#I had a lot of fun writing this

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

Your Love, Like Birth and Death

cw. jjk faerie au, banshee!reader (she/her pronouns, afab), seelie prince!gojou, mutual pining but gojou's love is heavier, descriptions of blood and injuries

pairing. gojou x reader

notes. i should be working on the unseelie lord toji fic but this concept is still wracking my brain so y'all are getting this right now instead. lovesick faerie prince gojou for you, you and you! (also, spot the furuba and mirai nikki references lol.)

This Court is dyed in the colors of Life, you note this particular morning.

Of course, this is something you’ve noted every morning since you’d been brought to this palace nearly a month ago. Yet you aren’t tired of noting it.

The Court you have found yourself in is beautiful. From the ledge you lean against, it almost feels like you can see everything in Faerie.

You see the royal gardens, a mass of long grasses and moss dotted by colorful wild blooms. Overgrown and yet each flower seems right where it is supposed to be.

Beyond the walls of the castle, you see stretches and stretches of blue spruces and just beyond that a lake that almost seems purple. If this were a palace in Unseelie territory, you might have thought a kelpie lived in it.

Across the courtyard, souls living and deceased move as if in a dance. The living with their duties for the day, unaware of their ghoulish companions drifting about. Some have the ever permanent dribble of poisoned wines falling from their lips, others' have blood seeping into their clothes from their torsos and others are missing limbs although they find no difficult in moving.

The sight of death faeries is one that gruesome. A mixture of life and death, the path you folk walk on until you return to nothing.

Neat yet unkempt, wild yet tame, expected yet unexpected ー that is the beauty of Faerie you’ve grown accustomed to in the centuries since your creation.

A beauty you rarely have the opportunity to appreciate when you often find yourself in the realm of humans, heralding death.

You wonder how much time has passed there since you’ve come to the Court of Reckoning. All while the skies have lost the traces of violet, peach and marigold that painted the dawn skies and have begun settling into a lovely shade of pastel blue. 

“I see I’ve finally found you,” when you look over your shoulder, it’s one of the prince’s advisors that greets you. The one with the long raven-black hair and brown eyes that remind you of humus-rich soil. You see the makings of a black tail with a tuft of fur peeking from his cloak and believe him to be some sort of phouka. “I almost thought for a moment our honored guest had disappeared,” his voice is light and airy, but he seems relieved to an extent. “I’m glad my concerns were proven untrue. Satoru would be quite unmanageable if that were the case.”

You shake your head, smiling politely, “I enjoy watching dawn turn into morning.” You look at the large bouquet in the phouka’s hands ー an assortment of lavender roses, baby’s breath and ferns.

“Our prince is too busy to deliver these himself this morning,” Suguru explains once they’ve caught your eye. You make sure to not let your fingers brush against one another when you reach for the blooms carefully. “Love at first sight, purity and fascination it is supposed to symbolize,” the advisor recounts the meaning of each bloom dutifully. He’s exasperated, you can tell. “Do you like them?”

“Yes, they’re quite lovely,” you believe so truly. Everyday since your arrival to the palace, the prince has had bouquet after bouquet gifted to you. Even if he cannot deliver them himself. “As were the rest I’ve received.”

“I’ve never seen Satoru so smitten,” you avoid the phouka’s gaze. “You should have met him when we were younger. He was adamant that he’d never be besotted with anyone lest he become a fool.” There’s a light pause as Suguru recalls the evening Satoru brought you to this palace. You who are cloaked in death and all of her colors. “Look at him now. He’s certainly caused a stir in his insistence you’ll be his queen. He’s a charming fool, though, I am sure.”

You prefer to think of the prince as a ridiculous fool but you cannot deny that he is charming. Dangerously so. If you hadn’t known better, you would have thought him to be a gancanagh, a love-talker.

“Please marry me,” came the soft request as sky blue eyes stared into your very being. “And I’ll love you more faithfully than any man, fae or otherwise.”

You try not to remember the way your chest clenched in surprise. How you were so surprised it almost felt like your skin had warmed. It’s best not to focus on that memory at all.

It’s a ridiculous notion, a seelie prince in love with a banshee.

“The prince is simply confusing gratitude with love,” you return Suguru’s gaze with a polite smile. You hope he believes you. “He’ll realize that soon and I will leave this place.” You know that will bring palace staff a great sense of peace. If there is one thing you’ve learned in your long life as a banshee it is that even if the Folk spurn mortals and their blink-of-an-eye lifespans, there are many things faeries and humans have in common.

A fear of death is certainly one of them.

As such, to the vast majority of faeriekind, Death Folk like yourself are not looked upon favorably. Banshee and dullahans alike, you’re more like pests in their eyes. 

You banshee women who scream and keen if death is near. 

The dullahans who hear those screams and arrive when that final hour has approached.

Yes, you know how death fae are viewed. You’ve heard the whispers in the palace, how you are an omen of malevolence to come. That your kind are like roaches. Should one appear, others will soon follow suit.

This is why you’ve come to appreciate this private ledge on the castle walls that receives less foot traffic than the rest. You’d rather the staff of the palace have peace of mind in your absence while you live in the palace even if their prince insists you can venture the halls as much as you’d like.

Once the promised revel he hopes to throw in your honor comes to pass, you know the prince will lose his interest in you. Then you will leave and continue about your existence until you fade into nothing but a vague memory in his subconscious.

That's what you truly hope when you see the prince in question later on in the day for lunch in the garden.

How his eyes light up and he stands to his feet as Cypress, a lovely pixie tasked with being your attendant, announces your arrival. How he doesn't even wait for you to reach the table before he comes to meet you. You are unused to being treated like royalty and yet their prince insists that you are. "You won't believe how the old hags go on and on," he sighs, remnants of annoyance dancing in his tone but his voice is soft with you. Cypress takes the dismissal in stride. "I couldn't even come see you for breakfast. Did you like the flowers?"

He wraps your hands in his own large palms, seemingly unaffected by your corpse-cold skin, as he has done every time you've met since your arrival. "Yes, they were beautiful," your smile is small and doesn't quite reach your eyes. You hope this ridiculous yet charming fool realizes that loving one such as yourself is more trouble than good. That his love truly is just misplaced gratitude. "You really don't have to send me flowers every morning."

The prince disregards your words the way water rolls off the back of a duck, "next time I'll bring you the flowers myself." He guides you to the table filled to the brim with food you aren't accustomed to eating. "Will you tell me your favorites finally? I've been going out on a limb with my guesses."

"My tastes in flowers are unique, to say the least," maybe it's your nature, but your favorites tend to circle around the prevailing theme of your kind. Lavender to give the dead peace in passing on, calendula for blessing and love. Dandelions in the seed head stage were quite popular with ghost children, still finding them just as amusing as they did when they were alive. "The flowers you send me are more than enough." The prince pouts but he decides to let you skirt around his request once more. You bring focus back to the spread, "it looks like you've demanded everything in the kitchen."

There are strawberry-and-whipped cream filled pastries, cold cut platters and buttery biscuits to name a few things. The tip of the iceberg of everything on the table.

"I wanted to make sure our bases were covered," the prince grins, teeth as white as his hair. "I hope you like lavender chamomile, that's today's tea. I've never had it before." He drops cube after cube of sugar into his cup, drizzles the contents with honey before finally pouring in a splash of cream.

You take your tea plain and enjoy the gentle fragrance. Lavender buds are just barely visible below the tea's surface. You close your eyes as the flavor hits your tongue. It tastes as wonderful as it smells. "Yes, this is quite nice. I really like it."

"Should we have it for tomorrow as well?" He's too eager to curry your favor.

You open your eyes to dissuade him but your attention is instead drawn to a headless hob nearing your table. You've seen this hob before, skirting about the palace bitterly as he carries his head in his hands much like a dullahan. He's old, even by fae standards, with a long beard. There's no question as to how the man died, beheading. You hope it was quick.

His beady eyes glare at you with a quiet rage similar to how most fae spirits do. You wonder how long he has been like this, refusing to board the carriage of any dullahan that may come to collect him and bring him to the Otherworld.

You personally believe that faeries leave behind ghosts more than humans do.

It's why you've often seen ghosts from a distance at revels, dancing from dawn til dusk even if they will not be perceived by the living. Even if they can no longer don the fancy dresswear they were able to dress in.

Time and time again, they will do this. Staunchly refusing death even after they're already in its hold.

"Oh, is there a ghost with us?" The prince notes how your eyes dart between him and the space he perceives as empty. "What's it saying?"

"Tell this lout that I sooner hope his rule is contemptuous and brings the Court to ruin!" The hob's head seethes. "That his many days are fraught with danger! Gakuganji is my name and this is the curse I cast upon him!"

Folk can't lie, but you you prefer not to relay the bitter message. "He hopes your rule is one that is," you lick your lips and raise your cup to your lips. "Filled with exciting thrills," not an exact lie. Perhaps to this radical prince, those sorts of threats are exciting. "He says his name is Gakuganji."

"Exciting thrills, you say?" The prince barks in amusement, shoulders shaking with his laughter. "That doesn't sound like the traitorous scoundrel I know. You don't have to lie, he's probably cursing me and my bloodline for generations to come as we speak." The hob growls at the lackadaisical nonchalance of the elf. But it seems he has had his fill as he stomps off before he can hear more insult to his person.

"Gakuganji has lost his touch even in death," the prince's amused chuckles turn into light sighs "You wouldn't have liked him very much when he was alive," you're sure you can agree with that much of the prince's words. Gakuganji, as you now know him, has been one of the more unpleasant spirits in the palace. "He was very stuck in his ways. What's it like, seeing ghosts all the time?"

Normal?

You can't quite remember what it was like when you were a newly-made banshee and everything was new. Nor can you remember the life you once led as a human. You simply remember your death was a terrible, terrible thing. "It's as normal to me as it's normal for you not to see them," you set your cup down. "If someone asked you what's it like to see the blue sky everyday, it would be a strange question, correct?"

The prince takes in your words thoughtfully, not slighted in the least. "I guess that's true," he nods to himself. "I just wondered if it was something that took some getting used to." The prince removes his darkened spectacles from the bridge of his nose. "I told you before I have pretty good eyes. I'm able to perceive a lot of things no one else can from mana to the shape of one's soul. But the spirits of the deceased are exceptions to my eyes, it seems."

"Your Highness," you begin.

"Satoru," the prince corrects you swiftly.

"Your Highness," you insist. This boundary you won't cross for yourself. "I'm not sure it's really wise for you to tell me about your eyes. I'm not a member of this family or your closest allies."

"But you will be," he tells you as if he's simply remarking on how pleasant the weather is. "I will become king of this Court and you'll be by my side as my queen." You're quite sure that if his mother, the High Queen, has anything to say about it, she'd sooner relinquish her throne to a random nixie than allow a banshee to wed her son. "I trust you as much as I trust Suguru or Nanami."

You wish he wouldn't.

A Seelie prince and his banshee queen? That sounds like the start to a ballad meant to insult him.

It's misplaced gratitude, not love. That's what this prince feels for you. You tell him as such once again as you have everyday since you were brought here. "You'll realize that soon, maybe even before the revel you plan for me," you whisper ー no, you pray. "There will be another you yearn for and you'll realize the difference."

The prince will fall deeply, truly, unapologetically in love with someone and he'll discover the truth.

Perhaps it will be a lake maiden of Spring whose dreadlocks drip with water droplets that fall onto dewy cinnamon-brown skin. Who sings of the beautiful red and pink of the roses and of love.

Or maybe it will be a selkie man who doesn't mind living far from the sea as he's brought a love as deep as the ocean along with him. Whose coat is donned in scars and scratches from battles past, a reflection of his form as a seal.

Or maybe he can grow enraptured with his phouka advisor whom he trusts more than anyone in this life.

Someone dyed in Life's colors.

Someone beautiful.

When that time comes, you'll be happy for him. Maybe then the ache that resonates through your heart and bones will end.

The prince isn't the only fool here, you admit reluctantly. You're just as much, if not more so. But this feeling will come to pass, "this is just gratitude. Fascination. Not love."

"You think I don't love you?" The prince asks quietly, resting his chin on his palm as he looks at you. He says he has good eyes, he wonder what you look like to him through them. You who once was dyed in Life's colors but have since become painted over by Death's brush.

Death folk with death folk.

Life folk with life folk.

"I know you don't," he can't. You can't allow either of yourselves to do so. "A banshee by your side as queen," you want it sound ridiculous to both of your ears. "It's absurd."

There are no rules that state your union is forbidden, this you know. But the laws of nature are simple. Life and Death co-exist separately, unable to exist without one another. But there has never been a tale where the two joined together as one.

Maybe you're just too scared to be the first.

"I want the woman that I love by my side as queen," the prince replies smoothly. "Your species is of little importance to me. All that matters is that my love is returned in full. Please, allow me to be yours," he reaches for your hand once more, stepping out of his chair in favor of sitting on bended knee. "More than anyone has or ever will, I love you. This is an unwavering truth."

The blood of the love-talker must run through his veins. Why else do you feel like this? Your desire for this prince will eat away at you until you become undone and return to nothing. "You're a prince. It's the duty of the royal family to provide heirs," even the smallest sprite knows this to be fact. "Are you asking me to stay with you and have them?"

"Please have my children," azure stares seriously into your pale eyes that were once [color] when you were human.

Your skin feels warm at his unabashed request.

Gojou Satoru has no shame, that you have become sure of in the near month of knowing one another.

He had no shame when he asked you to be his bride when you first met.

There was no shame to be found when he insisted that you stay in the palace as an honored guest he owes his life to.

Nor is there any shame to be found in him now when he cups your cheek in his furnace hot hands to guide your lips down to his, long white lashes fluttering shut.

I shouldn't, your mind screeches at you. I shouldn't allow us to get even one millimeter closer. Yet you make no move to do so as your lips are just barely touching whenー

"Your Highness, your mother is requesting you," Nanami's mild-mannered drawl saves you at the last minute.

You jerk back into your chair in relief, heart pounding. You aren't able to make eye contact with anyone, least of all the overworked horned elf-kobold hybrid brought to receive the Gojou heir.

The prince clicks his tongue in annoyance, glaring over his shoulder at the advisor, "she can't wait? We haven't even begun eating yet."

Nanami looks just as annoyed to be there, "the faster you heed her call, the quicker you can go back to fawning after the object of your desires." He tells his prince. "And the faster I can get back to resting."

The prince with snow-white hair clicks his tongue once more, but he doesn't argue against it. He turns to you regretfully, "I'll have to leave again. Perhaps we'll have more time together at dinner," you hope the wait for dinner is longer still. You know the prince hopes the time passes as quickly as he can blink.

Warm lips press against the back of your hand, lingering for five seconds longer than they should.

The bones of your hands ache.

Extra:

Title comes from a Nizar Qabbani poem: [Your love / Oh you with fathomless eyes / Is extreme /mystic / holy / Your love, like birth and death / is impossible to repeat]

My favorite bit in this is having the reader refused to call Gojou by name even in the narrative dialogue, in a futile attempt to keep distance between you both. I hope you guys found that riveting as well

Part 2? Should there be one? Perhaps there should be... y'all let me know

[jareaul0ver]

Talk Too Much

Summary: You never learn when to shut your mouth, so JJ has to shut it for you.

wc: 1.7k warnings: smut (r recieving), fingering, oral, cursing, semi-public sex (in a bathroom where they could easily be caught) pairings: jennifer jareau x fem!reader

It was a boring day at the BAU. There weren't many days that the team wouldn't have any cases, but today happened to be one of them. You needed to find a way to entertain yourself, so you started bugging everyone.

You tried to talk to Spencer, but he was too distracted with the stack of books piled on his desk. Emily was chatting with Penelope about something "top secret". Dave was telling Derek about his famous pasta dishes, which you found incredibly boring, and you knew well enough to not bug Hotch.

That left JJ as your only option to bother, and that you did. You walked over to her office and smiled at her. "Hey, you."

She looked up from her desk filled with paperwork and softly smiled. "Hey, Y/N. You need something?"

You shrugged and walked into her office, sitting yourself down on the chair across the desk from her. "Not necessarily, no." She flashed you a slightly confused look. "Jayje, I'm bored. I'm going to go crazy if I don't talk to someone."

