#waiting for her gege to come home

[bloomxng-per4wxnkle]

Okay, why did nobody tell me that we actually see He Xuan's family? As well as his fiancee, Miao..?

They were all so sweet, too...💔

[iceunhie]

latibule.

premise. in which all too many intrusions come in the form of one particular shadow guard. (or, moze always looks to you to patch him up. inexplicably, you let him do so anyway.)

warnings: gn!reader, pining moze but he's too edgy to know, one kimi ni todoke inspired (?) scene, treating injuries, banter (obviously), probably ooc, feixiao cameo, based off of the new quest, kinda mid writing

notes: not proofread i have no excuse i just like him okay???? inspired by @luvether's mozeqiu/reader fic (i love ur works ☹️) ty @lowkeyren for the chinese help!

“You're here again, Moze.”

In the wee hours between 1AM to 3AM, it has become a daily occurence for you to tend to Moze's injuries.

He nods. “I'm here.”

Despite having a perfectly (super) capable healer who attends to even the Lady General personally at her behest, you do not know why Moze always ends up at your window of all things during the ungodly hours of the moon's turn, complete with stupid, easily treatable cuts all across his body.

As General Feixiao's Representative Proxy, such work is not your forte—and rarely do you ever employ your few practiced arts in healing; the result often clumsy and sloppy, just enough to treat the few cuts Moze sports.

Still, it has since become routine to patch Moze up, and despite your insistence that he take care of himself more, the ashy haired man never listens, instead ending up at your home. You wonder if he does this on purpose.

Next time, you think, you're never going to open the windowsill for him again.

You open the windowsill further to let him in. Hypocrite, your mind echoes unhelpfully. Great, you must be losing your mind.

“Got into trouble again, hm?”

His expression tells you that whoever he fought wasn't all that—show-off—internally, you roll your eyes. “...Will you patch me up?”

No, your mind tells you, the words are at the tip of your tongue; you're always sneaking in here at night, and making me go through all this trouble.

(Your actions betray a different tune altogether.)

You don't know when Moze started to make you his personal healer despite Jiaoqiu in the vicinity; a moment of worry led to one thing, and now here you are, Moze's budget Jiaoqiu at home. The thought makes you laugh to yourself. Compared to the foxian, your skills could be described as subpar at best.

(Complaining to your own Lady General was no use. Incredulously, Feixiao believed that it was because—

“You're special.” Feixiao says with a grin. “Is it not obvious that it is because he wishes to see you?”

“What?” Looking at her, your voice is a tired drawl of resignation. “....My Lady, it seems your recent exposure to the Luofu's romance novels have dulled your judgement. Shall I call for Jiaoqiu?”

“Wha- Hey, don't call me senile!” Your Lady General deadpans, “Anyway, I'm telling you, Moze likes you!”)

“Why is it always me?” you grumble under your breath, though it doesn't escape Moze's ears.

It's good that you don't expect an answer; if Moze had to be honest, he doesn't know why he always goes to you either.

“Why wouldn't it be you?” Moze says, not missing a beat.

Your cheeks warm, the heat crawling up your neck from his audacious words. Jeez, he really doesn't know his effect on people, did he?

“...Not to mention, Jiaoqiu is asleep.”

Never mind. “Know the shame.”

“I don't wish to disturb Jiaoqiu as well.”

“Oh, so you see it fit to bother me but don't bother with Jiao-gege?”

“You'll live.” Moze blinks. Frowns. “Wait, did you just call him... gege?”

You raise an eyebrow. “Yes, what about it?”

“Since when were you two so close?”

“Mm, since a certain guard stops by my home at twilight hour?”

“....”

Sighing, your hands are nimble against the bandages, looping the white cloth in your palm and dabbing at the corners of Moze's face, gentle. Up close, his face is all sharp edges and harsh lines. Whether he notices how you gulp when you approach closer, swiping the cloth along his lower lip, he holds his tongue, for fear of disturbing whatever it was, permeating between the two of you like a thick haze, afraid of destroying the peaceful silence.

He watches, instead, as you scrub away the little bit of blood on his cheek.

You're talking; something about him being too reckless, taking care of himself more, yet he finds that he can't catch a word of what you're saying, focusing only on one thing.

Your hands are warm.

Heat creeps up to his neck like coiling vines, twisting his stomach, all because of you. Moze's heart thrums, breath stolen away—you're so close, it's unbearable—and he fights to keep himself even remotely neutral. All because of you.

“Moze?”

What are you doing to him? Why does he always come back to you? Is he sick?

“You're burning up.” You press your hand against his neck; and funnily enough, the thought of leaning into your touch crosses Moze's mind—it's maddening how much he wants to do so.

Blinking once, Moze looks to find you pulling away, and before he can think of it, his fingers wrap around your wrist in an iron grip, carefully maintained distance discarded.

“...?”

“Ah, wait, it's fine— Just—” don't pull away.

What?

Moze coughs. “Just continue.”

The night's breeze flows throughout your home; the chuang kou is wide open, with Moze looking less like General Feixiao's most trusted aide and more akin to an obedient dog. It's humiliation, Moze thinks—but when it was you, his dignity could be in tatters for all he cares.

Your eyes soften, just a bit, “If you say so.”

Inexplicably, relief assaults Moze's senses like a balm to his soul. Because the idea of being perceived, heard—by you—affects him in a dizzying, confounding way, and he knows not how to cure such an ailment whose only cure is your presence.

And maybe, just maybe, it's why he can never stop returning to you. Let you think him a fool, an idiot—so as long as he ends up at your window, by your side, it's a small price to pay.

“Okay.” he affirms, loosening his grip, (never you, though) finally letting you finish patching him up as you plaster what remains of the white bandages upon his face.

Noticeably, he doesn't let go of your hand.

“Okay.” you echo, and finally, you're finished with your work. The sight of Moze all bandaged up perfectly and finally getting to sleep makes you happier than you should be, the prospect of sleep way too enticing.

“There, all done. Take care of yourself better next time, 'kay?”

He hums, “I'll keep that in mind.”

“You sure you will?”

“Yes.” Moze looks at you, and he looks at you like it would be a sin of the greatest kind to take his eyes of off you; holding your presence in his irises, emulating you deeply onto his pupils, his tendons and his limbs. “I will.”

(How could he ever not listen to you?)

You release him, much to Moze's reluctance—opening the closed chuang kou. The night breeze welcomes Moze, kissing his skin, with the colors of the rising sun beginning to rise, vibrancy in the darkness of the inky night.

“...Moze?” you call, in the corner of your eye, seeing him already putting a foot on the rooftop.

“Jeez, if you wanted to see me that much, just tell me instead of going through all this trouble, really....” you mumble, glad that your back is turned from him, lest he sees the heat dusting your cheeks. You know Moze has probably left, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Well, you'll bring it up another time, then. Something tells you he'll listen, this time.

This time, you don't ignore the flutter of the butterflies in your stomach.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(“Jeez, if you wanted to see me that much, just tell me instead of going through all this trouble, really....”

In the darkened corner of shadow, a figure slumps disgracefully with a loud thud. Using a hand to grip the side of the wall, nothing can compare to the burning heat crawling up Moze's skin, positively flushed.

Moze puts a hand to his face, slumping further to a near kneel.

It's warm—just like the ghostly feeling of your hands upon his skin minutes prior.

Maybe he'll take you up on your offer.)

a/n: sorry for the long sporadic activity :,D this is what a chuang kou looks like btw

[honeyydrunk]

reasons for some of the jjk men on why i would and wouldn't fuck them. i think now would be a good time to mention that uh i'm not going to be saying no to anyone. gege akutami knew what would sell.

starting off strong with GOJO SATORU daddy's home home for me i know i've been waiting no lube no protection all night all day any position any location any time no matter what he asks even if it hurts me i'll just endlessly over and over again go towards you.

now WHY would i climb the beanstalk? let's go through the reasons. - he's hot i remember the teacher giving him her number - he's tall bro was planned to be made into a coathanger bc of those japanese genetics defying legs. and you know if he's tall then proportionately..... - he's fast in 299 seconds gojo satoru had slaughtered a train's worth of transfigured humans - his voice "you cryin?" "this is where you're weak right?" it doesn't matter i watched jjk in sub, i went onto youtube and listened to the uploaded audios of the dub

but why i'm not fucking that man until failure 😔 ?! - i'm not geto suguru. i may be delusional but i'm not blind. even kenjaku wasn't able to sway him, and he WAS suguru. - he's too whimsical for my liking. bro would answer a call while midstroke, teleport out, then return like 30 minutes later with souvenirs and go "yeah let's continue!!"

🎀 nanami kento 🎀 to me it's not just sex. i wish to marry someone like him. i'm ridiculously close to manifesting 'a husband like nanami kento'. as someone who let's just say is situated in the finance sector, no one wants that man more than me. it's embarrassing how nanami is like a living cheat code to everything i've ever wanted.

oh for to be a lawyer representing his office firm, occasionally coming in every few months and parading in mini skirts and high heels. acting as if we're only acquaintances during the meeting. and after the deposition we end up in the backseat of his car during his lunch break. seriously hoping no one from the office comes down and decides to check why his car is 'moving' like that. 🎀 why i'm going to give him 'marry me head' 🎀 (this is going to be a long list)

- he's a tall guy in finance. - he's blonde but in a hot way - his technique is finding someone's weak spots. - he's absolutely built - he takes things seriously. bro would take you throughly. - i have a thing for successful men - he pulls hair - he kills curses effortlessly - he's very good at being relaxed while in a fight - island holiday sex - that office attire with the suit does things - when he takes off the tie and wraps it around his hand, he should be wrapping it around my wrists. - he likes bread? i can give him cake - oh his job must be so stressful isn't it such a good thing i'm really good at massages - stability in this economy is like the hottest thing istfg - i've never seen a not HAWT nanami cosplayer (no one try and prove me wrong) - when he's mad it's crazy hot

why i'm sadly not riding that man until he places a ring on my finger in the malaysian sunset? - he wouldn't want a relationship. not because he doesn't desire one, but due to the demanding nature jujutsu sorcery, not only would that drain him out too much to care, but also because he wouldn't want to put his partner through the mental challenges of not knowing whether he'd return alive or death. and the mental challenges it would give his partner if he died. - i'm not 27. he gives me the horrific (for me) vibes that he'd only consider a relationship with someone who he's the same age as. - my japanese skills are really bad that makes communication in a relationship a problem.

🙈 geto suguru 🙈 hes beautiful, getting slightly too close to my type for comfort, but whether i could ignore my grievances with his lifestyle choices is yet to be debated. i have a lot of grievances with that why i would beg him to consider a one night stand w this monkey?!: - tall hot built how many times am i going to have to say tall hot built throughout this post. we KNOW the jjk men are fine. for sex the standard really is just if they're hot. - his hair his soft long black flowing princess hair everyday i thank twice and loona stans for existing. your lesbianism has stolen the scissors away from the hands of men. thank you for your service..

- he's so soft when treating people he likes i like people being nice to me

- i hate the clothes he wears as a cult leader are you pregnant with all those curses you're swallowing? like the way kenjaku definitely didn't swallow. because that outfit looks like villain maternity wear. the only upside is that it makes me even more motivated to get that man OUT of his clothes.

- something about his gentleman type personality with his either cult leader flair or his extreme dedication has me going crazy delusional as with nanami i am weak to men that have corporate expertise. it should scare me the way i cave. like okay i'll bleach my hair white and get blue contacts if that's what it takes to have you. please charm me and make me delusional

- he's hot while killing people aside from financially successful gentlemen, unfortunately i have the horrific ailment of snapping the minute i see a crazy guy with blood on his face that kills people with ease. and that one scene where he DECIMATED that guy and wiped the blood of his cheek ruined me

why i'm staying far FAR FAR FAR away - i may relate to gojo satoru but i'm not him bro isn't touching me. i'm not his blue eyed the strongest bc i'm gojo because i'm the strongest coat hanger overconfident sweet lover hates moral arguments high school bittersweet situationship.

- i actually HATE his moral argument due to the balance of equilibrium and market forces whatever, if jujutsu sorcerers were meant to be the prevailing thingy then they would be so. i could go into more detail but let's just say i couldn't be gojo because how could i be so selfless to let the situationship of my life go to chase a dream he'll never achieve for an argument that's wrong because he feels it to be more important than me. - he's got the megumi potential man effect "worst curse user" R U SRS? be fr. i know he handed tokyo student's asses back to them but i think he's just a heartbroken guy who's a little bad and has a goal or whatever. bro is NOT the worst curse user. - can't figure out if i would mind lobotomied geto or not. but he would definitely be freakier after those backshots he took. - his mouth probably tastes like a rag used to clean shit and vomit - to my knowledge i am not a jujutsu sorcerer

choso !! choso !! choso !! why i would?! OFC I WOULD

- this again at some point saying tall hot and built starts to get too repetitive. but when he pulled his clothing to the side during that fight with yuuji, i was staring for TOO LONG. - i think his blackhead pore strip is cute. - his personality is ridiculously cute. obviously this may sound odd but i think we can gather i'm rather odd. in MY opinion, it's cute. like idk his sincerity in his choices is very cute. - i know i could make him blush so easily.

why i wouldn't.... (unfortunately) - i'm not his brother if there's one thing i know about that man is that he is dedicated to his brothers. he will not hear anything i have to say and simply ignore me for i am not his brother i am a random person. - i don't want to carry on kenjaku's bloodline - family reunions w that man would be ridiculous - the cursed womb paintings 1-3 is a concept i don't wish to partake in

fushiguro toji he's a real one. didn't like his family so he finds himself a cute wife. he's absolutely goated w those skills. his choices with child raising leave me seriously concerned with what might happen after our sexual activities. i mean the minute he realises who megumi was after he resurrected he just went and killed himself. CRAZY. but yeah i'd fuck him - he's built - he's built - he had to make megumi somehow - bros got grey sweatpants and a compression shirt - he has that heavenly pact for physical prowess he should USE IT - lowkey like how the scar looks - he wants to hit core this is one way to do it - he's built - i can tell he would be good in bed call it a 7th sense

why i wouldn't: - he'd steal everything i own while i'm asleep - id have to pay him to fuck me - i am not his original wife, he's not going to want me. - i don't want those crazy zenin clan freaks knowing who i am - do i want him to traumatise my kid when hes revived again? - i don't like gambling addictions

sukuna ryomen.....

would...... - 4 arms - 2 dicks - doesn't he have a tongue on his stomach? - built - king of curses he can be the king of this pussy - i wanna ride him so bad while he sits on that throne of his - ngl whatever that white kimono he wears is hot - his voice - he's lowkey funny - he's hot i'm not even going to bother denying

why i wouldn't: - i'm not megumi - bro would kill me before i ask him if i can suck him off - why would he agree? - if i survived i feel i would be severely looked down upon for this choice of mine

mahito.... (hella ashamed for this not even lying) would: - he's built - he can change his body to anything wouldn't: - he'd kill me and he's not like nanami where death would be worth it for him

@saradika TSYM !! i googled and found the free spacers

next "why i wouldn't and wouldn't" will be the neos the nct boys (however long that takes with HOW MANY? members?)

[daisynik7]

hello it's me again not sure if it's alright to request one more (literally just ignore this if not) and its also not y2k but i'd like to request work song by hozier for nanami especially "no grave can hold my body down, i'd crawl home to her" angst with a happy ending during/post shibuya (no dying please) and reader is also a healer like shoko

thank you so much and congrats again 🫶🏼

Work Song

No grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her

Pairing: Nanami x f!reader

Word Count: ~1.6k

cw: mentions of d*ath, bl*od, burn injuries, canon-divergent, set in the canon-universe during the Shibuya Incident Arc, MAJOR spoilers up to Shibuya Arc, angst, hurt/comfort, established relationship, happy ending

Summary: You’re a healer working with Shoko inside the medical tent at Shibuya Station while Nanami, your boyfriend, is in the line of fire for the battle ahead. After an especially life-threatening attack, Nanami, on the brink, runs into an old friend, who helps guide him back home. 

Author’s Note: @75songs thank you so much for sending in another request for the y2k karaoke party, always appreciate your love and support! I ADORE this song and have honestly always thought it was perfect for Nanami. I am an anime only and am not caught up with season 2 yet, so I didn’t want to read too much into what exactly happens during this arc, so some of the details may be inaccurate, just a heads up. This one got me in my feelings. I will forever hold a grudge against Gege for what they did to Nanami. Anyways, likes, reblogs, and/or comments are always appreciated! Thanks so much for reading! Divider by @/saradika.

