#but it was just dehumanizing when it happened to megumi

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

did the zenin every try to convince megumi to stay with them by not beating the hell out of him? like were they ever nice or kind? other than maki and mai and the few times together, does megumi have any positive memories of anyone in the zenin?

idk just seems a bit counterintuitive to continuously isolate and destroy your relationship with the biggest thing since sliced bread by never showing him an ounce of kindness or sympathy even when he’s a kid.

So yes and no.

In their minds, they absolutely did, but Megumi would say they didn’t. The key issue is that they never tried to appeal to Megumi for who he actually was, but who they wanted him to be. They were trying to be nice to someone who wasn’t real to begin with.

Megumi got special treatment from the rest of the clan. He had the nicest clothes. He had personal trainers. He had the direct attention of the head of the clan. He had a private bathhouse and servants to attend him in it. He had a private room in the home of the clan head, who had the nicest home in the entire compound. All his meals were prepared for him and brought to serve him directly.

In the eyes of the clan, they were spoiling him. Everyone else was fighting for scraps. They all trained, but it was in crowded, sweaty rooms where they didn’t get attention unless they were already exceptional. The Zenin clan is very old fashioned, so they don’t really have private baths in homes. They were all bathing in communal bathhouses where you had to wait for your turn and half the time you got there and realised that you were out of soap.

Beating him was never a big deal, in the Zenin’s mind. They all got beat. It was a part of training. You learn to think through pain and react in a fight if you’re experiencing real pain, which is the exact reasoning Maki brings to hitting Yuuta during training. If they made the Ten Shadows exempt from that, they’d be weakening the person who was supposed to be their strongest by coddling him.

So the Zenin would say Megumi was already being spoiled by the clan, and any attempt to stop his training in handling pain was just another attempt at sabotaging his development.

The thing is that Megumi didn’t want any of the things that they were “spoiling” him with.

He hated the clothes they had made for him. He wanted to wear his own clothes. He couldn’t even pick what to wear. It was another way he lost control. Yeah, they gave him his own room in the nicest house, but he was getting locked into it, and he was only in there when they had finished training him to the point of collapse. The bathhouse was a traumatizing experience for him. He was stripped down and forcibly bathed by strangers. It wasn’t a luxury to him; it was a violation. He would have taken the communal bathhouse any day. He had no say in what he ate, and his meals were brought to him because it allowed the Zenin to pack his schedule even tighter, because he didn’t even get real meal breaks. He just paused to eat and then immediately picked up with whatever they were teaching him. But they never registered any of this as driving him away, because they were too deluded by who they wanted him to be rather than who he actually was. The Ten Shadows in their mind would not only not be upset by this, but he would appreciate it. Megumi was meant to be honoured by the clothes and the room and the private bathhouse. And he would be, as soon as they broke him of Gojo’s control. Any time he expressed upset was just another show of what Gojo had done to him. He needed to be freed from it, so they never actually heeded him begging them to stop.

It’s also important to note that most of the Zenin didn’t know how bad the beatings were.

Again, all of them got beat. The clan head got beat when he was a kid. It’s expected for them. But none of them got beat as badly as Megumi, except for maybe his father when he was Megumi’s age.

Because a lot of the beatings weren’t coming at the hands of someone who wanted him to love the clan. They were coming from Naoya. Who hated him.

Naoya wants him to hate the clan. Fuck, he wants him dead. Megumi is everything he was supposed to be, and he wants him gone. He wants to hurt him.

Naoya got more access to Megumi than anyone else in the clan when Megumi was a kid. He was one of their most gifted fighters and high up in the clan, but not so high up that he was busy with actually running it, so he was tapped in as his trainer. He went farther in hurting megumi than anyone else in the clan thought or expected he was. He was just supposed to hit him when he taught him how to fight, to train him how to take pain, and as a disciplinary measure to break him of Gojo’s influence. But even then, discipline in the Zenin compound usually stops at a few slaps. Like, they still all are abusing their children, don’t get me wrong, but the extent of the abuse that all of them face was no where close to the abuse that megumi was under.

Naoya wasn’t beating Megumi to train him. He was beating him to hurt him. He wanted Megumi to suffer as much as possible. He wanted to make him feel pain.

