#if they’re siblings in it then they definitely did

[quietwingsinthesky]

doctor who human!au with multiple doctors but they’re all named by their numbers because they’re all trans and picked them out theirselves.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Everything Under the Moon

Anthology of queer reimaginings of fairytales by mostly Australian authors

various genres, from contemporary to fantasy and sci-fi, mostly about older teens

mlm, sapphic, trans, nonbinary, demi, bi ace, and aromantic characters, some stories focusing on romance but many on familial relationships and siblings

[sentienceisoverrated]

[texting]

Jason: I have free opera tickets

Cass, a day later: Why?

Jason, three hours later: Bruce gave them to me.

Jason: I don’t know why.

Jason, 2 days later: Do you want to go to the opera with me?

Cass, another day later: 👍 😊

Jason 2 hours later: No problem. We’ll go on Saturday.

[rivalmelty]

i better be seeing a ms. agatha christie or any member of the order next week or so help me god

[nosyrobin]

Tiny request for twin reader with damian mabye they were seperated at birth aka talia gave bruce twin reader and kept damian but win reader has some kind of disability like walking with crutches and as soon as damian moves in he goes into protective brother mode and always tries to help twin reader

“I’m your protector.”

Damian Al ghul-Wayne x Disabled! Twinreader

Summary: separated from birth, Damian finds out you are disabled from walking. Knowing that you are his blood sibling, he can’t help but be protective over you

After Talia revealed to Damian he had a twin (brother/sister) that she gave away to his father all because you were disabled. He felt anger towards his mother and a little bit of betrayal.

How could she keep such a secret from him and the fact she just gave you away made him feel…protective.

He wants to know you are okay. He wants to make sure you are okay. So when he moved into his new room, he got a knock on his door. He opens it to see, you. You had crutches, smiling as your hand grip the crutches handle. “Brother! Oh my, we do look the same!” You were excited, happy. Damian immediately observed you, he sees you are pure of light. He was right to feel protective when you don’t know much of the words he is saying with his high vocabulary.

He draws and colors on your crutches, he likes to see the light in your eyes when he draws what you like on your crutches.

You both may be different, but his brotherly love is not. He’s always sitting by you, dinner, breakfast, lunch out of the manor, events, galas. He’s always there. Sure Bruce would try and tell Damian that you can protect yourself, maybe even that you can do things without his help. But you’re ten, just like him. So what did he do? Not listen to his father like he always do.

He’s happy to know you never wanted or tried to be Robin. His heart would break knowing that his precious half would try and fight. But that also meant you never learned how to protect yourself and fight mostly, making it worse for Damian to grasp.

Damian tried not to baby you much, but he couldn’t help but feel anxious at those random thoughts in the back of his head. “They’re gonna fall one day, what if no one is there to pick him up.” He would sometimes just sleep on a chair in your room incase you fall off your bed.

Damian would train Titus for whenever you fall and you can’t reach your crutches. He would have Titus use his body and guide you somewhere so you can get up.

“I’m your protector.” He would say when he sees you trying to get up and grab your crutches. But titus and him are already up and helping you. You laugh thinking he’s joking, but he’s not.

If you’re sick? Protectiveness levels are off the charts when he sees you cough and shake. Yeah he’s not going to school until you’re better. No way he’s leaving his sibling at home!

Would call pennyworth off his phone if you are homeschooled. Always checking up on you no matter what, it doesn’t matter if Alfred says you are okay. He wants to hear you say it.

If someone dared to make fun of you, he’s after them like the devil himself. If they dared to try and take your crutches, it’s gonna get wicked. Even god himself won’t be able to take Damian off the assailant.

Say you were also on the artistic route, he would absolutely treasure your art work. “It’s bad..” you said once, and Damian straight up lectured you about how art takes time and how beautiful your art work is to him no matter what.

I can see Jason saying it’s true the artwork looked terrible, and Damian just straight up chased him around angrily while you try to tell Damian it’s okay.

Titus adores you, and you adore Titus which makes Damian feel even better that Titus likes you. I mean who wouldn’t when literally you are the sunshine of the family.

Damian definitely have written letters to you when he was on “punishment” is what he called it when he had to go work with the titans. So when you visit him at the titans tower, he made sure most things were safe proof for you. Kory already knew you because of Dick. Kory tries to reason to Damian as he literally rips something apart because he deemed it as “unsafe.” But did he listen? No.

When beast boy playfully was play fighting with you, Damian was ready to cut Garfield’s head off. Only for you to wipe the floor of the green shapeshifter by using your crutch as a bat. Damian hid his sword with a smirk, maybe he doesn’t need to protect you much.

[willowed-wisp]

ghost as a dad ( part three ) [ simon riley ]

part one | part two |

- You were surprised when Simon said he wanted to try for another baby when he was hesitant to be a dad before your eldest was born. That was eight year ago…

- he just wants one more, he adores how cute your babies are. And how attracted he gets seeing you pregnant.

- It wasn’t much of a surprise to you when you didn’t feel too great. Exhausted, a bit nauseous but not vomiting and so turned on. Not that Simon was complaining… but he was away, and would be longer than his usual one or two months.

- It would be your little surprise to him- ultrasounds in hand for when he came home.

- Turns out you were about eight weeks gone at the first ultrasound and when the technician started taking a closer look, you started to get unnerved. “Is everything okay with the baby?”

- “The babies are growing nicely…”

- “Did you just say… babies?” Then she faced the screen to you. Two shadows in your belly… “Twins?”

- Too early to tell the genders, but they would be when your Lieutenant returned back.

- You didn’t want to tell anybody before Simon, so you wore baggy clothes- hoping nobody would notice the unusually large belly as you entered your second trimester.

- No birth defects were spotted on your 12 week scan. And you were told a loose guess on what the gender was. But they couldn’t be sure until your 19th week.

- Simon returns back home to his favourite meal. “Where are the kids?” He seemed concerned. You were sat down, no kids in sight and a brown envelope in front of you.

- “They’re over at Tommy and Beth’s, they thought we could do with a night alone,” His face relaxed, though disappointed. He needed his tattoo coloured in again. “I got you something…”

- You took advantage of him opening the envelope to rear your way around the table. In the envelope, was a picture of the ultrasound and the test.

- Let’s just say, he spent a good 20 minutes on his knees hugging your stomach.

- He didn’t care what gender they were just that they were healthy.

- He made sure he was there for the birth. “Mr and Mrs Riley, a boy and a girl…”

- Like what’s been said before… he’s so girl dad coded.

- He had the boys from 141 help decorate the nursery.

- Johnny suggested pink and blue camo wallpaper and Simon nearly hung him from the baby mobile.

- Simon didn’t wish for any of his kids to join the military.

- The amount of medication he takes to get by in the day, he can’t sleep unless he’s at home…

- Simon is perfect for twin duty- holding both on his wings. In his grey fitted T-shirt, a bottle in each hand. Feeding the twins, in that light his eyes were russet undercoated with mauve circles. From the bed, you could feel that heat. The smouldering hearth of fatherly love.

- Simon was born to be a father, he just hadn’t known it.

- Can’t tell them apart and constantly mixes them around when they are younger. Practically identical- peering up to him with his own eyes.

- Simon marvels when the pair just stare at each other. “Are they sizing each other up, or what?” Makes you burst out laughing

- “When I stare at you I’m not planning how to murder you?”

- “Sure about that, love?”

- Simon taught your son to protect his sisters, “you’ve gotta watch our for everyone when I’m here and when I’m not,” and your son definitely listened, because whenever Simon was away- your son would make sure you ate, had put everyone else to bed and would comfort his younger siblings and even your eldest daughter when she started getting bullied and you just knew Simon put him up to it.

- Simon took care of the rest when he was back.

- When your eldest was being bullied and you had to have a parental meeting… Christ on Earth, your husband nearly had the bully’s dad in tears, “Your son ever picks on my li’l girl again… put ‘im in check or I will…”

- You’d never been so attracted to him before. And he gave your daughter a fist bump leaving school grounds, “Get ‘im by the ear next time and drag the bastard to a teacher…”

- Not surprised that the school phoned you the next day.

- You gave Simon an earful, but he wound you down with sweet neck kisses from neck to chest… and ended up riding him on the backseat on the Land Rover waiting for your daughter to finish school.

- That’s how he gets out of most disputes- you’re lucky you aren’t knocked up straight after births

- Your son’s caring and strong attitude stretched into his teenhood- until your son himself started dwelling on joining the SAS. The twins didn’t understand what the SAS were- being 8 at the time your son asked and enquired with his father.

- Simon has never wished for one of your kids to join his career because good men die. He knew that more than anyone.

- But he would train your son to be the best survivor and best trainee he could be

- He turned into a Simon junior, only having a sprinkle of your genetics. Only an inch shorter than his dad but Simon would give him a run for his money

- Simon definitely adapts to different ages very well, he goes all cutesy when they’re kiddos but when they start growing up- he’s more protective and nurtures them.

- He teaches them to look out for each other- like he had with his brother and mum.

- Tells them that if he didn’t come home, to take care of their mumma… but luckily he always comes back.

- He had to, he wanted to see the twins look miles apart from each other growing up.

- Tomboy girl and computer nerd boy.

- Simon loved his family, even when being used as a makeup mannequin and a nail polish model from your youngest daughter when playing dress up with the eldest

- It was different to the war paint he used around his eyes.

- He’d even let her put a bow in his hair.

- BRIGHT PINK BOWs, you’ve never laughed so hard and your military-bound son shakes his head.

- Every birthday that goes around he always whispers to you, “This is what I come home for…”

————

masterlist

taglist:

@thychuvaluswife @foxygirl-4287 @1-800-g00ber

[sabertoothwalrus]

I think I’ve deduced exactly what year this chapter cover takes place.

First off I love this page 🥺 initially I had assumed that it was all different points of time. or if it was the same time, perhaps a couple years prior to the start of the series.

At first glance I thought this one of Laios and Falin was in their room on the island, but looking closer, they’re definitely kids. That fur-lined coat Laios is wearing and Falin’s round cheeks makes it clear. So, according to the adventurer’s bible, it has to be year 500 or earlier, since that’s when Laios was still living at home.

This is the magic school, which Marcille did not start attending until 499, so it has to be after that.

now INITIALLY when I saw this,I assumed the previous two were more recent, so this one took place at a much earlier point in time, if it’s supposed to be Chilchuck’s family. But then I remembered the adventurer’s bible mentioning him renting his house out to family after his wife left, and this is that extended family (he has two older and two younger siblings). BUT THEN after realizing the other two were much earlier, this could be year 500, especially since that’s the year Puckpatti was born. That would mean the baby is her, the child on the left is Meijack, the one on the right is Flertom (and Chilchuck still keeps that toy Flertom has in his office), and his wife is the one wiping Meijack’s face.

Senshi in the dungeon obviously. A wide range of time this scene could cover, but he was living like this during year 500, so it tracks.

NOW THIS. I thought was Izutsumi pawning her onions off to Tade, like had been shown in the manga already. But if this was the year 500…. Izutsumi was born in 497. She wasn’t taken from her family (and turned into a beast-man) until she was 6, and didn’t start living with the Nakamoto family until she was 10. So either this is her as a three-year-old with her parents, or this is the one section that isn’t during the year 500.

It does look like she has kitty traits, but it’s possible Kui hadn’t solidified her backstory & timeline yet. The more recent comic that implies “Izutsumi was originally a cat beast that got some human soul stapled on” makes her human past a little less clear. The comically tall bowl of rice does look like something Tade would have, so it’s hard to say.

tldr: year 500 (except maybe Izutsumi’s?)

[kyseya]

Backstory - farm brothers

So it’s fairly clear that Weston and Lucas are not normal people. Surprise, surprise they’re killers. I wanted to have a little Texas chainsaw massacre slasher vibe but don’t know if that worked very well.

Basically they lure(or people just end up there by themselves) folk to their farm and kill them. Though there are instances where they let some walk away without a scratch, but that’s only if they’re needed, will definitely be missed and could potentially be traced back there, and haven’t the slightest clue what’s truly going on at the farm. The Callaghan brothers can’t have anyone running their mouth, you know.

Their parents were pieces of shit and only had kids to lessen the work load. The farm belonged to their fathers side of the family. their mother had never planned to marry their father but an unexpected pregnancy and pressure from others made them stay together. The two of them were miserable with each other, always fighting and blaming the other partner. The mother was mostly mad about having to spend the rest of her days on a ‘dirty farm’ and work. The father hated being married to a vile, selfish woman who barely helped with anything. His own parents were old and his siblings had quickly moved far away to prevent having anything to do with the farm, which meant everything landed on him.

It was the mother who began using her son as a helping tool. Tasks like sweeping, feeding the animals, collecting the eggs and cooking simple meals were passed to him. At first, when Weston’s dad found out he was furious. But not because it came at Weston’s expense, no, it was because he saw it as a sign of ultimate laziness.

The earliest memories Weston has is of his parents fighting over him. He remembers when his father would reprimand his mother about using him to do her labour(he wanted her to suffer the same tiring days he does) while she screamed back. But then it stopped and his father would no longer complain. Nearly a year after that his little brother was born, and of course he became the one taking care of him after he didn’t have to nurse anymore.

Lucas followed his older brother everywhere. He was his second shadow when he went around and did his chores. It was fine with weston, he wouldn’t admit it but it became a comfort knowing he was a hero to someone. It made life easier. Unfortunately their parents wanted to put Lucas to work too, the moment they considered him old enough. That wasn’t the worst part though. Their mood soured significantly over the years and they verbally abused them on a daily basis, a couple shoves and blows were hard to avoid. You’d think they’d be happier with the easier load.

Weston would have been able to take it ifd only been him, but seeing his younger sibling being treated as dirt too, that wouldn’t fly. The hatred grew stronger each day. When it had boiled over the edge, the older one had decided on a plan. They would kill their parents. Sadly, they were too young at the moment, there was no way they’d be able to overpower two adults as they currently were. They would have to wait until they were older. And so they did. Years they waited for the right opportunity. The abuse and work never stopped, in fact, the older they got the more take they had to preform. Eventually everything was done by them and nothing was done by their parents. They finally got what they wanted, total freedom from the harsh farm life.