October 31st. Maybe in another timeline, another reality, you and Nanami would be celebrating Halloween tonight, passing colorful candies and decadent chocolates to kids going door-to-door across the neighborhood. You’d force him to dress up in a silly costume, one that matches yours, despite his reluctance at first. Deep down, you know he likes this; domestic bliss, especially with you. The idea that the two of you could live a peaceful life together, away from the dangerous world of curses and Jujutsu sorcery. You discuss it constantly, dream about it, strive for it. A few more years, he says, and he’ll retire. There’s still more work to be done, people to be saved. 

You’re inside the medical tent beside Shoko, helping her set up the cots, anticipating injured sorcerers to arrive soon with the battle underway. Masamichi Yaga, Jujutsu High’s principal, stands guard outside, determined to keep the medical team, especially Shoko, safe from any posing threats. There’s no way to know what’s happening until people start arriving, in need of medical attention. You’re a healer too, but not nearly as skilled as Shoko, your mentor. Still, she encourages you to join them tonight, needing all the help they can get. 

“Are you feeling okay?” she asks, setting up the last bed. Observant as ever, she notices your quiet demeanor.

You nod, giving her a weak, unconvincing smile. “Yeah.”

“Nanami is going to be fine,” she assures you, sensing the root of your anxiety. “When this is all done, the two of you should take a vacation together.”

Relaxing a bit, you reply, “We already have our trip to Malaysia planned in a few months.”

She smiles kindly. “There you go. Something to look forward to.”

Her words ease some of the tension, but there’s dread settling in the pit of your stomach, and it won’t go away until you see Nanami again in one piece. 

The waiting game finally ends as soon as the first wounded sorcerer shows up in the tent, initiating nonstop chaos. You assist Shoko diligently, making sure everything is prepared for her to perform her Reverse Cursed Technique for those who need it, and patching up those who don’t, with less severe injuries. You’re constantly on the lookout to see a familiar face, trying to get an update on what’s happening out there. None comes, until you see Kiyotaka Ijichi limping towards the entrance, blood spread across his shirt. You and Shoko rush towards him, carrying him over your shoulders, leading him to an empty cot, gently laying him down. 

Shoko, showing panic on her face for the first time all night, inspects him carefully. “Ijichi, can you hear me?” She’s always had a soft spot for him, often telling you how endearing she finds him, always a nervous wreck in front of her. Seeing him like this is surely jarring, even for her, who’s as tough as nails. 

He nods weakly, mumbling something incoherent, blood sputtering from his mouth. You remove the shattered glasses from his eyes, wiping his lips with gauze. Shoko starts to work on him, directing you to check on the other patients. Before you can follow orders, you feel his weak grip on your wrist. You turn to face him, focused on his lips as he quietly utters, “Nanami.”

Your ears perk up at the mention of your boyfriend’s name, leaning in closer to hear the rest of what he has to say, taking his time through labored breaths. “He…saved…me…” 

You do your best to keep your composure, nodding at him silently, blinking away the tears welling in your eyes. Unsure how to respond, you leave them, going to the other side of the tent to check on the remaining sorcerers. 

With everyone else in stable condition, you take a minute outside the tent to sob into your hands, praying that Nanami is still alive. Unaware of your surroundings, you’re startled when Yaga approaches, his large figure sitting beside you. “You alright?”

You wipe away your sniffles on your sleeve. “Just…nervous.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, sighing. “Yeah, I get it. But Nanami is one of our strongest sorcerers. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Again, more words of comfort, but not enough to ease the nervous flutter in your belly. Yaga recognizes this and adds, “Nanami would fight through the fires of hell instead of letting himself die. Not because he wants to live for himself. But because he wants to live for you.”

You face him now, processing his statement. He chuckles, lifting his sunglasses to meet your gaze. “That man has never been so smitten in his life. He’d crawl out his grave just to be with you, I guarantee it.”

~~~

The last thing Nanami remembers is desperately wishing he was in Malaysia with you instead of at Shibuya Station right now. He wakes up, sitting in one of the seats on the platform. It’s eerily quiet with no one in sight. The distinct sounds of trains on the rails or the hustle and bustle of people moving along is strangely absent, and it occurs to Nanami that this may be a dream. 

He's sure of it when he feels a nudge to his side, turning to face Yu Haibara sitting next to him. There’s a warm smile on his boyish face, dressed in his Jujutsu High uniform, exactly as he was many years ago when Nanami last saw him, alive and well. The same bright, earnest eyes he remembers vividly of his best friend. He swallows hard, an uneasy feeling surrounding him. Is he seeing a ghost? Or is this the afterlife?

Haibara laughs, and Nanami is snapped out of his reverie and taken immediately back to 2006, when he first met his friend during orientation. He can’t help but grin, happy to see him still so lively. “Well, aren’t you going to greet your old friend, Nanami?”

Nanami does, hugging him, astonished to feel him in his arms almost like a real person. Almost. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came to visit you, that’s all.”

Nanami lets him go, studying him carefully, looking for any signs of decay. When he spots none, he asks him, “Am I dead?”

Haibara shakes his head. “Not quite. But you’re pretty damn close.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. So you better hurry and get home quick.” Haibara points towards the railings, now illuminated at one end by a blinding flash of light. “Yuji’s waiting for you.”

“Itadori? How do you know – “

Haibara then says your name with a big smile. “Yeah, I know her too. They’re all waiting for you, Nanami. You don’t want to keep them waiting any longer, do you?”

It takes a while for Nanami to get up, and when he does, he’s off balance, legs wobbly, body unsteady. Haibara helps him, offering his shoulder, the two of them walking slowly towards the light. “I really like her, you know. Your girlfriend.”

“You do?” Nanami asks, hobbling beside him. 

“Yeah. She’s really nice, really pretty, and she eats a lot, especially with you,” he chuckles. “You know how much I like that.”

“Yeah I do.”

“And I’m a good judge of character, so I think she’s perfect for you. If that means anything,” he says, proudly.

“It does. It means a lot.” They’re near the edge of the platform now and Nanami will have to hop down to reach the end of the tunnel. 

“Are you going to marry her soon?” Haibara asks, pausing just before the edge. 

Nanami nods, grinning. “I’m planning to propose during our vacation in Malaysia.” 

“Good. Good.”

He’s tempted to stay longer, wanting a few more moments with his friend, but he knows that time is ticking. He hugs him again, squeezing him tight. “Take care, Haibara.”

“You too, Nanami. I’ll be looking out for you.”

His chest constricts, jumping off the platform, landing roughly on the railings, blinking away the tears in his eyes. It’s sweltering now, the light emitting an intense heat from within. He gives Haibara one last glance, cherishing the happy expression on his face as he waves goodbye to him before walking into the light.

Seconds later, Nanami wakes up with a gasp of breath, vision blurred, a droning pounding beating against his ear drums. It soon fades and only Yuji’s panicked voice yelling from behind him is heard. He’s being dragged by the armpits, away from the battle. Smoke radiates from his entire form, and he can barely move. In fact, he can barely feel anything at all. 

They reach the medical tent, Itadori yelling for help the whole way. Yaga is the first to reach them, his usual calm demeanor wavering at the sight of Nanami, body half-burned from the explosion. They carrying him delicately inside, resting him on the only empty cot left. He wants to close his eyes; he’s so exhausted, and sleep is the only thing to bring him peace right now. That, or you. 

As if his prayers were heard, you appear at his side, truly a vision, even while you sob for him, holding his mangled hand in yours, begging for him to stay with you. He can die happy now, seeing your face, knowing that you’re here, alive, heart beating, surviving. Can he do the same? Can he survive this? All he knows is that he’s trying with every fiber he has left in his being. He won’t leave you, not like this. Not without experiencing life on the outside with you. 

It’s in this moment that he vows to endure. Even if he has to crawl out of his grave to do it, he’s determined to be with you again. 

~~~ 

November 1st. Maybe in another timeline, another reality, Nanami is gone. Not in this one, though. Instead, you sit beside him, healed and in one piece thanks to Shoko, fingers laced with his, careful not to squeeze too tightly. Yuji and Ino are at his other side, talking animatedly about how amazing Nanami was the entire fight, and all he can do is lay there, smiling. Happy to be alive. Happy to be with you. 

[deathshallbethelastenemy]

baby, you're the life of the party (5)

TEEN!gojo x FEM!reader (soulmate AU)

It's his birthday and he's acting spoiled

TW⚠️: slightly suggestive, gojo is being gojo, slight manipulation (if you squint), and improper use of curse technique amplification: blue

a/n: im gonna go all the way up! stop hiding!!!!! you hiding forever!!! GEGE when I catch you gege‼️gege when I catch you gege‼️ this has not been proofread

1. what you see, i see

2. where you go, i go

3. you know i adore you

4. i'm crazier for you

To say she was intimidated was an understatement. Satoru had decided that his birthday would be held at his family estate. He had only given her an address when he skipped off grinning ear to ear. Gojo Satoru's family estate was huge. Bigger than she could've ever imagined - huge.

She gripped the present bag a little tighter. She had visited every sweet shop to track down his favorite sweets and went to the video game shop so early in the morning for the new digimon game. He had incessantly been talking about it and it was clear he wanted someone to buy it for him.

Nothing she bought was grand. Nothing she bought would compare to everything he already has.

She wasn't good enough. How could she ever be good enough? He was a powerful sorcerer, who struck fear into every curse he so much as glanced at and he was paired with someone like her? It didn't make any sense. In what way were they equals?

She sucked in a breath as her finger hovered over the doorbell. Maybe, she should go home and change into something nicer?

The gate was pulled open. A fluff of white hair attacked her at the entrance.

"Yay!"

Satoru rushed at her with the biggest grin on his face as he embraced her and spun gleefully with her in his arms.

She flung her arms around his neck and giggled, "Happy birthday, 'toru."

She rested her hands on his shoulders when he finally stopped spinning her around and showed off the present bag to him.

Satoru's grin widened as he snatched the present from her hand and swiftly picked her up in his arms again with his birthday present dangling from his fingers. He was practically skipping his way through the estate and ignored the odd looks he got from anyone who looked their way, he kicked his room's door open.

She thought he would open his present first, but no, he was showering her with kisses on her cheeks and neck instead.

She really shouldn't have kissed the corner of his lips. He was already a hot burning fire who would leap at any chance to kiss her and usually she wouldn't encourage it, but it was his birthday - how could she not give at least one kiss.

In her defense, she didn't know she would end up like this - underneath him on his bed as he peppered kisses all over her face and her present sitting prettily forgotten on a nightstand.

"Sa- Satoru," she whispered breathlessly, "what if someone comes in?"

"They'll knock," his lips latched on to her neck.

She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning.

Satoru squeezed her hips.

"You haven't," she tugged on his shirt, "you haven't opened your present."

Satoru smirked, "I'm opening it right now."

His lips trailed up from her neck back to her face as he assaulted her with kisses again.

She giggled, "Satoru!" She gently pushed at his face, "Stop! I should be the one showering you with kisses today."

He grinned, his eyes sparkling with joy behind his glasses. He rolled off of her and leaned his cheek on his hand, "Go on then."

She gently cupped his cheek and softly rubbed her thumb on his soft skin. He leaned against her palm with a hum as his arms moved to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She pushed his glasses up from his face so she could see his brilliant blue eyes.

Satoru was beautiful. So beautiful.

"I'm waiting," He sang.

She placed a light kiss on his cheek, "How rude," a kiss on his forehead, "of me," a lighter much gentler kiss on his eyelids - his eyes were sensitive after all, "to keep," a kiss on his nose, "my birthday boy," then she grazed her lips against his, "waiting."

Satoru leaned in, but she leaned away from his lips with a smirk dancing on hers.

He absentmindedly chased her, his gaze fixated on her mouth, he whined, "Waiting for months and months and months."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "I think I've kept you waiting long enough," she ran her fingers through his soft hair, "no?"

"Most definitely."

A sharp tug pulled her into him and crashed their lips together. The pulling sensation stopped as soon as their lips touched and all she could focus on, was on how soft Satoru's lips were on hers. Everything was so plush and warm and soft, even after months of waiting and Satoru being more than a little eager, he was still holding and kissing her so gently. The initial roughness was gone, replaced with heaven.

He was heaven.

Why did she wait so long to finally kiss him? Why did she wait at all that night? Or in the morning, when he was still bloody and he had leaned in to kiss her before he left, why did she stop him then?

They were soulmates. This was always going to happen. The universe would've thrusted them together one way or another, even if she had carried on with her plan to leave Japan and go to school abroad. An invisible string would've always tied her back to him - drawing her to him and him to her.

They were magnetic.

They were inevitable.

They parted and gasped for air. For a split moment her eyes were closed, she could see herself through his gaze - rosy cheeks and smiling, before she opened her eyes to look at him mirroring her expression.

Delighted, she leaned in to kiss him again, but Satoru leaned back, "I'm your boyfriend now, right?" He rubbed their noses together playfully, "For real, real?"

She moved to cup his cheeks with both of her hands, "Always were, 'toru."

Another harsh pull overcame her body as she was pulled impossibly closer to him - Blue, she realized, he was using blue.

She pecked his lips and giggled, "I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to use your curse technique."

Satoru deepened their kiss, "Just making sure, my girl stays near me today." He smiled against her lips, "I get to since it's my birthday and all."

"Don't spoil him too much," someone said at the door, "otherwise, he'll never leave you alone."

They both turned flushed red to see Suguru, with a soft smile on his face, standing at the doorway.

Shoko peeked her head out of Suguru's side, "Are you done?"

Satoru grinned, teeth and all, "Guess who's finally a taken man?"

Suguru and Shoko exchanged a look, "He's definitely never going to shut up about it."

"Definitely." Suguru nodded, "It's no wonder the universe gave him a soulmate, who else would be able to put up with him."

Shoko tilted her head at the girl resting her head on Satoru's shoulder, "You should leave while you still can."

Satoru let out a loud whine, but his soulmate stopped him with a chaste kiss on his cheek, "I would never leave 'toru."

He looked at his friends accusingly, "Yeah!"

They gave themselves another annoyed look - only she could tolerate him.

Suguru shrugged, "At least, I don't have to hear him whine about how he's not your boyfriend yet, and how he wants to kiss you so bad - "

A pillow smacked him right in the head.

Shoko laughed.

Satoru hugged his soulmate closer to him as she playfully smacked his arm, she said, "Satoru!"

Next thing she knew, both boys were on the floor fighting and just as Suguru was going to land a lunch on Satoru's face, his fist rebounded off an invisible wall. Satoru smirked as he extended his infinity to push Suguru off of him and tried to land a punch of his own, but Suguru was quick to react as he summoned a curse to take the brunt of the hit.

Shoko sighed as ______ grumbled at the sight of both of them fighting.

"You can't hit me!" Satoru yelled, "It's my birthday!"

"Like I care!" Suguru shot a curse at him.

Shoko grabbed ______ hand to lead her out of the room and shouted out, "We'll see you both there!"

"Wait - !" A loud smack, "Ow!"

She raised an eyebrow at Shoko, "I thought we were spending his birthday here?"

Shoko shook her head and smirked, "Nah, Gojo just wanted to get you here alone." She whipped out a cigarette from her pocket, "Geto and I crashed. You should've heard the way he was planning this whole week. It was sort of pathetic."

"A plan?"

Shoko hummed, "Mhm," she playfully mimicked Satoru's voice, "Operation: Love Quest!"

Satoru shouted from the door, his eyes shining with betrayal, "Shoko, you promised!"

Suguru laughed beside him and joined in as him and Shoko chanted, "Operation: Love Quest! Operation: Love Quest!"

She couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling out of her, even as Satoru grumbled and pouted like a child the entire day. It wasn't until he was satisfied with the amount of sweets everyone bought him that he stopped jutting out his lower lip.

He was all smiles then, especially when Shoko and Suguru retired for the day and it was just the two of them.

Satoru was quick to kiss her. Rougher than the first time, but still savoring every second their lips were together.

She giggled into the kiss, "Operation: Love Quest?"