The rest of the clan never heard Gojo’s claims that he had taken Megumi away because they were beating him, but they wouldn’t have believed them if they did. Megumi was supposed to be their strongest, so if they could take training, he could take training. He was getting every luxury and benefit that they weren’t getting. The whole clan thought he was being treated like a little prince. Of course he didn’t need to be protected from them. They all have the mindset of “my parents hit me when I fucked up, and I turned out fine.”

If Megumi hadn’t had cursed energy, Naoya would have killed him with how badly he was beating him within a month. Even with cursed energy, he almost killed him.

It’s not the expected norm to beat clan members within an inch of their life, unless they’re failures like Megumi’s dad who they actually want to kill. That would be counterintuitive. They need their members in peak physical condition to be fighters. No one there would believe that’s what Naoya was doing if they knew.

The worst of the abuse came from someone who actually hated megumi and wanted to hurt him. But none of the “positive” things they said they spoiled Megumi with actually had any kind of positive impact on Megumi, because they refused to accept him as he was. They were trying to spoil the fantasy they had of him. But the actual child had lost all control of his life, was terrified of them, and was traumatised every time he set foot on the compound.

[ladyofpandemonium]

let me just address this: [JJK 222 SPOILERS INCOMING]

SATORU'S REACTION TO NANAMI'S DEATH.

It is entirely reasonable, given his character and the situation. I say this because of two things: one, Satoru's reactions are always incredibly limited to events of the same magnitude and, two, he knows what happened the last time he couldn't keep his emotions in check. When I say his reactions are 'limited', I mean Satoru essentially has never allowed himself to truly grieve when your average person must: Riko's death, Suguru's defection, his death, etc. The only two instances where we see any reaction from Satoru are Riko's death and when he first meets Kenjaku in Suguru's body—a.k.a what got him into the prison realm in the first place. In Riko's case, his grief is almost automatically overruled by 'I should kill these people', an action. That is the norm for his character: suppress grief, and take action. He did this in Riko's case, took Megumi in a short while after Geto became a curse user and went to deal with Rika and Yuta after Suguru's death. Heck, he had next to no reaction to Sukuna inhabiting Megumi's body and I'm sure he knows about Yaga, Yuki and Tsumiki, too. Yuki and Tsumiki, you can argue he might not be attached to, but he certainly had an attachment to Yaga. I will assume that this is a mindset he was raised with + learned over the course of his career considering his position as the miracle child and the sheer number of people he's seen die in the profession of a sorcerer. This is also something other sorcerers have shown: putting taking action above dealing with their own emotions; it is one of the big reasons Geto came to despise the system because it is so incredibly dehumanizing. I'd wager that dehumanization doubles down on people like Satoru because he is even farther removed from being human thanks to him being the literal strongest—Gojo's way more god than human, even in the world of jujutsu. The other point, about the circumstances of his sealing, is not my main argument mostly because Gojo isn't in any imminent danger in that particular scene but I still think it impacted him. He couldn't keep his emotions in check when he saw Kenjaku in Suguru's body and, by the time he realized what was going on, he was already caught (even though I think he recovered incredibly fast). Surely, he takes that as a lesson and I also will say that is the reason he was very calm when he found Sukuna in Meguim's body. The third point that I wanted to point out is kind of an extension of the first. Satoru knows he's going to fight Sukuna; that is the action he must take and so he's doing what he's always done: suppressing any grief whatsoever in favour of doing what needs to be done. He says as much to Ijichi, too. On top of that, the comment he's made: "I always thought Nanami would survive...", indicates the little grief he can afford. It's almost as if he doesn't really want to believe Nanami didn't make it because he was confident he'd survive. So, no, I don't think his reaction to Nanami's death was underplayed by any means. Note that this isn't to say I'm attacking anyway that does have that opinion, but I'm just analyzing it from my perspective. You can maintain whatever opinion you have, of course!