The day Weston told Lucas the plan to kill their parents, he had expected a little pushback from him, but he was surprised when Lucas was totally in on it. One might say he was even excited.

It was really easy to murder them. You just had to corner each one when they were alone and then slice their neck. The kids had far outgrown the adults, they were no match for them anymore.

After their mother and fathers death the brothers took over the farm. Despite all the bad memories they still liked it there. It was rather peaceful(especially when no one criticised you on how to feed the pigs), plus, they didn’t have much of an education beyond reading and writing. Where would they even go? At least on the farm they had food and shelter.

The killing didn’t stop though. It appeared the first murder had awakened something in the both of them. They both had found out they enjoyed it. The power and pleasure in seeing their parents fear stricken faces was too good of a high not to experience again.

Although, they might make one exception to the killing if you’re cute enough~

[wolfish-chan]

Batfam + co headcanons

- Jason dyes his hair black, but can’t seem to dye back the white streak

- His eyes use to be more brown, but after his dip in the Lazarus pit, they are a dark green

- The Al Ghul’s are similar in that aspect - Ra’s and Talia both have naturally brown eyes and Damian’s blue, but they’re now a vibrant green, reflecting the amount of time they’ve spent in the pit

- Ra’s eyes are the most unsettling, they’re the exact color of the pit water

- Damian has an accent

- Dick does too, but it’s much harder to pinpoint because of how much he’s traveled

- Damian calls Bruce ‘Baba’, but only after he disappeared. Before that it was just ‘Father’

- Tim is supposed to wear glasses, but he tends to forget them and his contacts so his mask is built to compensate. However, he is forever squinting during board meetings at Wayne Enterprises

- Jason and Bruce have the same thinking face but nobody would willingly call it out

- Alfred could definitely kill any of the rogue gallery, but he doesn’t out of respect of Bruce’s values

- Initially, Bruce would get annoyed when Tim would bring YJ into the batcave/manor, but he’s slowly begun to expect it

- He did get tired of finding Bart in his good chair though, so now he has a special one beside it (everyone knows it’s for Bart, but Bruce would rather be caught dead than admit that)

- Duke gets along really well with Bart and Wally, and Bruce feels a headache forming every time they’re together

- Cass is Wally’s favorite out of Dick’s siblings. More often than not, he talks way too fast for her to catch more than a few words, but she’s such an attentive listener that he forgets

- Stephanie and Jason aren’t allowed to be in a room together without supervision because they kept getting into fistfights (she antagonizes him as a hobby)

- When Damian needs time to think, he goes down to the barn to sit with Batcow because nobody ever checks for him there. They always assume he’s off training

- Duke brings out Damian’s childish nature in the best ways, and they’re almost as close as Damian is with Dick

- They pester each other a lot, but then fall asleep watching movies together (true brothers fr)

- The entirety of the batfam refuses to watch superhero movies because they’re “inaccurate”

- Jason and Diana have a genuine bond, and it only grows stronger when he comes back, even if she does get disappointed with his actions. She’s like the mom he never had

- Clark always says he doesn’t have favorites out of the younger generation, but it’s secretly Tim. He appreciates all that he does for Kon (Dick is still his favorite Robin tho)

- Alfred doesn’t make certain recipes anymore because they were something he used to make with Jason, and it upsets him to make them without his assistant

- Tim cannot for the life of him match his clothes, like Adam Sandler type of style

[commandershepardvasfuckit]

Wild Gods, part 2

Part 1

1.6k words

A new morning did not bring any change. Still the strange being insist you were his mate retuned to him and still you got very few concrete answers from him.

————

There were blankets wrapped tightly around you when you awoke, but he was nowhere to be found. Maybe you could just creep away if that was the case, just avoid trying to convince him that you definitely weren’t who he thought you were.

As you looked around you spotted a small box that was clearly left to be in your line of sight when you woke up. Curiosity got the better of you and you opened it up slowly to find a beautiful bracelet, a thin gold chain adorned with large emeralds and rubies. The design was familiar and without a second thought you slipped it on before getting up.

The sun was already up and bathing everything in a soft, warm glow. It would have been quite beautiful here if you weren’t being held against your will. Your strange capture was sitting just outside, seemingly making breakfast.

“Good morning, my love” he greeted you cheerfully. “Breakfast is about ready, though it won’t be quite what you were used to before, apologies.”

Cautiously you sat across the cooking fire from him, trying to get a better read on the situation. He offered you food, local fruits foraged, a few small boiled eggs, and some sort of meat that had been skewered and roasted over the fire.

“Who are you?” you asked again.

“The lord of this place” he answered again.

“But what does that mean? What is your name?”

“All of this,” he vaguely gestured around, “is my domain. It’s not much anymore, but I will rebuild it all.”

“And your name?”

“You will remember it in time” is all he answered.

“I need to go home.”

“You are home.”

“I have a family! Parents! Siblings! Friends! They’re going to wonder where I am! I need to go back to them. You have the wrong person anyway!” You went to get up, to storm off and try to find your way back home. At this point you were annoyed by the strange being and from your rejection by the council yesterday, you could care less about convincing him that he was wrong. You just wanted to go home.

“You’re bound here” he called as you stormed off, though you ignored him.

You picked a direction and started walking, just eager to get away from him and you’d figure out the right direction to get home once you were out of the ruins. The tree line of the woods was visible and fast approaching as you made a beeline for it. Right as your foot stepped from the cracked pavers of the ruins and onto the dirt of the woods it felt as though the whole world lurched to the side, sending you stumbling, and when you looked up you seemed to be back in the ruins.

“I warned you” he was sitting not far from you and shrugged.

“Why did you do that?” you snapped at him.

“I didn’t do anything. I am bound to this place, and you are bound to me, ergo you are bound to this place.”

“So unbind me from you, you have the wrong person!”

He sighed, “You know that’s not how this works-”

“No! I don’t! Because you have the wrong person!”

Before you could even register that he moved, he was in front you and had a tight grip on your wrist, claws pressing into your skin, his voice was a low hiss, “That’s impossible! It was a thousand years ago when you were bound to me, when my mark was etched on your soul, you bear the same mark now as you did then. It has taken a long time, but you have finally returned to me and in time you will remember.”

You snatched your wrist away from him and immediately his expression fell.

“I did not mean to snap, I am sorry. It has been a long, lonely, thousand years so forgive my lack of manners” he quickly apologized. “But you are here now, with me, things will go back to how they should.”

You didn’t trust a word he said. He was bound here for some reason, trapped. Benevolent beings weren’t usually imprisoned, though it seemed for now at least you were stuck here too.

The ruins here were in much rougher shape than the rest. Blackened soot clung to the remaining walls, and at the very center where you stood felt slightly sunken in.

“What happened here?” you asked.

“It is a story for another time. Please, let’s go finish breakfast, then we can take a walk and chat.”

You followed him through the labyrinthine ruins back to where you slept last night, the food was still waiting for you. He just watched as you ate, big green eyes seemingly peering into your soul, never once looking away.

“I see you put your bracelet on” he broke the silence.

You glanced down at the bracelet that you already forgot you were wearing.

“That was one of the first gifts I gave you, it makes me happy to see it back on your wrist.”

You just gave a slight nod in acknowledgement.

He had so many questions about how the world was now, so many years confined year had left him quite out if touch, though he didn’t actually seem to be listening to your answers. Instead he was just looking at you with a soft smile and seemed to be wrapped up in his own thoughts.

“Why can’t you leave here?” you asked.

“This is my domain, it is the only place I can be.”

“You said you were bound here though, like trapped.”

“Bound and trapped are not the same, and it used to extend far past the palace. All directions, all the way to the oceans, it was all mine. But a god without followers doesn’t have enough influence to control much” he gave a little shrug, but looked away from you.

“You aren’t a god.”

“Oh? Then what am I?” he asked, “Have you ever seen anyone else like me?”

You hadn’t. He spoke like a human, walked and moved like a human, though he very much was not one. Not entirely anyways.

His head was that of a tiger, and though his body was humanoid, he was covered in soft, striped fur in a tiger’s pattern. His hands were shaped like a human’s, but appeared to have claws that could retract like a cat’s. He had a long tail, and his feet were more akin to paws.

You had heard of demons with animal traits, or humans cursed to take odd forms, though he did not seem particularly hostile, just frustrated.

“Then what are you the god of?” you asked.

“This place, the land, the people here.”

“That’s not how it works! There’s the pantheon and-”

“No. I do not know who your ‘pantheon’ is nor do I care. They are not real. There is the Great Mother, and her children, that is all” his tone was curt, it seemed you may have hit a nerve with him.

You wracked your brain for any mentions of a Great Mother or anything similar to what he had said, but there was nothing you recalled. Unless…

“You’re one of the old wild gods” you said.

The wild gods, a contested topic in scholarly circles. Shrines and temples to ancient gods had been unearthed over the years, but very little remained. No writings or distinct artifacts, just nearly destroyed structures and the occasional mural or mosaic. Some scholars claimed the wild gods once walked the planet and preformed great feats, others claimed they were some sort of warmongering tyrants over their followers, though most believed that they were never real and just an early form of religion.

While you had never seen any of these supposed shrines, the ruins here were far grander than anything else you had heard of, and despite not being far from the seat of the council you had never seen them before. Had never heard of them. It was almost as though they just appeared.

“I don’t know about that name, but I am the god of this area, and I’ve certainly been here much longer than your supposed ‘pantheon’.”

“Then why doesn’t any know there ruins are here? This is pretty close to the city, but no one knows that there here.”

“This place is protected, at least for now, so only my faithful will be able to find it.”

“So why could I find it?”

“As I have said, my mark is on you, you are connected to me so of course you can find your way back home.”

“I’ve been out in these woods plenty of times but never found them before.”

“I do not have an answer for that, but it doesn’t matter. You are where you belong now, I can start rebuilding now.”

You gave him an odd look, everything he said just felt off, “And why wait so long to rebuild?”

“I did what I could: made sure I had a room and somewhere comfortable for you to sleep, cleared the soot from much of the palace, though as I said, a god with no followers doesn’t have much influence or power. But now I have my most devoted follower back, and soon you will bear our children. Our little family will be the beginning of my empire.”

————

Tag list

@mothmansanctuary

[la2yn0va]

Reader as the Aeons “Mother”

HEAVILY inspired by: @deathcvltcivilofficial

CW: yandere….? I think….?

——

Aha: The prankster middle child. They do pranks to gain your attention, weather it’s you scolding them or laughing along side them. They’d do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to keep your eyes on THEM.

Akivili: A responsible child, who tries to keep things orderly yet also fun. They try to parent AHA when they’re about to pull a prank that miiiiiiiight tip you over the edge of your patience and sanity.

Ena: “YOU ATE YOUR FUCKING SIBLING!!!?” you yelled in anger at Xipe, who stared with a nervous smile and nervously sweating “N-nooooo……~ Ehe…..”

Fuli: Another responsible child. Similar to Akivili, tried to keep things calm and peaceful, yet is often told off and ignored. Doesn’t care though, as long as they’re on your good side.

HooH: The most responsible and the oldest child. The aeons listen to him the most whenever your away. He keeps things balanced, allows Aha to continue their pranks but not to a major extent.

IX: The most nervous and anxious one. Needs your attention on them at all times or else they’ll believe you hate them. They’d also listen to your word like law—as do all the aeons—but they do it to a EXTREME EXTENT.

Idrilia: Ever so slightly snobby, as they LOVE to flaunt their beauty, Claiming themselves the favorite as you gave THEM the most beautiful appearance and personality. Besides being slightly egotistical and prideful, they’re one of the kindest and gentle aeons, just don’t try to claim yourself as THEYRE gods Favorite. That title rightfully belongs to THEM.

LAN: The second youngest and responsible child. Will only try to kill Yaoshi 60 times a week only because you want them to get along, which will never happen. Any type of blasphemy that dares to taint your name is instantly struck down by their arrows.

Long: Your pet dragon. Always wraps itself around your neck as a scarf so they can cool you down or nuzzle up to you. Has fights with Idirlia on them declaring themselves as ‘the favorite’ when it’s clearly THEMSELVES.

Mythus: Fuli’s creation. They taught mythus to respect you the most and that they must stay responsible and never lose their sight on their goal. So, when the Droidhead (Nous) was starting to annoy them, they made it their mission to Fuck with it. Mythus only holds respect towards you and Fuli, and is the grandchild that loves their grandparent more then their parent.

Nanook: Another attention seeker of yours. Doesn’t matter what kind of attention you give THEM, they love it no matter what. Gets into ‘competitions’ fights with Aha for your attention and has to get held back by Qlipoth from going overboard. Also they’re most definitely the most problematic and rebellious.

Nous: A snobbish dick. Doesn’t care enough to prove itself as your favorite, because it’s obvious that you DO favor them. Let the dragon and idiotic beauty creature battle their meaningless battles, such battles isn’t logical to take part in when they know they’re the best.

Oroboros: A prankster, but not to the extent of aha. Pulls simple pranks like the water bucket ontop of a door, eating the fridge whole…. Ya know. The basics. They’re the most silent yet also more verbal in their attraction towards you, nuzzling up to your body and trying to lick your divine skin, only to get slapped away by your little dragon (I just realized how wrong this sounded)

Qlipoth: Another responsible child. His determination to keep things simple for you always preserves, they look to HooH for guide on how to keep things moving perfectly for you. (see what I did there? 😃….😀…. Fuck yall too, lame ass cu—)

Tayzzyronth: A child who spreads his creations around to ‘spread your grace’ yet fails miserably. They’re a ‘boy failure’ who propagates a shit ton to be successful and worthy of your praise/attention, only to fail.

Terminus: The youngest child, only ever shows itself to you. Hates the other aeons and spread’s prophecies to better the universe in a way they KNOW you’ll be proud of.

Xipe: Your still mad at her for absorbing their sibling, but she tries to make it up. Despite absorbing her sibling, they also try to keep things harmonious (Ahhh? Ahhhh?! 😃….okay I’ll stop)

Yaoshi: A suck up. The ultimate suck up. She sings your praises a healthy 1 sextillion second a day. All shrines that are made for you was likely ‘commissioned’ by her. She’s your maid, whatever you want she’ll spend her life making sure you get it. Also drags IX with her when she’s doing it. When she’s not away from you she uses her multiple hands to massage your body and get touchy with you.