This time there was no hint of embarrassment in his face as Satoru smugly smirked, "Well, it worked, didn't it?"

She hummed pleasantly and tugged on his neck to kiss him, "Come on, I got one more present for you."

The bakery wasn't from where they were as they quickly made their way through the crowd of people and walked inside the bakery.

The seats were hung up on the tables and most of the lights were off, but she made her way to the kitchen with ease. She pushed the kitchen doors open to reveal a beautifully adorned baby blue cake and in elegant iced letters: Happy Birthday Satoru.

Geto: you think he's dead???

Part 6: something's made your eyes go cold

Gojo: *in a sugar coma back in his dorm room*

Shoko: probably

@phoenix666stuff @96jnie @mr-underhills-things @whatamidoing89 @wbad-world @ancientimes @whippedbyikemen @sammyiguess (can't find you sorry) @pumpkindudeishere @witchofthecoffee @arminswifee (another one that cannot be tagged sorry) @weebotaku21 (another one I do not understand why) @nevermoresworld @jjk97091 (cannot tag you sorry) @toshirolovebot @marblesphere @sabo-has-my-heart @laurenzitaa

[sleepynoons]

shoko x f!reader, sfw

cw: mentioned gojo x geto, smoking

notes: first time writing for a female character! though it's an ambiguous relationship... (the crowd boos) in my defense, i love tragic yuri. potentially a projection of my own struggles + confusion with my queer identity. i guess we'll never know! :D anyway, gege akutami, i can confidently say, you FUMBLED THE FUCKING BAG with ieiri shoko. give my hot doctor queen some screentime - you have 5 chapters to do something. Do something about it.

SHOKO WATCHES as ash falls from the butt of her cigarette, which she taps with quick raps of her pointer finger. she’s surprised she’s remembered to put it out at all. you made a big fuss about it when you came home later than she had one evening and caught her smoking indoors. she rolls her eyes and takes one last puff, thinking back to when the two of you had just become roommates.

you used to be the primary doctor over at kyoto jujutsu high but had quit after a short two-year run because you were overworked and exhausted. the two of you met up for drinks right after you quit (you literally called her and utahime up twelve hours after submitting your letter of resignation), and she mentioned briefly that her home was always a mess. you suggested the idea of living together, and she didn’t have a reason to reject your offer. 

anyway, you’ve become a bigger pain in the ass than she had anticipated. yes, you’re a big help when it comes to chores, but you’re also so insistent when it comes to her lifestyle. not that she bothers to listen to you, but you frequently nag about her smoking, drinking, lack of eating, so on and so forth. 

in fact, you’ve taken it upon yourself to take care of her, as if she’s a dying house plant that you’re nurturing back to life. you pack her two bentos every work day, one for lunch and the other for dinner, the meals never identical. you replenished her bare wardrobe with new turtlenecks and work pants because she’s “not steve jobs,” and it’s not like she has an excuse to wear the same thing every day now that you’re doing the laundry and ironing. this is all to say that you’re too involved, too knowledgeable about her mode of operations, for her liking. 

throwing the cigarette onto the floor, she extinguishes it with her foot and heads into your shared apartment. 

not even two steps into the foyer, she hears you call from the couch, “the bath’s ready!”

shoko shrugs her shoulder bag onto the floor next to her heels and pads over to you. “why are you still up?” she asks.

you peel your eyes away from your phone to smile at her. “i was waiting for you,” you reply, a smirk tugging at your lips. 

she heads to the bathroom and says, “go to bed.” you just giggle in response.

in the bathroom, shoko shimmies out of her clothes, brushes her teeth while avoiding her reflection in the mirror, and grabs a towel. when she sinks into the bath, she realizes you’ve added a few drops of jasmine and ylang ylang to the water to help her decompress. somehow, you’ve even managed to figure out her favorite aromatics.

your relationship is peculiar, to say the least. roommates but more. not lovers, of course.

shoko’s long distanced herself from such relationships. she barely has an interest in making friends, let alone find a lifelong partner. yet, upon some introspection, she finds her own behavior and attitude towards you… odd. you bother her, but she hasn’t put a stop to it like she normally does with others. she’s not tired or bored of long conversations with you. even though she’d like it if you gave her some more space and privacy, she doesn’t prevent you from learning more about her.

it’s not that she’s unguarded; she has deliberately lowered her guard around you.

she sinks deeper into the bath, blowing bubbles in the water as she thinks.

she doesn’t love you. (what does being in love even feel like?)

she does like having you around.

ten more minutes of half-conscious musing later, she gets out of the bath and prepares for bed. when she exits from the bathroom, she finds you still sitting on the couch, doom scrolling and humming an inane tune. but this time, she also smells the familiar scent of smoke and bitterness.

she glances at the living room table and spots a small dish. you’re smoking, she realizes.

“i thought you didn’t approve of smoking indoors,” she says.

you look over your shoulder and chuckle. “i’m trying to see what all the hype is. smoking really isn’t all that, you know, shoko?”

your roommate walks over to sit beside you. “you’ve never smoked before?” she asks.

you shrug. “no, i have, when we were much younger. but i remember choking on my first time, so i never bothered to try again.”

“so what made you try this time?”

“you.” you say it so effortlessly. then, you beam at her before scrolling to another video on your phone.

shoko is unsure how to react, so she just leans her head on your shoulder. does she have that much of an influence on you? probably not. it’s common for people to pick up on mannerisms and habits of those around them.

she recalls her high school days with gojo and geto. those two were undeniably close, and they frequently behaved like one another. when she caught wind of the nature of their relationship, it all seemed to make sense – they looked and acted exactly like a couple should.

she wonders if the two of you are anything like her classmates. do you share the same sense of humor? do you have your own language – your own catchphrases and inside jokes and syntax? do you enjoy being around her? does she know you the way you know her?

does she want to know you?

she’s feeling a slight pinch in her temple. she’s not in a rush to figure things out.

shoko reaches across you to take the cigarette from your grasp, acutely aware that she’s taking a breath from where your lips were just moments ago.

“i want something savory tomorrow,” she says.

you nod your head. “i know.”

of course you already know she hates sweet things. she puts out the cigarette.

[mononijikayu]

saboten record ━ nanami kento.

A moment like this with the love of his life let him feel like he wasn’t Nanami Kento, the jujutsu sorcerer. In this space, he was just a man who was so deeply in love with the woman in his arms. He was only a man who lived with what happiness came into his life and around his arms, as he twirls her, the laughter booming is the music he hears instead. This is happiness to him. This is what home is like. He would never trade this life for anything. This is a paradise he never wants to leave.

GENRE: Alternate Universe - Canon Convergence;

WARNING/s: Gen, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Husband and Wife, Friendship, Husband! Nanami, Reader! Wife, Fluff, Drama, Comfort, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fix-It, Humor, Domesticity, Family Life, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Idiots In Love, Light-Hearted, Slice of Life, Pining, Nanami Being A Great Husband;

WORDS: 1.7k words.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: this song suits nanami so well, i feel like gege hit with this. like he peaked with choosing fujifabric as nanami's favorite band.

main masterlist

what a wonderful world masterlist

saboten record | let's fall in love for the night

IT WAS ALWAYS A SURPRISE WHENEVER HE CAME HOME. He never truly liked anything that was unpredictable, it was often too much of a headache. But it wasn’t with her. Instead, with her, it was always quite a natural nature. And he loved it. In all his time in danger with the nature of his work, Kento looked forward to coming home all the time. Come and drink a good beer on the couch. To come and catch up on the television shows he watches after. But most importantly, to have dinner on time with the love of his life.

It irritated him when he always comes home late because of the constant happenings of work going on longer than he would have liked. But she had never reproached him for it. She understood the nature of his work more than anything was harsh and cruel, but also dangerous. If he takes longer in order to be careful and come home safe, as she says, then waiting for him to come home will not be a problem. As long as he comes home at the end of the day, that is all she can care about.

When she had said that, his love for his wife blossomed even more than what was possible. Kento had wondered what he had done to be this happy, to be this lucky to have a woman who has constantly been there to support his change of roles from a salaryman to a jujutsu sorcerer. Though she did not know wholeheartedly the world her husband lives in, she willingly gave her support to him. In the days when he could not sleep from the nightmares of his past to the days of bringing him and Gojo lunch packs when the reports that they wrote would take longer in Jujutsu High.

Nanami Kento knew that he had won the lottery of life in this way already and even now, there was no doubt in his head that this was the best way to end his day. Upon opening the door to their home, he could hear Fujifabric playing loudly across their home. He walked slightly, leaning by the wall that separated the entrance hall to the rest of the house, and smiled at the sight of her.

There was no way for him to describe the feeling of seeing the love of his life dancing all around the kitchen as she prepared their meal for the night, the music playing so loudly in the space that was home that perhaps she did not hear door open. His heartbeat loudly against his chest at the sight, the sight of her smiling swaying lively as she cut vegetables. He didn’t have the heart to call to her that he had come home, coming to watch her dance along to the rhythm of the lively song. In a way, he can think that this song was just as lively as her.

He closed the door carefully, not wanting to disturb her lively performance. It was a far cry from what he had just witness half an hour ago from his day-to-day, where the darkness swallowed up much of what was too good. He sighed, loosening his tie and subsequently removing his googles, leaving it at the small counter of the shoe rack. Settling his work shoes away in the shoe rack and taking his newly washed house slippers, he stood and followed the bright light of the kitchen.

The scent of wonderfully prepared roast pork was calling him and his stomach over. There was a relief to be home once more, to smell the passion that came from her devoted cooking and the bright vibrant energy that could only come from her unique existence. It was what he thinks is the best for him in this life.

“You’re never this quiet unless its a tough day at work.” She says to him, seeing him just staring at her. She knew him too well. Kento sighed, nodding and wrapping his arms around her. She smiled, turning her head and placing a kiss upon his cheek. “Welcome home darling. You did well today.”

“You over-optimize the idea of me working well today.”

“But I know you did.” She continues to cut her vegetables. “You never have half-assed anything, darling.”

“That’s not true.” He whispers to her, resting his head upon her shoulders. “I do some things half-heartedly too.”

She laughs, setting aside scarlet-colored cabbage. “Whatever you say, darling.”

He sighs, letting his arms forfeit his hold on her, and settled beside her, looking over the vegetables she had chopped already and the resting roasted beef in a tray rack. “What are you making?”

“I would have thought you would already recognize your favorite Danish dish.”

Kento’s eyes lit up in recognition. She could see the fondness in his eyes. The eyes she had so dearly loved. “You’re making Smørrebrød?”

“You talked in your sleep about how you missed freshly baked Danish bread and I should bake some but then I thought maybe Smørrebrød would make you happier than just the bread-”

He leans towards her, using his height as an advantage and placing a kiss upon the crown of her head. She looks up to him and sees the warm loving smile that only she could see. She could feel her heart melting at the sight. His hand went toward her cheek, fingers rubbing against her soft cheeks. “You’re talking too much again.”

Her flustered look was one of the treasures he was able to behold. It had been years now, but he could help but still be so in awe with the way her brows raise slightly or how her beautiful orbs dilate. Or the way her cheeks immediately become red when he points out something to her. Kento felt thankful in a way that he was the only one who can only see her this way now. No one else can see his wife like this. Only he can.

“I like that a lot about you, my love.” He whispers to her, placing another kiss upon her neck. Her body felt like melting at his lower voice, but felt her heart race even faster when he intimately kissed her neck. “How lucky was I to have met such a lovely person like you?”

“I think I should be saying that.” She says, admiring his warmth near her. At this moment, she thinks - is where she wants to stay forever. “I’m so lucky to have you, my darling.”

The two of them started to hear the next song that was coming to play, which made her look at her husband with a small smile. He looks at her, seeing a little bit of mischief in the corner of her wanderlust eyes.

“Let’s dance to this one, this is your favorite song!” She pulls her hand onto his, dragging her husband across the room and into the wide space separating the dining table and the kitchen counter. Kento sighed, but he did have the heart to deny his energetic and bubbly wife. He smiled at her softly and took his other hand onto her waist.

She giggled loudly as he spun her around, their feet randomly dancing imperfectly under the bright light of their home. It reminded him of when he first met her, randomly at a Danish music festival when he had visited family back in Denmark years before. It was just like this, with her taking his hand carefully just to get him off his chair and dancing with her with a bright smile shining against his own lonesome figure.

A moment like this with the love of his life let him feel like he wasn’t Nanami Kento, the jujutsu sorcerer. In this space, he was just a man who was so deeply in love with the woman in his arms. He was only a man who lived with what happiness came into his life and around his arms, as he twirls her, the laughter booming is the music he hears instead. This is happiness to him. This is what home is like. He would never trade this life for anything. This is a paradise he never wants to leave.

The loud sound of the oven interrupted the two of them, which caused panic on his wife’s face as she scrambled out of his arms and grabbed the oven gloves on the side, squealing and grumbling in a panic about how she probably burned the dark rye bread cause she got carried away dancing.

Nanami Kento smiled widely, knowing that tomorrow would be another day. Another day where he has to face the uncertainty of perhaps not coming back to this home they had bult between them. A tomorrow where he could no longer dance to Fujifabric with his love in the middle of the kitchen. But he knew that it was his job still, even if he hated it.

But he promised himself, one of these days. It would be the last time. He will finish his work and return to her and they can go traveling, maybe to Malaysia for a tropical getaway with just the two of them. She always loved the sea, the sunny days where they could just enjoy the warmth together.

“Why are you smiling like that?” She asked him, looking at him as she placed the dark rye bread aside to cool.

“We’re going to Malaysia for our next vacation.”

Her eyes gleamed shining at him. Wrapping her arms around him, kissing his cheek. “Really? We’ve talked about it a lot but work…..”

He smiles down at her, fixing her hair. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll wrap it all up and we can go. I promise.”

“Well, it’s decided!” She hugged him even tighter, laughing. “You’ve never broken your promises. I trust you, darling.”

“I love you very much.” He whispers to her, hugging her in return. “I hope you know that.”

“I do.” She says to him with so much affection. “I love you too, my darling. Always.”

Always…..he liked the sound of that. He parted his body from her as she went towards the kitchen counter and busied herself with preparing the dish in individual plates. He took a deep breath, looking up the ceiling. A few more loose ends…..only a little bit more and he can finish with all of this. He can go and have that vacation with his love.

‘Shibuya….huh….’

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Li Zeyan’s Metropolis Date (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 都会之约, that is yet to be released on the global server! ♡

[Translation under the cut]

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

【Subbed Video】

──────────

【Important Notes】 

some of you might already know this, especially those of you who follow my translations, but still gonna explain since it’s the pivotal point of this date 🤭

The term “哥哥” (gēge) literally translates to “elder brother”, you might be more familiar with the Korean or Japanese alternatives of this term (oppa/ onii-chan). if not used to address your own elder brother, you wouldn’t dare to use it with just anyone – so, when a Chinese girl addresses a boy as her “gege”, she’d use it to address sb she has a very close/ intimate relationship with, address her boyfriend, or take the leap and address a guy she has a crush on to be cutesy LOL. which is why the use of “gege” in this date is so multifaceted — the term which was initially used as a courtesy becomes a “barrier” in fear of being “friend-zoned”, but makes come back in the parts when used by MC’s friends to tease her or when MC hesitates to address him as “gege” in private b/c of the crush connotation haha.

✦ the use of “gege” with the connotation of boyfriend/ crush prevails in the canon verse too, MC used to address Li Zeyan by this term when they were little and after the first comeback, we’ve had MC use this term many times in the past years: ♡

setting and timeline:

the present day story takes place in New York, around 1925/27, and before the great depression (1929).

──────────────────────────────────────────────────

【Chapter 1】 

Hubbubs of laughter intermittently resonate from the stretch convertible as it glides through the night, weaving through the distant and nearby lights before coming to a halt in the front courtyard of the mansion.

Myself and a few female friends of mine, slightly tipsy and carrying a faint scent of alcohol, support the ornate headpieces wobbling on our heads as we step down from the car, laughing and playfully nudging one another.

Female Friend: Can you believe Jennifer actually invited that actor! Seriously, when our eyes met, I was practically drowning in those eyes; I didn’t even hear a word he said…

Thinking back to that man whose words were dripped with flattery, I lazily let out a yawn.

MC: Enough, Louise. Perhaps your brain is just filtering out those unpleasant bits of news, you know?

