#well that turned angsty rq

[tellodona]

i saw anon ask this in my inbox, but i accidentally deleted it 😭 i hope anon would see this !

the brothers seeing mc use sfx makeup

heads up: gn!mc, swearing in lucifer's

lucifer

he hasn't seen you all day, so he assumes you haven't left your room

hm. he has spare time. what's wrong with checking in on you?

he knocks on your door, and patiently waits for you to open it

when you do, what greets him is the sight of you with blood everywhere on your face

your makeup had your left eye blackened out (you just closed it) with fake blood dripping right out of it. and you even took the liberty of making yourself paler than usual

mc. what. the. fuck.

right of the bat, he could smell toxins on your face, and deduced it was makeup

but that still doesn't stop him from freezing over

"lucifer... are you okay?"

"*clears his throat* yes, i am, mc. are you perhaps trying... very detailed makeup?"

he has mixed feelings about it

one, wow, you're talented, good job, you almost scared him, mc

second, the blood reminded him too much of something and someone

"mc... please give me a heads up when you try this... sfx makeup, if you would"

that would depend

mammon

he had a big win in one of the casinos he frequents, so of course you had to know too!

he stomps towards your door and barges into your roon without much of a warning

you flinched and accidentally got lipstick on your teeth, so look turned and glared at him

he SCREAMS

"MC WHAT THE HELL??????????"

you had makeup to look like your face was burnt, and it looked too realistic for his liking. with your glare, it made you look more terrifying

he was shaking in his place because he got so scared-

ehem! the GREAT mammon doesn't get scared, okay?!

still though, you sigh and you should gently apologize to him

"mc, you scared the bejeebers outta me! i- i mean... i was surprised! just surprised! this're the things you gotta tell me, alright?!"

from then on he learnt how to knock. but it's more like slamming on your door impatiently

leviathan

because of the extent of his knowledge in cosplaying, you wanted his opinion on something about your makeup. like the color of your eye contacts maybe

you knock on his door, and when he doesn't answer, you hear faint sounds of a game going off inside, so you took the liberty of going inside

there he was, busy in front of his computer on a game that probably just came out an hour ago

you waited for him to finish, so when he did, you called out his name

he flinched, sighing, "mc, you have to stop scaring-"

he turns around and pales

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

he threw his controller at you, which hit you square in the face

we are NOT forgetting about the fact that he's a literal grand admiral

of course you're falling down on your bum

"m- m- m- mc, i'm so sorry!!!!!!"

literally on his knees begging for forgiveness

after a while, the both of you calm down

he finally takes into detail with your sfx makeup, which looks like you were drowned in the sea and you had tears coming out of your eyes

"maybe gray would look great... or blue?"

he'd help with whatever you need, just don't scare him like that again, normie!

satan

he'd recently borrow a book from the human world from you, finished it in one sitting, and wanted to return it to you

he knocks on your door, and when you told him to come in, he did

you were in front of your mirror, but he wasn't in the angle to see your reflection

"mc, i wanted to return your book- oh."

you returned around, looking at him curiously

your makeup made an illusion where your face seemingly split apart in the middle, one side was crying, and one side was angry

it hit home for him, despite the absolute gore of a thing you have on your face right now

he just wore a frown on his face, making you have a feeling of worry, "satan... are you okay?"

he gets out of his head and nods

"i just wanted to return your book. sorry if i'm intruding on something."

you assure him it's fine, and he debates whether to stay or not

he does, he sits on your bed behind you

"what's your inspiration for that, mc?"

asmodeus

you were asking for some makeup suggestions these past few days which was he excited to share with you

"are you going somewhere, mc? oh, oh! can i come? i can, right?!"

you laugh and tell him it depends

it's been two days since you last asked for makeup suggestions, so he assumed you already have them

he skips towards your room with a happy hum, knocking on your door, "mc~ i'm coming in!"

he walks in, smiling brightly

you were just finishing up, and you turned around

he almost hurls

"o- oh... that's what you've been up to, huh?"

you had some sort of crown on top of your head, but it was broken in half. your face had distorted make up on it, scratch marks all over, broken jewels decorated around your face, and some sort of gunshot wound on your forehead

he walks closer to you, his smile coming back, "can i make some suggestions?"

he immediately got hooked

be ready for an impromptu photoshoot

beelzebub

he'd recently receive a coupon for one of the restaurants he always go to that everything will be 25% if you bring someone with you

he immediately thought about you

he happily walks to your room, a smile on his face thinking about how much food he'll be eating and that you would be there with him

he knocks like once, before he just opens your door

"mc, i got a coupon after winning- what are you doing?"

he tilts his head when you look like you were poking at something on your face with a brush

you turn around to find him standing there with said coupon in hand, "what is it, beel?" you ask

but he just freezes

you had yourself look like you were crying, burn marks all over your face, and you wore an eye contact on your right eye to make it look like it went blind

"beel?" you try calling out again

he shakes his head when he stops thinking and the smell of the makeup's toxins flaring in his nose

"oh... uhm. you look great, mc. i didn't know you could do that."

you thank him, and he went on with the tangent about the coupon

he's desperate in subtly ignoring the makeup

belphegor

it's rare, but somehow he got a nightmare

he forgot about it as soon as he woke up, but he was still feeling a little restless

he walks out of his and beel's room and walked downstairs

he finds your light still open, so he immediately decided to make it your problem

he just opens your door without any prior warning and sees you standing by your bed

he raises an eyebrow and calls your name

you turn around and he was dumbfounded

you black and white feathers scattered around your hair, your eyes were depicted to be swollen from crying, your nose is bleeding, a slice on your cheek, and half of your face was burnt

and it felt like his nightmare all over again

"mc...?"

he was frozen over and you had to frantically assure him it was makeup

it took him a while to respond to you, and just nodded

he slept in your bed with you that night

i had some inspirations from the internet, but most of them are little close to home heh

see what i did there?

[caeli0306]

Chapter 4 of Violet Sorrengail's Guide to Spinning a Scandal is now up on AO3!

Chapter 4: Offer No Apologies is now posted on AO3: READ HERE

LMAO remember when I said yesterday that I deleted 2k of the fic? Well, lol, I deleted a whole lot more than that after. I completely changed how I thought this was going to go. So for those of you that want this fic to be longer, rejoice! We're going to have a chapter 5. In other news, please read the chapter notes for trigger warnings. We're getting EXTREMELY angsty in this one folks. For those unfamiliar, this is my @rq-gift-exchange fic for the wonderful @witch-and-her-witcher.

Summary:

Violet Sorrengail is a highly effectively political crisis consultant. Xaden Riorson is poised to win his late father's old senate seat. The hatred between the two runs deep, but its been years since their fiery classroom debates in college, and Violet was certain she'd never cross paths with him again, until her expertise is required to keep doctored stories that could sink Xaden's campaign from gaining traction just before the general election.