She sighed but her smile grew. "I've got paperwork to do, but if you want to talk, then talk." JJ immediately knew she'd end up regretting this decision, as once you got started, you didn't stop.

However, she loved the way your face lit up when those words left her mouth. You immediately opened your own and started rambling about complete nonsense.

For a while, JJ thought it was adorable. She loved seeing how excited you'd get when you'd remember a detail to add onto the end of one story, then remembering something from another, making you talk about that.

But eventually, that cuteness that she ever so adored faded. She found herself staring right at your lips, wishing she could just grab your face and press her lips against it. She was getting so lost in watching the way your lips moved while you talked, that she didn't even realize you had stopped.

"Jayje?" You questioned, waving your hand gently in front of her face.

Her eyes darted up to meet yours and she blinked a few times. "Hm?"

"Are you even listening anymore?" You teased her, even though you knew for a fact that she wasn't, and she probably was just zoning out to get through the conversation.

She hesitated for a moment before standing up. She walked around her desk and grabbed your arm. She dragged you up from the seat and out of her office. "JJ, what the hell-" She shot you a look, making you immediately shut up.

The two of you ended up in the bathroom. She gently guided you in before stepping in after you and locking the bathroom door behind her.

"Are you gonna say anything to me, or-"

Her hand flew up and covered your mouth. She breathed out. "God, Y/N, you talk way too fucking much." She moved her hand from your mouth, and it wrapped somewhat loosely around your neck.

Without hesitation her lips were pressed feverishly on yours. You were caught off guard, but once you regained your senses you immediately kissed her back.

Pure bliss spread throughout the both of your bodies, but JJ wanted more. Her body was heating up, and all she wanted in this moment was to take you entirely.

She gently squeezed your neck with her hand and a small gasp left your throat. She slipped her tongue into your mouth and groaned the second your tongues swished around each others. Her hand trailed down your body and landed on the side of your abdomen, her other hand mirroring the placement on the other side.

She squeezed your sides and pulled her lips away from yours. Before you could protest, her lips attached to your neck. You sucked in a sharp breath and leaned your head, giving her better access to your skin.

JJ was careful to not leave any marks on your skin, even though she so badly wanted to. Her hands flew up to the top button of your shirt, and she easily unbuttoned it. She pulled back from kissing your neck and looked you in the eyes, asking silently for permission to continue.

You nodded without hesitation and she immediately pressed her lips back against yours. Her fingers found the next button, and then the next, and the one after that. Soon enough your shirt was fully unbuttoned and hanging loosely on your body.

You shivered a bit at the chilly bathroom air brushing over your bare stomach. JJ placed her hands on your hips and squeezed them tightly, eliciting a whimper from your lips.

You quickly felt the heat growing warmer between your legs, and you didn't know how much longer you could go without breaking down and begging JJ to pleasure you.

As if she read your mind, she kissed down your collarbone, all while sliding her hands up your back and to the clasp of your bra. She unclipped it in a swift and easy motion, and peeled both your shirt, and bra off of you.

Your clothes fell to the floor and JJ wasted no time in bringing one hand to knead a breast, while taking the nipple of the other in her mouth. You clasped your hand over your mouth to ensure that no one but the two of you heard the whimpers that escaped your mouth.

You bucked your hips against her, trying to feel the friction you needed, but it wasn't working. You whined quietly. "JJ, please."

JJ pulled back and her hands dropped to the zipper of your pants. "Please, what?" She tilted her head as she undid your zipper painfully slow.

"Please, just fuck me. I promise I'll be a good girl and shut up." You pleaded her. You almost couldn't take her teasing anymore.

JJ chuckled lowly. "Oh, I was planning on it either way." She swiftly made work of your pants and they slipped down your legs and onto the floor. She placed her hands underneath your ass and lifted you up, placing you on the bathroom sink.

Your breath caught in your throat. All that was left as a barrier between the two of you was your panties. JJ placed her hands on your thighs and moved them up towards the waistband of your underwear.

She kept her eyes on yours as she hooked her fingers around it. You assisted her in pulling them off. She looked down at them before discarding your panties to the floor. When she looked back up at you, a small smirk was playing on her lips. "You're soaked, honey. All for me?"

Your lips parted and you nodded dazedly. You watched as JJ slowly got down onto her knees. She placed her hands on the insides of your thighs and spread them apart. She licked her lips at the sight of your dripping cunt.

"God." She breathed. "You're so fucking perfect." She kissed the insides of your thighs, and you instinctively tried to close them, but JJ's strong grip kept your legs wide apart. You bit your lip as she got closer to your heat.

She swiped her tongue through your folds and a moan escaped both of your lips. You covered your mouth with your hand. The last thing that you both needed right now was for someone to come knocking at the bathroom door.

JJ found herself utterly entranced by your taste. She didn't hesitate to latch her mouth onto your clit and start sucking. A string of quiet curses fell from your lips. She pulled back and looked at you from below. "You're gonna have to stay quiet for me, honey, can you do that?" You nodded but she shook her head. "Use your words." She demanded softly.

"I- I can stay quiet." You shakily breathed.

"Good girl." She mumbled before attaching her lips right back on your clit. She swirled her tongue around it, noting how you bucked your hips every time she sucked a little harder. She noticed every reaction your body had to her actions, and she relished in it.

She brought a hand up and without warning teased a finger into your entrance. She slowly pumped it while keeping her mouth stuck to your clit. You threw your head back and bit your lips so hard you were convinced you'd draw blood.

She slipped another finger in, and started curling them inside of you. The hand not covering your mouth flew to her hair and you gripped it tightly. JJ moaned against your core, sending shivers through your body.

She kept her movements going for a little longer and you felt yourself nearing release. You whined through your hand as your hips rolled forward against her face and on her fingers. "Jayje, I- I'm close." You said breathlessly.

She quickly inserted a third finger and quickened her pace. She sucked and prodded your clit. You were starting to get louder, so she pulled her mouth away. Before you could protest, she stood up and locked her lips onto yours.

You groaned into her mouth at the taste of yourself. She used her thumb to rub circles on your swollen bud. Your moans and noises were getting caught in JJ's mouth.

She pulled back just enough to whisper, "Come for me, Y/N." She pushed her lips back on yours feverishly, and with a few more pumps and curls of her fingers you came undone.

She slowly helped you come down from your high. Your forehead was pressed against hers and you could feel each other's breath of your faces. She gently pulled her fingers out of you, causing you to whine.

She brought her hand up in between your faces. "Open." She whispers, and you immediately comply. She places her fingers covered in your juices on your tongue and you hum in satisfaction.

She pulls her fingers out and leans in to press a delicate kiss against your lips. "Let's get you dressed, hon." You nod and slide off the sink. You let JJ help you get dressed again.

After you've both fixed your appearance you turn to her with a small smirk. "Maybe I should talk more often, if this is how it'll end up."

[charlclerc]

hiiii I’ve uploaded a new chapter to “Under the Sunset” which is my spiderman landoscar fic if anyone is interested in reading it! I’ve linked it below

[zukkaart]

1 and 15: picturing it as zuko telling sokka this but it could very easily be the other way so whatever works for you :)

Couple #1: Zukka

Prompt #15: “You’re useless”

For the prompt game! (I whipped out my laptop for this one hehe)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

pit pat, pit pat

Zuko's bare feet were a steady rhythm against the marble floor of his room. "Should I go see him? What do I say?" The young lord murmured to himself as he paced.

For weeks he had been working up the nerve to talk to Sokka. The war had only ended six months ago. After that day at the Jasmine Dragon the water tribe siblings had dutifully packed up and headed back to the South Pole to help in the reconstruction effort. Zuko hadn't seen either of them since, in fact- he'd been too swamped trying to assert his station and capabilities that he hadn't even written them. "Stupid," He spat out loud. "He probably won't even want to see you,"

It of course escaped Zuko's rational mind that Sokka had not written him either, but he always placed the weight of responsibility firmly on his own shoulders. He never left even an ounce for anyone else. Whether that came from his "first born son" upbringing or being banished was anyone's guess.

Zuko let out a sharp breath, straightening his tunic and resolving to just walk up to Sokka's room and knock, he could figure out what to say if he got that far.

He all but stomped his way to his chamber door, throwing one open and began his journey down the long corridor. Zuko noticed the family portraits adorning the walls, he wondered if his family might be up there one day. What Zuko didn't notice was a servant rounding the corner with a large tray full of all manner of tea and fresh fruit.

He collided nose-first with that silver tray, and with a loud crash him and the servant both were thrown to the marble floor. Zuko's head hit the floor hard, but not before the hot tea spilled all over him. The servant -who had only handed in a sitting position- blanched and immediately moved to help the young Fire Lord to his feet. She was apologising profusely and insisting that he let her call a healer.

"Your Highness I am so sorry, are you alright? That tea was very hot, please let me at least help you to the healers chamber."

"That won't be necessary," Zuko waved her off. He was finally upright which forced him to take in the scene around him. His head was swimming, his hair and tunic were drenched, and he was hot. Why was he hot? The servant said the tea was hot, but it was more than that. His face was burning.

Noting this, he turned on his heel and rushed back down the hall and threw himself back in to his room. He slammed his door closed behind him. Wiping the tea off his face to see better he tripped on the ornate robes which were left on the floor after his earlier meetings. Zuko fell to his hands and knees in front of the large mirror mounted to the wall beside his bed.

Face burning, tears running down his face, thrown down on to a cold marble floor...alone

The memory of the Agni Kai that started it all came on like a wave. Not a cool refreshing one that washed over him and brought him back to reality, but a dark crushing one that trapped him in its undertow and refused to let go until his lungs were threatening to explode under the pressure.

His gaze lifted to see himself in the mirror. Still drenched, tears mingling with tea, his scar burning like the day he first got it.