MC: He should thank his lucky stars for starring in a silent movie; otherwise, no one would buy into his performance.

MC: If it weren’t for Jennifer, the editor-in-chief, insisting, I wouldn’t even want to mention his name in the article chronicling tonight’s nightlife… it’s just a waste of space for another line.

Amidst the laughter of the girls, I suddenly seem to feel a certain gaze on me. I stop talking and turn my eyes in the direction of home. Sure enough, I spot a familiar figure.

With one hand resting on the marble railing of the terrace, Li Zeyan looks in my direction, his eyes lowered. The light outlines his physique, carving out a slender silhouette.

Through the thick darkness of the night, those somber eyes lock with mine for a moment. Then, he turns and walks into the villa.

Female Friend: Would you look at that, your old-fashioned gege is still awake at this hour… Could he be waiting for you?

I receive a teasing elbow nudge from my friend, but I offer no retort.

“Old-fashioned.” That term does seem to match him quite well.

In this era where there is never any shortage of merrymaking, he rarely makes appearances at gatherings like banquets and social clubs.

Tonight, before heading out, I asked him if he would like to accompany me, and unsurprisingly, I was met with a rejection.

—

───── [FLASHBACK STARTS] ─────

LZY: No, I have no intention of attending.

LZY: It’s not that I have any other rendezvous to make an appearance at, but I do have more pressing matters to take care of.

LZY: You go ahead, but don’t stay out too late.

───── [FLASHBACK ENDS] ─────

—

Perhaps he does have something else he’s really eager to pursue, or perhaps he simply wants to steer clear of certain people… who knows?

Reflecting on the unexplained decrease in our interactions since becoming adults, a hint of melancholy suddenly settles into my heart. I press my lips together, incline my head, and speak nonchalantly as if unaffected.

MC: [blushing]  It isn’t something worth caring about, is it? Anyway, he’s not my “real gege”...

──────────

Creak—

The sound of the gate slowly being pushed open rings out in my ears. I turn my head and see Li Zeyan behind the door, quietly arching an eyebrow. Undoubtedly, he has heard what I just said.

A flicker of guilt passes through me. Aware of my companions’ fixed gazes behind me, I walk into the house with my chest held high, close the door behind me, and walk past Li Zeyan.

LZY: Had a good time?

MC: Oh, it was pretty good… the atmosphere at the whole banquet was quite lively.

MC: Jennifer also showed us the new gemstone she recently bought. It was so… sparkling!

I nonchalantly remove my gloves and fling them onto the sofa, envy in my eyes as I raise my hands to gesture an approximate size in front of Li Zeyan. A light chuckle reaches my ears.

LZY: If you fancy it, you can expect to receive an even finer one in the future.

MC: [blushing] I wish, but the qualities of the gemstones in New York in recent times have been really unappealing.

Li Zeyan’s eyes travel over my absent-mindedly pursed lips, but he doesn’t comment on anything. Instead, he simply taps his fingertips on the staircase railing rhythmically.

The air lapses into silence again, with only the swaying shadows of the trees playing on the floor of the hall. I stifle a yawn and walk past him as if nothing has happened.

MC: Alright, I’m going to go and hit the hay in my room. Tomorrow, there’s still…

LZY: MC.

Suddenly, a low whisper reaches my ears from behind. My hand gripping the railing pauses, and I stand on the stairs, turning to look back at Li Zeyan.

His intense gaze bores deep into me, and the emotions in his deep-set eyes appear more complex and difficult to discern than at any time in the past. After a moment, he finally speaks.

LZY: There’s something I believe I need to tell you.

LZY: Next week, I’ll be moving away from home.

MC: …

My lips part, and my heart suddenly pauses for one beat. My eyes wander over his face, trying to find any hint of jest in his words.

Did he say this in a fit of pique because of what I said earlier? But he’s clearly not the kind of person to behave like this…

While I stare at him with bewilderment and helplessness, Li Zeyan offers me no additional explanation. His brooding eyes trace over the intentionally rolled-up hem of my skirt before resting on my face.

LZY: Your father is waiting for us in the living room.

LZY: Come over after you’ve changed your clothes.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 2】 

I rush back to my room at lightning speed and take off the intricate and ornate feather headpiece from my head.

After changing into a dress that won’t elicit resigned criticism from my father, I head down the stairs in the direction of the living room, my mind in turmoil.

The sparkling crystal chandelier bathes the spacious room ahead in bright light. From a distance, I can hear the sound of gratified laughter, intermingled with my father’s heartfelt sighs. 

MC’s Father: …Zeyan, don’t ever speak such words. If the disaster of that year had befallen me, your parents would have made the same choice.

MC’s Father: I remember when you first came to this home, MC was only five years old–– clinging to you all the time like a piece of sticky candy, oblivious to day and night. [1]

MC: Why is it that the moment I step in, I hear you speaking ill of me~

I walk over to my father and give him a kiss on the cheek, then take my seat next to Li Zeyan naturally.

He holds my gaze briefly before averting his eyes, but his tone carries a subtle softness that is almost imperceptible.

LZY: She was no bother. If anything, I find myself missing those times, too.

LZY: A plate of cookies was all she needed, and she’d joyfully sit by my desk, reading storybooks with me all night long.

MC: …I also really liked gege back then. No matter the time, you were always there to accompany me.

My father laughs, a wistful expression on his face. I also lift the corners of my lips to match the atmosphere, but my gaze lingers inquisitively on Li Zeyan’s elegant side profile.

Leaving… why did he have this idea all of a sudden?

I used to believe that no matter how much time elapsed… he would naturally remain by my side as a matter of course.

But this decision that came like a bolt from the blue seems to be telling me that I’m the only one who thought that way.

LZY: Yes, I’ve been keeping an eye on a promising aviation company. Their airplanes…

LZY: A number of stocks I acquired in the past few years have yielded good profits. After liquidating, my plans for the next steps include…

A baritone voice resounds from the seat next to me. Li Zeyan is recounting eloquently, seemingly answering some questions from my father, but I can’t pay attention in the slightest.

MC’s Father: …MC, won’t you raise a glass to your gege’s future?

My lower leg under the long table is gently touched, snapping me back to reality. I glance over to see Li Zeyan leisurely leaning back in his chair, his leather shoe brushing past me.

The brief touch just now was probably just an inadvertent act since he was shifting his sitting posture. However, it brings my attention to the fact that I’ve been staring at him for quite some time.

I let out a cough as an afterthought and quickly glance at my father.

MC: My apologies, I was a little lost in my thoughts just now, so…

MC’s Father: Of course, I am just as reluctant to part with him as you are… but I’m confident that when the time is right, Zeyan will come back to visit us.

This matter-of-fact comforting solace sweeps over my heart, gently veiling a certain “expectation” that I have never voiced.

An indescribable sourness swells within me. I raise my wine glass towards Li Zeyan beside me, wearing the same naive and coquettish smile as usual.

MC: …gege, here’s to every expectation of yours turning into reality.

Li Zeyan lowers his eyes, his slender fingertips promptly picking up a goblet glass from the table. Then, he leans in slightly towards me.

Accompanied by the soft clink of glasses, his deep and low voice resonates in my ears.

LZY: Thank you. I really like this toast.

LZY: I’ll turn these words into reality.

──────────

The moonlight behind the floor-to-ceiling windows filters through the sheer curtains, casting long and slender beams. I toss and turn on the soft bed for a long time before finally sitting up.

…Even if everything seems to be set in stone, I still want to fight for that last shred of possibility to make this man stay.

–

It’s very late at night, and the corridor is empty and quiet. I tread lightly past the door of my father’s room, then head briskly towards Li Zeyan’s room at the end of the corridor.

From a distance, I can see a sliver of light escaping from the room–– to my surprise, his door is only partially closed.

A soft meow reaches my ears. Holding my breath, I watch Li Zeyan seated on the sofa, comforting Betty, whose hind paws are entangled in a ball of yarn.

He cradles it in his arms with one hand, and his well-defined hand trails down the cat’s back, with a touch just right that is neither too firm nor too gentle, preventing its struggling attempts.

His fingertips swiftly probe into the entangled mess of threads. With a few simple movements, the trapped paws are liberated.

Betty: Meow~

Betty purrs contentedly, nuzzling its head against Li Zeyan’s shoulder. His eyes also seem to be dyed with a subtle smile.

The familiar scene overlaps with memories of the past, and suddenly, I feel a little dazed.

—

───── [FLASHBACK STARTS] ─────

Under the ardent daylight, the greenery in the courtyard stretched ponderously.

The doors and windows lining both sides of the mansion had been opened early in the morning, allowing the summer breeze to weave through unhindered, bringing with it a touch of rare, refreshing coolness.

I was huffing in anger as I strode down the corridor, heading towards Li Zeyan’s room in the most familiar manner, intending to “interrogate” him.

MC: GEGE! Did you stop…

I walked into his room, only to find a profound silence all around. Li Zeyan was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed and seemed to have drifted off to sleep.

Perhaps to block the dancing spots of dazzling sunlight, he casually rested the back of his left hand on his forehead, casting a gentle shadow over his eyelids.

His slender legs were rarely in such a relaxed posture, crossing casually. The business book in his hand had slipped to the floor at some point; its pages were blown by the breeze, producing a rustling sound.

Without realizing it, I lightened my steps and walked to the side of the sofa. I gazed at his dark strands of hair cascading down, gently resting on the prominent bridge of his nose.

Perhaps it was the light, but I suddenly noticed that there seemed to be some subtle changes on this face that I saw day and night.

Had his jawline become sharper? Or perhaps the knuckles of his hands seemed a little more pronounced? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I could only feel my heartbeat accelerating for no apparent reason, as though something that had been overlooked for a long time was now breaking through the surface.

As if drawn by an inexplicable attraction, I involuntarily leaned down towards him, wanting to touch his cheek. 

The next moment, I saw Li Zeyan suddenly open his eyes and lift his hand to clasp my wrist.

LZY: You…

He spoke in a low voice, his tone still carrying a hint of drowsiness. It seemed he regarded everything to be a dream.

His eyes took on a softer expression, and the hold of his palm on my hand did not loosen. Instead, he drew me even closer to him.

His breath caressed my face, and I could almost see my own reflection in his eyes. It was like almost in the next second, we would–––

MC’s Father: Where did you run off to… Betty?

My father’s inquiring voice suddenly echoed from a distance, akin to a pebble thrown into a lake, shattering the interplay of light and shadows before me.

Li Zeyan was frozen for a moment, and then a clarity flashed in his eyes as if finally waking up. He let go of my wrist. Suppressing the ineffable emotions in my heart, I swiftly distanced myself slightly.

LZY: …Why did you come in out of the blue?

MC: …the door was already ajar, and I didn’t know you were sleeping…

I muttered softly, but then I suddenly recalled something, my voice gaining a touch of confidence.

MC: I also have a question to ask. When James checked with you about whether I was available for a trip to the island next week, why did you reject him on my behalf?

Li Zeyan didn’t respond right away; he lowered his hand and picked up the rumpled book from the carpet.

LZY: Your father mentioned we have to go to the horse ranch next week; looks like you forgot.

LZY: Besides, there is no need to get involved with a guy whose family business is going downhill, yet he still dates a different girl every week.

MC: [girlie is stumped and flushed haha]  But before this, you said about Oren that he was secretly lingering in underground bars!

Li Zeyan calmly flipped open a page, not making eye contact with me.

LZY: [HEAVENS THE WAY HIS TONE DROPS HERE] I’m simply stating the facts. Besides, you’ll have better choices.

MC: Like who?

In my frustration, I kept pushing for an answer, but then, the air suddenly lapsed into silence, and Li Zeyan’s fingertips also came to a pause.

My heart suddenly began racing by a few beats, and I stood up from the sofa in an attempt to conceal myself.

MC: …anyway, I won’t allow you to interfere in this matter anymore!

In a rush, I walked towards the door as I spoke. But suddenly, I heard Li Zeyan calling out my name.

I turned around. The daylight outside the window had already transformed into the fading colors of twilight, and with that light falling on his back, I heard him speak.

LZY: I will give you that answer in the future.

LZY: Until then, don’t barge into my room unannounced like this again.

───── [FLASHBACK ENDS] ─────

────

[Tidbits]:

[1] MC’s dad mentions a specific type of candy here (牛皮糖 - nǚpítáng), which is made from sugar and sesame seeds; and has a chewy and sticky texture.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 3】 

LZY: Come on inside, I haven’t locked the door.

Li Zeyan’s voice suddenly transmits from the room. I snap back to reality, only to realize that my hand, which I raised to knock, has been hanging in mid-air for quite some time.

Tightening my lips, I calmly walk into the room and seat myself next to him on the sofa, my eyes scanning the room.

In the long time that followed afterward, I have refrained from setting foot in this room again. In stark contrast to my memories, the surroundings appear conspicuously emptier.

In one corner of the room, a leather suitcase lay open… the realization of the fact that this person is leaving suddenly becomes palpable.

LZY: You’re here at this hour; is something wrong?

MC: [blushing]  …you can’t leave!

Two voices collide in unison. Before I can even register the situation, I have already grabbed hold of his hand.

LZY: …

The hazy lighting interweaves with the moonlight, and something seems to flash across Li Zeyan’s expression for a brief moment.

A searing warmth transmits from his palm, and in belated realization, I draw back my fingertips. However, I feel my hand being discreetly clasped, as if he is unwilling to let me escape.

LZY: What’s your reason for saying that?

MC: It’s not for any reason. I just want… gege to always remain by my side.

Even though it has been a long time since I have addressed him by that term when we are alone with each other, I still purposely soften my tone. I can’t help but expect that Li Zeyan would, just like in our childhood, give me that helpless glance and yield to my coquettish demands.

A silence hangs in the air as Li Zeyan lowers his gaze to mine. In the next moment, his palm enveloping my wrist loosens ever so slightly.

LZY: MC, I am not the same as the toys you wanted when we were little.

LZY: Just the word that you “want” this is not a reason enough to sway me.

I’m slightly stumped and speak without thinking.

MC: But we’ve been living a good life for all this time, haven’t we?

MC: We have the ancestral estates and assets, a steady stream of income… I don’t understand why you’d want to make any changes.

Li Zeyan lets out a very soft chuckle and tilts his head towards the window.

The lights of the distant structures shimmer brightly, reminiscent of a flowing banquet in the boundless night. They reflect in his eyes, exuding a mix of pride and ambition.

LZY: There is nothing in this world that remains unchanged forever, MC.

LZY: Even the prosperity that you indulge in today began after the soldiers returned from the European battlefield.

LZY: Everything we see now was beyond imagination just a few years ago.

LZY: This era can sweep away all outdated existence, and at the same time, it can also give people everything they desire… as long as they can grab hold of it.

Li Zeyan shifts his gaze back to me as he says this. Even though his tone seems to be gentler than usual, it also carries a hint of unswerving determination.

LZY: So, I had already made this decision a long time ago.

MC: …when?

Did it stem from the day he made his first profit in the stock market, relying on his own business acumen? Or was it when he caught the wind of the other “old money” people gossiping about him? Or perhaps it was even earlier?

In a state of bewilderment and urgency, I await a response, but Li Zeyan doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he just gazes at me fixedly, leaning slightly in my direction.

The tranquil glow of the lights paints his eyelashes, and my heart pounds wildly as I watch Li Zeyan approach. He lifts his hand, tucking a strand of hair that was lingering by my cheek behind my ear––

–– like an explanation, or perhaps a reassuring promise.

LZY: [in the most tender tone possible x1]  I am so happy that you’re here to persuade me to stay.

LZY: [x2]  But, there are certain things I want that I can only obtain by leaving.

──────────

Jennifer: Alright, honey, I’m not here to rush you about the manuscript or anything, even though that special column you promised me has been overdue for a solid three weeks~

My friend’s teasing reaches me through the light fabric. I pull down the covers sullenly, glancing at the blonde girl sitting at the edge of the bed.

MC: Once I’m back in the writing zone, I’ll submit it to the magazine first thing… but, setting that aside, did you manage to find out any news about him?

Even though I don’t explicitly utter Li Zeyan’s name, Jennifer shrugs her shoulders.

Jennifer: You know, your gege rarely attends any banquets within the circle.