The chemistry is off-the-charts, the tension has every other staffer fleeing when the two end up in the same room, and the fire that existed between them is as hot as ever. But as time goes on, Violet begins to realize exactly how true the saying, "There's a thin line between love and hate," really is.

===

Xaden freezes as soon as he notices me, and I have to fight not to roll my eyes. With how surprised he acts every time he runs into me, you’d think I wasn’t the person he hired to run his entire fucking senatorial office.

“Sorrengail,” he greets, tone stilted.

“Mr. Riorson.” I nod, and I feel a bit bad when he winces ever so slightly.

We stand there awkwardly, just staring at each other, until one of the workers taps me on the shoulder, requiring direction for where to put the contents of a box. One last glance at Xaden, and I see a stormy expression that wasn’t there before.

I ignore him and get back to work.

Rhiannon meanders in 30 minutes later, her arms laden with boxes filled with files. I relieve her of one, direct her to put them in my newly assigned office. We dump them in a corner, and she wipes the back of her hand across her forehead.

“I saw Xaden stomping out of here a few minutes ago,” she hedges slowly, looking at me for my reaction. I turn away. “What the hell is going on with you two?”

I still haven’t told her the full extent of what happened that night, or the morning after. I didn’t tell her about the quiet intimacy, the hand-holding, the kisses on my head. I didn’t tell her about the moment I was no longer in denial, or how I pretty much tore my own heart out and stomped on it a few minutes later. I didn’t tell her about how I did it for Xaden’s sake, and how I’ve managed to make both of us miserable as a result.

[eldritch-nightmare]

saw that ur rq's are open and i LOVE your blog so:3 may i request ticci toby w a reader who looks up to him like a big brother?? platonic ofc !!! maybe they like . even copy some stuff he does (general gestures he might make, his vocabulary, hell maybe even his choice of weapon, etc) bonus points if you manage to add angst!!! have a nice day and make sure to drink water !!!

a/n: aw, i'm glad you like the blog!! you make sure to drink water too <3 i was gonna have a short little angst drabble at the end but i couldn't really figure out how to word it and i didn't wanna force it so i just turned the idea into those little kinda sorta angsty headcanons near the end.

toby w a reader who looks up to him like a big brother

warnings: platonic obvi, gn reader, overprotective behavior, mentions of injuries, brief mentions of injuries, death, and murder.

Honestly, he probably thinks you're weird as hell when you start following him around like a lost puppy.

Toby doesn't let people close to him, so he definitely tries shooing you away for a good few months before he ultimately realizes you're not gonna leave him alone.

He's not 100% sure how he feels about you viewing him as an older brother figure. I mean, obviously he's fine with it considering Sally views him as one as well but... Sally's dead. You're still alive and kicking.

He takes to the role immediately though, even if he doesn't realize it.

Whenever he's out completing missions, he always brings something back for you be it a snack or a book or some random trinket he thinks you might like.

He'd definitely have to sit you down and tell you not to copy his gestures and whatnot because while he understands that you don't mean any harm by doing it, it does make him feel uncomfortable, especially if you're copying his tics. That's a no-go. Don't do that.

His vocabulary is actually pretty safe. He doesn't swear much, only when he's under immense stress or if he's really angry, so you won't hear him saying fuck anytime soon. Unless you're around one of the others.

Which, speaking of, he does not want you hanging around certain creepypastas. He definitely has a long, comprehensive list on who you can and can't hang out with.

Eyeless Jack, Sally, Cody, Liu, and Natalie are safe. Spend time with them all you want. Nina, BEN, and Helen are on thin ice, but if you like them then go ahead. Stay the hell away from Jeff, Laughing Jack, and Candy Pop, specifically. They are all terrible influences and he immediately goes into Protective Big Brother Mode whenever they're around.

It goes into further detail than that, but just to give you the gist of it.

If it isn't obvious by now, Toby is going to be extremely protective. Like... to the point where you may even consider it to be overbearing.

He's also going to default and worry over every wound you may have, even if it isn't anything major. He isn't trying to be suffocating or anything like that, he just can't stand the thought of you getting hurt.

Real fucking hesitant to let you near any weapons. If you show any type of interest in wanting to do what he does, he will shut you down immediately. It's not happening.

And if you already do what he does, then, well... he's still not going to be okay with it. He'll watch you like a hawk if you're carrying any weapon.

He's definitely going to feel as if he can't be vulnerable when you're around. You see him as this cool guy, and he kinda feels like he needs to keep that image for you so he doesn't disappoint you. The whole 'older sibling can't be vulnerable' mentality is burned into him at this point.

And if you ever get like... severely injured? Oh boy, you can bet your ass Toby will personally hunt down the person who hurt you if they aren't already dead.

It'll take Toby hours, maybe even days to calm down depending on how long it takes you to wake up. Slender will literally have to force him to eat because Toby will simply refuse to leave your bedside.

I don't think Toby would show it to you often, but he does view you as a younger sibling to him now. It's probably something he doesn't even want to admit because he's scared that if he does, you'll be torn away from him just like Lyra was.

All he knows is that he can't watch another sibling die in front of him. He simply cannot. So just bear with his suffocating protectiveness and don't put yourself in any unnecessary danger.

He certainly isn't the perfect role model for you, but he'll try his best to be the big brother that you deserve to have.

[wizkiddx]

your voice

angsty vibe, requested by @hollandlover19 than you for th rq and hop this doesn't disappoint too much :)))

summary: tom says something so stupid and has to deal with the consquences

warnings: a bit angsty, but ends in fluff! argumnts and raising voices, I guess could be associated with panic attacks tho not written with that intention

//////////////////////////////////

“Oh, Y/n er sorry.” Harrisons morning dulcet tones were what you were awoken to with a groan.

Everything was achy, and your head was pounding, making you grumble in discontent as you shifted uncomfortably on the technically too-small-to-sleep-on sofa.

This was not the morning you’d foreseen even 12 hours ago.

Lockdown had been difficult for everyone, even removing the tragic health crisis. Being locked in with your boyfriend and his brothers and friends was, for the most part, amazing. Lots of laughs, lots of beers and lots of quality time that you usually didn’t get. But it was also intense.

Without a doubt, since you first got together, this was the longest time you’d ever had with Tom. And it had been brilliant, your relationship getting so much closer and just learning the subtlest intricacies about the other. In fact, when lockdown had been announced, you’d never lived together (the most a week-long holiday).

Though it was also like a pressure cooker, Toms rented house. When one of you were in an understandable but stubborn lousy mood, it affected the whole house.