"Pathetic," Zuko spat, echoing what his father had called him so many times, during his firebending training especially. "You're useless," with that, Zuko leaned back on his heels, burying his face in his hands, and let the tears flow silently down his face- lest someone hear.

~~~

While no one heard his cry, someone did note the loud slamming of his door and came running. Just in time to hear those last two words Zuko spoke to himself, and stopped in their tracks.

Sokka stood there, roughly fifteen feet away with the door once again shut behind him. Face twisted in confusion and grief, he tried to make sense of the scene in front of him. The water tribe boy had come running because he had thought- well- he didn't know what he thought. Honestly, not much had gone through his head. He had simply heard a threatening sound coming from where he knew Zuko's rooms to be and sprinted out of his own. PTSD can be brutal sometimes, at least- that's what he told himself it was.

"What?" He spoke before thinking. How could Zuko think such things of himself? After everything he did for his nation, for the whole world really. Sokka too sometimes suffered the effects of imposter syndrome, but this was something different entirely.

Zuko jumped to his feet to face the noise, and a weak flame flickered in his hand before sputtering out. Sokka knew better than to be scared of him, but Zuko didn't pull his punch because of him this time. Sokka lurched forward at the same time Zuko stumbled backwards into the mirror, he was lucky it didn't shatter.

A million thoughts ran through Sokka's head at once when his hands steadied Zuko. One on his chest and one on the back of his head.

He's all wet, blood. Tui and La please don't be blood. He looked at the hand on his chest. Okay no blood. He checked his other hand. Wait, yes blood. Curse it all. What did he do? He asked Zuko as much.

"Nothing," Zuko spat, not unkindly, but defensively. "Let me get a-" "NO" "Okay then at least let me clean you up and get you out of these clothes. They're freezing," Sokka threw back, and he wasn't lying. The tea had chilled and Zuko was shivering, although neither of them could tell if it was from the head injury or just being cold. Zuko nodded reluctantly. Sokka slung Zuko's arm across his shoulders and secured an arm around the slightly taller boys waist in support.

"You're a royal pain in the parka do you know that?" Sokka attempted to lighten the mood with his world-class humor. Zuko's head simply drooped onto his shoulder seemingly in defeat and murmured something unintelligible. "What's that?" Sokka inquired.

"I said I know, I'm sorry. I was trying to come see you?" That got Sokka's attention.

"See me? For what?" He asked, now worried that something even worse had happened. After all, Zuko was never one for small talk.

"To apologize, I've been a neglectful Fire Lord and even worse friend,"

"Shh, it's okay," Sokka sat him gently on a ornate cushioned stool at the end of the large bed. He stepped away a moment to call for a servant to bring him clean water. Head injuries were nothing to play with, and it would give him time to get Zuko changed in to something warm. He reached towards the hem of Zuko's tunic first.

"It's not!" Zuko shoved him off suddenly. Sokka wasn't even phased. "It's not okay! I should have been there for you! I should have been stronger, more organized, more diligent, more like Azula," He finally conceded and Sokka finally understood. No stranger to feeling the responsibility of an entire culture, but still not entirely sure what to do.

"Let me get you into something warm," Oh good job Sokka, whatever, just find something so he doesn't get sick and stop talking

Sokka began rummaging through his drawers and closet for anything that could possibly considered warm. "Agni spare me," He fumed to himself. He understood that the Fire Nation pretty much had exclusively warm weather but not one fur lined tunic still seemed a little ridiculous. He huffed, pondering the situation for a moment.

Well he couldn't leave Zuko like this to get something warm from his own clothes, he could fall and hurt himself more, and knowing Zuko he'd do just that. "Oh, duh" He said to himself, and quickly untied the snow wolf-bear pelt from around his waist, striding back to Zuko.

"Here, let's get you out of this, okay?" Zuko only gave a soft hum in response. Sokka took that as consent and pulled the soaked tunic over his head, cold tea spraying him lightly as he did. He then wrapped the fur around Zuko's shoulders. Zuko hummed again, but this time it was one of contentment and relief.

The servant returned as if on cue with a warm cloth and a bowl of clean water, Sokka thanked him politely before shutting the door and quickly hurrying back to Zuko. "This might sting a bit, I'm sorry I'm not as good at healing as Katara," Both of their eyes drifted to the large scar, unmissable in the center of Zuko's chest. A cold chill ran through both of them. Zuko remembering the pain, Sokka remembering the fear that froze his veins when he saw it for the first time. I almost lost you. He thought to himself.

"What?" Zuko asked, voice hoarse. "What did you say?" "I didn't say anything" "No- you did. You said 'I almost lost you'" Zuko winced as Sokka brushed an obviously tender spot, and realized he must have said it out loud. Spirits

"I'm sorry I didn't mean-" "What did you mean then?" Sokka finished cleaning the wound in silence, it was smaller than he had thought which was a small mercy, but he still had no idea how to respond to Zuko's question

"You scared me Zuko," He finally said, brushing a damp strand of hair from his face. Zuko met his gaze, golden sunlight meeting the deep of the ocean. "Now? or-" "Both" Sokka resolved. "Tui and La you don't understand what you do to me when you put yourself in danger, it's like I can't breathe." "I thought you'd hate me," Zuko seemed to be regaining himself much to Sokkas relief

"Zuko I could never hate you," I flicker of something flashed in golden eyes. "You saved my sister, that is a debt I can never repay, but I will spend the rest of my life trying" A look Sokka couldn't place passed across the pale boys features.

"Oh... right" Zuko pulled the white and grey fur tighter around himself, subconsciously trying to cover the lightning scar. His eye began to burn again and he winced. "What is it?" The worry in Sokka's voice was palpable. "It's nothing, I must have gotten tea in my eye," Zuko figured now was not the time to explain how his scar still burned sometimes, and had been burning ever so frequently since last they spoke.

Sokka reached a hand towards his scar, Zuko flinched but steeled his spine. Resisting only ever made his father's punishment worse. Sokka was not his father, he wouldn't harm him, but old habits die hard. Sokka noticed this, but did not stop. His hand cupped Zukos cheek.

Zuko could feel the calluses on his palm, but Sokka touched him so gently and with such reverence that they still felt soft. He melted into other boys touch with a content sigh and closed his eyes.

Something soft touched his lips, not unpleasant but still startling to Zuko's half-fogged brain. He jumped back- eyes wide.

"I'm- I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that. You should rest, I-I'll go" Sokka stood abruptly, it was then that Zuko realized what had just happened. Sokka had kissed him. "You should rest" The water tribe boy repeated before turning on his heel and rushing back to the ornate doors.

"Sokka, wait-" Zuko stood as well, but too quickly. The world went black for a moment, he had the brief sensation of falling before a pair of strong, warm arms were under him. Cradling him to their chest so securely Zuko was sure not even an earthquake could have parted them.

Sokka's worried blue eyes pierced Zuko's soul and stripped him bare. Suddenly, Zuko had a moment of abject clarity. He removed a hand from its home on Sokka's chest, moved it up behind his head. It was reminiscent of how Sokka had steadied him earlier. Zuko had never felt more ungrounded.

"Zuko, what are you-" Whatever Sokka was about to say was immediately lost in Zuko's lips. They were so warm. Sokka felt as if someone had placed the sun inside of his chest. He was warm and fuzzy all over. He knew firebenders ran warmer than the average person but this was just ridiculous.

Zuko then pulled away abruptly, but not far as Sokka was still holding him tight to his chest. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have-"

"Oh shut up" Sokka hissed, and pulled the fire lords lips to his once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

this is literally so long MY BAD, but I hope you enjoy anyway. xoxo

[purpleajisai]

Madara Week day 4 - Mental asylum

The mental facility was often dealing with patients who had seen too much war in their lives, shinobi whose psyche had been tattered to the point of no return. The newest resident had started his first shift at the hospital and per tradition, he’d have to help his mentor with one difficult case to prepare him for the future as an intern.

Dr. Minamoto had been working in the facility for 15 years already and his face hardly ever showed emotion. Perhaps he learned to hide them so his patients didn’t have a chance to mess with him. His new mentee, a recent graduate from Konoha’s medical institute, was waiting for him at the door of the “Top Security” wing of the building.

“Good morning, Dr. Minamoto! Let me introduce mys-”

“I already know who you are. You better start moving soon, Dr. Mori. This patient of mine is far too delicate for us to waste time in formalities.”

“Yes, Dr. Minamoto…”

The building was rather depressing, to say the least. If anything, it was a reflection of the patients inside. Dr. Minamoto’s patient was in the basement, a place reserved for the biggest dangers of the facility. The duo approached a cell with a transparent panel that allowed them to see the patient inside. A man with long hair that had once looked a lot better, his mouth shut with a muzzle and his straightjacket with double the usual amount of straps. Dr. Minamoto sighed and handed the young Dr. Mori a heavy stack of papers.

“Alright, Dr. Mori. Since it’s your first day here, I’ll present the chart to you. Madara Uchiha, male, age unknown but estimated to be about a century old. No other comorbilities.”

“And what is the diagnosis, Dr. Minamoto? I can’t find it in his file.”

“All of those papers are our attempts at diagnosing him. I haven’t lucked out yet, he is quite stubborn. Maybe you could provide some fresh input, eh?”

“Dr. Minamoto, this file is as thick as my anatomy atlas. Not even you could diagnose him?”

“No, I haven’t been able to do it thus far. And it’s quite an embarrasment. I’ll give you some time to check the file while I go upstairs to fetch my other patient’s files.”

“Alright, I will try to give some insight…”

“Whatever you do, don’t look straight into his eyes. Don’t remove the muzzle because he bites. Hell, not even think about going inside that cell.”

“Uh? Okay, I will do as you say, Dr. Minamoto.”

Dr. Mori spend several minutes reading the chart and all the tests that had been done. The sound of fire crackling had been in the background for quite some time, so he thought it was some nearby chimney or kitchen. But there was nothing like that nearby, in the badement there were only 3 patient cells. Where was this sound coming from? Dr. Mori began to walk around trying to find the source of the sound, worrying that some patient might have set something on fire.

After he finished making a little tour of all the cells, he came back and found the paper stack that belonged to Madara burning in black flames. In a moment of panic, he committed the mistake of turning to face Madara Uchiha.

“Hey! What do you think you’re do-”

He was met with two purple eyes that resembled an optical illusion. Such unusual eyes began to bleed, letting out drops of scarlet red blood. And as the eyes bled, the eyeballs began to melt and only left behind a pair of empty sockets. Dr. Mori began to feel dizzy and he fell to his knees. A deep voice called him.

“Stand up. Open this door.”

“H-huh? How are you talking?! You have a muzzle like fucking Hannibal Lecter!”

“You are a stupid child, aren’t you? I am not using my mouth but my ocular prowess to invade your fragile mind. Open the door.”

“No! You’re a danger to the entire shinobi world!”

“Hmm…”

After that little sound from the patient, Dr. Mori was transported to an eerie dimension. He felt his body being torn apart and stitched back together again and again, and the only thing he could hear aside from his pained screams was “Open the door”.

Dr. Minamoto came back ten minutes later and had to refrain himself from screaming by clamping his hand over his mouth. Dr. Mori laid lifeless inside Madara’s cell, his body showing signs of a quick strangling. But the most worrying aspect of the whole room was that somehow, the man in the straightjacket was free from all his restraints and was calmly stretching out his arms. He turned around and his purple irises met Dr. Minamoto’s gaze.

“Hello, doctor. I have decided to discharge myself. There are better things to do in this accursed world than just standing here with my arms forcefully crossed.”

Purple’s notes:

Hello! This is my submission for Day 4 of the Madara Week, hosted by @uchiha-event . Hope you all enjoyed this creepy-ish short fic. Comments are open!

[artistic-pussy-power]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Aang & Sokka (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar) Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Aunt Wu (Avatar) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fortune Telling, aang and sokka being bros, Episode: s01e14 The Fortuneteller (Last Airbender), also, Post-Canon, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), this prompt has been living rent free in my brain since 2020, Getting Together Summary:

“You will marry the Firelord.” She says finally.

“What?” Sokka’s yelling. He hadn’t consciously chosen to wretch his hand away, but here it is, cradled to his chest as if it were a baby. He glares at her, dumbfounded. “I’m not marrying some loserlord!”

But all she does is stare at him, face carefully impassive.

“You will have one child.”

Or

Sokka's fortune from Aunt Wu is slightly different than we remember but no less distressing.

[missingmywing]

So as per usual for me and fics, this will be long. Ryomina is fun and has a lot to play with. (Ao3 link)

Day 1: First Meeting/Childhood Friends

I’m playing fast and loose with canon and the actual lore behind Nyx, because as much as I like FFVII I don’t want to just write Jenova 2.0. So my lore is that she is a being of the collective unconscious like the other “gods” in Persona, she’s just much, much more powerful because death is an inescapable, tangible thing that happens rather than an intangible concept.

Also Erebus isn’t… a thing. I understand and respect what the team was going for with how they did Nyx and Erebus with The Answer, but it makes things more convoluted than necessary for my preferences. Humanity’s despair and wish for death doesn’t need a tangible form - Nyx can sense it directly and her radar lights up red when she’s called for directly (thanks Kandori, thanks Kirijo) and that’s what makes her active. Minato’s seal acts like a buffer or a muffler - an interference so she can’t hear herself being called (unless it’s particularly direct). Because you can’t kill death - and even if you could you shouldn’t because unconditional immortality is a very bad idea- and I’m getting off track. Point is I’m making P3 consistent with the lore of the rest of the series rather than “it was aliens, actually”. P2 subverted that, P3 can’t just turn around and play it straight while hiding it under a mountain of conditional lore.

Also exploring Minato as a freshly traumatized child is a fascinating exercise. Newly nihilistic six year old has not realized he’s nihilistic yet because everyone is still assuming the apathy towards everything is a normal trauma response. He and Death have such an interesting dynamic as they both learn.

FINDING OUT HALFWAY THROUGH THIS THAT IT WAS APPARENTLY RECENTLY CONFIRMED THAT TATSUMI PORT ISLAND IS SUPPOSED TO BE BASICALLY ODAIBA WAS INFURIATING. What do you MEAN Gekkoukan is in Tokyo, no it is not I’ve had the hc that Minato spent his junior high years in Tokyo for YEARS do not do this to me Persona. Anyway, I moved it so that I can keep my hcs the same, it’s still in the same general area it’s just outside of Tokyo Bay rather than inside it now. I was so tempted to keep the long-standing guess the fandom has had and put Tatsumi Island in Kobe you have NO IDEA. Fucking Odaiba man. Maruki says hello Nyx.

~ ᙙᙖ ~

In one world, they wouldn’t have met or known each other until Minato was sixteen. Minato would have been not-so-blissfully ignorant of the truth of the events that happened that night of the explosion. Nothing but vague memories of a bright light and broken cars and fire all around.

But in another, Minato remembered.

Unbuckling his seatbelt to look at the ocean far below, the explosion that threw him out of the car, his mother’s teary pleading for him to live, the collision of a robot and monster on the bridge that threw everything else back, the flashes of a chaotic fight, the guilt and devastation in the robot girl’s eyes as she pressed the blue fire containing the monster to his chest and apologized for turning him into its seal-

That was technically the first time he met Death.

But it wasn’t until a month later that they met properly, face to face, and Minato could acknowledge him directly.

It had been… a rough month. The aftermath of the accident had destroyed and consumed his life - left him thrown about from hospital to police station to a different and more elaborate and creepy hospital where he stayed for nearly two weeks while people in lab coats ran tests and poked at the new giant scar on his chest and men in suits tried to get in contact with a family member they could force to willing to take him, and then he was given to his aunt and uncle who weren’t expecting to suddenly have a child to take care of and were upset and scrambling to adjust. And they weren’t cruel or dismissive but he knew they weren’t happy to have him here suddenly and his aunt was devastated about her sister’s death and their smiles were so fake and he couldn’t even cry which made them uneasy and more upset and-

Minato had heard the words “trauma reaction” and “emotional suppression” more in the past month than his entire short life beforehand and he wished he could understand what that even meant but it felt like everything was a blur and just floating past his head.

He knew there was something wrong with him, though. That had been obvious at his parent’s funeral where he didn’t even feel anything and couldn’t bring himself to react or say anything to the parade of people coming over to talk to him.

The doctors who they kept trying to make him talk to acted like it was normal. His aunt and uncle acted like he was broken. Everyone else acted like he was a ghost.

He was pretty sure the ghost comparison was the one that was closest. He had a monster inside of him now, after all. The same monster who was probably responsible for his parents dying and midnight turning weird.

But maybe he was a little broken too because of it. Because he didn’t hate that monster even knowing all that. He didn’t really even miss his parents even though he’d always loved them so much before. He didn’t… care. About anything.

And he wasn’t scared, on the full moon a month after the accident, when the midnight hour hit and there was a sharp, tearing pain in his chest, and the monster appeared in a blaze of blue fire. It hovered over his bed like the evil creature from every scary bedtime story and stared down at him with its chain and torn brown cloak and a sword in its hand.

It looked evil but it didn’t feel evil. He’d always been good at telling what people around him felt - a gentle soul with an empathetic heart his mother had called him - and the monster felt… empty. Empty like he always felt now. There wasn’t any anger or hate like he’d expected from a monster.

He sat up and looked at it blankly, waiting for it to do something. Try to kill him like it had been trying to kill the robot, maybe. When it didn’t do anything he tilted his head and asked, “What’s your name?”

Might as well know what monster he was supposed to be “sealing”.

The creature stared down at him for a moment of silence, then spoke in a raspy, echoing voice - like two pieces of metal screeching against each other in the undertones. “I am Death.”

“Oh. Okay. I guess that’s why you killed people.” He frowned. “If you’re trapped inside of me then are people going to stop dying then?”

“No,” the monster said. “I embody the concept but I am not its entirety. I am merely the harbinger for she who calls the end.”

“What do you mean? What’s a harbinger?”

“An omen. I am a sign that the end has come - that humanity has forsaken its will to live and wishes for the world to end. I am the call to the goddess of death, Nyx, to bring death to all.”

