#and to be clear! i am not blaming any of them for this!

[dumbingofage]

Just out of curiosity Willis, how long has this moment with Joyce and Dorothy been in the planning?

Because I've been rooting for them for over a decade.

Maybe... seven years? A full decade? It's hard to say the exact moment my brain gave in and said, yes, okay, this is going to happen. Definitely some measure of time before the timeskip.

It's why Dorothy and Joyce are next to each other in the final real, non-parking-lot-timelapse strip of Book 10. I was staking a claim in the ground. I know, from being in Fandoms, that when there's a clear narrative division of Before/After, readers who are dissatisfied with anything in the After can sometimes blame it on being in the After, and reject the entire After as false. A helpful border was drawn! So this was me getting ahead of myself, marking in the Before that, no, this was always here.

...it is also, admittedly, why Becky was so obnoxious regarding Dorothy immediately thereafter. I wanted to remind readers about this little triangle, and whoops Becky doesn't really do anything by halves.

(the above strip was about Becky's Dorothy obnoxiousness)

I also knew it would be MANY MANY YEARS before any of this might come to fruition, and that I'd be hinting/teasing at it a billion times, so I slipped the above strip in as a half-wink at savvy readers for them to understand that, yes, I know "baiting" is considered a thing. I know this. Trust me. I am serious about all of this.

it wasn't originally going to happen exactly like this, though

and i didn't expect it for maybe another five years

[y2kuromi]

⟢ ┈ ❛ 𝗧𝗢𝗢 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗡𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗚𝗜𝗔 呪術廻戦

synopsis. your last summer together is buried in memories and spent grieving spring days you’re too young to be nostalgic for.

contents. sfw! fluff, with a smidge of angst. poly stsg x fem! reader. est rel ⇢ they’re dating. canon compliant. premature death arc. reader gets called pretty girl, wifey, sweets, baby & angel. melancholy slice of life. i’m not normal about them </3

the sky was a numbing bright blue tinted with the orange hues of the sun's rays. it was hot, sickeningly so, and the common room was stuffy despite the windows being open. you could barely move your limbs without being suffocated by the sticky heat.

the clock’s handles seemed to crawl lethargically across its dial. you were reclined on the tatami floor, head propped up against satoru's legs as you sighed loudly for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour.

the blue eyed boy sat cross-legged in front of the only working fan, running a hand languidly through his soft white hair as he tapped absentmindedly at his phone's screen. his cheeks were flushed a light pink from the sun's warmth and beads of sweat clung to his skin.

he'd shrugged off his navy blue uniform jacket and discarded it somewhere on the common room’s couch. under the onslaught of the blistering heat sweat bled through the fabric of his white school shirt, highlighting the planes of his shoulders and abs.

his hair fell softly, framing his face and you swore his irises were glowing behind his sunglasses when you inevitably got lost in those pretty blues of his.

you were positive he was oblivious to your staring until the corner of his lips quirked upwards in a small smirk. “take a picture it’ll last longer”

“i wasn't even looking at you” you huffed, too sweltered to be embarrassed by the teasing grin that was plastered across his features as he directed his attention solely to you

“that's right sweets, you were staring” he chuckled, “i can’t say i blame you, i mean look at me, i'm drop dead gorgeous”

“i should've gone down to the konbini with shoko” you groaned, propping yourself up on your elbows in order to shoot him a well meaning glare. “or followed sugu and nanami on their mission this morning, anything’s better than being stuck here with you”

“aww don't say that, they wouldn't have wanted you to miss out on this view” the sunlight filtering in through the window cast a golden hue over his eyes. it took everything in your power not to melt under the intensity of his gaze.

“whatever helps you sleep at night” you sighed loftily, subsequently rolling your eyes. “it’s too hot for your nonsense, do you ever shut up?”

“nope! no can do” he said, sticking his tongue out childishly — the action only served to deepen the dimples carved in the apples of his cheeks. “if i did you'd be bored out of your mind”

“i am bored out of my mind” you sighed exasperatedly. you were beyond stultified, unable to do as little as focus on the book you'd been reading. the fan tousled its pages aimlessly while you stared up at your boyfriend the ceiling

“let’s do something fun then” satoru proposed. your brows furrowed as he pinched your cheek softly, rolling your flesh between his thumb and index finger.

“like what?” you narrowed your eyes at him. he couldn’t be up to any good, he never was. you wondered what the twisted idea whirring in his mind was now.

“skinny dipping” he grinned, you weren't opposed to going for a swim. it would be fun and relaxing. the thought of cool crystal clear water washing over your skin was very enticing but satoru was a handful. and you were too hot to deal with his antics.

“i’ll pass on that” you hummed, swatting his hands away from your face to no avail. he continued to trace shapes on the canvas of you skin

“and here i thought you’d jump at the opportunity to spend some time with me” he pouted.

it was suddenly a little harder to look him in the eyes without remembering how cold and lifeless they’d once been. a dull grey, unlike the familiar bright blue you’d fallen in love with

it was suddenly a little harder to breathe as you wiped beads of sweat off your forehead. this wasn’t your usual banter, his blue eyes were hazy as if a storm layed in wait in them. a storm that had been brewing, slowly, since his untimely awakening

“i am spending time with you silly” your voice was soft, like spun sugar, like the embroidered cushions lining suguru’s bed, like your gentle fingers carding through his unruly hair at night, “i’ve missed you. a lot”

satoru frowns. he was so much busier than he’d wished to be with the nonstop solo missions the higher ups threw at him. he’d barely seen you this summer. and he’d seen suguru even less. resentment, slow and bitter had begun to stir towards his newfound strength, and the responsibilities that came subsequently with it.

he’d missed so, so much this summer. it was still his favourite season. it would always be

he would never grow sick of the sun’s rays beating down on his skin. of picking pretty flowers to thread through suguru’s hair. of the late night konbini runs you went when yaga-sensei was fast asleep

but he resented his absence.

as strong as he was, as quickly as he dealt with each curse on his missions, he couldn’t be there for you, for suguru, no matter how much he wanted to be

“i know, i’m here now” he murmured, you held satoru’s gaze for a moment as he pressed a honeyed peck to your cheek with an over-exaggerated mwah

and you tried to mirror the smile splayed on his lips even though it didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it was hard to bask in his warm presence when you’d never felt so alone.

( change was lonely, painfully so )

satoru was busy being the strongest. shoko spent her days toiling away in the infirmary with her dummies, she practically lived there. suguru had shrunken into a shell of himself — his olive skin had become milky and so, undeniably pale. his violet eyes were sunken and the dark bags hanging beneath them made your heart ache.

( change was heartbreaking to witness )

suguru seemed worse off after haibara’s funeral. he’d been holed up in his dorm more often than not. and when he could be bothered to come out his loose fitting uniform was creased. and he was quiet. quieter than he’d ever been.

he felt like a doppelgänger to you, a zombie

his trademark scent of coffee and jasmine pommade was long gone. his obsidian hair was unstyled and greasy. he was no longer the first to wake up and trail to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. he no longer reprimanded satoru for eating too much sugar, no longer scolded you for staying up too late.

but he was still your suguru, you still loved him

you missed him just as much as you missed your blue spring. you chewed on the inside of your cheek for a moment. it didn’t take a genius to tell something was bothering you, it was written all over your face.

“you okay?” satoru asked, brows furrowed in a way that made him look like the pouty teenager he once was, “i can practically hear you thinking”

“‘m thinking about suguru again” you confessed quietly, leaning into his touch and closing your eyes, “i know he’s fine but, i’m worried”

you weren’t entirely sure what yaga was thinking when he’d sent suguru and nanami to exorcize a second grade in kyoto.

it had been a year since the incident with the star plasma vessel and the furthest suguru had traveled for a mission was shinjuku, sending him to a completely different prefecture was throwing him in the deep end

“sugu’s a tough guy baby, he can hold his own” satoru said softly, brushing stray curls away from your forehead. you weren’t sure he actually believed that

his leg bounced subconsciously beneath your figure, and his bottom lip was caught beneath his pearly teeth. he sat quietly for a moment, considering what to make of the far away look on your face

“wanna speak to him? will that make you feel better?” he asks, dangling his phone mere inches away from your face. the matching phone charm you’d bought for the three of you reflects the suns rays beautifully

you nodded. satoru cracked his signature smile as he handed his phone to you. you knew his password by heart — it’s a combination of all your birthdays and he uses it for everything. your thumbs dart across his keyboard and his screen lights up with the photo shoko took at the beach last spring

you were grinning, sandwiched between your boyfriends and there was glitter-like sand dusting your cheeks. suguru’s eyes had so much more light in them and satoru looked like he was dreaming

( it’s so much better than his old screenie of that gravure idol )

his phone rang shrilly and you waited with bated breath for suguru to answer. relief washed over you when the line connected with a click and a familiar voice sent tremors of something akin to love rippling through your chest

“satoru?” you can hear the faint ruffling of his sleeve against the receiver as he holds his phone up to his ear

“close, it’s me ” your voice is soft, a mere whisper. talking to suguru often felt like taking timid steps towards a stray cat. making no sudden movements incase he’d bolt. “but he’s here too”

“hey angel, is everything okay?”

you knew suguru was grieving the loss of something. something you didn’t think you’d ever understand, but he never failed to think about your own wellbeing first. it made you sad, but it also made you love him even more

“yeah, i’m fine” you smiled, “i just wanted to know how your mission was going”

he chuckled lowly, amused by the shy timbre of your words. “that’s sweet of you, nanami and i are on the train now. we’ll be back before you know it”

“told you he could hold his own” satoru said quietly before growing smug, “suguru, how long does is it take to deal with a second grade? you’ve been gone all morning”

it’s a little rude, and vibrant shades of condescending, but you all know he’s only kidding. you all know he’s worried too.

“hello to you too ‘toru,” you could almost hear the smile tugging at suguru’s lips, “do you want anything? i saw some takoyaki and thought of you”

the blue eyed boy is deep in thought for a moment, before he speaks up again “nahh, i don't want anything just come back safe so we can get thai food for dinner tonight”

your mouth began to water and your stomach growled, clamouring at the mention of the savoury dishes you often got from the thai joint in town. the cereal you’d had for breakfast was a distant memory

“speaking of food, have both of you had lunch yet?”

you and satoru exchanged guilty looks. you hadn’t. you were waiting for suguru. you always were

“i’ll take your silence as a no” he tutted, “please don’t bother waiting for me again, i don’t have much of an appetite today”

satoru hummed noncommittally, shifting you off him ever so slightly, so that he could stand up. you groaned quietly as he cupped your head in the divot of his palm and placed a pillow beneath it

( it was nowhere near as soft as him )

you raised a curious brow at him, and he mouthed the word ‘water’ to you before padding towards the kitchen. you didn’t need to ask him to bring you a glass too, you knew he would

“you’ve barely eaten anything this week, and shoko said you didn’t have any breakfast before you left” you sighed — a gloomy exhale that made something in him constrict. it made his heart burn with the desperate yearning to protect you

( from everything. from how fucked up the jujutsu world was. from the dangerous curses lurking in shadows. from him.)