Jennifer: I’ve been making discreet inquiries on the airline side, but all I’ve found is that there’s this new guy named Victor, whose company has become a rising star in the industry… but it doesn’t seem to have any connections with him.

—

[T/N]: Yes, his writers are using his EN name “Victor” as his pseudonym 😂😂

—

I press my lips together, thinking back to the day Li Zeyan left and how I was so angry that I refused to see him for one last time.

If only I had known earlier, I would have abandoned those inexplicable emotions, opened the door, and had a few words with him.

Jennifer: I have an idea. What if we were to spread the word that you’re planning to hold a banquet at the estate next month to reveal the person you’ve chosen to be your fiancé?

Jennifer: If he does have the intention toward you, there is no way he will able to keep it hidden.

I blink. This suggestion sends a few ripples through my heart–– daring as it is, it might be the most effective method.

With my tacit approval, this piece of news spreads from the mansion along with Jennifer’s departure, gradually circulating from one banquet to another.

Half a month slips away rapidly, yet I still don’t hear any updates. The day of the banquet approaches amidst apprehension and anticipation.

──────────

Large swaths of Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium orchids embellish various corners of the entire property, delicate and beautiful. Under the crystal chandeliers, the elegant fragrance of the flowers intermingle with the intense scent of perfumes, pervading the air.

With a smile, I express thanks or greetings to those who approach to congratulate me in pairs or groups, but my eyes continue to search for that figure I’ve been waiting for amidst the passing crowd.

Suddenly, a figure in a suit and leather shoes blocks my sight. A tall man walks over, raising his glass in a toast toward me.

Man: I’m Adam Arnott, a classmate of Jennifer’s from the academy.

The surname makes me realize that he hails from another wealthy family. I nod politely. However, the man shows no intention of leaving.

Man: I heard from Jennifer that you have a column in her magazine? Honestly, I find that quite impressive.

Man: In terms of killing time, it’s much more meaningful than being obsessed about choosing jewelry. Perhaps we can chat more…

Despite his courteous choice of words, the subtle condescension in his language leaves me agitated. I turn sideways with indifference, picking up a cupcake.

MC: Allow me to correct you. I don’t consider it as “something to kill time.” Had you read my articles, you wouldn’t have had that kind of judgment.

Man: Miss MC, you surely do not treat it as some serious work, do you? Forgive my bluntness, but it seems rather meaningless for people like us.

The way his attitude drips of being pampered as though he were a prince causes me to furrow my brows. Subconsciously, Li Zeyan’s image surfaces in my mind.

MC: Well, in that case, here’s to the everlasting prosperity of your family’s business… however, I’ve heard that nothing in this world remains unchanged forever.

The other party probably wasn’t expecting me to counter like this, causing the expression on his face to turn somewhat unpleasant.

Man: Why don’t we ask the talk of the town, the “new money” person, and whose viewpoint he stands by… Mr. Victor?

I nonchalantly turn my head and observe this rumored aviation tycoon from behind, involuntarily raising an eyebrow.

His slender physique is wrapped in a royal blue suit, complemented by a black and white polka dot tie around his neck. He stands out among the crowd of men, looking effortless yet debonair.

–– It’s the men’s fashion style I recommended in my articles. This person has actually read my column very carefully.

The corners of my lips can’t help but curl up slightly, watching that tall, straight figure turn around. But the instant I clearly see his visage, my lips part involuntarily.

With my heart beating like a drum, he walks to my side at a pace that is neither too fast nor too slow, bringing with him a subtle scent of sandalwood.

LZY: Of course, I stand by her viewpoint.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 4】 

My eyes widen, and my gaze sweeps across the face of the person in front of me without even a single blink.

Perhaps due to the Southern sunshine, his complexion seems a shade deeper compared to the last time we saw each other, but his facial contours appear to be even more pronounced.

The fringes that he used to groom in a “proper” manner have now been slicked back into the trendiest hairstyle of the moment, showcasing his deep-set eyes and prominently arched eyebrows.

A pair of thin-rimmed glasses rest halfway on the bridge of his nose, not quite settled, and he casually pushes them up with his finger pad.

Through the lenses, a glimmer of smile seems to be shining in those deep eyes… or perhaps revealing certain emotions that were veiled in the past, but now, at this moment, seem evident with greater clarity.

LZY: The cream is about to melt.

As Li Zeyan speaks, he effortlessly takes the wobbling cupcake from my hand.

His broad and slender hand, wrapped in a moon-white glove, extends to pass me a piece of handkerchief.

Casual and comfortable, as if it weren’t a reunion after so long of separation, but rather our everyday interaction from back when we were still together at home.

I suppress the indescribable mix of sourness and joy in my heart, watching as the man converses with the people around him before raising an eyebrow.

Man: Ah, so you’re so Miss MC’s gege? Well, I suppose that explains your biased comment.

LZY: I believe the words I said just now are sufficiently objective.

LZY: If I’m not mistaken, with the inauguration of transatlantic flight routes, the stocks of shipping companies dropped at least ten percent. Your family’s business should be no exception.

LZY: To be able to maintain such unwavering optimism even in the midst of all these… I must say, Mr. Arnott’s attitude is truly admirable.

The man’s countenance grows slightly more ashen, while Li Zeyan stands next to me, calmly raising his glass to the crowd.

LZY: I rarely attend any social gatherings, so I haven’t formally announced it in a public setting. But six months ago, I had already disaffiliated myself from MC’s family.

LZY: And I’m not attending this banquet today in the identity of her “gege.”

I don’t know if it’s my illusion, but the tone of his latter statement seemed to have a slightly slower pace, triggering my heartbeat to accelerate uncontrollably.

Not as my “gege”… then, in what identity did he come? Perhaps, he knows about the news I’ve put out?

I clink my goblet glass with him, trying my hardest to maintain my usual casual expression, and lift my head slightly.

MC: I suppose I ought to be thanking you. After all, you’ve just returned, and here you are, immediately coming to my rescue.

Li Zeyan and I hold each other’s gazes for a brief moment. A subtle curve graces the corners of his lips as he also softens his voice.

LZY: I was being sincere, though.

LZY: I haven’t missed a single column you’ve written in  《The New Yorker》.

A wave of warmth accompanies his words, traveling from my ears to the throbbing center in my chest.

I gaze into those familiar and serene eyes, gently tapping the tie hanging down from his neck.

MC: Well, in that case, allow this writer to make one more suggestion.

MC: If it were replaced with a corrugated pattern in the same color, it would complement your suit today even better.

Li Zeyan sets down the goblet glass in his hand on the long table.

LZY: I didn’t bring an extra tie. Can I leave it to your care?

MC: Of course, come with me.

As I speak, my hand that was initially reaching to grasp his palm pauses mid-motion, and in the end, I settle for only holding onto his cuff.

He and I walk through the clustered bouquets of flowers and the crowd of people in their fragrant clothes, making our way toward the upper floor of the hall in a manner that couldn’t be more familiar.

Eyes from all around fall upon our departing figures. I don’t know if these people noticed anything, but I don’t care either.

All I know is that from the moment of parting, the thought that I painstakingly disregarded for the longest time became gradually clear: I desire to be with him in an identity that goes beyond our familial ties.

Will he be angry? Or will he helplessly discourage my intentions? Or perhaps, in reality, he does harbor certain unspoken feelings towards me…

──────────

Suppressing my tumultuous heartbeat, I close the door, and the chatter and music outside finally fade away.

The air falls silent for a moment. I let go of Li Zeyan’s cuff, turn around to rummage through the intricate accessories, and speak as if casually inquiring.

MC: Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief… have you had a chance to meet Daddy yet?

LZY: [the muted joy in his tone HHHHH]  Yeah, I went to his room to say hello after coming back, and we talked for a long time.

MC: Ah, he must’ve been so delighted; after all, he reminisces about you every now and then. “If Zeyan were here…,” is a sentence he says more often than not.

I exaggeratedly mimic my father’s manner of speaking, and my eyes secretly fall on Li Zeyan, hoping to catch his expression.

MC: You said earlier, “not as my gege”... then, in what identity are you here?

Maintaining a brisk tone, I continue sifting through without pausing my movements, as if this will be able to cloak my erratic heartbeat.

Li Zeyan doesn’t answer my question, and his footsteps come to a stop behind me. Even though there is a somewhat elusive distance between us, I can almost feel his body heat.

LZY: I’m not the one who can give that answer.

I turn around, somewhat puzzled, only to see a black, gold-plated box being extended towards me.

The huge ruby inside, set against the velvet backdrop, sparkles with a flash of dazzling brilliance.

MC: This…

LZY: A gift for you. A certain someone mentioned before that the quality of gemstones in New York isn’t good enough these days.

LZY: So, it was transported here on my company’s first transatlantic flight, all the way from Europe.

Li Zeyan removes the ruby from the box as he speaks, placing it in the palm of my hand.

The slight coolness of the gemstone accompanies the warmth of his fingertips, and I hear Li Zeyan speak in a soft tone.

LZY: Even the most impossible fantasies can become reality.

LZY: MC, as long as you say the word.

I’m utterly dazed, suddenly recalling the brief conversation we had under the stairs the night before Li Zeyan left.

From the past to the present, he has always borne the weight of all my wishes, even if I’ve only mentioned them in passing.

The sound of my heartbeat drums against my ears. Without uttering a word, I simply tug on his tie and rise on tiptoes towards this man who used to be my “gege.”

The distance between us bridges bit by bit, my somewhat quivering breath fanning across Li Zeyan’s face.

He watches me in complete silence, his eyes burning. He seems to be waiting for some form of confirmation, yet he doesn’t evade my actions.

That is, until, a fleeting kiss lands on the edge of his lips, and we briefly exchange our warmth with each other. I pull back slightly, avert my eyes, and speak.

MC: …what if this is what I desire?

LZY: …

I don’t hear his response. In the next second, my waist is suddenly shackled in place.

A deep kiss, which has been held in check for a long time, finally descends, erasing the last vestige of distance.

Two sets of lips that have never touched each other before roll back and forth, their inexperienced and slightly shaky intertwining exchange breaths that have long been familiar but never explored so deeply.

In those eyes of his, I see emotions mirroring my own. Patiently restrained feelings, a fluttering heart… but now added with a touch of certainty.

LZY: I’ve probably held onto this expectation for longer than you.

LZY: What I longed for has always been right there within sight… and you made it a reality for me.

The brilliant chandelier overhead leaves shimmering spots in the field of vision, leaving one slightly dizzy. It feels like a firework that has been brewing for a long time has finally burst forth.

Turns out, we both harbored the same feelings all along.

The eyes that turned to look back when we passed by each other, the hands that reached out to touch only to retract… all the entanglements and poignant emotions of the past gently dissipate in this moment.

I close my eyes and hear his voice resonate, but now carrying with it a deeper undertone of mirth than ever before.

LZY: Allow this gem to be a commemoration of this special occasion.

LZY: For that first dance in a while, how about sharing it with me?

────────────────────────────────

[Tidbits]:

[2] so in love with this imagery here. “白月光” (white moonlight) in chinese means first love but it comes with the connotation of something “unattainable.” here, it’s the color of his gloves, the “barrier” between their hands truly touching~ 🤧

[3] “ruby” is a symbol of passion, protection, everlasting love-- indeed the perfect move for Li Zeyan to choose this stone as his ~betrothal gift~ 🥺

[4] welp, if it wasn’t clear already LOL, sharing the “first dance” at this banquet is their official announcement of their engagement~ 🤭🤧

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

【Anika’s personal notes】 

link to my twitter meltdowns for easier navigation LOL: ♡ || ♡

─────────────

[ggukkiedae]

Rough and tough we play hard | DREAM 8lace | EP.1

Click Below to See the Video

(italic dialogues are spoken in english, bold dialogues are spoken in chinese. this is just a little something to celebrate dreamscape's release!)

while they’re walking up to the house, hannah and chenle have their arms linked together

they’re just watching everyone in amusement

inside the actual house, she sees haechan lying down on the couch

“stay still”

she plops herself down, head on his stomach and feet over the arm of the couch

he grunts at the impact then starts laughing

“stop laughing! my head is shaking”

he laughs harder before telling the other members to move away from the window

they both get up to look at the view with the others

she laughs when they point out the sound team and cleans up the toys they were playing with

“GUYS COME HERE” “GEGE CALM DOWN”

chenle laughed the hardest at that

while everyone gets on the tub, she waits then decides to stand in the back next to haechan who she asks a question to

“why are we doing this?” “we listen to renjun”

when they gather to discuss the survival game, she crosses her arms and looks at everyone

“so do i get to play? or does this count as part of taeyong oppa and hyuck’s “no violent games for hannah” list?”

jaemin throws an arm around her shoulders

“no physical contact, so you’re playing” “damn”

haechan fixes the beanie on her head while helping her into the gear

she bounces slightly in place, moving to keep warm while the instructor tells them what to do and the boys ness around

once in, she hides behind one of the wooden boards and fixes her gloves before holding her gun

“i am not going grocery shopping”

she gets up and spots mark, shooting him from the back and hiding again

“wait…. hans! was that you?”

she stood up, shooting him continuously until he dies before he could kill her

“dude!” “every man for himself, mark!”

she actually moves forward

there a clips if her shooting renjun and jaemin before she hides again and sees chenle

“noona! noona, let's be allies?” “sure thing, chenle”

she and chenle go back out into the field and take down jeni and renjun again

she’s in the middle of running away from haechan when she realizes

“where’s jaemin?”

she looks ahead and sees jisung looking up in confusion, then sees jaemin shooting from near the rest area for spectators

she and haechan exchange looks for a moment then haechan shoots her, effectively killing her

she gave him an incredulous look before haechan laughed and ran away

there’s more clips of her shooting and being shot at before the instructor calls them over

when haechan doesn’t call her name, she grins, then he says those he called goes home

“are you kidding me, hyuck?” “haeeun-ah, i trust you”

she sighs and loops her arm through chenle’s in solidarity

in the car, she’s the one in the driver’s seat

when mark asked why he chose the three in last place to go home, she scoffed

“hyuck was being petty for variety because of our cheering” “what?”

she left it for chenle to explain as she buckled her seatbelt

when mark turned the camera to chenle in his frustration, it caught her smiling fondly at the younger boy and gently brushing his cheek

she started the car

“you three talk amongst yourselves, don’t distract me while i drive”

jeno opened a vitamin drink and passed it to her before she pulled out of the parking lot

“wait, hannah, what are you cooking today?” “i can make hotteok for us to snack on, but is there anything you guys want as a meal?” “how about a soup?” “hmm… does yukgaejang sound good?” “sounds great” “good, now don’t distract me!”

she pulls out of the parking lot while the other three continue debating what else to cook

when they arrived at the store, chenle walked over to her side of the car and opened the door for her

she looked at chenle attentively while he talked about his sunglasses

“lele, i told you not to wear your sunglasses at night, didn’t i?” “they’re a necessity, noona”

then it fades out and shows clips of the next episode

taglist: @1-800-enhypennabi @strwberrydinosaur @sunflower-0180 @caratinylyfe @1-800-minji @one16core @kimhyejin3108 @chansols @akshverse @world-full-of-roses @stopeatread @allthings-fandoms

drop an ask or a dm if you wanna be added or taken out of the taglist 🥰 requests are also open!

[tsukimefuku]

❅ Sand and Snow | Chapter 3

ALL CHAPTERS HERE | PREVIOUS CHAPTER HERE.

In the city of Odate, Akita, there have been multiple deaths in the past few weeks. The first-grade sorcerer Nanami Kento is sent out to investigate the snowy city, not knowing that it would be his last mission as a Jujutsu High student.

OR

Why Nanami left Jujutsu High to become a 9/5 corporate slave.

Tags: Murder/mystery, canon typical violence, POV Nanami, Post Star-plasma Vessel Arc, Canon compliant, Angst but I'm not Gege

Here we go! First fight scene, and everyone's favorite white haired sorcerer arrives.

WC: 3.6K | on AO3 here.

This time, Nanami called Ijichi after reporting to principal Yaga. Ijichi picked up pretty fast, and had a worried tone to his voice.

"Y-Yes?"

"Ijichi, I have some things to ask. Firstly, do you have any new information about the Yamadas?"

Ijichi paused. "No... I have not. I mean, I don't." He sounded nervous.

"Is there anything wrong?" Nanami asked.

"No, just... h-haven't found anything yet. Nope. Nada."