“But that’s… not true. Most people don’t want to die. You can’t say that humans don’t want to live when most people do,” Minato tilted his head to the side. “I don’t know anyone who really wants to die. It’s usually an accident, or because someone else did it on purpose.”

“My very existence is proof that humanity has succumbed to despair and wishes for death. Your sole experiences are meaningless.”

Minato stared at him for a long moment then shrugged. “You’re wrong, but okay. Are you going to kill me, then? I think the robot girl made it so you can’t leave, that’s why she sealed you inside me.”

Death was silent for a moment, then said “My very essence has been sealed within you, bound and entwined to your soul. Your death would mean an end to my existence as well, vanishing into the Sea of Souls alongside you, unable to accomplish my goal.”

“So… no?”

“No. So long as the seal is intact I am incapable of killing you.”

“Okay, so you can’t leave and you can’t kill me. I’m going to sleep then.” Minato fell back and tugged the covers back up, rolling onto his side so his back was turned to the mon- to Death. “Night.”

The Shadow stared incredulously at him for several long minutes until his breath evened out and it became apparent that he truly was asleep.

It seemed the Anti-Shadow Unit had indeed known what she was doing to best undermine him. He was truly and solidly trapped.

… time would tell how this would play out, he supposed. After all, time came for all in the end and death was the most patient of mistresses. Nyx would wait.

~ ᙙᙖ ~

Minato quickly got used to Death showing up. First once a month on the full moon, then as time went on he began showing up in his dreams, and then speaking into his head while conscious outside the extra midnight hour.

It was almost surprising how quickly Minato got used to him - by the time a year had passed Death had become a normal presence in his life. Not a comforting presence, perhaps, but normal. The Shadow, as Minato now knew he was, still disbelieved Minato when he said that humanity really didn’t seem to be calling to Nyx. He remained adamant that it was simply Minato’s small range of existence that hid the truth.

And maybe that was true - maybe the small city he lived in didn’t show how many people were wish for the end. But if there were actually that many surely he would have met at least a few here.

Death did slowly become more curious about the day to day lives of people as time passed though, asking questions first during meetings in his dreams and then directly in his head once he’d figured out how to break through the seal enough to do so.

Minato probably should have been more worried that he was doing that, but most emotions were muted and distant these days so he just learned to ignored the burn and stinging pain in his chest that indicated Death taking an active interest in something going on. Sometimes it was a history lesson or science assignment, sometimes it was a conversation with a classmate or an overheard argument between adults.

He gained an active presence in Minato’s head just in time for the christmas season, actually, so Minato got very used to tuning out the pain of it very quickly because Death seemed fascinated and bewildered by… just about everything about the holiday. Things Minato had taken for granted were now subject to question and he had to ask about quite a few of them himself.

Granted he and Death both realized pretty quickly that the adults around them were simplifying explanations to make him understand it, because Death asked a lot more complicated and confusing questions about humans and traditions and… something about transferral of religion? Things Minato didn’t understand and couldn’t figure out how to ask about because he wasn’t sure what Death was actually asking.

What did someone dying for everyone else a long time ago have to do with christmas trees?

Once Minato asked Death that question in return the Shadow seemed to realize that Minato didn’t understand a lot about what he was trying to figure out and returned to asking more simplified questions.

Some of them still went over Minato’s head - why did it matter about the weird necklace the student helping at the shrine was wearing? The shrines never decorated for christmas, everyone knew that - but at least he could answer why the teenage boy was sneaking the bracelet he’d bought into his pocket so the girl with him wouldn’t see it.

The true shift in their relationship happened around the year mark of the accident.

Death could still only manifest physically on the full moon, but he did so each month without fail. Perhaps to ensure that he still could. But this time was… different.

Because when he did Minato felt something like satisfaction or triumph flicker through his chest as the Shadow appeared - and the fire vanished to reveal a boy the same age as Minato. He looked similar, but had darker and shorter hair, and his eyes were a bright blue. He was also wearing a striped prisoner outfit like out of a movie, but that was obvious enough why.

He looked down, examining himself, and nodded in satisfaction. “It worked.”

Minato tilted his head at him. “You were trying to turn yourself into a human?”

“I’m still not actually human, I’m merely taking this form. But yes. I thought it might better help me understand humans if I could imitate their form. So I tried to copy yours. It’s not exact, but I suppose that’s the influence of my inherent nature.” He hopped up onto the bed beside Minato. “If nothing else, it should be less disorienting to speak with me during this hour in this form.”

He wasn’t disorienting to talk to in his other form either, but he seemed unusually pleased with himself about this so Minato didn’t see a reason to contradict him. “I won’t have to look up at you anymore, I guess.”

“Exactly. I still know that humanity is calling out for the end, but it is strange how much attachment to life the people around you have in general.” The Shadow turned cocked his head with a thoughtful look. “If I imitate and understand humans, perhaps I can understand why that is.”

Minato really didn’t see what was hard to understand about people generally not wanting to die, but he supposed it was a fault of Death being a Shadow. And, well, Death.

“If you want,” he shrugged. “I don’t see what’s so hard to understand about it, but if it’ll help you understand then I think it’s fine.” Death still hadn’t shown any indication that he was about to break out of the seal, after all, so he couldn’t muster any real worry about it.

Not that he’d probably be able to stop him if he did, but… well, the robot girl had entrusted Death to him when she failed so the least he could do was make the attempt.

~ ᙙᙖ ~

He wasn’t quite sure when he’d crossed the line in the minds of adults around him from “recovering from the accident” to “creepy”. But he began noticing it over time as one year crept towards two towards three and his aunt and uncle - rather than adjusting and becoming comfortable in his presence - went from uncertain to uneasy around him.

At first they’d looked at him like they weren’t sure what to do with him, like he was one wrong word from breaking down crying. But now they looked at him like they thought something was wrong with him - like they didn’t want to figure out what to do with him.

He blamed Death, honestly. The Shadow was rubbing off on him as much as he was on the Shadow.

The whispers behind his back that they thought he wasn’t listening to - unnatural, too quiet, emotionless, never cries, never throws a tantrum, never gets happy or upset, doesn’t have friends, looks right through you - definitely made it sound like there was something wrong with him.

He didn’t really feel wrong. He just didn’t feel strong emotions - was more tired than anything a lot of the time.

But maybe that was the proof that something was wrong, because he remembered feeling more strongly about things, remembered feeling excited or scared or sad or happy so strongly he thought it’d overwhelm him. His parents had gently chastised him more than once about an excessive reaction to something.

So maybe they were right and there was something wrong with him. That “something wrong” just happened to be the personification of Death sealed in his chest, and there was nothing he could do about that.

Not… that he really minded. He liked having Death in his mind, asking questions and making him wonder about the world around him in ways he wouldn’t have otherwise. He liked being able to guess what the people around him were thinking and feeling based on their expressions and body language. And it came in handy on tests when he couldn’t remember the answer to something and Death was willing to remind him.

It just meant that Death stayed his only friend because everyone around him found his presence off-putting and unnerving. Even his teachers didn’t really like him if they spent any time outside of class with him. And his aunt and uncle only became more distant and unnerved as the years passed and he didn’t become more open or how he had been before the accident.

So it wasn’t really a surprise when he turned ten and they told him that he’d be moving in with a cousin. Their excuse was that they were trying for a child, and didn’t want to divide their attention between two children who both needed it so he’d be sent to someone who could continue to devote attention to him.

It would have been a lot more convincing if they had been devoting attention to him rather than avoiding him or becoming very strained when they did interact with him.

Minato… didn’t really care, he’d been expecting it, but there was a keen edge of resentment from Death at both the lie and the disregard.

(There was something else there in the undertones that Minato couldn’t quite read. A bitter, sharp edge of emotion that Death tried to hide from him, and Minato didn’t ask. If Death wanted him to know then he would tell him.)

There had been no expectations on Minato’s behalf on his way to Inagawa in Hyōgo - it was a relatively small town comparatively, fairly rural, and he knew nothing about the cousin taking him in. He wondered how they’d been convinced.

The town was… nice enough. Surrounded by mountainous area, forest on all sides, lakes and rice patties in the distance…

Altogether different than the cities he’d grown up in.

His cousin, as it turned out, was a middle-aged no-nonsense man clearly far more focused on whatever his career was than any sort of familial relationship. Given how quickly the man had gruffly brushed through introductions and a tour of the apartment - relatively small and sparsely decorated, the man clearly spent almost no time here - and essentially told him he was on his own and to stay out of trouble, Minato assumed he’d been promised that Minato was low-effort and he’d be able to effectively ignore him.

Which wasn’t inaccurate so he couldn’t complain too much.

(Death seemed to take it the wrong way and got very annoyed, though, which was almost funny.)

It did mean that he had to learn to cook. He got an allowance, enough to cover any food he needed, but unless he wanted to live off of prepackaged food he did need to learn the basics at least.

… although after his terrible start of burned rice and an uneven omelette the man did at least teach him those basics, so he clearly wasn’t entirely uncaring. Or he just didn’t want to risk a fire.

Death was relieved about that, though he did seem to derive some amusement from Minato’s inept attempts at learning to cook. Not that he was any help. Any number of historical or philosophical questions he’d be more than happy to lecture about, but anything practical and he was useless.

It wasn’t a bad two years. Just as lonely, but not bad. Less side-eyes and unease at least.

His cousin was very rarely home, and when he was he was usually working on either paperwork or a laptop. The man didn’t seem to care about friends or social circles, or at least not enough to invite anyone over, and he and Minato largely ignored each other when they were home at the same time. He didn’t ask about Minato’s grades or social interactions either, which his aunt and uncle had still done, which made it harder to really care about them either.

Minato continued to be off-putting to everyone around him, it seemed, but he still wasn’t sure what exactly he was doing to drive them away and make the kids call him scary and the teachers murmur that he was unnerving. It wasn’t just lack of emotional reactions, he didn’t think, because there were a couple of other kids that were like that and they were called “cool” and “admirable”.

But something about him made people shy away and refuse to meet his eyes.

Maybe it was the same thing that made animals nervous around him.

The same thing that made the other Shadows leave him alone during the midnight hour, even though they would attack anyone else able to move around. That ability didn’t seem to happen here, at least - he never encountered anyone else out the few times he wandered around town in the green light.

Which was more than he could say of the city he had lived in - after the first time he’d been out and encountered both a person and the Shadows around, and his presence had whipped the Shadows into a frenzy and made them more aggressive than usual towards any one else around, he’d avoided going out during that hour.

Death made them more dangerous, and Minato didn’t want to be responsible for anyone dying.

But it wasn’t a problem here, and there was something fascinating about walking around an empty town covered in blood and coffins beneath a green moon. It was eerie.

It made him feel the most alive that he had been since the accident.

Still, it was just one more thing that set him apart from everyone around him and he continued to spend most of his time alone. Often with a book. And while animals were more nervous around him than other people they did warm up to him relatively quickly once assured he wouldn’t hurt them. Once he realized that it wasn’t quite as lonely, and he became a friendly face to several of the strays around.

And Death was always there. He never really left anymore, and the pain of his presence had long since vanished. Minato chose not to think about what that meant for the seal. He was a friend, always at Minato’s side, and the years passed had made his comments about being the harbinger existing only to usher in humanity’s death fade into only the occasional thoughtful consideration about one situation or another. His absolute certainty that humanity at large wished for death had diminished significantly in the face of so much constant drive forward from everyone around Minato. Instead, he seemed to be searching for what humans did want - what it was that drove each one forwards to the future, each person chasing after their own goals in life.

Minato certainly didn’t have the answer, and people didn’t like him enough to be willing to tell him, so they contented themselves watching and listening and speculating.

So the two years he spent in Inagawa were peaceful enough, with various animals and Death (both in his mind and in child form) keeping him company.

~ ᙙᙖ ~

And then that peace was summarily shattered when his cousin announced that he was getting engaged and moving in with his fiancee to Osaka, and Minato would be moving in with another relative, a different cousin, in Tokyo.

When it happened Minato felt nothing more than a twinge of disappointment. He’d hoped to keep this peace for a while longer before his presence became a nuisance again.

Death was significantly more displeased, irritated that Minato’s cousin was displacing him rather than adapting around him, concerned about being sent to Tokyo - and there was that something more to that thought that Minato was sensing from him more and more often these days - and handed off to another relative they knew nothing about, a frustration on Minato’s behalf that they’d long since acknowledged he probably couldn’t feel. But there was nothing they could do about it, so Minato packed his few belongings again and was gone.

Had they known what was waiting for them - had he realized the abrupt downward spiral his life was about to take - perhaps he would have mustered the care to ask to stay.

But they had no way to know.

The first sign that something was… off… was on the way to the address he’d been given. Shinjuku had residential areas, of course - nice ones, even. But the address didn’t lead him to a nice one. It was a ragged, run-down area, with dirty alleyways and narrowed glances sent out covered windows.

The fact that it was just outside Kabukicho didn’t help.

It set him on-edge despite himself, and for the first time in years Death pushed against the seal hard enough for it to burn.

“It’s not the midnight hour, not for a couple more hours,” he thought to the Shadow, watching a group of shady looking men muttering in an alleyway from the corner of his eye. “Even if you broke through the seal you couldn’t manifest.”

“It’s possible that I could,” the Shadow shot back. “We’ve never attempted it.”

“We’ve never seen any Shadows out in the daylight, only during the midnight hour,” Minato pointed out, taking a step to the side as a ragged cat hissed at him from under a dumpster.

“I’m not a normal Shadow.”

Minato didn’t respond.

They didn’t know what would happen if Death broke fully through the seal, but it probably wouldn’t be anything good. So Minato would just have to try and avoid being put into a position where it was necessary.

Easier said than done as he quickly found out. His… aunt? cousin? he wasn’t quite sure and she didn’t clarify so whatever- apparently worked in Kabukicho as supposedly a hostess, and had only agreed to take him in because she was hoping he would be a second source of income. Which, given the kinds of places in this area that would be willing to hire a junior high student, did not bode well for his likelihood for staying out of danger.

Death was irritated on his behalf, but it wasn’t as though they could really do anything about it. Any authority figures would just turn a blind eye - that became apparent the moment he arrived at school and met his homeroom teacher, and then the rest of the teachers were no better - and she hadn’t done anything to him yet so he couldn’t use anything against her.

She’d just made it clear that if he wanted to eat he’d bring home enough money to make it worth feeding him.

So he quietly asked around. Several of the other students in his class also had jobs, though whether it was for a similar reason he didn’t know and didn’t bother asking, so he had a few options. Not many, and none of them particularly appealing, but unless he wanted to either starve to death or learn to steal he’d just have to accept it.

Minato settled on the job that seemed like the least effort and one of the ones less likely to be directly tied to any potential host club scams or yakuza operations.

Washing dishes at the back of a host club wasn’t exactly fun, but it avoided the risk of being caught by any police or getting caught up in any drug trafficking. And the midnight hour meant he could grab an hour long nap in the middle so… it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. His sleep and grades both suffered for it, but no one was expecting him to have good grades anyway and none of the teachers cared to check why it was happening, so… he supposed it was convenient.

It was… fine.

It was fine. It was tolerable, no matter how frustrated Death got, and he could deal with the constant smell of cigarettes and alcohol all around him, could wrinkle his nose and turn away to his book or homework when she came back smelling of alcohol and sex, could tune out the chatter and flirtations from the room over at the club, could ignore the rumbled clothes and bruises peeking out on skin from the hosts and hostesses around the area.

Minato kept his head down, didn’t talk to anyone unless he had to, and no one really approached him. People in Tokyo - or at least this district of it - didn’t seem as bothered by whatever off-putting aura that had always scared everyone else, but they weren’t really inclined to bother with him either. Which suited him just fine.

Months passed easily enough, his cousin (as he eventually did find out) was satisfied for a while with the money that he did bring home and seemed happy enough that he wasn’t going to bother her or get in her way that she didn’t really bug him either unless she wanted one chore or another done while she was out.

She did kick him out a few nights a month to bring men home - though whether they were clients or boyfriends he didn’t know or care - but those were passed studying or doing homework in a cafe nearby that didn’t mind some kids in his situation hanging around all night provided they bought something every now and then. It wasn’t uncommon to see a few others around, sometimes he even studied with a couple of classmates or helped an elementary schooler out with their homework (except one who rebuffed him with a flash of red eyes and a snap that he could handle it himself), but largely he remained in his corner and tried to ignore the rest of the world as Death muttered and complained in his head.