“we’re still getting take-out tonight angel” suguru’s voice is comforting, and laced with unadulterated affection. he really does love you, “and i’ll eat it all, i promise”

he wants to apologize to you. to promise that he’ll try — to eat, to take a little more care of himself, to be less apathetic, to talk about amanai and haibara and unpack the feelings he’d buried in the back of his mind

( to be easier to love. )

but he’s afraid his heart might give out if he unveils himself to you.

“thank you” you beamed, and he knows you mean it. he knows you’re truly grateful. for him, for everything. and he hopes you know the feeling is mutual. he feels a little less melancholy when the line clicks

( he feels a little less melancholy because you’re so, so good to him )

satoru returns with a full glass of water. your glass has cute tiny strawberries dotting its rim. he’d found it nestled behind snow globes and old ceramic vases at an old thrift store. he sets it down carefully on the coffee table

you remained unmoving on the tatami mats, legs spread akimbo in a way that made satoru think of starfish. of running barefoot on the beach and building castles in the sand

you reminded him of summer, you always had.

“c’mon, up you get lazy” he coaxed, leaning down to scoop you up effortlessly in his arms. you let out a whine as he carried you towards the couch.

he trailed a soft kiss from your cheek to the top of your head, and pulled away ever so slightly, resting his forehead against yours

he’s a little too pretty like this, framed by the golden sunlight flitting through the windows. hazy, like a midsummer night’s dream. a little too unguarded

a little too human to be a god

a blissful sigh fell from your lips. satoru had always been clingy. but — on the rare occasions he was free from his tedious missions — he’d been moreso lately. his fingers brushed over your skin meticulously, meaningfully as if he wished to commit every inch of your skin to his memory.

he waited patiently as you sipped on your water. blue eyes crinkling, as teasing as ever. you could tell he was itching to make fun of you for being so sluggish. but he doesn’t

he leans in to kiss the tip of your nose gently, and you’re drunk on the way his love seeps through his touch. it bleeds through infinity, his skin, everything and it always reaches you

it’s a heavy, cloying type of love. sometimes too much to bear, like draping a heavy blanket over your glistening skin. but satoru made it feel so light. so natural. his arms are snug around your waist and you fit into him like a puzzle piece. you’re so impossibly close to him you can feel the beat of his heart against you.

“pretty girl” he grins, and all you can manage is an airy murmur of mm. one that has him pressing yet another kiss to your skin. ivory tendrils tickle your neck and you can’t help but squirm

in his affection driven haze, satoru ignores your weak protests about him ‘slobbering all over you’ . instead, pressing more short, sticky kisses to the crook of your neck that temporarily soothed the sun’s bruises.

you’re so lost in him, in his love, that you don’t even hear shoko drifting through the open door until her footsteps came to a halt, and she took in the unfolding scene with a scowl

“get a room please” shoko groaned as she trudged into the common room. “better yet, go to one of yours. this has to be a form of public indecency”

you giggled wryly. it was hard to see her past your besotted boyfriend, but you managed. there was a disgruntled look clouding her dark brown eyes. the practiced, unamused look she reserved for satoru’s shameless public displays of affection.

her shoulder-length brown hair is scraped into two loose ponytails. beads of sweat dot her forehead, glistening beneath the mellow kitchen lights and making her skin appear to sparkle. she'd shed the jacket of her uniform and rolled her sleeves up to her elbows

you turned your face into the crook of satoru’s neck, grinning ruefully against his skin. “you could’ve stayed at the konbini longer.”

“and left you two to defile the common room? i don’t think so” she scoffed, dropping her grocery bags on the kitchen counter “i had to buy more posicles and ice cream by the way, considering someone finished all of them and didn’t think to say anything”

satoru whistled inconspicuously as he perked up beside you, “i wonder who that could’ve been”

you rolled your eyes and nudged your elbow into his ribs gently, “you, eight eyes.”

he gasped, pressing a hand dramatically to his heart. “sweets c’mon, you’re supposed to be on my side.”

“i genuinely have no idea how you managed to pull two of the hottest people i know,” shoko muttered, yanking open the freezer and shoving the cold treats inside. “you’re such a loser”

“it’s the charm, i’m simply irresistible”

“you’re insufferable actually,” she snapped, grabbing herself a popsicle and biting into it with a small crunch. she sighed as she sat herself down on one of the stools. “god it’s so hot today.”

you groaned in agreement, popping the top two open in surrender. “i feel like i’m melting”

satoru peered down at you and grinned. “oh? just a few more buttons sweets—”

“pervert!” you said, glaring at him accusingly. “what is wrong with you?” your palms flattened against his chest as you shoved hard. he didn’t budge

“that’s not very nice” satoru sniffed, feigning ignorance as he tilted his head “i’m just appreciating the view! am i not allowed to find my girlfriend attractive?”

“you’re cursed,” you shoved at his chest again to no avail. it was like trying to move a brick wall. a brick wall with annoying sparkly blue eyes.

“you’re so mean to me,” he whined, dropping his arms and drowning you in his weight. all long limbs and lazy affection, blinking at you slowly, like a cat basking in the sun.

“get off me” you shrieked, writhing beneath him in outrage. he only laughed, the sound bright and boyish as it rumbled in his chest. “i’m all sticky”

“i like you sticky” he mumbled into your skin, pressing a kiss to your temple as you tried and failed to squirm away

there was something about summers that made satoru and suguru hang off you more than they ought to. you thumped his shoulder until he finally relented with a groan. he pouted as if you were somehow inconveniencing him by not letting him squish the life out of you.

“so violent,” he teased, sitting up and pulling you towards him by your waist effortlessly. you let out a squeal as he hoisted you up into his arms.

“put me down!” you squirmed as he carried you towards the kitchen, legs kicking in the air as he held you firmly over his shoulder.

“nope,” he grinned, “not ‘til you say sorry”

“for calling you a pervert? you are one.” you rolled your eyes, trying and failing to fight the small laugh that escaped your lips, muffled against his collarbone.

“i hate both of you” shoko scowled, “you make me sick to my stomach, especially you satoru”

“hurtful,” he sniffled dramatically, tightening his grip around your waist. “wifey, tell shoko to stop being mean to me.”

“shoko stop being mean to him” you said absentmindedly as he deposited you on the counter with care, making sure you didn’t hit your head on the overhead cabinet. his fingers were gentle as he adjusted your legs so they dangled comfortably over the edge.

“i make no promises” she drawled, taking another bite of her popsicle, unmoved. “we should hit the beach one of these day, before summer ends”

you perked up slightly at that, swinging your legs where they dangled over the edge of the counter. “only if we go when toru doesn’t have a mission,”

“unlikely, i always have missions,” he muttered, still lingering by your side

“that’s true,” you said, voice softer now. “we barely see you these days. if it’s not a mission, it’s some meeting with the higher-ups or—”

“i’m here now, aren’t i?” he poked your thigh gently. looking at you with his pretty blues. they were soft in a way they rarely were these days. like summer fading into fall. “i’ll always make time for you, baby.”

shoko gagged, not missing a beat, “cut it out please, i beg of you.”

before satoru could retaliate, his phone buzzed in his pocket. he picked it up, face lighting up at the name on the screen. “sugu’s asking what you want from the thai place in town” he says, “d’you want your usual or do you want to try something new?"

“mm i want my mango sticky rice" you said, after careful consideration. the rice drizzled with sweet fresh slices of mango and coconut milk was perfect on humid days like this.

“i knew it,” satoru grinned, “you’re so predictable.”

“shut up,” you mumbled, flicking his arm. “you get pad thai every single time.”

“it’s the superior option,” he shrugged “besides, i always give you some.”

“that’s because your portions are huge.”

“and because i love you,” he said softly, reaching up to cup your cheek. you let him, because his touch was familiar and warm, because he was always anchoring himself to you in any way possible

“are you going to ask for my order too?” shoko asked impatiently, “or are you going to keep flirting with my best friend”

“if you must know i’m multi-tasking” he sighed, turning his attention towards her briefly, “i can be a good boyfriend and remember that you want . . .”

“kanom jeeb and fried tofu” she narrowed her eyes at him as he texted her order to suguru

“happy now?” he said, rolling his eyes. shoko didn’t bother gracing him with a response. she tossed her popsicle stick into the bin with a lazy flick of her wrist, already completely tuned out of the conversation

instead of probing her any further — for once — satoru ambled towards the fridge. his uniform shirt was sticking to his back in soft creases from the heat. he crouched, muttering something under his breath about the strawberry ones disappearing first, rifling through the boxes to dig out popsicles for both of you

there was a pause as he stood back up, nudging the door shut with his foot and turning toward you with a small, triumphant grin. he held out a strawberry popsicle in one hand and the mystery flavor in the other. you took yours without complaint

“thank you ‘toru” you smiled, the corners of your lips curling as you leaned ever so slightly into him, the strawberry popsicle already beginning to drip down your wrist in the summer heat.

“any time, pretty girl,” he murmured, looking very pleased with himself, “y’know i live to serve you.”

“you live to be annoying” shoko quipped flatly from across the kitchen, where she was rummaging through the rest of her groceries. she cracked open a can of cola and took a long sip before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand

“are you and suguru down to smoke later?” she asked you casually, “i wanna talk to you without your shadow lurking”

“you mean satoru?” you asked, trying to suppress the smile tugging at your lips

“i’m right here” he scowled around a mouthful of popsicle, brows furrowed as he processed the betrayal, “and you shouldn’t be smoking anyway, it’s bad for you”

“so is eating enough sugar to kill a family of five but i don’t see you quitting any time soon” shoko shot back, arms folded across her chest

“semantics” satoru said breezily, waving her off with his free hand, “the three of you smoke like you’re getting paid to, at this rate i’m gonna end up outliving all of you”

you paused, the cold sweetness of your popsicle dull on your tongue as your gaze flickered up to him. shoko didn’t respond right away either. she just looked at him, like she wasn’t sure if he meant it as a harmless joke or if he even realized how that sounded out loud.

“very tactful” she muttered finally, voice lower than it was before, “that’s one hell of a thing to say satoru”

he blinked slowly, like the weight of his own words had only just reached him. but he didn’t take them back. he just chuckled hollowly. “i mean, think about it. i am the strongest. kinda comes with the label, doesn’t it?”

there was a pause. you looked at him, really looked at him, the way you had a hundred times since the star plasma incident. his face was flushed with heat and sugar. his mouth was curled like he was still joking, but his eyes had gone a little glassy

you knew that look all too well, you’d seen it too often in the quiet moments after missions, when he came home with bloodstains dotting his collar and heavy silence. you'd seen it when he held amanai’s body too tightly the day she died. you’d seen it when he stood next to suguru at haibara’s grave. you could see it now, beneath the kitchen lights and between melting popsicles. you felt something twist deep in your stomach.

“toru,” you murmured, your voice barely above the hum of the fridge. he blinked, once, twice, “stop talking like that”

“like what?” he cocked his head, expression unreadable behind his sunglasses

“like you’re going to end up all alone” you frowned. he sighed, eyes lowering again. he fiddled with the now empty popsicle in his hand

“‘m just being realistic” he grinned limply, “someone’s gotta be” your fingers brushed against his gently, in an almost imperceptible way that made him flinch. not away from you, but towards you. like he needed it. like he needed your touch to anchor him, to pull him back from wherever his mind had started to spiral.

he shifted a little closer, knuckles grazing your thigh where you sat on the counter, soft and quiet. in case the smallest movement would scare the moment away.