He thought Ijichi's demeanor was out of sorts, but decided to not press the matter any further on the phone. Some things about this mission were shady, Ijichi must've had a reason to be acting like he was.

"Also, I need to have some samples examined. Is Ieiri available?"

"Samples? Of what?"

"Coagulated blood from the last corpse." Nanami answered.

Ijichi sounded like he fought back an urge to hurl and gagged a little. "I will ask her about it."

"Ok, do it now."

Nanami heard fast footsteps, a thump, another thump, Ijichi saying ouch and ruffling on the line. He sighed as he waited for Ijichi to solve his locomotion hardships on his way to Ieiri. Shoko picked up the phone and answered.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Ieiri, I need to have some coagulated blood samples examined. They contain a cursed type of venom. Normal methods were not able to determine its nature or origin."

"Tough luck, huh?" She responded. "Nanami, you're in Odate. Just the time it would take for that sample to get here... I don't think I can do anything to help you this time around, unfortunately."

He sighed. It was worth the shot, anyway. "What would you suggest?"

"This is something that has to be analyzed in loco and as soon as possible."

"I understand. Thank you." Nanami said as he hung up. He grabbed the phone number Shiori had given him earlier that day, and dialed it. She picked up.

"Hello, who is this?"

"It's Nanami. Are you occupied?"

"I'm not, actually. I'm just at home taking care of my plants. Why?"

"I need your help with something." He replied, hoping she wouldn't ask for further clarifications on the phone.

"Ok, I guess. You can come over. But please, knock on my door this time, stalker." She replied, before hanging up the phone.

Nanami sighed and started getting ready. As he thought about how much a job was worth if it meant getting accused of being a stalker, he did not notice his hotel room window was just barely open right before he went out.

***

As Nanami approached the house in the woods, it started to grow colder. This time around, the snow beneath his feet was considerably thicker, and the wind felt like razor blades slipping just above the skin. He hurried his pace, just so he wasn't in the cold for longer than necessary.

Getting to the front porch, he knocked, and Shiori answered.

"See? Much better than hiding in the bushes and getting jumped with a gun. Glad you knocked." She said, jokingly.

"I did. You instructed me to." Nanami replied in a monotone.

He really has absolutely no sense of humor, she thought, welcoming him. "I'm brewing some tea, if you're interested. Will help ease the cold off."

"Thank you. I accept it."

"You really do talk funny, huh?" Shiori remarked, smiling.

Nanami seemed puzzled. 

"Nevermind." She replied. For someone his age — clearly still a teenager —, Nanami sure talked in a very formal way. "Here, take it." She gave him a cup and got one for herself. She then poured the tea in both cups and sat on the table, inviting him to join her. He sat down and smelled the tea, it had the same strong sweet and flowery aroma.

"What is this?"

"Oka tea, one of Yamada's specialties." She answered. "It's a mix of herbs, flowers, and other dried ingredients. Some people still buy this concoction I make, I like to believe other Yamadas out there still make it for themselves, but my customer base has been growing thin. I almost can't afford the costs for keeping my greenhouse anymore." She seemed somewhere in between upset and resigned about the entire situation, adapting to another bad thing happening in her life.

Nanami sipped the tea. It was a perfect balance between sweet and acidic, but had no sugar or sweeteners added. It was impressive, actually. He looked at Shiori. "You still don't want to become a jujutsu sorcerer or an assistant for Jujutsu High? They pay well."

She scoffed, as if the idea itself was absurd. "There's more to life than money. I want to keep my family's legacy alive, even if it dies with me. Also, I have to wait for my brother's return."

"I see." He didn't quite know how exactly he felt about what she said. Never one to contemplate about the meaning of work, or purpose, for that matter, Nanami felt he had nothing to add to the conversation on this matter particularly.

"You said you needed help with something, didn't you?" She asked him.

"Yes." Nanami took out the scalpel enveloped in paper. "Do you have any reservations regarding blood?"

"Not really. My family would train us from a very young age in the tradition of healing with nature and those kinds of things." She shrugged. "I have helped my mother treat wounded people before."

"Fine." He unwrapped the paper and plastic, revealing a scalpel with a tip covered in blood. "I need your help taking a look at this blood sample. It has been infused with some type of cursed venom. I'd like to know if you know something about it." 

"I see. I mean, I don't see anything out of the ordinary. But I get what you mean." She scratched her head a little, staring at the scalpel, not knowing exactly how Nanami thought she could help. Understanding about poisonous plants was one thing, working with cursed venom-infused blood was another entirely.

"You can't see cursed energy traces?" Nanami grew increasingly skeptical at her ability to help him.

"See what?"

"Vestiges. Here, look closely. Focus. It is like seeing a cursed spirit, but fainter." 

She drew her face closer, and her eyes widened for a moment. "Oh, yes! I can see it! Some very small traces of cursed energy." Shiori reclined in her chair and laid a hand on her chin, while she evaluated some possibilities. "Look, I don't have a lab or anything here for analyzing whatever this is. I do, however, have some old books from my family that might help us determine the origin of this."

Better than nothing, Nanami thought.

She went upstairs, and he could hear sounds of things getting taken, dropped, twisted and thrown around, like Shiori was trying to remodel the house. At one point, it sounded like a large bookcase fell, followed by a scream and some cursing like shit and holy fuck. Shortly after, Shiori shouted, "I'm alright!".

He hadn't moved an inch, still sipping on his tea.

Shiori came down holding a very large — and apparently ancient — book. It had a very worn out brown leather cover, the binding seemed just about ready to give in to time and degradation. It also smelled funny. "Here, this might help us. Let's take a look."

She opened the book, and started flipping through the pages, until she got to a part that talked about poisons and different types of venom. "So... what do you want to know?"

"Is there any indication of a curse or shikigami that possesses venom?"

"Let me see." She put the book on her lap and started flipping through it. She paused for a moment, and then continued. "Well, there isn't anything about curses or shikigami. It has, however, some things about medicinal plants and such."

Shiori didn't raise her eyes to meet Nanami and stayed silent. He found that to be out of character. This would usually be the moment she'd make some unfunny or confusing remark. 

"Is there anything about any plants or herbs that can asphyxiate someone?"

"I don't need a book for that one." She closed the book. "There is the heartbreak grass." Shiori looked at him. "The most toxic varieties are spread throughout Asia. Do you think someone could infuse the extract with cursed energy?" She asked. "Why would somebody even bother to do so?"

"It avoids that a jujutsu sorcerer turns into a curse after their death." Nanami replied.

"I see. But were the victims even Jujutsu sorcerers?"

This still didn't explain the bite marks, though. 

Shiori looked through the window. "It's starting to get dark outside. I don't have much to eat here, since I'm the only one living in this house for the time being, but I might have some hibari senbei cookies, if you want to take them with you". 

Nanami remembered Gojo would be arriving at Odate tomorrow, and had a faint memory of him asking about cookies. He sighed, putting his fingers in between his eyes, and responded, "Thank you. I will be needing that."

"Needing?" she replied, a little confused, as she walked into the kitchen to grab the baked sweets. "What would you need cookies for? Do you have low blood sugar or something? Here." She came back and handed him a small paper bag with homemade cookies inside.

"Nothing. I apologize for inconveniencing you." He replied as he took the bag.

"Don't worry. I appreciate the company." She smiled. "Even if you're a stalker, company is company, am I right?" Shiori said mockingly.

"Please, stop saying that." Nanami answered, annoyed. She just chuckled.

***

Back at the hotel, Nanami greeted Yoko, who was just about to end her shift. She waved as he got closer.

"Hello, Mr. Kento! Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, I have some questions about Yamada Shiro, if you have some time."

"Oh." She was completely caught off guard. "Of course, I think." How does he know his name? "What do you want to know?"

"What can you tell me about him?"

"Well, I have been best friends with his sister and him since middle school." She said, whispering. Probably so that her grandmother couldn't hear anything. "They were good kids. He had a thing about protecting weaker people, but every time he got in a fight, he'd be 10 times more hurt than the one he had beaten up." Yoko shrugged. "And she had something about not meddling in other people's businesses. She just wanted to protect him."

"I see. What about his departure some time ago?"

Yoko was taken aback. "How do you know that?"

Dammit.

"During my work here in Odate, I've met your friend, Shiori. She told me her brother left the city a while ago."

"Your work in Odate? What do you do?" She asked, and then pondered. "Oh, you've met Shiori then."

"I'm a private investigator." It was hard trying to keep track of all the versions of his story. This was starting to become tiring. "I'm here to investigate these deaths in Odate. After talking to you and some people, I decided to go to Yamada's house and learn more about them, just in case." He replied. "Yes, I've met your friend."

Yoko was at a loss for words, wondering if he was treating her best friend as a suspect of any sort. She needed to talk to Shiori as soon as possible, and know more about what this man standing in front of her had said to her. 

"Well, about Shiro... You probably heard it better from his sister. He left about a year ago to go looking for their parents, and grew increasingly distant, up until he simply stopped responding to our messages and calls to ask him how he was doing, around 3 months ago." Yoko thought that it would be fine telling him this, given that he probably already had that piece of information from Shiori. "Even though I wanted to call the police, Shiori asked me not to."

"I see." Nanami noticed her change in demeanor. He knew he wouldn't be getting very far questioning Yoko anymore. "Well, thank you for your time." He said, walking towards the elevator. When he got to his floor and started making his way to his room, he could hear someone shutting their window loudly. People lack basic cordiality with others, he thought to himself.

As Nanami entered his room, something felt off.

He looked around and nothing seemed actually out of place, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. As Nanami turned his back to the closet, for a split second, he felt someone lunging at him. Thanks to his reflexes, Nanami was able to throw himself in the window's direction before the culprit made any contact.

It was the man dressed in black.

Nanami grabbed his blunt sword from his back and advanced in his opponent's direction, instinctively ready to deal a 7:3 blow. However, he quickly realized it would be a bad idea, given that the preferable outcome here was capturing the curse user and taking him to Jujutsu High for questioning and, being the case, sentencing. Restricting his strength, Nanami dealt a measured blow to the man's stomach, which made him spit blood inside his mask.

What Nanami was not ready for was a shikigami appearing right in front of him. It was a floating four-eyed purple snake, with a menacing set of fangs. The snake instantly charged in his direction, quicker than he could deal another blow. He reinforced his arm with cursed energy before the snake could bite him.

The shikigami suddenly disappeared, and right behind it came a full-blown punch from the man that caught Nanami with his guard down. He could feel his nose cracking at that moment. Nanami was thrown against the wall behind him, breaking the mirror, while shattered glass fell all over him. As he tried to get up, the man opened the window, held his shikigami on one arm, and the floating monster helped him out.

Nanami then realized what was missing. His documents regarding the case from Jujutsu High, which were laid over the room's table.

He pulled the phone and called #903. The old lady picked up. He informed her his room had been invaded, and he got attacked.

***

"Hey, good morning. There's a pretty guy asking about you at the door."

"What?" Nanami had to take a few moments to get himself back to reality. 

"Yes. A pretty guy. He's asking for you. He's calling you Nanamin." Shiori responded. She said the word 'pretty' mockingly with a half smile on her face.

The night before became a haze. Old lady called Yoko, who then called Shiori, who then called Nanami. It was a full circle of what the hell was going on. While Nanami assessed the state of his wounds in the bathroom mirror, he told Shiori he would be looking for another hotel to stay for the time being.

"That's a terrible idea." She replied. "Look, there is something weird happening, and it might have something to do with my family. I saw the last victim's photo on the local news. That was my uncle whom I thought had left Odate years ago, Hiroshi."

He was silent, trying to figure out if his nose was broken or just very purple.

"We are already joining forces. Or, for the matter of fact, you're using me as a source of information."

"I-" Nanami started to say something.

"It's fine, I understand that's how an investigation works" she cut him off, before he could say anything. "But I want to know what the hell is going on."

This was bad. He couldn't stay on the phone with her anymore.

"I'll be at the hotel waiting."

"I'll ask Yoko to give you a ride." She hung up.

Nanami started texting Gojo right away, and hoped he would answer at that moment.

NK: I have been attacked in the hotel. I'm going elsewhere. Ask where to find me at the main desk.

SG: Are you okay?

NK: Yes. Only some mild bruising.

NK: Hurry.

After he got to Yamada's house, Shiori offered to help to treat his nose. They sat at the dinner table, and she adjusted Nanami's hair, which got completely over his face during the altercation, and was laying on top of the wound. This guy should really cut these bangs, she randomly thought. Shiori then started treating his nose — it was not broken, but might have a hairline fracture. He was pretty sturdy, after all, even for a jujutsu sorcerer.

"Did your face get hit by a car?" She asked.

"No. It was a curse user. He had a snake shikigami." 

She went silent for a moment, and kept treating his wounds.

"Well, did the snake headbutt you?"

"No, he punched me when I had my guard down."

She applied some ointment mixed with fresh and clean snow on his nose. It burnt. "It will be uncomfortable, but you'll feel better in the morning."

.

"Nanamin!" Gojo exclaimed loudly, as he walked into the room, white hair slightly covered in snow and frosty pitch-black glasses. "Well, you're definitely in the middle of nowhere." Satoru remarked, grinning widely. Nanami wished he could fall back asleep. He then feared he would have a nightmare reenacting this exact moment.

"Interesting!" Gojo said, examining his face wounds closely. "These are well into recovery for someone who just got attacked last night. Did you treat them yourself?"

"No," Nanami replied, "she did."

Gojo then looked at Shiori, who was at the corner of the room leaning against the wall while she held a bowl filled with water and a towel, at a loss for what exactly was going on. 

"Well, hello. I haven't properly introduced myself."

He never properly introduced himself.

"My name is Satoru Gojo, and this guy right here will be my sidekick for the time being." He placed his hand on Nanami's shoulder. Nanami slapped it away.

"I'm Yamada Shiori," she replied, "and I make things with herbs."

"You got that result with just plants?" Gojo asked.

"Yes. Plants and some clean snow can go a long way." She answered. "My mother used to make me help her when I was around 8 years old to treat the wounded and dying people of our family."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Most of them still died, though."

"Oh." Gojo was surprised she said that with such a straight face.

"... It's a joke. We used to help people that got hurt in these woods, or relatives, but they were sent to the hospital if things were dire enough." She replied. Gojo thought to himself that she had a weird sense of humor.

"She can also see curses and has an innate cursed technique." Nanami added.

"Oh." Gojo answered. "Well, have you heard about Jujutsu High? We have very few healers, and only one actually talented!"

Shiori seemed irritated. "No." she said, as she got out of the room and began descending the stairs, stepping loudly while pouting.

Gojo was confused. "Nanamin, what-"

"She was already scouted by Jujutsu High. Doesn't want to go." Nanami answered. "And stop calling me that."

"Hey, Nanami! Pretty boy! What do you want for breakfast? I only have cookies and tea, so that will have to do." Shiori shouted from downstairs.

"Did she... just call me... 'pretty boy'?" Gojo sounded disheartened. Nanami had a hard time concealing his satisfaction at that.

"She did."

"I changed my mind. I hope she doesn't come with us to Tokyo."

Nanami sighed as he started to get up. They both went downstairs and sat at the table. Shiori had served homemade cookies with Akita faces on them. "They're from the last festival that happened a few days ago," she explained.

"Well, I might just forgive you then." Gojo said, as he grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite.

She understood nothing, but figured it was pointless to ask. He clearly just liked hearing the sound of his own voice. 

"So... What is going on, guys? What is happening?" She asked.

Gojo lifted his finger, as if asking for them to be quiet and pay close attention to him, while he ate one of the cookies. They were waiting patiently — or, at least, Shiori was. Nanami was annoyed that someone would request his turn to speak while he had a mouthful of food to chew and swallow. Satoru finished munching and started speaking.

"I'll get into that in just a minute, but first, Nanami, I need you to call Ijichi." He pulled a brand new and never before seen phone from his jacket. "Use this. There is another Ijichi's number in there, as well."

Nanami grabbed the phone and started dialing.

"As for you, Mrs., are you aware the last victim was a Yamada?" Gojo said, lowering his glasses to stare at her directly. 

"I know. He was my uncle." She answered.

"This might be a coincidence, or you might be in danger!" The way he said it so casually and kind of exhilarated somehow annoyed her. "You could be our culprit's next target."