Yesterday night had been the perfect storm. The weather was unbelievably scorching; your work had announced that they had to let some staff go because of the financial implications of the pandemic; a ‘mole’ had released personal details of your relationship.

And it was like a pot on the stove; everything went from controllable to violently boiling over in a matter of minutes.

Honestly, you didn’t even know why you had started arguing - it was that pathetic. And yet you’d both said pretty horrible stuff - though it was Tom who had crossed the line. Frankly, the way he’d spoken to you was almost unforgivable.

You’d both known instantly too, all his anger at you had immediately evaporated when he’d realised what he had said. It took no time for him to become a grovelling apologetic mess, however even that- it was already too late.

It might sound feeble, but honestly, you’d run and locked yourself in the downstairs loo. You’d cried on the inside- whilst from the other side of the door, he had been begging and pleading with you.

After an hour though, Tom finally gave up - hence why you’d had a pretty uncomfortable night on the sofa.

This brings it back to Harrison, the early riser of the house, barrelling into the living room after his morning run. All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, except also slightly terrified looking as he stood awkwardly in the doorway.

“I’m up now” You sighed, dragging yourself into a sitting position on the sofa whilst massaging your crooked neck.

“You er…. you fell asleep watching the TV?” Rolling your eyes, you sighed at the blonde, even if his poor acting was a little entertaining.

“Are we both pretending that you don’t know what went down last night?” Of course, Harrison knew. The walls were thin, you’d been screaming and he was Tom’s best friend. No doubt, Tom had immediately gone to him for help and advice last night.

Harrison held his hands up in response, caught in the act, and clicked his tongue. “What he said was bad. You shouldn’t be the one ending up with the sore back.” He wasn’t wrong.

“And yet here I am…” With a sigh you smiled which he returned with a sickeningly empathetic one “Anyway, don’t let my sad self get in the way, did you come in here for anything?”

Now, because Harrison was mentally a five year old, that’s how you ended up sat crossed-legged on the floor, clutching a wii remote and angrily shouting at yoshi on the mariokart screen. The whole household was competitive as hell and you were no exception - so some rouge elbows were flying when he viciously knocked you off the track.

Slowly Harry and Tuwaine filtered in and picked up remotes too, so the quiet morning was very quickly switched into a tense atmosphere of yelps and shouts. None more so than Tuwaine, who was possibly the worst looser you had ever met.

Really, you knew all the boys were only doing this as there way of showing you they were with you. That they also thought Tom was a massive raging dickhead. And you appreciated it more than they would ever know. Locked down in Toms house, very much not mutual ground, having three stupid boys behind you meant everything.

Just as you got on to the 18th and final race of the house’s mario grand prix, another voice cut across the tense silence as you waited for the coutdown to turn into ‘go’. Naturally, you flipped round to see Tom, looking as though he literally just rolled out of bed with puffy eyes and messy hair and no top. The sight made your heart flutter, to the point you had to consciously check yourself - refusing to smile softly at him like you usually would, instead narrowing your eyebrows and looking back at the TV.

Tom had so desperately hoped that when he came down this morning, everything would be better. That all it’d take would be a quiet conversation for the two of you to make up - for him to have you in his arms again. Primarily as he had heard your excited laugh echoing through the halls in reactions to Tuwaines yelps of protests - it made him hopeful. Waking up to a cold and empty bed was almost soul-crushing this morning. He did not want it to ever happen again.

Which is why his heart sank so much when all you gave him was a scolding look, before turning your attention to the TV. Admittedly, he was naive to think that what he’d done last night would be an easy fix - he knew it too. So with dropping shoulders, Tom silently took a seat on the sofa, watching from afar. You spent the rest of the race more absent, not joining in with the Harrison or Harrys trash-talking, acutely aware of Tom’s eyes burning the back of your head.

Then came Harry’s celebrations as the overall winner (only just) and when Harrison suggested another game Tom piped up again.

“Give me a turn Harry.”

The three boys kneeling next to you all stiffened, looking immediately to you for what seemed like consent - as if they were engaging with the enemy. (At least it was good to know everyone was on your side).

“I’m gonna go prepare for my meeting anyway.” You spoke quietly, already placing the remote on the floor and standing up.

“Y/n I don’t mind swappin-“

“No. Thanks, H but no.” You weren’t being selfless and giving Tom a turn. You were running away from seeing him.

And Harrison was still really angry at Tom. He’d been so selfish and insensitive and had hurt you- someone who Haz also cared a lot about too. Yes Tom was his bestmate, that he’d grown up with and known for years - but Haz really liked you too, in fact all the boys did. So they were almost as pissed with Tom as you were.

So while you threw the cushion you were sat on back on the floor, Harrison shot Tom the filthiest look and practically shooed him away.

“come on Y/n … just one more? Then you can do your boring work.” You were about to refuse when Haz tilted his head toward the door, only then noticing that Tom had slipped out the room. Now that he was gone ,yes, just one more wouldn’t hurt. The meeting prep wasn’t time pressured; it was an excuse for an escape.

Tuwaine whooped a little when you nodded, planting back down and ready for the first race. Yet apart from that, the room was still a little awkward, you being the first to break the silence.

“Actually Haz, would you mind giving me a lift today?”

“What to the shops?

“Um no not quite.” Tuwaine laughed in his usual innocent and infectious style before asking more.

“Seriously? You know we’re locked down? Boris won’t be happy if you going mad and leaving the house.”

“Just to Y/f/n’s. She lives on her own so it’s legal.”

“She lives just down the road right? Can’t you walk?” Harry was confused, making him look away from the screen, ultimately leading to his ‘diddykong’ falling off the track.

“I’ll have my bags. I um… I think I’m going to stay with her till lockdown eases more.”

As soon as you said that, Harry pressed pause on the race, all three boys looking at you mouth-opened.

“For real?”

“Yeh I um… think me and Tom need some time apart and being locked in isn’t helping.”

“I’m not saying to forgive and forget what he said… but he is really sorry.”

“The twats literally kicking himself.” Tuwaine added, making you smile a little for calling Tom that.

“I know just… I need some space and-“

“Are you breaking up?” Harry almost announced, cutting you off. He would miss you too.

“No! Nono I … well I don’t know. I just- we both need this.”

The boys all nodded, looking at the floor for a moment before Harrison’s blue eyes were back on you.

“Course I’ll drive, but… but I’ll miss you.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You’d left merely an hour later, whilst Tom was holed up in the garden doing what looked like an almost unbearable work out. It meant he was also out your hair and you could throw all your stuff into two suitcases without him being any the wiser. It was probably pretty cowardly to leave without speaking to him, but you couldn’t. It would hurt too much and you didn’t want to break down in front of him. No doubt as soon as you had got to Y/f/n you did - into a blubbering mess of tears - but Tom hadn’t seen so it was okay.