He was equally pouty in his child form on those nights he joined Minato during the midnight hour, perching on the edge of his futon and casting annoyed glances across the room at his cousin on the other futon. Minato rolled his eyes and ignored him, until he flopped backwards and sprawled across Minato in a way that clearly demanded attention and Minato just patted his head and let him keep complaining about the people and world around them.

Minato hadn’t been expecting a christmas gift from her, but she seemed to be in a particularly good mood around that time so he didn’t question it. He supposed she’d caught the eye of a particularly affluent client or something because she suddenly had new clothes and jewelry. Plus decent takeout rather than Big Bang Burger or some other fast food chain.

But on christmas morning she cheerfully handed him a wrapped box with a comment that he’d earned something for his efforts this past year, and when he opened it with a quiet thank you he found an mp3 player and pair of headphones inside. It was the first present he’d gotten in years and quickly turned into the best he’d ever gotten.

It was something to drown out the tedium of the world, to filter out all the static and noise of the world around him into a steady, predictable, stable beat. Whenever it got too much he could simply put the headphones on and turn on the mp3 player and everything would fade away. A lifeline.

A necessary one, because things rapidly got worse after that. The giddiness that had clung to her throughout December began fading rapidly throughout February and into March. She got defensive and quiet, snappish, almost always on her phone, scrolling away as though looking for something. Biting her lip until it nearly bled - an unusual habit for someone so careful with her appearance.

It all came to a head around mid-April, just after the new school year had started, in the afternoon before Minato left for work. He was sitting at the low table, working on homework, when she suddenly made a snarling sound and started a phone call.

He quickly put on his headphones and turned on his music, tuning out whatever angry argument she was picking over the phone. It wasn’t his business, it wasn’t his problem.

It quickly became something near his problem when a bottle shattered against the wall dividing the kitchenette less than a meter away from his head and his gaze snapped up to find her glaring in his direction with eyes blazing and lips pulled into a snarl. Minato froze, unmoving even as Death reared up protectively in his soul and the seal burned beneath the weight of his presence. But a few moments passed of her glaring, chest heaving, before her mouth began moving again as she yelled something and he took note of her glassy eyes and distant gaze and he relaxed as she jerked her gaze away from him to continue shouting. She hadn’t been looking at him or aiming at him, he’d just been in an unfortunate direction. Death reluctantly faded back, but didn’t pull away entirely just yet.

He watched her shake her head desperately and fall to her knees on the floor as tears began streaming down her face and her other hand reached up to clutch at the desk of empty beer bottles she hadn’t gotten around to throwing out yet.

Or just throwing yet, apparently.

With a soft sigh Minato closed his workbook and leaned over to begin picking up the glass shards before one of them stepped on them. The bottle had at least been empty, so they wouldn’t have to deal with stains on the wood floor. The star of Sapporo sat wholly intact, almost mockingly, as he collected the glass in his hand.

By the time he’d finished picking up the glass and throwing it away, it seemed the call had ended and she was staring unseeing at the wall as tears streamed down her face. Minato stared at her for a moment before going back into the kitchen to fill a glass with water and pick up a cloth.

He knelt to set the water down in front of her and held out the cloth.

It took her a few moments to reach for it, but she did. She buried her face in it and sobbed.

Minato shrugged and returned to his spot at the table to continue his homework.

Things did not improve from there.

She became… unstable, switching between listless and desperate in the span of hours. If she was home without a client she was either drunk or drugged, and she either ignored him entirely or demanded he help out more. He quickly became the only one doing chores - if only to avoid being yelled at or risk having something thrown again - and after several months of her unable to bring home as much money as was satisfying to her he became the target of her ire for how little he was also bring back.

Comparatively, anyway.

He ignored it for several months hoping she’d get over whatever rich guy had gotten bored of her and leave him alone again, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t likely. It was only a matter of time before she began making threats again, and at Death’s urging Minato began considering his options.

A second part time job wasn’t particularly feasible given how much time the one he already had was taking. He could avoid being at the apartment as much as possible, but he still had to sleep sometime and the last thing he wanted was for her to decide she needed to hunt him down. He could use the midnight hour to shoplift, but that wouldn’t necessarily satisfy her if she wanted actual yen to use.

Well, he could try to start breaking into registers he supposed, but he didn’t know if he wanted to start dealing with the risks of that. Just because there weren’t people or camera didn’t mean there wouldn’t be evidence and just because Kabukicho had an underbelly didn’t mean it was actually illegal. He didn’t need the police to track him down using dna evidence or something. Besides, he had to set the standard somewhere.

He could take a different risk and get a more lucrative job elsewhere he supposed (Death didn’t like that option). He refused to work at the front-facing side of a club, but one of his classmates had talked about a package sorting job that paid well and was looking for a couple more people.

Minato had avoided it before - like most of his classmates did - because he didn’t really want to deal with drug smuggling. But it was a significantly higher pay, and his classmate had assured him that he’d been working there for three years and it really was just organizing packages into the correct address delivery bins. It really was just an ordinary job.

(So long as he didn’t open anything went unspoken.)

So with a heavy sigh and Death stewing angrily in the back of his soul, Minato followed his classmate to get recommended for the job. He was hired instantly, given a brief tour of the small warehouse, given an overview of how to organize the packages properly, warned not to open any of the packages for any reason, and then pointed at a stack that needed to go out the next morning.

The job wasn’t as bad as they’d both been concerned about. It really did seem like a normal sorting job. And it paid well.

None of which put Death at ease as he hovered almost painfully close to the seal constantly these days. It was getting to the point that Minato could almost feel the seal slowly dissolving as the nigh-painful tingling of it rapidly faded and Death came closer and closer to the forefront of his mind as the weeks passed.

Minato didn’t bother fighting him on it - the Shadow would worry regardless and if he did manage to break through the seal and manifest at least Minato wouldn’t have to deal with a fight himself.

(When had the worry of the consequences of the seal breaking faded? He could barely remember the robot girl who had sealed the Shadow inside him now, even if the guilt and grief in her eyes still haunted his dreams anytime he inhaled a lungful of smoke from somewhere. What did he care about the world? If Death broke free and destroyed it - well it wouldn’t be his problem for long.)

The uptick in money satisfied his cousin for the time being at least, so she went back to mostly ignoring him in favor of whatever poison she’d chosen for the day. He spent more time in the cafe than the apartment just for the smell alone, even when she hadn’t brought someone back.

The world faded more and more into the grey of exhausted numbness from there. An endless routine - get up, silently get ready for school, go to school, try not to sleep through his classes, leave for work, work until the daily quota was filled, go to the cafe to study until the midnight hour, leave once the hour was up and the cafe closed, return to the apartment and sleep, then get up again.

It was easy to lose track of the days when he didn’t talk to anyone and spent most of his time drowning out the world with his music. The date on the board and subjects of the lessons were really the only ties to reality that he had between the monochromatic repetition of everything else. The sudden uptick of pressure in the middle of the year to study hard and improve their grades in order to do well on high school entrance exams and get into a good school was a sudden shock to them all, and it did a little to break things up.

But even that quickly dulled back into routine - it was all just memorizing dates and facts and kanji and equations, and with Death in his head to help he wasn’t likely to do badly even if he didn’t bother trying.

Though even if he got accepted there was no guarantee he’d be able to attend. Given his cousin’s increasingly empty eyes and unstable attitude and inability to maintain her grip on money he highly doubted she’d be willing or able to pay for him to attend. Which was one more thing for Death to become angry over, but Minato didn’t really care much.

Even if he did attend, what then? It was just a continued routine. How likely was it that he’d make it to graduation and find somewhere decent to work?

Really, what was the point of it all?

Not that Death let him get away with that. As Minato had less and less motivation or will to bother even trying with anything, Death pushed harder and harder to make him. Pushing him to study, to do well on tests, to remember to eat lunch or dinner even if he continued to skip breakfast. Nudging him to stop by and try that restaurant, or get that soda from the machine with a weird name.

He was less enthused by Minato’s willingness to accept the can of Asahi beer from some of his classmates during one of their study sessions on the roof, but the taste alone meant that Minato wasn’t in any hurry to try it again. Not to mention the way it made the numb disassociation from the world even worse.

The sensation of a near-complete break from reality didn’t quite scare Minato, but it did unnerve him and the alarm it raised from Death only made it worse. So that wouldn’t be any sort of habit he would fall into.

Unlike some people he had to clean up after.

The high school issue was resolved when he got within the top ten marks in the school and was offered a scholarship to the closest high school. It was not what everyone had meant when they talked about a “good” high school, but anything was better than nothing so with a bit of prodding from Death he accepted.

Not that it really changed anything - other than the location, it was simply exchanging one routine for another and he quickly sank back into the grey numbness.

Nothing really broke through it for a while. He was distantly aware of his cousin getting paler and thinner, the desperation towards something rising, until a bit before summer she stumbled into the apartment and cornered him against the wall.

“I need you to get money,” she said, gripping his arm tightly.

Minato tilted his head, feeling Death rearing up close to the seal warily. “How much?”

“A million yen.”

“A million yen?” Death repeated incredulously.

Minato sent her a blank look. “That’s impossible.” How in the world could she possibly expect him to be able to get that much?

“What?” she asked dangerously, leaning close. “Do you even realize the situation we’re in?!”

“No. You never told me.”

Her face twisted into an expression of such frustration he thought she was about to start screaming. She didn’t, instead snapping, “That damn club is demanding a million yen from me for ‘services rendered’ - which is bullshit they’re a shitty club anyway - but now I have to pay it or my reputation and ability to get clients is ruined!”

That club? Had she- “How does a hostess fall for a host club scam?”

“I did not get scammed!” She shoved him against the wall and spun around to storm towards the desk against the opposite wall. “Just get the money.”

He considered for a moment. “No.”

Everything froze, before she slowly turned to stare at him with a darkness brewing in her eyes. “What?”

Minato stared at her blankly. “No. I told you that’s impossible. You got scammed, deal with it yourself. It’s not my problem.” He wasn’t going to get any homework done here. Picking up his bag, he turned to leave.

“Now wait just a damn minute you brat-”

He turned to look at her as she lunged for him and felt the seal burn, stretched so thin it was on the verge of snapping as Death lunged back with his presence, and she stumbled to a stop as the blood drained from her face. Minato waited for a moment before leaving.

He’d have to hope she wouldn’t retaliate.

Apparently Death had scared her enough in that moment to avoid him entirely, because she would barely even look at him other than the occasional glare if they happened to be home at the same time. So he tuned her out as well, putting his headphones on and ignoring her.

Trying to ignore the fact that she was looking more sick and exhausted by the month. It wasn’t like he could do anything about her irresponsibility - he was already giving her the money he was making, and unless he wanted to get actively involved with the yakuza he wasn’t going magically get a job that payed more.

Maybe if she stopped spending her money on ways to forget the problem she’d be able to deal with the issue. Minato had already caved and started shoplifting food during the midnight hour when she stopped bringing groceries home.

Death was getting more worried and frustrated as time passed, and was curling up next to Minato in human form nearly every night for the midnight hour. Sometimes they talked, but most of the time they just leaned against each other to derive what comfort they could. Death clung to him like he was afraid he was going to disappear, which was funny given that of the two of them Death was the one only tangible for an hour.

Death and the mp3 player were really Minato’s only lifelines by this point.

He probably should have been paying more attention. Should have accounted for human vulnerability and desperation and realized what she would end up turning to. Though he really didn’t know what he could have done about it even if he had known - she wouldn’t have listened to him if he told her not to anyway.

December was cold.

It always was, but it somehow felt colder standing in the back alleys a few blocks from Kabukicho’s streets under a flickering street light with a dozen men from a local street gang staring down Minato and his cousin. That explained why she’d rushed in and grabbed him, told him to come with her and hurry and be quiet.

What had she expected to happen if she ran from her debt after borrowing money?

At least it wasn’t the yakuza, he guessed, but this wasn’t really much better. She was shaking with terror next to him, tears welling in her eyes.

“P-Please-” she stuttered, “Give me a little more time! I’m working on it, I promise, we both are, so-”

“It’s been over six months, the hell much more time do ya need?” The man in front snapped, pulling his jacket back to rest his hand on his gun. “I don’t appreciate games, girlie, we got our own expenses. You said you’d have it paid back by now, and I’m holdin’ ya to your word.”

“I-I’m trying,” she protested, hugging herself. “I swear I am, I thought I’d have it by now but the club across the street keeps bribing people to help them steal our business! I’m doing everything I can, if I can get another couple of months-”

“That’s what you said three months ago!” Another one snarled, pulling out his own gun to aim at them. “We’re not gonna keep buying into the lies of a drug-addicted whore!”

“N-No, please-”

What was Minato supposed to do here? There were a dozen of them with guns, and even with Death straining as hard as he could against the seal - to the point where Minato could barely stand from the pain and was very sure that it was about to shatter completely - there wasn’t anything he could do outside the midnight hour. An aura of death didn’t do much good when the men were both used to death and very much armed.

Could he buy time? Even if he did, there wouldn’t be anywhere for them to run. He didn’t think he could defuse the situation when they were this angry over broken promises. He wasn’t going to make stupid promises he couldn’t keep either.

Minato didn’t really care about dying. If he died here… it was fine. He didn’t care. But Death did, and Death was one of the only things that Minato could bring himself to care about anymore, so he should at least put some effort into not dying. And he didn’t really want her to die either. She wasn’t exactly good, he didn’t really like her and she’d made too many mistakes, but that didn’t mean she deserved to die for it.

Not that deserving it had ever saved anyone.

Minato sighed. “Is killing us really going to solve anything?”

The man in front narrowed his eyes at him. “I don’t like being lied to, brat.”

“Not saying you should. But she is still paying you back, even if it’s not as quickly as she promised.” He shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “If you kill us you can’t get any money from us. I’m not defending her, just pointing it out.”

“You offering to take her place?” One of the men in the back sneered.

Minato sent them a flat look. “I’m already giving her all the money I make, so I kind of already have.”

There were snorts and scoffs from several of them and the man in front smirked. “Sounds like you’re not in the right business then, boy. How about I cut you a deal - I’ll get you a job that you can pay us back in no time, and we’ll let you both walk away from this alive. Do a good enough job and we’ll even let you keep the extra.”

Well that wasn’t an obvious hook or anything. It was probably some sort of smuggling, and they needed someone as unsuspicious as possible to the police. He wasn’t really interested in getting dragged into that because people who got involved rarely left, but they didn’t really have many options either.

“Stall them until midnight and we’ll have plenty of options,” Death growled, clawing at the seal. “I hoped I’d be able to break out before then, but it’s more difficult than I anticipated.”

Ah. Killing them during the midnight hour was probably the easiest solution to the problem, yeah. Almost everyone turned into coffins, so letting Death break through the seal and then dealing with them one by one would be simple enough.

So Minato tilted his head at them. “What kind of job? I need details before I promise anything.”

“Do you really have room to negotiate here?” the man asked, pulling his own gun out and flipping the safety. Minato’s cousin gasped, stepping behind him and grabbing his arm.

Minato shrugged. “Not negotiating. Just making sure I can actually keep my promise before I make it.” He flicked a glance down at his mp3 player - ten minutes to midnight. He could keep them talking for ten minutes.

“Well I guess you’re smarter than that girl hiding behind you then. You don’t really get much of a choice in this if you want to live, though.”

That was assuming quite a bit that he cared about living, but whatever. “So? What do you want me to do?”

The man scoffed. “Well you’ve got spine and an attitude, I’ll give you that. It’s simple - we get packages goin’ to and comin’ from all sorts of places around Tokyo. You’ll be our little delivery boy. Nice, simple, and easy, yeah?”

Minato didn’t bother reacting. “Drugs or weapons? That will change how it needs to be handled.”

A nasty grin broke out across his face. “Oho, got ourself a bold one here, huh? Not even a flinch. Keep that attitude and you might do just fine. Bit o’ column A, bit o’ column B. Depends on the day, and our buyer or seller.”

Helpful. “That’s not much to go off of if you want me to start planning how to get them past the police. I didn’t grow up in Tokyo so I’m not as familiar with it’s blind spots as a native would be.” He wasn’t going to look at his mp3 player, he wasn’t going to try to count the minutes passing. Midnight would get here when it got here.

“Heh, I applaud the initiative but we won’t just leave ya flailin’ around blindly. We’ll pair you off with a couple of our other runners to start, let them teach you the ropes. We ain’t heartless, kid, just don’t like bein’ lied to.”

“Not heartless, merely willing to blackmail teenagers into smuggling illegal items for you,” Death hissed. “Be ready, Minato. It’s going to hurt when I break through the seal.”

