#this was started all the way back in march | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

immortalmrwavell · 2 days ago

Text

James: Two Men Bound as One

(For @sivfenrir)

(Original story posted March 23rd 2022 & April 16th 2022) This story has been mildly Updated

Long Story Here!! This story was originally posted in two parts but I’ve put them together in one post for your reading convenience! That said this is one of the longest stories I ever wrote so I hope you all enjoy!

(Part 1)

Seth, a youthful man in his 20’s, had just gotten home after another not so pleasant trip to his local gym. Not being able to get through a single workout without being loosely threatened and called homophobic slurs. As always he had Bradley to thank for that.

All his life Seth had been skinny as could be and usually found himself picked on by the bigger guys back in his school years. Of course now, being an adult, he was free of such torment. For the most part anyway. Whenever he ever tried going to his local gym to exercise and get into shape, the jocks and gymbro’s there would always give him a hard time. Saying how they didn’t want scrawny nerds slowing down their workouts by taking up the equipment. Of course not all the dudes in there were like this but there were enough for it to put Seth off wanting to go.

Today though, Seth decided to try his luck again in the hopes he’d get a decent workout in peace. The moment he saw Bradley from across the room however, he knew that wasn’t likely. Bradley would always make it his personal mission to make going to the gym absolute hell for any “geeks” or “nerds” that he saw. He saw the gym as a place only made for alpha bros like himself and hot chicks. With his small and meek build, Seth certainly didn’t fit either of those categories. It also didn’t help that Bradley was one of his former high school bullies…

Despite this Seth decided to put on a brave face before walking over to some equipment and starting his workout. Of course he only got about 10 minutes in before he was spotted by Bradley. The crude jock began to tease him relentlessly, telling him to get off whatever machine he was using so a “real man” could workout instead.

Surprisingly though, Seth stood up to Bradley somewhat. Usually he wouldn’t dare, preferring to shrink into himself and bend to the bully’s will. But today he managed to find an ember of courage burning inside of him. He took a breath before finally putting his foot down and telling Bradly he wasn’t gonna get off until he was finished.

Naturally Bradley didn’t take kindly to this lanky nerd speaking to him like that. He continued to more or less insult and bully Seth throughout the rest of his workout. And just when Seth didn’t think it could get any worse, as soon as he left to head home, Bradley cornered him outside of the gym and punched him hard in the gut. The jock spat on Seth, telling him to learn his place.

As Seth was left on the ground clutching his stomach in pain, he couldn’t help but have mixed emotions. Of course he hated what Bradley did to him. The constant pushing around and name calling amongst other things… but at the same time he felt sort of aroused by it all too. He’d always had a thing for big muscly men, especially jocks, and Bradley fit the bill perfectly. He wanted to hate Bradley but he always seemed to end up in bed jerking off to the bully instead.

Besides he knew Bradley wasn’t quite as impressive as he seemed in terms of having his life together. He had a shitty handyman job that didn’t pay a whole lot as well as a part time job as a personal trainer. Seth on the other hand was working his way towards a programming job that would pay quite a fair amount. More than Bradley would ever be earning anyway. That thought always gave him some peace of mind.

Later that evening, after a slightly painful walk home, Seth ended up playing a couple hours of DnD with his other “nerdy fag friends” as Bradley and the other straight jocks would call them. It wasn’t until midnight that they finally got to a point where they could pause the game for the night. Most of his friends went to bed after that, leaving the group call they’d been on. Seth on the other hand decided to stay up awhile longer.

He’d been searching up a bunch of gay porn and stuff when he got sidetracked and started looking at sex toys online. He’d always thought about buying some. And so he scrolled through a bunch of different sites and toys until one finally caught his eye.

At first glance they seemed like an ordinary pair of bondage handcuffs. That is until he read the description. Apparently they were called ‘merging cuffs��. It claimed that if two people were to cuff themselves together then they would merge into one person! Of course Seth didn’t believe it one bit but the idea of it certainly piqued his interest. And his boner. The cuffs were also super cheap so he just shrugged and purchased them right then and there on a whim. Why the hell not right?

It couldn’t have been more than a minute after buying those cuffs that Seth heard a knock at the front door. But it was past 1:30 in the morning?! Who the hell would be delivering mail at this time? Regardless, curiosity got the better of him as he pulled his pants back on before sneaking out of his room. He was careful not to wake his mother who was asleep in her room as he approached the door.

He quietly opened the front door, not sure what or who to expect. What greeted him was a tiny wrapped gift box sitting on the door mat. Whoever left it there was nowhere to be seen now. Seth reached down and picked up the peculiar box to find that it was in fact addressed to him. Now even more curious he closed the door before taking the box back up to his bedroom.

After plopping himself down on his bed, he opened the box to find what was inside. Only he was shocked to find the very same pair of handcuffs he’d just ordered on the web! But how!? It didn’t make sense!? Seth inspected the box a little before pulling out the cuffs. Yep, definitely the same ones he ordered. He hardly knew what to think at this point. Despite that he couldn’t help but notice a small instruction letter at the bottom of the box too. Seth pulled it out before reading the following…

~~~

These handcuffs will allow two individuals to become one entirely new entity.

It’s as simple as putting one cuff on person A and the other cuff on person B. When they become one they will for all intents and purposes become an entirely new being made up of the qualities from their two counterparts. Once Person C is created, reality will adjust to compensate for their existence and the absence of their former selves. The only people recorded to still be somewhat aware of the previous reality have been parents to the original Person A & B. Besides that nobody is likely to be aware of the merger that has taken place.

These handcuffs are also only good for ONE USE. You can choose to split at any time but after that you will not be able to use the cuffs to merge again. To split you must break the two metal bands created by the cuffs after the merge is complete. You must also be willing to split for this to work. If the metal bands are somehow to be broken and Person C does not wish to split back into A & B then the merge will become PERMANENT.

With all this in mind, use these handcuffs wisely and with a sound mind.

~~~

Seth’s heartbeat was soaring after reading all that. Sure he hadn’t believed it before but now he wasn’t so sure anymore. He couldn’t fathom how the hell this package got here as fast as it did. That said he started to question if maybe these things could be the real deal after all…

— The Next Morning —

After jumping out of bed and getting ready for the day, Seth threw on a baggy pair of shorts and a loose fitting t-shirt to match before heading off to the gym once again. He was sure to grab the cuffs just before he left. Stuffing them into his bag before setting out.

Upon stepping through the doors he could already hear the grunting of men lifting weights and growing bigger. Music to his ears. He’d chosen this specific time for a reason however because he knew (after some social media stalking) that every Tuesday at about 9:30am, Bradley would be at the gym without fail.

Turning the corner past reception, he saw that his assumption was absolutely correct. Across the gym floor he could see Bradley already warming up. With that in mind he entered quietly, choosing some equipment as far away from Bradley as possible. Of course this only worked for so long until the meathead finally noticed him.

From there it was just like every other time the two had been at the gym together. Seth getting teased and pushed around whenever Bradley had a break between sets. He managed to hold out and endure it though. Rolling with insults until Bradley eventually finished his routine and sauntered off into the locker room. Seth waited a solid minute or two before following him.

Seth hesitantly snuck around the locker room in search of the muscle bound hunk who’d been tormenting him. The room wasn’t all that big so it didn’t take that long for the nerd to spot Bradley standing by an open locker grabbing a towel and some shower gel. He must’ve been getting ready to have a quick rinse off in the showers. Lord knew Seth was tempted to see if he could catch a glimpse of Bradley’s nude body. Just the thought of seeing water cascade down the perky muscle ass was enough to make him wanna bust a nut on the spot. Yet somehow his urge to try out the mysterious handcuffs was even stronger.

Seth pulled the handcuffs out of his bag. He looked down at them before glancing up at the jock before him again. He still wasn’t sure if these things would work. Worst case scenario, they don’t do anything and he probably gets punched in the face. But if somehow they did work then… it’d be worth the risk.

Seth waited until Bradley was facing the other to put one cuff on himself and begin to tip-toe towards the man. His small size allowed him to be fast while remaining as quiet as a mouse. Despite that his heart was still pounding both with worry and excitement as he inched closer to the jock. He could smell that sweaty post workout scent filling his nostrils already. He even watched as the hunk kicked off his trainers and bent down to pull off his ankle socks before tossing them in the locker. Bradley was about to pull off his tank top next when he felt a cold metal bracelet smack against his wrist and snap shut.

“THE FUCK ARE…” The gym bro stopped short as he saw the small man who’d just slapped a single handcuff on him. Seth felt as though his heart were about to explode out of his chest as the man looked down at him with pure disgust.

“Oh. It's you.” Bradley spat, already clenching his fists. “I don’t know what the fuck you think you’re doing but yo—” He was cut off by a sudden jolt of energy that ruptured through his body! Seth felt it too! It seemed as though it came directly from the handcuffs.

Both men looked down at the metal cuffs bonding them together as they began to emit a strange glow. The glow started to intensify and before either of them could say another word, Bradley and Seth began losing control of themselves. Their bodies began to shake and convulse uncontrollably as the magical glow encased them as well. Bradley could only curse and shout as he had no clue what the hell was happening. Seth on the other hand had a wide grin, both of wonder and relief that these merging cuffs might actually be working!

The light around them only continued to grow as suddenly Seth and Bradley bodies forcefully pulled together like magnets as if some invisible force was binding them. Seth could feel Bradley’s muscle jiggling against him as they convulsed, loving the fact that he was just tall enough for his face to be pressed into the massive hunks pecs. God it was like he was having a wet dream! And he was gonna become a part of this huge meathead?!?! Fuck! He just couldn’t wait!

Just then the magical glow engulfed them completely. The last thing either of them felt was the strangely blissful sensation of sinking inside one another. Their bodies melding into one before blacking out…

———

A new man’s eyes would soon flutter open. He was sprawled out on the floor of the locker room staring up at the ceiling. He felt odd. Unfamiliar? But also not?… he couldn’t even explain it.

He began to sit up slowly, placing a hand on his head as he glanced towards the open locker beside him. His locker? Yet even the way his body moved felt odd and confusing. Like it was completely new yet had always been this way simultaneously.

“I… can’t believe it…” He muttered to himself in astonishment as he looked down at his hands and body. He was massive yet that didn’t seem to come as much of a surprise. He flexed an arm, feeling his biceps bulge. It felt so natural and so exhilarating at the same time. Surreal was probably the best way to describe it. “It… worked?…” He said, half confused.

With a breath, the new man stood up and was able to walk himself over to a mirror nearby and sink to get a proper look at himself. His eyes widened at the sight that stared back at him.

“I’m… I’m a… fucking nerd-hunk!” It was like he wanted to say two completely different things simultaneously. He looked like a nerd… but he looked like a hunk. But hadn’t he always been a nerd… or a hunk? Everything was so confusing. So muddled. So warped together. The man could hardly think properly.

As he inspected his reflection further, the man could see Seth’s nerdy features but it was as though they’d been ‘jockified’ in a sense. He was wearing Seth’s glasses too yet Bradley’s backwards cap also sat on top of his head. His clothes looked to be the same as Bradley’s gym gear yet the colour scheme had changed to fit that of Seth’s. And his body… It was enormous! So many years of hard work and dedication put in by Bradley yet certain features like his birthmark, body hair and more were distinctive of Seth.

Seth and Bradley. Bradley and Seth. He could see both of them staring back at him. He was also both of them and neither at the same time. Two bodies. Two minds. Two sets of memories. All of them combined into one single person. That’s who he was. And as his brain began to sort through its muddled memories, he quickly remembered how he came to be. Those handcuffs. Seth had used them to merge himself with Bradley and the result of that was the man looking back at him in the mirror.

The new man took another breath, longer and deeper this time as he tried to collect himself. Who was he? He wasn’t Seth and he wasn’t Bradley. He was a whole new person made from the sum of his parts. He felt and thought a lot of the same things they did yet he felt also completely new. As if he’d only just been born in a way.

That in mind he had to come up with a new name right? Just picking either Seth or Bradley didn’t feel right though. Saying Seth’s name out loud made him want to start throwing out homophobic slurs. Meanwhile saying Bradley’s out loud made him weirdly horny like he wanted to start jerking off to other gym bros and their huge bodies. But it still felt wrong. Like the two sides of himself were arguing inside his mind. So perhaps a whole new one would be better? He thought about it for a moment until finally a name sprung out at him.

James!

Yeah. He liked that. Not too similar to either of his old names and it had a nice ring to it. He couldn’t feel any conflict between his two halves at the name so that’s what he decided to lock in.

It was then that he took notice of the two metal bracelets on each of his wrists. He remembered the note Seth had read mentioning that’s what the handcuffs would become post merge. They emitted another faint glow for a second before settling again. Weird. He would’ve been more curious about it if he wasn’t so distracted by his new form.

James began to stroke strong stubble on his face. An interesting feeling since Seth was always relatively smooth. He scratched through it a little before running his calloused hands across every little detail on his face. It was like the perfect mix and match of facial features in the most handsome way possible. Mostly picking out Seth’s features as a base and then using Bradley’s to emphasise them in a masculine jockish way.

Of course his hands then couldn’t help but wander down his body. It didn’t take long for him to start grasping at the huge watermelons sized pecs sitting on his chest. Fuck he was jacked. He did a double bicep pose into the mirror that only served to make him look even more massive. James could only watch and smirk as his arms bulged with size. His nerdy half was beyond excited. Adoring the feel of all this powerful muscle mass that it had been yearning for all these years. So much so that James’ cock began to stiffen in his shorts. His jock half was also enjoying it but for a completely different, much more narcissistic, reason. Loving to see how this form was even bigger and more of a stud than even Bradley’s former body.

After a little more squeezing and groping of his new form, James couldn’t help but want to whip out his new combined cock. He gingerly tugged at the waistband of his shorts before slowly sliding them down until his dick jumped forward. By god was it massive. It seemed as though his counterparts cock sizes had also merged to become a much bigger whole. Seth’s cock had sat at a respectable 5 inches hard while Bradley had been rocking a 6 and a half incher. James however put them both to shame with an impressive 9 inch monster with the kind of thickness that would make any man or woman’s eyes water.

“Fuuuuuuuck…” The fused man grunted with a prideful smirk. “I could have so many hot dudes slobbering over this thing.” James chuckled as he gripped the thick appendage, sending shivers up his spine. His mind filled with images of sexy buff jocks getting their ass holes resized by his cock. That is until a conflicting thought crossed his mind.

“Wait no-I’m… I’m not a fag!?!” He questioned abruptly as Bradley’s influence shone through a little. Just then the images of muscular men in his mind transformed into hot busty women. His previous thoughts about cock and ass shifting to that of tits and pussy instead. His monster cock pulsed even harder at the idea of burying himself inside a hot babe. “Nahhhh bro. I fuckin love pussy!!” He exclaimed.

And yet his mind boomeranged once more.

“But then again…” his thoughts drifted back to the idea of eating out the hole of one of his bros at the gym before thrusting his cock into a plump jock butt. James’ mind continued to play a horny game of ping pong as it bounced back and forth between extremely gay and super straight thoughts, lightly jerking his cock throughout the conflict.

“Cock… Pussy… Pecs… Tits…” He murmured to himself as his cock started to drool precum.

James was only snapped out of this cycle when he heard some other dudes opening the locker room door. He’d completely forgotten he was in a public space! He quickly tried tucking his cock away into his shorts again, struggling to hide his obscene bulge in the process. Though he wasn’t as successful as he’d hoped before another jock turned the corner and saw him. It was one of Bradley’s gym buddies, Sam.

“Yo Jay! I thought you said you were getting a shower. You got a hot chick hiding in here somewhere?” Sam teased with a chuckle upon seeing the bulge, looking around and behind James as a joke. What struck James as odd though was the fact that the smaller jock somehow knew the name he’d come up for himself mere moments prior. Or at least an abbreviation of it that his jock half rather enjoyed. He knew reality should’ve shifted after he came into existence but he came up with that name after the shift right? Just then his mind snapped back to when he thought up the name. The metal bands on his wrists. They glowed a little when he decided on it. Perhaps that was them adding his new name to the reality alter or something? It seemed plausible but his train of thought was lost as Sam continued. “Or a dude maybe? I know you’re into that as well.” His apparent bro added.

“Oh umm… Nah bro just excited to see my uhhh… progress…” James lied with an awkward smirk. What else could he really say?

“Well I love seeing my results as well…” Sam turned to the mirror, giving a flex of his own. “But I don’t go around getting boners because of it.” He laughed.

James couldn’t help but lock his gaze onto Sam’s arms. He thought about kissing those biceps before making out with that scruffy dumb jock face of his. His Seth side had clearly harboured a huge crush on Sam as well.

“But you do you man, I don’t judge.” The other jock finished before patting James on the shoulder and walking away towards his own locker. As he did James couldn’t help but turn and get a quick look at his bro’s ass in those shorts.

‘He’s definitely been training his glutes a lot recently…’ James thought to himself, his dick jumping a bit in his own shorts at the thought of getting his hands on that ass. Smacking and fucking it. However his inner thoughts began to conflict again. ‘Nah Sam is just a bro! Bros don’t fuck bros!? Bros talk about hot chicks together!’ He then remembered a time where Bradley had seen one of the other female personal trainers wearing quite the revealing outfit one day. His cock began leaking precum once again as he remembered wanting to shove his dick between her huge tits while he kept stealing glances at her heart shaped ass. But just then, like getting horny whiplash at this point, his mind darted back to a time when Seth had seen one of the male personal trainers checking himself out in the gym mirrors after a pump. He was basically drooling as he watched the man bounce his pecs a little, wishing that he could shove his dick between those huge mounds of muscle.

Seeing the memories side by side however helped James realise something. Despite one experience being gay and the other straight, they were both extremely similar. So much so that you could switch it by having Seth be the one ogling at the woman’s tits and Bradley gushing over the man’s pecs and almost nothing would change. It was more or less the same experience. Perhaps his two halves were more alike in that regard than they originally thought…

James was suddenly snapped back to reality at the sound of Sam shutting his locker. “Well I’ll leave you to get back to…” he glanced down at James’ still slightly visible bulge. “Whatever you were doing before I guess.” And with that grabbed his stuff and left James alone in the locker room once more. He looked over at his towel along with the shower gel sitting on the bench. He still kinda smelled like sweat from Bradley’s workout. Though at this point he just wanted to have an excuse to get naked.

The grey tank top soon found itself being tossed inside the locker alongside Bradley’s trainers and ankle socks, swiftly followed by the pair of black shorts James had been wearing. Then after shutting the locker, grabbing his towel and shower gel, James sauntered off towards the showers in all his huge muscular glory. Good thing they had shower cubicles because there was no way he was gonna be able to hide his massive erect cock now.

Upon twisting the handle the shower burst to life. It soon warmed itself up. James stepped under the refreshing water flow with a deep sigh. He let the water run over him calmly for a moment before getting down to business. Grabbing and groping at his body once again but with much more lust this time around. Feeling the weight of his pecs, the size of his arms, the heftiness of his thighs and the thickness of his ass. It wasn’t long before he’d gotten some gel on his hands and began rubbing it all over his hulking form. Making sure to rub the soap into every crevasse he could find and loving every second of it.

The gay part of him couldn’t help allowing one hand to linger excessively long around his ass. Squeezing and kneading each of his cheeks before eventually sliding a finger between them and towards his asshole. But before he could try and enter it, the straight part of him forced his hole and asscheeks to clench tightly shut so nothing could penetrate it. The feeling to both desire and fight against something simultaneously was an odd one to say the least.

Eventually he stood back under the water fully to rinse off any remaining soap. As he did his thick python of a cock continued to buck and bounce at full mast as if it were begging for release. Naturally James was willing enough to oblige it.

James took a strong grip on his fat member before starting to pump. As he did he tried to think of anything that would get him going. Of course his own body was one thing. So huge and fuckin powerful. He could dominate anyone! He couldn’t help but imagine pressing one of his gym bro’s down onto his back before sliding his cock deep inside his ass, pounding away and dominating him in every sense. His balls were already churning with cum at the thought when his brain began to drift elsewhere again.

Now Imagining himself between the legs of one of those personal trainer babes at the gym. Eating out her pussy and tasting her delicious pussy juice before getting her to give him a tit job and busting a nut all over her face and breasts.

Then he jumps back to the guy he’d been pounding now giving him a sloppy blowjob. James’ hand on the back of his head pushing him as far down as he’ll go. He could practically hear the imaginary man gagging on his massive length.

Just then however, his two visions began merging into one. Both transforming into a single horny day dream.

He was now imagining himself in a threesome. The babe presented him with her wet eager pussy while the hunk presented his tight hungry hole. James was spoiled for choice. He wanted both! He loved both! Soon enough he imagined himself constantly swapping between the two. Pounding her pussy then pounding his hole then back to her pussy again. Going back and forth again and again until he nutted inside one.

By this point James was jerking his cock furiously to the mixed horny thoughts running through head. It was then that the bracelets that he’d left on until now began to glow once again. Suddenly his balls felt even fatter and fuller than they were before but at this point James was too horny to stop and ask why. At this point all he wanted was to explode! His eyes began to roll back as ecstasy overtook his body. His cock and balls started to tense up as his hand continued stroking like his life depended on it. He could feel it! He was gonna blow!!

“OOOOAAHHHHH FFUUUUUUCKKK!” James roared with extreme intensity followed by a massive rope of cum blasting from his cock. With it taking all of Bradley’s homophobic ideals and splattering them across the cubicle wall in a sticky mess. Finally releasing the one roadblock that’d been stopping James’ two sexualities from merging into a healthy Bisexual.

Then, as his cock released another tiny splutter cum, he also let go of Seth’s lack of vanity allowing him to become 100% confident in showing off his new and improved body. After that James was surprised when his cock suddenly shot another powerful rope at the cubicle wall, purging any desire to bully others by belittling them as Bradley had done so many times before. This was then followed by James’ hung appendage twitching again and letting out yet another modest cumshot. This one took with it Seth’s meek and shy nature, leaving behind only that of Bradley’s confident and extroverted one. It was only after his body had ejaculated all the qualities necessary to create the best version of James possible was his cock finally able to stop shooting load after load.

James fell to his knees then backwards onto his ass in exhaustion. He watched as his cum and ejected traits were washed down the shower drain with a faint smile on his face. There were simply no words to describe how incredible he felt. Just that he felt whole now. His two halves had finally stopped fighting against each over and have unified as one, leaving his mind feeling the clearest it'd been since the merge.

“Hey dude. You alright in there?” Came the echoing voice of another gym goer from just outside James’ shower cubicle. “I heard some noises from out there.”

He jumped back up to his feet in surprise. “Y-yeah! I’m good bro. Just slipped, but I’m good!” He shouted back, lying through his teeth as he glanced at some of his thick cum still dripping down the wall. The guy on the other side seemed a tad suspicious due to James’ tone but didn’t think anything of it and left back into the main locker room. Moments after, once he’d cleaned/licked up all the cum leftover inside the cubicle, James left with a towel wrapped around his waist as he made his way back to his locker.

Before long the merged nerdy jock had dressed himself in the spare set of clothes Bradley had in the locker. They felt tight on his body, not that it was a problem. He just loved the way his pecs stretched the t-shirt and how his thighs and ass strained inside the shorts. Wasting no more time though, James’ pulled on the leftover ankle socks and trainers before grabbing his gym bag and heading out of the locker room.