“you don’t have to be the one holding the world together” you said softly. his jaw tensed, he was still grinning but his lips twitched weakly

“who else is gonna do it?” he asked casually, “nanami’s too serious, utahime’s too weak—”

“gojo” shoko interrupted coolly, arms folded over her chest again. she watched him closely as she shook her head, the expression on her face was a mix of concern and mild irritation beneath her soft bangs.

“my bad” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he offered her a half-hearted smile, “didn’t mean to get all doom and gloom on you guys, it’s way too hot outside for conversations like this”

you hummed, unconvinced but you didn’t push it. as the silence settled back into something lighter, you heard footsteps echo down the hall.

“conversations like what?” suguru’s voice filtered into the kitchen, gentle and low, warming your heart in a way only he could manage to.

“suguru” your body moved before your mind could register, sliding off the counter and padding across the linoleum to close the distance between you. you threw your arms around him the second he stepped into view, pressing your face into the crook of his neck before he could fully set the takeaway bags down.

he stiffened slightly, but you felt him soften just as quickly. “hey,” he said, voice low and a little hoarse as he adjusted his grip on the food to avoid dropping it, “i’m all sweaty”

“when has that ever mattered?” you mumbled against his skin, breathing him in. his scent was fainter now, mixed with heat and exhaustion, but he still smelled like himself. like coffee and jasmine. he was still your suguru.

“double standards” behind you, satoru spluttered. “when it was me last week you told me to get off you. and you told me to get off you multiple times today”

“because you were literally covered in blood and you’re clingy at the most inconvenient times” you rolled your eyes as suguru placed a tender kiss on your the crown of your head. like he was reassuring you in ways he couldn’t quite accomplish with words. “how was your mission sugu?”

“so you hate me and you want me to die?” you didn’t even have to look at satoru to know his face was twisted into the most betrayed expression imaginable, hand clutching at his chest like you’d run him through with a blade.

“he’s so dramatic,” you murmured, softening into the crook of suguru’s shoulder

“he always has been” suguru said fondly, “it’s one of his more charming flaws”

“flaws?” satoru gasped again, voice cracking as if the word alone had physically hurt him, “you’re turning on me too?”

suguru sighed through a small, fond smile. like he’d seen this exact performance a hundred times, and would happily watch it a hundred more. “no one’s turning on you, ‘toru. you’re just. . .exhausting.”

“exhausting?” he sounded scandalized now, staggering a step backward toward the counter like he needed the support. “i give and give and this is what i get in return? slander? betrayal?”

“you give us migraines,” shoko muttered, rubbing her temple tiredly like the sound of satoru’s voice was more than enough to trigger another one. “how was your mission suguru?”

“mm” suguru hummed, setting down the takeaway bags carefully on the counter. “not too bad, just another haunted house”

“where’s nanami?” you asked, leaning against the counter as suguru loosened the ties of the plastic bags with his lithe fingers. his dark hair was still a little damp at the ends, curled slightly where it brushed the nape of his neck. you could see how the sleeves of his uniform clung to the faint sheen of sweat along his arms.

“he said he was going to take a shower,” he said, finishing unpacking the takeaway with practiced movements. mango sticky rice for you, pad thai for satoru, kanom jeeb for shoko, khao soi for nanami, and som tam for himself. all neatly boxed in clear plastic and lined neatly on the counter . “i’m going to freshen up as well, you can start eating without me”

“like hell we will” satoru scoffed indignantly, as if the mere idea of eating dinner without suguru was a personal affront, “we’re coming with you”

“that isn’t necessary, i’m only going to take a shower.”

he had that look in his violet eyes again, something akin to exhaustion and untouchable softness.before the star plasma vessel, before amanai, before toji, he would’ve teased satoru for being too clingy. but now?

now, he was quieter. slower to smile. still warm, still him. but dull, defeated

( now, an ache permanently rested on his shoulders and he was always a little too far away. like you could reach out and touch him, but never truly hold him )

satoru, naturally, took offense to suguru’s refusal, “how rude,” he huffed, “i said we were tagging along why are you acting like i asked to watch you shower?”

“i wouldn’t put it past you.” shoko interjected, “freak”

you snorted behind your hand, watching suguru’s violet eyes flicker with the faintest trace of amusement. the kind of amusement they were lit with naturally before everything broke

“we’re coming” satoru insisted again, already walking toward the hallway. his footsteps unyielding as he glared at shoko over his shoulder “best believe i’ll deal with you later shoko”

shoko didn’t flinch, she didn’t do as little as batting an eye. “shiver me timbers” she deadpanned

your fingers slipped into suguru’s. his hand was warm and a little rough, it tightened gently around yours instinctively. muscle memory. something he couldn’t unlearn no matter how hard he tried to.

he glanced at you briefly, your eyes held something that he couldn’t quite place a finger on. it softened his resolve to be alone, it softened his resolve to leave. “alright”

you didn’t say anything, just tugged at his hand to guide him toward the hallway. toward the stillness of his room. your steps were slow and unhurried, and suguru was grateful for it. grateful for you

the door creaked as he pushed it open. his room hadn’t changed much over the course of the last three years. it still smelled the same, like jasmine, sandalwood, and a hint of sweet citrus. the main lights were off and the sun hadn’t fully set yet. golden rays filtered in streaks through the curtains.

you stepped in after suguru and let the door click shut behind you. satoru was already sprawled out on his bed like he owned the place

suguru’s room was messy in an intentional way. his walls were adorned with paintings and photographs. some were in proper frames while some were hung up with tape. his desk was littered with sketches of curses he’d absorbed, and studies of you and your found family. there was one of nanami reading by the windowsill. one of shoko smoking. and a half-finished sketch of amanai at the beach.

his dragon shaped record player sat near his desk, a neat stack of worn vinyls beside it. his dresser was cluttered with glass bottles of cologne, hair products, and his childhood jewelry box that was stuffed with silver rings and tangled necklaces. suguru’s room was a sanctuary. it was the only place he still felt like himself. he always had a candle burning, its scent wafting through the air like sweet incense. it clung to his sheets, to his throw pillows, to his clothes

his pet lizard was dozing off in its vivarium, blinking lazily at you. the lava lamp on the bedside table gurgled and shifted, casting soft ripples of orange light across satoru’s face

“i’m in love with your room” you murmured with a smile, eyes flicking toward the small mountain of lego sets lined up by the window. “when we finally graduate and move in together, you’re definitely going to be in charge of decorating our apartment”

suguru stilled slightly at the sound of your words. “assuming i would say yes to living with you two”

“of course you would” satoru said, “who else would do the dishes and laundry and all the other boring stuff”

“if you’re gonna be lazy then you can’t move in with us” you said matter-of-factly.

“i happen to be very helpful when i want to be”

“so never?” you quipped, sitting down slowly on the edge of suguru’s bed, “we’ll get a place somewhere in the city, not too far from the school so we can still commute easily, but far enough that we don’t run into yaga-sensei on the weekends”

“we need a big kitchen for late night snacks” satoru added, looking expectantly at suguru.

suguru was silent for a moment. every time you and satoru brought up the future and talked about building a life outside missions and curses, his heart twisted in his chest. he wanted to want it. but no matter how much he daydreamed, he knew deep down he wouldn’t be with you when the time came. for now he could pretend to believe in your fantasies

“and a little balcony with enough room for me to grow plants and smoke until ‘toru threatens to throw me over it” he said drily

“you just had to bring up the s word” satoru sighed, shaking his head softly

suguru unbuttoned his shirt with tired fingers as he headed for the bathroom “i won’t be long” he said over his shoulder. when he disappeared into the steam and scent of his green apple shampoo, the quiet settled in again.

satoru shifted a little beside you, watching the way your fingers fidgeted with the hem of your skirt, watching the way your bottom lip was caught beneath your teeth, watching the worried crease that clouded your visage. “why’re you making that face, sweets?”

“what face?”

“you know what i’m talking about” he tilted his head slightly, white curls falling across his forehead as he scrutinized “c’mon spit it out”

you hesitated, fingers threading together. “i’m just worried about him and i know you said he could hold his own. . .” you paused, pressing your lips firmly together, “. .but he’s not himself lately.”

“he’s grieving” he sighed, “we all are” his tone wasn’t dismissive. it was bitter. not at you, or suguru. but the truth of it all. and the fact that grief had settled over all of you like a storm cloud, dimming everything. suguru’s laughter, his brightness, your peace. and there wasn’t a cursed technique in the world, not even his, that could exorcize the kind of grief haunting the summer

“i feel like it’s more than that” you persisted, “it’s like he’s fading away both literally and figuratively, he used to talk about his missions more, his feelings, he used to be more. . . himself, and now he keeps everything bottled up and it’s scaring me”

“ i mean. . .he’s always been a little emo.”

“satoru.” you said through gritted teeth. you knew he was trying to keep things light, trying to make you laugh, or maybe, at the very least, trying to keep himself from spiraling alongside you. that only made the ache worse

“okay, okay,” he lifted his hands in surrender. “i just— i . . don’t worry your pretty little head too much, yeah? he’ll talk when he’s ready.”

you sighed, hugging a throw pillow close to your chest, it smelled faintly of suguru’s cologne and you buried your face in it for a moment. as if that could quiet the dull ache in your ribcage. “i miss him”

satoru was quiet for a beat too long.“i know,” he murmured eventually, voice solemn and low,“me too, but he’s still here”

your breath hitched as you choked back a sob, and that alone made him sit up, you felt the bed dip as he shifted closer to you. placing a warm, steadily hand on your lower back

“don’t do that, sweets,” satoru murmured, voice soft in a way only you and suguru ever got to hear, “please don’t cry, y’know i’m bad with tears”

you shook your head, pressing your face harder into the pillow, trying to swallow the emotions clawing their way up your throat. they spilled through a shallow gasp, a broken little sound that made satoru’s heart constrict in his chest.

he didn’t say anything else. he just pulled you closer. his arm curled around your shoulders, tucking you into his side. he didn’t mind the way your tears bled through his shirt, just rubbed soothing circles against your arm

“we’ll figure it out, i promise” he said, “he’s not going anywhere. not really.”

you wanted to believe him. you wanted to believe that this heavy silence hanging over all of you would eventually lift. that there was still time.but you didn’t. you knew better

satoru hummed thoughtfully when you didn’t respond, then turned to look at the lizard in its vivarium. “suguru gecko do you know anything? has suguru talked to you about his feelings? did he tell you about his plans to leave?”

you swatted at him lightly with a laugh, though it came out a little watery. “he’s not gonna talk ‘toru, he’s a lizard” he caught your wrist mid-air, pressing a small kiss to your knuckles, then the soft flesh on your wrist where your pulse fluttered

“worth a shot,” he grinned. the bathroom door opened then, and suguru stepped out in a loose fitting black t-shirt, hair dripping on the towel draped around his neck, the strands darker and heavier from the water

his violet eyes swept across the room, softening as they landed on you two curled up on his bed, “sorry to keep you waiting”

“can i help you with your hair?” you asked, already sitting up straighter as your glassy eyes met his.