“It always does. I’ll be fine; I’m used to it,” Minato thought back, watching the gang mutter amongst themselves. “So you say. I suppose if I get caught I’ll be left to fend for myself?”

The man shrugged lightly. “We gotta take care of ourselves first. Consider it motivation not to get caught, yeah?”

He’d figured.

“No. No, not again, not like this.” The smallest whisper came from behind him, and he had a moment of confusion followed by an unexpected bolt of dread as his cousin suddenly straightened with teary eyes and stepped out from behind him.

“Don’t-” he began- but she didn’t listen.

Why? Why did she choose now to grow a conscience?

“Enough! He’s got nothing to do with this - I’ll clear the debt myself, I promise! There’s no reason to drag him into this even more and I won’t let you-!”

A shot rang out. It echoed around the empty alleyway and rang loudly in his ears. Pain burned burned burned more fiercely than it ever had before in his chest and he was frozen, eyes wide as his breath struggled to come. He almost expected to feel blood on his chest, wished that he could feel blood on his chest, but it wasn’t him who’d been shot.

She let out a shuddering little choked gasp, and Minato turned to see her reaching up to clutch at the wound with wide, horrified eyes. He couldn’t- he couldn’t breathe as she staggered and fell- blood pooling around her as the light above them flickered-

-fire flickered and flashed off the metal, shimmering in the pooling blood, and he saw his mother burned and broken as she smiled hopelessly at him and begged him to live as she and his father and his twin sister wouldn’t and- he couldn’t move- couldn’t help- he was completely helpless-

The men jeering and bickering lightly was distant in his ears as the world faded into a distant grey and the pain burned and the world suddenly shuddered and shifted around them as the moon flashed green-

-and the men’s laughter turned into something startled and alarmed but he could barely hear them and he wasn’t listening-

-and a scream of pain suddenly echoed and bounced off the alleyway as the ground rose up to meet him and his knees hit the blood-covered pavement and his chest felt like it tore itself open and another more monstrous scream joined his own and he distant heard the gang’s voices rise as well-

The blood on his chest and staining his shirt was his own from where the seal had been torn open and Death emerged. The blood on his hands and on his knees were hers. Hers where she was lying on her front surrounded by the pool of her own blood, and he struggled to balance as he leaned forward and rolled her over onto her back. She was still just barely breathing, eyes glazed and distant through her tears.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, staring up at the green-tinged moon. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for everything. I’m sorry Minoru-kun, I messed up again. I didn’t mean to, I didn’t want this. Please forgive me, please I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to, I wanted to live and go see Paris and New York and London like we promised we would-” she choked and coughed, blood streaking her lips as her hand shakingly reached up. Minato reached out and took it, holding it between his as she struggled to breathe. “Please help me. Please don’t let me die, I have so many more things I want to do.” Tears streaked down her face to mix with the blood. “Please, Minoru-kun I’m not ready to follow you yet…”

Minato just distantly watched her and held her hand as she slowly went still and cold and even the echoing screams of the gang members eventually stopped. Everything felt distant and painful and he couldn’t bring himself to move even once Death returned to his side with bloody swords.

He wondered if he was supposed to cry here. If he was supposed to feel grief and loss the way everyone had said he should for his parents and sister. If he was supposed to feel anything beyond the disconnected exhaustion and pain of the shattered seal.

“What am I supposed to do?” he wondered aloud, staring down at his cousin’s body blankly.

A soft sigh came from above him, and suddenly Death had discarded his swords and knelt down to wrap his arms around Minato. “I think we both know that normal rules do not apply to you.” A pause, and his grip tightened. “I am sorry for that. It is my presence that has stolen pieces of your humanity and suppressed your emotions.”

Well they hadn’t talked about it, but it made sense.

Minato let go of her hand and twisted around to lean against Death. “Maybe. I don’t blame you for it though.”

“… I know. Perhaps it would be easier if you did.”

“I doubt it. I waste enough energy on just staying alive. Hating you or the robot on top of it just sounds exhausting.”

Death let out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. “I would say that I don’t understand you, but I unfortunately do after spending nearly ten years in your soul.”

Minato hummed tiredly, closing his eyes and trying to tune out the pain still stinging his chest and blood still seeping through his shirt. “Whatever consequences it may have,” he said quietly, “I’m glad you did. I wouldn’t have wanted to go through this without you.” His lifeline. One of the two things that kept him sane and grounded in the static haze of this life.

The Shadow let out a shuddering breath and hugged him tighter. “I am glad that my presence has brought you something other than pain, at least.”

“Death, you’ve been my best friend for most of my life now. I’ve been with you longer than I’ve been without you.” He reached up rest a hand on his shoulder. “You should know by now that you’ve given me plenty more than pain.”

Death went still for a long, long moment, and Minato waited for him to process and accept that before responding. When he did, he caught Minato off-guard. “I suppose I can’t deny that. But… Death is not accurate for who I am anymore. For whatever I may have given you, you’ve given me far, far more.” Minato blinked his eyes opened and craned his neck to look up at him. “I am Thanatos - and you have given me so much of yourself, shared so much of your soul with me even beyond the nature of the seal, that I have become a Persona.”

“A Persona?” There was psychology terminology in the back of his mind that he couldn’t quite remember through the exhaustion of the night’s events.

“An aspect or manifestation of your soul. It’s-” he paused, amending, “-likely a bit too complex to explain in your current state. In normal cases a Shadow is the parts of yourself you deny, a Persona is the part of yourself you accept and project unto yourself. I’m a special case, for obvious reasons. Consider me an extension of your soul who wants to protect you, for now.”

“That’s what you’ve been for years,” Minato muttered, closing his eyes again. “So even thought the seal is broken now, you’re staying?”

“Yes. I’m not leaving you alone. I’ll remain at your side for as long as I can.”

“Saying it like that makes it sound like you’ll leave eventually.”

Dea-Thanatos was silent for a moment, and Minato felt his bone chin brush his head. “… eventually I may have no choice, and I’m sorry for that. If I had my way I would remain by your side forever.”

“But?”

“But I have a feeling the events from nine years ago are going to come back and haunt us soon. Death was separated into many parts that were scattered, and I was sealed within you. If those parts are rejoined, Death will come again and usher in Nyx. I will have no choice.”

“We can’t just prevent the pieces from being rejoined?”

“I doubt it. Nyx, even incomplete, is the source of the midnight hour and the Shadows. So long as we exist, so to will they and so too will the Shadows. I suspect things will come to a head very soon.”

“And we’ll be in the center of it,” Minato sighed, tipping his head against him. “Okay. I still want you to stay with me. As long as you can.” He wasn’t sure what his life would be like without Thanatos, but given how much the Shadow had been a constant companion and push forward he doubted it would be better.

“I will. You should sleep - my breaking through the seal exhausted you thoroughly. I’ll keep watch and prevent any Shadows from coming near until the hour is over. From there, though…”

“Someone will see the bodies and call the police,” Minato murmured as he finally began giving in to sleep. “Since I’m injured too I probably won’t get in trouble.” Hopefully. Whatever Thanatos had done to the gang members, it definitely wasn’t something he could be blamed for.

“Then rest - you’ll need it.”

~ ᙙᙖ ~

Minato woke up in the hospital a week later.

It was incredibly disorienting to experience - the neutral tones of the room, the beeping of the monitor, the IV in his arm, the fuzziness in his head - but Death- Thanatos- rose up to press against the back of his mind with a familiar reassuring coolness that helped chase away the worst of the confusion.

As long as he was still here, it was fine.

It took several long minutes of just thinking and reorienting himself to remember what had happened. While he didn’t feel the grief or pain everyone seemed to expect from these things, there was at least a twinge of regret that things had turned out as they had.

But what was done was done - there was nothing he could do about it. No one could change the past. Time moved forward regardless of wishes.

So he move forward with it. When the police questioned him what had happened he was mostly honest - until the events of the midnight hour happened when he feigned confusion. His cousin had been shot by the gang, and yeah he looked like he’d been stabbed but he was pretty sure it had been from behind, and he had no idea what happened to the gang because he’d passed out after being stabbed with a knife.

He was pretty sure the police came to the conclusion that his cousin had been involved with a yakuza or something, but she clearly hadn’t told him anything about her job so he somehow wasn’t held responsible for any of her actions and was simply handed off to his uncle - a high ranking and very wealthy businessman also in Tokyo - although in the Shimbashi district instead of Shinjuku.

Sure. Whatever.

His uncle was… distant, at best. Much like his other cousin had been, the man was busy with his work and wasn’t interested in interacting with him beyond the necessities. That was more than fine with Minato - it was nice to be invisible and self-sufficient without expectation again. He even got an allowance without needing to get a job again. It was a minor relief he hadn’t expected to feel, but it was there.

He still went to the same high school for the final three months but his uncle explained that he’d be leaving for an overseas business trip around March so Minato would be transferring to a different high school with dorms for the next year.

Minato was incredulous for… several reasons. The fact that his uncle was going out of his way to ensure he’d be… safe? successful? not left completely alone? for the year was surprising enough. The fact that it was an incredibly expensive private high school was even more so.

At least until he was told the name.

Iwatodai High School, on Tatsumi Port Island just outside Tokyo Bay.

It sent Thanatos on immediate high alert, and Minato understood a few moments later. The Moonlight Bridge leading to the island was where his parents had died and Death had been sealed inside him.

The the island itself was where everything began.

Thanatos had been right - the events of nine, nearly ten, years past were coming back to haunt them.

He didn’t show any of the realizations on his face, but he had a feeling that this wasn’t a coincidence. The man gained custody of him and immediately went on a business trip oversees and sent him to the island where this had all begun nearly ten years ago?

Especially now that Thanatos had broken through the seal.

His uncle may not know anything about what had happened, but someone did and this was no coincidence.

And so, come April, Minato left Tokyo proper and got on the train heading to Tatsumi Port Island for the year. Even with his headphones on and music blaring in his ears it couldn’t quite drown out the world around him this time. The buzzing beneath his skin from Thanatos was agitating, stirring up his own feelings of apprehension.

Whatever was waiting for them - scientists and laboratories and Shadows and Personas and at the end of it all the personification of death itself, and maybe, just maybe, a robot girl who had looked at him with such sorrow ten years past - most of it probably wouldn’t be good.

He probably wouldn’t even survive it.

But at the very least, he thought as he stepped from the station and into the coffin-strewn street to the dorms, he wouldn’t be alone through it. Thanatos would stay with him.

Although getting to the dorms and finding him smiling cheerfully behind the check-in desk with a quip that he was here awfully late made him suspect that the Shadow- Persona, would likely be stepping up his obnoxiousness and pushiness towards socializing and trying things.

… the contract was unexpected, but Thanatos likely had his reasons - even if he was pointedly keeping them to himself for the moment - so Minato just sighed and signed the book. As he handed it over he asked, “Are you planning to tell me what that’s about?”

Thanatos just smiled enigmatically at him, folding the contract close to his chest as though it was something precious. “All in due time, my dear Minato. All questions will be answered and all secrets revealed soon enough.” He closed his eyes thoughtfully for a moment. “No one can escape time. It delivers all equally to the same end.” He focused back on Minato and the fold vanished with a twist of his wrist. “You can’t plug your ears or cover your eyes to escape.”

The lights of the dorm began fading around them, shadows creeping up the walls and across the floor, and Thanatos smiled and reached out to Minato as they wrapped around him.

“And so it begins.”

And then he was gone, returning back to Minato’s soul with something mischievous about him that Minato didn’t feel like figuring out, and Minato was left standing along in the dark entranceway.

No one could escape the end. He’d known that.

They both knew that whatever happened in this place, during this year, would be an ending of sorts. It was just a matter of what kind of end. He placed a hand on his chest, where the scar from the seal still lay. But whatever it was - they couldn’t escape it. They knew that.

So they would just have to take what happened as it was, no matter what it brought.

He was at the beginning of the end.

“Who’s there?!”

~ ᙙᙖ ~

This was fun! It was also twice as long as it was supposed to be, but such is my curse with writing these days. The Ryomina was more implied than explicitly stated, admittedly, but I got caught up in the childhood friends part of it.

Also blink and you miss it Akechi cameo lol

[avastyetwats]

Alt!

(Inuyasha was the FIRST EVER character I wrote as. Years and years ago. It's my all time favorite anime and, fun fact, I HATED Koga when I first watched Inuyasha in high school, but now? He's my favorite LMAO. So I present, these two idiots <3)

"Hm? The hell do you want, ya mangy wolf?" Inuyasha didn't even have to look to know who it was was standing behind him. He could recognize that damned stench anywhere.

"Nothing that concerns you, mutt face. I'm here to see Kagome." Blue orbs scan the area around him, but he sees no one else. Doesn't even smell her except on the mutt. Damn him.

Inuyasha scoffs. "Tch, good luck findin' her. She ain't even here right now. You're just wastin' your time." His remains laying on the ground, his back to the wolf demon, and his eyes closed.

"What!? Where the hell is she, then!? I swear, mutt, if you lost her again..." He doesn't need to say it. The threat is there. Not even a threat, but a promise.

"Like I'd do that." Now his eyes are open, and he turns his head to look at him over his shoulder, his anger flaring. "I know where Kagome is," He smirks then, taunting him with the knowledge of her whereabouts. "but I don't have to tell you, so beat it, wolf!"

Bastard. Koga growls, but he remains calm. He's better about that than the hot-headed dog demon. He'll just choose to get under his skin a little more because if there's one thing Koga loves, it's annoying the fuck out of Inuyasha. "Heh. No, thanks. If you know where she is that means she'll be comin' back here eventually, so I'll wait." Now he's the one smirking when he sees how pissed off that makes him.

"Like hell you will!" He's on his feet now, facing him, his fists clenched. "I don't need you hangin' around here, get lost!" He doesn't need to voice his threats, it's obvious in the way he stands.

Koga sees this, but he doesn't move. Let Inuyasha make the first move. Koga will be sure to make the last. "I don't care what the hell you want or need. I can do whatever the hell I want, so deal with it!" He growls back, waiting for the stupid mutt to make his move. Maybe it'll even happen just as Kagome makes her return. Koga would love to see her send him face first into the ground with what special spell of hers.

[valeriianz]

(Snippet!)

After five excruciating minutes, the alarm hadn’t ceased and Hob sighed, mentally preparing himself as he pushed his feet into his slippers and opened his door to face the loud onslaught. 

Walking around the corner and up the short flight of steps, he spotted a tall, thin man at the top of the stairs, his face strained as he messed with the large smoke detector.

“Hey!” Hob yelled to be heard over the ringing. His neighbor looked down at him with clear embarrassment on his face. 

“You can’t turn it off!”

“What?!”

Hob nearly rolled his eyes. “You can’t– oh for fucks sake–”

He climbed the remaining stairs and stood next to his neighbor, brushing his hands away and reattaching the cap of the detector that the other man had pulled off to mess with the wires.

“You can’t turn it off,” Hob repeated, speaking loudly in the annoyed man’s ear. “If it doesn’t turn off by itself, we have to wait for the fire department to arrive.”

The man said nothing, but knocked his head back in obvious dismay. Hob was already taking a step back, retreating from the shrieking alarm.

“Come on.” He beconned his neighbor to follow him down the stairs which, after a moment, he followed.

The man hesitated as Hob stepped into his apartment.

“You can wait here, if you want. Until the fire department comes.”

He could also wait outside, but it was late and cold, with an awful rain storm that was currently wreaking havoc on the city. His neighbor stood still for a long moment, and Hob considered just shutting the door in his face when finally he swooped past Hob into the apartment.

Hob shut the door and the alarm was instantly, blessedly, muffled.

He turned and found his neighbor standing awkwardly in the middle of his living room. He was pale, his slender frame accentuated by a large, well worn Van Halen t-shirt hanging off his shoulders and exposing a hint of a sharp collarbone. His black pajama pants seemed oversized too, pooling at his feet, which were bare. 

[sewerratzz]

hello everyone !! i was Assigned Webby at Blinky’s Rewatch Party, and we made LIBsonas !! i cannot art, so i wrote for her instead :]

meet finch!webby under the cut !!

They stood in the Witchwood Forest, terrified and yet bold, doing their best to hide their fear. They were no stranger to the legends that dwell in these woods, but they had no choice. This was the place with the strongest connection. Well, specifically this clearing, where several trees had been.. not cut down, but seemingly dissolved. They didn't know how this had happened, the edges of the clearing made a sort of octagon, with sides that curved in, and it certainly wasn't natural. No matter, no thinking about it now. They had to go ahead.

No words were needed, this wasn't a summoning like it would be for the others. It was a call, with something maybe once known, in another place, or another time. They closed their eyes, opened their mind, and felt the clearing out with their senses. It was strange, if they thought about it, using the senses that the others had a hold over to call for this one. They felt every blade of grass, swaying gently with the breeze, every rock and stick, everything until each end of the clearing, they felt it in their mind. And then they saw it there.

Looking around this impression of the clearing, they couldn't see their own body. It was strange, but any thought that could have been made was cut short, by a sudden heavy breeze. The leaves of the trees lining the clearing whipped fervently, the blades of grass shook, and the air was loud. A light-no, that wasn't a light. It was simply pure white. Something they didn't have a word for. Even just calling it pure white didn't do enough to explain how nothing, and yet everything, it was. A figure emerged from it, eyes closed, hands outstretched like a statue of an angel. Only missing the halo and wings.

Then, the eyes shot open, and with them, two more sets below opened as well, all completely black. There were.. mandibles, on the figure's face.

“Who seeks my presence in this domain?" Her voice was commanding, low and yet projecting. It sounded like a Queen's voice.