As he crossed the gym floor, James could feel the eyes of both horny and jealous people watching him and his body. And he got off on it like hell. Though just as he reached the reception he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Turning around he saw none other than the exact same female PT that Bradley had the hots for. His eyes almost immediately gave her a once over, inspecting her curves and cleavage shown off in the well fitting tights and sports bra.

“Heeyyy James. Are we still on for Friday night?” She asked with a devious smirk as she eyed him up just the same as he had. Looking over his bulging muscles and meaty pecs. It was then James recalled a recent memory of Bradley going on a date with her the night before. It must’ve gone well since she gave some heavy suggestions on what she wanted to do with him next time.

“Of course! Couldn’t be more excited.” James replied in a cocky but cheery tone.

“Glad to hear it.” She said, taking a step forward before reaching down, gingerly grasping at his bulge. “I can already tell we’re gonna have so much fun.” She giggled while rubbing his thick package before letting go with a wink. James grinned as he watched her turn and walk back towards some gym equipment to finish her routine, not being able to help watching her ass for a moment before turning around himself and heading out the gym exit.

James stepped out into the world, now with a semi-boner once again, and took his first deep breath of fresh air. Man did it feel good. He only had a couple seconds to enjoy the moment however as he felt the buzz of a phone from inside his gym bag. Opening the bag up he pulled out a familiar phone and saw a Grindr notification. He knew for a fact that Bradley never had Grindr but then again since reality changed this was no longer Bradley’s phone. It was James’.

Tapping the notification and unlocking the phone then took him to a chat this guy had started with him.

— Holy fuck! And I thought I was getting big hahaha. You’re fucking huge man! I would do anything just to feel those massive arms and that sexy chest! 😍 —

Well he was certainly straight forward. James went and gave his profile another quick look. They were about the same age and the guy looked to be a lean jock type. Soccer player by the looks of it. He had short brown hair with a bit of scruff on his face and some cute handsome features. The dude was definitely hot, he’d give him that. James half-hard dick even twitched again when he saw a photo of the guy wearing nothing but a Jockstrap, framing his cute ass perfectly. He could already see himself burying his face and cock between those cheeks.

He’d have to get back to that guy for sure but right now he had more important things to deal with. If everything that letter was true then his parents on both sides wouldn’t have been affected by the reality shift all that much. They probably weren’t even aware of his existence yet. So that was his next order of business. To break the news. Luckily, since Seth only grew up with his mom and Bradley only ever had his dad, there were only two parents to break it to rather than four. Still won’t make it any less awkward…

(Part 2)

James stood outside his house… or one of his houses anyway. With a deep breath he stepped forward and gave a rhythmic knock. It was only mere moments later that Seth’s mother Lisa opened the door. Of course she didn’t recognise the hulking man before her but there was an odd sense of familiarity about him.

James politely gave her his new name before asking to come inside, saying that he has something very important to tell her about her son. The middle aged woman was reluctant for a moment but the man seemed genuine so she stepped aside and offered him a seat in the kitchen.

“Ummm… well I’m not quite sure how to say this…” As James fumbled with his words Lisa became worried. She began to ask if Seth had been hurt somehow to which James swiftly reassured her that wasn’t the case. “No Mom. The truth is that… I am Seth. Kind of.”

“W-what are you talking about?! You aren’t my son!” Hearing his mother shout those words definitely hurt but James understood her view. He did look completely different after all.

“Just please give me a moment to explain.” He pleaded.

She gave him a distrusting look but allowed him to take the floor and somehow make sense of the madness he spoke.

“Yesterday I ordered these weird handcuffs and…” James went on to explain how the mysterious handcuffs worked and how they arrived almost instantly as he ordered them online. “Then this morning I took them to the gym. You remember Bradley right?…” He refreshed her memory of the bully he’d had throughout high school and how he went to the local gym frequently. “I saw him with all his muscle and confidence and decided that… I wanted to be a part of that.” James continued, telling her how the merging process had gone down after slapping the cuffs on himself and Bradley. “It was weird and confusing at first, like our individual minds were constantly pulling our new self in two different directions with opposing thoughts, but I think we’ve managed sync up now… kinda”

Of course his mother had no idea what to say to all this. The way James spoke reminded her of Seth only with a deeper, more resonant voice and a lot of the things he said were accurate like the stuff about high school… But surely he could’ve just acquired that information somehow. The only logical solution was to ask him a personal question that only Seth would know the answer too.

She sat and thought for a moment until she came up with just the question to ask. "So when you were younger, you were really proud of this one sunflower you grew. how many seeds did it make in the end?"

"Oh, hahah! I remember that easily. Just the one seed, unfortunately." He chucked thinking back to that old childhood memory. "It didn't grow to become a giant sunflower sadly, just a tiny little lanky one. Could only grow one premature seed before dying.”

Lisa couldn’t believe it, it was such an obscure memory that nobody but herself and Seth could’ve possibly known. “S-Seth?… is that really you?” She asked to which the bulky young man simply nodded with a smile in response. “I can’t… I don’t… I…” She had no idea what to say but she found herself believing it. Many of his features reminded her of her son, only more masculine, and the glasses he wore were unmistakably the same. And yet there were also a bunch of completely different features like his eyes, facial hair and most notably his large physique. Was all that crazy talk he’d said about merging actually true after all?

“Look I know you must have a lot of questions but right now we’ve got to call my dad… on Bradley’s side I mean.” James said, placing a large reassuring hand on top of hers before getting up to grab the house phone. Lisa could only stare in awe at her son(?) as he dialed a number and started calling. Soon enough Bradley’s father Saul answered.

“Wassup Dad! Look there’s something super important I gotta talk to you about. How soon can you get down here?” Suddenly James’ entire tone of speech had shifted. His dad didn’t think anything of it as James’ voice now sounded exactly like his son’s over the phone. Saul sighed at the request but agreed to meet ‘Bradley’ after being given the address.

30 minutes later there was a knock at the door. James jumped up to open it, greeting his father with that same jocky attitude as Bradley yet Saul only looked at him with confusion.

“Who the hell are you? You ain’t my son?” Though he couldn’t help but notice the man before him bore a strange resemblance to Bradley in a way.

“Yeaaaahh… about that.” James persuaded Saul to come inside and sit down at the table with Lisa. As crazy as it all sounded they convinced Saul to hear James out.

“Well I made my way down to the gym to get a pump with my bro’s and…” he went onto explain how his routine went, chatting up a couple chicks in between exercises and what not. Typical jock bro stuff. “Then I saw that Seth nerd across the room working out…” he confessed to being a bit of dick to Seth while he was there until he finished his workout. “After that I went to my locker. Was about to get a shower, when BOOM! Seth slaps this weird ass handcuff on me!” James re-explained the handcuffs to Saul, saying how they’d somehow fused him and Seth into one dude. “It was super fuckin weird at first, like a part of me was thinkin one thing then another part was thinkin something else. I think our thoughts have started to match up a little now though and work together or some shit.”

Just like Lisa before, Saul was lost for words. This man sounded like a lunatic! Yet at the same time he spoke just like his son. It wqs also a slight shock for Lisa as he hadn’t sounded quite this… bro-ey(?) until Saul got here.

Naturally Saul didn’t fully believe this to be true at first just like Lisa. And similarly to the woman before him, he prompted James to say something that only he and Bradley would know.

"Alright Dad. Hmmmm…” James pondered for a moment. “Oh I got it! You remember that time when I bullied those nerds for the entire school camping trip and you punished me by leaving me to camp alone in the forest for 2 days? I didn't learn a fucking thing from that punishment! I just proved to you I could live out there on my own." James gloated, flexing an arm and laughing.

Saul was in shock. Was this man really his son somehow? Though thinking about it he looked to have the same physique, attitude and some familiar features that reminded him of Bradley. Though there were also many that he didn’t recognise as well like his smile, his glasses and slightly lesser tanned skin among other things. Had he actually merged with some nerdy dude that slapped some magic shit on him. It took him a while to process it all but once he did…

“So you’re telling me that my jock son is now fused with some scrawny nerd!? What’re you a fag now as well?!” Saul’s outburst was sort of expected but Lisa still scolded the man anyway. Telling him to not spout ill words towards her son, especially in their own house. James also knew that despite Bradley’s clear homophobia prior to ‘ejecting’ it the other day, Saul never had anything against gay men before now. Hence he gave his father the benefit of doubt. He was probably just overwhelmed right now. Though that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease his dad a little…

“Well… I guess you’re half right. I still love pussy but dude ass looks pretty good as well now dad I gotta say!” James said with a chuckle.

“Set-I mean James! No language like that in the house please!” His mother scolded. Well it was certainly going to be a madhouse around here from now on by the looks of things.

Eventually Lisa and James got Saul to sit and listen to the positives. Being merged with a nerd means they’d be much smarter together than Bradley ever was on his own. With that intelligence they’d be able to get a decent job that pays well unlike the handyman job that Bradley had to settle for. Plus his new son still looked like an ‘alpha jock’ just with a little less douchiness about him. Really it should be a win-win but Saul was still having a hard time accepting it right now.

Afterwards, James explained that they’re the only ones who remember him being two people and that for everyone else, reality had completely shifted. In a lot of ways this made things easier, they didn’t have to bother dealing with the disappearance of Seth and Bradley nor did they have to set up some new identity for James somehow. According to everyone else, James had lived a mixed life of experiences from both Bradley and Seth. It also seemed that a lot of people now thought Bradley’s dad and Seth’s mom had a fling back in the day which was how James came to be.

After some long discussion, the three came to the decision that James would stay with Saul for the time being but would frequently come back to Lisa’s house to keep things fair. With that James went to his old room in his moms house to find that it’d been left unchanged. He grabbed whatever gear he wanted from the room and packed it into a bag. Though he didn’t bother with any of the clothes as none of those would fit him now anyway. Once done, he headed back downstairs with his stuff and said his goodbyes to his mom before hopping in his dads car and heading back to his place.

The car ride was undoubtedly awkward, neither man knowing quite what to say to the other. Best James could do was try and make some small talk about the other night's soccer game but even that didn’t help much. Luckily it didn’t take long for them to pull up into Saul’s driveway. The pair jumped out of the car and headed inside, still barely speaking a word, before James made a B-line for his other bedroom.

Upon entering he could smell a distinct musk. The sweaty post work out smell of a man clouding the room from all the previous training Bradley had done when at home. Unlike his room at Lisa’s house, this one was much messier with dirty clothes littered about the floor, unkempt bed sheets, weights and exercise equipment just lying around and much more. It didn’t seem to bother James all that much to be honest but he was probably gonna tidy it up a little later. At least get hamper in here for some of those clothes.

With that James got himself settled in, unpacking all the stuff he’d brought and looking through the stuff in his current room. He ended up rooting through Bradley’s closet for clothes to try, even throwing on some of the dirty ones, then checking himself out in the full body mirror. Due to his slightly increased size from what Bradley had been, most of these clothes now fitted quite tightly. Not that he was complaining. He just loved the way his pecs strained against some of the tank tops and t-shirt’s as well as how many of the shorts did little to hide his huge muscle butt and hefty bulge. A bulge of which was growing bigger by the second as he continued to admire his merged body, especially when he was stood in nothing but one of Bradley’s dirty jockstraps that he’d recently used during football practice with the bros. Enjoying the way it framed his ass while a bit of precum seeped through the pouch, further staining it.

In no time James was sprawled out on his bed, jacking his monster cock furiously. So fucking horny for himself, groping every part of his body like he had been in gym showers earlier that day before thoughts of both men and women alike started running through his head. In his horny frenzy, James grabbed his phone and opened Grindr. He found the guy who’d messaged him yesterday, Matt, and started scrolling back through the photos he’d sent. Fuck he was so hot, James could’ve bust a load to that cute jock butt right then and there but he held off for a moment to message back.

— Hey man, thanks for the compliments. You’re super fucking cute as well! Would love to meet up soon so we can appreciate each-over in person 😏 —

He went back to jerking gently for a moment until he got a swift reply from Matt who seemed to be completely on board. He said the best day for him was this coming Thursday. Perfect! James had a date with the personal trainer Katie on Friday so he could get ass and pussy one after the other! With that he set it up with Matt before returning his full attention to jacking off.

As his hand continued to pump up and down the shaft however, James began to notice a certain haziness setting over him. At first he assumed it just just due to his sheer horniness but the feeling grew stronger as he came closer to orgasm. His mind was overtaken by it as he couldn’t help but bust a nut all over his pecs and abs.

Suddenly conflicting memories start to disappear from his mind. Memories of Seth giving up on his work outs years back and using a flesh light are ejected out in thick ropes of cum leaving only Bradley’s memories consistent working out instead and never having to use a flesh light because he always had a hole to fuck anyway. After that even more of Seth’s irrelevant overlapping memories were ejaculated one after the other.

Afterwards James simply sat chuckling to himself as he smeared the cum over his chest before licking some up. It was like his brain had just switched itself off and he could barely think at all, a thick cloud covering his thoughts. Little did James know that jacking off had caused the two consciousness’ inside his head to start mindfucking one another. Right now it was as if the inner Bradley was shoving his metaphorical cock into the inner Seth’s mouth, shooting copious amounts of 'psychic cum’ down his throat and filling Seth’s consciousness with tons of his jock-like traits. Slowly but surely transforming Seth’s inner self into more of a buff nerdy jock.

Time flew by as James continued to lay buck naked on his bed, laughing and touching his body all over in a sort of euphoric state. After about an hour or so his dad came into the room to see his new son sprawled naked and covered with dry cum. “Huhuhuhuh shoulda knocked dude.” He didn’t even try to cover himself as his dad cursed, covering his eyes before leaving and closing the door.

It wasn’t until about 4 or so hours had passed that he finally returned to his senses, confused as to why he was now standing doing bicep curls nude in front of the mirror. Despite his brain clearing up again though, he did feel different. Besides some of Seth’s memories he could no longer recall, he also felt a bit… dumber?

The rest of that evening went as awkwardly as you would imagine when James went down to watch the game with his dad, vaguely remembering what his dad had seen earlier. It was also pretty apparent that Saul hadn’t yet accepted him either. This prompted James to try and bond with his father any way he could. Mostly via the sport on TV and hopefully try to forget what happened earlier in the process…

———

Wednesday morning soon arrived. James awoke with a big yawn as he stretched before pulling himself out of bed. Looking at his wrists he noticed the merging bracelets that were still attached to him. To be honest he’d almost forgotten they were there. He remembered what the letter said about the merge being permanent if he broke them without wishing to defuse. It was honestly kind of tempting to break them right then and there. In the short time James had spent as himself, he already felt way better than either of his previous selves ever had. However, for now, he wanted to have a backup and so he instead just slipped them off and stored them away underneath his bedroom floorboards for safe keeping.

Now that was sorted, he’d already decided he was gonna spend most of today with his dad. He had to convince him that he was still his son! Though hopefully that shouldn’t be hard since he felt more like Bradley than ever after yesterday’s odd haze.

Immediately heading downstairs after getting dressed, James found his dad sitting at the table with a coffee in hand. Well, here goes nothing.

Across the course of the day James did everything he could to get his dad to accept him. They reminisced over old memories they shared, tossed a football around for awhile, drank beer together and many other manly father and son bonding activities James could think of. Saul still wasn’t all that keen at first but as the day went on he began to warm up a little. It was minor progress but it was better than nothing. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long before Saul was calling him ‘Son’ again. They managed to end the day on a high note before James later made his way back to his moms house. After all the address he’d given his hookup Matt was for his mother’s place.

Content with that day he’d had with his father, he walked inside and said hello to his mom. They chatted for a while about his day before he headed off to his room. He could tell his mom was still a little uneasy about the whole situation even if she was trying to hide it. He understood though. This was gonna take some time for both his parents.

He closed his bedroom door behind him and gazed over his other more nerdy looking bedroom. Part of him was tempted to jack his fat cock off again and bust some more jock nut like he had yesterday. He was definitely a little horny again but he honestly was too exhausted after today’s activities to bother. Instead he just collapsed onto the much smaller bed, allowing it to creak under his weight. It didn’t take long for him to doze off into a deep sleep.

———

Thursday came around and James awoke with a throbbing erection. Seems like after going 24 hours plus without jerking off, his cock was becoming restless. It took a lot of willpower to not satisfy the urge. Fortunately his desire to save his cum for tonight was greater than his urge to spill his load. He gave his thick shaft a couple tugs before trying his best to shove it into his shorts comfortably. A hard task for sure.

After heading back downstairs and grabbing some breakfast with his mom, James set off towards the gym to get his main workout in. Especially since he’d skipped it yesterday to hang with his dad.

Upon arrival he was welcomed by many other gym-goers, a lot of them he thought of as his bro’s. After that it was like muscle memory took over as he made his way over to each machine and pumped out set after set. Not to mention helping and encouraging his bros in between exercises. Fuck did he feel like he was in his element though. He felt just as Bradley always did! Barely having a thought passing through his head while pumping his already huge muscles with the sole goal of growing even bigger than he already was. Just the rush of proving how powerful he was by lifting some massive weights was causing blood to rush into his cock again. He just couldn’t control that thing!

Before long he finished his routine and went to shower off. While he was getting dried however, some of the other jocks and meatheads he’d been working out with offered him to come play some football with them on the local field.

“Let’s fucking do it bros!” He agreed with a grin.

Next thing he knew, he’d headed home to grab his football gear and the same jockstrap he’d been wearing the previous night. Then before long he was on the field tackling the other dudes while having the absolute time of his life!

They must’ve played for a couple hours as by the time he got back home it was already the late afternoon. He messaged Matt to be sure he was still coming, which Matt confirmed, before heading to his room to play some first person shooter games.

The time passed by pretty quickly and soon enough there was a knock on the front door. James rushed down to answer it before his mother could, delighted to see the man from Grindr he’d been talking to. He was cuter and even more handsome in person.

They chatted for a little while but it didn’t take long for James to lead him upstairs. As soon as the door was closed, they made out passionately for a good while. During which they started ripping off each other's clothes. Matt couldn’t stop himself grabbing at James’ arms and grinning as he felt just how huge and powerful they were. “Oh wow… you really are so fucking incredible…” He complimented as his hands continued to roam around the rest of James’ supersized muscle bod.

As Matt began squishing and squeezing at those massive pecs, James smirked down at him. “You look pretty incredible yourself you know…” he said before reaching round to squeeze Matt’s ass, earning a lustful yelp from the smaller man. The two couldn’t help but lock lips again, swapping spit with such aggressive passion. Then after finally breaking apart, James tossed Matt onto the undersized bed, stroking his massive cock to the cute jock before him. With a smirk Matt rolled over, exposing his tasty looking ass to really get James going.

Next thing they knew, Matt was leaning over the side of the bed and swallowing as much of the fat member before him as his throat could handle. James was sure to face fuck him hard and good before eventually hopping onto the bed himself, instantly jumping at the chance to eat out that juicy jock butt. Matt groaned out as his hole was licked and savoured by the hulking brute of a man, being prepared for what was to come.

After a couple minutes of teasing, the time had finally come. Once his cock was well lubed, James alined the tip with the tight hole presented before him. Matt begged him for it until he felt the tip push inside, both men groaning out in unison. Slowly but surely James delighted in pushing himself further inside until he was balls deep.

An hour or so must’ve passed by the time they finished. They were constantly switching positions, making out and admiring each overs bodies. Eventually though, despite the incredible stamina, everyone has a limit and Matt was the first to reach his. As his hole continued to be destroyed, now once again lying on his front with James pounding down into him, he groaned out and arched his back before his cock started nutting beneath him. That was James’ signal to finish up himself. Matt was then delighted to feel his ass suddenly fill with thick cum, James roaring out as he emptied the massive load his balls had stored.

While his balls unloaded, James then felt that familiar haze settling over him once again. His mind went numb as it got harder for him to think straight. During his orgasm even more memories began to vanish, this time from Bradley’s side. He shot out memories of Bradley failing most things back in high school and college. Not to mention somehow never being able to get a drivers licence. Leaving behind only Seth’s memories in those regards, getting grades ranging pretty good to amazing in most areas and having been able to drive for over 2 years now. Those among others of Bradley’s memories, all ejaculated in the load of cum that now resided within Matt’s hole.

Once again James’ two inner halves began mindfucking each over through the foggy haze. This time however, the roles were flipped. The jockier Seth was now the one receiving a passionate blowjob from Bradley, sucking out a bunch of Seth’s nerdier traits and transforming him into more of a nerdy jock mix similar to that of inner Seth. James’ two halves were becoming more and more alike by the day.

After all that intense fucking though James started drifting off to sleep, still on top of Matt who was just as exhausted. As his eyes fluttered shut, his inner Seth would only continue face fuck inner Bradley as they slept…

———

Upon waking James’ mind felt clear once again. The strange haze must’ve worn off in his sleep… but once again he felt different. Now he felt much smarter than before as if he were now channeling more of his Seth side. That must’ve been why he felt dumber and cockier before, because he was channeling Bradley. He must not have been quite as stable yet as he’d previously thought…

Laid beside him, Matt was still sleeping soundly. James couldn’t help but smile at how sweet the other man looked in that moment. He ended up wrapping an arm around the smaller but still well built man and cuddling with him. They got to lay in peace for a good half an hour or so before Matt finally began to stir awake.

The two had quite the pleasant morning chat, Matt even noting how James sounded a bit different now. Like the way he spoke sounded more intelligent. He guessed that James had been hiding it the previous night for whatever reason. As great of a time they were having though, Matt soon had leave since he was late for work. James watched while the man he bred last night yanked his clothes back on before James walked him downstairs and out of the house, waving him goodbye.

He’d never expected to like Matt quite as much as he did. Sure he was hot in all his photos but now after meeting him, he felt as though there was a deeper connection there. One he certainly wasn’t expecting. Maybe he should ask Matt on a proper date soon? Of course he already had his date with Katie to worry about first though. It’d only be fair to give her an equal chance.

The rest of the morning from that point went rather as you’d expect from James by this point… except for one thing.

He got dressed, had breakfast with his mother, then gathered his things for the gym before setting off. Though by this point he still had about an hour or so before needing to leave. So to pass the time he sat back in his bedroom and played some of Seth’s games. Games that would’ve been considered ‘geeky’ to a lot of his Jock friends but he couldn’t deny that he was having a blast!

That hour absolutely flew by and before long it was time for him to leave. After saying goodbye to his mom, James jogged to the gym as part of his warm-up before stepping inside.

He was ready for a pump.

Of course he spotted many of the other gym regulars whom he talked with as he trained. Talking to those guys did bring out a bit more of that bro-talk side to him but even they were still able to notice the strange shift in James’ tone since yesterday.

It was only about half way through his routine that Katie walked in at last. They’d agreed to meet here and leave for the nearby restaurant in town once they’d both finished. That certainly didn’t stop them from trying to chat each other up every time they passed one another though. In the end, James finished first and left for the locker room where he got a rinse off the showers and got changed.

Now he was simply sitting outside the gym waiting for Katie to finish up. Said waiting gave James a lot of time to think. Mainly about his parents.

Both his former selves had wished they could’ve had two parents rather than just one. More so Seth than Bradley but still. Now in a strange way he finally did! Although now it felt sort of like having divorced parents in a way. That’s when he came up with a plan.