Speaking of. Tom.

Tom was not in a good way at all. He’d been trying really hard to curb his’ short fuse’ lately- all of which had been well and truly blown in the past 4 hours. After finally being realised from meetings, which he’d not been able to concentrate on anyway, Tom had mentally prepared himself for a lot of grovelling. Once he’d vaguely hunted the house and not found you there, he naturally asked Harry and Tuwaine (both of whom were in the living room) if they’d seen you around.

It was a typical question, the answer he was expecting was that you’d just gone on your daily walk. And yet the response he got was… well a lot more confusing. Harry’s eyes widened whilst T did his awkward-uncomfortable chuckle, the two locked in an intense bout of eye contact. It was as though they were arguing with each, but through the powers of telekinesis... and it put Tom on edge. He was already stressed because you were so angry with him, so not getting a clear answer out of his brother and best mate - lets just say it tested his patience.

“You two need to tell me what the hell is going on right now.”

The two boys both looked panicked to speak to him, which was the opposite of the usual situation. They were some of the ONLY people in his life that would just say it how it is, no sugar coating. Like if he was away and being ‘famous’ was getting to his head; or if he wore the wrong pair of jeans. Even yesterday evenings events, they’d both called him out on what he’d said to you.

So why the silence?

Eventually, it was Harry who spoke up, but in doing so, practically just waved all responsibility on to another innocent party.

“Ask Haz.”

And then Tom knew. He knew this was bad. Immediately his heart was pumping at an alarmingly fast rate, taking the stairs two at a time and not bothering to knock before bursting the door open.

“Where’s Y/n?”

Harrison was reclined back on his haphazardly made bed, laptop balanced on his lap as he looked up with a sigh. He’d known this conversation was coming, but it didn’t make it any less easy. With a sigh, Haz closed the lid of his MacBook and sat up on the bed.

“Tom just-“

“Where. Is. She.”

“She’s gone to Y/f/n’s.”

“Oh… okay.” Suddenly Tom’s voice was muted, thinking he might’ve blown his top at nothing. This wasn’t weird - Y/f/n was in your support bubble and you went to hers often.

Tom was grossly underestimating the situation - and Harrison heard didn’t fancy stringing him along though.

“No like gone. She um… she took all her stuff. I think she’s going to stay there till-“

Tom was already out his room at that point, slamming the door as he did so. Making a beeline for his own room, Tom then frantically started to pull out the draws and rummage around the shelves, confirming what he already knew. Your clothes were gone, your toothbrush and toiletries were gone, you were gone.

It’s important to note Tom didn’t really cry all that much. Or if he did - it was more inconsequential, at a sad movie or one of the rescue dog stories from battersea. Actually, when it came down to it, he didn’t really cry.

Now though, it was impossible to ignore the burning of his eyes, as he sank down onto the bed that now felt twice the size. With ragged breath, he repeatedly fisted his eyes, not actually letting the tears fall - but it was impossible to not acknowledge their presence. Harrison stood wordlessly at the door frame, knowing it best not to interrupt - whilst at the same time knowing Tom shouldn’t be left alone. There was a delicate balance between the two, which he was walking on a knife-edge on right now.

After a short while, Tom looked up with red eyes and nodded at Harrison, effectively granting him entrance. With a sigh once again, Haz moved and sat next to Tom on the bed, clasping his hands together nervously.

“She said you both just needed a break from each other. Think lockdown and everything was just a bit too intense.” Haz had tried to explain, yet it seemed Tom had only managed to lock onto one of the first words.

“A break? Or breaking up?”

“I uhm… she didn’t explicitly say ending things. But I just… I don’t know to be honest mate.”

“You see the way she looked at me this morning? Like she hated me. Wouldn’t even acknowledge that I was there.”

“I don’t know what to say… she needs time and space I think.” Tom was silent for a beat, shaking his head as he cradled his forehead.

“I hate the fact you and my girlfriend are on better terms than I am.” Anddd his voice was back to scathing.

“I’m not on anyones side. But your both my friends and she… she needed some time.”

With that, Harrison made a quick exit out, getting Harry to take over the Tom supervision.

Ever since the atmosphere in the house had been tense. To say Tom was highly strung was an understatement, particularly towards Harrison. Deep down he was thankful Haz was looking out for Y/n: he was glad that Haz was checking she was okay. It’s not like Tom could, because Y/n was refusing to answer his calls, texts, whatsapps, even the slip of paper he’d slipped under Y/f/n’s door in the middle of an especially dark night.

So it was good to know Y/n was okay, but the fact she was going on socially distanced walks with the rest of his housemates was rubbing salt in the wound.

After a week and a half of complete radio silence on your end Tom had utterly worn down. He didn’t have the emotional capacity to be angry anymore, he was just tired. Tired of missing you with every breath, tired of the ten-tonne weight of guilt pressing on his chest, fucking exhausted with being angry at Haz and Harry and Tuwaine.

The best thing in his life and one of the very limited opportunities was quality time with the people he loved more than anything else. He had ruined it all.

And it was the small things. It was waking up to your soft, whispered voice in the morning; it was your infectious giggle when he surprised you with a hug from behind and gentle kisses to your neck; it was your quiet singing in the shower. Especially when he knew Haz, Harry and Tuwaine were all still seeing you and laughing with you. It hurt like hell.

Which is how he ended up hesitantly knocking on Harrison’s bedroom door at half eleven at night, with his tail between his legs. Having been so uber-healthy all lockdown, Haz was already in bed following his sleep cycle, though for Tom right now- he would be awake.

“I’m um… I’m sorry I’ve been a knob. There’s no excuse of anything I’ve just… I’ve been a knob.”

“You’re not wrong.” Harrison nodded in agreement with a sly smile, motioning for Tom to come into the room, after which he perched on the edge of the bed.

“I just… I need to speak to her but I… I don’t want to push her if she’s still hurting and I…”

“You absolutely promise not to blow your fuse? Because she couldn’t handle that.” Tom’s eyes widened, thinking this would be a much harder pitch than how it seemed to be going.

“Yesyesyes i- I promise. I just, I feel broken you know? Even if all I get is the time to say sorry, I-I really need to.”

Harrison released a deep breath, nodding slowly before throwing the covers off himself. Tom watched all his movements with a curious gaze, silently sitting as Haz pulled on a hoodie, then socks too.

“Well? Let’s go.”

//////////////////

Now, what Tom had not in the slightest bit been prepared for was this to happen tonight. Really, he hadn’t even thought Harrison would agree to let him talk to you… and even if he had, Tom not in hell thought it’d be at 11:30 that evening.