[cream-no-sugar]

happy kinktober, loves. 💕

october is underway, and I'm super excited to share that I'll be participating in kinktober this year!

more specifically, I have a few fics I’m working on for the kinktober ‘22: dead dove chapter event happening over on twitter. (the handle is @deaddovekink and the ao3 collection is here, if anyone is so inclined to see what’s being shared so far.)

for y’all, wanted to give a lil sneaky peek to the four (yes, four) fics that I’ll be sharing this month for the event. read after the jump for fic summaries and when you can expect to see them posted on ao3!

[I mean, I’ve already signaled that these are dead dove fics, but cw regardless: dead dove themes after the jump]

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“good girl”

anticipated posting date: oct 22nd (kinktober day 22 - conditioning) fandom + ship: jjk + megumi fushiguro x tsumiki fushiguro summary: shikigami users know how to train creatures to do what they want. and megumi sees a prime opportunity to put his skills to use when he meets his new stepsister. alternate summary: megumi trains his stepsister to be his sexual plaything, basically cw: stepcest; conditioning; dehumanization; puppy play

—-

“ostara”

anticipated posting date: oct 24th (kinktober day 24 - incest) fandom + ship: jjk; megumi fushiguro x tsumiki fushiguro summary: cramped car cabins and quaint accommodations cause long-buried memories between two estranged step-siblings to resurface. alternate summary: the fushiguro step-siblings are forced to reconnect (for better or for worse) when they drive back home together during spring break and make a stop at a suspicious bed-and-breakfast for the night. cw: stepcest; mentions of childhood abuse, child neglect, and underage sexual activity; psychological trauma, including gaslighting; minor horror elements

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“from doctor jaeger”

anticipated posting date: oct 30th (kinktober day 30 - power dynamics) fandom + ship: aot/snk + eren jaeger x mikasa ackerman summary: unplanned distance doesn’t stop dr. eren jaeger from tending to his most special patient. alternate summary: an epistolary fic of the super toxic and inappropriate relationship between psychiatrist eren jaeger and his patient mikasa ackerman cw: abuse of power; highly unreliable narrator; non-con elements due to inability to provide consent

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“vengeance”

anticipated posting date: oct 31st (kinktober day 31 - fear play) fandoms + ships: [crossover] aot/snk + eren jaeger x mikasa ackerman; the batman (2022) + bruce wayne x selina kyle summary: mikasa is finally ready to skip town — but not until she says good-bye to a certain masked frenemy. alternate summary: just a porny one-shot of eremika as batcat — where they get a little… rough. 😬 cw: bondage; knife play; gun play

[ctrlemis]

art as one of the younger kids on sfw enhablr (i’m assuming you’re around 05’ - 08’) how do you feel abt the current content for the maknae line? like ik it’s not always super sexualized or anything but sometimes i see stuff that’s just the way it’s worded really rubs me the wrong way ☹️ esp bc some of the kids on here like you are so young it makes me feel like if they see stuff like that , they might start think it’s okay for others to treat them the same or vice verse … whenever i see edits of niki on tiktok , i have to avoid the comments bc there’s almost always like a “daddy” , “how is he 16” or “you don’t know what you do to me” like wtf he’s a literal child ?? it makes me so mad and honestly so uncomfortable :( and i saw an article on kboo today too that said niki apparently has around 200 explicit or mature fics written abt him on ao3 … sometimes even the fboi trope (usually when it’s written abt minors) bothers me bc i see minors writing abt it (like 13-15 y/o) and i don’t understand why they don’t just use the term player or smtg … bc they’ll go out of their way to mention how the character has sex a lot an whatnot , even that feels way too suggestive for me personally for a minor too write let aline abt a minor too , sorry for the rant,, i was just wondering how you felt … omg also though tbh i noticed that some of the minors on here / blogs in gen seem way too comfy on here like they’ll be sharing where they live , their actual names and sometimes like giving a lot of personal info … like did they not learn abt internet safety or do they just no care? as one of the older kids , i kind of worry abt them :( i really hope everybody stays safe on here <3 & some reminders: never be afraid to block anyone ! bc i’ve seen a lot of minors on here get sent stuff from the p*rn bots or just weird dms :( & u don’t need to force yourself to interact with someone , make sure ur comfy with them first !