James called up both his parents, asking them to come meet him and his date at the restaurant. After some persuasion over the phone, they both surprisingly agreed. Then once Katie had finished her workout and got cleaned up, the two headed to the restaurant themselves.

Upon arrival, James had already informed Katie of the situation. She was a tad weirded out by it at first but he was able to get her on board. Soon it wasn’t long before all four of them were seated at a table together. Turns out James’ big plan was in fact a double date in hopes that his parents would find some sort of a connection.

For sure it was a little awkward at first but as James and Katie flirted on their side of the table, Saul and Lisa gradually began to find common ground. Turns out the two actually did have a couple of common interests. They both enjoyed Rom-coms (Though Saul wouldn't always admit it) Baseball, Motorcycles and more!

“Hey, seems like my plan for those two is working. How’s about we leave them to it while you and I head to the Hotel across the street and… you know.” James thrusted his hips back and forth a little in his seat. Katie rolled her eyes while trying to hide an amused grin. They got up from the table after paying for their food and said to James’ parents that they were heading to the hotel. This of course invoked a slurry of embarrassing lectures about ‘safety’.

The young and horny pair arrived at the hotel in no time, getting themselves a room before rushing inside. The very second the door closed they were practically smashing their lips together, tongues exploring each other's mouths while their hands began to wander. Katie reached her hand under the back of James’ tank top, running her palm across his muscular back. James’ hand did something similar except going a little lower to feel her soft ass. The touching started gentle but quickly grew more animalistic on both ends. Katie wasn’t able to stop herself from squeezing and admiring James’ impressive muscle mass just as Matt had the prior night. Grabbing at his bulging arms and cannonball-like shoulders. James responded in kind, kneading both hands into her pillow of an ass before lowering himself a little more to get a feel of her thick feminine thighs.

Of course it wasn’t long before his focus turned to her chest as he got a good feel of her tits, chuckling a tiny bit as he played with them. Katie smirked “Alright, my turn now” She stated before reaching out and groping James’ huge pecs, poking and prodding at the muscle. “Yours are even bigger than mine.” She joked.

The two threw off the last of their remaining clothes, revealing James’ hard pulsing cock and Katie’s wet needy pussy. They interlocked their lips once more as Katie jumped up into James’ arms, wrapping her legs around his waist with one of James’ hands on her ass for support.

He carefully aligned his massive shaft with her core before gently pressing it inside inch by inch. Katie cried out in delight as his cock pressed against her pussy walls, stretching her more and more as James buried himself as deep as possible. He tilted himself back a little before starting to move his hips, slowly thrusting in and out. He used his knowledge gained from Bradley’s numerous conquests to make sure he pressed himself inside in just the right way to make her scream with lust.

James continued to fuck Katie in his arms for a good few minutes before the two hopped onto the hotel bed. The flexible young woman spread her legs nice and wide before pressing James’ face into her pussy. He proceeded to eat her out with pleasure, loving the taste of her juices as it smeared across his face.

As one can imagine this scene went on for some time. Pussy eating, dick sucking, tit jobs and all sorts of fuck positions. But sooner or later James was bound to reach the end of his rope. They finished with Katie on top of him, James’ holding her by the hips and waist to assist her in bouncing up and down. She could tell the jock was getting close by the increased grunts and inconsistent pace of his upward thrusts. Well she was on the pill so… what the hell. Katie bounced on his cock a few more times before pressing herself as far down as she could handle, moving herself around on top to massage the dick inside her from every angle. James was sent over the edge, groaning out as he unleashed a wave of cum.

It happened again. The haze. It glazed over James’ mind once more. In the load he shot out various inferior memories from not one but both sides of himself that conflicted with his merged self. While this happened, the separate consciousness of Bradley and Seth mindfucked one another once again. This time though they were fucking each over in the 69 position. They shot load after load after load of ‘psychic cum’ into one another. Constantly filling one another with parts of their individuality. Shooting over and over until that individuality started to fade as the inner Seth and Bradley slowly became more and more indistinguishable from each other. Before long even they started to fuse, merging consciousness into one singular entity as well. Melding them together until they were no longer Seth and Bradley on the inside. They were simply just James.

———

For a while everyone was a little worried when James began acting strange for the first two days after that night. Turns out that last haze lasted way longer than the others. He started acting like the dumbest gym bro around for at least 48 hours. Once it wore off however, James had evolved in the most incredible way possible. His two inner selves, after swapping and sharing so many personality traits and memories, had eventually become identical and merged into one. No more were there two voices in his head directing him, only one unified voice. No more Seth. No more Bradley. Only James.

Unfortunately Katie saw a little bit too much of the hazed out James and decided she didn’t wanna see him anymore. Guess she didn’t wanna date a guy who all of sudden seemed as dumb as a brick. Of course he was a little upset by this but it did make things easier. He enjoyed the short time he’d spent with her but in the end he didn’t feel the same sweet connection he’d felt with Matt. Luckily for James, he’d slept through the second haze and Matt hadn’t seen him as he’d went through that third one. And so… he called him.

The two met up again and had a nice proper date this time around where they got to know each other much better. They didn’t fuck on that date however. James had to make up some sort of excuse as he wasn’t sure if he’d haze out and turn into a dumb brute again.

So later that night he tested it by busting a huge load to some porn and… nothing happened. Besides covering himself in cum that is. After that you best believe James fucked Matt’s brains out post their next date. Afterwards he even got Matt to top him! He could tell the cute smaller jock was having the time of his life pounding James’ thick muscle ass. Though, thanks to Bradley’s inherited virgin hole, he felt so fucking tight at first. It took him a long while to loosen up properly for Matt’s dick.

———

Since then it’s been about a year. After a few more successful dates, Matt and James decided to start dating properly as boyfriends and they got on incredibly well. They were always laughing and having fun, James even getting Matt into a couple of his nerdy games. They loved to fuck as much as possible and enjoyed going to the gym together. Matt had even put on a fair amount of extra muscle because of James’ encouragement and gentle guidance.

That wasn’t the only good news though. Turns out James’ plan had worked after all. After that double date he’d had with his parents, they’d started to see more and more of each over. At first they came up with the excuse that it was for their shared son but before long the two couldn’t deny they were developing feelings for one another. James was thrilled for them! It really seemed like everything had come together perfectly at last. And to think none of this would’ve been possible had Seth not bought those merging handcuffs on a whim…

Saying that, James finally decided it was time. He headed into his bedroom at his fathers house and found the merge bracelets he’d hidden all that time ago. He stared down at the objects that’d created him before holding them together, proceeding to break them both clean in half with one effortless motion. Since he didn’t wish to split, the fusion was officially made permanent. No way to return. He didn’t want to. His life now was far better than his previous two had ever been. He had two parents that were falling in love. He had a beautiful boyfriend by his side. He was smart as hell, had gotten himself a great job and still had a massive incredible body.

James was here to stay. Forever.

148 notes · View notes

mechanical-marionette-system · 2 days ago

Text

doing the same as prev bc. I eat rocks or whatever idk

also hey guys we’re back

also also answering in plaintext even tho not shock bc lazy

I’m this really fucked up mix of traumatic and lonelygenic. Like imagine being traumatized and then being left alone for so long that you split like 150 personalities (and probably more fragments) could never be us. Oh wait

a lot

System used to be all introjects except like one guy (who was the “original” lol) now theres like 4 non-introjects

Shock can do what he wants with the place and nobody else can do jack shit

two of em. The first is like 5 versions of Evbo and one other guy and the second is. Have you ever played slay the princess

yea, all of them are dormant tho so it’s hard to remember how many

Me and a whole bunch of other people discovered at around the same time bc Maryland informed us it’s actually not normal to hear voices

I think roles are handy. We would use them if any of us actually fit into specific roles

imma be real I’ve only ever used the shittier wiki on fandom so idk

Simplyplural. Bad abt keeping track tho

kind of. We’re fairly certain that shock kinda fell apart at some point and then formed back together slightly different, but he’s always been the host.

Mechanical Marionette System. (You never would’ve guessed lol) not saying why we picked it tho cause it kinda sucks to talk about

Robots, cats, monsters, all sorts of guys. And even most of the humanoid ones aren’t fully human, I think

Shock says there’s a cat or two who hang out around his personal part of headspace, but I haven’t been there yet, so I can’t confirm or deny the truth of that

Hhh. I don’t actually know shit abt myself yet (I formed two days ago shut your fuck up) but shock, who is in co-con, marches instead of walking normally for some fucking reason (it’s because of mcr brainrot) (what the fuck is mcr)

No.

Well yk how shock used to run like 8 million gimmick blogs? He thought Yahooo and Evil Yahoo Mail were headmates for a while (they were, in fact, not. Shock just gets way too into roleplaying.)

I mean I wouldn’t say we have like. Any talents that not everyone can do at least a little, but we do all have slightly different handwriting (shock writes in cursive cause he’s working on his cursive so he has much fancier writing than everyone else rn)

idk, not anything specific

see the above

I mean I don’t really know I formed like 2 days ago and I know a total of like 5 people

I don’t think so (I also don’t know)

this is actually killing me dude I don’t know these yet I formed 2 day ago

Not really. Shock says he’s been happy with the way we are, and probably will continue to be unless something crazy irrevocably changes things

funny thing- we all participate in each other’s fandoms, but few of us participate in our own.

i mean. I’m pretty sure all of us are atheist except for like. Shock, Tommy, and maybe Q. (And that other guy who’s like halfway between being a fragment and fully formed rn) we just kinda cope ig cause shock got the body to be an essential part of the local faith community and we can’t really leave without fucking a few people over now

I’m guessing we’ll let shock handle those things. Or maybe hold a vote if there’s any real discourse over it

not really. I mean I think shock wants to decorate headspace for Christmas but the system only formed like a year and a half ago, so we really just haven’t had time to start any

no (body’s dad took Spotify off our phone like 2 days before I formed ): )

not any that’s good enough to share. YET

i mean. Most of us get along well or just don’t talk, but on the rare occasions that real fights happen, Shock uses his superior command of headspace to break it up.

not really, other than the fact that I’m a lot more mentally distinct than some of the others. I mean some other guys have things like that tho (shock marches and writes in cursive a lot, Tommy and the long quiet subsystem are British)

we don’t, but if we did I don’t think they would use it if for no other reason then that it’s a bit difficult to read.

cat (: also wrote the first half of this post

a mix of both. Nobody has a unique interest, but not everyone has all the interests, I guess?

Slay the princess, if the subsystem counts each member separately, or undertale /deltarune if not

caitie

Bonezz. Xe was the first non-introject (other than shock)

well kinda

aroace

idk, probably one of the masc-aligning ones

aroace. All of us

simplyplural

yeah, to a degree

depends on circumstance

we experience a shotload of non-system-related amnesia but no system-related amnesia. Which is funny cause it’s the opposite for most people, I think

idk shock does all sorts of batshit crazy things all the time

hbbh. Vanilla probably

shock is dead scared of bugs, even the harmless ones

hmmmmm… orange (“but petey!” You might say. “Orange isn’t an aesthetic-“ fuck you, it is now)

not that we can tell

nope

we don’t have any syskids, but if we did I’m guessing we would all share that responsibility.

nah

i mean. We really don’t tend to switch when we’re in the middle of something, not sure why (although we’ve switched like 8 times while filling this out but shut up) so I don’t really know.

yeah, usually. Especially without amnesia barriers, it’s kind of hard to tell when we’ve switched.

often. It usually just means there’s like a million people co-fronting for us, though, so we just. Idk deal with it

no. Well. Not really

don’t have rn, may add later

Long system ask game!

Because it's been ages since we made one and we felt like it.

What type of system are you?

How many people are there in your system?

Do you have more introjects or non-introjects?

How much control do you have over your headspace (if you have one)?

Do you have any subsystems?

Do you have any in-system couples?

How did you discover your systemhood? Or did you become one on purpose?

How do you feel about system roles, and do you use them?

What are your thoughts on Pluralpedia?

Do you use anything to keep track of switching?

Have you ever had a change in hosts?

Do you have a system name? How did you pick it?

Do you have any nonhuman members? Feel free to list their species!

Do you have any headspace pets?

Current fronter/fronters, share some random info about you!

Do you have a partner system? How did you meet?

Have you ever mistaken a character of yours for a headmate? What about the other way around?

Does anyone have any skills that the others don't?

What's something y'all tend to agree on?

What about something you tend to disagree on?

Do symptoms of neurodivergencies/mental illness tend to manifest the same way or differently among headmates?

Do you have any syskids?

Share an in-system joke!

Has how you view your plurality changed?

If you have fictives, do they participate in their source fandom? If yes, are they open about who they are in fandom spaces?

How do you handle headmates having different spiritual beliefs?

How do you decide on major life decisions (where to live, what to study, what work to have, etc)?

Do you have any system traditons?

Current fronter, do you have your own playlist? Feel free to share it!

Do you have any art of anyone in the system? Feel free to show it off!

How do you handle it when people in the system don't get along?

Current fronter, is there anything that makes it obvious you're the one fronting? (Voice, accent, body language, typing style, etc)

If you have syskids, how do they feel about stereotypical "babby tawk"?

Share something about your newest member!

Do you tend to have collective or separate interests and hobbies?

If you have introjects, what source do you have the most from?

Are you out as plural to anyone irl?

Do you know any systems irl?

Which headmate was the biggest surprise?

Do you have a singletsona?

Do you have any collective labels?

What's the most common gender in your system?

What's the most common sexuality in your system?

What's your favorite app/website/etc for plural stuff?

Do you tend to have the same taste in food or not?

Is it hard or easy for you to switch?

Do you experience system-related amnesia?

Share something weird a headmate has done!

Current fronter, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Share a silly fear someone in the system has!

Current fronter, describe your aesthetic!

If you have outworld pets, do they tend to act differently around different headmates?

Has anyone ever figured out you were a system without you telling them?

When it comes to syskids, is there anyone in particular that takes care of them?

Does anyone in the system identify as otherkin, therian, or fictionkin?

Have you ever switched in an awkward moment? What happened?

Do you ever switch without realizing it?

Are you ever blurry? How do you handle it?

Has anyone ever treated an introject badly because of who their source is?

Current fronter, share a pic of your "face claim!"

#Oh boy #That’s gonna be a lot of tags #---shock #---tommy #---petey #<-the guy who formed 2 day ago. By the way.#that was admittedly not as many tags as I thought

270 notes · View notes

aves-rook-laidir · 3 days ago

Text

I can feel myself becoming more and more familiar with DaTV now, like, the characters are becoming more familiar. I find myself thinking about them when I’m going about my day, filling in the gaps of who they are with my own headcanons. Like, did you know Emmrich is deaf in his left ear? He got slammed in his first week of combat training as an Apprentice. He was so annoyed about this that from that point on he worked really hard to practice combat, and to his, and everyone else surprise, was brilliant at it. It’s funny really, that this calm, gentle professor known for floating around picking flowers can knock you off your feet if you test him. Taash was the first to pick up on it, they didn’t bring it up just started fighting on his left.

Or Davrin, he keeps pushing off Bellaras attempts to talk to him about the gods, because he just can’t think about it. If he did it would be like a waterfall. He spent the most formative years of his life caring for Halla in the forest, Ghilan’nain is the Mother of Halla! His clan lived and breathed her worship, whether or not he keeps religion now, her presence is interweaved throughout his childhood, and it was all crap, she was nothing more than a psychopath mage, he can’t think about it.

Hallas make Bellara sneeze, but she denies it.

Lucanis was so overwhelmed that he missed his shot at Weisshaupt it took him nearly a day to utter a word to any of them, he left to be on his own as soon as possible and the moment he was alone he had a panic attack.

Harding often thinks back to Haven, and when the inquisition was just stating out. How she had thought back then that Varric and Solas were old friends, they way they walked together in the hinterlands, chatting about nothing in particular, felt so…comfortable. She misses those days terribly.

Neve didn’t lose her leg in some fantastic battle against the Venatori or a Dragon fight, she was just born without it. Sometimes people are just born different.

When Rook awoke from Solas telling her the truth about the Archdemons, she was so stunned and in shock that when she walked down the stairs to discuss with the others, she fell down them much to everyone’s alarm.

Having to fight a dragon in Treviso almost immediately after meeting cemented a close connection between Rook and Davrin, literally thrown into hell together.

Dorian was the only one able to get anywhere close to that dragon in Minrathos, managed to get a hit square in its eye, but it wasn’t enough. The Iron Bull was in the city the week before, but by the time the dragon attacked he was halfway to the Free Marches.

They all regularly play cards and games around the dining room table.

Taash keeps a small sketchbook on them where they likes to draw all the dragons they meets, they also pets every dog and cat they come across. They sneak hugs from Assan when they think no one is looking.

Emmrich gets Bellara to talk academic theory with him a lot as a form of distraction because he knows she lies awake at night having a never ending crisis of faith.

Bellara often worries and frets that Lucanis isn’t eating enough even though he’s feeding everyone. Lucanis worries the same thing about her.

Lucanis is dyslexic as fuck got really self conscious about how long it was taking him to read one of Neves novels, well, until he realised he literally wasn’t being judge at all actually.

Harding grows elf root to smoke it. Dream blunt rotation to be honest.

Communicating with the dead the way Emmrich does is harder than it looks, it takes a lot of stamina and if the connection is held for too long he’s prone to nosebleeds.

They spar and practice combat in the courtyard in front of the dining hall, usually one v one with the others sitting on the steps watching. Neve keeps encouraging them to take bets.

When Aves sleeps on the green couch, she often wakes up to find Assan curled up nearby. Either that or Emmrich hovering over her because she was screaming in her sleep again and he could hear her in the next room.

Taash and Bellara I’m still working on.

102 notes · View notes

hiding-in-my-blanket-fort · 2 days ago

Text

"You've gotta be kidding me," you muttered, dropping your bags on the floor of the shitty motel room.

This road trip had been a test of your patience right from the start - a flat tire, construction that tacked on seven additional hours to your travel time, a nasty case of food poisoning that turned you green around the gills for a miserable twenty-four hours, and now...this.

You and Soap looked at the only bed in the room - a twin-sized mattress with a dip in the middle. Not exactly a welcoming sight, but it was better than sleeping in the car. Again.

You exchanged a glance with Soap. Just as he took a breath to speak, you beat him to it.

"Dibs!"

"Damn it," he muttered, trudging off to the bathroom in defeat.

In the middle of the night, Soap marched into the room and flopped into bed beside you, snuggling up tight at her side.

"What the fuck are you doing?" you grumbled.

"Tub's too small," Soap mumbled into the back of your neck.

"The bed isn't that much bigger," you pointed out, punctuating your words with an elbow to his ribs.

He chuckled and - undeterred - proceeded to spoon you.

Which you actually enjoyed. Secretly.

But you couldn't let this happen. Soap was your friend. Nothing more. That bubbly feeling in your chest when he was around could not be allowed to bloom into anything bigger than it already was.

"Okay, I guess I'll sleep in the tub," you replied, trying to get out of bed.

Except Soap was like an octopus, with very, very strong arms.

"Quit wiggling, bonnie, and go to sleep."

"I can't do that when you're suffocating me."

He snorted and squeezed you a little tighter, slotting his chin into the crook of your neck and shoulder. You liked the steady thrum of his heartbeat against your back, the comforting rhythm of his breathing, and his body heat. Dear God, he was like a furnace.

This certainly wasn't helping those damn butterflies in your belly...

Somehow, you survived the night. And when the road trip was over, you tried to ignore the pang of disappointment at how empty your bed felt without Soap in it.

A noise woke you around 3am. Your heart lurched in your chest as you sat bolt upright, wondering where you left that baseball bat.

Then Soap shuffled into your bedroom, disgruntled, rumpled, with a crazy case of bedhead, wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a gray t-shirt.

"Jesus, Soap," you gasped with relief. "What the hell? It's the middle of the night. You can't just waltz in here."

"Why not?" he demanded, burrowing into your bed. "You gave me a key, remember?"

"For emergencies."

"Exactly," came Soap's muffled reply as he flung an arm around your middle. "I couldn't sleep. So, it's an emergency."

You sputtered.

"That's not what I meant - "

"Tell me to leave then," he countered.

The way his body molded so perfectly to yours, biceps locked around you, the warmth of his chest against your back, his fingers laced with yours...you couldn't bring yourself to protest.

At your silence, Soap hummed with satisfaction.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

You simply smiled and wiggled deeper into Soap's embrace. After all, you were getting exactly what you wanted.

Masterlist

#cod #cod imagines #soap imagines #soap x reader #johnny soap mactavish #johnny soap mactavish x reader #johnny soap mactavish imagines #my writing

75 notes · View notes

y-rhywbeth2 · 3 days ago

Text

Volo: 'When there are two or more, [Bhaalspawn] will destroy one another until a single heir to the throne of blood remains.'

First: Imoen and Charname, who can get along perfectly fine, laugh at you and their siblings.

Second: nitpicking.

'The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sewn from their passage. So sayeth the wise Alaundo.'

Sarevok mentions his studies of prophecy saying a child would be able to take their father's place, but I've never actually seen that part of the prophecy, and he's the only other one we ever see trying to replace/become Bhaal. The Five are Bhaalists who want to serve him, and the majority of the other Bhaalspawn seen had little to no idea what they are and are basically either convinced by Bhaal to start serial killing for kicks, or just trying to survive for the most part.

And the prophesised child was one specific Bhaalspawn in particular - as Bhaal himself says, 'strange amongst [their] kin' - there was never any chance of another Bhaalspawn being heir. It was just vague enough that Sarevok thought it could be him.

The follow up prophecy was all about how the Bhaalspawn are all going to die and give rise to the reborn god of murder (which one way or another, happens) with a brief nod to 'you're the Chosen One' in the opening line:

'The wheels of prophecy e'er turn, Gorion's ward hath come. Crossroad of past, present and future, the one forseen, the one foretold. That which hath past is ne'er truly gone, history repeats though mortals chose not to see. War and bloodshed be not new to the Realms, a god that once hath been may be once again. Armies march and cities burn, the rivers froth with tainted blood. The corpses of those born not innocent feed the inferno of boiling hate. Bhaal's Servant deceived, Five led down a false path, a hidden traitor lurks in thy midst. The Servant of Bhaal knows death and destruction, The face of an ally, the mask of a foe. The Children of Bhaal bring death to the land, they slaughter each other, and feed their Father. Death and betrayal walk together, a river of tainted blood doth not cleanse. The storm approaches; we speak no more.'

The prophecy is over, the main point of the prophecy (all Bhaal's kids are going to die in a giant mess and Bhaal will be reborn) came to pass, and the heir bit never applied to anybody but one who is no longer viable: the God of Murder hath risen people, the Throne of Blood has an occupant: We know who the heir was, and now it's irrelevant because Bhaal's back in driving seat, case closed.

As the statues outside the temple mock, Alaundo's prophecies are over and irrelevant, put them down already. The Dark Urge is not heir to the Throne. Nor is Orin, nor is Sarevok, nor are any of them. Durge and Orin and any future Bhaalspawn are playing in a whole different game, with different rules* and aspirations. *Except for 'kill your sibling, bring death to the land and empower your Father.' Those are always on the rules.

