ a splash of cold water over him while he was enjoyin’ himself lost in his fantasies might’ve dampened his spirits all at once.)

(And ‘cause of that—)

Shu: Perhaps we should have the funeral be a blend of Japanese and Western styles after all, as a combination of the Itsuki family’s traditions and Grandfather’s tastes. …Something like, a row of cross-shaped tombstones, how about that?

Mika: (What do you mean, “how about that?”~… This is bad~, Oshi-san’s way too dispirited and uninspired!)

(I-I think it’ll be tough winnin’ the Funeral Contest at this rate…)

[ ☆ ]

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This is because foie gras is harvested through massively overfeeding geese prior to butchering. Foie gras means “fatty liver���.

The expression Mika used here originally was 煮詰まって, lit. boiled down. It means “to reach a conclusion”, but is more commonly misused to mean “to reach an impasse”, which has quite the opposite meaning. I opted for “checkmate” as a checkmate implies the end of a game, yet it’s often used when “stalemate” would be more appropriate.

[sayakxmi]

[Magi reread] Night 13: Magician of World Creation

I should, once again, go the fuck to sleep, but, like. One more chapter.

You're a lazy, spoiled piece of shit of a person who believes that just because you're rich or whatever-the-fuck-else, then suddenly the world owes you something.

Oh my sweet summer child. (Also, trying to recognize Aladdin's silhouette).

Rest in pieces.

Ok, but can we, like, fucking talk for a second that ALIBABA FUCKING DODGED MORGIANA'S KICK. Like, how fast was that kick. Was she, like, going a bit slower, because she didn't want to kill him? Because, like, we know she doesn't, but also holy shit. What are these reflexes, Alibaba. Fr tho, she definitely wasn't going all out, but still.

Oh, drop that smile, asshole. You did literally nothing.

Also, I lowkey recall something about Ohtaka saying that Morgiana wears no underwear, and I am incapable of not thinking about it seeing this pose.

An attempt is being made.

Ok, Alibaba can pull tricks here and there, but he looks genuine here, and I actually believe that he is. Like, Balbadd was notably that one country (sans Sindria) where slavery was illegal, so for Alibaba slavery wasn't an everyday thing until he had to run from Balbadd. Like, don't get me wrong, he's absolutely trying to appeal to Morgiana, because she's dangerous, but he means it when he says that she should fight for her freedom, and we know he wouldn't use her, period. He tried to use Aladdin, and look what happened - total failure, because he just isn't the type of person that's capable of using others.

You tried, gold star.

Damn, Alibaba is just never living his best life. Also, you ever think how most Households don't like or are a literal danger to their Kings?

Also, now I'm kind of wondering, cuz I don't recall whether Morgiana's ever apologized for it. Like, don't get me wrong, I don't blame her, and I know neither would Alibaba, he's ridiculously forgiving, but, like, I wonder if she felt bad later on. Probably? To both Alibaba and Aladdin, honestly, though Aladdin, too, definitely doesn't blame her. But, like, I just wonder.

Can somebody, please, punch Jamil 2.0.

Man, I could use some Alibaba Angst rn, but, sadly, I'd have to write it myself. But oh well. But also, damn, that's a lot of blood.

Also, no, he doesn't think he can use her, because he has no intention of using her, fuck off.

Is Alibaba's blood literally splattering here

Congrats, you literally kicked a guy who was already down - no thanks to you, might I add.

I really wish Morgiana's trauma had a bit more focus, ngl.

Everybody's lives are sad as shit. But goddammit.

The boy has awoken.

Fuck the both of you, actually - Aladdin, probably.

Alibaba, after being thrown onto a stone pillar by a Fanalis, and then kicked several times by that one asshole, to the point of splattering his blood on the guy's face: I'm ok, you be careful :) (I love him)

Morgiana still processing what happened (fair). And Alibaba, that is the definition of not being ok.

Birbs.

Also, no, seriously, I legit need some fanfic of the three of them kinda processing what happened there, but, like, in hindsight. When it was happening it was all scary and very tense and all that, but once things are calmer, just kinda looking back at the shit that happened there.