"Seriously?" She asked, revolted.

"Rest assured, you've got nothing to worry about."

"I don't? And why is that?"

"Because the strongest jujutsu sorcerer you will ever meet just got here." He said, putting on a conceited smile.

"Did he? Where is he?" She asked earnestly.

Nanami could be heard suddenly coughing from the living room. Shiori honestly did not understand the point Gojo was trying to get across.

"Well, you're really making this difficult for me." Gojo replied, taking a sip of tea. The tea was incredibly sweet, which he appreciated a lot. "Well, very difficult."

End notes:

I really need to define a day every week to post, heh. Next chapter will probably be posted on the 22th, but maybe earlier if I get around revising it before that!

[ariiiiih]

About <辜(Gu/Guilty)> (a TGCF AD song)

The last two versions of 辜 are really great, so I wanna share some thoughts and provide some supplementary materials.

The first one in episode 17 is a ballad version. As Xintong (新桐, TGCF AD’s music monitor) said in her webio, “[it’s] to unfold and highlight He Xuan’s mood from his perspective.”

This version is sorrowful but soft, and the lalala childish humming at the end, which sounds like a nursery rhyme, gives this song a sense of purity and innocence. In the blackwater arc, which consists of horror, anger, hatred, and despair, this feeling never appeared. Then, why use this song, this feeling to express HX?

The song was like out of the story, just like the feelings that HX never directly expressed. Actually, the warmest and touching scene in this story, from the RoEW to the end of revenge, was told in the first extra of TGCF----HX’s family, who gave XL a bowl of Yuanxiao and wished he would reunite with his family:

“Do you not have the money?” the owner asked. Still stricken, Xie Lian couldn’t reply, but the owner simply said, “Forget it. I’ll give it to you for free, considering how tragic you look. I'll be packing up once you’re done, so hurry home. Today is Yuanxiao, the day for family reunions!” …

The little girl was biting on her spoon with her head tilted. “When is gege coming home? I wanna wait until he’s back before digging in.” “He’s so late,” the owner chimed in. “Coming home so late on Yuanxiao; how outrageous!” “He’s working hard. He’Il be home soon,” the old woman chided. “Don’t scold him when he comes back. Miao-er! Miao-er, stop working. I feel awful always needing you to help out. Come here, and let’s eat together.” “Not at all!” the young woman replied. She cleaned the last table before sitting down with them to share yuanxiao. They seemed to be waiting for another member of the family to join them, and the four of them chatted and laughed all the while.

And the tragedy of this family in TGCF AD, when HX’s sister said “Gege, let's be brother and sister in the next life” and when his father told him “Son, father’s going with your mother,” was heartbreaking.

So, this ballad version of 辜, from He Xuan’s perspective, was like He Xuan remembering his family, his life, and all the happiness and suffers in it; it was like He Xuan looking back to the path that he had walked so far over hundreds of years and the three lifetimes of man, god, and ghost; and lamenting the people who had been involved in this fate-switching incident, the lives of those who had died innocently and tragically. Humming is a primitive expression of feelings, compassionate and pure like a god, while the mourning for those low-level, insignificant mortals shows the idea that gods should not love only abstract humans, but real people.

As an avenger, it's easy to think of HX's anger and hatred. But when they are stripped away, we can find that deep in his heart, the feeling and reason of his revenge that we easily overlook, is the pure love between him and his family, the warmest and the most joyful past. This love may seem ordinary, less splendor than other ghost kings’ beliefs or the relationship with Shi brothers, but it is this love that supported him to resolutely carry out an extremely long and lonely revenge that no one has ever done. Even though he would never rest and would suffer forever and he knew it, some people were worth doing that for.

That’s why I like this version. It reminded me of “true voyage is return”. The character of He Xuan is very complex but easily flattened and stereotyped because his inner self and his inward exploration are hidden, and this song shows the neglected side of He Xuan, a more human and even divine side.

The last version in episode 18 is an omniscient perspective (I haven’t seen the translation yet, so I tried to do it by myself, sorry if it sounds weird in English).

运数又何为 命中误

What fate has done,

A mistake in life.

似这般无妄劫 怎可渡

Like this undeserved trial,

How can it be passed?

一个是琳琅材 一个是凡间骨

One is a precious jade,

The other an ordinary bone.

偏谁得奇缘 放醉入仙府

Yet, who is destined

To stumble into the immortal realm.

做仙的眼无珠 做鬼的有恨难诉

The god has eyes but blind,

The ghost harbors hatred but hard to tell.

骨肉终消散 尝尽悲与苦

Flesh and blood dissipated,

Sorrow and Pain tasted.

这欠命的已还命 赎命的却无人赎

The one who owed a life has paid,

The one who atoned remains unredeemed.

问去去来来谁赢输

Ask who wins and who loses.

叹尘归尘来土归土

Sign, as ashes return to ashes,

And dust to dust.

This song has the style of Dream of the Red Chamber (the greatest classical novel in Chinese literature). Here are the songs in this novel, where you could find some similarities.

Vain Longing: One is an immortal flower of fairyland, The other fair flawless jade, And were it not predestined, Why should they meet again in this existence? Yet, if predestined, Why does their love come to nothing? One sighs to no purpose, The other yearns in vain, One is the moon reflected in the water, The other but a flower in the mirror. How many tears can well from her eyes? Can they flow on from autumn till winter, From spring till summer?

The Birds into the Wood have Flown: The office jack’s career is blighted, The rich man’s fortune now all vanished, The kind with life have been requited, The cruel exemplarily punished; The one who owed a life is dead, The tears one owed have all been shed. Wrongs suffered have the wrongs done expiated; The couplings and the sundering were fated. Untimely death sin in some past life shows, But only luck a blest old age bestows. The disillusioned to their convents fly, The still deluded miserably die. Like birds who, having fed, to the woods repair, They leave the landscape desolate and bare.

Also, in the Bloody Fire Social of AD, the first time we heard Scholar He (*in ancient China we called a scholar ‘Sheng’, that’s where He Sheng came, not He Xuan’s another name), the verse that artist sang also shared a similarity with a song from Dream of the Red Chamber.

(Bloody Fire Social):

世人皆说贺生好

All men long to be He Sheng

功名利禄少不了

With riches and rank that all aspire;

如今贺家在何方？

The kind family of He, where are they now?

荒冢一堆草没了

Their graves are a mass of briars.

All Good Things Must End (first part): All men long to be immortals Yet to riches and rank each aspires; The great ones of old, where are they now? Their graves are a mass of briars.

An interesting coincidence is that “All Good Things Must End” is the opening verse of Dream of the Red Chamber, while “The Birds into the Wood have Flown” is the closing verse of Dream of the Red Chamber. And the two similar songs in the blackwater arc are told from He Sheng's life to the end of He Xuan's revenge, which I personally like as a literary homage.

[add1ctedt0you]

I read your zhanchengxian post and I feel the same. So Ive got a question: do you know of any fic with timeskip zhancheng where canon is substantially changed by it? I'd love to read one is why I'm asking

Hi! I am happy to know someone agrees with me! Anyway, I've not read a fic like that, sorry, but I've this habit of saving for later fics and never read them, so I've got some recs, even though I've never read these fics.

Fic (I've never read but seems zhancheng timeskip ~ canon divergent):

time waits for no one by adasinon

“Ah, Er-gege,” Wei Ying forces yet another laugh, it is breathless and helpless, and painful as always. “So inappropriate. What would Jiang Cheng say?”

Lan Zhan doesn’t recoil, or laugh. He really has changed.

“You didn’t tell us you’re injured,” Lan Zhan gently moves his arm around, dotes on Wei Ying like he cares for him the way Wei Ying wishes him to. He’s convincing, for sure, and Wei Ying tries not to pretend his delusions are coming true.

(Years ago, Wei Ying went to Lanling on his own, and died during the ambush. He returns to a changed world, where the loves of his life have seemingly been doing better without him.)

((Established Zhancheng, but we all know where this is going))

Fics set during Sunshot campaign:

Wonder of all Walkers by CoolTapes

Lan Wangji and Jiang Wanyin search for Wei Wuxian, rescue a dog, and fall in love.

Let Me Hear The Sound Your Heart Makes by Nantai

In a universe where you can hear any music your soulmate makes (be it singing or playing an instrument or just humming under your breath) Jiāng Chéng often hears his soulmates play together, but he doesn't dare join in. Because he knows Wèi Wúxiàn can't be his soulmate and Jiāng Chéng certainly won't come between him and Lán Wàngjī.

This changes when Wèi Wúxiàn goes missing during the Sunshot Campaign.

moored by fluffysocks

Lan Wangji comes over and they kiss. Lan Wangji comes over and they have tea.

Lan Wangji comes over and they talk.

It turns out that the available study materials are contradictory and unenlightening.

Fics I've read and enjoyed, that portray an interesting zhancheng dynamic during wwx's death (they don't reach canon, being set during the timeskip, but they set the mood actually)

mirror-bright scale by sugar_shoal

It's a serie! Dragon!LWJ AU, that follows canon events. At the moment there are only two fics about snippets of zhancheng moments, but it's not completed! First fic:

The Care and Keeping of Dragon Pearls by sugar_shoal

Lan Zhan's mother wore Qingheng-jun’s pearl around her neck, as big as Lan Zhan’s small fist; he stared up at it. Tints of gold shimmered in its surface, the same gold as Lan Zhan’s father’s eyes, his father’s qi. But despite the warm colors it still appeared cold to him, fastened around her neck with a chain. He touched his own smaller, paler pearl that rested in the hollow of his throat.

Lan Wangji always watches Jiang Wanyin with rapt attention. So he sees the moment of startled joy when Wanyin opens the small silver-inlaid box and realizes what it contains, the warmth that brightens his eyes. He sees when that brightness dims.

* * *

Jiang Wanyin closes the box and holds it back out to him. “Wangji,” he says, “I can’t take this from you.”

Beyond the Autumn Waters by omphalos

Two days after the first siege of the Burial Mounds, Jiang Cheng returns there to hunt for Suibian. What he finds is something completely different, but he takes it home all the same.

A found family and friendship AU that branches from canon shortly after Wei Wuxian’s death and covers the period until just before his return.

(this last one is not jgy friendly- and it's not tagged-, I don't know if it's a deal-breaker or not, but be mindful!)

[polite-pandemonium]

[LISTEN] -  always an angel, never a god - a Shoko Ieiri playlist that very much is meant to represent her post chapter 236. Sad tunes by female musicians. Also - female rage. Gege doesn't seem to want to show us her feelings, so I will do it through song! All songs are Shoko centric, but some definitely could be directed towards either Satoru or Suguru or both!!!!! I tried to have this sort of follow a narrative that takes place pre, during, and post the Shinjuku Showdown arc, while making sure the music still flowed. IDK, I took this very seriously lol. Tracklist: 1. I don't like my mind - mitski 2. in hell - japanese breakfast 3. final girl - chvrches 4. days of oblivion - metric 5. not strong enough - boy genius 6. doomsday - lizzie mcapline 7. both all the time - faye webster 8. you always get what you want - the japanese house 9. when was that? - angus and julia stone 10. only the strong - laura marling 11. girls against god - florence + the machine specific lyrics for each song under the cut!

I don't like my mind | mitski I blast music loud and I work myself to the bone and on an inconvenient Christmas, I eat a cake a whole cake all for me and then I get sick and throw up and there's another memory that gets stuck inside the walls of my skull waiting for its turn to talk and it may be a few years but you can bet it's there waiting still for me to be left alone in a room with the things that I've done a whole cake so please don't take take this job from me

in hell | japanese breakfast with my luck, you'll be dead within the year I've come to expect it there's nothing left to fear, at least there's that and under the fluorescence, another sterile room where no one ever tells you just how clinical death looks and I can't unsee it the two shots it took hell is finding someone to love and I can't have you hell is finding someone to love and I can't see you again

final girl | chvrches swallowing the seeds of sin we sewed into the ground keeping secrets until everything became a bit too loud I would wash it down, I could drown it out by filling up the silence with an organ sound and by writing sentences I used to think were quite profound and it feels like the weight is too much to carry I should quit maybe go get married only time will tell in the final cut in the final scene there's a final girl does she look like me?

days of oblivion | metric all the times that now and then appear as only dreams all the stuff from way back when that's coming up don't self destruct you don't have to call for the wrecking ball or burn the world to ashes all you have to do is ask me to I'll stop you where the descending stairs drop I've unlocked all the doors and I've lost all the keys and I live in a mansion made up from memories I know I need you don't ever leave me I'll never leave you behind I know you need me the way I need you I'll never leave you don't ever leave me behind not strong enough | boy genius do you see us getting scraped up off the pavement? I don't know why I am the way I am not strong enough to be your man I lied - I am just lowering your expectations half a mind that keeps the other second guessing close my eyes and count always an angel, never a god I don't know why I am the way I am there's something in the static I think I've been having revelations coming to in the front seat, nearly empty skip the exit to our old street and go home go home alone doomsday | lizzie mcalpine doomsday is close at hand I'll book the marching band to play as you speak I'll feel like throwing up you'll sit and stare like a goddamn machine I'd like to plan out my part in this but you're such a narcissist that you did it on Halloween I had no choice in the matter why would I? it's only the death of me both all the time | faye webster will I stop crying for once? it's hurting my eyes there's a difference between lonely and lonesome but I'm both all the time I'm loneliest at night after my shower beer and I'll go to sleep without turning out the lights pretend like somebody's here you always get what you want | the japanese house and you've left now but it's better that I know you're gone and I breathe out dizzy from the last hour of holding on and does he do right by you? and does he work so hard? I know you'll miss me, but you'll call me back you always get what you want when was that? | angus and julia stone I wonder if you can hear me wonder if you can feel my heart beating now I wonder if things will be okay wonder if things will keep changing will I fall down? take me back to when things were easier take me back to a place where I belong take me back to a place that feels like home when was that? only the strong | laura marling we've been here a thousand times wish I could go back and find letters I wrote you in my mind perhaps I could unknot us from this awful bind hope that you can change my mind had to leave this crying all behind I hope that you don't think that I'm unkind just somebody told me only and only only the strong can survive

girls against god | florence + the machine if they ever let me out, I'm really gonna let it out I listen to music from 2006 and feel kind of sick but, oh god, you're gonna get it you'll be sorry that you messed with this oh, tell me it's not over yet and in my darkest fantasies, I'm the picture of passivity waiting for you side of stage suppressing all my private rage oh, it's good to be alive crying into cereal at midnight and if they let me out, I'm really gonna let it out when I decided to wage holy war it very much looked like staring at my bedroom floor but, oh god, you're gonna get it you'll be sorry that you messed with me

[astoldbychae]

📌 Melo's to-do list:

Buy big ass house in San Sequoia

Move into big ass house in San Sequoia

Build treehouse

😂 Papa was determined to get this damn treehouse built. It started raining and he was still out there (I felt bad, so I cheated it to Partly Cloudy).

In the midst of him building the treehouse he got yet another chatty-family call from his daughter, Genesis. Apparently she was too excited to wait until her stay-over to talk to him. Mind you the stay over was literally that same night.

Lucky for him, he finished just in time. Eden was at the house because I needed to test out a few poses, Monet was supposed to be watching her but she ended up going to work...

Not sure how long she was unattended...but it was long enough for her to make a mess all in the kitchen!🙄 Anywho, she got sent home so I could test out the stay-over function.

GeGe busted through the door with her cute lil Llama bag in tow. I forgot they show up with their "lil luggage". 🥺 It's so cute! Shortly after arriving they ate dinner, took their baths/put on their jammies and went to bed.

GeGe went off to school, Monet went to work, so Melo spent the day with Eden

after running around and having a snack...

Baby girl was out for the count! Once she woke up, they played a lil bit more until every one came home and it was time for dinner...and a movie.

They had Mashes Potatoes & Cutlets but they all kept moving around and finished eating before Genesis made it back down stairs, so I only caught the movie. 🙃

After the movie baby girl got her much needed cuddles in, Monet painted, and Genesis played video games until it was time for bed since it was still a school night.

It was the last day of the stay over and Genesis went off to school, Monet went off to work...so Melo and Eden did their usual routine:

He autonomously gave her a sandwich, sat down beside her and told her a story...then it was Melo's favorite part of the day...playtime

He's such a big ass kid! SOMEBODY GIVE THIS MAN A "DADDY OF THE YEAR" AWARD.