“of course you can, angel,” he said, moving without protest when you patted the space between your knees, settling on the floor in front of you with a quiet sigh.

you reached for the hair dryer on his bedside table, plugging it in and adjusting the heat settings. you ran the dryer gently over his head, fingers working carefully through the damp strands. his breathing hitched slightly when your fingertips brushed against his scalp but he didn’t pull away. his shoulders sagged in relief and his eyelids fluttered as he relaxed into your touch.

“thank you,” he murmured. you leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. you took your sweet time drying his hair. and he was grateful because he needed that. you both did

when his hair was dry enough you reached for the comb resting on the bedside table, gently gathered his hair in your fingers, and ran a it through his hair slowly until the black strands were smooth in your hands. the green apple shampoo he always used lingered in the air, light and nostalgic.

“do you mind if i braid it?” you asked. he tilted his head to look at you over his shoulder. there was something so tender in his violet gaze it made your throat feel tight

“i trust you” he said plainly

you could feel the rhythm of his breathing even out as you worked silently. your fingers wove strands to his scalp, the three part pattern forming quickly. you completed one braid, then the other, securing the ends with small rubber bands.

you leaned back, admiring your handiwork with a small smile. you got up and kneeled in front of him, reaching out and cupping his face between your hands, thumbs brushing against the faint shadow below his eyes, “you’re so pretty, sugu” you murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead

his gaze found yours through his lashes and he leaned into your touch instinctively. his hands came up to cover yours, holding them in place for a second. “thank you” he whispered again, and it wasn’t just for the compliment, or the dutch braids. he was thanking you for everything. for understanding, for taking care of him, for loving him.

the moment slipped into something more casual as satoru, never one for being ‘left out’, rolled over onto his stomach with an exaggerated groan, “here i am, forgotten, ignored by the people i love”

you tilted your head, still cupping suguru’s cheeks, “we should go eat before our food gets cold”

“don’t change the subject” satoru pointed at you accusingly, “you have a favorite”

“i do not” you said, lips twitching

“oh really?” he sat up quickly, “then how come you never compliment me? how come you never kiss me?”

“you are such a pathological liar” you gasped, “i’m literally always kissing you, and i do compliment you. i just don’t do it often because your ego is huge enough”

“don’t indulge him” suguru murmured, his hands were still curled around yours, “he just wants attention”

“i do want attention!” he agreed, “i want to be doted on, is that too much to ask for?”

“you are doted on, constantly” suguru argued, “you’re just greedy”

“greedy . .?” he echoed, “greedy? me?”

you sighed, a soft exhale that came with loving someone as difficult as satoru. “please can we eat before we have this tired conversation again? i can’t deal with your nonsense on an empty stomach”

you rose to your feet, pulling suguru up with you. your fingers laced through his. when you looked back, satoru was still pouting on the bed. with a fond sigh you stretched out your free hand to him

“oh so now you remember me?” he sniffed, taking your hand shamelessly, grip tight around yours like he never wanted to let go

the three of you left suguru’s room together. satoru on your right, suguru on your left. the hallway was dim and quiet save for the soft patter of your footsteps. the sun had dipped a little lower now, but it still felt too hot. you wished you’d changed out of your uniform into something lighter and made a mental note to do exactly that after dinner

you rounded the corner into the kitchen, you could hear shoko’s voice floating as she spoke into her phone’s receiver. she was probably talking to utahime again. the air was heavy with the scents of thai food, garlic, basil, lemongrass, rich and warm. the table was cluttered in a domestic way that tugged at your heart strings

take-out containers sat half unpacked, disposable chopsticks stacked neatly in pairs. shoko had a cigarette slotted between her lips, curling smoke into the evening air. someone had cracked open a window, probably nanami, and breeze filtered in softly

shoko had an elbow resting on the table as she laughed at something utahime was saying. her container of kanom jeeb was nearly empty. “finally” she said, snuffing out her cigarette in an ashtray, “you took too long, i started eating without you”

“i can’t blame you” you slid into the seat beside her, suguru sat to your left, while satoru sat across the counter. nanami was the last to re-enter the kitchen, dressed in a crisp t-shirt and sweatpants. he offered a short nod and reached for a bottle of water before quietly taking his seat

it was a slow dinner, full of idle chatter and old jokes. shoko complained about how hot it was once again, satoru talked about digimon, nanami and suguru were silent. your boyfriend picked at his food methodically, alternating between bites of his salad and sips of water.

“you’re not eating enough” satoru muttered, earning a glare from both you and shoko

“i’m eating fine” suguru said, giving him a pointed look

“you ordered rabbit food” he frowned, offering suguru a portion of his stir fried noodles, “here, you’re gonna waste away at this rate”

“you’re eating enough for all of us satoru” you said, your words resulted in satoru dropping his chopsticks and clutching his heart

“i can’t believe you would say that to me”

“you ordered six portions of pad thai” shoko scoffed, “not two, not four, but six”

“that’s because i’m growing” he said proudly.

a laugh bubbled out of you, the kind of laugh that reminded you of the summers before everything changed. suguru leaned forward slightly, elbow brushing against yours as he accepted satoru’s offer

when your stomachs were full, the dishes were washed, and the leftovers had been stashed in the fridge for later, you stretched with a groan and declared you needed a shower or you’d melt for real this time. nanami excused himself to his room and satoru trailed after you sluggishly, leaving suguru and shoko alone in the kitchen to smoke together

by the time you’d showered and changed into a soft t-shirt and shorts, suguru was already sprawled across one of the couches in the common room, flipping through movie options leisurely.

you padded over quietly and curled up beside him without a word. he shifted instinctively, opening his arms to you. your cheek found his chest, and your legs slid between his, fitting into the space he made for you.you sighed as he pressed a soft kiss to your hairline.

satoru came in after shortly after you, wearing a graphic tee and grey sweats. his hair was slightly damp and his skin was flushed pink. he sat beside you on the couch, slouching against you

you found yourself sandwiched between them. suguru’s arms were wrapped around you in a tender hold that radiated warmth, his fingers lazily traced patterns on your hip. his other hand found repose in satoru's snowy curls.

his fingers began to comb gently through the tangled strands, nails scratching at satoru’s scalp in soothing circles. the blue eyed boy hummed in contentment at the feel of suguru’s fingertips moving against his scalp. satoru murmured i love yous in the crook of you neck, his voice low but laced with a tenderness only reserved for your ears.

“no horror movies” he said firmly, “not tonight”

“scaredy cat” you teased, shooting him a taunting look

“i’m not scared” he said, dragging a pillow onto his lap, “i just don’t think we need that negative energy right before bed”

“if you say so” you hummed, “in that case, we should watch howl’s moving castle again” satoru raised a brow.

“we’ve watched that a billion times” he sighed, “and you thirst over howl too much, it hurts my feelings wifey”

“he’s an animated character satoru” suguru chuckled

“well you act like he’s real” he frowned, blue eyes half-lidded as he glared at you “do you think he’s prettier than me?”

“shut up and watch the movie” you giggled as suguru pressed the play button. the screen flooded with warm watercolor landscapes. satoru’s head found your lap and you smoothed your fingers through his soft white curls. suguru’s hands rubbed lazy circles against your hipbone and for a moment you felt like everything could be a whole again

until you tilted your head slightly, just enough to look at suguru. his violet eyes were glued to the screen, but his thoughts were clearly elsewhere. it made your heart ache again. the concern you’d voiced earlier was still there, nestled between your ribs. but you were tired of worrying, of wondering if he would ever tell you how he was feeling

you would keep it nestled between your ribs for tonight. because you still had the heavy press of satoru’s head in your lap and the slow rise and fall of suguru’s chest behind you. you still had the warmth of this moment

the summer night stretched on, still heavy and hot, but you had adjusted to the heat. maybe it was easier to bear because of the way suguru pressed his nose into your shoulder and breathed you in like he needed you to live, and the way satoru pressed sleepy kisses to your thigh.

maybe it was easier because you were in love. and maybe tonight, nothing mattered. not the ghosts haunting suguru’s heart, not the worries nestled in yours. right now you had everything. both chaos and calm. and you weren’t quite sure how you’d survive without either of them

© Y2KUROMI 2025. please do not plagiarise, repost, or translate any of my works on here or any other websites.

[congletonrqplur]

debunking a post by @/machine-babydoll-reborn because they're STILL belittling their harassment of others and not owning up to it

since they keep not admitting their wrongdoings and refusing to actually show what they do on their main, im compiling it here. i dont think someone who harasses people based on contact stances, supports hunting down said people and cyber stalks consistently by block evading on anon should get to walk away from it without being called out on it. own up to it on main and apologise already, then i will shut up about it.

also, before people argue "you're also block evading + harassing by posting this"- no, i am not, im not interacting with them. if people don't want others to see their blog, they can turn on the option to hide it from not logged in users. even then, i never took issue with them looking at my blog and dont count that as block evading, i think it's good for anyone even of opposing views to see it- i took issue with them interacting with me. that is what im mad about and count as block evading, NOT simply lurking on it. lurking doesn't affect me, interacting does. and i have babydoll blocked because people who support harassment (a form of abuse) freak me understandably out.

as a preface for those who don't know about it, these are the anons that sparked the anon in babydoll's asks. notice how babydoll never apologised for harassing me (or other pro c leaning people theyve block evaded) in the first place. (archive of the first and archive of the second ask)

first, there's no need to put block evading in quotes. it is block evading. i had their account blocked, so did they mine, and considering ive talked about how much i dislike pro harassment people it shouldve been clear i didnt want them interacting with me. going into my anons to get me to block them because they can't do it themselves is block evading.

and yes, to the anon i do have proof of it being babydoll. not only did they now admit to it, they've been doing this for a while and block evading multiple "pro cs" (for the love of god, i am not pro c, i am against contact stances as a whole exactly because of anti pro c people like babydoll, stop misrepresenting me on your blog). they are a consistent harasser and have not shown any signs of wanting to stop their behaviour, even in this ask. i dont ask that they regret it, some people do not feel remorse which i respect, i ask that they admit they are wrong to do it especially if they're blocked and to stop harassing people. that's all im trying to do with this.

here are just few cases of them going into people's asks on anon, you can find plenty more if you just search up their @ on tumblr.

also, this is stalking. its a form of cyberstalking to be specific. by saying its not they are belittling the harm they've caused not just me and my sibling madi (@/adorqble-moth) but every pro c leaning being they've harassed, as well as pushing the blame off of themselves. interacting with people when they have you blocked is cyberstalking, which is a very real thing that can hurt and upset people, ESPECIALLY mentally ill people who might have triggers related to being stalked or have paranoia. and invalidating a very real form of harassment is a form of abuse apologism, don't fucking do it. even if someone doesn't FEEL like they're harming someone, that doesn't mean they're not harming someone. abusers very often don't feel like they're harming someone either, but guess what they're still abusers despite it.

note i also never accused them of doxxing. i said that was what anti pro c people could do at their worst because ive witnessed them doing it. i never said they themselves did it. very big difference, that was a misread of my words in this ask on anons part.

and yes, obviously they're not at fault for every hate anon. but it's understandable they'd get blamed for multiple when they have a record of harassing on anon. i certainly feel paranoid about seeing someone who genuinely freaks me out in my anons despite having them blocked, and this can, especially for mentally ill people, cause others to suspect someone of more than just one anon. don't get upset that people accuse you of something there's proof of you doing.

this person is genuinely dangerous to any non anti cs and i will not shut up until they stop harassing them. harassing people is always wrong even if they have views you don't like. if you're anti abuse, you have to be anti harassment too, otherwise you're just a hypocrite as harassment IS a form of abuse. so is gaslighting and minimising harassment. stop supporting pedohunting, it does not and has never helped kids.

if you (or anyone else reading this) actually wanna help kids, go to harm prevention organizations like b4u-act and prostasia and inform yourself of actual ways to prevent harm (such as, yknow, by supporting struggling maps) instead of harassing online maps who are just trying to mind their own business. especially in times where there's a genuine doxxing video on maps about to release, the fact they're still harassing pro c leaning people instead of raising awareness about that shows they care far more about hating a certain group of maps than actually preventing any sort of harm. this is not helping the paraphile or radqueer community, its merely hurting actual people you know nothing about. stop doing it instead of brushing it under the rug and THEN you can move past this.