His heart was thundering in his chest, trying to hurriedly script how on earth he was going to apologise meaningfully to you - as him and Haz walked the short distance to your friends house. Honestly the whole situation was peculiar to Tom - finding it hard to believe that if you weren’t to answer his texts you wouldn’t be open to an in person conversation.

What Tom didn’t know, was how you’d been texting Haz at a similar point of desperation. You weren’t happy and even given everything Tom had said and acted - you missed your boy. No matter how infuriating he could be when trapped 24/7 - you’d quickly learnt this was the only way you wanted to spend these weird times.

So yes, Tom’s best friend knew you were hardly sleeping either, but needed that little push to interact with you boyfriend. No doubt, you’d still be awake to answer the door.

Once he’d arrived at the apartment block and walked up the stairs to the right floor, it still took some prodding and pushing from Harrison to get Tom to knock on the door. Plainly, because he was shitting himself. Haz hadn’t given him enough pre warning, enough time to work it all out in his head. So it took another encouraging nod from Harrison for him to knock on the slightly rough-round-the-edges flat door.

Y/f/n was single and young, starting her career in Kingston - so the flat she could afford was modest at best. When it was just occupied by a single person, that was manageable - two was a push. You’d only been living with her for a week and a few days but it was enough to know this flat was not ideal for two people in lockdown. You were already stepping on each others toes. It also wasn’t technically legal to move households but Y/f/n had always been in your support bubble as a single household otherwise. And so there was also a layer of guilt to it all.

Naturally then, sharing a bed with someone who wasn’t Tom meant you just were not sleeping. Even if you had both gone to bed early (just to kill some hours in the day) you were still wide awake at quarter to twelve - when a timid knock echoed through the minuscule apartment. Curiosity peaked at who the hell would be calling now; you silently slipped out of bed, managing to not disturb Y/f/n, and closed the bedroom door.

Now you weren’t an idiot. Even though this was southwest london, hardly the capital for crime, Y/f/n lived in a dodgy building with some questionable characters. And it was midnight. Hence why you approached the situation cautiously, tiptoeing to the door and waiting with your ear pressed against the wood.

“I told you she wouldn’t answer!”

“She will! Might just be in the loo or something.”

“Haz this is stupid-“

The air in your chest froze when you immediately recognised the smooth tone of his voice. It was him… and you’d missed that so much. Already there were tears in your eyes and you couldn’t open the door just yet. So no, instead you slid down the doorframe before calling quietly out into the night.

“Tom?”

The bickering on the otherside of the door was silenced, but you heard a quite tap on the door... and could envision exactly what was going on. Tom, pressing both palms and his ear to the door, as Harrison took a few steps back - sensing his work was done.

“Y/n? You there?” He sounded desperate, you could hear the emotion dripping off his voice. It was only when you tried to reply did you realise your own voice was having a harder time speaking.

“Yeh its-its me.” It felt as though this heavyweight that had been pressing down on your chest was slowly lifting, making your voice all cracky and low.

In response, there was a short and sharp exhale. It sounded relieved before some fidgeting as you imagined him crouching down beside the door - mirroring your image.

“Fuck, it… it feels so good to hear your voice.”

“Yours too… I’ve-i’ve missed you.”

Tom snorted at that, a gentle bang allowing you to realise he’d just whacked his head on the back of the wood.

“You have no idea how this week felt.” He was wrong though, you did.

Yes, maybe without the insurmountable guilt that Tom was rightfully feeling, but it didn’t mean that the time apart wasn’t easy.

“I do. This hasn’t been a nice holiday for me you know?”

He sighed, knowing that yet again he’d said the wrong thing. This time though, he didn’t rebut instantly (which surprised you), instead his response was more measured and calculated.

“I am so sorry. And of course, I know because I was the one that hurt you too. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for that.” You nodded but given this conversation was happening through a door Tom didn’t see your gentle agreement - opting to fill the silence.

“I um… I’m not good at this whole um… speaking my feelings. But I’ve hated myself ever since I picked that fight with you. It was stupid and uh it-it was all my fault. I’m so so sorry for hurting you.”

“‘Why?” You tried to ask, except the words were stuck in your throat, making you have to clear it before asking again. “Why did you say it?”

“To get a rise out of you. It’s stupid and petty and fucking-fucking dumb. I said it not because I’ve ever thought it, I never ever have, but I knew it’d hurt you. I was preying on your insecurities because I was angry at the world and that was so unfair. “

“No shit.”

Silence reigned as you fiddled with your fingers - specifically with the promise ring he’d bought you a year ago.

“You-you think you could ever forgive me?”

“Thats the annoying part. I want to hate you because you literally stabbed me then twisted the knife but… but all I’ve done this week is miss you. Even when I saw Haz or Harry or Tuwaine. I just fucking missed you.”

“Can you open the door please love?”

Clumsily you scrubbed the tear tracks off your face, scrabbling to your feet so you could thrust open the doors. Because you might still be bloody pissed at him, but at the same time - you needed your Tom. Thrusting the door open, the first thing you registered was being pressed into Tom’s chest. His arms slinked around your waist and held him tight, which you reciprocated, squeezing tightly round his neck. Your senses were all being assaulted by one thing and one thing only. Tom.

He smelt like usual, except maybe the slightest bit stronger than usual - you figured he hadn’t showered in a day or two or bothered with cologne. The top of your forehead was pressed up against his chin, and as he readjusted his grip on you, you felt the scratchy feeling of his unshaven stubble. He kept whispering apologies against the top of your head, almost desperate and religiously.

Arching back, you brought both hands to cup his cheeks, looking into his glassy brown. eyes, which looked so lost and confused.

“I’m still angry.”

“Of course-“

“I’m still angry but I’m going to kiss you okay?”

Safe to say Tom didn’t require a verbal response, taking it upon himself to nudge his lips against yours, yet waiting for you to initiate the kiss. And that you did, everything else about this godforsaken week and a half. His index finger traced the angle of your jaw, whilst he held your lower back tight, pressing himself as close as physically possible to you. Needing you.

Eventually arching back, your thumb ran over his deep and sunken under-eyes, which added so much age to his face.

“You look tired Tommy.”

“Can’t sleep without you telling me goodnight.” That was another tradition you had had. Even when he was away, you’d even set an alarm for whatever bedtime was for the other across the world. Just so you could send a little message or voice not saying goodnight. Was it cringey? Yes. Did either of you care? No.

But since you’d been away all the evening wishes were absent from you. Which hurt Tom more than you may ever know.