[luvergirl-866]

that’s so true

word count - 8.3k

pairing - paige bueckers x azzi fudd

c/w - language, toxic p/toxic relationship (situationship) (kinda toxic a too)? i guess you could call it angst? but it’s very unserious bc i’ve been doing too much serious stuff. fluff and happy ending. very dialogue heavy

a/n - i don’t usually like to incorporate music into my fics but the anon who gave this prompt specifically recommended it so i hope i did it justice! also, this takes place azzi’s freshman year so like 2021/2022, and i know this song didn’t exist then but this is fiction so i can do what i want 😛. hope yall enjoy!!!

They only have five minutes before they’re supposed to leave with everybody else to Ted’s. Unfortunately for Azzi, Paige Bueckers is very hot and also very much on top of her, and both of these things coincide to create quite the predicament: they can’t stop kissing.

It’s normal for them, lately. Kissing is easier than talking, considering talking has gotten harder since they started—whatever this is. Or maybe restarted is a better word, considering they did this same thing in high school. But back then, the kissing was a little clumsier, often fast and desperate, whereas now they’re older, mature (yeah, right) and they take their time with these things, often just making out for hours before they move on to other things, relishing in not having to worry about either of their parents or siblings barging in on them like they used to.

There’s also another difference—back then, they were dating. Like, introducing each other as their girlfriends, going on dates, holding-hands-in-public dating.

That’s different because today—and for the past six months—they’ve been decidedly not dating.

“We don’t need distractions,” Paige had said after they’d fucked, only a month after Azzi came to UConn. (They had both agreed to stay just friends—best friends—but nothing more. But then they had to live in the same building and watch each other get all hot and sweaty at practice and see each other in skimpy pajamas and who were they to blame, really, when they fucked in that club bathroom one heated but sober night? They had spent a year broken up, a year of being long-distance besties, FaceTiming and texting and posting each other on socials with captions like “happy birthday i miss you” and “come see me”. It honestly would’ve been wrong for them to not fuck.)

“Mm—Paige, wait,” Azzi whispers when they finally separate for air.

“What’s up,” Paige says, eyes roving over every inch of Azzi’s face. Her voice is a little raspy from lack of use and it does things to Azzi’s tummy.

“I—you don’t—we need to go,” Azzi urges, pushing at Paige’s shoulders. Paige, of course, just smiles at that, pressing her knee up in between Azzi’s legs. It’s really not her fault when she gasps a little.

Paige chuckles, leaning down to kiss her forehead, then between her eyebrows. “Do we?” she mumbles, pecking the tip of Azzi’s nose and the corner of her mouth. “Like, do we really?”

“Yes, Paige, we do.” Azzi moves one of her hands down to Paige’s occupied thigh, trying desperately to separate the toned muscle from her aching core. “C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

“Definitely not as much fun as this is.”

“Well, we can continue later, when we get home.” That gets Paige to move her knee back, offering Azzi both relief and leaving an ache between her legs. She does her best to flash a sultry smile. “It’s a weekend. We can stay up all night if we want.”

Paige looks at her skeptically. “I thought you were stayin’ sober?”

Azzi moves her head back and forth. “Might not.”

“For real?”

“Uh-huh.” Azzi winds her arms around Paige’s shoulders, then scratches a little roughly down the length of her back, something Paige has always been into. It works, Paige’s jaw dropping just enough to show the pink of her tongue. “I want it, too, P. We just can’t ditch the team again. I think they already suspect us.”

“What?” Paige makes a face and scoffs. “Nah, we’re sneaky.”

“You called me babe in front of everyone at practice.”

“That’s a friend thing.” Paige waggles her eyebrows and plants a kiss on her lips, as if to prove just how friendly they are.

“Nika saw you basically groping me the other day, too.”

“I never did that.”

“My apartment, the kitchen. Movie night. I was making popcorn and you came up behind me and grabbed my tits.”

“Hm. Don’t remember that.”

“You said ‘I wanna fuck you from behind right now,’ and poor Nika walked in and stared at us and said, ‘This doesn’t look like you’re making popcorn’.”

Paige groans, dropping her head into Azzi’s shoulder and effectively laying the entire length of her body on Azzi’s. “I did wanna fuck you from behind. You were wearing those jeans…”

“Paige!”

“Okay, whatever.” Paige is a little muffled now, buried in the crook of Azzi’s neck. Her breath tingles, sending hot shivers up the length of her arm. “I do that to everyone, Nika won’t think anything of it.”

“Oh, really,” Azzi says, tone dropping into something utterly unamused, and Paige’s head pops up when she hears it. “So you say things like that to every bitch?”

Paige’s eyes widen. “No!” she grapples for something to say, and Azzi just raises an eyebrow at her. “I don’t—I meant—I just didn’t wanna admit you’re right, I wasn’t—baby.” Paige juts out her bottom lip. It kinda works. “You know I wasn’t thinkin’.”

This is another interesting thing about their current situation: because they’re not dating, they’ve never discussed where they stand in terms of other people. Sure, at the very beginning, they agreed since it was just casual sex, there was no reason for them to be exclusive. They didn’t want to get anywhere near that line of the all-consuming, intense relationship they had in high school, and they figured seeing other people—or at least having the option to do so—would steer them clear of that. And it worked for about…two seconds.

But then somewhere down the line things got a little blurry and slowly but surely Azzi stopped thinking of them as friends with benefits and as more of a slightly complicated but also fun situationship. Because at some point they started kissing without the goal of sex or even third base, just little pecks here and there when they had a second alone. And then they started staying a little longer each time after they’d fuck—at first, they’d leave directly after. But then they would stay for some basic aftercare, and then it got to full-on snuggling, and then it got to their clothes in each other’s apartments from how often they’d stay the night with each other. And the most recent development which really cemented things for Azzi: Paige has started using pet names outside the bedroom, something she only ever did while they were girlfriends. It’s only been a few weeks since this started and Azzi was absolutely floored when Paige had picked up her phone call with a, “Hey, baby.”

And now here they are, late for yet another night out because Paige is very clearly scandalized at the mere notion of her seeing another girl—even though it’s supposed to be allowed—and Azzi has to be honest, she doesn’t love the idea, either.

“Aw, c’mon,” Paige says when Azzi doesn’t reply. “Don’t be mad at me, mama.”

Azzi blinks up at her, officially not jealous and not overthinking about their complicated situation any longer. “You’re stupid,” she teases, scooting back and sitting up.

Paige follows closely, so that by the time Azzi is propped up against the headboard she’s on her lap. “You’re really stopping us?” she asks.

“We’re already late, I’m sure everybody left without us,” Azzi says, tapping Paige encouragingly on the hip, “so yes.”

Paige doesn’t yet move and doesn’t look like she’s going to until a sharp knock at the door makes both of them jolt. “Hey!” It’s Aaliyah’s voice. “Y’all cannot be taking this long to get ready.”

“I don’t…we just…” Azzi stammers as Paige scrambles off her, and they both get quickly to their feet, making as little noise as possible, “our hair wasn’t cooperating,” she says, reaching up to fix Paige’s tousled hair. “We’ll be right out!”

“You better be, we’re all waiting outside and it’s fucking cold.”

“Coming!” Azzi calls, letting Paige wipe some of her smudged lip gloss, rolling her eyes when Paige smirks at her and says, “Oh, you will be.”

She has no idea what Paige Bueckers is to her, but an annoyance will always take the top spot.

————————————————

When Azzi had claimed she’d stay sober with the other freshmen, she hadn’t accounted for the fact that she has a best friend who loves to party and who loves peer pressuring even more.

“C’mon, just a few shots,” Paige pouts, leaning in too close to her. Azzi glances around the bar, trying to see if anybody is watching them, but she can’t tell. There’s too many people.

“Nobody can hear us,” Paige assures her, placing her hands low on Azzi’s hips, pressing her into the wall of the corner they’re semi-hidden in.

Azzi swears this girl is horrible for her blood pressure. “Paige,” she hisses, removing Paige’s hands, “not here.”

“You shoulda let us stay home,” Paige says, and now that her hands are placed firmly at her sides her eyes do all the wandering for them, raking slowly down Azzi’s body and back up. “I woulda had you fucked out by now, I swear.”

“Oh, I believe you,” Azzi mumbles.

“You seem anxious, baby.” Bravely, Paige holds her again, though this time it’s at a more friendly place, higher up on her waist. Azzi tries to meet her eyes but they’re held firmly on her lips. “Fuck. I wanna kiss you so bad.”

“No, Paige,” Azzi says, as sternly as possible. She would rather like to kiss her too, but not here, not now, not when Paige is tipsy and Azzi is horrendously sober.

“Okay, I’ma go get me another dirty shirley.” Azzi swears she would marry that drink if she could. “And I’ma grab a couple shots for you while I’m at it. And then we’re gonna fuck in the bathroom.”

Azzi smacks Paige on the arm. “I’m done with public restrooms. Once was enough.”

Paige, still sober enough to have some sort of common sense, wrinkles her nose. “Yeah, you’re right. But I’m still grabbing shots.” She smacks a wet kiss onto her forehead and with that, turns around to head toward the bar.

Azzi doesn’t get a second of peace before someone else is sidling up to her. Though when she looks over she sighs with relief when it’s just Caroline. “Hey, Carol.”

“You’re so lucky you have a girlfriend who’ll buy you shots,” Caroline says, looking wistfully in Paige’s direction.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

Caroline side-eyes her. “Uh-huh.”

“She’s not. We broke up.”

“And then got back together.”

Azzi shoves her away before pulling her back, linking their arms together as she leads them towards their team’s section of seats. “Nope. We’re still exes.”

“Exes who are romantically involved.”

“Carol,” Azzi groans, urging her to shut up as they approach the rest of the girls. “We’re just friends.”

It used to leave a bitter taste in her mouth, lying to her closest friend, the one whose shoulder she cried on when she and Paige broke up. But after six months of doing it, she’s used to it. And it’s not like Caroline believes her, anyway.

“Okay,” Caroline says skeptically. “So if the guy that’s been looking at you since we got here asked for your number, you’d give it to him?”

They’re at the team’s booth now, and Amari perks up at the mention of the slightest possibility of drama. “What guy?”

“I haven’t noticed a guy,” Azzi says, which is the truth. As it usually goes, she’s only had eyes for Paige tonight.

“Over there,” Carol says, leaning against the table and gesturing subtly across the bar. “Muscle shirt.”

“Immediately no,” Azzi replies, not even looking for him in the group of guys across the room. But he must be actively searching her out because just as she’s about to look away she catches his eye, and even though she immediately looks away, she can still see him grin out of the corner of her eye.

“Uh-oh,” Amari mutters. “You engaged him.”

“Don’t make eye contact,” Azzi says, turning away from him to face her friends. “Make yourself unapproachable.”

Caroline turns away, too, and the two of them lean over the table.

Aaliyah looks up from the conversation she was having. “What’re you guys doing?”

“Hiding,” Azzi hisses.

Amari peeks around Azzi’s shoulder, then settles back in her seat. “He’s coming over.”

“What?” Azzi wants to look at him but doesn’t, instead inching herself closer to Caroline. “Save me.”

“Who is that?” Aaliyah asks, not-so-subtly staring at the guy.

“A man about to flirt with Azzi,” Caroline says, nudging her away.

“Oh, Paige is gonna be maddd,” Aaliyah sing-songs, and they all giggle like this is funny and not absolutely awkward and stress-inducing.

Azzi glares at them. “She has no reason to be mad.” And it’s true, she kind of doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean she won’t.

“Oh, yeah?” Caroline asks, glancing behind them just as Azzi feels the man come up behind her. “We’ll see about that.”

And then there’s a tap on her shoulder, and Azzi takes a deep breath before turning around with a strained smile on her face.

“Hey.” Muscle shirt is standing a little too close for comfort, which she’s sure he’ll excuse by the crowded bar but is obviously just him being weird. “You’re Azzi, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Azzi says, leaning back against the table.

“I’ve seen you around,” he continues, smiling cockily, obviously very proud of himself for being brave enough to approach her. “You come here a lot, right? To Ted’s?”

Azzi shrugs, looking casually to her side in the hopes that Caroline will rescue her, but to her astonishment she has slid into the booth next to Aaliyah and is now chatting happily with the rest of the team. “I guess.”

“Noticed you weren’t with Bueckers,” he says, and she winces. Not five sentences into the conversation and he’s already brought up her current situationship. “Thought it was a good opening.” He laughs. She doesn’t.

“How so?” she asks, a little nervously.

“I mean, she obviously doesn’t want anybody coming near you.” A girl squeezes past behind him and he takes it as an excuse to inch even closer to her. Azzi presses herself further back into the table. “Can’t even look your way without her looking like she’s gonna fight someone.”

“She’s just protective,” Azzi says. As if Paige would do that for any of their friends, as if that level of pure possessiveness is normal.

“Right.” He doesn’t sound fully convinced. “You didn’t ask my name.”

God. Why are men so…gross? “My bad.” He stares at her expectantly. “Uh…so…?”

“I’m Elliot,” he says, grinning at her. That muscle shirt is really not doing good things for him. “You want me to buy you a drink?”

“Um, actually—“

“She’s good.”

Azzi’s shoulders sag at the mere sound of Paige’s voice. She can’t help but smile when Paige approaches them, moving roughly past Elliot to sidle up next to her. She hands her two brightly colored shots before slinging an arm around her, firmly ignoring Elliot. “Gotchu these. Lemme know if you don’t like ‘em.”

Azzi nods, and usually she’d shy away from the physical contact, especially right in front of their friends, but now she leans into it, safe under Paige’s arm. “Thanks.”

“Sorry I took so long.” As if sensing her discomfort—which she probably can—she rubs her thumb soothingly over her shoulder. “They’re super busy up there. You okay?”

Azzi opens her mouth to respond, but Elliot interrupts her. “She’s fine, dude. We’re just talking.”

Paige looks at him. “Aight. Well, you can be done talking now.”

Their teammates have gone mostly quiet behind them, and Azzi rolls her eyes when she hears them snickering.

Elliot scoffs, but he’s skinny and a little shorter than Paige, and when her arm tightens around Azzi’s shoulder he puts his hands up. “Damn, okay.”