[shima-draws]

Shima is it Coralaw 👀👀👀

...................MAYBE

[snaggletoothedbastard]

The Invisible Child

There’s a bell I wear round my neck and when it rings silver I taste copper because no-one else can hear it.  I follow my brothers through the streets,  a walking stick and a pair of ear-defenders with a ghostly body, a forgotten face,  a translucent throat full of screams I keep behind my teeth because

I don’t want to kill your vibe, man.  I don’t want to ruin your night. 

I’m watching everyone and everyone’s laughing and their voices stab me through the ears and stir my brain like a soup. I don’t think the mushrooms are part of the soup, I think it’s going mouldy in there.  If I bang my head against a wall enough times, will the overgrowth fall out of my eyes? It’s worth a try. 

The pain in the back of my head is cold and the eyes that follow me as this scream finally escapes are even colder.  Now they see me, for a split second.  And now they don’t.  They walk away and leave me to play hopscotch by myself;  I’ve been flung back to square one. 

I don’t even know how to play hopscotch. 

I bite at the hand that feeds me, the hand that holds me, the hand that guides me,  the hand that disappears and becomes invisible and I taste copper again because I’m tearing up my throat shouting for help and no-one wants to hear me.

[grinchwrapsupreme]

i'm watching season 8 of dexter for the first time and i'm only on episode 2 but i'm glad they're finally tackling the whole "dexter is a psychopath and psychopaths don't have empathy" thing by acknowledging that this dude does in fact have empathy i hope to god they come to the logical conclusion

[cats-in-the-clouds]

my sister got engaged and we’re all really happy for her but my bitter rain cloud of a dad (who naturally she told last) is giving her a bit of passive aggressive grief about it despite her boyfriend being like the best man of our generation (presumably either because he’s not catholic or because my dad sees them as young dumb unemployed people who aren’t ready for marriage or because he’s mad he barely has any real love with his own wife or something). so like pray for us? i wish i knew what to do

[mothmans-cumrag]

Imagine turning 21 the week your three best friends are sick. Couldn't be me

[thestripiestshirts]

Back when I was majoring in elementary education we had to do these presentations of lesson plans in which people went up and gave a lesson as if the rest of us were the elementary students they were teaching. This one guy's lesson was about the phases of the moon, and he very confidently did his whole lesson... explaining to us that the moon's phases were caused by the shadow of the Earth on the moon. At some point I finally couldn't take it anymore and raised my hand to explain that that's not how the phases of the moon were caused. I forget the presenter's response to this, but good number of people in the class got annoyed with me for "ruining it."

I used to be a grader and an occasional substitute prof for an introductory astronomy lab. That means that the majority of the people in this lab are only taking it because it’s a requirement and about half of them think it’s an astrology class.

I was grading midterms and this one girl. She was so nice and I think she was a business major. Fuck. The question on the midterm was to draw a diagram of the solar system and this poor girl. This fucking girl had drawn a Mars-centric solar system. As in every planet and the sun were orbiting Mars. I now actually have a custom Cards Againsy Humanity card I got at a con that says “A Mars-centric solar system”

I had a boy argue with me that there was liquid water on the moon (this was around when they had found liquid water on Mars in ~2015) and he wouldn’t believe me that he likely meant Mars and not the moon. After I marked his answer to the relevant lab question wrong, he took it to the department head who had promptly laughed him out of the office.

And there was another boy who, during a lab in our observatory where we would look at certain things in the sky, asked where the sun was. At 10pm in November. After some questioning it was revealed that he thought the moon and the sun were the same thing.

[cherrygarden]

i have to stop saying things just to be nice bc people take them seriously bc of course they do like i fully said they could use my shower gel and i fully said they could eat the cake i left on the fridge. i have no reason to be mad abt it when they do and i run out of shower gel and cake. AND YET.

[arolesbianism]

Remembers Tali exists and starts wailing and crying

[mtx-lol]

got reminded of a years old problem that wordlessly shifted an already distant relationship with a parents friends child into absolute nothing, drawing sesh ruined

[clockwayswrites]

An abundance of birbs part 33

Masterpost Please no editing or concrit, I know I have missing or swapped words, but I am super fuzzy from this headache. It will get a good edit before ao3. <3

“I’m hiding in here from your children,” Danny said as he came into Bruce’s study. He had a tray of tea and snacks in hand, so he must have been sent up by Alfred.

“That’s more than fair, considering,” Bruce said with a little smile.

Danny just sighed as he set the tray down. “You have video, don’t you.”

Bruce nodded. “Jason sent one and Tim the other. They’re very moving.”

“Yes, Jerry’s love for me is eternal, clearly,” Danny drolled.

“If only Jerry’s father would approve of the union,” Bruce said.

Danny gave a little hum as he poured the tea. “Alas, Damian does seem very resistant to the idea, if the lecture he gave Jerry is any indication. Cream, sugar?”

“A little cream, thank you,” Bruce said and got up from his desk. “And Jerry was being very forward so the lecture may be a little deserved, but who can blame him with those wings.”

“Mister Wayne,” Danny said with an exaggerated gasp, “are you you saying that you’re enamored with my wings?”

Bruce reached out and brushed his fingertips through Danny’s wings. He could play it all off, of course. It could just be part of the rest of their banter. But did he want to? He’s enjoyed having Danny around. The man seemed to just fit with the family. Overall, the children certainly seemed to like him. And, well, Bruce found that he quite liked Danny too. Maybe it was time to take a little risk.

“Yes,” Bruce said. “Though the wings are hardly the only thing about you that I’m enamored with.”

Danny blushed so quickly that Bruce was honestly a little concerned bout Danny’s blood pressure. “I—um, oh?”

“Is it that surprising? You’re kind, intelligent, considerate. You protected my children and even before that were gentle and understanding with them. You have a sense of humor and seem able to handle just about anything,” Bruce said, which was almost an understatement with what Danny has been through lately. “And, more shallowly, you’re very attractive, with or without the wings.”

“That—I—oh come on, you of all people can say someone else is attractive!” Danny sputtered.

“Oh?”

“Have you not looked in a mirror recently? You’re the type of person that ‘devastatingly handsome’ was coined for,” Danny said with a gesture at Bruce. “Which is something that I just said out loud. I don’t suppose you want to fire me so that I can run away to a remote island somewhere?”

Bruce chuckled. “Fortunately, I don’t have that sort of power over your job. All that would fall to Lucius.”

“Fortunately?” Danny repeated.

“Umhum. It means that there’s no company policy we’re breaking if we were to date. And there’s no pressure for you to say yes if you’re opposed to the idea,” Bruce said. He very much wanted to make that clear. “And between the press, my reputation, the large family, and the recent rogue attack I know there are a number of reasons to be opposed to the idea.”

“Bruce,” Danny said before Bruce could continue, “are you trying to talk me into dating you or out of it?”

“I well…” Bruce cleared his throat. “I don’t want to assume anything or imply that I am some sort of catch because I hardly am. I am a stubborn man. I have… a rather deep seated anxiety that verges on paranoia at times. It has and can make me overbearing when I try to protect the people I care about. I come with six children, almost as many pseudo children, and a frankly terrifyingly competent butler who is like a father to me. Every relationship I’m in and not actually in ends up in the paper—”

The spiral of words—of reasons he wasn’t good enough for someone like Danny was cut short as Danny pushed himself up on his tiptoes and across the coffee table to press his lips to Bruce’s. Bruce sighed softly into the kiss as it put sudden stop to the unwanted thoughts. Danny left his hand on Bruce’s cheek as he pulled back a little.

“Too forward?” Danny asked. His words and eyes alike were filled with nerves.

“Not at all,” Bruce said quickly. He followed his words up with a quick kiss as proof. “I am sorry about rambling like that. As I said, deeply anxious.”

“Anxious is okay. You’re aware of it. I’m not exactly a paragon of mental health either. I’ve been going to therapy since I was eighteen,” Danny said. His thumb gently stroked Bruce’s cheek. “First off, fuck the press. I can deal with it. Second off, your family is huge and wonderful and not at all something that would stop me, not unless they hated me.”

“They certainly do not hate you,” Bruce assured him.

“Third off,” Danny continued with a little smile, “I guess the anxiety, which we’ve covered. And fourth off, I am also very stubborn and have no problem telling someone to budge off if they’re being too much. So, yeah, we might have lines to find out and some of those we’d find out be crossing them and fucking up, but that’s just part of dating, isn’t it? If any of them become lines that we can’t deal with, well, we’re old enough that I would hope that we could end things maturely.”

“I have a very good track record of remaining friends with my exes, for better or worse,” Bruce said.

“Better or worse?”

“Harvey Dent, as one example.”

“Ah,” Danny said with a little nod. “I’ve heard that he’s been doing better at least?”

“That or he’s planning something big,” Bruce said with a sigh. “But I even I know I should stop talking about an ex with someone that just kissed me.”

“Generally a good rule,” Danny agreed with a little smile. “Does this mean that we’re going to try dating?”

“If I didn’t talk you out of it,” Bruce joked.

“Like I said, I’m stubborn,” Danny pointed out. “But as much as I adore them, I expect at least one dinner out with no children once my wings are gone.”

“Deal,” Bruce agreed easily and leaned down to give Danny a proper kiss.

---

AN:

I didn't plan for the kiss to happen here, but I'll take it!

[thedarkestrivernymph]

Soft yan clan leader has me soo🫠 imagine the horror if he were to argue with his beloved wife or try to deny her something and she looks like she's about to cry or the grovel if he pissed her off and she ignored him ahhh i neeeed himmm

Oh my... the ideas in my head... 😶‍🌫️

Soft Yandere! Clan Leader x Wife! Reader

warnings(?): slight angst, very cheesy/romantic, emotions

note: it's written from his perspective:)

"I refuse." his tone was strict, reminiscent of a dull dagger that someone forgot to sharpen. That's what you did to him; you took his bite away.

Sighing he massaged his temples.

"I don't want my wife roaming around the streets ever again without my explicit knowledge." his fingers curled until his knuckles whitened.

"Do you have any idea of the sheer number of ill-intending people out on streets at nighttime? My love what if danger befell you while I wasn't there to shield you? What if some sick bastard—."

"Husband. Did I hurt you so?" your bottom lip trembled, shame glistened in the corners of your eyes; those beautiful eyes that he wanted to bind with silk so that no one else could admire them.