More birds, and also Alibaba, you are NOT ok.

Firs of all, Jamil's about to be fucking surprsied. Second of all, damn, Alibaba, you were hit damn hard.

It's been several pages & bro still can't stand up. Which makes perfect sense, but damn.

Hell yeah, fuck his shit up.

What can I say except !!!!!!!!!!

The fuck do you mean photo limit. I had to delete two photos to fit the remaining ones.

Ok, but Aladdin looks like a badass here.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[slowroadtosantiago]

Day 19 - Hornillos to Castrojeriz

(Posting delay of yesterday’s walk as there was rubbish signal and wifi at the albergue)

It was about a 20k day, 12 miles or so.

Each day when we set off I think ‘what on earth am I going to write about today? It’s not a long day, we eat, we walk’ and each day something different happens…so here’s today’s story.

After a reasonable night’s sleep we were rudely awoken by an alarm going off at 6, and people shuffling about and opening the door. Then the light went on, hrmph!

We had breakfast at the hostel then set off about 7:20 with full packs today. My blisters have now all healed so I walked without plasters, and Jane was walking for the first time without strapping her feet up too. Jane’s heel is also OK after rest.

There was a steady climb out of the valley onto the plateau at the top. It was a cooler morning but we still stripped of our jackets half way up. The land is very open with chalk white soil on the hillsides. The fields are full of barley or wheat and young poppies are just starting to appear on the verges and you can see that in a couple of weeks it will look gorgeous.

Across the plateau we started having a go at the Welsh national anthem. My Bethan is going to send through a line a day to learn so we should have it sorted by the time we finish!

We were caught up by an Irish couple who had heard the ‘singing’ and we chatted about our journeys. They were travelling light and doing it in stages so soon sped past us.

Scott also caught us up and we walked down into Hontanas together for our first proper coffee of the day. Hontanas is a nice place that just suddenly appears as it’s down in a dip. On the way out we passed an old 2CV, haven’t seen one of those for ages, and whereas you usually see a fountain cherub having a wee, today we saw a full sized version!

The path followed a nice valley and where it joined the road again we found a comfortable spot under a proper tree to have a rest and change into our sandals.

The road eventually led to an old ruined monastery at San Anton where there was a huge arch over the road and where some of the old buildings had been preserved as an albergue.

The last stretch on a long straight road brought us to Castrojeriz looking impressive in the distance with a castle on the hill and church down below.

Our hostel is clean and the beds not too rickety. It is also unusual as the evening meal is South Korean inspired.

We dumped our stuff then found a cafe for a beer and some lunch for me - I had been looking forward to a wedge of tortilla. We met up with the Texans in the same cafe though they are sleeping elsewhere tonight. We clocked that the church was closed so would visit it later.

Back at the hostel it was time for a shower and a chill. We then had a mammoth session sat in the garden planning out the rest of our trip. Nicole, the Australia, was planning on celebrating her birthday on the 15th of May in Herrerías so we’ve worked out how to get there for then. At the moment it looks like we may get to Santiago on the 24th May and fly out on the 28th, but things can change.

We decided that after all that hard work we deserved a glass of wine so started making our way to the local bar. The clouds behind were very ominous.

The church on the way was open so we thought to drop in there first. It’s a museum as well and the guardian very enthusiastically talked about some of the exhibits, in Spanish, so we nodded along enthusiastically too!

As we reached the entrance again the skies started to open up. We decided the better course of action was to get back to the hostel. As we were running back it started hail storming! A bit damp we got back and watched the streams of water running down the street.

After a while we were called to dinner. The Korean meal was delicious. There was rice on the bottom and different veg arranged on top along with ground beef. You then added a fried egg, soy sauce, miso soup and as much spicy red sauce you could manage and mixed it all together. We’ve got quite a few Koreans in the bunkhouse and they enjoyed it very much.

We’re now in our bunks listening to the thunder outside. The bad weather is due to move off tonight and we should have a dry day tomorrow, fingers crossed.

[outeremissary]

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Balthazar and Tristian!

