#beastscales

        He didn’t expect to be greeted with such a question as he walked into the Kusa hideout. He was more surprised over the lack of surprised he felt upon seeing Sasuke again after so long; Karin had most likely told him where he was or maybe he found out somehow by himself ( or perhaps the more unsavory option: Suigetsu told him ) .

         Juugo just looked at him, tangerine irises empty, his lips straightening into a line as he pressed them together. He wanted to tell the Uchiha to get the hell out of here, that he has been so good without the mess of Team Taka, that he was doing good without everything. Yet, he just turns back around and begins to walk prior to stopping again.    ‘  Are you going to follow me ?  ’

         Without waiting another moment, the devil began to stroll down the halls, cloak tightening around his body until it strained against his shoulders. Each moment that passed, the devil wondered why he hasn’t told Sasuke off, why he didn’t scare him away, why he didn’t just give a good ‘ fuck you for everything ’. He should, he wanted to, but his mouth remainedshut until he reached his room, opening the door, using his foot to keep it open.

              ‘  You can use my room until I fix one for you. I’ll sleep on the ground.  ’    Juugo’s voice softened to a whisper, his breath stuck in his throat, eyes following Sasuke as he wanders into the room filled with clutter, traveling bird cages, and plants.    ‘  What brings you here, Sasuke ? Why come to me instead of, I don’t know, Karin ? ’

Sasuke hadn’t been sure what sort of greeting to expect. It’s not as if they were enemies, but an idiot would be able to see the silent animosity Juugo has held for their group long before disbanding. Even still, perhaps it’s selfish of him to seek the quiet calm of the other man, but he desperately needs it. 

“ --- I won’t take your bed. I can take the floor.” 

The arrogance of the past had calmed with Sasuke. He wouldn’t push Juugo out of his own bed while visiting, that’s too far even for him. The Uchiha heir has struggled as of late, coming to terms with his own madness and the things he had done. He still stands by his motivations, but he is man enough to admit he had made choices that were not the best. 

Taking in the sights of various cages, plants and just.... life, he already feels more at ease. This is Juugo. This is what he - strangely - needed. 

Why come to me? 

Admittedly, he has to think of the answer. He doesn’t have one readily available as one might expect. He should. He absolutely should. His silence, however; alludes to his thought process. After a lengthy pause, so long you may have thought his silence for refusal, he finally speaks. 

“You don’t have me on a pedestal.” 

she’s bare legged in nothing but a large shirt and her favorite thong , her hair cascading behind her back in unruly waves and untamed curls. he’s brushing her hair , and it’s similar to how her mother use to brush her hair. when she was a small girl , would tell her some stories about an empress and how she saved nations and sealed a beast inside of her. she flinches when they hit a bad tangle , and irritation swells inside of her. wants to snap at them , tell them to be careful , but her edges are to harsh and she knows that if she starts , she won’t stop. it’s almost not fair. how much she wants to cry in this moment , it’s sweet , kind , tender , and all she can think about is how her mother use to do this and the anger that she has that tells her that juugo shouldn’t be the one behind her , smoothing her hair down , brushing it 100 constructive times in a row --- but they’re not telling her a story. it’s fine. she’s fine. she lets out a breath when lips press to the back of her crown before she starts a story , “ once upon a time ago --- there was this empress , right ? she was from my clan. she sealed one of the tailed beasts into her when the uchiha clan tried to control it. ” 

>:^)

“ the danger gets me high & i can’t help myself. i’ve got secrets i can’t tell. ” she jumps on the table next to him , painted lips curling upwards , fingernails digging into the desk and wood chips under her grip. “ so what do you say ? do you wanna do something dangerous ? ”