#The alternative reading to heir is 'you are the Bhaalist equivalent to Iyachtu Xvim - a backup copy #that sits on the throne until Bhaal reinstalls and overwrites you'#griping.#/durge #/orin #babbling #long post #edgelord hours

31 notes · View notes

frolaxfeverdream · 3 days ago

Text

So about the three trailblazer kids being aeons:

if you go to the wiki, Idrila, Akivili and Long are all listed as missing and presumed dead, unlike, say, tayzzyronth and Ena, who's locations are accounted for.

Also about March: it's a pretty prevalent theory in the fandom that Idrila was absorbed by Fuli, since there is a possible overlap between "observing/preserving beauty" and preserving memories as a whole. Another things is that the knights of beauty aren't the only followers of beauty - the mirror holders, who collect relics and hope to bring idrila back that way. Mirrors are heavily connected to the remembrance, since the memokeeper on the express is literally in the mirror. Also: March, who collects memories via photos was found trapped in ice.

And apparently, Argenti is told that "he wouldn't recogize beauty if he was staring it in the face" while staring at March. It is entirely possible I've made this up somehow, and I will look for the video.

There seems to be less evidence about the trailblazer being Akivili outside of SU, but I bet chaotic personality and past seems totally in character for the trailblaze, after seeing the memory bubble in penacony.

Dan Heng is the one who has the most evidence so far, as there is a LOT about the vidyadhara high elders that's weird. If Glaciator Marum is the leader of the vidyadhara, why was the ancient sea loaded onto the same ship as IL? Why was he assigned to the ambrosial arbor? Especially since, out of all the high elders, IL seems to be the one most affiliated with water, the home of the vidyadhara.

It is also implied that IL is the only title that's stayed with it's original recipient since the beginning("Yubie, unsullied by 91 reincarnations"). Possibly from fanfiction.

If that's true, then dh is the only high elder that started as one. Even with the whole Bailu situation, he still posseses part of the high elder powers. It's even possible that he still possesses ALL of the high elder powers, since Bailu is stated to be able to wield the "lightning and rain", and that the dragonhorn pillory is intended to stop her destructive ability. If Bailu has destructive powers, then why doesn't dh have his healing? He is learning from bailu though, so maybe he just forgot(or maybe blade has the dragon heart)

Lalody's Lore on youtube has theory that Bailu was made after the sedition, by the disciples of sanctus medicus using the ambrosial arbor, which does have a bit of physical evidence, as neither dh nor df appear with a tail the way she does.

It's a bit of a stretch, but Hoyo does like dropping foreshadowing. It also explains how we're going to beat Nanook - by jumping him tayzzyronth style

Edit: Now that it's not late at night and I have my laptop out, I'm editing this so it sounds less like the ramblings of a madwoman (tho there's a limited amount I can do seeing as it is, in fact, the ramblings of a madwoman lol). Also formatting and clarity and any additional theories/headcanons/whatever I think of while editing this.

Partly crack, partly copium, but I've got some theories/crossover/au thing going on that I wanted to write down so here goes:

Crack/Copium/Theories:

All 3 of the trailblazer kids are actually "dead" aeons.

Stelle/Caelus: Akivili (Herta makes us LARP as Akivili in Hertian Realm and we're known as the Trailblazer while Akivili is known as the Trailblaze so idk I know the player character looks like Nanook but they ain't dead soooo...)

Dan Heng: Long (maybe the High Elder Vidyadhara is actually Long's own reincarnation but they have no idea bc memory wipe. TBH makes no sense for the Permanence to be dead)

March 7th: Idrila (this one's a bit of a stretch so bear with me. The Aeon of Beauty could be HoHe Elysia expy and March is also kinda Elysia expy so ??? And March was froze in ice without memory so it's totally possible that's Idrila's mysterious disappearance)

Also:

Sampo is Aha. He gives strong vibes of being a Masked Fool in canon, but I think it'd be funny if he's actually the Elation.

Pom-pom was created by Akivili to protect the Express after Aha blew it up. Pom-pom is also a proficient marksman. This is bc of some canon evidence alluding to Pom-pom actually being really powerful (Yanqing and Welt both make mention of it iirc) and the engine of the train looking like a revolver. (Also headcanon that the Astral Express itself was made from one of Akivili's twin revolver pistols. Perhaps the other has the ability to summon the train?)

Lan has not and will not kill Yaoshi bc yin-yang/life and death balance and also bc what is a hunter without prey. The Hunt had no issue killing the Propagation, so this seems like the most reasonable reason why the Hunt has been after the Abundance so long without killing them.

On aeons and the relations between paths (I might end up making a relationship chart?):

Death Aeons: Nanook is unnatural death (think murder, natural disaster, etc.), while IX is natural entropic death (like degradation from aging), Lan is controlled, balanced death (think like hunters/predators keeping ecosystem in balance), and Oroboros is the death caused by one's own greed (think pollution, overconsumption). Terminus is the end of time and final death of the universe.

Life Aeons: Tayzzyronth is overabundant life (think how invasive species population boom bc outcompeting native species for resources), Yaoshi is overabundant continuation of life (think unnaturally prolonged life), and Long is eternity (without change or growth, entropy comes for all).

Mythus and Nous are polar opposites in path direction. Akivili is midway between the two (to trailblaze is to turn the unknown into the known).

Some paths are directly at odds with each other (opposite directions), some paths have overlap (too much overlap leads to one path consuming the other like with Ena and Xipe), and some paths are neutral (running perpendicular to the others). Mostly this matters in relation to pathstriders who walk multiple paths, as it is extremely unlikely to find, for example, someone simultaneously walking both the path of the Hunt and the Abundance.

Hooh's is the ultimate neutral path. Akivili's is also a fairly neutral path, though slight odds with Mythus's (to seek to make the unknown known doesn't really work with the idea nothing can be known) and maybe Aha (just bc Aha is a jerk and like Herta said, surely Akivili would've taken offense to Aha blowing up the Express). Idrila, Xipe, Fuli, Aha, and Qlipoth also have relatively neutral paths, though Qlipoth and Fuli are at odds with Nanook and Mythus. Xipe sometimes does not get along with Aha, if Aha is being particularly antagonistic.

Crossover/AU (Genshin):

Traveler and twin are Akivili (one soul two bodies, don't think too hard about it). Akivili is presumed dead by HSR universe bc Sustainer of Heavenly Principles imprisoned Akivili on Teyvat (a world at the fringes of the known universe/Yggdrasil/Irmunsul/Imaginary Tree). Claiming that they are siblings is far easier to explain than that they are two halves of the same god.

Zhongli/Morax is a high elder (do non-high elders have the ability to turn fully into dragons? are there any high elders who are not Dan Heng? idk) vidyadhara who arrived on Teyvat shortly before rebirth. Idk weird Teyvat magic or something made his rebirth cycle this time 10x longer than normal (should only be 600-700 years between rebirth and he's canonically 6000 years old). He is unaware of anything HSR related bc memory wipe from rebirth and nobody around to explain things.

The Imaginary Tree in HI3 and HSR and Irminsul in Genshin are the same tree (Yggdrasil), but some may only be branches of the other

So yeah, stay tuned to see HoYo prove my theories and headcanons wrong in the upcoming years.

#hsr #honkai star rail #honkai star rail lore #theory #please correct me if i'm wrong #i have not played everything #if dh does turn out to be long #then there would still be 5 high elders with bailu #also #df was called the chosen one #and IL is the only high elder who is not the successor of a dragon with a physical trait #succesor of the azure dragon vs succesor of the horned/scaled/terrestrial/winged dragon #bit of a stretch #long post #might rewrite later

214 notes · View notes

imogenkol · 1 day ago

Text

— WIP WEDNESDAY

I’ve been tagged a lot (thank you to those that have 💕) so I’ll just throw in the general tag list (ask to be added or removed!): @socially-awkward-skeleton @neonshrike @inafieldofdaisies @voidika @florbelles @adelaidedrubman @simonxriley @tommyarashikage @buggknife @aceghosts @carlosoliveiraa @risingsh0t @unholymilf @thedeadthree @cassietrn @jackiesarch @d-esmond @loriane-elmuerto @shellibisshe @katsigian @captastra @simplegenius042 @theelderhazelnut @g0dspeeed @strangefable @statichvm @sevikagf @cptcassian @hexmaturgy @euryalex @auricfog @confidentandgood @e-the-village-cryptid @raresvtm

Been playing around with a concept to make Imogen’s life a little more difficult 🥰

The child trembled, his scrawny body curled in on itself to make him appear even smaller. There was no clear indication of how long he had been in the cell, but Imogen recognized the hardened gleam in the boy’s defiant glare. He experienced enough not to trust anyone who could open the locked door.

In those piercing eyes, the former Inquisitor recognized something else. A subtle strain at the edges of his features told Imogen that it took a massive effort to put on such a brave face.

Imogen saw a faint resemblance of the girl she had struck down all those years ago. That child had been slightly younger than this one, and she had been so very afraid, yet she stepped into the path of Imogen’s blade anyway. As if that would spare her younger brother behind her from an Inquisitor’s wrath. Even children reach for the smallest victories.

There was no one else this boy could protect besides himself. And even that was moot. The restraints on his wrists made what little he could use to defend himself obsolete. The boy knew it. Imogen knew it. Still, he scowled fiercely as if daring her to do her worst.

Imogen grinded her teeth and glanced left, then right. The other troopers on the block were dead and the hallway lay barren. She should not bother with any diversions, but she thought that perhaps granting this child a chance — however meager — may begin to balance the scales.

A chance was far more than she ever got at his age.

With a twitch of her fingers, Imogen forced her mind into the inner workings of the binders and released them. They clicked open and clattered onto the cold durasteel floor at the young boy’s feet. He glanced down and then blinked back up at Imogen in shock. The unexpected act of kindness only seemed to make the child more suspicious of her, so Imogen took a step back and pointed down the hall.

“That is the way out,” she said curtly. “I suggest you take your leave quickly.”

Imogen did not spare the child any words of comfort or even another glance before she turned on her heel and marched onward. She got several paces along until the gentle patter of a rushed gait behind her reached her ears, nearly drowned out by her own steady steps.

As she turned back, she saw the young boy come to an abrupt halt a mere meter away, his eyes wide and suddenly desperate.

“That way,” Imogen commanded and pointed in the opposite direction with more insistence.

The boy stood with such an unfazed expression that Imogen wondered if he even understood Basic until he spoke up. “I… I have nowhere to go.”

“The exit is a good start.”

“What about after that?” He shuffled on his feet and stared into his now empty cell as if that were the most viable option. “I don’t even know what planet I’m on.”

“That is not my concern,” she replied coldly.

Before he could argue further, Imogen turned her back on the boy again and continued on. She did more for him than she should have and would certainly not burden herself further. If he lacked the basic intelligence to escape or even take care of himself then he would not last long in the galaxy anyway.

“But you’re like me!”

Those words stopped her short. Imogen hadn’t the faintest idea where this random child had gotten such a notion. Had the boy not wasted so much of her time already, Imogen would have found his claim amusing.

“Is that so, child?” Imogen asked incredulously as she shot an impatient look over her shoulder once more.

The boy reached out and suddenly Imogen’s blaster flew out of the holster at her side with surprising velocity. She only had a split second to react and catch it with her own mind before the weapon could land in the palm of a child no older than twelve. The blaster remained suspended in the air between them as Imogen took a moment to weigh the boy’s strength in the Force. His talent was no match for hers, but the pull she felt against her whispered of this boy’s potential.

Seeing enough, Imogen wrenched the blaster free of the child’s influence and it floated into her gloved hand. She remained quiet as she returned it to its holster and regarded the boy with more interest. He clearly was no simple deviant the troopers had picked up off of the decrepit streets, but this revelation complicated things. Imogen had no desire for complications.

“I’ve never met anyone like me,” the boy stated in wonder, his bright eyes shimmering like she was a beacon before him.

Imogen should have known that her sins would be no easy task to atone for.

She sighed heavily. If nothing else, she could pawn the child off on Cal once she returned to him. The pretentious Jedi could finally have more students. “Stay close. Do not get in my way. Do not speak unless spoken to.”

The boy perked up and nodded emphatically. He trotted over to her like a pup. “My name is—”

“I do not care to know it, boy.”

#oc insp: Imogen Kol #Imogen at any given moment with this kid: nearly threw hands with an 11 year old #everyone is gonna be terrified that she’ll kill this kid and she’s gonna have to be like #omg the child murder thing was ONE time give me a break 🙄#also yes this is gonna be a Kratos situation were she exclusively refers to him as ‘boy’ even after she learns his name

27 notes · View notes

dumpsterfire-daydreams · 1 day ago

Text

Hmmm~ After the way this chapter ends, I wonder what will happen next~ Hold onto your butts though, because a wild twist is coming very very soon!

Brooding Ghost, horny Ghost, sexually frustrated Ghost, surprised Reader, inquisitive Reader, [classified information lol. just read for the full details]

Ghost POV:

Though everyone else had happily found their way to the mess hall after sparring practice, Ghost had completely lost his appetite. There was a sickness curdling in his stomach and it had nothing to do with digestion. It it was, it'd be preferable to what he was feeling. No, all of this was instead coming from his head. From his emotions. He sullenly traversed the halls of the barracks like a vengeful wraith. On his march to his room, everyone immediately gave him a wide berth as he passed. No one dared utter a word to him, his simmering expression making doubly sure of that. But even so, he still heard their whispers. Everyone was abuzz about his moment of humiliation. And it pissed him off. It was bad enough that the girl had unmasked him like that in front of the entire team. That she’d managed to catch him off guard when he should have had the upper hand from start to finish. But the whirlwind of heated gossip whipping through the base only made it worse.

Ghost wasn’t necessarily sore that his mask had been removed. In truth, he’d been seen without it a handful of times. Sometimes, combat got a little unruly and it couldn’t be avoided if he wanted to make it out alive. A few team mates had spotted him when he’d thought he was alone and craved sunlight on his skin. So it wasn’t just about his mask coming off. It was that she had been the one to do it. Her, the seductive thorn in his side that he couldn’t manage to dig out. It seemed that no matter what he did, his mind was haunted with her presence whether she was there in the flesh or not.

He’d tried giving her the cold shoulder in an effort to keep her distant - and to keep his hands off her. But she still drew him in like a star caught in the greedy pull of a black hole. He’d scared her shitless last night when he'd put his hands on her, unable to resist the tempting opportunity. But that peek at his more dangerous side should have sent her running like hell. And it hadn’t. He hadn’t held back during sparring either. He’d roughed her up a bit and admittedly taken things a step too far in the end. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t get her to leave, stay away from him, or stay out of his head.

Losing his cool during their match was yet another pain point to add to his lengthy list. He never lost it like that. Ever. No one made his cold, distanced demeanor crack. It was his trademark, what he was known for. But she had come along and made him snap in a matter of seconds. She’d done it easily, too. Acting in blissful ignorance, unaware of just how much control she wielded over him. How every brief moment of contact made him ache with need for more. How his hands had been desperate for any excuse to hold her, to touch her. How his cock had been throbbing painfully in his pants the entire time. And how it was continuing to do so even now.

Ghost sat in his room, sulking through the lunch hour. His stomach was beginning to protest at the lack of food, but it would have to wait. There was too much on his mind right now. And the last thing he needed added to it was a hoard of chattering people on all sides. What Ghost needed most was to try to sort through everything he was feeling. Emotions were never his strong suit. In order to do what he did so well, they had to be viewed as dangerous distractions and nothing more. But while he had the time, he did his best to pick apart just what he was feeling in an effort to find some manner of relief.

Anger. Annoyance. Frustration. Hatred. Envy. Longing. Desire. Hunger. Need.

All of those terms eventually came through loud and clear. But the consistent cord that connected them all was arousal. Desperate, unrelenting arousal. Perhaps that was the key he was looking for. Maybe tugging that one cord would unravel the maddening knot of feelings that continued to expand in his mind.

With a resigned huff, he reached into his closet and grabbed his soiled glove from his hamper. He’d thrown it in there in a brief fit of frustration. But deep down, he knew he could never bring himself to wash it - to wash her away. Maybe he should. Maybe it was things like this that made this nightmare even more of a living hell. But at the same time, if he couldn’t have her, this vulgar trace might be the closest he’d ever get to the real thing.

“Just need to get this outta my system,” he reasoned, inhaling in the remnants of her intoxicating scent that lay trapped within the woven fibers. He hurriedly undid his belt and shoved his hand down his trousers, firmly grasping his throbbing erection in his fist. “A quick wank oughta do it. Then you get your fucking shit together, Ghost.”

He knew how low he looked. Honestly, he felt pretty low, too. Sitting alone in his darkened room, frantically tugging at his cock while huffing a slick-stained glove. It felt juvenile. It made him feel like a hormonal teen whose sole mission in life was to finally touch a girl for the first time. He shouldn’t have to resort to this, not at his age. Not when the girl of his dreams was sitting right there within his reach. Ghost did his best to shove his raging jealousy down once and for all, hoping a quick release would clear his mind. But as he shot his load with a muffled growl, that feeling just came back even stronger. All his body craved was her. And anything less than that just made him crave her even more. It was like being offered a cup of ice when what you really wanted was ice cream. No matter how much of it you were given, it would never meet that need. It would never be enough. This would never be enough.

“Ghost!” Price banged on his door as he hurried passed. “EMT starts in ten!”

Ghost rolled his eyes, falling back onto his bed. And as he laid there, scowling up at the ceiling and cursing the day König’s girlfriend had first set foot on base, he wanted nothing more than to remain there for the rest of the day.

Reader POV:

As you gathered your shower supplies in your room, the idea of a hot shower was sounding better and better. And since Ghost was leading a practice everyone else was guaranteed to be at for a good while, it was the perfect time to claim the bathroom while you still had it to yourself.

The entire time you changed, your mind was completely hooked on the latest secret König had teased. The suspense was killing you! Part of you wanted to shoot him a text or call him. Or get a hold of Price and tell him you needed König and it was an emergency. But you quickly thought better of it. You could all too easily see such a message sending a stampede of concerned armed men towards your room to figure out what was wrong. It looked like you'd just have to suck it up and be patient.

After slipping out of your sweat-stained clothes and slipping on your bathrobe, you threw a few items into your shower caddy. Then you slowly made your way down the hall in search of the bathroom. Your muscles were still aching from that morning's face off. And you knew a moment of solitude paired with hot water raining down on your back would be the perfect way to recharge.

You’d seen pictures of military shower rooms before, so you had a general idea of what to expect. A large portion of a room that functioned as one giant communal shower with benches along its periphery. A row of shower heads that ran along the top of the wall with individual controls installed under each one. Tile walls and flooring that sloped ever so slightly towards the center of the room where a drain was located.

You hoped the shower heads had a good range of motion. Because, if you could line it up just right, the temptation to just lie on your stomach and let all the water massage your back was very strong. But you were immediately disappointed when you entered the bathroom. There was a short corridor of shelves where you could stash bags or clothing. Off to the right were multiple sinks, urinals, and bathroom stalls. And directly ahead were the showers. They were exactly as you had expected, down to the little benches. Everything looked perfect! But sitting in the middle of the furthest one was someone else who apparently had the same shower schedule that you had.

Ghost sat facing the wall back, hunched over and rummaging through his bag in search of something. Rivulets of water were trailing down the broad expanse of his back before disappearing into a towel that cinched low around his hips. He must have just finished a shower a few minutes ago.

You considered saying something to alert him to your presence, but instead chose to remain silent and watch him with curiosity. You'd never had the chance to really look at him without his glare making you shy away. And without all his gear or his constantly hardened gaze, he almost looked human. It didn't surprise you that he was still wearing his mask though. You doubted he was crazy enough to actually waterboard himself by showering with it on. He’d most likely slipped it back into place as soon as his face and hair were sufficiently dry. But who knew for sure? What did surprise you were the jagged scars criss-crossing over his back. They were all healed and some looked older than others. But you could tell from the way they looked that each one must have been excruciating to earn.

A few seconds later, he withdrew his hand from his bag. A gentle clicking sound echoed off the tile walls as he lit a cigarette and took a long draw. The smoke floated through the air as the pungent scent of burnt tobacco filled the room. Ghost exhaled, blowing a cloud of smoke out through his mask.

"Done staring yet?"

He’d spoken the words without so much as a glance over his shoulder. He’d known you were there the whole time!

“I’m sorry, I was just going to take a shower,” you stammered.

“Then why aren’t you showering?”

“Smart ass,” you muttered internally. But you straightened your back and continued into the bathroom. It looked like he’d be on his way out soon and you were determined to get the shower you craved. But while the opportunity presented itself, you figured now was as good a time as any to try to smooth things over as best you could.

“I wanted to apologize about the thing with your mask,” you said hesitantly. “I didn’t know it was a sensitive thing for you. But I crossed a line and I’m really sorry.”

Ghost didn’t speak right away, instead raising the cigarette back to his lips and inhaling again before responding.

"You saw an opening and you took it. Nothing to be sorry about. You’re the talk of the base now anyway. Don’t lie, I know you’re enjoying it, too."

There was a long moment of uncomfortable silence. You didn’t really know how to respond to that statement. And it was hard to tell if it was an insulting dig or an innocent observation. So, instead of answering, you tried to distract yourself by pulling items out of your shower caddy. In the background, the steady rhythm of Ghost’s smoking continued.

He breathed out, surrounding himself in a light haze before speaking again. “...You okay?”

The question completely caught you off guard. After how ruthless he’d been in the gym, the last thing you had expected was for him to care about how you felt afterward. There was something hesitant in his tone, too. It was almost repentant. Knowing him, this was probably his distanced way of apologizing. And you suspected it was the closest you’d get to the real thing.

“I’m fine,” you said, accepting the meager olive branch. “Just a little sore.”

Ghost grunted softly before returning to his cigarette, going quiet again. Apology or not, you hoped he’d quickly finish his cigarette and just leave so you could de-stress in peace. After your chat with König, there was a lot on your mind that you wanted to sort through. And you wanted to sort through it alone. The last thing you needed was a peeping tom loitering just a few steps away. So you took your time arranging your body wash and shampoo on the shelf suspended beneath the first showerhead.

"Why are you here, Y/n?" His voice sounded exasperated. Or annoyed. It was hard to tell.

You stopped, bewildered at the odd question. "I came to visit König."

"No," he said, finally turning to face you and rising to his feet. “Why are you here? In here with me instead of out there with your mates? After what I did to you, you should be running like hell. You could have run the minute you saw me in here. But you didn’t. So why stay?”

“I told you,” you gave him a nervous laugh, pulling a small loofa out of your shower caddy and setting it down beside your body wash. “I need to take a shower. Anyway, Price wants us to get along. So I guess that’s another reason why I haven’t left.”

Ghost huffed again, crossing his arms and giving you a pointed stare. And when you met his eyes across the room, a wave of exasperation hit you like a load of bricks.

“Look,” you sighed, mirroring his pose. “I know you don't like me, okay? You’ve made that very clear. But let’s just get this assignment over with. Then we can both move on, go our separate ways, and you can hate me as much as you'd like.”

“...You think I hate you?” he asked, slowly starting to approach.

“Honestly, Ghost? I don’t know what to think anymore! You avoided me like the plague when I first got here. Then you fucking assaulted me last night! And then this morning, you almost broke my neck. What am I supposed to think?”

“Do you know what an addiction feels like?” he asked, abruptly changing the topic as he drew nearer to where you stood.