hi anon!! firstly you're correct, i am in between 05 & 08, but as someone with basic common sense this rubs me the wrong way so much. back when i was a bigger anime fan, especially from 2020 going forword, i noticed alot of younger kids on apps like tiktok or w@ttp@d not only writing things about adults(like rengoku, toji, gojo, levi) but also minors (bakugo, itadori, megumi) and nobody really said anything? as far as tiktok, i used to see alot of younger anime fans talking about getting railed by thesw characters and so on so forth, and again, most werent talking about it, and if they did they would get attacked. and now, im seeing the same thing happening with younger idols, especially enhypen's maknae line and its so wrong.

number one, there is a difference between sexualizing and sex shaming. alot of the time when these kids get called out there respond is "lets not act like teens dont have sex" and this a response that makes no sense. regardless of whether they do or dont, as a minor you shouldnt be talking about it, especially because it puts you at risks for older people in general to pret on you. this doesnt mean i think we shouldn't educate teens on sex and etc, but talking about railing someone you dont know, older then you or not, is both dehumanizing and just disgusting. there is no way or response to justify sexualizing a minor.

the current content for the enha maknae is 50/50. alot of times ill see people writing scenarios like yandere enha and they include the maknae line and it doesnt feel right. the fboy troupe feels wrong but i see it so much for them and its like 😐😐 why are talking about how a MINOR gets around? or when they age them up purrply to do that but its not sexual😐even with smaus and series, alot if the ways things are put do not feel right. for example, using someone older then the love interest for a faceclaim? especially when the person is a minor, it doesnt feel right. even if its not your intention really think about that shit for a moment. this is a callout woth me naming names cuz this isnt shade or nothing but its basic critical thinking

i have seen the article kboo did, and its just disgusting that the article had to be made. society today is so focused on setting us back and its not setting up these kids for the future. as for the GROWN ASS ADULTS out there writing these fics about the maknaes...... get some help. that is a MINOR and you are a predator.

and youre right, alot of the younger blogs on enhablr are too okay with sharing social medias and info about them and its both shocking and worrying. even things like revealing your age seems unnecessary to me if you're a minir, especially because majority f the time these predators are waiting on that, looking for younger kids. at one point i did have my age in my pinned post and i took it down. at the wnd of the day i am a minor and thats all that is needed to be said. and a response i hear alot to going out of your way to protect yourself is "but why do i have to do this? people should know better." people should also know not to sexualize minors, but they dont. so yeah, dont give out your personal info, what you look like, social medias, etc, and if you do, be careful about that shit.

so heres the bottom line: ni-ki is 16. jungwon is 18. wonyoung is 17. leeseo is 14. eunchae is 15. jongseob is 16. bahiyyih is 17. sunoo just turned 19. all of them are minors minus sunoo, but yall were writing smut or "suggestive" stuff for sunoo before that. stop it. whether you are grown as hell or fresh off the tit yall need to have BASIC COMMON SENSE and realize that shit is fucked up.

and whats worse is thise same 'fans' go and sexualize everything, to the point where you could be 20 and bias and stan an idol whos 19 and you'll be called a predator. get it together, cuz truly, im sick of having this conversation, and ill start beating the color off/into yall if we keep coming back to this.

[empty-dream]

Just read Jujutsu Kaisen

aka some guy has blue eyes, everyone loses their shit.

A sorcerer school fights cursed spirits born from human sentiments.

Basically your everyday shonen popcorn. Like, nothing really new, it just plays its cards well. Just a little bit on the darker side.

Yujiiiii! The combination of punk face and kind heart is so cute!. I already know from the first chapter that it will not go well with his life, but… damn.

Megumi’s eyelashes are longer than my life. The resident’s dark-haired-guy-with-complicated-backstory. Only he’s a lot nicer and obviously-kind than most characters like that in other shows.

Nobara’s power is so cool, it really reflects her crazy-battle antics. That and her lively personality really shine and complement Yuji and Megumi well.

Oh yeah also that Satoru Gojo guy or whatever… Jk he’s like literally the strongest, prettiest top sorcerer of the story, he might as well be god. God-jo. Heheh.

The other characters are also pretty colorful. Watch me scream every time Nanamin and Junpei appear since I love them.

This is the kind of story that has people die in it. People I actually care about.