Once Genesis made it home from school she had to get in on a game of Don't Wake The Llama with Papa before it was time to go back home...but not without a lil' wager of course...

Genesis: 1 Dad: 0

🤣 Well played Ge, well played!

Meanwhile...After they said their goodbye's to the girls and locked up the house....Monet came in with a lil proposition of her own (to lift up his spirits)

Kisses and...Simbles...with a lil wager...

😏Well played Melo. Well played!

The real uncut spice is coming, as soon as they get some damn furniture! LMAO. I really just needed to play to test out a few in-game functions that I haven't played with.

[evolutionsbedingt]

Wip Wednesday Snippet

I have slain the headache! (At least temporarily). And since I'm currently editing the ShangYueZhi you'll get a snippet from Yuanzhi's pov for once. This is set before the rest of the snippets you've read so far!

★★★

[Xue-tongzi finds Yuanzhi sitting on a rock outside of Yue manor, quotes Li Bai's Autumn Breeze at him and then joins him to share a bottle of wine. They get to talking about the recent and long-ago past.]

“So do you remember the beginning of all this?” Yuanzhi asks tentatively when Xue-tongzi hasn’t continued talking. “Like the Feng clan and why they may have left?”

“I’m afraid not,” Xue-tongzi says ruefully. “I believe we must have decided that it wasn’t important anymore and didn’t continue speaking of it. So much happens in one four-year cycle and for me it’s been twenty-five since we settled in Jiuchen Valley.”

“Gege would tell me to treat you with even more respect if he knew,” Yuanzhi says, and it makes Xue-tongzi laugh. 

“According to my body and my memory I’ll only turn eighteen this new year,” he says with a sparkle in his eyes. “If we weren’t both aware of my skill, I’d even have to call you xiongzhang.”

“Your age has caught up quickly with you,” Yuanzhi says, wincing a moment later. “Please forgive this disciple.”

“Hm,” Xue-tongzi says, still with an undeniable air of mischievousness about him. “Enough about me. Why are you sitting here like a lovelorn wife waiting for her husband to come home?”

Yuanzhi rolls his eyes, though he makes sure that Xue-tongzi can’t see it at least. “I’m waiting for Yue-zhanglao to get back from guarding Gege and I wanted to get some fresh air until then.”

“Ah, so you are being a lovelorn wife,” Xue-tongzi says with a laugh, raising the bottle in a sarcastic toast. “Waiting for my shidi to return and sighing about how everything could have been different. I didn’t realise that Zhi-gongzi is such a romantic.”

“I will push you off this boulder, ancestor or not,” Yuanzhi warns, shoving at Xue-tongzi’s shoulder. “And I’m sure Yue-zhanglao would be appalled to hear you suggest something like this.”

“You’re welcome to try and dislodge me,” Xue-tongzi says, still smiling far too brightly. “And, look, there comes your husband!”

To Yuanzhi’s utter embarrassment he whips his head around immediately and, sure enough, there’s a white-clothed figure making its way to them. He hears Xue-tongzi snicker and only spares him one poisonous glance before he gets up and jumps off the rock. His landing is a little wobbly, but he doesn’t care as long as he can personally welcome Yue-zhanglao back.

When the Elder reaches him, Yuanzhi smiles and salutes him, though he manages to refrain from asking about how Shangjue-ge is doing. If Xue-tongzi already thought Yuanzhi is interested in Yue-zhanglao just because he waited for him to return, he doesn’t want to imagine what he’d think if he realised the extent of Yuanzhi’s concern for Shangjue.

“Shixiong, how unexpected,” Yue-zhanglao says mildly when he looks up and sees who kept Yuanzhi company. “I was starting to think you’d grown roots in Xue manor.”

“Well, I’d heard there was a tragic hero mourning the absence of this Elder like a wife who sent her husband off to war, so of course I had to come and take a look,” Xue-tongzi says as he lands next to Yuanzhi, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “A truly interesting young man you’ve taken as your- What story did you tell Xue-zhanglao and the others? That you claimed him as your disciple? That’s certainly one way to put it.”

“Shixiong!” Yue-zhanglao exclaims, clearly flustered and with a blush burning high on his cheeks. “I assure you, Zhi-gongzi simply needed some time away from the fronthill and I thought it’d be an opportunity to further both of our cultivation of herbs and poisons.”

“I see,” Xue-tongzi says, all but radiating scepticism. “You should come by to drink some time, now that I have a body that can handle it. Bring Zhi-gongzi. I’m sure it’d be fun and I promise I won’t tell anyone if he breaks his seclusion.”

“Shixiong is too kind,” Yue-zhanglao says with an entirely insincere smile. “I’ll trouble you for your hospitality some other day.” He turns to Yuanzhi, softening. “Let’s go back before Xue-shixiong gets some other bright idea.”

“Brat,” Xue-tongzi grumbles but then he sighs and cups his hands at them. “I’ll leave first and let you two return home.”

Before Yuanzhi has even fully finished inclining his head, Xue-tongzi has vanished in a cloud of quickly melting snowflakes. 

“Show-off,” Yue-zhanglao mutters, shaking his head. When he looks at Yuanzhi, there’s a smile in his eyes though. “Let’s go home, shall we?”

[centuryberry]

@peachshadows / @terrible-leviathan Here it is: the final chapter of this extremely self-indulgent AU of an AU. A million times: thank you for inspiring me with your creativity <3

(While this is the end of this fic, I’m more than happy to continue answering asks about this AU of an AU beyond what this fic covers and about the Triplets!)

Life didn’t exactly turn back to normal the moment MK came back home.

He tried to force it, of course. More than anyone, he was desperate to pretend his little trip to an alternate universe was nothing more than a fever dream. He wanted things to go back to normal - to go back to delivering noodles, playing arcade games with Mei, and training with his mentors so he could be ready to face his demon of the week.

But that didn’t even last a day. MK’s efforts to slide right back into his usual routine was hindered by his constant anxiety that started the moment A-Dan was whisked away back to Flower Fruit Mountain by her parents. He couldn’t eat or sleep for the next few hours, so sick with worry. It was completely irrational. MK had nothing to worry about since she was back in her parents’ arms, but the feeling persisted. His anxiety didn’t settle until a harried looking Wukong and a distressed Macaque dropped by in the middle of the night with a sobbing A-Dan in tow.

“Gege,” she sniffled heartbreakingly into his shirt when she was passed over to him. “Gege. No go. No go.”

MK wasn’t the only one who left the experience with scars.

For the sake of both of them, MK temporarily moved out of his apartment above Pigsy’s Noodles and moved into Flower Fruit Mountain.

It helped with some things. It also made things worse.

Sometimes, MK would forget that he wasn’t in the other world anymore. It was stupid. It was like small things like jokes and quirks were landlines that would send him back to the other world.

Jokes about MK being a little too much like Wukong weren’t taken too well even though they weren’t new. At best, he’d make faces and try to quickly change the subject. At worst…

“For the last time, I’m not his son!”

Yeah. He didn’t like those.

MK didn’t like it either whenever Wukong and Macaque took A-Dan away from him without warning. It didn’t happen every time, but the memories would overlap without warning, triggered by something that they said or did or even looked in that moment.

Once, he even snarled at them for trying. He caught himself before he tried to bite them and was completely mortified at what he almost did.

Instead of being rightfully upset with him, his mentors stayed gentle and understanding.

“You did good, kid,” Macaque rumbled comfortingly into his ear later when MK sobbed apologies into his shirt. “You protected her so well while we weren’t there. A-Dan couldn’t have been safer.”

Wukong and Macaque were patient with his outbursts and slip-ups. Not once did they ever hold it against him, which made MK feel worse because he knew that neither of them deserved it.

That was the breakthrough he needed to drop by Sandy’s ship to finally get help. The river demon was already waiting for him with tea and an encouraging smile. It was hard, opening up. But it was something MK needed to do. He didn’t want this haunting every moment in his life.

MK wasn’t alone in this either. When he felt ready, his friends came and sat in on the sessions. It helped, talking through what he experienced with them. Even Red Son deigned to come by Sandy’s boat to support MK, insistent that he was only there for the tea and nothing else.

“So you’re saying that you are comfortable with me since the differences between me and the inferior me is so blatant that it hurts,” Red Son concluded near the end of the session. “Why not focus on the differences of your pathetic friends too? It will most likely have the same effect.”

“I-” MK blinked. “Actually, you’re onto something.”

“Obviously. My thought process is far more advanced than your puny peasant brain.”

Sandy was absolutely thrilled at the idea. He even got out his drawing board to start drawing out the differences between the inhabitants of the other world and theirs.

“Let’s start with Red Boy’s-” “Red Son.” “-differences. Is there anything specific that he could say that might trigger you?”

“Oh, um.” MK flushed and looked down. “There’s no way he’d say those things so we can skip that.”

“I insist that you list them out all the same,” Red Son pushed, looking almost concerned for a second. “I do not wish to ever be mistaken for that - that imposter, so having a guideline for what to avoid would help immensely.”

“Well. There’s My Prince.” Red Son nodded, already familiar with that one. “And Beloved.” Red Son choked. “And Darling. And Treasure. And Dearest. And My Ma-

“I think we heard enough!” Red Son cut MK off, face burning red and hair literally burning. MK’s face wasn’t any better. He had started covering it halfway through. “Well! You were correct for once, Monkey Boy. I will certainly never call you any of that.”

MK smiled up at him weakly. “You promise?”

“Of course,” Red Son coughed, looking away. “I would never be so disgustingly sappy or uncreative.”

For Wukong and Macaque, it was a little more complicated. It required a lot of sitting down and divulging their pasts. They spoke about the Brotherhood, the creation of it after meeting Azure Lion, and its eventual dissolution. They spoke about the War Against Heaven and its consequences - Wukong being trapped under a mountain as punishment and Flower Fruit Mountain burning. They lost so much, including each other.

“I was a little jealous of them,” Wukong admitted with a distant look in his eyes. “They still had their friends and bonds intact. Flower Fruit Mountain sounded so lively. Wish they would have appreciated them more.”

“We should visit Brother Ox and Iron Fan and make amends properly,” Macaque suggested to his mate. “I miss my sister and A-Dan deserves to have at least one Uncle and Aunt in her life.”

MK was ever grateful for them opening up old wounds for his sake. And, in a way, it healed them too.

It took time, but MK found a new normal. He restarted his rounds as a delivery boy whenever he wasn’t training or fighting his demon of the week. And he wasn’t alone either. Mei and Red Son fought by his side and even went out to hang out after - not that the Fire Demon would ever admit that was what he was doing.

It was a process, but A-Dan slowly yet surely was getting more and more comfortable with not seeing MK around all the time. He always visited, of course, but he always went back to his little apartment at the end of the day. She understood that she couldn’t keep her Gege all to herself. Eventually.

“…and things have been getting better. We’re happy and almost back to normal. Or at least a new kind of normal,” MK recounted to his bathroom mirror.

“I’m happy to hear that,” Xiaotian laughed from the other side of the mirror. MK could see the familiar walls of the Celestial Palace. It hurt to look at and remember the first few times interacting with Xiaotian, but now he didn’t even bat an eye at the sight of it. See? Improvement. “Really, MK. You deserve it.”

“And what about you? Time flows differently over there, right? A lot of things must’ve happened ever since the last update.”

“Well, I managed to successfully push for a law that would give mortal humans equal rights and proper citizenship! And all forms of slavery are illegal now!” Xiaotian announced proudly. “Mom and Dad helped too. They’re starting to understand what I was trying to push for.”

MK grimaced. “I’m not saying that you’re lying but…”

Xiaotian didn’t take it personally. “I know, I know, they already did and said too much to trust any kind of change. Honestly, I don’t think that they’re really suited for the whole ‘ruling the world’ sort of gig. Too much responsibility for a pair of lovebirds so into each other, you know? But they’re getting better and they’ll continue to be better. The Triplets and I are making sure of that.”

“Hey, speaking of the Triplets, how are they? Getting into some cheeky mischief?”

Xiaotian’s smile turned fondly exasperated. “The Eastern Wing of the palace grounds got destroyed again.”

“Oof. Again? Who was it this time?”

“In a way, it was all of them,” Xiaotian sighed. “Shan was running his mouth as usual and annoyed Yang into his emotional explosions. Xue’s tail got singed in the chaos of it all and froze everything in his panic.”

Like Xiaotian and Xiaodan, the Triplets took the same “Xiao” to their names and all mostly took after their Baba’s coloring. Like their Stone Monkey Baba and their Shadow Monkey Mama, they were all very powerful and unique in their own ways.

Xiaoyang, the first to hatch, not only inherited his Baba’s appearance that it was almost uncanny, but he also inherited his tendency to feel and react too much. Unfortunately, unlike his Baba when he was angry, he exploded. Literally.

Four-Eared Xiaoxue was the opposite. He kept his emotions bottled up like his mother, only to release his resentment and anger in the perfect moment that sent those who wronged him reeling. Though, when distressed or surprised, he would accidentally summon ice storms to the palace’s doorsteps.

And Xiaoshan. The instigator. The mischief-maker. He was chaos incarnate and the usual suspect whenever things went wrong. The moment he could walk and talk, it was over for the Celestial Realm. It didn’t help that he was frighteningly in tune with hearing the future with his six ears.

The Triplets were frightening. Even more so to MK when he realized that their powers and personalities were an amalgamation of Wukong, Macaque, and MK’s past, trauma, and flaws. Xiaoyang being born with a blind eye. Xiaoxue being almost unnaturally cold to touch. Xiaoshan being, well, Xiaoshan.

“Sorry about that,” MK said, completely embarrassed. “If I knew that I would literally manifest my trauma into them because I repressed them for so long, I’d have looked for help sooner.”

“For the millionth time, they’re not the manifestation of your trauma, they’re like me: the culmination of possibilities that had, has, and will happen in your universe. Besides, they’re perfect.”

“I’m still sorry for making all of this so hard for you.”

“Are you kidding me? All I ever wanted was to be real. To exist. I’m happy to be alive and here with my family, MK. And no amount of chaos or trouble is ever going to change that.”

Before Xiaotian could say any more, he was interrupted by a chorus of childish voices. To MK’s amusement, young monkey demons started to climb up Xiaotian’s fancy robes, begging for his attention.

“Da-ge, what’cha talkin’ to? Is it your Mirror Friend? I wanna talk to ‘em too!” Shan chattered.

“Da-ge, come here. You promised to read me a story,” Xue demanded as imperiously as he could while carrying a scroll his size.

“Da-ge, I want noodles,” Yang pleaded with a puppy-dog eye.

Xiaotian scruffed them all and gathered them up in a blink of an eye. “Whelp, time to go. Talk to you later, MK.”

“Yeah, see you later, bud.”

Before MK and Xiaotian could close their line of communication, Shan’s gaze suddenly sharpened and focused on MK. That never happened before. Usually, it was only Xiaotian who could see him through the mirror.

“Don’t open the bad scroll. It’ll eat everyone you love.”

MK shivered at the ominous words. “What-?”

Xiaotian bopped Shan’s nose like he was a misbehaving puppy. “No. Bad Shan. You’re not allowed to use your weirdly-specific prophecies to make other people uncomfortable. Do you want to get into trouble again?”

“I’m not scared of ‘Ba!” Shan yelled stubbornly.

“What about Mom?”

Shan stopped struggling and fell silent.

“…don’t tell ‘Ma.”

“Thought so,” Xiaotian snickered before turning to MK. “Don’t worry too much, MK. Just stay away from weird scrolls and you’ll be okay.”

“Right.” MK’s apartment shook at the force of an explosion. He took out his staff in alarm and peered out of his window. “Whelp, gotta go too! Demons are causing trouble again!”

“See you later, MK. Oh, and give A-Dan an extra hug for me, okay?”

Later, after MK lugged an entire cart full of forbidden artifacts to Flower Fruit Mountain for safekeeping, he did.

“Gege, back! A-Dan, love!” She cooed.

“Yeah, I’m back! And I got all this cool stuff we can look at! With your Mama and Baba’s supervision, of course.”

“Yay! Fun!”

A-Dan was safe. They were safe. And he hoped this “normal” stayed with them for a while before the next big adventure shook up their lives again.

Unbeknownst to them, a black scroll shifted in the pile and glowed.