"My love I just worry—"

"I didn't want to cause you to worry." now you started sniffling and he could audibly hear his heart shatter. "I just missed my hometown so much and— I forgot myself. I am sorry." you muttered. He could detect the insecurity creep into your wavering tone; he was losing you again to the demons in your pretty head.

"I won't ever cause you trouble again, husband."

"My love that isn't what I—"

"Goodnight." you spun on your heel, adamant on slipping through his fingers like sand before he could even raise his voice in protest, demanding you to stay. If you just knew that he didn't blame you for getting carried away by the memories of your childhood, longing for a time much more innocent nor that he found you troublesome—he only wanted you safe and snug under his wing, why couldn't you understand?

But he wouldn't have that. No more. He would never tire of chasing you—but he couldn't bear the sight of your backside any longer.

"Love," his breath tickled the shell of your ear, on hand splayed across your waist, the other wrapped around your jaw, "don't run away. At least not today. I apologise, so much, for your husband's inability to make you understand just how much he loves you."

He sighed again, pressing a kiss to your earlobe, over the dangling diamond that had once belonged to his mother.

"Please don't think you're troubling me. I only worry because wherever you go you take my soul with you. And a man can't survive without that, now can he?" he drew you further in, engulfed you in his embrace, letting the darkness of the night be the only observer of the intimacy between the two of you.

"My love." he breathed.

"My love," he repeated,"I love you, please stop believing otherwise. I beg you of you. Please love me too." there was clear frustration in his tone, silent suffering that would only rarely slip through the cracks of his usual mask yet with you; he discarded that very facade alltogether.

The room was cloaked in darkness like so many other nights, yet this night felt colder, icy even. He was desperate to reach through to you. Slowly, the words he would always spit out felt repetitive; too artificial for his liking and he feared you would perhaps never believe in them.

"My love please—"

You kissed him.

He had searched for heaven before he met you, but now he found it between your lips. In the way you hugged him not with your arms but with your mouth, glossy gaze a split open, gazing at him as if you had finally, finally, accepted the truth.

It was mind-numbingly sweet; it didn't last very long, your tongue only shyly prodded at his bottom lip before you tried fleeting back like a startled deer, eyes everywhere but on him. Still, he held you in his arms refusing to let you escape—because now that he finally had a taste of heaven, he would never let you out of his embrace.

"I love you." he uttered. And now, even as you didn't reply, only looking away bashfully in the way he found so cute he could pinch your cheeks, he knew that he had finally succeeded.

He had captured your heart—the soul of his heaven, his sacramentum, his moon.

You were his.

[kingkaisen]

彡𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄 || 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔 𝐆.

“Are you still mad at me?”

“Of course I am. And do you wanna know a bad habit of yours?”

“Hm?” Satoru’s gentle breath hit the back of your neck as the tall man stood behind you, staring down at the lettuce and tomatoes that you were chopping up on a cutting board. “A bad habit? Didn’t think I had any.”

You rolled your eyes and said, “You have a few. One of them being that you don’t believe in personal space. I mean, it’s kinda crazy that you can keep anything and everything from touching you, yet you act like you’ll die if you’re more than ten feet away from me.”

“I don’t see the problem, sweetheart.”

“That nickname. That nickname is part of the problem right there. I’m not your sweetheart. We’re just friends as far as I’m concerned, so, yeah, it pisses me off a little when we’re in public together and someone approaches me, and you start hovering around me and holding my hand like we’re dating when we’re not.”

As your sharp knife sliced through the vegetable — a particularly frustrated slice as well, as Satoru saw you grip the knife even harder and apply more unnecessary force — Satoru stepped closer, pressing his body against your backside, and thus, pushing you against the kitchen island.

“Is that really a problem?” He whispered. “Can you blame me for wanting to be close to you all the time? You’re just so . . .”

He couldn’t finish speaking. Not when he was completely overwhelmed by the way your body felt against his, and your sweet scent nearly drove him crazy — he no longer wanted dinner. He had an appetite for something else now.

“You can cook later,” Satoru reached around you and grabbed the knife out of your hands, placed it on the wooden cutting board, and slid all of it away.

Then, he placed his hands on your hips.

“And I think you and I both know that we’re more than friends,” Satoru said. “You’re mine.”

“Well, you’ve never made that clear,” you mumbled, and while your words were spoken just slightly above a whisper, it was enough for Satoru to lean you over across the kitchen island and press his clothed dick against your ass.

Even through the material of his pants and your skirt, you could feel his need; his cock was hard enough to make you gasp when you felt it.

“I’m sorry,” Satoru smirked slightly. “I’ll make it clear to you right now, I promise.”

His long fingers lifted your skirt and hooked around your underwear, pulling them down until they were left to dangle around your knees.

He ran his large hands across your ass. Across the back of your thighs. Across your back. Any place he could touch.

Lowering his head, he finally dove in like a starving man, eating you out sloppily from behind as you were left to do nothing but moan his name and grip the edges of the kitchen island.

His tongue repeatedly licked at your clit. He moaned at the sweet taste of it, and as he so desperately wanted to suck on your little button for hours upon hours and taste your cum all over his tongue, it was no surprise to know why he never believed in personal space. You were just that irresistible.

🏷️: @sad-darksoul @priv-rose @yihona-san06 @keriaonmarz @luvvmae @underworldsheiress @notgoodforlife @levisfavoriteteashop @insomniacbehaivour @preciousamethyst @kxmorrx @iwanttohitmyself @ellaumbrella1 @shoyosdoll @lil-apple-pie @prettypixigrl @sonarspace @averysmolbear @starstoru @starlightanyaaa @dolphin1135

[mihii-i]

with or without you.

Pairings: rumi x fem!reader

CW: sfw, female reader, demon reader, brief angst, slight nudity mentioned, uh ohhh a naked lady oh no call the police, manipulation, the saja boys being monkeys, rumi is ofc the main focus of this fic, reader is old as shit (200+ years) I changed the way reader got found out sorry, self hatred, mind break, reader’s ‘sins’ left up to interpretation, mild jealousy, reader lowk pining for rumi like a loser lmao, woman wearing male clothes idk why this is a warning, lazy writing at the end if there’s any cultural inconsistencies I apologize, not proofread.

A/N: now playing — bad desire by enhypen. yes I know that they asked for rumi because I clarified with them elsewhere mimimimi BUT that being said YALL ARE THIRSTYYYY for rumi holy fuck (not that I blame anyone..) but anyway I AM FIXATED on kpdh rn and I’m obsessed with this movie hope yall enjoy this cause this request is beautiful. I had fun writing this but I apologize if it didn’t turn out good akskdkod @theshadowsden 🕯️

“No worries. Just one more performance…”

Your damp hands stuck glued to the dripping tile of the shower wall as washes of warm water dribbled down your aching skin, gaze absentmindedly wandering down to the clear puddles pooled at your feet. The words continued to loop in your head like a broken record to brand the idea into your skull, make sure that you never forget it and carry it on to your final performance for good.

Keeping said mindset was in fact crucial to your performance. Just one performance was all it took to seal the Honmoon gold—and for good. It didn’t matter what were to happen to you, whether you were chained to Gwi Ma, or set free of your raging misery, you were sure that whatever fate awaited you to consume you whole was merely what you deserved. Eyes twitching, you brought yourself to hesitantly shift your gaze to the violet cracks seeping up your arms, traversing throughout your body to engulf your face in the infamous demonic patterns as well.

A constant reminder of your shame. A shame that lingered on your body to amplify the screeching ring in your head that mouthed its distaste for you over and over until you groveled to your knees, succumbing to the insanity that awaited you. For that was all you were, Gwi Ma’s prisoner through and through. For hundreds of years you have been, and you will be for hundreds of years to come. The woman whose sins were mocked and ridiculed by the very being that kept you on his leash of flames.

Despite the scalding heat the shower water was turned up to, your reddening back blooming from the burns was met with trails of goosebumps crawling up your skin accompanied by nerve wracking chills that tightened at your muscles. Almost as if the physical nerves you felt heavily played into your mental state as well. Though, you certainly wouldn’t doubt if it was in fact him who kept tugging at your body, puppeteering you in his effort to block any possibility of a golden Honmoon.

“(Name)! Are you coming yet? You’ve been in there forever!”

Your head snapped over as you stood upright, directly beneath the spray of water at Zoey’s voice cutting through your train of thought. Mira followed not too long after, calling out in a slightly harsher reprimand of you taking quite a bit of time under the water.

“Quit taking your sweet time in there and get back out! Besides I need to shower too don’t use up all the hot water!”

Drawing in a deep breath, your eyes raked down your marked body once more, exhaling as you wallowed in your hatred momentarily.

“Sorry, I wasn’t feeling very clean earlier! I swear I’ll be out soon!” you replied, immediately reaching out to grip the shower handle as you cranked it back off, watching as the drips of water slowly faded away from each little opening of the head.

“Finish up before I come in myself!”

“Don’t you dare. I’m still undressed.”

Hell. Despite the playful response you gave Mira of being indecent, you’d presumably be cut to shreds before you could explain yourself in seconds if they even saw a shred of the purple streaks branched up your frame. Which is something you certainly wouldn’t dare to even risk. Sure, you were close with all three of them…but as their sworn duty—no, as your sworn duty as well, you wouldn’t be an exception of what must be destroyed by their hand.

You pressed open the fogged glass clouding up the shower door, staring off into the blurred reflection in the mirror before you as well as drips of stray droplets dripped down your nude body. Hastily, you curled your fingers around the bundles of cloth that adorned your towels hanging freshly off of the steel bar gripped against the wall, wrapping the white cloth over your breasts to cover yourself. Both to hide your marks and to appear a bit more…decent let’s say.

Slowly, the earthy, violet streaks shrunk in to blend into your skin, fading away alongside the bright gold and shrunken pupils of your eyes reverting a more humanlike color which complimented each feature lining your face. Reaching out, your palm rubbed over the foggy mirror to clear off some of the humid streaks masking the details of your face, while also grasping at a smaller squared towel to drape over your soaked hair clinging to your cheek.

Good. They were gone.

You cautiously tilted your head back, swiveled it side to side and inspected beneath your jaw. Every visible crevice that could be seen on your upper half, you ran your fingers over, creasing your taut skin as you leaned forward to get a closer look at the shadow of the person you once were. Soulless. The patterns were thankfully successfully masked by your human-like shell, molded over the lavender skin that was your truth—and your lies. All in one.

The sudden, clunky knock on the bathroom door smacked your chest in turn, your anxiety bubbling to the surface and crawling its way up your throat. To which your tongue poked down in a sharp sting prodding along the warm muscle resting between your teeth.

Oh. Crap. You’d forgotten to take care of your fangs.

Quickly clasping your palm over your mouth, your free hand clutched desperately at the towel hugging your body glancing over at the wooden barrier seperating you from the other girls.

“I said I’m naked right now!”

“I know that, (Name). I just wanted to check on you to see if you were good in there.”

Ah. It was Rumi.

You cleared your throat, hitching up the towel as you could feel every bristle poking out brush up against you in the attempt to calm yourself & the slight quaver in your voice.

“I-I’m fine. Just give me a moment. I just need to get dressed is all.” you coughed out, glancing over at the mirror parallel to you as you eyed your fangs, subtly trying to retract them back into straightened human teeth.