But when the White was gone, and their eyes adjusted, they could make out more of the thing standing before them. She wore a white corset over a white dress shirt, purple-pink webs covering the corset. The webs were shimmering, moving on their own. The shirt had sleeves that went to her elbow, then transitioned into long flowing pieces of silk. they also had webs on them, though these ones were black on the white translucent fabric. She wore a white petticoat, that also seemed to have webs, but they were white too, barely visible unless they looked closer and took notice of the shimmering. Her shoes were flat sandal types, with ties that wrapped around her shins, making a pattern that hurt to try and understand, until they stopped at her knees. There was no knot, they just simply stayed up.

Her skin was dark, her hair was white and curly, and sat weightlessly, so much so it could have been floating, on top of her head was a simple crown. Nothing fancy, just a silver circlet with spikes, topped with black obsidian. She was.. something to look at, that's for sure. More arms appeared, and extra shirt sleeves with them, as if it had never been any different.

After a long minute of silence, the spider queen smiled.

“Hi!" She said excitedly. "I'm so glad you've come! I adore meeting the holders of my Gift."

[arsontastic-fandom-takes]

may I have. jun comforting his s/o after a bad day. thanks!^^

Of course! I hope he's accurate, sorry if he isn't. Cw: chronic illness-related

____

The spirits must have had it out for you today because you woke up feeling like shit. Not just the general fatigue or sadness(which were still bad), your joints were acting up, your muscles sore for no reason, you were genuinely too tired to get up, and you were feeling depressed and full of self-loathing.

You've been in your body long enough to know that today would have to be a stay-in-bed day, but you hated those. You hated not being able to do anything and having to stare into space. Nevertheless, you knew there wasn't another choice.

The day had passed in excruciating silence, leaving you with your thoughts until the sky filled with dusky purple and pink hues. You were considering sleeping early when someone knocked on the door.

"Love?" Called a voice that you immediately recognized as your boyfriend, Jun. Shit. You forgot that you had planned to have dinner at your place tonight.

You spent too long panicking. The door slowly opened, revealing a concerned-looking Jun. He immediately noticed you laying in bed. "Oh thank goodness. I saw the field wasn't watered and you weren't answering the door, so I got worried." He stared for a moment, seeing you tearing up. You hated him seeing you like this, you always felt so vulnerable and useless. "It's one of those days, isn't it?" He spoke softly. You nodded, not trusting your voice.

His face softened as he walked over. "Oh, honey. Is it okay if I lay with you?" You nodded again.

He quietly got in the cramped bed with you, extending an arm around your torso and running his fingers through your hair in a soothing fashion. He muttered soft words to you, reassuring you in as many ways as he could think of. It might not have helped with the physical pain, but it did help comfort you.

After a while of comforting you, he started speaking. "I know you know all of this, but sometimes it helps to hear it from someone that isn't yourself." He was rubbing circles on your arms. "I'll always be here for you. You're not weak for having days like this. Even if this was what your days were like all the time, you still wouldn't be weak. You're not useless if you can't be productive all the time or can't always get out of bed. This is a part of who you are, and that's okay. Bad days will pass. Life is a constant up and down, and if today is a down day, you'll have up days soon. I'll be with you through it all. I love you for who you are, and these days don't make me love you less."

A while passed after that, and you fell asleep at some point.

_______

Thanks for reading! I hope this was up to your expectations, sorry if it wasn't. Likes, comments and reblogs appreciated.

[starburstfloat]

Coming-of-age Spotlight: TXT’s Name Chapter Thematic Parallels to Spirited Away

TXT’s latest album The Name Chapter: Temptation is a literary nerd’s dream to deconstruct because 1) it’s a conceptual album, meaning the tracks work together to construct a collective narrative so the album can essentially be read and interpreted like a book; and 2) like most of TXT’s previous work, there’s a heavy emphasis on growing up, coming of age, and darkness versus light - three topics that are my absolute favorites to consume and analyze!

There are still so many interpretations of the album’s themes and motifs floating around - ranging from Greek mythology to Biblical allegories - so to keep things from becoming too broad and sloping down too many tangents, I’m going to be centering my interpretation on the general coming of age theme at play. Besides the direct texts (the songs themselves, though mostly Farewell Neverland), I’m going to be supplementing my ideas with the concept trailer, Weverse magazine’s album description, and of course the main object of comparison: the Japanese animated film Spirited Away, which has several intriguing parallels to the songs.

Okay, let’s dive into this~!

To start, it seems relevant to know the premise of the movie Spirited Away to build a foundational comparison. The movie is about a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro whose mother and father stumble onto a seemingly abandoned amusement park. Chihiro explores while her parents begin ravenously eating at a restaurant stand, and when nighttime falls, Chihiro finds that the amusement park has come to life with spirits and creatures. Her parents have turned into pigs, and she finds out through the help of a new friend that if she wants to save them, she needs to work here and earn her way back to the real world.

The entire movie is a masterpiece, and there’s so much to delve into, but to cut it short: it’s very much a coming of age film in which we witness Chihiro unravel from a spoiled, uncourageous child into a brave, selfless girl who matures with grace. There’s three ways in which this coming of age movie parallels TXT’s Name Chapter and particularly resonates with the last song Farewell Neverland.

The first is the emphasis on the importance of finding one’s name; the second is the value of friendship in finding oneself; and the third is the protagonist’s shift from passivity to assertiveness.

Let’s start with point #1: the importance of finding one’s name. There’s a particular part of TXT’s Name Chapter teaser trailer - the one where Yeonjun whispered and fans played the audio backwards - that connects these two pieces of media. In the trailer, Yeonjun says: “It’s so sweet, but I should find my name”.

This album is titled Temptation, and from Yeonjun’s single line alone, we can already understand the premise of their story: our protagonist is tempted by the sweetness of something (metaphorical for anything that is tempting), yet to escape, he needs to find his name (to come back to his true self, back to reality).

There’s a very interesting plot point in Spirited Away that follows this same premise: in order for Chihiro to escape back to the real world, she needs to remember her name. However, when she signs a work contract towards the beginning of the movie, Yubaba the witch picks her name up from the paper, making Chihiro magically forget her own name. She’s assigned a new one, and as the film progresses, Chihiro struggles to remember who she really is. One of her new friends, Haru, comments on how vital it is she remembers her name:

“If she steals your name you’ll never find your way home”

He comments that he can no longer remember his name, but he still recalls hers. Later in the movie (spoilers!), Chihiro helps Haru remember his real name. When she asks towards the end of the film whether he’ll be alright, he replies, “I’m fine, now that I remember my name”.

The repeated emphasis on names throughout the film hints at the significance of holding one’s name close to one’s heart, and using it to ground one’s sense of self. Doing so takes a conscious effort, and therefore there's power to a name. This entire Medium article that delves into Spirited Away’s portrayal of names and identity is an incredible read and I can highly recommend it. There’s a particular footnote that stood out to me:

The fact that a name, existing without an objective reality, is only really grounded to us through its relevance of those who remember us, intrigues me.

Haru is the only one left who remembers Chihiro’s real name, and one of the only people who therefore comes to be her salvation. Likewise, she helps unlock his memory of his real name. This suggests that friendship is the most vital force in understanding and recognizing oneself. Had Haru not brought up Chihiro’s name - that representation of her true self - then she may have been lost to the spirit world forever.

With an album series titled The Name Chapter, it’s evident that TXT is also playing with a similar theme here, especially with Yeonjun’s line from the teaser trailer. It’s unclear when exactly TXT do remember their name to escape, but it appears relevant that at the end of Sugar Rush Ride - a natural segway into Farewell Neverland - we see all of the members departing the island towards the ship together, further emphasizing the salvation found in friendship. I suspect the next album in this name series will be vital to this point.

Another important note about the parallels between the movie and the album is the portrayal of coming of age. Chihiro’s journey, of being trapped in a spiritual realm away from reality, unceratin of her name and identity, is symbolic for her being between two stages of self: childhood and adulthood.

In her time there, she experiences shock witnessing the dark world of abuse, exploitation, and manipulation that is rampant in the adult world. She’s forced to grow up much quicker because of this. But it’s also because of her newfound awareness that she can enter her new world with a more grounded and healing perspective. She starts the story in one realm of self, and ends the story in another (aka fulfilling a character arc).

This parallel is certainly found throughout TXT’s album as well: we start with Devil by the Window, in which a young boy finds himself enticed to follow the devil (here perhaps a Peter Pan figure who tries to coerce young boys to travel with him to Neverland), and we end the album with Farewell Neverland, an incredibly mature and sentimental closing to the boy’s journey through temptation. They are forever changed by the experience, but it was a necessary step in their shift from childhood to adulthood. This line from the Weverse magazine further reinforces the coming of age sentiment weaved throughout the album:

Exposure to darkness and evil is a necessary step in growing up - in fact, to avoid this and live a completely sheltered life is to live more corrupted than those seemingly fallen astray.

It is in this light that we reach a final parallel between these two pieces of media and their depiction of coming of age, namely a narrative shift from passivity to assertiveness. At the beginning of the film, Chihiro is insecure, easily scared, and lacks courage. By the end, she manages to stand up for herself by talking back to Yubaba, negotiating deals, and using honesty and compassion as her moral compass.

We witness this narrative shift in Temptation most clearly through the protagonist’s decision-making and tone. At the start in Devil by the Window, our protagonist is ostensibly helpless to the pull of desire:

“High, so high, the crimson sky, It's way too sweet to turn down” followed by “I'll fly weightless without a worry into the night”

Despite some initial resistance of screaming and shouting, our character is, by the end of the song, freely letting themselves get taken away - they are a passive participant in their life. But by the time we reach the last track, our character has gone through an evolution: they’ve grown to recognize the chaos of merely pursuing pleasure, alongside the dark side of Neverland’s promise of eternal youth and immortality, and the tone is much firmer and mature.

I love how even if you don’t understand the language, that you can hear the affirmative stance they’re taking in Farewell Neverland. Their voices are soft but unyielding, and Yeonjun’s opening line sets the tone so well: “Neverland, my love, goodbye for now, And I’m free falling”. There’s a certain level of awareness and melancholy that indicates our characters have gone through a change. I feel like Beomgyu’s lines indicate this well:

“My paradise is full of lies, I wanted to turn a blind eye”

There’s splendor in remaining naive and ignorant, but our protagonist can no longer allow himself to indulge in this; doing so is immature, and he’s reached an awareness that cannot be disregarded.

Perhaps this is where Farewell Neverland’s wistful tone comes from: it’s acknowledging the sadness of the realization that you’ll never be a child again, of having to part ways with childhood. If Sugar Rush Ride is paying homage to the thrill of growing up and discovering new sides of yourself (most notably sexual awakening), then Farewell Neverland is the closing chapter that sets the stage for a melancholic followup that reflects on what this newfound sense of self means.

There’s an undeniable element of perseverance and diligence needed in reaching that stage, one that both Spirited Away and Temptation provide audiences so readily.

Perhaps the most intriguing parallel for me is the ending in which Haru instructs Chihiro that she cannot look back. He’s leading her toward the field that leads to the tunnel of escape, and he informs her that if she turns her head to look back, she’ll be trapped in the spirit world forever. There is a moment where she is tempted to turn, but in the end she manages to make her way to the real world without looking.

It's only once she's crossed to the other side that she turns to look back at the tunnel. This feels metaphorical for Chihiro having outgrown the childish desire to fall into the temptation of instant gratification.

What I find interesting is how TXT have seemingly taken this same setup, but with a twist. At the end of TXT’s concept trailer, much like the end of the Sugar Rush Ride music video, Heuningkai, right before he jumps, turns around to look directly into the camera.

This moment breaks the fourth wall and invites the audience the consider taking the leap with him - to escape from Neverland. It’s a really clever way to get us to think whether we are also trapped in our own cages, our own metaphorical collapsing houses, and if we dare to take that leap of faith as well.

[aquarius-stories-and-story-ideas]

((I wrote a short story featuring @troolyart’s characters, Simon and Stanley. I had a lot of fun writing this! Hopefully I did a good job and everyone likes it.))

Music filled the room and birds could be heard chirping outside. The hour was afternoon and Starlla laid on top of her bed in her home. Her room wasn’t fancy. Her full sized bed was pink and white colored. She had a wooden dresser and desk. A small closet held all her clothes. 

As for the sorceress herself, she was worse for wear. It had been a few days since she had been discharged from the hospital after that anomaly incident. It also left her temporarily blind. She could feel all the bandages on her body. She also had some wrapped around her head and covering her eyes. The clothes she was currently wearing were soft and comfortable. The sunlight could be felt on her skin as it filtered through her window. 

She laid there soaking up the peaceful moment. Unfortunately, it was interrupted. She could hear Nathan peeking into the room. “You doing alright, sweetheart?”

Starlla huffed. “Yes, Nathan. I’m fine. You asked me that a few minutes ago.”

“I know. I’m just worried about you. I’m going to make dinner. Need anything?”

“Some quiet time for starters.” She sat up and heard Nathan rush over to her. This irritated her. “Oh, for goodness sakes Nathan! You don't have to hover over me like a mother hen!”

He sighed. “I know. But, I can't help it. Your sight hasn't returned yet and I’m afraid of you accidently hurting yourself.” He kissed her on the head gently. “You stay here and I’ll fix dinner.”

When he left Starlla huffed. She was starting to wonder if letting him stay at her house while she heals was a good idea. As much as she loved him, she needed some quiet time. Time to herself.

She carefully swung off her bed and felt around for her sandals. When she finally found them she made her way back to her bed and grabbed her guidecane. 

Okay. A nice quiet place to rest. While her magic levels were completely screwed up due to the poison, she could manage a simple teleportation technique. After all, teleporting was easy if you knew where you wanted to go.

With a deep breath, Starlla pictured a place in a park she loved to go to. In a flash of pink, glitterly, light she vanished. 

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned for her. Instead of teleporting onto soft grass, she found herself falling. Before she could utter a sound she landed on hard concrete. 

She yelped and groaned. Her guide cane landed somewhere nearby. That freaking hurt! Where the heck did she teleport to?

Shifting onto her knees, she felt for her cane. Dang it! Where was it?! It frustrated her to no end that her magic was all messed up. She couldn't even view a person's soul right now!

After a bit she stood up and moved forward a bit. She felt for her cane again and repeated what she just did. It had to be here somewhere. She heard it clatter. 

When she moved forward again something wrapped around her waist and yanked her back. They were putting pressure on the area where that acidic parasite bit her. Add shock and confusion into the mix and you get what she was feeling right now.

Starlla screamed bloody murder. She screamed from the fact she didn't know who was touching her and they were hurting her. 

“GET OFF OF ME!” She screamed. “GET OFF! YOU’RE HURTING ME! STOP!”

“Let her go! She’s away from the edge!”

Whatever had a hold of her let her go. She crumpled to the floor and tried to steady her breathing. She gingerly touched her side to see if she was bleeding. Thankfully, it didn’t feel like it. That freaking hurt like hell!

She heard footsteps running towards her. “Oh my! Are you quite alright?”

That voice. It sounded like Nathan. But, the tone didn’t belong to him. Not to mention it sounded like he never met her until now.

She felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. The Adventure Line grabbed you before you could walk over the edge. I’m sorry for the rough treatment.”

Yep. This guy wasn’t Nathan. His voice had an air of natural gentleness to it. Her boyfriends tended to be a bit rough. It also sounded like his Adventure Line had a mind of its own.

She carefully sat up. “Thank you. Where am I?”

The man paused for a moment. “You’re in my Parable. My name is Simon.” She felt hands on her shoulders and Simon spoke gently. “Do you remember how you got here?”

“I accidentally teleported here.” She answered. “I wanted to go somewhere quiet. But, my magic levels are completely screwed up. I didn’t mean to trespass onto your property. I’m sorry.”

There were a few moments of silence. She had a feeling he was looking at her in confusion. Honestly, she didn't blame him. Someone teleporting into your private space isn’t something you encounter everyday. Hopefully he was nice and didn't get mad at her 

After a bit she heard him let out a warm chuckle. “It’s quite alright, my dear girl. Accidents happen. Tell me, what is your name?”

“Starlla.” She answered. Phew. He wasn’t angry with her. That's good. 

“Starlla? That’s a lovely name. It suits you.” She heard him stand up. “Can you stand?”

As much as she would like to say yes and get up on her own, she was hurting. The fall and being yanked back irritated her wounds. Not to mention she had no idea where she was. So much for having some alone time. 

She held out her hand. “Can you give me a hand, please?”

A hand immediately gently grabs hers. His hand felt bigger and thicker than Nathans. Simon must be heavier than him. That wasn’t a bad thing, though. It made her think that Simon must look like a teddy bear. She adored men who looked like that. It gave her a sense of security. 

As she stood up his hand never left hers. He even used his free one to help steady her. “Easy now. There we go. Are you in any pain? Is there anything I can do to help?”

Starlla resisted the urge to sigh. Great. First she teleports into this man's domain, nearly falls off a ledge, and now he’s worrying over her. Wonderful! She sure was doing a great job embarrassing herself! 

After taking a breath she shook her head. “Don't worry about me. Let me find my guidecane and I’ll be on my way.” Since she didn't want to lie to him she figured she would just leave. “I’ve caused you enough trouble already. I’ll take my leave.”