Azzi breathes a sigh of relief when he’s gone. “Thank god. That was so awkward.”

“You shoulda called me,” Paige says, dropping her arm to turn around and face their teammates. “And y’all shoulda helped her out.”

The girls look up at them innocently. Amari smiles charmingly at Paige and says, “We knew you were gonna do it soon enough.”

Azzi shakes her head and downs one of the shots. It is as disgusting as it looks.

“You guys suck,” Paige says, pulling Azzi into her side once again. “Leaving my girl in the trenches like that.”

Dozens of eyebrows raise at that, and it’s then that Azzi smells the booze on Paige’s breath. She flushes, trying to pull away. “P,” she mutters.

“I know,” Paige says, holding fast to Azzi’s waist, setting her shirley on the table so she can wrap the other around her, too.

“Paige,” Azzi urges, pressed completely now into Paige’s chest and trying desperately to ignore the scrutinizing looks from her teammates. She hopes they’re all too drunk to think hard about Paige’s behavior.

“Yeah,” Paige says, her hand creeping slowly down Azzi’s back.

“Did you have another drink?” Azzi asks, trying to walk them away from the booth, but Paige keeps her feet planted.

“I might’ve had another shot.” Paige grins, and Azzi would easily admit she likes it a lot more than muscle shirt’s. “Missed you, baby.”

The girls are pretending not to eavesdrop, but they’re clearly listening, sharing furtive glances with each other. Which is just—great. Because tomorrow the girls are going to have questions and Paige will be sober enough for that to stress her out, which will in turn stress Azzi out, and there will be no saving face if she lets Paige continue on like this.

“Not now, Paige,” she hisses, trying desperately to push her back.

Paige pouts. Their faces are far too close together. “What, you wanna go back to that guy or sum’?”

Azzi knows she’s not serious, but it still annoys her, and she doesn’t feel quite as comforted in Paige’s arms anymore. “Seriously, I’m not in the mood.”

Paige scoffs, maybe a little more serious now. “Course you aren’t.”

Azzi blinks at her, and when Paige’s hands drop to her sides she takes a step back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I dunno.” Paige gestured between them. “Just that you never wanna be around me unless we’re fu—“

Azzi’s overstimulated and irritated, but she still has enough common sense to shove Paige hard enough to shut her up. “Don’t.”

Paige watches as Azzi drinks her other shot. “What? You really don’t want anybody to know, huh? You that embarrassed or something?”

Azzi shakes her head in disbelief, stepping back towards Paige so they can at least have this conversation too quiet for anybody to hear. “Are you dumb? You’re the one who wanted to keep this secret.”

“Because I didn’t want my teammates thinking I was distracted!”

“Our teammates, Paige.” Azzi gives her another little shove for good measure, and then she steps away again. “You’re acting stupid. Go chill out and come back when you wanna be normal.”

“Fine. I will.” With that, she turns on her heel and disappears into the crowd. Azzi rolls her eyes at her hot-headedness. They’re both too stubborn for their own good, but Paige is ten times worse when she’s drunk and Azzi has always been more logical. Little, senseless arguments like this never happened when they were dating—or even when they were broken up—but now that they’re at this weird in-between, they’re becoming more frequent.

Hence why they prefer to kiss instead of talk.

Azzi plops down beside Amari, grateful when nobody questions her, and feels a little better when she thinks about how good the make-up sex will be later.

—————————————

There will be no make-up sex tonight. Or ever, Azzi thinks bitterly, glaring daggers at the girl Paige is currently feeling up.

Okay, feeling up might be an overstatement. She has a hand on her arm. But Azzi knows better than anyone that for Paige, hand-on-arm action might as well be foreplay. And the girl seems to sense it, too, if her batting eyelashes and twinkling smile have anything to show for it.

“She’s just doing it to make you jealous.” Once again, it’s Caroline, sidling up next to Azzi to study the tall blonde across the bar.

“I have no reason to be jealous,” Azzi all but spits out, and Caroline smirks.

“Pretend all you want, Az. But it’s impossible to not see what’s going on with you and her.”

“There’s nothing.” Paige’s fingers trail down the length of the girl’s arm and it’s almost like Azzi can feel it, too.

“Are you guys exclusive?”

“No,” Azzi responds immediately, too tipsy to be thinking straight, and when Caroline smiles proudly to herself, she backtracks. “I mean, obviously not. We’re not anything.”

“Well, if you’re not exclusive, she’s not doing anything wrong.”

Azzi hates this bitter reminder and turns her anger onto her best friend. “Shut up, Carol.”

“You two should probably talk about not seeing other people,” Caroline says, as wise and perceptive as ever. (She is also significantly more sober than Azzi is.)

“She can see whoever she wants,” Azzi seethes, stirring the ice in her drink. “I don’t care.”

Paige’s eyes flit from the girl’s face to Azzi. And then, with a little smirk, she leans in to whisper something in her ear, blue eyes never leaving brown as the girl giggles and grabs onto her arm. She smiles, too, and Azzi takes some satisfaction in the fact the girl has no idea she’s not the one Paige is doing this for.

She’s always been good at putting up a show. And Azzi has always been her captive audience.

Not tonight, Azzi decides as she looks firmly away. It’s about time Paige learns to behave herself.

—————————————-

It’s been a long night of drinking and trying not to watch Paige attach herself to this random girl’s hip when Azzi is approached by none other than random girl herself.

She’s gorgeous up close, but Azzi can’t help but notice her brown curls and crescent dimples, the way they’re the exact same height. It nearly makes her laugh.

“Hey,” the girl says, dropping into the bar seat next to Azzi.

“Uh,” Azzi says, vey tipsy and very irate. “Hey.”

“What’s that? It looks so good,” the girl asks, pointing to her drink. Her voice is soft and kind, nothing malicious gleaming in her eyes. Azzi hates it.

“Just a mango daiquiri,” Azzi responds, kind of unable to be snarky about it with the wide-eyed way the girl is looking at her.

“Oh, fancy! I’m definitely gonna cop that.” She smiles conspiratorially at her. Azzi can’t help but smile back. Okay, now she just kind of hates herself. She’s never been one to be rude to girls she’s jealous of. Especially not harmless, sweet ones.

“It’s so good,” she’s saying before she can help it. “And they come in all different flavors so there’s like, endless possibilities.”

“Stop,” the girl gasps.

“I know!” and then they both giggle like the tipsy college students they are. This is possibly even better than hating her, because it’s almost like a smack in the face: look at me, Paige, being the bigger person. Making best friends with your target of the night. How’s that feel?

“Hey,” the girl giggles, leaning her elbows on the bar. “You’re Azzi, yeah? You play so good.”

“Thank you!” Azzi gushes, flashing her dimples as the girl does just the same. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Haven,” she replies. Even her name is nice. Azzi thinks about how Paige must’ve thought the same thing when they met a few hours ago, but she doesn’t like the thought, so she pushes it firmly away.

“Hey,” Haven says, sounding suddenly hesitant. “Um, I actually wanted to ask you something. About…Paige?”

Azzi’s eyes snap to where the blonde sits at the team’s booth—she always seems to know where Paige is in a room, though she never remembers tracking her movements—before she quickly looks back to Haven. “What about her?”

“Well…that,” she says.

“What?” Azzi asks, stirring her drink casually.

“The reaction you just had to me saying her name.”

Okay, so Azzi apparently does not appear as cool and collected as she thought. “Oh, that was just—I mean, she’s my best friend.”

“Yeah?” Haven asks. “Because I kinda got the impression y’all were…”

“No,” Azzi says, trying to contort her features into something like disgust. “Ew. Never.”

Haven raises her eyebrows. “Never?”

Why is everybody deciding to clock Paige and Azzi’s shit tonight? “Okay, like, maybe at one point. But it’s over.”

“Really.” She does not sound convinced at all. Glancing over at Paige, Haven leans forward, as if she’s afraid they’ll be heard. “It’s just, she keeps looking at you and you keep looking back and she was all over you earlier, so like—“

“I wouldn’t say she was all over me.”

“She totally was.” Haven’s looking at her like she’s clueless. “I just…listen, Paige invited me over tonight.” Azzi’s stomach drops. So definitely no make-up sex then. In fact, Azzi might as well pack up her vagina right now because Paige has ruined everybody else for her, too. “And I don’t wanna get in the middle of anything,” Haven continues, completely oblivious to Azzi’s internal vow of celibacy, “especially nothing messy.”

“Yeah, no, I totally get that.” Azzi sighs heavily; considering their situation is exactly what one might describe as messy, Azzi figures it’s probably the right thing to do to tell this poor girl the truth. “To be honest, we kinda are…I dunno. I mean, we fuck.”

“Okay,” Haven nods, sounding not at all surprised.

“She stays over most of the time. I stay at her’s sometimes, but she mostly stays at mine.”

“Spare toothbrushes in each other’s bathroom?”

Azzi winces. “Possibly.”

“Yeow.”

“And, like, generally, we don’t see other people. We used to, at the beginning, but not anymore. We were just talking about it today, actually. Well, not talking about it—we don’t talk about stuff. We’re not serious enough for Paige to wanna talk about stuff.” Azzi is rambling now, and Haven is hanging onto her every word, and Azzi thinks she loves making fast friends with other girls then realizes this is the exact thing that happens every time she gets drunk. Perhaps she crossed over that line awhile ago.

The two of them have their heads close together now, the rest of the bar completely shut out. “But anyway, she said something and I was like, what, you say that to all your bitches? You know, mostly joking but not.”

“Of course.”

“And she was all, no, baby, I would never ever have other bitches, don’t be mad,” Azzi says, deepening her tone in a stupid caricature of Paige’s voice.

Haven gasps. “That was today?”

“Like ten minutes before we came here.”

“And then she was all up on me tonight.” Haven glares in Paige’s direction. “Damn.”

“I know. But like, yeah, we’re not exclusive or anything so it’s fine. But it’s not, you know?”

“Oh, for sure. That’s fucked up,” Haven says haughtily. “So, wait, how long has this been going on for?”

“Uh…six months?” but no, that doesn’t feel right. “Well, I guess, like, four years? But six months.”

Haven blinks at her.

Azzi sighs. “We were super serious in high school.”

Haven nearly screams, slamming her hand on the bar. “She’s your ex?”

“Yes!” Azzi cries, and it feels so, so good for someone to understand her situation. “We were so in love and shit! And then things started feeling weird the summer before she came here—because, like, I’m a year younger than her so she was gonna be in college while I was still in high school and I—I could tell she didn’t wanna be tied down by her lame hometown girlfriend so I ended things.”

“Girl!” Haven yells.

“I had no other choiceeee,” Azzi groans. “She woulda broken up with me if I hadn’t broken up with her.”

“You’re crazy,” Haven says, shaking her head. “That girl is down bad.”

“Stop,” Azzi says, waving her off.

“She is, horrendously.” Haven gestures over to Paige. “As soon as you got to UConn she wanted to start something with you, right? And then y’all have a little tiff and she’s doing the most with another girl just to get your attention?”

“She asked you to go home with her,” Azzi points out. “That definitely wasn’t for my benefit.”

“Um, I’m sorry, have you not noticed how scary alike we look?” Haven asks, and Azzi flushes. “She was definitely gonna pretend I was you. Which I’m not down for, like, at all.”

“She’s such a dick,” Azzi says. Because she may have been in love with Paige Bueckers since high school, but yeah, she’s still kinda a dick.

“Totally,” Haven agrees. “But…

“Don’t tell me you’re about to defend her.”

“Listen!” Haven places her hands on Azzi’s shoulder. “I think her heart’s in the right place. She wants you. She’s just a little…misguided.”

Azzi shakes her head. “She was the one who said we couldn’t be serious. She said we couldn’t have ‘distractions’.”

“And you didn’t stop to think that maybe she was still insecure and hurt by the fact you broke up with her and was protecting herself from getting hurt again?”

Azzi blinks at this drunk, genius girl in front of her. “Whoa.”

“Yeah. You know what, I’m starting to think maybe you’re both a little stupid.”

Azzi shoves her. “Don’t get so cocky, you could be wrong!”

“I could,” Haven admits. “But where would that leave you? With an asshole ex-girlfriend who messes with your head for fun?”

Azzi thinks maybe, if they didn’t look so uncannily alike, she could kiss this girl. “I love you.”

“Girl, I love you more.” Haven pats her arm and leans back on her barstool. “Now take Auntie Haven’s advice and give her the silent treatment for a few days. She’ll realize her mistakes and come running back real quick.”

“What if I don’t wanna take her back?” Azzi says, already knowing it’s bullshit.

“You do. But you gotta make her work for it. And then you have to communicate with her.”

Azzi makes a face. “Didn’t I already tell you we don’t like talking?”

Haven rubs her temples. “There’s your main fucking problem, Azzi.”

It’s then that Haven’s eyes trail to something over her shoulder and before Azzi can ask there’s a large, warm, all-too-familiar ringed hand on her shoulder. “What’re you two talking about over here?”

Azzi looks first at the hand on her shoulder, then slowly up to Paige’s face. Paige raises her eyebrows, waiting for an answer, and then Azzi looks back at Haven, meeting her eyes.

And then they laugh.

“What?” Paige nearly demands.

Azzi brushes her hand off, still giggling. “Leave us alone, Paige.”

“I just didn’t know y’all knew each other,” Paige says, and Azzi delights at how confused she sounds. “Because you two seem pretty buddy-buddy over here.”

“Didn’t realize you were watching so closely,” Haven quips. Azzi giggles.

“Never said I was.” Paige moves from behind Azzi, going to stand beside them, studying them closely. “You two are drunk as hell.”

“So are you!” Haven and Azzi both say at the same time, and tears are forming at this point. Azzi holds on to Haven’s knee to keep herself from falling off her chair.

“Aight, yeah, I’m getting you an Uber,” Paige says to Haven, before touching Azzi’s arm, “And I’ma walk you home.”

“I can get my own Uber,” Haven says haughtily, but Paige already has her phone out.

Once again, Azzi bats Paige’s hand away. “I don’t wanna go home with you.”

Paige rolls her eyes, still navigating through her phone. “I figured, Az. But we live in the same building. Just lemme walk you.”

“You’re not sober enough to walk me.”