Like I said, there is nothing actually new. But the mix and match of the tropes are excellent and keeps me intrigued. Like, a gramps who fights with rock and roll.

The power explanations are long, sometimes I don’t really read it. So the little chibi diagrams that showing how a particular works really helps lol.  

If there is one thing that’s notable for me, it’s Mahito’s entire character and power set. It’s incredibly disgusting. All his attacks are using disfigured human bodies, often still alive. It kinda reminds me of BnHA’s Shigaraki, but instead of decaying, the touched body transforms into ugly inhuman things. E.g. heads are inflated (and dear god the art is quite realistic about it imo). It’s truly dehumanizing, he doesn’t think anything about humans, and that is his entire existence, the human transgressions itself.

Imma be honest, Shibuya arc is so long. I don’t think this is the final arc but it kinda feels like one. I know there are still a lot of questions to be answered.

As for the anime, I haven’t actually watched it beside the OP and ED, which everyone likes. I, on the other hand, lost my shit the moment I watch the OP again after I read with the manga.

Tl;Dr You can’t expect nothing bad is going to happen when you swallows a whole damn millenium-old demonic finger. 

[pocket-luv101]

Spellbound by the Music || Ch. 3

Fandom: Servamp Characters: Mahiru, Kuro, Licht, Hyde Pairings: KuroMahi (main), LawLicht (side)

Summary: Mahiru came to Kuro with an offer. He would help reduce his prison sentence if he solved a mystery with him. They have to work together to catch a serial killer. {Detective AU}

Ch.1 || Ch.2 || (Ch.3) ||

“Here, Kuro, I made tea for you.” Mahiru had two cups in his hands and he placed one in front of Kuro. He sat across the desk from him and then took a sip of his own drink. A few detectives were staring at them and Mahiru could easily guess what they were thinking. He brushed their stares aside though. “Are you finished reading the profile I gave you, Kuro? I want to hear your opinion.”

“Didn’t I already listen you to go over the case ten minutes ago in the morning briefing? I don’t think I need to read your ten page report about it. I get the gist of this case. Crazy person is killing musicians in their home.” Kuro flipped through the file idly. “With all this information you’ve already collected, I don’t know why you want my help. Your colleagues obvious don’t agree with you.”

Since he grew up with people judging him and his siblings, Kuro thought he would be numb to people glaring at him. But he still felt their stares like a knife in his back. Mahiru smiled sympathetically at him and pushed the cup of tea towards him. “Ignore them. Detectives see a lot of criminals in our line of work. Sometimes we become jaded after they work this job for so long.”

Mahiru gaze became far away as he went on to say, “I hate seeing that happen. We can’t do our job well if we dehumanize people. Thinking simply, things aren’t always black and white. When I was ten, I caught a boy stealing from a store but I didn’t turn him in. I followed him and talked to him. He wanted to feed his family. I still think stealing is wrong but I can’t fault his intention. I don’t judge you either, Kuro.”

“You’re a strange man.” Kuro opened the folder and picked up the first photo. The picture was of a dishevelled bedroom. “This is the first murder?”

“Yes, the victim was an upcoming pianist. His manager was the one that found him. That was the messiest crime scene I’ve seen in a while. No one should ever have to see that. I already set aside the pictures of the bodies in another folder so you won’t come across them.” He told him. “At first, we thought that it could’ve been a robbery gone wrong but that’s obviously not the case.”

“I know robberies and this one looks staged. He didn’t take anything of value in the room. There’s a fancy jewelry box on her vanity. He probably opened it randomly to make it look like a movie scene.” Kuro tossed the picture onto the desk. “High profile targets like celebrities takes a lot planning. If it was me, I would target the house during a concert and I’m certain there’s a block of time they’re out.”

“I thought the same thing.” Mahiru nodded. “There was no sign of forced entry so the victim let the killer in. I made a list of people the victims would trust enough to let into their home. There were a few similarities but nothing stood out to me. As the murders went on, what the killer wanted from their victim became more confusing.”