As if some strange spell was cast upon you, you oddly felt at ease with Rumi around. Not to say you didn’t appreciate the others, but she was certainly the one to calm your spirits and understand every part of you, the only one who came the closest to even the ugliest corners of your heart and corrupted soul. Her presence alone assuaged the storm of your frayed nerves burning within you, and her touch alone warmed the cold, dark pit of hate that raged through towards Gwi Ma.

Sure, some would call you crazy for thinking you saw what you did. Yet you swore that a night that you laid beside her, you noticed a streak of purple light stemming up from her chest, cracking up from the neckline of her hoodie on a particular night she slept beside you. You merely brushed it off as a silly thought or a hallucination. She couldn’t possibly be a demon, or else Gwi Ma would’ve had her in his clutches much like you were.

If anything, you should worry more about the two of you being a little too close for comfort to be honest. Zoey constantly tries to play cupid between you two, and you insistently bridge off her words with the “friendly behavior” bullshit. Though..let’s be honest. Sleeping beside one another and being huddled next to one another without a gap in sight isn’t very platonic. But oh well. Whether it was or wasn’t didn’t necessarily matter.

For a demon’s ability to love is caged to oneself. All you get to do is feel, and never express it outwardly. You get to play the heartless creature who preys on souls to feed Gwi Ma in this story, when all you do is live with your aching suffering.

Enough wasting time you useless fool. You pinched at the neatly folded stack of clothing laying on the counter, slipping into the comfort of the hoodie and sweatpants rubbing against you in heaps of warm cotton. Freshly ironed as well. Atleast you’d be left alone with your thoughts in your own room for some time, especially with the excuse that you were supposedly tired and drained today. Considering the fact that the four of you had rehearsed for the upcoming idol awards earlier today, it would make a pretty convincing point.

Once you swung open the door, you almost fell back at the sight of Mira standing directly in front of the doorway like a statue, arms folded. Your expression scrunched up, perplexed at the way she’d just…stood there. Was she waiting there the whole time?

“What the hell, Mira-?”

“Calm down, I just got here.”

“Still— why were you just standing in front of the doorway?? I could’ve smacked you!”

“Yeah, yeah I get it. But seriously, the hell were you doing in there for so long? We have things to do you know.”

“That’s..none of your business..I was just showering.”

“Right..taking almost 45 minutes for a shower. Were you busy fantasizing about Rumi in there or somethi—?”

“God- what?! No! Do I look like a pervert to you?”

She sighed, her expression rather scrutinizing rather than joking.

“I’m just trying to get something out of you. It feels like you’ve been more detached from us recently, you know?”

You didn’t exactly have anything in response to that, so all you could do was drag your bottom lip between your teeth, and refuse to meet Mira’s eyes.

“I’m fine. Really. Just tired.”

Her skeptical gaze only grew more apparent, signifying that she didn’t believe you. Yet she decided not to press on the issue, stepping forward into the bathroom with her fresh clothing tucked between her arm and her ribs.

“Alright. But if there’s anything you need to tell us we won’t hold it against you.”

Rather than reassure you, Mira’s words only further struck at the guilt that sank itself into your mind, calling at the demonic rouse that stirred within you and slowly ate you alive. Bringing a hand up to flex against your warning forehead, you padded toward your room, vision doubling and blurred as your disoriented and wobbly steps nearly buckled your knees inward as the bright gold light dimming from the living room seared the corner of your eye. Further seeping into your headache.

Clicking the door shut behind you, your back wasted no time in hitting the cushions enveloping you deeper as you sunk into the mattress, eyes glued onto the ceiling weakly as your grip curled into the fluffed blankets situated below the cloud like pillows fluffed in their angled position resting along the headboard. What could possibly be your outcome by now? Gwi Ma surely wouldn’t let you escape his clutches, and the hate and suffering you’d be imprisoned with at his feet would roar endlessly in a bellowing screech tearing your mind apart rather than the voices that already chew away at your remaining sanity and spirit.

“Did you honestly think you could run away?”

Stop.

Not again.

Your fingers threaded through your unkempt locks, tangling themselves into the silky strands to dig into your scalp. As if you were unsuccessfully attempting to apply enough pressure in hopes to drive his repeated voice out through your ears. Shoulders hunched, your shallow breaths rapidly expelled out your feverish lips, chest heaving as you curled over to knock your knuckles against your head. Pathetically thinking just caving into yourself would push him away miraculously, yet your attempts crumbling in vain to no avail.

“You’re nothing, (Name). Don’t forget it. Have you forgotten your atrocious acts 240 years ago?”

“I..”

“That’s all you are. Trash that can’t save herself or those she cares for. Worthless. All you’re good for is serving me, understood.”

Gwi Ma’s booming voice echoed like an empty cave in the hollow shell that was your body, dragging you down as the pull on your side weighed down past the bed in the erupting ring of magenta flame piercing you through your own covers.

…

Hard stone collided with your shoulder, digging deep into the plush of your arm as your cheek lay flat against the rocks caressing you in the heat tickling you. Alongside the cool blisters of heat contrastingly wavering beneath your top, hitching up the cotton to expose a sliver of your stomach as the air dragging you down to the depths of the demon realm subsided seconds later. Was this truly what you deserve? His voice bellowing in your ear every waking moment of the day, monitoring in tandem with every breath you take? Dragging his trail of fire in your path of regret on a mistake that you’d never escape, his tactics of ensuring your hatred tearing apart your flesh from the inside out.

You thought you’d recieve nothing but a harsh reprimand from Gwi Ma, perhaps even a bit of his good old psychological torture tricks he’d worn his way into your head with. Nothing you weren’t used to, he’d done it for all 240 years of your suffering at his side, slaving away for his own greed reaping souls of the living past the Honmoon. A greed that couldn’t be quenched, and a punishment inflicted unto you for your own momentary greed that overtook your judgement. The single act of your past that sunk its teeth into you from behind, and chewed away mercilessly.

Though, upon glancing down your eyes widened in horror as you caught sight of those familiar violet patterns swallowing up your skin all over. Without wasting a moment, you swiftly tugged your hoodie down over the exposed sliver of skin, examining your hands front and back as the familar darkened claws stuck out in place of your blunt nails. Your hands and—your skin all over tainted a dull lavender hue with the purple streaks running rampant all over you.

You whipped your head over to Gwi Ma, chest rising and falling with each drawn out breath once more as you stood before the crackling pink flames flaring before you, mountainous and towering in his angry flicker.

“If you insist on blocking me out by helping seal the Honmoon for good, then…how about I remind you that I have control over every part of you. How about I tell your precious friends about what you really are?”

Silence remained heavy in the air between you and Gwi Ma, your fangs baring together through your pursed lips as you swallowed back the hatred that coursed in your veins for him, coupled with the fear that made you flinch at the presence of his name alone. Evidently so, he grew quite frustrated with your silence, the flames of his form quirking up to catch your attention.

“Fine. Be that way. I let you be with them, but you’re showing me I made a mistake, (Name). Let me give you what you deserve.” he spat bitterly, glaring down at you as your felt your weight shift and tumble over once more, wrenching you back through the floor once more.

—

Bright floods of light poured into your retinas in a blaring invasion that pressed at your headache under the intensity reflective in your eyes. You had no idea how long you’d been out for. If you hadn’t known better you would’ve assumed that decades had passed from the void of pitch black you aimlessly floated within unconsciously. Once delicately moisturized skin now bruised and reverting into its monstrous, sickly purple as you rolled over onto your back.

Good, you were still at the penthouse, safe in your bed.

All you had to do was find a way to get back into your human skin and—

“(Name)..?”

Fuck.

You couldn’t even bring yourself to look over your shoulder, hands shaky as they burrowed into the blankets, gripping bundles of fluff in fistfuls when you turned your head to conveniently see Mira and Zoey frozen at the door of your room. Gwi Ma truly knew what he was doing when he schemed suddenly to crumble everything you knew before your eyes in the span of seconds, considering he had kept you knocked out intentionally for long enough in your demon form until the others stumbled upon you.

“I can…wait..I can explain-“

“You were hiding this from us for how long..?”

Any word you were about to defend yourself with caught up in your throat the moment you saw that sweep of purple hair follow up to accompany the other two staring over at you in awe. No. No, no no no.

Anyone but Rumi. You didn’t care if the whole world saw the horror of what you truly were, whether they were to rip you limb for limb. Just not her.

Are you happy now, Gwi Ma? Allowing them to find out wasn’t enough, you had to remind me how love is out of my damn reach.

Hot, quivering breaths shallowed out of your parted lips, your fuzzy vision struggling to meet the others only staring at you. His chuckle once more assaulted your ears, burning away at the pages of your mind from their off white brand into its blackening fade that disentigrated its way down to the floor.

“I told you. But don’t worry. You’re nothing to them.”

You hissed through your teeth at the pain that lugged at your muscles with each word he breathed out into your ear, his grasp making its way to firing what he wants you to see. Which only resulted in the sight of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey raising their respective weapons toward you, inching closer and closer with the slowed perception of time as you scrambled away hopelessly. You knew it was an illusion, clearly so by the doubles of everyone that wavered in and out of consciousness—alongside Bobby’s voice in the background trying to find the ruckus around.

Although you’d only be able to conclude that despite the falsely portrayed illusions of your friends on the verge of slicing your throat, he was right regardless. You were in fact a demon, a stray that deserved to be kicked to the side from everyone else. A liar that was good for nothing as she drowned in blood and wrought hell upon the lives of others. Even those she claims to love. How long would it take before they kill you for sure?

You were a demon without a doubt. A demon with no feelings that doesn’t deserve to live.

Huntrix would surely benefit without you. The golden Honmoon would be just in their hands, and the problem that barred them from it was you. The impurity that tainted their lives and goal, the impurity that was in fact you and your muddied, hollow gape of a soul that Gwi Ma kept with him.

Without sparing even a split second, you turned your attention to the stars arrayed out in the skies of nightfall darkened before you peeking past the balcony, sprinting away from the others, refusing to even look back. Contrary to what your mind perceived, nobody even moved a muscle toward you, and all were simply frozen in shock near the doorway. Your agile leaps down into the streets most definitely confirmed your identity of the monster you were, the frigid air caressing your skin with each hurried rush while you darted behind the towering buildings.

The shadows of Gwi Ma’s echo resumed their onslaught of whispering shattering hatred, to which you squeezed the cusps of your hands over your ears, as if it would help you block out his voice at all.

“I told you. You can’t escape what you really are, (Name). Why can’t you just help break through the Honmoon? Sealing it doesn’t benefit you in any way.”

Your eyes screwed shut with his bellowing voice continuing to pressure you into coming to his aid, the signs above and rigid concrete sidewalks blurring together with your sanity draining itself to his voice as the vaccum.

“…don’t think you’re doing a good thing by helping Huntrix. You’re not a noble soul, you’re just filth. A demon, you can’t escape that no matter how hard you try to repent. Your soul will always have my mark on it, understood?”

It was as if you could feel the flames creeping close near your ear, even if he wasn’t really there, the voice of his he implanted in your head tormenting you like the illusion of his constant presence tailing you. Thoroughly perusing your actions and stripping you of your own autonomy. He wouldn’t leave you. It was eternal, and escape was nothing but a far fetched dream.