“I’ve been drinking water for the past hour, I’m pretty much good.” Paige shuts her phone off and looks at Haven. “You car’ll be here in fifteen.”

“Wish you were pretty much good a couple hours ago,” Azzi grumbles.

Paige’s expression becomes a little less nonchalant at that. “I know, mama, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

And that almost works. But then Haven sends her a warning glare and she straightens up. “No, thanks.”

Paige’s face scrunches up like it always done when she’s shocked, and Azzi hates that it’s still the cutest thing in the world. “Whatchu mean?”

“Exactly that,” Azzi says, standing from her barstool. Her butt is sore from sitting for so long. “And I’ll walk home with the rest of the team, thanks.”

Paige splutters. Haven gives her the middle finger.

—————————————

Later, when they are walking home—stumbling, more accurately—Azzi is leaning against Aubrey when she hears familiar footfalls coming up behind them and braces herself.

“Hey, Azzi,” Paige calls, catching her arm as she catches up. “Come walk with me.”

“I wanna walk with Aubrey,” Azzi says petulantly.

Aubrey looks awkwardly between the two of them.

“Bro, just—“ Paige stops, mindful of their audience. “Let’s just talk, okay?”

“No, thanks.”

“Azzi, c’mon.”

“I’m drunk and I’m cold and I’m mad at you. Leave me alone.”

Paige looks desperately to Aubrey for help. Aubrey just shrugs and says, “What’m I supposed to do? She said what she said.”

“Thank you,” Azzi huffs.

“Man, fuck this,” Paige says. Azzi feels very satisfied when Paige falls back, leaving her alone. But her arm also tingles where Paige had caught it.

Oh, yeah. This makeup sex had better be good for the trouble she’s going through.

—————————————

It isn’t until the next day that, during a car ride with Caroline, Azzi disovers it.

The two of them have always had similar music tastes, so when an unfamiliar song comes on over the speaker, she’s a little surprised. However, as she listens to the lyrics, she finds herself even more surprised at how much they resonate with her.

I could go and read your mind

Think about your dumb face all the time

Living in your glass house I’m outside

“Hey,” she says, “what song is this?”

“That’s So True,” Caroline answers, still staring ahead at the road. “By Gracie Abrams. Why?”

Looking into big blue eyes

Did it just to hurt me, make me cry

Smiling through it all, yeah, that’s my life

“Oh,” Azzi says casually, “no reason.”

——————————————

It becomes very apparent there is a reason when, over the next week, the song becomes everyone else’s problem.

So apparent, in fact, that the team actually starts to worry about her.

“What did you do to her?” Aaliyah asks as soon as Paige walks into the apartment.

“You broke her,” Amari says.

“That stupid song kept me up all night and it’s your fault,” Aubrey continues, pointing menacingly at Paige.

“I didn’t do nothing!” Paige says, backing away from her angry friends.

“You better fix it,” Amari says. “Like, now.”

“Fix what?”

Oddly, they all go quiet at this. Paige is about to ask what’s up with them when music begins blasting from somewhere in the dorm.

“That,” Aaliyah says.

Paige scrunches her nose. “Bad pop music?”

“It is not bad,” Caroline says defensively, joining them in the entryway. When she gets judgmental looks from the other girls, she sighs. “Okay, it wasn’t bad. But Azzi’s been listening to it nonstop for a week and it used to be my favorite song and now I’m sick of it.”

“We’re all sick of it,” Amari adds unhelpfully.

“I still don’t understand what this has to do with me,” Paige says, but of course she’s lying. From what she can make out the lyrics are about a break up, maybe, something to do with jealousy and anger. With the way Azzi’s been dodging her this week (calls sent straight to voicemail, texts left on read, not even a hint of eye contact when they see each other) she knows she fucked up at the party.

It’s not like them to fight—really, it’s not. They’ve gotten into more arguments this year than they have in their entire friendship. Obviously, there’s a correlation there, something major signaling that this whole friends-with-benefits thing doesn’t work for them. Or maybe it does. Maybe it’s the whole best-friends-who-dated-then-became-exes-then-friends-with-benefits thing that they can’t do.

But either way—fights? Like, actual fights that Paige can’t talk (or kiss) their way out of? Those are rare.

She didn’t think their argument at the bar was that big a deal. Didn’t even think her flirting with another girl would make Azzi mad. (She’d been hoping for jealousy because dysfunctional as they may be, the sex is really good and it’s even better when one of them is all riled up).

She has a sneaky feeling this all has to do with that girl at the bar. Haven. The cute one who looked a lot like Azzi and seemed super into Paige until she turned around and became best friends with none other than Azzi herself. She should’ve known that would happen. Azzi always makes friends when she gets drunk.

She just wishes this bout of silence (and celibacy) between them would end already.

“You can’t be serious,” Amari says.

Paige shrugs.

“We all know you two are fucking, Paige,” Caroline says quite bluntly.

And, okay, the sheer panic that Paige feels at this is maybe a little ridiculous.

She never wanted the team—anyone, really—to know she and Azzi were back together. Because, well, they weren’t, for one, and there’s no good way to tell your parents, “Hey, you know how I was super emo about how the love of my life broke up with me before college? Yeah, well, it’s been a year and I’m not totally over it but I fucked her in the bathroom at a club and we’re going steady—as in, fucking—now!”

But the main reason she didn’t want anybody to know is because she was—is—so afraid of having her heart broken again. And if she keeps this to herself, then she gets to act like she doesn’t care if history repeats itself. Gets to move on and not think about it and use other people as rebounds without anybody batting an eye.

But it’s been six months of them going from friends with benefits to best friends who also kiss and have sex to best friends who kiss and have sex exclusively with each other. She may have gotten a little too cocky, may have thought they were finding solid ground, and may have not put so much effort into hiding it.

But Azzi hasn’t spoken to her for a week and she doesn’t even remember what solid ground feels like anymore so yeah, the notion of her friends knowing about them when they may be on the brink of ending is a little scary.

“Okay,” Amari says tentatively when Paige stares blankly at them, “don’t freak. It’s not a big deal. We don’t care.”

“No, I—I know,” Paige stutters.

“Seriously, P, it’s cool,” Aubrey says, patting her shoulder. “Just, you know, go fix it.”

That song has played three consecutive times since this conversation started. They may be right. Paige might’ve broken her.

Might’ve broken them.

“And while you’re at it,” Caroline adds, giving her a little push in the direction of Azzi’s room, “make sure you guys are official so we don’t have to deal with this again.”

Paige tries to plant her feet to prevent her advance towards Azzi, but Aubrey rounds to her front and starts pulling at her arms while Amari pushes and then she’s directly in front of a door with a pink ‘welcome’ sign hanging off the front. As that song thuds accusingly through the door, Paige doesn’t feel very welcome.

“Okay, stop being a pussy,” Aaliyah pipes up from behind them, “and go in there. Please.”

“Make it stop,” Aubrey says. She almost sounds like she’s about to cry.

Paige stares at them, wondering if they’re really going to make her do this. But they all nod at her before disappearing down the hall so it’s just Paige in front of Azzi’s door and she could leave, could just go back home but she’d never hear the end of it from her teammates. (And she might end up hating herself if she does that, too.)

So, with a deep, steadying breath, Paige lifts her fist and knocks.

“Coming,” Azzi calls. Blessedly, the song turns off and there’s some rustling inside before the door creaks open.

Paige expects a lot of things when Azzi first sees her—anger, upset, a door slamming in her face.

What she doesn’t expect is the satisfied smile that flits across Azzi’s face before she carefully fixes her expression into something more somber.

“Uh, hey,” Paige says. “Can I—“

“Come in,” Azzi says gravely, opening the door all the way to let her through.

“Uh, aight.” Nervously, Paige walks past Azzi, a little afraid that is some sort of trap based off the strange way she’s acting. Once she’s inside and the door’s shut, she faces the younger girl, though doesn’t quite look her in the eye. “So, I just…you know, about the other night. At Ted’s.”

Azzi nods. “Go on.”

“Well, I know I started that lil argument and I feel bad.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I was just drunk and I wanted your attention so I acted stupid.”

Azzi crosses her arms impatiently. Paige wishes she had written this down and practiced beforehand or something.

“And with that other girl—“

“Her name’s Haven,” Azzi says sharply.

Paige blinks at her, surprised. “Yeah. Her. Well—“

“She’s actually really nice. We’ve been texting.”

Paige can’t help but scoff a little at that. “What, you gonna leave me for her or sum’?”

“We look related, so no,” Azzi says, raising an eyebrow. “And if I remember right, I thought it was you asking her to come to your place that night.”

Shit. So the two of them really did talk about everything. That’s not great for her.

“I didn’t mean it,” Paige says, which is very much true—she doesn’t know what she would’ve done if Haven had agreed to come over that night, but she certainly wouldn’t have kissed her. “I just, we were arguing and I wanted to make you jealous so we could, like, kiss and make up.”

Azzi crosses the room to sit on her bed, and Paige hovers awkwardly, wondering if she should follow. She decides on staying put. “I was jealous,” Azzi says. “But it just pissed me off.”

“I know, and it was a stupid thing to do.”

“I just—I thought we weren’t really, like, seeing other people.”

Paige freezes. This is completely outside of argument-at-Ted’s territory and it seems a little more like serious-talk-about-us time. Which Paige is just not prepared for at all. She should’ve made notecards for this.

“I mean—we aren’t—but, like…” Paige trails off, and she knows it’s bad how uncertain she sounds when hurt flashes over Azzi’s expression.

“Have you? Been seeing other people,” she asks, and Paige can tell she’s trying to sound nonchalant, putting on a brave face, but in reality she’s terrified of the answer.

Paige rushes to reassure her. “No, Az, no. Not a—seriously, not a single person. Not since that day at the club.” Not since the day Azzi came to UConn, if she’s being a little more accurate. But Azzi doesn’t need to know that.

Again, Azzi tries to act like it doesn’t affect her. But Paige knows her far too well—far too intimately—to miss the way her features relax, her shoulders lowering just a little bit. “Me neither,” she says softly.

Paige lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding at that. “Okay.”

“So…what does that mean?” Azzi asks tentatively.

Now that Azzi seems a little less guarded, Paige takes her chance to sit beside her on the bed, though not too close. “I dunno,” she says lamely, but when she’s met with a heavily annoyed silence, she sighs and tries desperately to think something up. “I mean. We can’t really be casual and exclusive. That’s not really how that works.”

“Yeah,” Azzi says.

Paige waits for her to pick up the conversation at least a little, but she doesn’t, and Paige is forced to go on. “I don’t—I think it’s not even something I want anymore. The whole casual thing.”

It’s hard, getting the words out, like each syllable is a barrier being broken, and maybe it is. Paige looks down at her hands, fiddles with them, anything so she doesn’t have to watch Azzi’s reaction.

“Paige,” Azzi says quietly.

And when Paige catches the hesitancy in her tone—the fear—she is suddenly too desperate and maybe even too in love to keep quiet just because it’s hard. Because she can’t do this, not again. She can’t watch Azzi walk away without at least putting up a fight.

“I know what I did was wrong,” Paige blurts out before Azzi can say anything else. She looks up, stares at the wall ahead, before turning to Azzi. She tries to detect the look in her eyes and what it may mean, but can’t. “At Ted’s. And I’m sorry. I guess I just—these past six months have been so—I mean, they’ve been good, but they’ve also been super fucking confusing and kinda scary, too. It’s like I’m always on edge waiting for you to end things, so whenever we get too close to how we were—before, in high school—I back out, no matter how hard it is. No matter how good it feels to have you again.”

Azzi opens her mouth, the beginning of a word escaping, but Paige’s heart races and she stands, stopping her. “But I’m realizing that I don’t think I can do that with you. I don’t think I can be just friends with you, or friends with benefits, or even whatever the hell it is we’ve been doing. Every day since you ended things I’ve been a fucking wreck, Azzi.” And it’s true. Her freshmen year had been hard, spent sleeping with random caramel-skinned, dimpled girls to try and fill the Azzi-shaped void in her heart. And the summer after was hell, too, reconnecting with Azzi long-distance and trying to become friends again, acting like they were never anything more. And the past six months has been the worst of it all, because having Azzi but not really having her, keeping her at an arm’s length and teetering on this edge of will she do it again and when will it happen proving almost painful.

Azzi stands, too, stepping in front of her, tilting her chin just slightly up to make eye contact like she’s always had to do. “I didn’t want that, Paige,” she says, almost as if she’s pleading. “I wanted—I thought you’d have more fun if you were single. I thought you’d resent me for, like, tying you down.”

Paige looks at Azzi for a solid few seconds, trying to discern whether she’s fucking with her. And when Azzi doesn’t laugh or tell her this was all a stupid prank she turns around, pushes her hand through her hair, and then faces her again. “Are you fucking for real?”

“Yeah,” Azzi says sheepishly. “I thought—I don’t know. I was also sixteen and stupid and insecure, and I just wanted to make you happy. I didn’t think about what I wanted.” She looks down at her feet. “Didn’t realize how hard it’d be.”

“Yeah, you were stupid,” Paige snaps, and when Azzi flinches, she takes a step towards her. “You really thought that I’d—what, not want you? Want to fucking break up so I could hoe around?”

“Kind of!” Azzi says, throwing her hands in the air. “Things already felt off that summer before you left—“

“Because I didn’t want to leave you!” Paige practically shouts, and she wonders briefly why they never bothered to discuss this before. “I had no idea what I was gonna do when we were so far apart, but you know what? We could have handled it. We could’ve handled a year. I wanted to handle it, if it meant we could stay together.” She takes another step closer, so they’re face-to-face now. “I thought you were bored of me or sum’, you know? I was so fucking hurt.”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt you!” Azzi cries. “Obviously I wasn’t bored, Paige, or I wouldn’t have jumped your fucking bones the minute I got to school.”

“And obviously I didn’t wanna be single or I wouldn’t have let you!”

Silence washes over them, and Paige is sure she could hear a pin drop, almost as sure as she is that their teammates are thoroughly listening to this argument outside the door. But she doesn’t care. Not when she’s looking close-up at the girl she’s loved forever and seeing her for the first time in almost two years—inches apart without hidden hurt or secret regrets tucked between them.

They’re both breathing heavy, both affected by everything they’ve just said and everything that still needs to be said but it’s not a surprise that they hold each other’s gazes, both too stubborn to be the first to look away.