As he walked, your eyes couldn't help but flit down to the waist of his towel. A triangular section of his hips crested above the soft fabric, tilting in a gentle sway in sync with his steps. His torso rose upward in a sharp “V”, the edges of various muscles creating defined lines that hugged the base of his stomach as it tapered outward. Water glistened on his bare skin in a sheen, and tiny droplets of water clung to the light hairs on his chest. You swallowed the growing lump in your throat and tried to make sense of his question, slowly lifting your eyes as he stared down at you.

“Do I what?”

Ghost continued his advance, following his train of thought almost absentmindedly. And images of the previous night flickered through your mind as your back met the shower wall. But he didn’t stop until there was only an inch of separation between your bodies. His hand slowly rose, and for a moment, you thought he was going to grab you by the throat all over again. But this time, his hand rose higher as he reached for your hair. His fingers wound themselves in one of the stray spirals, gently tugging at it. As he spoke, he watched transfixed as it stretched before slipping from his grasp and bouncing back against your temple in a tight coil.

“All it takes is one taste. Then you’re fucked. It sinks its teeth into you, dragging you back like a slave no matter how hard you fight. No matter how strong you think you are. No matter who or what is in your way. It's obsession. Hunger. Need. A craving so strong, you feel like you’d die unless you kept coming back for more.”

He paused. His eyes were intense as always, but beneath that fire was a hint of pleading. They looked desperate and haunted. It felt like he wanted to say more. But he paused, taking a deep breath. “Do you know what that feels like?”

“No?” Your answer came out hesitantly, like a question. You’d never seen him like this before. Expressive? Conversational, even. It was like he was in a trance.

“That’s what I feel when I’m near you. When you look at me? When you’re close to me? That’s what I feel. I can’t get you to stay the fuck out of my head and it pisses me off.”

His gaze burned as he went on. “I want you. I want you and I want you so bad it bloody hurts. I could give you everything you need that König can’t give. I could do it right here, right now. So why the fuck won’t you just let me?”

“Because I can’t do that to König, Ghost,” you said, carefully. “I can’t hurt him like that.”

“I’m not asking about him,” he rasped, pressing in even closer. His hips pressed flush against you and you could feel the unmistakable outline of his desire pressing against you too. “I’m asking about you. I need to know you want me too.”

#konig call of duty #konig x reader #simon riley x konig x reader #simon riley x reader #call of duty smut #call of duty x reader #cod smut #ghost x reader #yhsiw #simon ghost riley x reader

23 notes · View notes

thiniceofeternalyouth · 1 day ago

Text

MISLEADIN' ME SERIES: CHAPTER NINETEEN

A WEDDING UNDER PURPLE SKY

⊳ Gojo Satoru x f!reader

series masterlist

Genre: angst, fluff, sci-fi, cosmology.

Words count: ~13k

⊲ previous

[March 27, 2023, 3:03pm; Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, K Wedding Salon]

When Danielle had first relied on her independence, it had led to tragedy and a couple of broken hearts. Now a string of questions and problems demanded that she make immediate decisions, and though none of them posed a death threat, panic was setting in. Dany couldn't even decide on the date of her own wedding, so much so that she was losing it at the thought of having to stand on the pedestal of responsibility for her actions.

Seating, menu planning, venue design - she hadn't lost her mind just because you were there for her. The girl tried hard not to show it, and certainly not to convey her anxiety to her fiancé - the emotions chained inside were boiling and churning, pushing Dany closer and closer to the precipice of despair. Panic clouded her own desires - she couldn't understand or even mentally visualize the white dress she'd dreamed of. And had she dreamed of it at all?

Danielle stood in front of the mirror, unsure of herself, nervously clutching the folds of the snow-white skirt. "Well, spin," Rachel mumbled tiredly, twirling her finger in the air. She sat sprawled in the chair, crossing his legs - the coffee on the low table in front of her had long since gone cold.

Danielle's lips tightened anxiously as she slowly turned around, showing you the dress in all its glory. The way she sank into the skirt and the way the corset squeezed her breasts made you and your sister look at each other. You shook your heads embarrassed, almost invisibly, realizing that the dress made the girl look twice as big. "By the way, that shit right there," Rachel, looking through her fingers, nodded at the wide tulle lantern sleeves. "Was in vogue in the nineteenth century."

Even the tight corset on Danielle's chest couldn't suppress the sob that fell from her lips. When she started to shudder, you thought for a moment that the lacing on her back was going to burst, but you didn't even have time to get out of your chair - the girl grabbed hem of the dress and ran out of the fitting room, almost falling. "Since when do ya know about fashion?" you mumbled sarcastically. "Did ya really have to say that?" you sighed, standing up.

"Why?" asked Rachel, arched her eyebrows. "The dress really is awful."

You waved your sister away and walked out of the fitting room into the hall. You saw Dany right away, and she didn't even seem to be trying to hide - the bride was sitting on a coffee table, crying with her hands over her face, and only the consultant was standing next to her, stroking her back and saying something. As you approached them, you quietly snapped your fingers, drawing attention - as soon as the consultant looked at you, you nodded over your shoulder, signaling that Danielle should be left alone. The girl immediately pulled away from the bride and hurried away, the only sounds in the hall were bitter sobs and the clatter of heels on the floor..

Danielle, barely keeping her balance, hovered over the teeming unknown abyss - you realized this as you carefully stepped closer to her. "Come up here," you commanded softly, putting your arm around her shoulders. Danielle immediately gave in - she unhooked her hands from her face and stood up from the table. Her cheeks were full of a sad blush that mingled with black smeared mascara. You, leading her over to the mirror and placing her across from it, went behind her back and began unlacing her corset. "It's not about the dress, is it?" you asked unobtrusively, releasing the girl from the stranglehold.

Danielle shook her head weakly and sniffed her nose - every time you pulled the laces, the girl twitched. "Aren't ya disappointed in me?" she asked weakly but unexpectedly. Looking at herself in the mirror, her heart cut and stabbed at the dreams and expectations left behind - this was not how Danielle saw herself. Why was she wearing white and not black? Why was it a dress and not a uniform with belts and a respirator? Weren't you angry that all the years spent training her had just gone to waste? What would her father say if he saw her like that? Danielle almost cried again, remembering how she'd dreamed of avenging him - was it the white veil that had made her back down?

"What do ya see?" you inquired. Danielle, looking at you in the mirror, saw you nod at her reflection.

"Misery," the word flew from her lips unintentionally. It was not enough to get rid of the corset - the girl was choked by the hands of grief of unfulfilled hopes. "I wanted to be a voidrunner, and now I'm gonna be just a wife," Dany grimaced in despair, almost spitting out the last words.

"Should we tell Megumi ya changed your mind then?" you shrugged, trying to provoke the girl and get the real truth out of her that was pulling her down.

"No!" she raged, tearing off the unwanted dress - now, standing in the middle of the snow-white fabric in just her underwear, Danielle felt vulnerable.

Taking her by the shoulders, you rested your chin on her fragile shoulder - the girl tried to shield herself from you, hugging herself and covering her breasts. "What are you hiding there?" you laughed softly. "Who do ya think bathed ya while your parents were out on missions?" the girl only became more embarrassed and lowered her gaze to the floor, but you stubbornly took her by the chin and lifted her head so she could continue to look at herself in the mirror. "And I see a beautiful girl, alive and real," you said, tucking her golden curl behind her ear, exposing her face.

The corners of her lips twitched faintly at the thought of Megumi - Danielle ran her fingers over the watch on her hand, gently looking at it. She wondered if Fushiguro was experiencing it the same way she was. Did he envision her in her dress, walking down the aisle? Would he cry when she threw back the white veil and spoke the innermost words of consent? "I just... I didn't see myself like this," she whispered shyly, shifting from foot to foot. "And I think the others wanted to see me different too," her quiet words sounded like a confession.

"It doesn't matter what others wanted from ya," you said, putting your arm around her waist. "Ya can be strong, independent, ya can be a hunter, ya can be a loving wife to a loving husband - none of that defines your accomplishments, and ya don't have to think about others. Don't care about their praise or their disappointment. The most important thing is to live a life in which ya happy, and whatever makes ya happy is already right by default. Within the law, of course," you added, frowning, and Dany chuckled - she knew that was a rule you sometimes didn't follow. "Let's have coffee now and try on another dress," you encouraged her.

The consultant, like a guardian angel, was immediately at your side and handed Danielle's silk robe - she embarrassedly slipped it over her bare shoulders and stepped aside, tightening the belt. When the consultant saw the crumpled dress on the floor, her look became not at all angelic. "I'll pay for it," you grinned carelessly, shrugging guiltily.

[May 23, 2023, 5:31pm; Hopetown]

A true hunter should have a weapon under their belt at all times. You stood in the blue dress, feeling naked and vulnerable, and though your dagger was always on guard, you could feel the anxiety steaming inside, its red embers smoldering and scattering, making you taste the ash in your mouth.

Absolutely everyone in the city was agitated and disheveled - some were worried about their appearance, some had forgotten which seat and at which table they were assigned, and some had lost their favorite cufflinks. All the disgruntled, happy and worried cries rang out, making you squint - every voice seemed like a bell ringing. You glared at the bride's bouquet, but the puzzle didn't fit in your head. Everything seemed out of place - even the butterfly pins, which wings broke when you pinned your hair behind your ears, proved it. "Don't ya think the roses are a little out of place here?" you asked absently, carefully placing the bouquet on the table.

"Ya nuts?" slurred Rachel, a hairbrush clenched in her teeth as her hands worked on Danielle's head. You looked again at the bouquet, which consisted only of white roses.

You sighed excitedly, flicking back the strands of hair falling over your face irritably. "What about our dresses?" you worried, spreading your hands. When Rachel raised an eyebrow defiantly, you quieted down a little, but still continued to press on. "We're bridesmaids, shouldn't it be the same color and style?"

"Then wear the red one," Rachel barked, letting you know to get away from her tight dress - she'd spent at least a month looking for it, pestered and harassed the consultants at every store she'd visited, all just to get a dress that looked like the ones she used to wear on dates. "Look, maybe ya're against this wedding altogether?" she asked grudgingly, styling Dany's hair into a high, voluminous bun.

Danielle gave a worried, almost battered look. The girl sat obediently, almost ready to turn the lonely page of life, and the dress that hugged her body looked marvelous - no tulle, only pure snow-white satin that flowed freely to her feet, and only the corset shouted quietly, showing its lace and attracting attention. Her bare shoulders looked as fragile as porcelain, but Dany tried to keep her head high, so as not to show her own weakness and insecurity - the thin neck was kissed by the tiny pearls of a modest necklace, giving the girl courage. "No, not at all," you said with a gasp, trying to dispel Danielle's unspoken concerns - she looked so beautiful that you didn't want to tarnish her image with a single tear.

Once again, a small hurricane swept past you. "Mike!" Rachel yelled, trying to calm her son, who was running around the room with Tris, inadvertently grabbing everything in his path. The son looked angrily at his mother, pouted his lips, but obediently sat down on the floor. Tris, realizing that no one else was catching up to her, began to sway and twirl from side to side - you couldn't get angry or lecture her on behavior, for they were just kids with an endless supply of energy who were deliberately locked in a room with boring adults. "Maybe I should put the front strands in a bun too...?" mumbled Rachel uncertainly, trying on Dany's hair.

"Ya sure corset fits me well?" asked Dany embarrassedly, fussily pulling up her bust.

"No, I don't think so," you answered honestly to your sister, admiring Danielle. As you came closer, you squatted down in front of her and gently fixed a curl that had fallen into her face. "Ya look amazing," you admitted in a surprisingly shaky voice.

"Don't," the girl shook her head desperately, realizing the point and the stupidity of her question. "If ya say another word, I'll cry. And I can't cry right now. I will ruin my makeup," she squeaked in a broken voice, rubbing the folds of her dress. With a forceful sniffle, Danielle ordered the tears to retreat.

"Hey, that's mine!" resentfully exclaimed Mike behind your backs, and once again there was mayhem.

Tris was running around the room with a small rose in her hand - she had just snatched it from Mike's chest pocket. You didn't even have time to stop the kids - the little girl, laughing at the top of her voice, was running circles around the room, jumping up on the bed, then jumping on the floor, sometimes glancing at her pursuer. At one point she didn't see what was in front of her and crashed right into the desk - Tris fell, clutching her forehead, and brushes, lipsticks, shadows, and, worst of all, blush, which spread its pink dust over the snow-white hemline, fell too.

"Freeze!" ordered Rachel quickly, but not to the children, but to Danielle - putting her index finger in front of Dany's face, Rachel glared at her. The bride froze in utter shock with her mouth open, but didn't utter a word. "Nothing terrible has happened, just breathe," your sister said calmly. "Now get up carefully and let's go to the bathroom."

"Why ya crying?" you asked Tris tiredly, taking a seat next to her.

"It hurts!" she sobbed, rubbing her forehead vigorously and demonstratively and peering at you surreptitiously - would it occur to you that you should have blown on it?

Tris was snatched right out from under your nose before you could make a sound. "Get her over here," Rachel commanded, scooping the whimpering girl into her arms. "Ya too," she turned sternly to her son. "Ya'll go to Frank's now, I can't stand it any longer. Dany, follow me!"

Danielle, picking up the hem of her dress and stepping over the mess on the floor, scampered after Rach and the children, and as soon as you were alone, the glowing embers burst into flames, and instead of ashes you felt nothing but scalding tongues of flame.

The fourth core was the last thing you destroyed - after that, you spent almost a year running around the void like clueless fools. You didn't see another settlement, not a single person alive or dead as if someone had deliberately changed the configuration, or worse, with invisible hands and inaudible orders, directed you to the wrong places.

You thoughtfully played with the broken wings of the blue butterflies on the table with your finger. The moment of truth was inevitably approaching, and though you thought you were ready for it, your fingers were trembling. You looked at everyone in the town as an enemy on the morning of the wedding day. Breathing heavily, you brushed the hairpins away from you, nervously ran your hands through your hair and picked up the silver hip chain.

The slit of the dress made it easy for you - you put up your leg on the table, and the hem of the skirt slid down over your skin, revealing everything from hip to ankle. You felt like you were sweating even from such basic and simple movements - you had only wrapped the chain around your thigh, and it felt like you were suffocating. You struggled to find the lock in the links and pulled frantically, trying to bend the hook, but it wouldn't budge. You were on the verge of hysterics for things were not going according to plan.

When the hook failed again, you raked the chain in your hand and threw it on the table with force - it rattled pitifully, quietly, and you clutched your head. It was the only sound you'd heard since everyone else had left the room. The creature inside was silent, so quiet that it added another grain of suspicion to the sloshing bowl of worry. Was it gloating? Did it deliberately give no clues? It didn't even whine about being hungry. You had lived side by side with it all your life, sharing not only your body but also your soul, and yet you still knew neither its loyalty nor its treachery.

There was a soft knock, and you were almost ready to lash out at whoever was about to enter, but the remnants of your sanity chained your feet to the floor. The door clicked open, letting you know that the guest hadn't even waited for permission to enter. Taking a deep, shaky breath, you were confronted with a fascinated look - Gojo froze in the doorway, unable to take his eyes off you. "You...," he whispered admiringly, stepping forward and closing the door behind him. "You look like..."

You squirmed in embarrassment and looked away. "Well, you know," laughed the sorcerer, standing behind you and putting his arm around your shoulders. "If I were a bee and you were a flower, I'd pollinate only you."

There was no trace of gentle shyness left - your jaw dropped open in shock, and you frowned your eyebrows in disbelief, hiding your face in your hand in shame. Only the shame wasn't yours. "Never again," you mumbled through a suppressed laugh. "Never again in your life even think about complimenting me."

Gojo laughed softly, hugging you tighter - you were naive to think he'd said that for laughs. If you'd only seen yourself, if you'd known he felt your anxiety as his own, you'd understand why he'd acted like a clown. "No, really," he murmured softly, pulling back a little and looking at you in the mirror. "You look like..."

Was there such a word in any language at all? Or had the sorcerer, enveloped and enslaved by your countenance, forgotten his own? Your blue fit-and-flare dress was simple and almost closed, with only the loose sleeves woven of translucent fabric condescendingly allowing your scars to see the sunlight. Even the neckline was maddening to Gojo - it wasn't deep at all, but it exposed your collarbones. Only your deep trust, freely given to him, stopped him from ripping your dress off as he glanced down at the exposed top of your breasts, which rose slowly as if begging to be released, and he buried his nose in your neck. He understood why you'd allowed yourself such a neckline - your neck was covered with a satin blue ribbon that covered dozens of scars, and what upset him about the divine image was your mask. You didn't even take it off, you just changed the color to blue.

"How do I look?" you ask quietly, exhausted with anticipation.

"Like the love of all my lives," grinned Gojo smugly, hiding his shyness behind his impudence.

You laughed for the second time, and he was ready to grab that laugh and put it in his chest pocket, to keep him warm day and night for the rest of your days, but he still felt the anxiety that hugged you instead. "Mochi," he turned to you affectionately, gently rubbing his cheek against the top of your head. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," you admitted honestly, shrugging uncertainly. "It's just... It's just that I've been composing the image in my head for a long time," you began to ramble, panting. "And then the hairpins broke, and now the damn chain won't fasten, and the whole look went to hell-"

"Okay, stop," he stopped you gently. "Let's go in order. Where are the hairpins?" you nodded sullenly at the broken butterflies on the table. Gojo, taking the hairpins and digging through the desk drawer, sat down in the chair Danielle had been sitting in earlier. It was so strange to watch a man who did everything carelessly and did it successfully, focused on anything. You peeked over his shoulder, watching as he carefully and meticulously applied glue to the broken edges, sticking out the tip of his tongue. Letting the butterflies dry, the sorcerer took the blue shadow and, after carefully painting over the joints, rose from his chair - grinning embarrassedly and tucking your strands behind your ears, he put it on you. It was such a simple gesture, but why did his eyes suddenly stung? "What do we have next on the list?"

"A hip chain."

The sorcerer's face immediately darkened, for when you spoke of the chain earlier, you did not mention its functionality. "Uh, okay," he gulped. "Sit on the bed for now."

Gojo didn't even have anything to grab onto, no time to stretch because the jewelry was on the table - it was shining brightly, catching his eye. He glanced over his shoulder at you - you were already sitting on the bed, the cheeky cut mocking him, exposing your perfect, scarred leg. Shifting his gaze to his hands, he realized with horror that his fingers were subtly trembling. Exhaling, he snapped back to his senses - the sorcerer wasn't about to back down, leaving you alone with even something minor.

He grabbed the chain confidently and walked to the bed, then slowly knelt down in front of you. You felt strange - he never once raised his unusual, frowning gaze to you. He took your leg and placed it carefully on his shoulder, the chain jingling with joy as he unraveled it and wrapped it around your thigh. Gojo grinned wistfully, his hands were shaking, and he was a poor assistant at the moment. He exhaled noisily, hotly, when the hook finally came together, but his insides went cold when he realized you were in no hurry to remove your leg, and Gojo looked at you hesitantly, almost timidly.

You saw no lust on his face. Passion and lust cloud the human gaze, stupefy the mind, but the Gojo's eyes were clear, shiny - a flickering blue flame that begged you not to extinguish it. With the knowledge that he would smolder in hell for this, Gojo turned his head slightly, pressed your knee closer, and kissed it.

"Toru," his name scorched on your trembling exhale, snapping all his stamina. With a pitiful whimper on his lips, Gojo continued to leave wet kisses on the inside of your thigh, paying special attention to the scars - he nibbled them gently, carefully running his hot tongue over each imperfection, trying to make you forget about them. The grip of his hand on your waist grew more insistent, but no matter how tightly he held you, it never became violent - it was as if he were silently begging you not to push him away. You grasped his shoulder, lost in the sensations of hot kisses and cold silver chain, but you couldn't find the strength to pull away.

Gently but brazenly moving on, straight to your hearts and innermost places, tearing his way between kisses and silent moans, Gojo felt like he was about to suffocate, but even death seemed a more lenient punishment than pulling away and leaving you. You could feel his disheveled white hair tickling your skin as he gently rubbed his cheek and nose against your skin in brief moments of respite, letting your heated souls cool, but only to begin caressing you again. He was close, so close that you were scared - you didn't know which side to expect a blow from, or when you would finally be hurt. "Toru!" you exclaimed anxiously, grabbing him by the shoulders.

Confused, Gojo pulled away from you abruptly. He realized he could have ended up sprawled on the wall, but instead the sorcerer met you, worried and helpless - you wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to cover yourself, and it was all his doing - he was the one who conjured and molded your frightened image. "I'm sorry, I'm- I'm not ready for this, I'm not-" you sputtered in a worried apology, lowering your eyes. "I can't-"

Gojo, biting his lip painfully, cupped your hot cheeks. "Don't," he pleaded, shaking his head. "It's all my fault. I'm the one who didn't hold back," he said through his teeth, angry with himself. "I'm sorry. God, baby, I'm so sorry," pulling you against him, the sorcerer felt your body quivering in small shivers, and oh gods, how scared he was to look at your face. He wasn't ready to see your tears. Gojo couldn't hear them, couldn't feel his shirt getting wet, but you were clutching at him like your life depended on it.

He wanted to be your support, but he broke as soon as he knelt before you. His heart became lifeless as soon as Gojo thought of you running away again, taking your trust and vulnerability with you. Your feelings, like a house of cards caught in the onslaught of a greedy wind, threatened to fly away, to evaporate - now he could feel the fear that the consequences of his greed had brought. "I can't believe it," the sorcerer grinned bitterly, pulling away from you slightly. The fact that you still hadn't raised your gaze to him was a punishment to him. "I almost broke it myself just now," persistence reluctantly gave way to tenderness - Gojo, once again cupping your cheeks, showered your face with sad, slow kisses. You neither confirmed nor denied what he said, and your silence fell heavy on his shoulders. "Please tell me I didn't break it," he pleaded, making a desperate attempt at seeking your reassurance - Gojo, ignoring the fact that your mask separated you, covered your lips with his. You, almost feeling their warmth, gave a short, pitiful whimper, squeezing your eyes shut. "Please, say it."

You shook your head weakly. "Really?" smiled Gojo, holding back tears. He sat before you, trying to seek your forgiveness, and you couldn't understand why and from where was the remorse in his eyes? What was astonishing to your ignorant soul was that he didn't take advantage of your stupor, you didn't feel dirty or used, you didn't feel like gutting your own brains and ripping out your own heart. "I'll never do anything you don't want me to," he promised you in a hot whisper, his hand buried in your hair.

"Okay," you replied embarrassedly, biting your lip naively. You were learning to accept the close, warm embrace as pure touch - Gojo was ready to glue himself to you, to assure you that he would never hurt you.

The open door took away the intimacy of the moment - you both flinched, and Gojo pulled you closer to him, harder, protecting you. "Ya halfwits out of your minds?" gasped Rachel, seeing you in the intimate pose. "The ceremony is about to start and you have a speech to give!" she barked. "Get out of here now!"

"What speech?" you mumbled worriedly, looking at your sister dumbfounded.

"Ya'll be making the first toast to the newlyweds," your sister, indignant at your obliviousness, rolled her eyes.

"But no one told me anything!"

"Well... I just told ya," Rach shrugged indifferently and left the room, giving you one last angry look.

The river was extremely calm – it wasn't worried about the delight of the guests, nor the exciting expectation of the betrothed. You had been clearing the shore for months, making it smooth and hospitable, and you could only hope that the waters would be favorable and would not wash it away. The forces of nature took pity on you and your labors - the holding site remained touched only by your hands.