“He stopped trying to make them look like robberies after the second one. He’s becoming more confident. Television lied, that’s a bad thing.” Kuro flipped through the other photographs in the folder. He scanned them for anything that could help the investigation. Nothing stood out to him. “He didn’t leave anything behind? No hairs or blood?”

“The victims were killed with a gun and I assume he took them by surprise so there wasn’t a struggle. The neighbours didn’t hear anything so he must have a silencer as well. Japan has strict gun laws and I looked through our database of registered gun owners but no one popped up. The killer must’ve obtained it illegally. You know channels to buy and sell things illegally through your… let’s say your side job.”

“So, that’s why want my help?” Kuro placed the photo back into the pile carefully. “I can take you to some people I know. If that’s all you need from me, this is going to be easier for me than I worried. I can relax in your apartment while you investigate. Can I convince you to give me a laptop to keep myself from becoming bored in your house?”

“Those contacts will be a great help. I would like your help throughout the entire investigation though. A fresh perspective might uncover something we overlooked.” Mahiru told him and he saw how hesitant Kuro was. He placed his hand on his leg. “Please, Kuro? I promise I won’t cause you too much trouble. Simply put, all you have to do is follow me around and tell me if you notice anything strange.”

He leaned closer as he waited for his answer and Kuro could see the stunning details in his brown eyes. Kuro pushed his chair back and turned away from Mahiru. “My brother used to tell me not to feed a stray cat because it’ll follow you around forever. You gave me my first warm breakfast in a while. You also promised to help me see my family again.”

“I don’t mind taking in stray cats.” Mahiru giggled at the silly comparison. He took his cup and tapped it against Kuro’s. “Here’s to the start of a new partnership. Let’s work together to find the killer.”

Mahiru set the cup back on his desk. “I want to talk to you more about the first murder. We don’t know his reason or motive but we can gather the first murder was personal for him at least. He stole a necklace from her. It hasn’t resurfaced in a pawn shops so he didn’t take it for the money. That’s the one and only time he took a trophy.”

“A necklace? Did you check if there’s a jealous ex or scorned lover in the picture?” Mahiru shook his head and took out another folder. Inside was a picture of a woman and he guessed she was the first victim. He stared at the necklace she wore.

“Her name was Megumi Nanami. Her mother gave her that necklace after she won her first competition. Since then, she wore it for each competition as a good luck charm.” Mahiru’s hands tightened into fists on his lap. “Her mother cried when she told me that she wanted her daughter to be buried with that necklace. I can't bring back her daughter but the least I can do is grant her wish and find her killer.”

A subtle flame burned in his brown eyes. It was clear that his determination was fueled by his kindness. Kuro didn’t know if he should admire him or say he was naïve. In the end, he concluded that Mahiru was far from a simple man. He wasn’t troublesome though. “I’ll help you with that. Do you have an idea of when he will strike next to who he will target?”

“He doesn’t have a pattern for when he kills.” He answered with a sigh. Mahiru was interrupted when his phone vibrated. He took a quick glance at the screen and saw Licht’s name. He opened the text quickly, hoping that it wasn’t related to the killer.

“Is something wrong?” Kuro asked once Mahiru became pale. Instead of answering, Mahiru jumped to his feet and hastily put away the folders in his desk. He barely finished locking the drawer before he grabbed Kuro’s arm and pulled him out of his feet. Kuro quickened his pace to match Mahiru’s. “Did something happen?”

“Licht just texted me and he said the killer approached him.”

“Excuse me, please give me the key card for room 205.” Mahiru tried to remain calm while he spoke with the receptionist. He flipped open his badge and she handed him the key card. He nodded to her politely even as he ran towards the stairs. The stairs would be quicker than waiting for the elevator considering that Licht’s room was on the second floor. Kuro was running close behind him.

Outwardly, Mahiru appeared calm but he knew that his heart must be racing from fear. He tried to call Licht during the drive to the hotel but he never answered his call. Mahiru pictured a million scenarios behind the door and he dreaded every single one of them. They reached the hotel suite and he shoved the door open. “Licht, are you okay?”

Contrary to Mahiru’s earlier fears, Licht was safe and sound in his suite. He didn’t hear the pair storm into his room because he was wearing headphones. But he saw them out of the corner of his eyes and said, “Hey, Mahiru, you came faster than I thought you would.”