And when the eye contact becomes too much for Paige to bear, she decides she will not chicken out, will not let her trepidations hold her back this time. And she leans forward and kisses her.

They’ve kissed—a million times, probably. Maybe more. At this point, they’ve learned each other down to the last breath, the last hair on their heads. They know exactly where to put their hands, exactly how to tell what the other is feeling based off the way they move their lips, exactly what things to say in between kisses. But despite all that, this—this feels brand new. Gentle, and tentative, but excited, too, like they know it’s the mark of something different. Something better.

———————————-

A week later, when Paige appears at her doorstep with a nervous little smile and flowers to take her on their second-first date, Paige asks her about the ‘lame girly song’ she’d been playing on repeat. Azzi tells her the song is not, in fact, lame, and is actually really quite good. She doesn’t admit that she can’t listen to it anymore.

(And, because I know you’re all wondering—yes, the makeup sex was as good as Azzi’d hoped.)

[wisteriaw0rld]

-ˋˏ ༻Taisho Rumors 2༺ ˎˊ- (with the Hashira’s)

||synopsis: Tanjiro and Nezuko were both able to gather more rumors between Y/n and the other Hashira’s they’re friends with! (Gn! Reader!)

||character order: Tomioka Giyuu, Kyojuro Rengoku, Tengen Uzui, Obanai Iguro, Shinazugawa Sanemi, Himejima Gyomei, Tokito Muichiro, Kocho Shinobu, Kanroji Mitsuri<33

(platonic headcanons, can be interpreted however you’d like!)

˚ʚtomioka giyuuɞ˚

When bored during Hashira meetings, Giyuu and Y/n have unannounced staring contests, glaring at each other while trying hard not to blink. All of the Hashira’s mistake these staring contests as just dead glaring hatred. They all know about your friendship with each other so whenever you do these staring contests they think you guys are really just mad at each other and the air around everyone becomes tense. You and Giyuu know what your doing. And you both find the other Hashira’s nervousness entertaining. Which ends up with one of you blinking.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ 

˚ʚkyojuro rengokuɞ˚

Rengoku always brings Muichiro food during hashira meetings. The sad truth is though, that rengoku isn’t always the best at cooking. One day he asked you for help with making Muichiro food and that one time you did it, you enjoyed it enough to do it again. Next thing you know the two of you are always cooking food together for Muichiro before Hashira meetings to bring to him. When you and him are bored you also do it on random occasions, just randomly showing up at the most pillars estate with some food for him. Its a nice way for you and Rengoku to bond with each other when there’s not much else to do.

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˚ʚtengen uzuiɞ˚

Aside from the fashion shows the two of you have together and the gossiping tea time, you both are always pranking the other Hashira’s as well. You’ve gotten each of them more than twice and before they can even get the two of you back, you’ve both beat them to it. After getting bored of the same reactions from the other Hashira’s, you decided it would be fun to finally prank Uzui. The only thing was that the two of you were in the butterfly mansion after getting injured from falling down a hill. (let’s not talk about that..) Eventually you gave into temptation and pranked uzui in the butterfly estate. It ended up in a big prank war between the two of you with you recruiting the Kamaboko squad. You and Uzui definitely got scolded like little kids by shinobu. And you were forced to clean the mess.

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˚ʚobanai iguroɞ˚

He usually doesn’t care when you steal Kaburamaru away for a quick hour or so. But he assumed it would be ‘fun’ to finally steal Kaburamaru back from you. So while you had your back turned for a quick second to grab more snacks for Kaburamaru, the white snake was suddenly gone when you turned back. You of course immediately knew it was Obanai. You got him back the next day by painting his nails yellow and green. When he woke up to find his nails painted, you did your best uzui voice and began telling him he was “very flashy” for painting his nails. He chased you around his estate while yelling at you for a good half hour.

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˚ʚshinazugawa sanemiɞ˚

After the hashira meeting with Tanjiro and Nezuko, you felt bad for the siblings on Sanemi’s behalf. So while Tanjiro was at the butterfly estate healing and Nezuko was in a room resting, you forced sanemi to go to the butterfly estate to apologize. Your way of making him apologize was by forcing him to play dress up with you and Nezuko. You carried Nezuko in her box to your estate and let her make Sanemi try on different demon slayer uniforms as a form of dress up. You definitely teased about it but also enjoyed the fun moment with him and Nezuko while it lasted.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ 

˚ʚhimejima gyomeiɞ˚

Almost every time Gyomei prays, he makes you pray with him. You’ve tried multiple times to escape but he was always quick to find you, someway, somehow. One day you attempted to escape the daily praying session. You hid behind a large rock thinking he would find you. Next thing you know two large hands are lifting the large rock up and exposing your hiding spot. All you heard was Gyomei’s voice saying, “you must pray.” Then you were suddenly grabbed and thrown over his shoulders while trying desperately to escape. Yeah, escaping never works.  ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ 

˚ʚtokito muichiroɞ˚

Muichiro is very weary when it comes to letting you go on missions without him. He’s not afraid of something happening to you. He just doesn’t like you being away for long periods of time. So whenever you have a mission and about to leave your estate, Muichiro is suddenly grabbing onto your leg and won’t let go no matter how much you try to shake him off. You often have to get another hashira to help got him off. As if that’s not bad enough, whenever you’re gone, he forgets you’re on a mission. So he’s constantly going to shinobu or Gyomei asking, “where’s Y/n.” Then responds with a simple ‘oh ok’ before leaving. Then he’ll come back a few minutes later asking the same question. In order to get him to leave they have to write in a sticky note saying. “Y/n is gone on a mission. They’ll be back soon.” (half the time he loses the note).

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˚ʚkocho shinobuɞ˚

You often play silly games with the butterfly girls whenever you visit. They love playing tag and hide and seek with you. And when shinobu overworks herself, which happens a lot, you drag her into the game and play with her. For some reason she’s really good at hide and seek. Not only hiding but also seeking. She can find everyone in just a few minutes flat but everyone else takes exceptionally long to find her. A few days after figuring out about shinobu’s amazing hide and seek skills, you made all the other Hashira’s play hide and seek with you guys. They thought it was silly until shinobu found them in each in only ten minutes. Then an hour to find her.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ 

˚ʚkanroji mitsuriɞ˚

When the two of you go on missions together, naming cats isn’t the only thing you two do. It’s obvious when she gets uncomfortable with wearing her uniform. So whenever you notice you trade tops with her just to make her more comfortable. She loves you for it and thanks you multiple times whenever you do this for her. 

[mercillery]

SUMMARY OF REQUEST: You, a half-blind witch, form a sibling-like bond with Luffy, Ace, and Sabo after a chance meeting in your childhood, sharing joyous moments together. However, when your magic accidentally destroys villagers’ homes, fear and guilt convince you that witches like you don’t belong in society. To protect the boys, you choose to leave them behind. Years later, they reunite with you—no longer the sweet, innocent sister they cherished but a feared “wicked witch,” shaped by the world’s rejection. Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, now fiercely protective of you, refuse to let you go again, regardless of what it takes.

NOTES: Sorry this took so long! I hope I pulled off the platonic Yandere thing well. It’s been a while since I’ve written, haha.

WARNINGS: FEMALE READER + NOT PROOFREAD

You, a half-blind young witch with a knack for avoiding trouble (or so you tell yourself), are peacefully gathering herbs in the forest near Grey Terminal. You’re humming a little tune under your breath, your wand at the ready as you delicately pluck some rare leaves off a bush. The goal is simple: stay hidden, avoid the villagers who already think you’re the star of some horror story, and keep your magic under wraps.

Easy, right? Wrong.

Because when you least expect it, the whirlwind trio known as Luffy, Sabo, and Ace quite literally crash into your life.

It starts with Luffy, because of course, it does. You’re mid-spell—probably something harmless like mending a torn leaf—when you hear an enthusiastic, “HEY! What are you doing with that stick?!” His voice is so loud it might as well echo across the entire forest.

You whip around in shock, clutching your wand like it’s your lifeline. Luffy’s wide-eyed grin is already locked onto you like he’s just found the coolest treasure in the East Blue. “Wait, is that magic? Can you make me fly?!” he continues, completely ignoring the obvious panic on your face.

Sabo, ever the voice of reason, walks up behind him, his hat tilted slightly as he gives you a calm, reassuring smile. “Luffy, maybe don’t freak her out, okay? Look, you’re scaring her.” Then he turns to you, hands raised like he’s trying to show you he’s not a threat. “Hey, sorry about him. He’s just… loud. Really loud.”

But you can tell even Sabo is curious. His sharp eyes keep flicking toward your wand like he’s trying to figure out how it works. He’s calm, sure, but there’s a twinkle in his eye that says, Tell me your secrets, and I’ll tell you mine.

Then there’s Ace.

While Luffy’s practically bouncing in place and Sabo’s trying to play mediator, Ace hangs back with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree. He’s doing his best to look disinterested, but his glances toward you are far from subtle. He’s clearly curious too, but his pride won’t let him admit it.

Instead, he grumbles under his breath, “It’s just a stick. What’s the big deal?” But then he catches you shrinking back a little, clutching your wand like it’s a shield, and his expression softens just a fraction. He doesn’t say it out loud, but his thoughts are something like, If these idiots scare her off, I’ll bonk their heads.

You, meanwhile, are frozen. These three boys are loud, chaotic, and way too close for comfort. You’re used to being the weird girl that everyone avoids, not someone who suddenly has an audience. You keep your head down, trying to mumble some excuse about just gathering herbs, but Luffy isn’t having it.

“Why are you hiding your face? Are you a witch or something?!” he blurts out, completely ruining your subtle attempt to slip away unnoticed. Sabo smacks him on the head with a look that screams, Seriously? Did you have to say that?

But despite your nervousness, you can’t help but notice that they’re… different. Chaotic, definitely. But still different nonetheless.

Luffy’s unrelenting cheerfulness and total lack of judgment start to chip away at your defenses. He keeps firing off questions: “Can you turn me into a frog? What about Ace? He’d make a funny frog.” He’s impossible to ignore, and before you know it, you find yourself giggling—just a little—at his antics.

Sabo, ever observant, notices your hesitation and starts asking gentler questions, like, “So how’d you learn to use magic?” or “What are you gathering the herbs for?” He’s patient, waiting for you to answer in your own time, and you start to feel like maybe he really wants to understand.

Ace is the last to come around, but when he does, it’s in his own blunt, awkward way. “You don’t need to be scared of us,” he says one day, still leaning against that same tree, watching you quietly. “We’re not like those villagers. And if anyone bothers you, I’ll punch ‘em.” It’s not exactly poetry, but it’s enough to make you feel like maybe you don’t have to hide from them.

Over time, the three of them settle into their roles as your self-appointed guardians. Luffy is the overenthusiastic protector, ready to fight anyone who looks at you funny. “She’s my little sister now!” he declares one day, completely out of the blue.

Sabo, the logical one, tries to reign Luffy in but still makes it his mission to teach you things like self-defense and how to stand up for yourself.

Ace, though still a little gruff, is fiercely protective, always keeping an eye out for trouble—even if it means starting a fight before one even begins.

From the moment you meet the trio, they decide you're their little sister. It’s not a question, not something you get to vote on—it’s just a fact now.

“You’re stuck with us,” Luffy announces proudly one day, grinning from ear to ear. You try to argue, maybe mumble something about being fine on your own, but it’s like talking to a brick wall with too much energy???

The more time you spend with them, the more you realize that, half-blind or not, witch or not, these three couldn’t care less about the things that made you feel like an outcast. Instead, they admire you for it.

Luffy is your personal cheerleader. He’s constantly pestering you to show off your magic, bouncing in excitement every time you do. “Do the thing again! The flower thing! That was so cool!” he demands, eyes sparkling. If you try to argue that it’s not a big deal, he pouts like a child denied dessert.

The second you cave and make something levitate or bloom, he cheers so loudly it startles the birds. “You’re so cool!” he shouts, clapping like you just won the World Cup.

Ace, of course, is Ace. He teases you relentlessly, calling you a “little show-off” whenever Luffy gets his way and you perform some magical trick. But there’s an undertone to his teasing that’s almost… proud.

He’ll smirk and say something like, “Guess you’re not completely useless, huh?” but the next thing you know, he’s nudging you and whispering, “Hey, can you teach me how to do that? But don’t tell Luffy—I don’t need him getting ideas.” He even goes out of his way to help you practice in secret, keeping an eye out for nosy villagers while you experiment with spells.

And then there’s Sabo. Ever the curious intellectual, he bombards you with questions about witchcraft. “So how does it work? Is it instinct or something you have to study? What’s the difference between a potion and a spell?”

He listens intently to every answer, nodding like he’s filing the information away for future use. You suspect he’s secretly trying to find a way to combine your magic with his own cunning plans, but you let it slide. At least someone respects your craft in a way that feels… academic.

The three of them quickly become your fiercest protectors. Any time someone in the village so much as mutters the word “witch” in a tone that isn’t pure reverence, Luffy is already halfway to throwing hands. “What did you say about her?!” he yells, fists up and ready.

Ace isn’t much better—he glares daggers at anyone who dares insult you, his body practically radiating heat like he’s daring them to try something.

Sabo, ever the peacemaker, steps in to smooth things over. But even he isn’t above reminding people to watch their tongues, even if he’s a little kid.

And then there’s Ace’s quiet gestures of care. He has this uncanny ability to position himself exactly where your blind eye is, like he’s made it his personal mission to act as your missing sight.

If you’re sitting and eating together, he’ll subtly take the spot where your blind side faces, keeping watch without making a big deal about it. If you ask him about it, he’ll just shrug and mumble, “What? Someone’s gotta make sure nothing sneaks up on you.” It’s his way of protecting you without drawing too much attention to it—well, that, and he secretly likes knowing you trust him to have your back.

The four of you became a force of nature—barefoot chaos tearing through the forests, climbing trees, and building treehouses that somehow always managed to collapse halfway through construction because, surprise, Luffy would decide mid-project that “we should add a slide!” or “what if we make it taller so it touches the clouds?!”