“I know you’re still angry but will you please come home to me? I need you to be the last thing I hear at night and the first thing in the morning.”

would love to hear any feedback <333 (but think this is a bit of a shitter so im sorry!!!)

tagging: @lovehollandy12 @pandaxnienke @thegirlwiththeimpala @msmimimerton @hollandfanficlove @hollandlover19 @hunnybunimdun @crossyourpeter @thefernandasantana@hallecarey1

[skiiyoomin]

hii , idk if ur rqs are open but if you can , could you do a “how would enhypen be during an argument” ?? if you’ve already done it then sorry for asking ,, if u don’t want to do it it’s fine as well !

OHH. i’d want an ot7 version of that if u decide to do it !

Hello! Also, don't worry, I take all sorts of requests so feel free to ask anything! Thank you for requesting and I hope you like it!!

⤑Back to navigation

Content: gn!reader, swearing, angsty kinda

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

ღHow they are during an argument

Heeseung

I feel like Heeseung is the type to want to solve the problem as quickly as possible

he didn't want to argue in the first place and preferred to take things calmly, but of course, his patience isn't infinite

he hates staying mad at each other and thinks it's a waste of time

once you both calm down after arguing he'd quickly apologize and treat you out to something as an apology

Jay

unlike Heeseung, Jay is prideful and has a harder time apologizing

he can get heated up quickly which causes intense arguments

if you hurt him badly then he'll have a harder time apologizing :(

the argument will most likely lead to the siment treatment, but by the end of the day you're apologizing and cuddling

Jake

Jake can become a very intense person when wanting to prove his point

and this can cause and argument

he's pretty sensitive, so if you hurt him throughout the argument, he'll be hurt real bad

he'd need some time to cool down, but he's quick to run back to you apologizing

Sunghoon

I think Sunghoon turns pretty cold and straightforward while arguing

at one point he'll leave the room to have some alone time

it's rare for him to apologize first, you're gonna have to be the one to do that

when you do apologize, he'll try to stay mad but he'd eventually give up cause he can't stay mad at you

Sunoo

he's pretty sensitive and he'd probably get emotional while arguing

at first he'd try to keep calm but the longer the argument went on the more he couldn't handle it

so finally he'd hug you as a way to make you stop talking

stays there until you both cool down and talk it out calmly

Jungwon

I feel like Jungwon is quick to handle the situation and calm it down

however, on the occasional exception where it goes out of hand, then it's a bit chaotic

he'd get sassy/sarcastic and would turn cold

needs some time to relax and gather his thoughts, then he'd apologize for everything :(

Ni-ki

Riki hates arguing but he also can´t help but get really upset and end up saying something he doesn´t actually mean

almost every time you argue, you will give each other the silent treatment until one of you gives up and apologizes

which that in itself could take awhile

but by the end of the day it´s guaranteed that you´re apologizing and cuddling ^^

[fandomlit]

gif cred belongs to @animeglitch

requested by anon “Just throwing this idea out there. You don't have to do it unless you want to: Prompt 31 with c!Karl Jacobs? I feel like that would be a cute concept (and/or just super angsty). Wherever you want to do! 😁”

im ending my writing prompts,, feel free to rq before they’re gone

imagine comforting karl jacobs when he’s tired and stressed

“saved the world again?” you hummed when you noticed karl in your bedroom doorway. you bookmarked the page in your book as your boyfriend let out a short chuckle.

“yeah,” he mused tiredly, running a hand through his messy hair. “we’ll pretend that’s what i do.” he began to unstrap his tools from himself, shrugging his backpack off and unlooping his sheath from his belt as you watched his figure move about your bedroom.

“you look so tired, hun,” you noted quietly. “for a guy who can change the timeline, you don’t seem to get a break.”

karl sighed, followed by a long yawn as he stripped off his sweatshirt. “yeah, well.. time is a complex thing.” he searched for a sleep shirt while you continued to observe. “sometimes sleep isn’t in the schedule. time does what it wants, and..” he shook his head as he slipped the plain shirt over his head.

“time can only do so much, karl,” you spoke softly. that made your boyfriend pause in his actions. “come to bed.” he finally turned to your watchful eyes and couldn’t help but smile at your adorable figure slumped against your pillows. you lifted the blanket, sending a wave of warmth in his direction. 

he quickly slid under the covers, allowing you to wrap yourself around him. his head rested on your chest, listening to the constant, calming beat of your heart as you reached over to flick your lamp off. karl sunk into the softness of your embrace, allowing the day to fall from his shoulders as your thumb rubbed comforting circles into his shoulder. 

“have i ever told you how wise you are?” he muttered into your sleep shirt, feeling the warmth radiate off of your skin through the thin material.

you chuckled, and his eyes completely relaxed shut as it reverberated through your chest. “maybe once or twice.”

[leemaht]

can i rq a break up au w/ futakuchi and 36 56 62 feelin angsty lately 😳😳

your wish is my command! i definitely didn't cry writing this, haha. wouldn't do that.

*****************************************

the last chance you had

prompts: ‘you know that i love you, right? right?’; ‘stay away from me! i don’t want to see you!’; ‘i know what i said and i know i can’t take it back but i want you to know that i didn’t mean it.’

warnings: angst, toxic relationship, mention of sexual harassment/rape, swearing, mentally abusive

pairing: futakuchi kenji x reader

summary: this is a sad little story about futakuchi kenji, who doesn’t know how to express love and care until it is too late. or rather does not realize how much of a jerk he is until it is too late.

notes: this is a goddamn whole lot more dark and angsty than i intended, so enjoy with caution

****************************************

thursday. a normal day for futakuchi kenji, or so he thought.

wrong he was. it was the day he would lose the one and only love of his life. the person he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. the person he had imagined to marry and start a family with. you.

it was the day you finally gathered enough sadness, lonesomeness and unhappiness for the barrel to run over. it wasn’t like you didn’t love him. your love was never the issue. there were several reasons leading you to this breaking point.

1. futakuchi kenji made you believe he didn’t care about you.

he forgot important events easily. he forgot about your first anniversary and even after you reminded and presented him your thoughtful gift you had spent so much time and money on, he shrugged it off and told you it wasn’t a big deal.

he forgot about your birthday, he didn’t even congratulate you like every other of your friends did. all his teammates knew about your birthday and remembered him, most of them had congratulated you themselves. but your boyfriend decided to text you the word ‘congrats’ at 11 pm.

and it was true. futakuchi didn’t care about all this ‘minor stuff’, all he cared for was you so he thought that was enough. but you didn’t get that idea. for you it was just hurtful.

2. futakuchi kenji made you feel alone.

he forgot about you in general, you thought. it happened more than once that you were scheduling a date and he left you hanging. it happened more than once that he left you waiting for hours, alone at a shady location without answering one of your many calls and text messages, sometimes even in the rain and wind. one time at school he had asked you to come to the park this evening and even though it was a normal week day, you had agreed. you arrived at 8 pm as settled, waiting on a park bench for your boyfriends arrival, but he never came.

after about two hours a text message from him came in.