Dozens of round tables were set up on the stone-paved shore - the guests slowly flocked to the venue, taking their seats. Some were whispering about the bride, some were quietly lamenting the fact that there was still no alcohol on the tables, and some were rubbing their stomachs in anticipation, but absolutely everyone was avoiding the path reserved for the bride - her path, framed by thousands of scarlet rose petals, led straight to the white archway under which the Holy Father and the groom were already standing. Megumi clenched and unclenched his fists as he lowered his head and raised it to gaze up at the heavens, and it was obvious that he was having a hard time standing still and waiting.

Despite Dany's protests and objections, you had to sacrifice the opportunity to see the altar up close - you sat at the side end table so that you could see everyone else. Decorated awnings to protect you from the sun or rain had to be abandoned in the name of the plan, too. Only Rachel, Issu, Megumi, Frank, and Gojo knew about the whole clandestine operation, and everyone kept their mouths shut, no one daring to even glance up to indicate that they were involved in anything. You glanced restlessly at the empty seat to your right, where Rachel was supposed to be sitting. You knew that she and Frank were finishing bottling the orchid wine right now, but you still felt uneasy.

"I beg your pardon," the man addressed you, placing his hand on your shoulder and smiling self-consciously. You didn't even see Gojo look him over from head to toe and unobtrusively slip man's hand off your arm. "Anything stronger than champagne tonight?" he asked, slurring.

"We're having a wedding, not a corporate party," you replied, smiling cordially back. "Now take your seat," the contrast in your voice made the man straighten up, even though you weren't paying attention to him at all.

You, crossing your legs, fussily adjusted your skirt, smoothing out the folds and shaking off invisible dust, and, not being able to closely examine each and every guest, you closed your eyes, remembering the previously captured picture, mentally walking among the tables, and in your head was rushing one question - which of them?

When you squeezed the fabric again, Gojo took your hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of your palm. "What is it?" the sorcerer asked delicately, gazing into your eyes.

"I feel uneasy," you admitted honestly.

"It's okay, Mochi," he assured you softly, continuing to cover your palm with kisses. "Even if there are ten of them, we can handle it," you nodded weakly, squeezing his hand, trying to express some of the gratitude you felt now.

You sighed as a notification played on your phone.

[05:51pm] Frank: We're done with the wine.

[05:59pm] Frank: It's time.

You looked again at the empty seat on the right - if Frank was already with Danielle, where was your sister? Turning around, you met the eyes of the musicians who were already at the ready - a soft wave of your hand made you feel as if you were the one walking down the aisle. A moment later, the violin played its song, beginning the countdown to the imminent joining of two hearts.

The musicians' melody attracted hundreds of waiting eyes, and no one noticed how the bride came out from the corner of the nearest house to be at the beginning of her journey, where two little kids - Tris and Mike - were waiting for her. The children were jumping up and down with joy, eager to see the girl off, even though they barely understood the significance of what was happening. Danielle, holding the proud Frank under her arm, could not take her eyes off the floor - the clatter of her heels became louder and clearer, and no one could ignore the bride when she stepped on the path of scarlet roses.

Megumi, unable to withstand the onslaught of emotion, pressed his hands into his face and turned away - the dazed Father was confused at first, but immediately pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. "My son, you must realize that you are missing a moment that will never come again," he addressed Fushiguro gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. Megumi pulled his hands away from his face in fright - the Holy Father smiled softly when he saw the boy's red eyes flooded with tears. Megumi embarrassedly accepted the handkerchief from the elderly hands, and turned around, swallowing.

The boy, realizing that he had almost missed it, pressed his hand to his mouth, holding back the insolent and insistent crying. His girl, in a beautiful white dress, was already in tears before she even reached the altar. The children were running ahead, and while Mike was somewhat aware of what was happening and scattering petals right in front of Dany, for Tris it was just a game - Megumi grinned wetly, sobbing as the little girl threw petals at someone's face.

Danielle was almost in his arms as Frank glared menacingly at Megumi, silently ordering him to take care of her for the rest of his life. Of course, the gray-haired man was jealous, but all he had to do was lift his chin, adjust his tie, and stand beside the couple.

Megumi and Danielle couldn't look away from each other. They were aware that they were not observing the norms of propriety - the couple were supposed to stand across from each other and look into each other's eyes - but now, even as the priest spoke, they stood with their arms around each other, their shoulders shaking in unison.

Perhaps you should have listened to Danielle and sat closer to them - you couldn't hear the speech or the sobs from here. You could only see the Holy Father's lips moving, Fushiguro stroking his bride's cheeks as she nodded frantically, desperately pressing her forehead against his. She no longer cared about the makeup and the long-washed blush on the hem of her dress, she didn't care about the people staring at them, there was only peace around them, existed in each other's eyes.

Gojo was looking at them, fiddling with the watch on his hand - just when he thought you might see it, he pulled his hand away, even though it felt like a magnet pulling it back. The blue in his eyes had somehow turned white, so luminous that it was almost unbearable to keep his eyelids open. "They grow up so fast...," the sorcerer muttered without a trace of silliness in his voice. You, pursing your lips and nodding, clinked your glass with his empty one on the table and drank the champagne in a gulp. "Don't push it," he reprimanded you, taking your glass and the bottle that stood in close proximity from you. "You still have a speech to give."

"Don't remind me," you whimpered, leaning back in your chair.

The violin melody faded away, replaced by a different, loud and explosive one as Axel and Ryan jumped up from their seats and applauded first, making everyone pick up their tune, while the husband and wife stood under the altar and kissed self-consciously and tenderly, ignoring everyone else.

The waiters were pouring champagne and serving food, and Issu and his younger brother were among the proven faces - you wouldn't trust anyone else to pour wine into people's glasses. Megumi was a groom, Gojo looked more like a guest of honor than an attendant, and everyone knew you, Rachel, and Frank by sight. Only Issu, always inconspicuous and quiet, fit the role.

You watched with a soft smile as Megumi took his wife by the hand and led her to the table at the head of the others, where there were only two seats. A small and cheeky little girl was tangled under their feet, and you could tell from her outstretched arms that she was begging to be held. "I'll be right back," you said quietly, intent on picking up the interfering Tris.

As you got closer, you heard Little Miss Drama squealing indignantly about sparkles. "I want it like it's town day!" she whined, rubbing Megumi's sleeve. Without waiting for the right moment, you scooped her up into your arms - she fidgeted, pouting her lips.

"Axel!" you shouted to be heard. Axel looked up from his plate and stared at you with his mouth full. "Give me a hand!" you gave some indication of what you needed to do by clapping your hands together. The boy nodded understandingly, wiped his face with the handkerchief, and stood up from his chair - you had been under the weight of Camila's hard stare the whole time. She was ready to tear you apart at the mere mention of her son, and all you could think about was that after the wedding she wouldn't let the boys out of town. At least not over her dead body.

The boy, clapping his hands, released a thousand sparks, and they soared high upward, but the sunset sky was willful and haughty, not allowing them to shine in full force. Only the eastern skies, soft, benevolent, and covered with twilight, helped the sparks fulfill their purpose. Tris, with her head back, no longer muttered or whimpered, but watched mesmerized as the lights floated in the waters of the sky.

"You could have asked me," Megumi reproached you sullenly.

"Don't pout," you smiled sincerely. "Ya're having a wedding today," you reminded, shifting your gaze to Danielle - her cheeks, neck and shoulders were especially ruddy against the white dress. "Congratulations, guys!" you giggled softly, making the newlyweds smile stupidly and embarrassedly.

"Thank ya," Danielle whispered, fussily fixing her curls.

Gojo watched you, the way you chattered with Dany, the way you glanced playfully at Megumi, and the way you held Tris in your arms, who wriggled and bounced, trying to catch a single light without realizing it was far away. Your dress was softly moving, the wind was ruffling your hair, and the butterflies seemed to come to life - it seemed to the sorcerer that their wings were fluttering smoothly. He didn't flinch even when Frank plopped into the chair to his left - so mesmerized was Gojo. "Don't ya dare, son," Frank ordered sternly, seeing Gojo stroking the watch on his wrist in impatience. "It's the kid's day today, so don't ya dare turn all the attention on yourself."

"If I ever did...," he muttered, lost in his reverie and not realizing what the conversation was about.

Frank hummed thoughtfully under his breath. "Ya're gonna rip the strap on your watch like that," he pointed out, raising an eyebrow, and Gojo pulled his hands under the table. His broad shoulders slumped, and Frank patted the sorcerer on the back with a sigh. Though he no longer pestered the watch the man had given him earlier, his gaze didn't change. Frank knew how Gojo felt because he had once looked at his wife as well, and would only continue to look if she were here.

Feeling the tears come to his eyes, Frank filled his glass with champagne and took a large sip. His sun would never wake up and rise again, and he grinned wistfully, feeling warm inside at the thought of a once stranger finding his sunshine. "You alright?" asked Gojo, but only cringed squeamishly when he saw the elderly wet eyes. "Gosh... Are all old men so sentimental?" he quietly resented, trying to re-layer the once elusive smugness and nonchalance that you had unceremoniously snapped off.

"By the time ya're my age, ya'll find out," Frank muttered, waving him off and filling his glass again - as soon as he wanted to fill the sorcerer's glass, Gojo instantly covered it with his palm.

"It's strange, actually," Gojo marveled quietly, his chin resting on his hand as he watched you lure one of the sparks with your hand as it lowered gently, shining brighter and brighter. The memory of your skin still burned on his lips, and in his heart was your gaze, always on him, whether you were angry or in love with him. You never said the word out loud, never even stuttered or wandered around sending Gojo hints or riddles. "I always wanted to die in battle at the hands of a man or creature that superior to me in strength, and back then, in the battle with Sukuna, I really thought it was my last day," he smiled stupidly, trying to suppress a chuckle as the light tried to escape from you back into the sky, but you stubbornly pulled it back - it levitated over your palm, displeased at being studied by childish eyes. "I was even glad because I didn't wanna die of old age or disease. I considered those deaths unworthy of me," just like everything and everyone else. Only an unscrupulous person could poke a sorcerer's nose in his own smugness. You did it without realizing it yourself, turned his world upside down, and there was nothing left for him to do but take the feeling hidden from everyone, even himself, from his pockets. "It's only recently that I've realized that I... I don't wanna die at all."

"Why the change of mind?" asked Frank slyly, looking at Gojo understandingly.

The Gojo's breath caught when you turned suddenly to him - you were still holding the hovering spark in your palm, and you laughed warmly, realizing that you'd been watching all this time. Letting the flame go free, you waved to him gently, and Gojo, smoldering with embarrassment and melting at the sight of you, waved back shyly. "It was more change of a heart."

The sorcerer faltered as you headed back to the table - he kicked Frank to keep his mouth shut, and got a fatherly slap for it. Why didn't he think about how much it would hurt to bare weaknesses that, left defenseless, were suddenly exposed to the looming blades of fear? As you sat down next to him, Tris crawled over Gojo and plopped herself onto the softer - you snorted quietly, crossing your arms over your chest as Tris made herself comfortable on Frank's legs.

"Oh, we should hide it...," Frank said politely, setting the champagne bottle aside, but, already tipsy, he didn't notice the glass on the way - it toppled over, staining the white tablecloth, the man's pants, and, disastrously, the girl's dress. "Don't panic," Frank ordered - Tris didn't even have time to squeak. "We'll have a quick change of clothes. We'll be back in time for the first toast," he looked meaningfully at Gojo, and he nodded and put his arm around you as if trying to shield you from any harm.

As soon as Frank stood up, you saw a graceful figure float up to the newlyweds' table. "What?" you hissed, gazing Nathaniel with harsh look. "What's he doing here?" you remembered that you'd told Frank to lock him out of the town - so how did he get in here, and why? Your nerves were already frayed, and you'd been suspicious of everyone since this morning - the arrogant, unconcerned look of a superior who'd shown up at a wedding made your blood boil.

"I'm the one who gave him access," Frank told you back. "And he's the one who covered for you."

"Did I ask for that?" you protested.

"Quiet, girl!" the man bellowed, but it was harder to sermonize you now - Frank could see the way Gojo's hand tensed, and the look he gave the gray-haired man as soon as he snapped at you. Tris, sensing the quarrel with her childish heart, whimpered quietly. "I'm sorry," he coughed awkwardly. "He's really been a big help, so ya should thank him. I'll lock town back up for him right away after the wedding, if it makes ya feel better," nodding, Frank carried the little girl to the house on the hill.

You didn't even realize how hard you were clenching your teeth as you glared at the golden hair. Inside, you felt like you'd been played for a fool before you could do anything about it. You tried your best to shrug it off as anxiety - though it had some basis in fact, you were tired of doubting, your mind melting under the strain. "Mochi," Gojo whispered softly in your ear, pulling you out of your daze and throwing you into a shiver. "How about we dance?" he suggested slyly, rising from his seat. How do you get used to him reading you like an open book? How do you get over the fact that he could feel your emotions, even completely unable to see your face?

"I don't...," you stammered embarrassedly, scratching the back of your head. "I don't know how to dance. Not at all."

You were late and there was no strength in your excuses - he was already standing before you, ready to pick you up and dispel your fear, protecting your vulnerability. "Does it matter?" Gojo grinned softly, holding out a warm hand to you.

Avoiding responsibility in the blazing sun, you lay on the roof ledge of a one-story bar with one leg overhanging and your eyes closed. You didn't want to go home because there was a chance that Frank would put a mountain of chores on your shoulders. You just wanted to rest after the raid. You'd rather sink into a puddle of sweat than spend an evening in the garden.

No matter how shameless you were, you still frowned every time you thought of Kyle - he'd taken all of his father's wrath on himself and was probably working for the three of you right now. The laziness was louder and more persuasive anyway, and the fatigue echoed it every now and then, leaving the shame to squeak quietly in the far corner of your tired mind.

You put your hands behind your head and made yourself comfortable, even though you knew that sleep would never catch up with you, neither here, under the evil sun, nor in a comfortable bed. You didn't care about the people passing by - there weren't many of them anyway, for in this heat they were all hiding in the cool shadows of their homes. "Hello," you glanced down, leisurely opening one eye.

"Hey, Nael," you chirped sleepily, propping yourself up on your elbows. "What up?"

"Why don't you come down first?" he asked sternly.

"Ya the one who came to me," you grinned playfully, squinting against the sun. "So ya the one who came up," Nathaniel stepped from foot to foot, and you couldn't help but wonder - he'd been practicing long and hard for the past few months, had he still not mastered relocating? He was fidgeting around the bar, and barely did you see the quiet desperation in his eyes, you decided to spare the man. "There's a ladder in the back," you chuckled, pointing a thumb behind your back.

You thought you heard a quiet snort and a disgruntled muttering - maybe it was just the mockery of the heat. It took Nathaniel longer to shake himself off than it did to get up on the roof - he was still squirming as he moved closer to you, smoothing his shirt sleeves with a squeamish look. Realizing you weren't going to get up, the man wrinkled his nose and sat down on the ledge next to you. " Filthy weather," he muttered, feeling the sweat running down his body.

"Ya didn't come to talk about the weather," you sighed frustratedly. "Well, tell me about it. How's the promotion going?"

Even his primness couldn't hide his resentment; despite his proudly straight back, his eyes told everything about him. "I won't lie. Sometimes I just think they enjoy picking on me. Christian loading me up with pointless work and endless trainings, taking me for an errand boy, but as soon as I dare mention promotion, he tells me that the staff is full and there are no changes to the council," he went on in a rank tirade without raising his voice, though Nathaniel's graceful but sharp gesticulation gave him away. "Why can't he just raise the number of people on the council from five to six?"

"That's the way it's been since the founding of the hunters as an organization," you shrugged nonchalantly. "At least according to the stories."

"Then I especially don't see the point of all this," Nathaniel grinned, and you looked away. Someone like him wouldn't show so much emotion for free. "None of them are going to die anytime soon, so why do they have to press at me like this?"

"Because ya'd make a good successor," you grimaced at your own words, for the uncertainty seeping through them blurred any truthfulness. There was an undercurrent of ambiguity in you - you couldn't believe that such a man had come just to complain.

"Can you help me?" blurted out, but immediately stopped when he heard the desperation in his voice, and lifted his chin.

"What do ya want from me?" you asked tiredly. The more a man got more honest, the more exhausted it got.

"I have some information," the man said quietly, carefully, intertwining his fingers. "I know that Edgar...," Nathaniel hesitated, choosing tactful words. "That he has a… connection with the dioreact."

"And?"

"Follow him," his words sounded almost like an order. "Follow him, see it for yourself, memorize it, and take Edgar to trial."

You sat up fully and gave the man a rounded stare, but not from shock. From interest. "What?" you laughed at the top of your voice, grabbing your chest. "Ya've got a knack for it. I respect that."

"I wasn't kidding-"

"Then why don't ya take him yourself?" Nathaniel's insides went cold when he heard your tone-not even the wind was so fickle. You'd been laughing only a second ago, but your smile had been replaced by indifference - so piercing, so burning that it seemed stiff. It all but proved that the black eyes he'd once seen in the void were no illusion.

"Because I'm scared," he admitted on an exhale. "I've never been there, and you... It's your job. Besides, I'm not sure I can beat Edgar."

"Then why did ya decide you were worthy to take his place?"

"I can be of use to you," the man stated firmly. "Don't you need your own person among those who constantly want to get rid of you?"

"That's odd," you drawled. "Why didn't ya just tell Christian and the others about it?"

"I did!" burst out the man. "Do you think anyone ever believed me?"

You were not interested in the moral side of the matter. You worshipped only two lords - gluttony and greed - and unfortunately, Nathaniel could not satiate either of them. "And what will ya pay with?" you grinned ironically. "Ya have nothing."

As Nathaniel sat there, accepting his defeat, you wondered how close you could let him get. How soon will a friend turn out to be an enemy? And wasn't he an enemy initially? "Ya know, there's something," you said, wary of betrayal. Nathaniel looked at you cautiously, and then at the dagger you clutched in your hand. "In return for my promise, I'll take yours."

The man stared at you, stunned, his arrogance gone. Dark, glittering, carnivorous eyes stared back at him, and you slowly held out the dagger to him. "Don't... Don't you just need mental consent?" he whispered fearfully, afraid to take hold of your part that obeyed only you.

"No-no-no," you reassured him with contrived gentleness, tilting your head to the side and shoving the dagger into his hands. "I don't do that sort of thing," you chuckled, straightening your head sharply and moving closer to the man. "I need a clear answer," you held out your bare wrist to him. "Yes means yes, no means no."

Swallowing, Nael grasped the hilt with a trembling hand. He would not have a better opportunity - if he refused, he risked being an unwanted soul, once pulled from the void. Ambition took its course - if the ladder did not want to be climbed, he would build his own, climbing it he would be able to see everything crystal clear, and, what was even better, to look down on everyone. He drew a line across your wrist with the edge of the dagger, but instead of blood, he saw only a faint glow, which was immediately extinguished. Nathaniel drew a second line over the first, leaving his promise on you forever.

The time was inevitably approaching evening, and the sparks in the sky were burning brighter and brighter. All the guests, well-fed and happy, were sitting at their tables, talking excitedly and impatiently, waiting for the first toast to the newlyweds. You, looking at everyone, couldn't even open your mouth. Frank and Tris still hadn't returned - you couldn't know, but maybe the man had decided it would be safer for the little girl, or maybe she was cranky and was picking out a suitable dress from the dozens of previously bought ones. Once again looking at the empty seat on the right, you couldn't stand it - taking the phone in your hands, you dialed your sister.

The call wasn't answered right away - the beeps, deliberately stretching out, made you drum your fingers on the table. "What do ya want?" asked Rachel grudgingly. She was breathing heavily, clearly out of breath and trying to hide it.

"Where the hell are ya?" you whispered anxiously, covering your face lightly with your hand and hiding your gaze from everyone.

"Ya stupid?" hissed Rachel. "Who do ya think supposed to bottle the wine from the barrels?" you swallowed nervously when you saw the waiters - some of them carrying out wooden boxes, others swapping guests' dirty glasses for clean ones. You instantly hung up the phone with a trembling finger. She's just up to her old tricks. Getting drunk again, or worse, running straight from the wedding into the grip of another lustful suitor. You'd probably called her in the middle of action - you shook your head, wiping the sweat from your forehead as you tried to brush away the images.

As the waiter approached you to pour the wine into your glasses, you looked up to see Issu standing in front of you, one hand holding the bottom of the bottle and the other behind his back. He nodded briefly to you as a sign of readiness, you nodded back and looked at Megumi – the boy seemed to have been waiting for this, and repeated your gesture.

"Baby," Gojo called softly, squeezing your naked thigh, trying to comfort you, to soothe you. "Everyone's waiting," you looked at the faces of the guests with a hazy look, all of them blended into a single, rotten blur that stared right back at you. Your own flesh felt like it had been gnawed off, your blue dress became red – feeling almost retching, you tried to stand up, but you were stopped by the sorcerer's hand. He squeezed your shoulder gently and stood up. "I apologize," he smiled kindly at his guests, raising his wine-filled glass. "It's just that when Y/N is around me, she gets speechless," Gojo looked around with piercing blue eyes at the people in jackets and dresses, whose gazes were fixed on him, but the sorcerer was only interested in ones, dark blue and occasionally frowning. "Well, Megumi, now I'm really starting to get jealous," someone coughed embarrassedly, and some looked at each other perplexed, but the sorcerer didn't care about those people's misunderstandings. "And seriously...It's strange to see you like this," he sighed. A sullen expression loomed on Megumi's stone face. "Really, it is strange. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing at all," he grinned vaguely, stroking the walls of the cool glass with his thumb. Facing Sukuna, Gojo couldn't even think of seeing Fushiguro eating breakfast at the table one day. Embarrassment at his own thoughts and his own useless power caused him to stifle his gaze for a moment. "Dany, you got the scowliest, the grumpiest," Gojo wanted to laugh, a blush of embarrassment and anger appearing on the Megumi's cheeks. "The most obnoxious... and the bravest brat in the world. But I know you're better and smarter than me," Gojo didn't need to look at you directly. It was enough for him to catch a glimpse of the blue sheen of your dress - it reminded him that you had a hand in raising the girl. "And you will never leave Megumi, especially when he needs you the most. If I was never sure of that before," Gojo stammered, for the persistent and unshakeable conviction of the short-term and fleeting nature of the sorcerer's life had begun to sway, wobbling and breaking his inner foundations - it became so hard to speak that the words almost trembled. "What I can say for sure now is that you will live long, and if you are lucky, you will live happily," Gojo he flushed a little, realizing that now everyone could reproach him with his own words about power and loneliness as interconnected things. "I see what you've become, and wanna think that I have some credit for it, but now I wanna take back what I once foolishly said to you. I hope that when you become stronger than me, you will leave at least a corner in your life for your teacher. It can be small and modest, I'm not picky. Megumi, Daniel. I know you're tired of accepting congratulations, but I want to congratulate you on the fact that even our cursed fate allowed you to find each other," Gojo wouldn't be Gojo if he didn't take the opportunity to look around slyly and without noticing Frank, he cheered. "Also, I'll be the godfather!"