“I’ve been calling for you for the past ten minutes! You sent me a text that says the killer approached you but you’re just sitting here like that’s nothing. Take off those headphones and tell me everything that happened. Did he attack you? Did he run away? Why the hell didn’t you call the police instead of me?” Mahiru yelled but Licht merely rolled his eyes.

“You’re not my mom, Mahiru, so stop lecturing at me. You should know that an angel such as myself can easily defeat a demon. I knocked out that demon and locked him in my closet.” He pointed to the closet and its doors were kept shut with a bike lock. Mahiru’s eyes narrowed at the closet. While Licht could be delusional, he wouldn’t lie to him intentionally.

Mahiru silently held out his hand to Licht who placed the key on his palm. He walked towards the closet but Kuro placed his hand on his shoulder. He whispered to him, “That guy is dangerous and he might be armed. We need to be careful if he’s conscious.”

Kuro pressed his ear against the door but he didn’t hear anything inside. He took out the key he stole from Mahiru when he whispered to him. He wanted to be cautious so he leaned his weight against the closet so it couldn’t open immediately. A thud immediately followed the lock falling to the ground so he knew the man had regained consciousness. “Troublesome.”

When he felt the door rattle again, he opened the closet to throw the man off balance. The man crashed to the ground and Kuro was shocked when he recognized him. He immediately knelt down to untie the scarf around his wrists. “Hyde? What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t this your brother?” Mahiru frowned and went forward to help him. He interviewed Kuro’s family briefly for the robbery case so he knew he couldn’t be the serial killer. It was obvious that there had been a misunderstanding. “Licht, you attacked an innocent civilian. Do you realize that this is false imprisonment and you can be charged with a misdemeanour?”

“It’s citizen’s arrest!” Licht argued and stubbornly crossed his arms. In response, Mahiru groaned and rubbed his temple to hold back his frustration. “He must be the killer. When we bumped into each other, he knew your name, Mahiru. You’re not in the public eye so the only way he’ll know that we’re related is if he’s the killer. You did say it was common for criminals to follow the police case.”

“Yes, that’s true, but you can’t go around accusing random people with so little evidence. At least you’re safe. I was so afraid that you were hurt.” Mahiru relaxed. Despite the stubborn scowl Licht had, Mahiru knew that he must be worried about the serial killer. He went to apologize to Hyde on Licht’s behalf. “I’m sorry about this confusion, Hyde.”

“You know this demon?” Licht pointed towards the man.

“I guess you can call us acquaintances.” Mahiru laughed nervously as he tried to think of what to tell him. He couldn’t lie because Licht would instinctively know. “Hyde is the brother of my new partner and we talked a few times. Oh, I should introduce you to Kuro. Since we’re going to be working together on this case, you’ll likely see him often.”

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Kuro and Hyde speaking to each other softly. He knew that they hadn’t been able to speak except for a phone call. Mahiru walked to Kuro and tapped on his shoulder. “Do you want to talk to your brother alone? I was planning to invite your family over for dinner this weekend so you could see them again. But this is a great chance for you to catch up. You can borrow Licht’s room to talk in private.”

“Hey, don’t offer my room to a pair of demons, Mahiru. I still can’t trust that blonde demon!”

“You can complain about that after I finish lecturing you.” Mahiru pulled him away. He looked over his shoulder towards Kuro. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

“I can’t believe that guy actually left us alone. Either he’s listening to us right now or he has a tracker on you.” Hyde watched the door. He spoke with Mahiru a few times and he seemed like a kind person. He couldn’t bring himself to trust the detective entirely though. “Do you think he has a camera in here? We can search this room for any blackmail material.”

“Sit down, Hyde.” Kuro told him. It was rare for him to sound so strict even though he was the oldest of eight.  From his expression, Hyde knew that his brother wouldn’t let the issue go. “I thought you were going after a story about the CEO. What are you doing here? I know you have something planned. Don’t bother lying. I’m your brother and I can tell whenever you lie.”