‘do you want me to come over now?’ it said, as if he didn’t even know what he had done.

‘leave me alone.’ you texted back hoping to animate him to ask you what was the matter but he left you on read.

you made your way home, locked the door and cried the whole night after being cat called at least 7 times on your way back in the dark night. futakuchi didn’t write you for the next few days, making you feel even more abandoned then before. he took your ‘leave me alone’ literally and intended to give you room to breathe because he honestly forgot about his request of meeting you. he assumed you had a private problem and didn’t want to barge in. after becoming the new captain of the team his life got a lot more busy, so he forgot about the little things. he was a very forgetful person to begin with but it got worse since then.

3. futakuchi kenji made you feel ashamed.

he couldn’t keep secrets. there you were entrusting him with some of the most important secrets of your life and the told them to others without a second thought and with a smile on his face.

the time you got a bad mark on one of your tests you had learned for so long. you asked him not to mention it to your parents when he would visit you this afternoon, because you wanted to tell them yourself. and he agreed. only five minutes later he bragged to your parents how his mark was so much better than yours, to which your parents sent him home and gave you a lecture about why you would keep secrets from them.

when you texted him about this he thought it was funny how you got so angry at minor inconveniences and made fun of you. he intended this to be his apology and brighten up your mood but when you didn’t text him back he let you be.

the time one of your grandparents died and you asked him not to tell anybody, because you only wanted your friends to know. this day you came too late to class but when you entered everybody, including the teacher gave you a pitying look. that’s when you knew he had told all of your classmates even though you told him not to. you cried silent tears of disappointment but everybody assumed they were because of sadness and tried to comfort you. you hated this kind of pity and attention and left, crying even more than before.

but futakuchi didn’t follow you but left you space. he was the kind of guy who thought space and silence could fix everything.

the time you did something embarrassing and asked him not to tell anybody but when you went to the gym to give him his bag he had forgotten in the classroom you clearly heard him tell his whole team the story. you dropped the bag so loud it made him look at you, turned around and ran away crying. he didn’t follow you though. you know, ‘space’. you earned a lot of empathy of aone and the rest though as they realized you suffered as much from futakuchi as they did. maybe even worse.

4. futakuchi kenji made you feel unimportant.

he always put you in fourth place. his first place was volleyball, his second place was his family, his third place was his school work and in fourth and last place was you.

he cancelled important meetings with you for stuff like ‘my mom wanted me to buy flour. she said it was alright if i did it tomorrow, but i want to do it now.’ he ditched you for lunch because he rather ate and discussed with his teammates. the cancelled dates because he met up with his teammates. when you asked to study together for a test, he refused because you only ‘slowed him down’.

5. futakuchi kenji made you feel unloved.

all this facts put together and also even though you were dating for over one and a half year now and you had said it so many times, he had never before told you that he loved you, made you feel this way.

the first time you said it was 7 months into the relationship. he answered with ‘thank you.’ you assumed it was too soon for him and left it, but the more you said it the more he dodged.

‘i love you’ ‘right.’ or ‘ok’ or ‘i know’

you honestly couldn’t remember a single week in the last 6 month in which you didn’t at least cry 3 times because of him.

thursday

one day after the worst day of your life. you had talked things out though, for now at least.

after all the fights and break downs you had,you decided to give your boyfriend one last chance and promised yourself, if he blew this up you would end all this suffering and break up. you wanted to be happy again, something you hadn’t been for a while or at least not with futakuchi.

you wore your most cheery smile and pick him up after practice, but events took a bad turn.

after practice had ended you greeted your boyfriend with a big smile and sweet words, which he didn’t return of course. he just nodded in your direction and gave you a quick peck and disappeared in the changing rooms. koganegawa was the first one to leave the changing room. he was also the one bringing doom.

as he walked past you you attempted to greet him as usual, but he wasn’t as cheery as you were used to. rather he looked at you a little suspicious. after asking him what was the matter he answered.

‘captain was in a bad mood today.’ he said gloomily

‘hm, why was that? he seemed normal to me.’

‘well, he said something about you screaming at him yesterday for no reason.’  by this time more people had left the changing room and stood by you.

‘that’s what he said? ‘for no reason’?’ kogane nodded. you looked down on the ground with a defeated smile as the tears started flowing. kogane tried to comfort you clueless and aone patted your back slowly as he guessed what was happening.

after about two minutes futakuchi stepped out of the changing room last, locked after him and walked towards your crying form.

‘hey what you crying about?’ he rather stated then asked, without the slightest hint of worry or empathy.

you clenched your fists at his reaction. ‘did you tell everyone i screamed at you for no reason yesterday?’ you asked though gritted teeth. kogane and aone were still standing behind you as a kind of moral support as both of them... all of them knew how futakuchi was.

‘huh, that’s what all this is about?’ he stated unimpressed. ‘yes, i did.’

‘do you seriously believe that?’ your anger grew more and more but you referred from shouting.

‘yeah.’ you only nodded absently. ‘then tell me the reason.’

‘are you telling me you forgot about all i said yesterday?’ he averted your gaze.

‘kogane.’ you spoke up. ‘did he tell you guys that the day before yesterday was our one and a half years anniversary?’

‘no’ he answered.

‘interesting. did he tell you that he forgot about it until i reminded him?’

‘no’ he answered again.

‘alright, did he tell you that he asked me to come out to the park yesterday, when it was already dark outside? and that he texted me again and again that he would be there in 5 minutes but never actually showed up and made me wait for 3 hours in the darkness and cold?’

‘no..’ kogane was shocked, so was the rest. but the story didn’t end there.

‘did he tell you guys, that on my way home two weird guys followed me, so i had to run? the funny thing is they also started running after me.’ you stated in sarcasm hiding your fear. ’did he tell you that they followed me until i was home and that they even knocked on my door, so that i had to wake up my parents? did he tell you that they actually broke a window trying to get in, so that we had to call the police who told us that those two guys were convicted criminals?’ by the time you reached this point of the story you were in tears. the whole team looked as if they were ready to throw punches at futakuchi. some of them hugged you or offered comforting words. they already did way more for you than futakuchi ever did in your whole 1 1/2 years.

‘did he tell you that when i told him, he made fun of me and said i shouldn’t act like such a pussy?’ you ended your story. truth is futakuchi had gone crazy after you told him all of that. he wanted to prank you by cancelling the date but would have never thought that this would take such dangerous turns. he hadn’t slept for a minute that night and paced around his house aimlessly. but he didn’t want you to know that and tried invalidate the situation a little bit. after you hadn’t answered anymore he assumed you had gone to bed already. aone grabbed futakuchi by the collar.

while the scene unfolded itself you spoke up.