I hope all is well in the once-Stolen Lands! The hardest part of moving back to Cheliax away from Mendev is the distance between my old diplomatic allies turned friends. On this day of love and friendship, I extend my most cheerful of celebrations to you two! Please take it easy today, the kingdom can afford one day of a break, Balthazar. I promise it’s not going to all fall apart. You’re lucky Tristian has the patience of a saint. 

Hopefully these gifts will give you an excuse to step off the throne for a little bit! The wine and cheese is local to Cheliax. Of course, I don’t know how it compares to what you guys produce over there, but I hope it at least is palatable enough for a date night! I’ve also sent along some books on ancient arcane rituals that might interest you - Regill would’ve insisted they be thoroughly examined for anything dangerous… which technically you can do. We won’t tell him. It’s wrapped in the fashion magazines last I picked up from Absalom - I hope I didn’t bend their pages doing so! I remember you also being really into that sort of stuff.  

I also sent along some balm I found when I was there for feathers. I can’t believe how soft it’s made mine, I really just had to pass it along to you too! I know what a huge pain it is to care for them, especially with your wings. Hopefully you find it useful! I’d love to come visit sometime - if you have any other world ending cataclysms, I’m just a Sending away!

-Warm regards, Minovae!"

My dear Minovae,

Though this letter falls into your lap a touch late for me to properly wish you well for the holiday, I can certainly send my hopes that you spent it pleasantly with that husband of yours. Though duty never takes a holiday, I must say you more than earned the rest. I can only hope you enjoyed a long and indulgent vacation for the holiday. Perhaps at the spas you have told me so much about, or maybe enjoying that evergreen Chelaxian theater scene (though I confess I can’t imagine Regill sitting through an opera without making his displeasure quite known). Tristian sends regards as well, and is with me insisting on knowing what I put down. He has doubts about some of the books, Minovae- you will have to reassure him when next you write.

As for us, you needn’t have worried. The toil of the realm is ceaseless, it’s true, but I do still know how to enjoy myself. Spending a day like that bent over petitions and tax documents… if that ever happens, I’ll be the first calling for revolution. No, we didn’t do even a little work on the date, I’m happy to say. Tristian even came back to bed after dawn prayer- the closest to sleeping in I think we manage. It was a fairly quiet affair this year (no travel or shows this time around), but the time in was well spent. I’m sorry to have missed your gifts on the day! I do miss the cuisine of the Inner Sea- the wine and cheese would have been an excellent addition to the evening. You speak far too modestly of your gifts. It will be a long while before anything as fine emerges here.

At any rate, between the fine southern vintage and the news of Absalom, you’ve awoken something of a nostalgia in me. You’re in danger of playing host rather than visitor if this continues. I only half jest- I’ve been playing with the idea of some “diplomatic tour” as excuse for a while now. But I suspect you can tear yourself away from your post somewhat easier than I, and we would be happy to have you again even sans cataclysm. Here- I’ve sent some things along that might tantalize you. That pendant should be a lovely complement to your eyes- though it’s been some time, I should think I remember their color well enough. It was crafted by one of the artisans near Lake Silverstep, who sought to capture the silver-blue of the mountains not only in the frame for the gem but that thread-thin chain as well. What a lovely coincidence that hue is also counted among your scales! The music box is Pitaxian and is from both of us- there have always been renowned instrument crafters in the city, but what a delight to see the songs themselves captured, yes? And speaking of the region… a lovely Sarain white. I’ve no local cheese to send to pair it with, sadly. At times like this I wish that Jubilost were still here. Much as he could be an insufferable ass, if you could sit through his scoffing at your ignorance there really was no one better at finding the right local complement for any vintage (Tristian wishes you to know he strongly objects to my word choice, though he cedes Jubilost could be “somewhat overbearing”). At any rate, the vintage is citrusy, a touch dry, and pairs well with something salty but mild. If you’re near enough to Westcrown, I’ve also heard it works splendidly with oysters.

Yours truly,

Balthazar and Tristian

P.S. The balm really is a marvel. You’ll have to tell me where you got it, as I’m already sure I’ll mourn its absence when it’s gone.

(author's note: I wrote the tags before the letter and now I'm too scared of them to change them whatever's happening down there is happening)