Hyde cursed beneath his breath and leaned back against the couch. “I hate it whenever you get all brotherly and lecture me like this. We’re not teenagers anymore, Kuro. I can take care of myself. I was hoping to find some blackmail on Licht and use that against Mahiru if he betrays us. He’s using your family to blackmail you and I’m just doing the same.”

“Mahiru’s not going to go back on his word. He’s better than the other cops we knew. I trust Mahiru.” Kuro pulled out a chair to sit across from Hyde. “Before I went to jail, our family made a promise to put our crimes behind us. Don’t do something reckless. You’re better than that.”

“You’re one to talk when you’re always running off on your own to protect us. Is it wrong for me to want to do something for you? I’m your brother so you can rely on me too. I know I messed up the last job we had but…” Hyde bit his lip in frustration. He blamed himself slightly even though there was nothing he could do. “I got greedy and took that pocket watch. Mahiru was able to track it that down.”

“He only found the second dealer we went through. It wasn’t enough for him to connect it to our family.” Kuro reminded him. He placed his hand on his shoulder and told him. “I never considered anything your fault, Hyde. I was thinking of turning myself in long before that job. Right now, I’m relying on you to take care of World End and Lily while I’m helping Mahiru. You’re their older brother.”

“Why did you leave them alone? They could be making a plan to escape. Don’t you think their behaviour is a little suspicious?” Licht asked. The only thing keeping him from storming back into his room was Mahiru. He thought of what his first interaction with the demon. “My instincts tell me that he has a secret. There’s his smile too.”

“What about Hyde’s smile?” Mahiru probed but Licht only mumbled something beneath his breath. He decided not to push for an answer and changed the subject. “Kuro hasn’t been able to talk freely with his family for a long time. I can’t imagine how lonely that must be. So, just give them ten minutes to talk. I trust Kuro and you can too.”

“Unlike you, I can’t trust someone immediately after I met them. But they can borrow my room for three more minutes. I do trust your judgement even if you do sympathize with demons. Angels must purify them.” Licht casually nudged his shoulder and they laughed together. Lately, they had both been busy with their careers so it was nice to talk in person again.

“Kuro’s more of a stray than a demon. He’s going to do his best to help us. You don’t have to worry about that serial killer.” He promised him. No matter how much Licht insisted that he could protect himself, Mahiru knew that he must be worried about the killer as well. The fact that he over reacted to Hyde told him that. He had to admit that how Hyde approached Licht was strange. He wondered if he should ask Kuro about that later.

Mahiru looked towards the door when the two walked out. He stepped forward and he beamed a smile at Kuro. “I hope you two had a nice chat. A few more minutes and I would’ve had to stop Licht from kicking down the door. The media might be called the angel of music but he’s far from weak. Your brother can tell you that.”

“You can’t judge anyone by how angelic they appear. We were just talking about how you handcuffed me last night.” The good-natured retort made Mahiru laugh softly.

“We should get back to the office now that this whole misunderstanding is cleared up. Stay safe, Licht. That man only attacks his victim at night so don’t be alone with anyone you don’t trust. Remember, if Kranz is busy, just stay at my house for the night.” Mahiru continued to list safety precautions. “Maybe I should check your room one more time.”

“It’s time to go, Mahiru. Weren’t you the one that said we need to go back to the office?” Kuro pointed out and gently took his arm. He tugged him away and said, “This is a renowned hotel so it’s not easy for someone to break into his room. You don’t need to worry. Hyde, go to work too. You’re a freelance journalist but you can’t slack off.”

“So, he wasn’t lying about being a journalist.” Licht mused to himself and glanced at Hyde in the corner of his eyes. He had to admit that he was a little curious about the man. He was pulled from his thoughts when Mahiru spoke.

“I need to go now but call me if you need anything, Licht.” Mahiru hugged his cousin before he walked away with Kuro. He waved to him briefly as he walked down the hall with Kuro. Before he walked into the elevator, he made sure that Licht returned to his room safely. Once he and Kuro were alone in the elevator, Mahiru looked up at him.

With a soft smile, he said: “Thank you for being here with me. I was frightened for Licht and I rushed here in a panic. You helped me.”

“I didn’t do much.” Kuro scratched his cheek but Mahiru continued to smile up at him.

I wanted to have a family moment because I love the servamps.