“Oh, no no. You’re not causing me any trouble.” A hand could be felt on her shoulder. “I believe you when you say this was an accident and it looks like you’re in pain. I can help you until you can return home.”

He could tell she was in pain? Maybe her color was off. That's the only explanation she could think of. In all honesty, she needed to let the pain ease up if she wanted to attempt to teleport again. 

“Just let me rest for a few minutes and I’ll be on my way.” She said. “Do you know where my guidecane is?”

Someone clearing their throat behind her got her attention. She turned around and Simon spoke. “Ah. Thank you Stanley. He found your cane.”

Starlla held out her hand and she felt the wrist strap around her wrist. She had no idea he was there. Has he been here the entire time? 

She gripped her cane and attempted to look at Stanley. “Thank you.”

“He says you’re welcome.” Answered Simon. “He’s not much of a talker. We can take you someplace to rest. It’s nearby. Do you need anything? Water? Tea?”

She shook her head. “No thank you. I’m already intruding. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be gone.” 

Simon paused for a brief moment. “Alright. If you change your mind, please don't hesitate to ask.” She felt him gently grab her arm. “I’ll lead you to the break room.”

She grabbed his arm in response. “Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome, my dear.”

Wow. This man was incredibly sweet. They just met and she already really liked him. Something told her he would make a great Dad. Men like him always made her day. 

Even with that running through her mind she shouldn’t stay any longer than she should. She was in his domain without his permission. By all rights she should leave right away. She just needed to get her bearings first. 

When Simon began slowly leading her she followed, keeping a firm grasp on him. Since someone was leading her she kept her guidecane off the ground. While she couldn't see into his soul, she had a feeling he wouldn’t let her trip or anything. 

She suddenly felt him take a step up. “We’re at a small set of stairs.” She heard him say. “It's only a few.”

“Okay.”

As much as a small part of her wanted to be annoyed at the fact he had to explain to her where she was going, she knew that would be illogical. She had no idea where she was. She needed someone to guide her. 

With a few taps of her cane she carefully took the first step. Simon stayed a step ahead of her and tightened his hold on her. Nervousness started to creep up on her. Climbing stairs in an unfamiliar place while blind was understandably nerve wracking. 

Simon seemed to pick up on that. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Stanley is right behind you too.”

He was? Starlla resisted the urge to turn around. That guy could be quiet when he wanted to be, that’s for sure. She was so focused on Simon she didn’t notice Stanley right behind her.

Okay. She could do this. The first step was easy. But, when she tried to make the second her foot slipped and she fell backwards. 

Immediately Simon grabbed her with both his hands and she felt Stanley place his hands on her back to stop her from falling. She felt both of them push/pull her forward and Simon steadied her. “My dear girl, are you alright?”

She let out a shaky breath. “Yes. I’m fine. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She made sure to be extra careful this time. Simon kept his hands firmly on her and she could feel Stanley close behind her. It was obvious both men weren’t taking any chances and she was thankful for that.

When they reached the top Simon let one hand go off of her and slowly began leading her again. As she followed him she could feel Stanley staring at her. It kinda made her nervous. Was he mad at her for popping in uninvited? It wouldn’t surprise her if that was the case. He had every right to be angry at her. 

As they walked she began to feel out of breath. The pain coursing through her body along with the stress she felt being in an unfamiliar place uninvited with two strangers was getting to her. The sorceress swallowed thickly. 

“Don’t worry.” She heard Simon say suddenly. “We’re almost there. Just a bit more.”

Starlla could feel herself begin to tremble. Damn it! Why was it so hard to simply walk?! She’s fought beings ten times her size and been thrashed around roughly. She shouldn’t feel like this! 

Her heart began to pound in her chest. She felt so pathetic. Her legs felt weak and she swore she was beginning to sweat a bit. In the back of her mind she bet her old bullies from her school days would be having a field day if they could see her now. After all, they still torment her to this day. 

Simon suddenly stopped and she stopped as well. She was about to ask him if something was wrong, but his hands on her arms stopped her. He gently led her forward and her cane bumped against something. 

“Here.” He gently said. “You can sit down. Do you need me to help you?”

She could feel her face flush from embarrassment. “I think I can manage. Thank you, though.”

She felt him let her go and she reached a hand out to feel. At first, she felt nothing. When she lowered her hand it made contact with something soft. It felt like a cushion. 

After a bit more feeling she turned around and gently sat down. Since she was still uncomfortable in her environment she sat on the edge. She let out a shaky breath. Damn that acidic parasite and its venom! If she has been more careful on that mission she wouldn’t be in this situation. 

As she tried to deflate the feeling of someone sitting beside her drew her attention. “It's okay, my dear.” Simon spoke gently. “We won't hurt you. You’re safe here.”

Starlla took a breath. “Thank you. I feel bad for intruding. I know how frustrating it is when someone tresspasses on your private property.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing to apologize for. This was a simple accident. We’re not angry with you.”

These men were being too good to her. They have every right to be angry with her. But, they’re choosing to show compassion and empathy to her. Sometimes it baffled her how kind some people can be. 

She reached up and placed her hand on his. While she couldn't see right now, maybe she could get the general idea on what he looked like. She didn't know how to ask him if she could feel him. After all, anyone could take that the wrong way. Maybe if she started with his hands he would get the picture and tell her to back the freak off or not.

She scooted back a bit, set her guidecane beside her, and turned to him. As she felt his hand she reached her other out and tried to feel for his free one. He must’ve gotten the hint as he gently grabbed her hand. His hands felt a bit rough. It made her think he was a hard worker who used his hands a lot. 

He wasn’t saying anything. Maybe it was okay to ask. “Um…if it’s okay with you. Could I…”

“Do you want to feel me?” He guessed. She nodded and he chuckled. “I don't mind. Go right ahead.”

“Thank you.”

He took his hand off of her and she slowly felt up his arms. The shirt he had on felt rough a bit. It made her think he was wearing a dress shirt. When her thumbs brush up against his sides she was met with the feeling of softness. He had on something soft over his long sleeve shirt. Maybe a sweater vest or something.

One thing was for sure, he was chunky. That fact alone made her want to smile. She resisted the urge to hug him. Full figured people who were kind like Simon made her want to give them a big hug. There were times she wished Nathan was a bit chubby. That way there would be more of him to love. 

Her hands made their way up his arms and to his shoulders. She felt the edges of the fuzzy piece of clothing he had on. Yep. It was probably a sweater vest. She bet he looked so adorable. 

After that she made her way up his neck and to his face. Her hands rested on his cheeks and she ran her thumbs across his soft skin. His face was full like she would expect. His nose felt a bit round and she could feel age lines. 

As she moved her hands up a bit they bumped against something. They felt like glasses. It seemed that the Narrators wearing glasses was a common thing. She wasn’t too surprised she felt them.

Curious about the shape of them, she carefully ran her fingertips along the edges. They were large and round. When she got to the top she felt something unexpected. It felt like there was a third lense on top. Feeling of it confirmed her suspicions. He had a third lens in front of his forehead. Huh. Glasses with three lenses wasn’t something she encountered everyday. She bet they looked cute on him. 

When she was done she let go of him. She even allowed herself to smile a bit. “You feel adorable.”

She heard Simon make a few noises. “Wha? Oh. Well, thank you.”

Starlla couldn’t help but to giggle a bit. Reaching out a hand, she tried to place it on his face. He ended up taking it and placing it on his cheek for her. She felt for his nose and booped it when she found it. 

“You’re so precious.” She giggled. 

He made a few more noises and she imagined he was blushing. She put her hand down, done feeling his face for now. So, he was a chubby man, probably about her height, who wore a long sleeve dress shirt, sweater vest, and had glasses with three lenses. She wondered if he had three eyes. 

“Th-thank you.” He stuttered. “If you don't mind me asking, how did you get injured?”

Starlla lightly sighed and leaned back a bit more. “It's a long story. My main job is to neutralize dangerous anomalies. My last job had me investigate something that was trying to harvest energy. It was an acidic parasite. To paint a better picture for you, it’s a huge beast made up of acidic black tar.” 

She touched the side it bit her. “I got careless and it bit me. Those things are known to be poisonous, so I didn’t last very long after that. It fed off of me for about a week before my boyfriend and Narrator, Nathan, rescued me. He had help from another Narrator, Devin, and his Stanley.”

The sorceress sighed and lightly touched the bandages on her eyes. “That poison and energy draining did a number on me. It’ll be a while before I regain my sight. It’s quite frustrating. Add the fact Nathan won’t leave me alone. I love him, but I need time to myself. That’s why I teleported. I was trying to go somewhere to be alone. But, I ended up accidentally coming here.”

There were a few moments of silence. She could feel both men staring at her. She almost jumped when she felt a hand on hers. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” She heard Simon say. “I’m glad they rescued you. Tell me, how much information were you given beforehand?”

She thought for a moment. “Honestly, not much. I was told to look into an energy draining anomaly. That was all besides the location.”

“It sounds like to me you weren’t given enough information to work with. It’s not your fault that you didn’t know what you were getting into. They should’ve given you more information or assigned you to a team.”

“That’s what Nathan said too. He told me the entire thing mutated by the time I was found. Any longer and he would’ve found me dead.”

Simon gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad he didn’t.”

Starlla resisted the urge to rub her bandaged eyes. “Same here.”

As she felt herself finally relaxing, exhaustion seeped into her systems. But, she couldn’t fall asleep here. She needed to leave. After all, she was probably already outstaying her welcome. 

“Are you tired?” Asked Simon. 

“A bit. But, don’t worry about me. Give me a minute and I’ll leave.”

“You’re more than welcome to rest a bit more. Your body has been through a massive amount of trauma. If you need to rest then rest. Stanley and I don’t mind at all.”

Ah, that’s right. Stanley was in the room as well. He was so quiet that she almost forgot he was here too. She guessed he was probably a strong, silent, type of person. That would explain why Simon was doing all the talking. 

As much as she wanted to politely decline and leave, Simon was right. Her body was becoming desperate for rest. If she teleported now there was a chance she could hurt herself. Not to mention she could end up who knows where again. The most logical choice was to listen to him. 

Footsteps approaching her caught her attention. She turned her head in the direction of the sound and she felt a hand gently on her shoulder. Knowing this was Stanley she attempted to look up at him. 

“Stanley says you can take a nap if you want.” Simon said. “I think that’s a good idea. Taking a nap will help restore your energy much better. Not to mention the body does the most healing while it’s asleep.” 

Okay, these men were making logical sense. Sleeping did result in the most healing. Her body was beginning to throb. If she didn’t sleep, at least resting a bit longer would be good for her. 

She finally nodded. “Okay.”

She grunted a bit as she scooted back a bit more. She felt Simon place a hand on her other shoulder in an effort to help her. When she felt her back press against the back cushions she tried to relax. 

“Stanley is asking if you want a blanket.”

She paused for a brief moment. “I’m fine right now. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“He says you’re welcome.”

When the two men let go of her she could feel herself actually beginning to drift off. Everything must’ve been more draining for her than she thought. It was baffling to her how much she was sleeping lately. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept this much. 

She must’ve dozed off because the next thing she knew someone was gently shaking her shoulder. “Starlla?” She heard Simon whisper. “Stanley and I got you a blanket. Do you want to lay down?”

“Sure.” She muttered. What he said barely registered to her. 

She felt two pairs of hands gently grab her and shifted her so she could lay down on the couch. Her head was laid on something soft and she felt a heavy blanket being draped over her. Someone smoothing out the blanket on her was the last thing that she registered before she fell back asleep. 

How much time had passed was unknown to her. It was so peaceful in the room that she felt herself fall into a deep slumber. It's been a hot minute since she’s had the privilege to experience this peace and quiet. 

When she finally woke up everything was quiet and still. Taking a deep breath, she laid still for a few moments before shifting. She sat up and stretched as much as she could.

“Finally awake.”

This caught her by surprise. The voice and tone was unmistakable. “Was it hard to find me, Nathan?”

She heard him sigh. “Yes. Yes it was. Your energy signature is still muddled.” He paused. “Listen. I’m sorry for smothering you. Almost losing you scared me. I’m…I suppose in a way I’m trying to make up for the fact I didn't reach you sooner. I’m sorry, honey.”

Starlla lightly smiled. “It's alright. I understand that you want to be near me after what happened. But, I need time to myself. We both do. Things are going to happen in our line of work. Any mission could be our last. It's what we signed up for. All we can do is be there for each other and respect our needs.”

Nathan chuckled. “One of the many reasons why I fell in love with you. You know what to say.”

“Not all the time. You’re the one who does most of the talking. I mostly talk a lot to you.”

“I’m glad you do.” She heard him approach her. “How about we go home and eat dinner? I can warm it back up.”

The sorceress smiled. “I would love that.”

With that said she slipped the blanket off and she felt Nathan slip her sandals back onto her feet. Simon or Stanley must’ve taken them off for her. He helped her stand up and slipped her guidecane around her wrist.

“Ready to go?” Asked Nathan as he gently grabbed her arm. 

“Almost. I need to thank Simon and Stanley first.”

“You’re welcome, my dear.” Starlla lightly jumped at the sound of Simon's voice. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Nathan hasn’t been here that long. He was awfully worried about you.”

Starlla lightly sighed. “I bet. Sorry for worrying you like that, honey.”

She felt Nathan kiss her head. “It’s quite alright.”

She handed her cane to Nathan. “Before we go. Simon. Can you come here, please?”

“Of course.” 

She took a few steps forward and heard Simon walk up to her. She held out her hand. When he took it she pulled him into a hug. Her arms wrapped around his chubby sides and she couldn’t help but to notice he smelled like paper and ink. 

She let out a content sigh as she hugged him. It was like hugging one of her parents or relatives. All the stress and everything else seemed to melt away. His chubby figure made it all the more heart warming. Oh my goodness, did she need this!

After a few brief moments she felt Simon hug her back. She smiled and tightened her hold a tad. He was a wonderful hugger. 

“Keep that up and I’ll start to get jealous.” She heard Nathan say playfully. 

“It’s not my fault Simon is good for hugging. Maybe if you put on some weight I’ll sleep on you.” She teased back.

“You know it’s hard for me to gain weight in our line of work.”

She felt Simon chuckle. “You two stay active, I take it?”

“Very.” Answered Starlla as she reluctantly let go of him. “We both lead incredibly active lives. Thank you again for everything. Thank you too Stanley. That is, if you’re here right now.”

“He is and he says you’re welcome. That comes from me too. Let us know when your sight returns.”

“I will.” She turned around and tried to look at Nathan. “Let’s get a move on, sweetie.”

“Of course, dear.”

With that said Nathan led Starlla to the place he used to enter Simon's Parable. Before she knew it she smelled the familiar scent of her home. It smelled like lavender and food.

Nathan guided Starlla to the table. “Give me a few moments and super will be ready.”

“Thank you, Nathan.” She said as she sat down. “I love you.”

“I love you too, my darling.”

[erigold13261]

Hey eve, do u love mayday so much?

[I swear I was going to draw for this! It was going to be so pretty but also abstract and just be Eve in front of some nice backgrounds with cool color palettes, but damn I couldn't even START a wip for this. However! I do have the dialogue I was going to write for the art!]

Eve: As much as the ocean loves the moon, rising as high as mountains only to crash in on itself from the pressure of never being able to measure up to the beauty in the sky. 

As much as a wilted fern yearns for the sweet relief of a summer rain, drowning out all the problems and pain that came just before the storm.

I love her so much more than I can ever put into words. Beyond the scope of my own emotions. A never ending cascade of terror falls on me at the thought of never seeing her after a departure.

Yet I know I will never truly match the love she feels for me.

And I am okay with that. Because I love her as much as I can.

May: Aaaaaw~

[ittyybittybaker]

dealers choice on wipw, just wanna read whatever you’ll write

Hi!! sorry for taking so long to answer this, but i had a god awful headache yesterday. Here's a bit of Neil getting into the ~concert spirit~! (context: the band they're seeing sells these hats in various colors and it's A Thing to wear them to their shows. yeehaw baby)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

‘Neil, what in the hell do you have on your head?’ Andrew asks with one eyebrow raised in surprise.

‘A hat’, Neil says feigning ignorance at the ridiculousness of his newest accessory.

‘Yes, but why?’ Andrew asks

‘When in Rome, Right?’

‘I thought you liked blending in to crowds, not standing out, Rabbit’

‘I mean look around Drew, I think I’d stand out more if I wasn't wearing one.’

And the thing is, Neil’s being stubborn on purpose but in this one instance, he’s not entirely incorrect. Of the couple thousand other people at the show, at least 75% of the crowd is wearing some sort of band merchandise, and about half are wearing the same type of hat as Neil - sparkly light up cowboy hats of various colors.

Neil can admit they do look a little silly. But he noticed them the last time they were at a show and it seems like The Thing To Do, and, as he has just pointed out to Andrew, he fit right in wearing his. Seeing everyone wearing band merchandise reminded him of getting decked out in team gear when he went to Exy games with Kevin. If he was being completely honest with himself, he just liked the feeling of being a part of something, even if it seemed strange from the outside.

He had waited until Andrew had gone to get a drink from the bar to get one from the merch table. Neil thought the look on Andrew’s face would be worth any silliness he would feel from wearing it around and, as it turns out, he was right.

‘Admit it, you like it, don't you’ Neil teased. ‘You think i look good as a cowboy’

‘Shut up. You look ridiculous.’ Andrew scoffed.

But Neil could also see the appreciative gleam in his eye. so maybe Andrew didn't hate the hat as much as he tried to pretend.

‘Just don't expect me to also get one of those god awful things. You're committing that crime against fashion all on your own’ Andrew Said

‘But they have them in Black!’

'Absolutely not, Josten.’