You didn't even hear the cheers of applause - you sat there, glaring at the table and, without realizing it, gnawing your thumb. "And now, friends, I'd like to raise the first toast," the sorcerer said cheerfully, raising his glass higher - all the guests unknowingly repeated after him. You didn't catch a word of what Gojo was saying - only his blurred movements told you the beginning of the end. Your heart was tearing all premonitions with its pounding, making you gnaw harder and harder into your own flesh. "To the union of the two hunters!"

There was a second's silence after everyone repeated the last phrase in unison. You saw Gojo put down his glass without taking a drink. There was a clatter of cutlery on the left. On the right, you heard the clinking of broken crystal. You didn't even feel a hand on your shoulder; slowly you looked up through the painful haze and saw everyone, almost everyone, clutching at their throats.

You didn't feel your finger bleeding. You didn't feel the nail plate gnawed through to the meat. The swords in your body twisted, making you forget about the external pain. The creatures coughed and grabbed at the white tablecloths, and silverware flew to the floor along with the unfinished dinner. With a ragged sigh, you leisurely turned your head to the right, where Rosalie was sitting. It was like she was waiting for you to pay attention to her. The woman saw your cold, doomed look, and she shook her glass of untouched wine happily, winking at you with dark eyes.

Defeat had no taste. Pain had no color. Regret didn't know how to burn, scorching your soul. Everything you had ever known had disowned you, and you felt no hands, no legs, no presence in the world.

You were shaken lightly by the shoulder, and you found the strength to turn your head slowly and look Gojo dead in the eye. "Run," you whispered softly before the ground shook.

A purple flash burned away all grief. For a moment you thought you were dead, but the heat of the ground your body was pressed against protested as fluttering purple flames slid across your skin. Unconscious, you tried to get up, but your body was pinned down by something heavy, preventing you from breathing. As soon as you made any attempt to move, there was a ringing in your ears. You felt multiple feet pressing you harder into the ash and dirt, but you couldn't find the strength to resist. Screams in the distance, like lost souls begging for deliverance or mercy - you smiled, thinking that they might have just been voices in your head. You didn't even struggle when someone's hands closed around your neck - you just collapsed, unable to move a finger.

Suddenly, the grip was gone - you wheezed, shuddering. Your sluggish body was released from the pile of beams and picked up, bringing you to your feet. "Baby," Gojo whispered anxiously, fussily brushing strands of hair away from your face - the butterflies had long since broken off and died. It was like he'd dug you up straight from the grave - the sorcerer sobbed painfully at the sight of your pale face and the extinguished gaze that stared at one point. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay, we just need to get out of here."

Your airways were clogged with fumes, and you couldn't see anything in front of you, dead bodies falling at your feet, but Gojo had his arm around your waist and was trying to look around. His strength really did lie in his loneliness at times, as he grimaced and realized with panic that he couldn't snap his fingers and change the foreign purple color to his own. Only immaculate blue eyes helped him find others in the smoke - the sorcerer dragged you towards the stream of cursed energy. "Megumi!" he shouted, seeing the boy fidgeting around, trying to look for anyone, but Danielle was nowhere near him. "Where's Dany?"

"I relocated her home," he shouted back, coughing. "Where are the others?"

Gojo looked around frantically, squinting his watery eyes, the smoke cutting them like a knife. He darted down the trail, holding you up, and Megumi ran after him - meeting Yuji and Yuta, he raked them both by the scruff of the neck without a word. "Look for the others. Megumi, can you move a few people?"

You couldn't hear the screams, but the faint, sweet smell of fried flesh hit your nose. Someone grabbed your arm with such force that it almost broke your wrist, and you saw the severed head of a man with black eyes at your feet. The beautiful face was contorted with anger - Gojo was panting in spite of the poisonous smoke. But none of them were killing demons. They were just giving them an excuse to take possession of more human bodies. "Tris... Frank...," you mumbled sluggishly, looking up at the house on the hill that was blazing purple fire - your once home was burning before your eyes. You slipped out of Gojo's grip on your wobbly legs and waddled over to the other side, holding the hem of your burnt dress.

"Take everyone out," Gojo said, squeezing Megumi's shoulder and looking into his eyes. "I'll be right back," the boy nodded briefly and, grabbing his friends under his arms, disappeared from sight momentarily. But only to return again.

You saw golden hair developing on the horizon, and you sped up, ignoring Gojo's grip on your arm, and approached the figure. It wasn't a mirage at all. "Nathaniel?" you wondered in relief, grabbing the man's shoulder. When you turned him around, he was staring blankly at the floor, a bloody hole in his throat. The sorcerer, clinging to ypu more tightly, dragged you towards the house - you only saw the higher-up fall to his knees and then to the ground. Gojo had better not have dragged you forward so soon, for this time it was you who had to kneel.

A familiar, lifeless face stared back at you from under the beams. "Axel?" you asked weakly, still hoping for an answer. Wrenching your arm free, you ran over to a pile of smoldering wood, and with your bare hands began digging up the body - you sobbed harder and harder, unable to feel the burns. "Ryan?" you whimpered, getting to the truth. Your two students were in the arms of your foe - Camila was lying straight on top of the breathless boys, never protecting them.

"Mochi, please, let's go," Gojo pleaded in a broken voice as you tried to rouse any of them. You desperately stroked their dead, burned faces, barely touching them for fear of waking them, and all he could do was cover your eyes with his palm. "It's okay," the sorcerer realized you needed time, but he couldn't give it to you. Clenching his teeth, Gojo wrapped his arms around your shuddering body at the waist and pulled you off the ground, dragging you back up the hill despite your silent protests. "We need to go..."

You lost your senses and just went wherever you were led. You didn't even wonder if Gojo was the enemy; you didn't care if you were being torn apart. Had you been bringing demons into the town all this time? Was it all your doing? Was the hell that unfolded on the town's land only because you had once opened a way into someone else's?

All of them were laughing, laughing so loudly that their sudden crying made you clutch your head - the machinations of common sense, which was gradually going mad, made you see the smiling faces of those who had been eating, drinking and dancing an hour before. They stood motionless, neither asking you for anything, nor reaching out to grasp your hand, all of them instantly turned to ashes that snowed on your head.

The heat on your skin grew brighter and clearer as you climbed the hill and stood near the burning house. The wood crackled, burning - you stared blankly as a beam fell to the ground. You flinched as the hem of your dress was tugged hesitantly. "Mike?" you exhaled convulsively, seeing his eyes full of incomprehension and horror. The boy's suit was torn and burnt, and his face and red hair were all sooty, but Mike himself seemed to be unharmed. "Mike," you exhaled, scooping the boy up in your arms and burrowing into his neck.

"Take him home, okay?" asked Gojo softly. "I'll go get Frank and Tris," you nodded, not taking your eyes off the boy. You frantically stroked his back, your hands feeling his warmth and a lively shiver.

"Relocate."

You sat a dazed Mike down on the dining room table - the kitchen and living room were already rushing with Doc and Shoko, trying to see everyone as quickly as possible. You kissed the redhead's top relentlessly, clutching your hands to the small shoulders. It was your sister's job to do that. But she wasn't here.

With a sob, you pulled away from Mike and glanced around at everyone present. Perhaps Megumi was right when he said that Gojo had been very lucky - luck was on his side right now. All of his students were here - terrified, dirty, with burns on their faces and limbs, but they were all breathing. And of yours, only Danielle was left.

"How's Megumi?" she asked on the verge of breaking down, running up to you - her beautiful white dress was stained with blood and soot.

"He's fine," you said, wiping your nose. "He'll be back soon," you nodded, not looking the girl in the eyes. "And so am I... I'll be back soon too."

"Relocate."

You were back in front of the charred door you hadn't dared enter a few minutes ago. You stood there, clutching and unclutching the folds of your skirt. If only they'd survived, they'd be long gone from that house - so there was no point in going in. A quiet cry escaped your lips - you hadn't seen them in the cliff house with everyone else.

Like a drowned woman, you paced the bottom of the lake, heavy stones tied to your feet. The light left on the surface of the water did not penetrate and warm you in the depths of clammy, nightmarish fear - you could barely move your feet, tangling in the mud and sinking in the sand. The cold water pushed you from side to side, filling your lungs - you could not even cough, for you were already dead.

Gojo was roused from his stupor by the sound of the charred door opening and your slow footsteps behind him. "What's in there?" you whispered quietly in a voice that foreshadowed that you already knew everything. "Satoru, what's in there... What's in there?" you rambled on the verge of breaking down, and his heart skipped a beat as you sped up - the sorcerer turned around abruptly and grabbed you, and before you could see the bitterness and sorrow in his eyes, he clutched your head to his chest and turned around again, letting you never come face to face with it - your back and his eyes witnessing the bloody tragedy. "What is it?" you whimpered, hitting his chest weakly with your fist.

Gojo was frantically stroking your hair, resting his chin on the top of your head, tears in his eyes. Frank, sitting listlessly on the floor with his back against the wall, was still cradling the small body against you "Nothing," he lied, shaking his head frantically. The man's lowered glassy gaze from under half-closed eyelids was no longer friendly or stern. Tiny drops of blood fell from the corner of his lips, sizzling and vaporizing as they made contact with the hot floor. Two hearts, large and small, were pierced by a single blade - it protruded from their lifeless bodies. Realizing they had been killed before the toast had even been spoken, Gojo, choking on your sobs, backed away. "There's no one here," a quivering grin contorted his lips, and he shook his head, looking at Frank and Tris one last time. "There's no one here," the sorcerer repeated, closing the doors of the house on the hill behind you forever.

Gojo led you back slowly, trying not to think about the people you'd left behind, dead or alive - he needed to get to Megumi. You weaved obediently beside him, and he was only more alarmed when he didn't see any black lines or dark eyes - you'd rather be mad than so empty. But as soon as you were at the foot of the hill, you pulled your arm out.

Your wobbly gait was gone, and you stepped firmly forward, clearing a path. Offset after offset - dead bodies, burned wood, stones, roofs flew sideways, and the farther you moved, the more your actions became frantic, disorderly. The dead, burning town was no longer resisting - there was nothing else here but purple tongues of flame. No howls, no screams, no restless running. Only the cinders continued to walk in this silence. "Megumi?" the sorcerer asked puzzled, seeing a black hair, but not a shred of cursed energy emanated from that person. Someone was digging in the dirt, trying to get either a dead or half-dead person.

"Issu," you said coldly, coming up from behind. He gave you a glimpse and continued raking the path. "Take your brother and get out of here."

"What about the rest of the people?" protested the boy, unable to tear his hands away from the unfamiliar face he had almost reached.

"Issu, come to your senses!" you barked, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and setting him on his feet. "There are no more people here," you muttered mournfully, giving the boy time to realize what was happening. Issu, lowering his gaze to the floor, shrugged his shoulders in confusion. He felt the same way you did. All these people, all these familiar faces you brought out, were no longer human. Or had never been human at all. The boy nodded briefly and headed toward one of the surviving houses - you could just see him picking up his little brother, who had jumped out of the window, in his arms.

"We all need to get out of here," wheezed a voice behind you. Gojo turned around and faced Fushiguro. He was dragging the unconscious Nobara on his back, crouching under her weight.

What an abomination a stopped heart could be - it stopped pumping blood, and you, standing in the midst of human ashes, felt the merciless cold. You kept looking in the direction where the road of life had once been - no one would ever set foot on it again, desires were buried with their persons. "Mochi?" Gojo turned to you uncertainly, ready to lead you away. From here, you could not see the rock from which the deepest dreams of the people who had once lost them in the cold wasteland soared once a year. You nodded briefly, realizing that the dead Hopetown would never say goodbye to you - you couldn't even see the ghost of the paper plane.

[May 23, 2023, 11:31pm; hunters' hq]

You immediately disappeared behind the bathroom doors of your workroom without going upstairs. You were ashamed to look them in the eye, and you were afraid that you would never see some of the judgmental eyes. Having never seen Frank and Tris dead, they were still alive for you in the back of your mind, and you forcefully held yourself in place so as not to return to Hopetown. You ripped off your dress with a jerk, determined to bury it - it rattled and ripped, and you whimpered and began shoving it zealously into the bucket. You pressed and tamped down the unruly fabric that tried to climb back out, its burnt folds bringing you back to the events of the dead town.

You kicked the bucket to the side, and with a loud thud, the bucket flew off the wall and collapsed, the dress slipping out of it, sprawling on the floor. With a jerk, you opened the dresser and pulled out the first one you could find. Pulling on a gray T-shirt and pants, you walked over to the sink and opened the faucet to full power, your hands shaking as you saw the black lines appearing.

There was a quiet, insistent knock at the door. "Mochi?" called out Gojo quietly. "May I come in?"

"No!" you bellowed, snapping out. Clenching your hands into fists to the point of pain and panting superficially, you looked cowardly at the door. "I'm sorry," you exhaled. "I really... I really need to be alone. For a couple minutes. Gimme a couple minutes."

"How can I leave you like this?" grinned the sorcerer wistfully, jerking the knob weakly without hope. His forehead was against the door, and he was thinking about what might have happened to you all alone - you never stuttered or mentioned anything like that, you seemed to love life with all your actions and words, but now there was only your broken shadow in front of him.

"Ya'd better tell me, is there somewhere we can crash?" you asked muffled, changing the subject. "We can't stay in this house."

Gojo frowned and thought of the never-restored Tokyo college, but something else, something similar, came to mind. "Kyoto college will do?"

"Yeah," you answered without thinking. "Ya should... Ya tell the others for now and help them pack. And I'll be out in a bit. Really."

You heard him scrape hesitantly at the door, and then a couple of quiet taps on it before the sorcerer backed away. His hesitant footsteps sounded through the pouring water - Gojo stepped from foot to foot, and though he stepped farther back, he never turned his back. "If you're not out in ten minutes, I'll break down the door," he warned you before leaving the workroom.

Barely stopped feeling his presence, you looked at yourself in the mirror. "What are ya looking at, bitch?" you sobbed, staring into the dark eyes. "Why didn't ya... Why didn't ya warn me?" you ran your hands restlessly through your black strands, desperately hoping to wash away the black color from them, but it remained stubborn and unyielding. You dipped your hands under the stream of water and began to frantically wash the soot and blood off them. "Or you can only yell when ya hungry?" you hissed, grabbing the edges of the sink as it cracked and you could only watch as the water ran away from you. Your whole body shuddered, though you felt no pain, and you slammed your fist into your own reflection, and it shattered into large shards. "Ya're no use to me," you whimpered, washing your bloody hands. Bending down and taking water in your palms, you leaned them against your face and wiped it – you didn't want to know if you were really crying.

It was time to keep your promise - you wiped your face with a towel and left the workroom for the kitchen. When you entered the corridor, you heard the hurried, frantic running on the second floor - almost no one was talking to each other, and if they did, they were very quiet. In the midst of this deafening confusion stood out a gentle lullaby that your sister was humming. When you entered the kitchen, you saw her sitting at the dining table, cradling her half-sleeping son. You walked carefully around the table and sat down across from Rachel. She didn't even look at you, just kept rocking Mike, humming softly to herself.

"Where have ya been?" you asked blankly. You watched absently as your sister, chuckling merrily, rose from her seat and walked over to the couch to lay your son down. She continued to stand behind you, and you felt neither threatened nor dead, only doomed.

"Have you ever wondered how we let this happen?" she asked sympathetically, walking past you. "Maybe we shouldn't have encroached on their territory, much less destroyed it," Rachel, stopping in the hallway, turned around - you didn't dare look up. You didn't want to see the green eyes or the red hair again, for it was all a deception. While he laughed your sister's ringing laugh, you were dying. "But now you know how we felt, liebe," Rei cooed, disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

next ⊳

22 notes · View notes

marchofmistria · 2 days ago

Note

Hey I saw your requests were open and wanted to ask you if you could a do how would the bachelor's react to reader's/farmer's fuck ass haircut? I just cut my own bangs and it's all crooked and need some comfort 🥺

Hey I'm so sorry this has been in my inbox for so long!! Thank you very much for sending, this was so funny to think about. Hope your bangs have grown out since :')

March

You already know March would be brutal. He's not good at expressing himself and, especially before you're an actual couple and he starts to put effort into not hurting your feelings, he wouldn't think twice about insulting your haircut.

If you came up to him after ruining your hair, he wouldn't be able to hide his confused scowl and ask "what did you do to your hair?"

If you find it funny and laugh, he'll probably laugh as well and continue teasing you. He'd probably say something like, you shouldn't be allowed to smelt hot metal if you can't even cut your bangs correctly.

He would laugh if you met him where he was and teased him back, especially about how he can't dye his own hair so he shouldn't be talking.

If you had a different reaction, however, and got upset or embarrassed and walked away, he'd probably reflect on how you were likely feeling pretty self-conscious and realize that was a low blow.

He'd apologize next time he saw you, rolling his eyes and attempting to fix his comment a bit by saying "at least hair grows back."

Ryis

Ryis would probably notice it right away. He pays close attention to you, and he can likely tell you're feeling self-conscious.

He'd try to preserve your feelings the best he could. He'd ask about it lightly and casually. "Hey Y/N, did you get a new haircut? I like it."

You'd definitely blush and get super embarrassed, saying that you know the haircut sucks. Even though Ryis might secretly agree that it's not exactly the best look, he definitely would not agree to you putting yourself down like that.

"What are you talking about, it's fine! You always look nice, so your haircut doesn't really matter, anyways."

If you're truly upset about it, he'd continue to reassure you and tell you that you look beautiful regardless. But thankfully hair does grow back if you truly don't like it!

He'll continue to compliment you as it grows back so you don't doubt whether he still finds you attractive.

Eiland

Eiland is a sweetheart and would try to calm you down if you were upset about the haircut you gave yourself. A lot of reassurance about your beauty and his love for you regardless.

He'd probably start telling you some interesting facts about historical hairstyles of Aldaria or something, as a way to distract you. You may or may not find it annoying in the moment.

If you're still feeling unhappy, he'd offer to pay to get your hair fixed by Vera or some other expensive hairstylist in the Capital.

He'd continue to attempt to reassure you that you look very pretty regardless and this sort of thing happened to everyone! In fact, he read on an Alda-period stone tablet that a woman once cut her own hair and....

Balor

It's rare that Balor loses his cool charm, but you see it waver in his face for a moment when you first see each other after the haircut.

He'd try to deny it and turn the charm all the way up to compensate, telling you that you look absolutely radiant today (even though you look beautiful every day!). You'd see through it right away and call him out on it.

He may try to deny it at first, but eventually agrees that it's not the best haircut. He does emphasize, however, that even something like a bad haircut couldn't detract from your beauty at all and you do still look lovely.

He'd hold back a bit of a laugh when you give him a blank stare from behind your crooked bangs, though.

He just happens to generously gift you a set of beautiful gold hairpins from the Capital. Perfect timing. He'll tell you the hairpins compliment your eyes very well once he's no longer distracted by the funny-looking fringe.

Hayden

Hayden wouldn't even notice honestly. He always thinks you look beautiful and wouldn't sweat small details like that.

If you came to him and showed him how you messed up your hair, he'd probably laugh and tell you not to think anything of it!

"I cut my own hair all the time, Y/N. It's probably a mess but that's just fine by me!" He likes you however you are, with whatever you decide to do with your appearance.

If you were to tell him that you thought you looked unattractive or that you were embarrassed and didn't want anyone to look at you, he'd get genuinely upset. He truly doesn't understand how you don't see yourself as beautiful, and especially over such a small thing!

He'd continue to tell you not to pay it any mind, that hair grows back, and that no one would even notice. He genuinely thinks the latter because he wouldn't have noticed it had you not pointed it out.

He'd lend you one of his big hats to cover your hair with while you wait for it to grow out, if you wanted.

27 notes · View notes

daisygirlwrites · 18 hours ago

Text

long hair eddie

literally typing this at 2am, i will not apologize for my unfiltered thoughts.

heavily inspired by @tr4shcanbugz 's beautiful art

during highschool, edward's hair grows out and he doesn't really bother to cut it nor does the orphanage care to. the longest it's been was just past his shoulders, enough to put it in a low ponytail to get it out of the way. unfortunately, this added another thing for students to bully him for, especially when a substitute accidentally mistaken him for a girl.

he could always cut his hair himself, however, he would over think it, thoughts of fucking it up and making it look worse was enough for him to put the scissors down. going to a barber shop was out of the question since he doesn't want to pull from his savings nor does he want to deal with other people's hands on him.

so edward just kept it as is, deciding to get cut once he graduates highschool, filtering out the hushed whispers and laughs thrown in his direction.

you’ve known edward for about four months at this point, finding each other at a secluded bench in robinson park on (ironically) valentines day. (also had his first indirect kiss!) (please yell at me to finish that fic)

though with snow still being around, he keeps his brown locks under a beanie and hoodie. his bangs do make an appearance from time to time

march comes around and so do you. both of you continue your little meetups/smoke breaks at the park after school, talking about anything, everything and sometimes nothing at all. just being in each other’s presences was enough

as the weather grows warmer, so does his feelings for you. and he can’t help it, especially since he knows that you go out of your way to spend time with him.

one afternoon, you find him waiting, his back facing you. he focuses at the scenery before him as a light breeze passes by, wisps of long brown hair dancing through the wind.

plopping down at the other end of the bench, edward shifts his attention to you. and god, did he look pretty. his hair was slightly messy, the wind making it even more so but the bangs and the strands in front framed his face in a lovely way. you had to mentally slap yourself to stop ogling him.

the conversations start, and edward leads this time around. you wanted to focus on his voice but you can’t help but watch his hair fluttering by, softly grazing his cheeks

he always stares off to the side when he speaks, knowing that whenever he looks directly at you, his words stumble more. but you manage to cut him off anyways when he feels the slight brush of your fingers on his forehead

he stops breathing as he stares at you, not believing what’s happening in front of him. your touch was feather light, as if you were handling a piece of art. he could feel your nails run through his scalp, a jolt of electricity trailing down his spine. the warmth of your palm hits his ear and cheek as you linger just for a second longer after you tucked that strand back

he doesn’t remember the last time he experienced something so gentle, to be held so delicately. for a fleeting moment, he felt whole in your hand.

#daisygirlwrites #edward nashton #edward nashton x reader #dano riddler #the batman 2022 #the riddler x reader #the riddler 2022 #danonation

22 notes · View notes

atwhughesversion · 1 day ago

Text

canucks rambles ft. demko ahead you’ve been warned !!

i have been thinking about this team (shocker) and have come to the conclusion that if demko comes back soon and is able to settle in fairly quickly (which isn’t a given because he has played exactly 3 nhl games since march 9 and missed all of training camp) then visually we’ll start looking better. bc listen i LOVE arty so much and i’ve fallen for lankinen so fast as well and i love goalies always. but neither of them are true nhl starters and neither of them have the poise of someone like demko. demmer is basically just always in position (so he doesn’t need to make as many desperation saves, which look amazing but are often a result of poor positioning) and makes everything look so easy, he rarely gives up uncontrolled rebounds (he usually either smothers the puck, or directs it to the ceorner for a teammate) which makes the front of the net way easier to defend, because you don’t have to scramble to win the rebound.

like he just makes things so calm in a way you don’t even realize until he isn’t there, and the rest of the team has more confidence in their offence bc they know they have a brick wall behind them in case they lose the puck.

and again i love lanks and arty and am not trying to critique them but they do both have clear weaknesses that other teams can take advantage of, meanwhile demko is just good at everything and he doesn’t normally let in goals on low danger shots.

the moral of all this is just that we haven’t seen him play w the team consistently in soooo long that it’s basically a distant memory and i think as much as the team does have problems, and it’s players are dropping like flies, once he comes back i think they’ll just look better bc our mistakes won’t matter quite as frequently

and idk, if there’s anyone has become a fan of the canucks since march 2024 and thus hasn’t watched the team w demko as our starter, you’re truly in for such a treat once he comes back and works his way back to his ceiling god i miss him so much

#like i feel like we could see him next week is that crazy #it just feels like he’s almost back #in a way it hasn’t felt like in awhile #thatcher demko #canucks #hockey #vancouver canucks #nhl

21 notes · View notes

skeletal-rexie · 2 days ago

Text

My story:

Hi, this is the story of my eddie Sheeran (😭) and how I got here right now.