Simple. Your mind was too far gone. The mirror that you glanced upon within shattered at what you’d seen, there was no demon with a human reflection in that mental mirror you worked so hard to maintain the facade with. Touching the glass sprawled out in ungodly screeches sliding on the voided floor that was your cage would only slice through your hands to reveal the faux scarlet that clung to your last bits of humanity. It was impossible to fathom what you were even thinking of—that is, if you could think for yourself right now.

That miniscule part of you would stop fighting, for your purpose was irrelevant. Whether it was helonf Huntrix or Gwi Ma, you didn’t belong anywhere.

“How about a deal?”

You weren’t even listening. Only mindlessly nodding like the remains of what you were. Serves you right.

“I’ll still give you a chance, carry out the purpose you hold forever. Serve me, your aid wouldn’t be so bad, and I’d hate to dispose of you without putting you to any use. Aid the Saja Boys, in compiling all those souls and ripping open the Honmoon why don’t you?”

Of course you would. It’s not like you were good for anything else anyway.

—

“Do you think she’s okay?”

“Quiet. She’s probably still out of it. Gwi Ma’s voice probably drove her past a point.”

Blinking open your eyes, you groggily elevated your back off of the makeshift cot resting beside a nearby convenience store alley. A fairly obscured spot holed away in the untouched corners of Seoul, something you’d normally be sketched out by if you just woke up in a cot with the Saja boys knelt before you.

Wait, the Saja boys?

You had no clue how you even got here, maybe Gwi Ma pulling his stupid tricks as per usual to put you to his use. Not that you’d deny, you were knelt at his side and bowing like an abused servant the moment you lost yourself and submitted to him. Without questioning it, you gratefully accepted the cold soft drink slipped in your hand by Jinu, who knelt down to meet your gaze face to face.

“How are you feeling, (Name)?”

“I don’t even know..” you groaned, gripping at your scalp once more, working your fingers against the creases of your forehead to ease your headache.

Gwi Ma’s voice had subsided…for now. Your sights remained fixed on Jinu, however. Strangely, he was one who beheld that gleam of empathy you could sense without even digging further. All demons heard his voice, and all basked in their suffering as well. Yet very few try to keep their humanity intact at all, with only a handful even trying to grip at their humanity and live with their mistakes.

Jinu’s hand pressed your chest back down onto the springy flat of the cot, his stern gaze searing into you as the flicker of yellow shone past the deep brown he masked his form with.

“Don’t. You need rest.” he asserted, reaching up to swipe away a shred of his own hair falling over his view. You only responded with a wide yawn, ignoring his hand against your chest as you lazily removed it from your chest. Jinu only shook his head in response, sighing.

“You know I’ll understand. I hear his voice all the time too.”

“Don’t we all, Jinu?”

“(Name). I know that you don’t want to succumb to him but we have no choice. This is all we are. So, what you can do is help us at the idol awards tomorrow, and—“

“No need to talk me into it. I already agreed, and I’ll serve Gwi Ma the way I’m supposed to.”

But you didn’t want to. The very thought of surrendering to his control and allowing yourself to succumb to him on that flaming chain around your throat, it made you sick to your stomach. And despite all that, you were in no position to refuse his orders, nor turn against him. Your best bet would be to carry out what he wants if you didn’t want to subject yourself to any more torture, he’d broken you down far enough.

Jinu shook his head, watching you crack open the can of soda and bring the fizzy drink to touch your lower lip. Wait, wasn’t this the guy you saw getting a bit too close with Rumi the time you fought off those water demons at the bathhouse? You instinctively furrowed your brows, examining his face before keeping your gaze up on him as you sipped the drink. It couldn’t be helped, you obviously couldn’t suppress the faint pang of jealousy that struck you, knowing that Rumi could’ve been huddled up to another demon that wasn’t you.

Alas, it was merely your insecurities speaking on your behalf internally. Yet it was hard not to give Jinu your nasty glare from the side, enough to spark a rather apprehensive reaction from him as his hands idly dusted the white collared shirt left open to shift his attention elsewhere.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get Gwi Ma to erase your memory as well if you’d like.”

Yet you stayed unresponsive. Similar to that of a lifeless statue. Not too far off considering that you were in fact nearly lifeless, as the pit inside you was all that was left of your humanity. Everything else had surrendered to Gwi Ma. Mind, body, and soul.

—

You were gone entirely, body moving on its own & trudging through the dimmed lights gleaming in a off glow illuminating the stage brightly. Ensured that you were basically on autopilot for the remainder of the performance, and all you had to wait for was for Jinu to carry out said plan to deceive Rumi and hold the performance post idol awards. Everything would go accordingly if you were stuck in the dark shadows of your mind, nowhere to be found except in a tiny crack that spilled out a bit of light within. Your body wasn’t yours, it moved on instinct, what Gwi Ma wanted you to be. His puppet on a quest to feed his strength.

So why did the disbelief on your friends’—former friends’ faces hurt so bad to look at, even if you thought you were numb to any sort of jab to your chest? Quickly, you swung your head forward, muscles taut as your eyes were fixated forward to follow the Saja boys, clad in matching clothing with the dark button up that subtly traced the demon markings. But fuck, did the knife twist in its sadistic mark when you caught a glimpse of Rumi’s face, alongside something in her eyes you couldn’t exactly put your finger on.

Disappointment? Sadness? Hatred?

Whatever it was, it wasn’t positive. However, you weren’t strong enough to free yourself from your clamped shackles, the burn that sank its claws into you in the wallows of loathesome darkness. Consumed whole by what you were forced to be—your own sins. The announcement of the emcee only wrung out high pitched cheers and cries from the crowd for both groups, with another little thing you picked up on…

“And for today, the Saja boys will have a special guest joining them as well!”

You.

They were talking about you.

—

“Are you sure we should dress her in the jeogori and baji? It’s supposed to be for men typically, isn’t it?”

“It’ll be less suspicious. We don’t want her standing out too much.”

It wasn’t long before the final performance, every one of the Saja boys comfortably fitted into their clothing that they’d reveal themselves to the audience for, considering the fans knew nothing of demons or the demon realm. Just some special effects and unique body paint perhaps? A design choice if you will.

You experimentally shook your hand to loosen yourself for the soulless performance you were about to put on, without knowledge of the moves you’d perform and just letting your body go through the motions as if you were some preprogrammed machine. Well, you did have to admit however, the fine silks and fabrics woven into the loose fitting black hanbok draped over your body, cut over the lower end of your palms, paired with the gat atop your head was quite stylish. Despite being male clothing, you sure looked good in it.

Perhaps you could pray that small part of you still clinging on for dear life, huddling a piece of your sanity close would wake up. The chances weren’t looking great, but you could simply hope you wake up.

Even if you could, what would be the point?

Your single mistake had turned you into the embodiment of your fault.

—

Performative steps and your shoes clacking against the floor to match their movements, the truth of you finally falling under an unmatched spell of sorts you couldn’t break. Your arms and legs throbbed from the forced contortion of your body to keep up, convinced that you were just made to dance to your death. The Saja boys’ vocals were nothing but white noise to you, a foreign chime of melodic, yet irrelevant noises. In fact, you couldn’t even tell if they were singing any longer.

Likely so, you truly thought you had lost it. You were so far gone, mentally cracked down like a worn out monument to the point where you thought you were hallucinating Rumi and her voice.

…were you?

Her voice pierced through the daze you were trapped under, your heavy lidded eyes snapping open to see the spills of fans rushing foward as Gwi Ma’s crackling form of fire erupted behind you, casting a cool magenta onto the crowd and brightening their faces of joyful awe the further they rushed forward. Kneeling foward, you ran your palm over your eyes, jaw nearly going slack at the sight of Rumi slowly approaching forward, the purple cracks of demon patterns spanning across her whole. Not excluding the singular gold eye that marked that of a demon.

So…you weren’t just seeing things. She really was a demon..the night you slept beside her, cuddled up at her chest to catch a glimpse of her patterns.

Your eyes locked with Rumi’s for what seemed like time ceasing between the two of you, relishing in the beauty of her gaze fixed on yours. Never leaving your eyes as if you were all she needed forever, her intense stare burning into the charred hollows of your lost soul. As the other half you craved and needed. Rumi couldn’t bring herself to tear her eyes away from you, your body instinctively gravitating toward her as you remained utterly transfixed on the patterns across her body.

Except..you felt different about these. And your own. They weren’t your shame, nor your sins marked upon you. No. The patterns on both yours and Rumi’s body marked a deeper connection than that. One of which drew you together, tied together in a bind that not even the gods could seperate, your soul intertwined with hers with no words needing to be spoken. But rather, the pull that led you both to each other, blood that mingled with one another even without touch, and a desire to hold onto her and never let go.

Not necessarily something you could put into words, yet the desire to give a piece of yourself to her and be hers. Across all lives. You wanted to be the girl of your dreams, and the way she looked at you proved how that was what she sought as well, more than power, more than gold.

—

“Wait, so your dad was a demon?”

Crisp sweeps of air caressed your exposed skin under the raw air cooling you down from the sweat and excessive heat that built up inside you as your head weighed down on your hand, body weight sinking you into the plush mattress. Of course, side by side with Rumi, your eyes locking with hers as her hand ran along your arm, tracing your own patterns the same way you touched hers. She nodded in response to your question, savoring your velvety touch gently working up her own skin which she was once so insecure in, now comfortable with in your presence.

“Mhm. So I’m only half.”

Rumi paused, her eyes refusing to meet yours as she stared down, her hand resting along your forearm as well.

“I didn’t think this would be the case. In fact, I expected something else…and I didn’t think I deserved basking in this, especially considering how I wouldn’t wanna be apart from you—well, ever.” she whispered, her pained expression reliving each moment Celine had put her through in the discomfort of her own skin.

“That makes two of us, doesn’t it?” you replied, finger outlining her patterns before leaning over to press your lips to her shoulder, planting a kiss before you could even process what you did against the wake of violet you adored oh so much. Yet Rumi didn’t seem to protest, her eyes only growing heavy as she thumbed at your shoulder as well in soothing circles, your head leaning against her chest. Burying yourself into her shoulder, your initial hatred had given way to an indescribable affection you wanted to bask in forever, muttering out a muffled response to follow up your words.

“It’s two sides. I’m everything with you, and I feel like I’m drowning without you. I can survive with or without you, but I can’t live without you.”

Rumi wordlessly dug her fingers into your back as she hemmed her arms around you, holding you close to her without any space harbored between your bodies. Both of you could finally understand the beauty of a demon, a beauty not kissed by Gwi Ma, but rather the universe own intention. Rumi spoke first, breaking the silence.

“I can survive without you, but I wouldn’t want to. It’s not with or without you for me, I only want it to be you.”

A/N: WHEEEEWWW I wanted to finish this in one sitting but it took FOREVER omg but I like how it turned out despite a few parts being a little lazy and rushed so forgive me for any inconsisties in the writing style

And with any cultural things I messed up like the clothing names or anything pls educate me I don’t wanna be a fuckass hooligan or a koreaboo LMAOO

But I had so much fun writing this and I hope yall enjoy this as well if anyone says it’s cringe suck me and cry me a river anyway love ALL of u and thank u for the support ❣️