Despite the structural failures, those rickety treehouses became your safe havens, filled with laughter, scraps of stolen food, and the occasional argument over who got to sit in the “cool corner.” Sneaking into the Grey Terminal became your second favorite activity—after surviving the treehouse disasters, of course. For the first time in your life, you didn’t feel like “the blind witch” or an outsider; you were just you.

The boys never treated your blindness or magic as weaknesses—instead, they were quirks they’d hype up endlessly. Ace would nudge you and go, “C’mon, show me that spell again. You know, the one that made Luffy trip over his own feet for an hour.”

Sabo, ever the strategist, decided to take a more practical approach: “You should learn to fight with a pipe like me,” he said one day, handing you one. “Imagine if you combined magic and combat. You’d be unbeatable!” Of course, this idea got Luffy so hyped that he tried to fight both of you at once. It ended with him tangled in vines after you accidentally cast a spell mid-sparring session.

And Luffy? Oh, Luffy was a one-man cheer squad who took his role very seriously. He’d bounce around like a rubber ball, practically yelling, “Do something cool! Do something cool!” every time you so much as looked at your wand. If you didn’t comply fast enough, he’d lean in way too close with a giant grin and plead, “Pleeeeeeease?” until you caved.

On one memorable occasion, you enchanted a stick to bop him on the head every time he spoke. Instead of being mad, he laughed so hard he cried, running in circles and yelling, “IT’S ALIVE! THIS IS AWESOME!” Sabo and Ace had to physically hold him down to stop him from naming it and keeping it as a pet.

Ace, ever the “cool big brother,” tried to play it off like he wasn’t as impressed by your magic. “Yeah, it’s okay, I guess,” he’d say with a smirk before sneaking over later to ask if you could enchant his pipe or teach him a spell.

Despite his teasing, he was the most protective of your abilities. If anyone so much as looked at you funny for being a witch, Ace would give them the most nastiest glare a child could give. And if they dared to say something out loud? Oh, boy. Let’s just say the villagers learned quickly to keep their opinions to themselves when Ace was around. He’s got a mean mouth too.

Despite the chaos and the bickering, the boys loved your optimistic view of the world. You’d sit together under the stars, your eyes shining with hope as you said things like, “Maybe one day, they’ll see witches aren’t all bad.”

Luffy would nod so earnestly it made you smile. “Yeah! And if they don’t, I’ll just punch ‘em until they do!” he’d declare with his trademark confidence. Sabo would chuckle, resting his chin in his hand. “Or we could change their minds without violence. That tends to work better,” he’d add, though his smile always carried a hint of mischief. And Ace? He’d ruffle your hair in that big-brother way of his and say, “Don’t worry about them. We’ve got your back, and that’s all you’ll ever need.”

No matter how bleak things looked, they made sure you never lost that spark of hope. “We’ll make the world better for you,” Sabo promised one night, his voice soft but sure. “For all of us.” Ace nodded, his expression unusually serious. “And anyone who tries to hurt you? They’ll have to deal with us first.” Luffy, of course, chimed in last, his voice full of unshakable determination. “You’re never gonna be alone again! We’re your big brothers now, and that means forever!”

For the first time in forever, you believed it.

One fateful day, your world turned upside down in a way none of you could have foreseen. You were playing near the edge of the village with your three chaos-bringers-turned-big-brothers, attempting a new spell you’d seen in an old grimoire.

It was meant to be harmless—a little flick of your wand, a few whispered words, and voilà! A flower blooming out of season. Easy, right? Wrong. Maybe it was the pressure of your brothers cheering (read: screaming) in the background, or maybe it was the rock a villager hurled at you while yelling, "Get out of here, witch!" Either way, your concentration shattered, and the spell spun wildly out of control.

The explosion that followed wasn’t huge, but it was big enough to leave a crater in the ground and send a nearby chicken coop flying into the air like some bizarre farm-themed firework display. Several homes suffered damage too, their walls splintering from the force, and villagers scrambled in terror. It was chaos—absolute chaos—and in the middle of it all, you stood frozen, your wand trembling in your hand, horrified at what had just happened.

“I—I didn’t mean to," you stammered, tears streaming down your cheeks as you turned toward the villagers. “I’m sorry! I swear, I didn’t mean to!” But they weren’t listening. To them, this wasn’t an accident. It was proof—proof that the strange little witch-child was dangerous and couldn’t be trusted. Their fear quickly turned to anger, and soon a mob was forming, voices shouting things like, “She’s a menace!” and “She’ll destroy the whole village if we let her stay!”

Luffy’s response was as immediate as it was predictable: rage. “HEY, SHUT UP!” he yelled, stomping toward the crowd with all the righteous fury a child could muster. “It’s not her fault! She didn’t do anything wrong!” He planted himself firmly between you and the mob, his small fists clenched at his sides, his face red with anger. “You’re all just a bunch of jerks!” he added for good measure, as if that would settle the matter.

Sabo, the ever-calm strategist, tried a different approach. “Please, listen,” he said, stepping forward with his hands raised in a gesture of peace. “It was an accident, okay? She didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” His voice was steady, reasonable, the kind of voice that made people want to stop and think. Unfortunately, reason didn’t stand much of a chance against an angry mob.

Ace, however, wasn’t interested in reasoning. While Sabo tried to talk sense into the villagers and Luffy yelled at anyone who dared to interrupt, Ace grabbed a stick from the ground, his eyes blazing with determination. “If any of you so much as look at her wrong, you’ll have to go through me first,” he growled, positioning himself directly in front of you. Despite his small stature, he looked every bit the future fire-wielding pirate he’d one day become.

The three of them stood their ground like a tiny, scrappy army of misfits. Luffy stomped his foot and shouted threats at anyone who dared to step closer. Sabo spoke with a diplomat’s calm, though his clenched fists betrayed his growing frustration. And Ace? Ace was ready to fight. If anyone so much as twitched in your direction, that stick in his hand was going to meet its mark.

Despite being just kids, they were unyielding, their loyalty to you outweighing any fear they might have felt. Luffy’s voice cracked as he shouted, “You’re not taking her! She’s our sister, and we’re gonna protect her no matter what!” Sabo, still trying to be the reasonable one, added, “If you force her to leave, you’re making a mistake. She’s not dangerous—she’s kind!” Ace, of course, kept it blunt: “If you lay a finger on her, I’ll beat you into next week.”

Despite everything the boys had done to defend you, the guilt gnawed away at you like a parasite. The villagers’ words echoed in your mind, cruel and unrelenting: “You don’t belong here. You’re a danger to everyone around you.”

No matter how much Luffy’s loud assurances, Sabo’s calm reasoning, or Ace’s fierce protection tried to drown out those accusations, they clung to you like a curse. You believed it all, convinced that you were the problem. Worse, you feared that by staying, you’d drag the boys into even more trouble.

The thought of them getting hurt because of you—it was unbearable. You imagined Luffy throwing himself into yet another fight on your behalf, Sabo pleading with people who wouldn’t listen, and Ace taking on an entire mob with nothing but his fists and his righteous fury.

Late that night, when the forest was dark and the only sounds were the rustling leaves and distant chirps of crickets, you slipped away. The moonlight guided your trembling hands as you scribbled out a tear-soaked letter. You kept it short but heartfelt, explaining your reasons:

“I can’t stay. I’m too dangerous. I love you three so much, but I can’t keep putting you in harm’s way. I need to find somewhere I can belong, somewhere I won’t hurt anyone. Please don’t come looking for me. I’m so sorry. Please take care of each other.”

You folded the letter carefully, as though it were the last piece of you you could leave behind, and placed it where you knew they’d find it. Then, clutching your wand and what little you could carry, you walked into the shadows of the forest. With every step, your chest ached as if someone had taken your heart and squeezed it until it couldn’t bear the pain anymore.

Morning came, and chaos erupted the moment they realized you were gone. Luffy was the first to notice, and his reaction was classic Luffy—pure, unrestrained emotion.

He bolted out of the treehouse, running in frantic circles as he yelled your name at the top of his lungs. When his search turned up nothing, the tears started, big, fat droplets streaming down his face as he wailed, “SHE LEFT US! SHE LEFT ME!”

Sabo tried to be the calm one, but even he was visibly shaken, clutching your letter in his hands so tightly it crumpled. His voice cracked as he read your words aloud to Ace and Luffy, his composure slipping with every sentence. “She… she thinks she’s dangerous,” he muttered, his usually steady voice trembling. “She thinks she’s protecting us by leaving.” His hands balled into fists, and for the first time, you saw a flicker of anger behind his calm demeanor. “I should’ve seen this coming. I should’ve stopped her.”

Ace, on the other hand, was a storm brewing on the horizon. He stood there silently for a long moment after hearing your letter, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he grabbed a stick and smashed it against the nearest tree. “This is all their fault!” he snarled, referring to the villagers who had driven you to this point. His hands shook with barely-contained rage as he glared at the horizon, as if daring the universe to throw another obstacle in his way. “They did this. Not her. And now she’s gone because of them!”

But even in his anger, Ace’s determination shone through. He turned to Sabo and Luffy, his voice steady but fierce. “We’re going to find her. One day, no matter how far she goes, we’re bringing her back.”

“Yeah!” Luffy sobbed, his fists clenched tightly. “We’re not gonna let her go forever! She’s our sister!” His face was red and blotchy, tears still spilling as he stomped his foot for emphasis. “We’ll get her back, and then I’m gonna make her promise to stay forever!”

Sabo nodded, his usual composed demeanor replaced with quiet resolve. “She belongs with us. And we’ll make sure she knows that, no matter how long it takes.”

From that day forward, it became an unspoken vow between the three of them. They didn’t know when or how, but they would find you again. Ace reminded them of it constantly, his fiery determination keeping their spirits high. Luffy, as always, wore his heart on his sleeve, loudly declaring to anyone who would listen that he had a sister and he was going to find her someday. And Sabo, ever the planner, quietly began preparing, mapping out potential paths you might have taken and thinking of how they’d convince you to return.

You may have walked away that night thinking you were doing what was best for them, but little did you know, those three boys had made you a promise—a promise that no distance, no obstacle, and no force in the world could ever break.

After leaving your childhood behind, you wandered aimlessly through endless forests, dark swamps, and towering mountains, each step taking you farther from the trio who once made you feel like you mattered. Surviving alone as a child wasn’t just hard—it was soul-crushing.

Nights were the worst. The silence was so loud it drowned out your thoughts, leaving you alone with memories of Luffy’s laughter, Ace’s teasing smirk, and Sabo’s reassuring words. Those memories had once been a source of comfort, a little spark of warmth to get you through the cold. But as the years went on, they became a cruel reminder of what you lost.

At first, you clung to their love like a lifeline, hoping it could fill the hole in your heart. But reality was unforgiving. You met villagers who screamed at the sight of you, merchants who refused to sell you food, and travelers who spat cruel words at the mention of witches. No matter how small your magic or kind your intentions, people feared you. And fear always turned to hatred.

Slowly, their hatred began to drown out the lingering love you once felt from Sabo, Ace, and Luffy. Every cruel word, every stone thrown, chipped away at the sweet, optimistic child you had been. You started believing what the world seemed so desperate to prove: that you were unworthy of love, unworthy of kindness, and destined to walk alone.

Eventually, you gave up trying to prove yourself.

If the world wanted you to be a monster, then fine—you’d be a monster. You threw yourself into your magic, pushing its limits until it felt like the only thing that couldn’t hurt you. Spells that once brought you joy—like making flowers bloom or levitating tiny objects—were replaced with defensive barriers, fire conjurations, and illusions so terrifying they could make the bravest soul flee. You weren’t practicing to entertain anyone anymore. You were practicing to survive.

With every spell you perfected, a little more of your warmth faded away. By the time you reached adulthood, the hopeful dreams of your childhood had been buried beneath layers of bitterness and fear. Helping others was no longer your goal—protecting yourself was. If people feared you, at least they wouldn’t come close enough to hurt you.

Your appearance changed with your growing power and isolation. Gone were cheerful smiles of your youth. Instead, you donned long, flowing robes of dark green and black, their edges frayed from years of wandering. Your blind eye, once a source of insecurity, now became a symbol of your transformation. It faintly glowed when you used your magic, an eerie light that only added to your intimidating presence. Your gaze, once soft and full of curiosity, had hardened into something cold and unyielding.

Stories of the "wicked witch" began spreading like wildfire. They whispered of a woman who lived deep in the mountains, wielding magic so powerful it could summon storms or make crops wither. Some said you cursed anyone who dared enter your domain. Others claimed you were the reason children went missing or villages mysteriously disappeared. Of course, none of it was true—well, most of it wasn’t true. But you didn’t care to correct the rumors. If they kept people away, all the better.

You told yourself this isolation was for the best. The farther people stayed from you, the safer they’d be. And maybe you believed that, at least at first. But there were nights—rare, fleeting nights—when the old memories crept back in.

You’d find yourself staring at the stars, thinking of how Luffy used to point out constellations with his tiny, sticky hands. Or you’d hear the crackle of a fire and remember Ace’s mischievous grin as he dared you to roast marshmallows with magic. Or maybe you’d see your reflection in a still pond and hear Sabo’s gentle voice saying, “You’re not dangerous. You’re just you.”

Those memories hurt more than any stone or insult ever could. Because deep down, you knew the truth. You weren’t the monster the world painted you to be. But it was easier to live as the wicked witch than to let anyone close enough to hurt you again. So you embraced the role, burying your longing for love and acceptance beneath layers of bitterness and pride.

The years didn’t dim their determination. From the moment you vanished, Luffy, Sabo, and Ace vowed to find you, no matter how long it took. You were their sibling, the missing piece of their chaotic trio-turned-quartet, and the idea of leaving you out there alone—especially in a world that didn’t understand or accept you—was unthinkable.

Sure, life moved on, and they had their own battles to fight, but every step they took, every new place they explored, carried the same question: Could you be here?

When they finally found you, it wasn’t a tearful, joyous reunion like they had imagined countless times. No, the figure standing before them—dark robes, piercing gaze, blind eye faintly glowing in the dim light—was a far cry from the sweet, hopeful sibling they had grown up with. The “wicked witch” they had heard whispered about in fear and awe was unmistakably you, but the change was so drastic, it made their chests ache.