‘futakuchi. i’m done. i can’t take all of this any longer. the worst part of this is that this wasn’t even the worst thing you ever did. but i can’t or don’t want to accept this any more.’

‘w-wait. what are you saying.’ he stuttered still in the grasp of aone.

‘i’m saying that this is over. i’m breaking up.’ with this you turned around and walked away, leaving the rest of the team in awe. aone let go of futakuchi and paced after you, offering to walk you home.

futakuchi screamed your name and tried to losen the grip of kamasaki who took aone’s spot to run after you but you screamed back.

‘stay away from me! i don’t want to see you! never again.’ as your tears started flooding again. aone put a protecting arm around you as you two walked out of reach.

friday

this day futakuchi arrived at school with a black eye. [kamasaki lost his temper] and you ignored him all day. but this afternoon there was a knock on your door.

it was him.

‘y/n, please open up. we need to talk.’ he sounded desperate. you opened it a slit. ‘i have talked so many times,i’m done with it.’ you wanted to close the door again but he put a hand against it.

‘you know that i love you, right? right?’ he was now in tears.

‘you sure didn’t act like it.’ you deadpanned hoping to overtone the emptiness and sadness you were feeling inside. futakuchi broke, not knowing what you meant. in his eyes he had tried his best in showing you his feelings and knowing that you didn’t think the same made him furious. but before he could even say another word, you already closed the door and left him, like he did so many times. he reflected.

reflected on his behavior just now and yesterday and always and knew he had fucked up.

you received one last text message from him this day, saying:

‘ i know what i said and i know i can’t take it back but i want you to know that i didn’t mean it. and what i did. i know i am a horrible person. please. please, tell me you forgive me.’

you texted back:

‘i was breaking because of you. i have endured all of this long enough and yesterday i decided to give you one last chance and you blew it up. i think i deserve to be happy, but i cannot with you. i can’t forgive you for all the things you did to me. you made me a broken mess. also, if you hadn’t meant it you wouldn’t have said it in the first place.’

you pressed ‘send’ and waited for the signal that he had read it. when you saw that he started typing, you blocked his number and put your phone down.

this night you didn’t cry because of him, but because you knew everything would be alright from now.

[tanjirou-imagines]

May I request a love triangle between the reader, Kyojurou and Giyuu!

you don’t know how THRILLED i was to do this rq!! 💗💗💗 i’m a sucker for angsty love triangles, which is what i did w/ this. i made s/o a pillar here too!

A love triangle between the reader, Kyoujurou, and Giyuu

It’s a well-kept secret between the three of you, or you thought it was.

You aren’t so sure of that now, sitting with Shinobu for afternoon tea. You try not to be surprised. Matters of the heart, your heart especially, don’t go unnoticed by your fellow Pillar and closest friend. The only thing that does surprise you is how long she’s waited for you to know that she knows.

About you, about Giyuu, about Kyoujurou. These feelings that have put a strain on your relationships with each other. None of you are ready to confront this.

Thankfully, most of the younger slayers haven’t caught on, too busy attempting to rise through the ranks to notice. Then there’s Tanjirou, a recent arrival with his two friends. Zenitsu and Inosuke haven’t noticed, but you suspect Tanjirou has, somehow figuring it out with his keen sense of smell. 

The looks he gives you are sympathetic. It’s either out of kindness or respect—or both—that keeps him from saying anything. You haven’t seen him since the morning the training began.

Training, which no one’s exempt from.

It’s one of those rare times when the Pillars are all in close contact, gathering often to discuss how their trainees are progressing.

You look at Giyuu and and Kyoujurou with their swords unsheathed outside. Kyoujurou’s sword is pressed against Giyuu’s, nearly touching Giyuu’s face.

Water and fire, two elements that are the opposite of each other but that closely resemble the Giyuu and Kyoujurou. Giyuu, as calming and quiet as water could be, but destructive when angered. Kyoujurou, a roaring fire of hot passion, capable of engulfing one if they weren’t careful.

You can feel Shinobu’s eyes on you but don’t mention it. She’s doing it on purpose, testing your reaction.

“Drink up,” Shinobu encourages you in a sweet voice, “before the tea gets cold.”

You turn to Shinobu, frowning. You’re spending your break with her over tea, but you’re wondering if you should’ve just stayed at your residence instead.

Shinobu gives you a knowing smile. “They’ve been at it hard today, haven’t they? I do wonder why…”

Ugh, she knows why. You don’t need to tell her that.

“It’s just training,” you say, bringing your cup to your lips. The tea goes smoothly down your throat, but it doesn’t soothe. You don’t think there’s any tea that can soothe the situation you’re in, erase the lines connecting you, Giyuu, and Kyoujurou together.

“But is it, really?” Shinobu pours herself more of the tea. “It’d be a shame if one of them accidentally killed the other.”

“It won’t get to that point.” Your voice rises but you catch yourself before it goes any higher. “There’s just… more important things for us to do.”

“This is important too though, isn’t it?” counters Shinobu, unaffected by the exasperated way you say her name.

You can hear them again, the striking of swords from outside. Giyuu and Kyoujurou have been at it for the past hour, since before you and Shinobu came. You don’t think it as a coincidence that Shinobu had brought you to this room, with its view of the courtyard the two Pillars now fight in.

“Shinobu, I thought we were here to drink tea? Not to discuss me.”

“Oh, but we are here to drink tea, my dear (Name).” As though to prove it, Shinobu drinks from her cup. She smiles through it all, setting the cup down without so much as a clink.

You’re talking in circles with Shinobu. She keeps dropping hints that you keep picking up, but it never goes anywhere else.

“What are you trying to do?” you ask. You don’t drink your tea anymore. You can’t when Shinobu keeps provoking you.

“I think you know.” Shinobu’s voice is surprisingly serious now. “How long do you think the three of you can keep this triangle of yours going?”

You want to object but a loud clang from outside draws your attention and Shinobu’s away. Neither of you are quick enough to see what had happened.

“Did we miss the final strike?” Shinobu asks, sounding not at all bothered by it, however. With a wave of her hand, she calls out to Giyuu and Kyoujurou. “So who won?”

Kyoujurou grins. “Why, that would be—“

“It ended in a draw,” Giyuu interrupts, unconvincingly.

Their training’s over but there’s still a sort of tension in the air you can almost feel. Giyuu and Kyoujurou don’t look at each other as they sheathe their swords.

“How disappointing.” Shinobu’s smile at you widens. “It would’ve been rather nice to have a clear winner.”

“Shinobu…” But that’s all you can say to her.

The truth of it is, you can’t choose between Giyuu and Kyoujurou.

Not yet at least.