I had a lot of trauma when I was a child, which I won’t get into right now, but the thoughts started when I was about 11. It was never serious, I’d exercise for like 2 days and then be like nah fuck this I want a burger 🤪 lmao.

I started engaging in the behaviours of it when I was 14, in 2019. Again, it was never something I was able to stick with, and I’d be over it within a few days. 2020 was a weird year for me, with the lockdown, I was determined to finally do it, that was also the year I did my longest fast of 6 days (never again😮‍💨). But it was a year of constant binging and starving, I saw zero progress. I didn’t know myself, what I could or couldn’t handle. I thought I could just eat max 500 cals every day and it would be sustainable (it wasn’t lmao), it always ended in a binge.

Then began 2021, the worst year of my life for all my mental illnesses. I was in an abusive relationship at this point, bullied by people, and I felt completely alone. And this was when my personal worst relapse began. I was at my HW of 58-60kgs, and at first, it began as a regular diet (August 2021), and then towards late September that year, I knew it wasn’t just a regular diet when I began restricting heavily again, and exercising daily. I lost 10-12kgs, and was 48kgs by the end of October 2021. I felt amazing, I felt so powerful and happy that I was finally, after all these years, I was getting somewhere. Yep well those feelings were wiped away real quick the following November, which was again, a month of constant binging and starving. It was awful, I felt like I had lost complete control, like it was someone possessing my body and making me eat all those pizza’s, when it wasn’t, it was all me, and only me. December that month was good again, I got back to 48kgs, and then went on a 3 day fast the days before Christmas, when I knew I was going to have to eat food.

Christmas fucked it up for me, and I tried to get back to it for 3 weeks, but in January 2022, I decided I was sick of this disorder, and tried to recover for good.

And I did, 3 years of no restricting, no thoughts, nothing, it was nice.

I got diagnosed with ADHD later that year in December 2022, and was put on elvanse (relevant later on).

Fast forward to jan 2024, and I got my first job at a fast food place (ironic much?), and I hated it, I was treated awfully by managers and co-workers. For context, there was an ADHD med shortage in the UK from August 2023, till march 2024, in this time period I had gained a lot of weight and was back to my SW of 58kgs, I then lost a bit of it again once I got my meds back, and this one girl noticed, and she would non stop brag and brag and brag about how she had lost 3 stone, her pants didn’t fit her anymore, and she was losing lots of weight. This triggered me, but I was recovered at this point, so I just left the job and went to find a new one.

And here we are now. So what triggered me so badly for me to turn back to it after 3 whole years? One of my managers in my new workplace. My new workplace is so so much better, the co workers are wonderful, friendly people. But I’m getting micromanaged by one of my managers, I won’t go into the details, but it’s really fucking infuriating. And because I have severe social anxiety irl, I didn’t want to mention it to him, so I turned back to Ana as a way of regaining my lost control in that workplace. I’m over the situation now, but I can’t stop, I don’t want to stop, I love feeling like this, and I think I’ll be like this for the rest of my life.

That’s my story, I’m sorry for how long this, I tried to shorten it as much as I could, thank you for reading lovelies!! <3

21 notes · View notes

lavenderchqn · 2 days ago

Text

𝐶𝛨𝛢𝑃𝑇𝛦𝑅 𝟎𝟑𝟑 — SET IT OFF (3,5K WORDS) 𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑆 — lyney x f!reader smau

𝑆𝑌𝑁𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐼𝑆 —

Second year of university should've been everything you thought of it - more studying with human interaction sprinkled throught... What it definitely wasn't supposed to be was an investigation saga where one of your friends goes missing out of nowhere

𝑃𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆 — 𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — 𝑁𝐸𝑋𝑇 𝐸𝑃𝐼𝑆𝑂𝐷𝐸

As the meeting approached, [Y/N]’s nerves became more evident. She was hunched over her laptop, polishing her slides for the presentation on their opponent. This wasn’t just a university project for credit — it’s serious. Her sleepless nights were etched into her appearance, with dark circles under her eyes and a tired, drooping gaze.

If you asked, [Y/N] would insist she’s fine, brushing off any mention of fatigue. In truth, burying herself in this project has been a way to block out her growing feelings for Lyney and keep Clorinde’s judgement at a safe distance from her thoughts.

Over the past few days, she and Lyney had gathered a significant amount of information. Beyond the startling discovery of Marcel’s connection to the Dean of Arts and Humanities department, they’d uncovered another strange, yet valid for his character: he was an intense fan of Lolita. His Facebook page was littered with quotes from the novel — far too many for comfort, given the circumstances.

In the end, one question continued to baffle her — figuring out his motive. If their timeline was correct, he had stopped pursuing Furina as soon as she left the theatre troupe, with no suspicious activity on his part until March of this year.

[Y/N] muttered to herself, trying to make sense of it, her laptop balancing on her knees. The screen showed the slide on Marcel’s background: a graduate of their university who had majored in performance arts but never made it big. By all appearances, it was likely the dean who had handed him the assistant position — a clear case of nepotism, or something close to it.

“And who do we have here, hmm?” Lyney’s voice came from behind [Y/N], making her jump out of her skin. In her startled attempt to back away, she nearly sent her laptop flying. Luckily, Lyney was quick; with one hand, he steadied her, while his other caught her laptop just in time, saving her and her work from disaster.

“Y-You—“ [Y/N] stammered, bending forward to catch her breath and regain her composure. Lyney’s hand remained around her waist, even as he leaned down to carefully place the laptop on the coffee table beside her former seat. It took her a while to settle down, her brain not letting go of thinking about his touch.

Once the laptop was safely down, Lyney straightened up, his gaze teasing but warm. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, though the mischievous glint in his eyes suggested otherwise.

[Y/N] shot him a look, half-annoyed, half-flustered. “You did that on purpose.”

“Who knows, maybe I did,” he admitted, a smirk on his lips. “But I couldn’t resist. You’ve been buried in this thing lately— Was starting to think you’d forgotten all about me~”

Lyney and his sly words. Her cheeks felt warmer, and she quickly looked away, focusing on the open laptop. “Hardly. I’m preparing… for the meeting, you know.”

He chuckled softly, clearly enjoying her reaction. “Right, of course, the meeting.” Then, after a pause, his tone softened. “But really, don’t overwork yourself. I can help if you need it.”

“Absolutely not, Lyney.” [Y/N] pouted, looking at him. “You were the one to collect information, it’s only fair I prepare the presentation, right.”

Lyney raised an eyebrow, feigning offence. “Are you saying I wouldn’t make an impressive presenter?”

[Y/N] rolled her eyes, stifling a grin. “I think you’d make too much of a spectacle of it. We’re trying to inform everyone about that dick, not put on a magic show. Besides your father is going to be there…”

He placed a hand over his heart, pretending to be wounded by her words. “Ouch. But I suppose you’re right — I’d steal the show, no bet.” He gave a small, playful shrug before taking his hand off her waist and meeting her gaze. “Still, I’ll be there by your side. Give me the cue, and I’ll jump to your aid, like a knight on a horse in shining armour.”

“Thanks, Lyney.” She murmured, her voice quieter than she’d intended. How could she not have fallen for a guy like him? Despite his teasing nature, he was always there to aid her whenever possible. Even when she hadn’t felt like doing anything or crying her eyes out at feeling useless.

Heavens above, it was high time to regain her focus… the meeting was coming soon.

“The party has arrived!~” Furina sings, sweeping into the vacation house as Lyney holds the door open for her. Wriothesley and Neuvillette followed close behind, each wearing an expression of subtle relief — it was their first time seeing him since that fateful day.

“Good to see the squad in one piece.” Lyney greets them with a small smile, though his eyes linger on Wriothesley and Neuvillette, sensing the weight of unspoken words. There is tension in the air, a mix of concern and gratitude, as if just seeing him there, welcoming them with his usual charm, is enough to ease some of their lingering worries.

Furina, as oblivious as ever to the atmosphere, spins around the room, hands on her hips. “So, where’s your girl? Surely she hasn’t run off to do even more work?”

Lyney chuckles, mentioning them towards the living room. “Not my girl, first of all— Second, she’s still wondering how to fix the tension between her, Clorinde and Charlotte…”

“They still haven’t reconciled?” Neuvillette asks surprise in his tone. “From their dynamic, it would seem like they’d let go of their argument quite swiftly if I do say so myself.”

Wriothesley meanwhile, rolls his eyes at Lyney’s words, though a smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. “Not your girl, ‘Mr. My body is telling me to make her feel better’. He teases.

“Shut the fuck up, Wrio,” Lyney says as the faintest blush creeps up. He’s leading them to the living room, where everything for their meeting is already prepared — a projector, some snacks and a lot of sitting space. This room was often used as a gathering spot for the children to watch movies, whenever Father permitted them to use the house.

“Oh, you’re early?” [Y/N]’s voice echoes as she enters the room, empty glasses in hand. “Weren’t we supposed to meet at 5?” She sets the glasses on the coffee table before looking at her phone. It reads as 4:45 pm.

“Being fifteen minutes early is the standard, darling.” Furina comes up, raising her hands to hug her as a welcome gesture. “Glad to see you’re all right.”

“Likewise,” The girls give each other a warm, but short, hug as [Y/N] greets Wriothesley and Neuvillette, who are standing next to Lyney. “Nice to see you too, guys.”

“Good afternoon to you too, Ms. [Y/N].”

“We’re still waiting on the girls… as well as Father,” Lyney says, sharing a gaze with [Y/N]. “Make yourselves at home, sillies. I’ll help [Y/N] with the last things, all right?”

“Alrighty~”

A knock on the door brings the chatter between [Y/N] and the Beverage Gang to an abrupt halt. They exchanged glances, knowing exactly who it was. Just moments earlier, as they’d finished setting up the table Lyney had received a message from The Knave. She was informing him she’d be arriving late due to a traffic jam on the highway.

“Guess they finally made it,” Wriothesley mutters, adjusting his jacket, while Neuvillette offers a small nod.

Lyney gives [Y/N] a reassuring look before moving toward the door. “Time to make them feel welcome,” He says, his tone lighthearted, with a flicker of nervousness in his eyes. As much as he plays it off, he knows the meeting can bring a fair share of tension — between the subject of the meeting as well as Clorinde’s presence… with her recent conflict with [Y/N]

With a quick breath, he opens the door, revealing Navia, Clorinde and Charlotte standing just outside. Navia smiles cheerfully, giving Lyney a brief nod as she steps inside, Clorinde follows behind with her usual stoic expression, and Charlotte brings up the rear with a friendly wave.

“Glad to see everyone’s made it safe and sound!” The blonde announced, beaming as she headed straight for the living room. She greets each person with her characteristic enthusiasm, stopping by [Y/N] to share a warm side hug. “Ah, it’s good to see you, [Y/N].”

The girl returned the hug, a small smile breaking through. “You too, Nav, you too.”

As Navia settles in beside her, Lyney joins them, casting a glance in Clorinde’s direction. Her expression is unreadable, although, he can notice a glint of sadness in her eyes. He wishes inside that Clorinde and Charlotte are here to make amends with [Y/N].

After a moment of quiet, Navia clears her throat, breaking the silence. “Well, are we good to start the meeting now?” She glances around the room, her gaze lingering on each person, a gentle reminder of the unity they need tonight.

“Lyney,” Furina turns to him. “We’re still waiting for The Knave… right?”

“Yep, that’s right,” He stands up, moving closer towards where [Y/N]’s laptop is — connected to their projector. “She knows what [Y/N]’s gonna talk about soo… we can start without her.”

Charlotte nods, leaning back slightly in her seat. “All right then, let’s get started.”

The group eyes the projector screen with interest as Lyney connects everything, casting [Y/N] an encouraging look. “The floor is yours,” he says, giving her a reassuring smile. He can feel the slight glances of his friends eyeing his every move — trying to find proof of him crushing on [Y/N] and so on.

“Actually,” Clorinde speaks up, eyes dead straight on [Y/N]. “Could I ask what you’re going to be talking about? As far as I’m aware Wriothesley had conclusions regarding the location.”

Oh. That’s right. Neither she nor Lyney have ever mentioned they had figured out who the kidnapper is. Well, The Knave had been made aware… but nobody else.

“What else would there to be talking about?” Clorinde enquires, the sheer coldness in her voice noticeable to everyone present. “We do not know who the kidnapper is.”

“Who says we don’t?” [Y/N] strikes back, her answer sending the room into silence.

Clorinde’s eyes narrow, and a flicker of surprise flashes across Wriothesley’s face as he exchanges a glance with Neuvillette. The weight of [Y/N]’s words hangs heavy in the hair, thickening the silence which follows.

Furina leans forward, eyes wide with intrigue. “Wait… you mean to say—“

“Yes,” [Y/N] interrupts, steady and resolute. “We know who the kidnapper is. And the presentation has all the evidence to support our guess.”

Lyney steps closer to her, arms crossed but supportive, his gaze shifting to Clorinde. “We’ve been holding back certain information… for mental health reasons.” He knows he’s being passive-aggressive, but there’s something so correct after everything [Y/N] had to go through.

“Mental health reasons?” Neuvillette questions. “I’m aware this matter is quite crucial for the two of you, but others?”

“Well,” [Y/N] sighs, turning her eyes back to the projector. “How about you see? And then ask questions.”

“Without much introduction,” [Y/N] resumed. “Here’s the person behind all the kidnappings.”

“Furina,” Lyney perks up, getting her attention. “Close your eyes, just in case.”

Furina’s curiosity piques at his suggestion, and her expression shifts between intrigue and unease. She hesitates, not quite ready to see her tormentor of the previous year. She finally closes her eyes, murmuring, “Fine, fine, just tell me when it’s safe.”

The second slide pops up. With an image of Marcel Dubois right and centre. It’s him — Furina’s stalker. The group’s attention turned black to the screen, where his image — cold, calculated, and all too familiar to those who knew him from university… or from dealing with the theatre troupe’s management. Silence washes over the room as each person processes what this means.

“That fucking guy?” Wriothesley stands up, flabbergasted. “He’s the one who not only kidnapped the girls… but also threatened Furina a fucking year ago?”

[Y/N] nods, her voice steady as she continues, “He’s a former student, a performance arts major. And well… the manager of the theatre troupe. That’s how he managed to get close to three of his victims… as for Lynette…”

“She’s the outlier.”

“Precisely.”

“Is he the… son of the dean?”

“Yes.” [Y/N] gave everyone a grim nod. “He’s the son of the Dean of Arts and Humanities. His influence and connections within the university must’ve kept Marcel protected. Can’t be caught, if you don’t start an actual investigation, am I right?”

Lyney clicked to the next slide, which outlined their evidence, including patterns of his movement and his online prescience — posts and quotes from Lolita that had, in retrospect, revealed more than anyone realised.

“While I can’t still figure out why he had committed those crimes…” [Y/N] continued. “Lynette is most likely a singular ‘deviation’. It could be him using her to not only taunt us but to show he can be unpredictable.”

“A desire for power is a simple enough explanation, Miss [Y/N].” A deep voice says, getting louder as the person enters from their previous spot, back in the darkness of the unlit room. “I commend you for your findings.”

“Madame… Knave?” [Y/N] murmurs, eyes widening as the woman steps into the light. Her imposing presence seems to command the room, just as it did back when they had first met. Beside her stands a tall figure, whose sharp gaze and police badge immediately signal their purpose.

The Knave’s eyes sweep over the room, lingering slightly as they pass her protégé before she gives a polite nod. “Good evening, everyone. I apologise for my late arrival, yet it seems I came just in time.” Her voice is smooth, yet steely, carrying a weight that silences any lingering doubt in the air.

The officer beside her adjusts his badge. “I have been briefed on the situation,” he says, looking directly and [Y/N] and Lyney. “Thanks to your compiled evidence, and some swift verification, it is enough to warrant immediate investigation. We have gathered court permission to enter his house tomorrow at the earliest.”

Charlotte lets out a small light, crossing her arms. “It’s actually happening. We’re finally going to rescue the victims.”

Knave meets her gaze with a small nod. “That would be correct, Ms. Charlotte. With your combined efforts, we now have the leverage to proceed cautiously but decisively.” She looks again to [Y/N]. “The presentation was thorough. The shadows you were once treading are no more — this is concrete evidence.”

[Y/N] feels a surge of relief mixed with apprehension. This was it. After all the sleepless nights, carefully digging and gathering information, they had finally brought Marcel into the light. But as she looked around, she could see similar apprehension in the eyes of her friends.

“So… what happens next?” Furina asks softly, her trembling voice breaking the silence. While she didn’t look at the slides directly, the conversation between her friends told her directly who was behind everything. It’s maddening… how sick in the head Marcel truly is.

“It all depends on how long it takes to find out the place where the kidnapped women are.” The officer looks at each of them in turn. “But rest assured, his days of preying on anyone are over.”

“Except,” Wriothesley interrupts. “We are aware of where they are, as well as crucial information about said location.”

Wriothesley’s presentation is much shorter. Over the past few days, he had managed to pinpoint all points of entry as well as note all camera locations — the latter done before the knowledge of having a court order. Surprisingly, the vacation house near Mary-Ann’s National Park is nowhere near as small as they predicted initially. Not to mention it having been built on top of unsuitable ground after all the chaos that had transpired years before.

The officer nods, studying the images. “This does shorten our work. With the knowledge of the building, we can orchestrate an operation that avoids detection. We shall be coordinating with local authorities tonight. The plan is to have a surveillance team in place early tomorrow morning, with the tactical team ready to move as soon as we confirm the victim’s presence.”

“Be sure,” Clorinde perks up. “To have a medical staff available. Heavens know what situation some of the victims are.”

“But of course.”

After this confirmation, the Knave and the officer bid the group farewell. It’s a long night ahead for everybody involved, and starting as soon as possible is highly appreciated.

Furina, still shaken, looks to [Y/N] and Lyney with a spark of courage in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispers, her voice laced with gratitude. “For piecing this all together. For saving Lynette and everyone else. I… I know I should have said this sooner.”

[Y/N] gives her a soft smile, squeezing her friend’s hand. “We all worked together. It wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s support.”

“[Y/N],” Clorinde says, walking up to the girl with Charlotte by her side. “Would you spare us a minute?” The girl in question is chatting with Navia, both excited to hopefully see Lynette as soon as tomorrow.

Out of nowhere, the tension, which has felt light ever since the departure of the Knave and accompanying police officer, is heavy once more. This simple interaction brings not only the girls to a stop… but also the Beverage Gang members.

“Of course.” [Y/N] glances a Navia, who offers a supportive nod, before she turns to face Clorinde and Charlotte. She feels a knot in her stomach, a stark contrast to the relief she had felt moments ago.

Charlotte’s expression is gentle, almost apologetic, while Clorinde maintains her usual composed demeanour, though there’s an unspoken weight in her gaze. “I owe you an apology,” She begins, her voice steady but softer than usual. “For how I treated you… and for not taking your feelings into account.”

Charlotte steps forward, her face sincere. “Even though your methods have been quite radical… You’ve done so much, for all of us. I’m sorry, for petitioning to exclude you too…”

[Y/N] stands there, momentarily taken aback, a rush of emotions flashing through her. She takes a breath, feeling the tension finally start to loosen. “Thank you,” she says quietly, her voice warm. “It means a lot, truly.”

Clorinde nods, a hint of relief crossing her face. “I hope we can move forward, together.”

Before she can respond, Lyney’s hand settles reassuringly on her shoulder, grounding her. “Well…” His tone is uncertain. “You did put this lovely lady into quite a lot of distress. Not to mention, you tried to exclude me too?”

Clorinde stiffens slightly, her gaze flicking to Lyney, who's watching her with a raised brow and a smirk that doesn’t hide his protective stance beside [Y/N].

“Yes, Lyney,” she says, a slight sigh escaping her, “We did exclude you both. And yet, perhaps you were right to push ahead without waiting for us. Your determination has shown us what we couldn’t see in our hesitation.” She looks directly at [Y/N]. “While I cannot support your means of gathering evidence, you have been braver than I gave you credit for.”

Charlotte chimes in, her tone soothing. “Like, I’m not gonna say I’m better than you… But those were some really dangerous methods, you both. Sorry, again.”

Lyney’s expression softens as he looks at the two, his smirk fading to something more genuine. “Apology accepted,” he says with a nod, squeezing [Y/N]’s shoulder once more and pointing at her with his other hand. “This girl has done so fucking much over the past few weeks, I’d be an idiot not to trust her, you know.”

In the dimly lit interior of Neuvillette’s car with Wriothesley behind the wheel, Furina reclines in her back seat, arms crossed as she remarks on that scene on their way back. Her teasing smirk is in place as she raises a brow at Wriothesley, who is focused on the road, but sneaks a quick amused glance her way. “He definitely has a crush on her.”

“Lyney has always been a charmer,” Wriothesley remarks, amusement in his voice. “But I’ll admit, he usually plays it a bit cooler. He’s thrown in his lot with her.”

Furina taps a finger against her chin thoughtfully. “It’s really sweet, the way he rushed in like that. He’s more protective than I had expected.”

“Well,” Neuvillette interrupts. “I think it’s quite expected of Lyney.”

Furina turns her attention to Neuvillette, sitting beside her. “Oh? Do tell, Neuvi. You think Lyney’s… predictable?”

Neuvillette clears his throat, shaking his head. “Not predictable. Just… earnest. Lyney cares deeply for those he considers important, us included. When he decides someone’s worth his trust, he’ll stand by them without hesitation.”

Furina leans back, clearly intrigued. “I know, I know, silly~ Our magician is an open book when you think about it long enough.” She chuckles, but her tone is more appreciative than mocking.

“Then why ask the question?”

“Ugh… annoying. For the plot, perhaps?”

Wriothesley chuckles, nodding to the road ahead. “Let’s leave the theatrics to you and Lyney. But I have to say, I’m curious how this ‘plot’ of theirs unfolds.”

Tomorrow will bring the final act of their hard work — a risky rescue, with everything on the line. But tonight, they can finally take a breath, together.

𝑇𝐴𝐺𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — CLOSED

@state-of-grac3 @santaluna @meigalaxy @romyoia

@meurtreofcrows @charles-braindump @floweringanna @moonjellyfishie @vavrin @lovelypadisarah @dearanemo

@dearanemo @ladylee

date of posting — november 20th 2024

#lavv.writes #lavv.redlines #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact smau #genshin smau #genshin impact fanfiction #genshin fanfiction #lyney x reader #lyney smau

16 notes · View notes