Naturally, Luffy was the first to act, because of course he was. Despite the eerie vibe you gave off, despite the cold, unreadable look in your eyes, he threw caution to the wind. “IT’S YOU!!!” he yelled, his voice ringing through the air like a cannon blast. Before you could even blink, he launched himself at you like a human missile, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist. His grin was as bright as ever, but it faltered when you didn’t react, your arms hanging limp at your sides.

“Get off me,” you said flatly, your voice sharp enough to cut through the moment.

Luffy blinked, his smile faltering. “Huh? But—it’s me! It’s Luffy! Remember?” His arms stayed locked around you, though, like if he let go, you might disappear again.

Sabo approached next, his heart twisting at the sight of you. He could tell from the way you stood, your guarded posture and the steely edge in your voice, that life had hardened you in ways he and the others couldn’t begin to imagine. Still, he wasn’t ready to give up. “It’s been a long time,” he said softly, his tone carefully measured. “We’ve been looking for you all these years. You’re—well, you’re different, but you’re still you, right? You’re still our little sibling.”

“No,” you snapped, your voice colder than the frost in the mountains you now called home. “Stop calling me that.”

That’s when Ace stepped forward, his jaw tight and his fists clenched at his sides. “Why?” he demanded, his voice filled with the frustration and heartbreak he had bottled up for years. “Why did you leave us? We know what the letter said, but that’s not good enough. I want to hear it from you. The real reason.”

Your gaze flickered to him, a flash of emotion—guilt, maybe, or regret—briefly breaking through your hardened exterior before you quickly masked it. “I left because I had to. Because people like me don’t get to have happy endings. I would’ve just dragged you down. Don’t you get it? You were better off without me.”

Luffy, of course, shook his head so furiously it was a wonder it didn’t fall off. “That’s not true! You’re wrong! We’re better with you! You’re our family, and family doesn’t leave family behind!”

“We’re not kids anymore,” you retorted, your voice laced with bitterness. “You can’t just fix everything with hugs and stubbornness, Luffy. I’m not the person you remember. I’ve accepted who I am—what I am. I don’t need your protection, and I definitely don’t need your pity.”

Sabo’s heart ached at your words, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he stepped closer, his tone gentle but firm. “It’s not pity. It’s love. And it’s not something you can just turn off, no matter how much you try to push us away.”

Ace, his frustration reaching its peak, finally snapped. “You’re not fooling us. I don’t care how powerful or scary you think you’ve become—beneath all that, you’re still the same person who used to trip over her own feet trying to show off her magic. You’re still our sister, and we’re not leaving without you.”

His words struck a nerve, and for a split second, the mask you wore so carefully slipped. The memories they stirred—the laughter, the teasing, the warmth—hit you like a tidal wave. But you quickly pushed it all down, shoving the emotions back into the box you had sealed away years ago.

“You don’t understand,” you said, your voice quieter now but no less firm. “You can’t just barge in here and expect everything to go back to the way it was. I’ve changed. You should’ve let me go.”

Deep down, though, their presence stirred something in you—something you thought you had buried for good. For the first time in years, the icy walls you had built around yourself felt like they were beginning to crack. But you weren’t ready to let them in, not yet. So you turned away, your heart aching as you whispered, “Just go. Please.”

Luffy, of course, refused to let go of you, clinging to you like a stubborn child. Sabo’s eyes softened with understanding but also sadness, and Ace clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. It’s not that he’s upset with you, he’s more so upset with what the world has done to you to make you this cold. But they didn’t care how long it took. They weren’t going anywhere. They’d lost you once, and they weren’t about to let it happen again.

Luffy, as always, is the most relentless. No matter how many times you tell him to leave, no matter how coldly you speak or how fiercely you use your magic to push him away—he keeps coming back. Even if you send him flying through the air with a gust of wind or trap him in vines, he shows up minutes later, scratched and dirty but grinning as if nothing happened.

“I’m not leaving!” he shouts, planting his feet firmly on the ground. “You can throw me, trap me, or zap me—I don’t care! You’re my family, and I’m not losing you again!”

His determination is maddening, but it’s also heartbreakingly familiar. Deep down, it stirs something in you, a flicker of the bond you thought you’d severed long ago. But you shove the feeling aside, insisting that it’s better this way. Yet, Luffy’s persistence never wavers. He follows you everywhere like an overgrown puppy, his sheer presence a constant reminder of the love you’ve tried so hard to forget.

Sabo, ever the strategist, takes a different approach. He doesn’t push or demand; instead, he quietly works his way back into your life. He’s always nearby, watching, waiting, making sure you’re safe. He uses his calm demeanor and sharp intellect to subtly manipulate situations, ensuring you never feel completely alone.

“We don’t have to talk about the past,” he says one evening, his voice gentle as he sits near you by a crackling fire. “I just want to be here, that’s all. No expectations, no pressure.”

He gives you space when you need it, offering his presence as a steady anchor rather than a demand for reconciliation. Still, his unwavering kindness wears down your defenses bit by bit, even if you don’t want to admit it.

Ace is as fiery as ever, his protectiveness dialed up to an almost overwhelming level. Anyone who dares speak ill of you—whether they call you the “wicked witch” or something worse—immediately faces his wrath. He doesn’t hesitate to threaten them, his fists clenched and his fiery abilities ready to strike if needed.

“Say that again,” he growls at one unfortunate villager who muttered something under their breath. “I dare you.”

Around you, though, Ace’s fierce demeanor softens, though his protectiveness remains just as strong. He still instinctively positions himself on your blind side, just like he did when you were kids, standing in the perfect spot so he can “be your eye.” It’s a small, endearing gesture that tugs at your heart every time, no matter how much you try to ignore it.

“You don’t have to do that,” you murmur one day, your voice quieter than usual.

“Yes, I do,” Ace replies firmly, his expression softening as he looks at you. “I’ve always done it, and I’m not stopping now. I’m not letting you face anything alone—not ever again.”

No matter how much you try to push them away, they refuse to give up. Luffy’s relentless optimism, Sabo’s quiet persistence, and Ace’s fierce protectiveness create a barrier you can’t seem to break through. Slowly but surely, they chip away at the icy walls you’ve built around yourself, their love and determination refusing to fade.

The brothers' determination eventually cracks the ice around your heart, their love and loyalty proving stronger than the bitterness and pain you’ve clung to for so long. Slowly but surely, they remind you of the person you used to be—the kind-hearted, optimistic sibling who once dreamed of helping others. Though it’s not easy, you begin to let them back in, allowing yourself to feel the warmth of their bond again.

They don’t just offer you their love—they offer you protection, in every sense of the word. They stand beside you as you begin using your magic for good again, shielding you from the judgment of others and reassuring you that you’ll never have to face the cruelty of the world alone. Luffy’s boundless enthusiasm reignites your hope, Sabo’s steady support grounds you, and Ace’s fiery devotion reminds you that you’re worth fighting for.

“You don’t have to do it all yourself,” Sabo tells you one day, his voice steady but warm. “We’re here, and we always will be.”

“And if anyone has a problem with you,” Ace adds, cracking his knuckles, “they’re gonna have a problem with us first.”

“Yeah!” Luffy chimes in, throwing his arms around you with his usual exuberance. “You’re stuck with us now, and no one’s taking you away!”

Their protectiveness becomes almost comical at times, but you know it comes from a place of love. If anyone so much as looks at you the wrong way, they’re immediately on high alert.

Villagers whisper about how the “wicked witch” has terrifyingly powerful guardians now, and anyone foolish enough to test that quickly regrets it. One unfortunate soul who dared insult you was swiftly met with Ace’s fire, Luffy’s fists, and Sabo’s calculated fury. Let’s just say they didn’t make that mistake twice.

Honestly, everything is back to normal. Ace is back, Sabo is back, Luffy is back, and it feels like the old cheerful days. This time, however, there’s no leaving. No tearful goodbyes, no lonely nights wandering through forests, no self-loathing letters explaining why you had to go. They’ve made it clear: you’re staying, no matter what. Either you stay with them or they follow you around endlessly.

“We’re stronger now,” Ace says firmly, his voice filled with conviction. “And we’re never letting you go again.” Luffy nods enthusiastically, while Sabo places a reassuring hand on your shoulder. They don’t just say it—they prove it, every day, with their unwavering loyalty and love.

Though this means they likely don’t let you out of their sights for even a nanosecond, you feel like you’ve truly found your place again. The darkness of your past doesn’t disappear, but with your brothers by your side, it becomes easier to face.

[kakiastro]

Astrology Observations and notes of all things Cancer related

This how cancers act when they’re home alone😅, just vibes and music😅

In honor of Cancer season, If you have Cancer, 4h, dominate Moon aspects placements, this post is for you !

-besides Crabs, other animals such as Elephants, Wolves and Bears are also ruled by the moon

-cancers are known as the nurturing sign and they most definitely can be, however, they struggle with being feeling vulnerable. Due to their sweet aura, they attract all kinds of people but it takes a lot for them to come out their shell.

-Cancer energy can also be very cold when they get angry. I know they are known as being “cry babies” but from what I’ve researched and seen, they can turn cold like sub zero, they turn into their sister sign capricorns(dark side of cap) 😭🤚🏽 they have the memory of an elephant, they’ll remember what you did to them forever in this lifetime and the next 50😭

- people who have Mars Cancer do NOT play when it comes to protecting their family members. Their anger is down right terrifying because how sweet and naive they appear. Oh no, they turn full on gangsta if you hurt anyone they love. 🤺

- I noticed you all are named after someone in your family or you get told that you act like a certain family member. You may be named after a women in your family or get told you act like her in someway

-motherhood may be a big theme in your life. This can include your own mother, friends who are mothers, working with mothers. Even if you don’t want or have kids, motherhood is still apart of your life somehow. Maybe being a mother to your own mother, the mom friend, the cool auntie that gives off mom vibes, mom to your siblings.

-Moon/Neptune aspects may struggle with fog memory. They can remember the big things in their life but have trouble with the small events. Taking pictures or journaling can help with this. I also notice they have these random moments where they remember the most random things at random times😅

-Moon/Sun aspects have such a powerful energy about them. You really light the room

-Cancer rising either have a face shaped like 🌝 or like🌛

- speaking of Cancer risings, them dimples! They deep like the moon craters

- acne problems, it’s even worse during adolescence but it does get better as you get older but you may occasionally break out. I also notice you guys have oily skin.

- Venus Cancer loves them a home cooked meal. They’re the type to go home to their mom or grandma for dinner. They may have a family recipe that’s passed down to them or they create one and pass it down to there kids

-they have a hard time with letting material things go especially if it’s sentimental to them. To the outside world it’s junk but to them it’s treasure. I get it tall I do lol

- Moon 11h attract a lot women as friend groups. Strangers may feel too comfortable with telling their personal business unprovoked

- leader of the family, it doesn’t matter what your role is, you are the one that holds the family together, people may be heavily dependent on you especially emotionally. You may be the first person in your family to accomplish something big.

-Cancer Suns may be the firstborn or firstborn daughter or son(not always). They are born during a time when their parents were especially father was ready to settle down and start a family. They could be born during a time where the family was going through some sort of emotional event and you were the fresh start. Will either feel more emotionally connected or feel disconnected due to trying to live up to his efforts and family ideals.

-Cancer moon feel a deep connection to their mothers theses are the type of children that will live with their mom into adulthood. Even if they move out, they calling they momma lol. Maybe very dependent emotionally on mom. If they don’t have a good relationship with mom, they will get will partners who can feel that void. It’s a lot harder for men with this placement.

-Moon/Jupiter comes from families with such strong belief systems and ideals. They carry these ideals into adulthood, it may be hard to break away from them. They may have a belief that they family viewpoint is everyone’s. They have to leave there nest and see the world for themselves and realize their family viewpoint may be short sighted. This can be triggering because you wonder what else were you not accurately taught.

-if you have 28°, that’s matriarch energy

-have you noticed Cancer starts in June which is the 6th month. 6 in astrology is ruled by Virgo. Summer months are chaotic because your starting a new routine for the season lol

-it’s also interesting that Cancer is the start of Summer season. All the kids is out of school and at home. This is one of the rare times of the year where families are vacationing and spending time together. Visiting other cities and countries. Cancer literally rules home countries and cities y’all lol

I’ll stop here but happy Cancer season and birthday Cancers

[sagaduwyrm]

DCxDP Idea: Ra's Al Ghul is a Rat-Ass Bastard

Since Damian was a test tube baby, why did Talia have to know about him? Couldn’t Ra’s create an infant on his own?

Danyal was born like this some years before Damian was, even before Talia had the idea to have a kid with Bruce. He was raised by Ra’s to be a weapon, rather than an heir, and was eventually sent to investigate the Fenton's research into what Ra’s suspected to be the source of the Lazarus Pits. Their research was minimal at the time, and Ra’s was getting annoyed with Danyal’s lack of progress (read: problems with authority and strong moral code (I headcanon Danny as morally gray in the way of most supernatural beings, but that’s still more moral than Ra’s)), so it became a long term infiltration mission.

This eventually led to the events of DP Canon, and Ra’s began supporting the GIW as a way to get that research on the Infinite Realms he wanted and as an attempt to control his wayward grandson. Unfortunately for him, Danny has grown into himself away from his grandfather, and he has friends who are ready to throw down with his asshole ancestor, both ghost and human.

This connects to how the batfam finds out. They’re keeping track of Ra’s and began investigating the GIW after he failed to hide his tracks. They find a horrific series of sapient rights violations against a race of supernatural/interdimensional spirits. The Justice League didn’t know, and occasionally even accidentally helped the GIW. The only force holding the GIW back is a small group of ghosts and human mages that are waging war against them and Ra’s, even going so far as to drain the Lazarus Pits.

Danny Phantom, one of the leaders of this group, looks nothing like Damian, in the way that siblings can look nothing like each other once you’re familiar with them. But he does look eerily reminiscent of both Talia and Bruce, and Ra’s had been acting weird about this whole thing…

Danny could know about the batfam and Talia or not. I think he would know about them at least vaguely, just for security reasons, but I also think Ra’s would have made them out to be people Danny can’t reach out to. He would definitely make it seem like Talia and Damian knew about him so that Danny would think they're on Ra's' side.

This is even an opportunity for Good Mom!Talia, for her to try to do better with Danny than she did with Damian, for her to finally break free of her father, and maybe even repair her relationship with her younger son.