#uroji

Muzan Kibutsuji

You had been working up the nerve for an hour, sitting beside him on the bed while he read. You knew he could hear your heartbeat racing because the corner of his mouth kept twitching. Finally you forced the words out, "You... haven't eaten today." He turned a page. "I'm aware." The silence that followed nearly killed you but you pulled your collar to the side, baring your neck, your hand shaking as you did it. He closed the book and looked at you fully. "Ask me properly," he said. You swallowed. "Will you feed?... On me Please?" He gave you a satisfied expression and he turned your face away with one hand, his other settled on your thigh, squeezing its give.

He bit down without warning and you gasped, clutching the sheets. His hand squeezed your thigh again, a command to stay still. "M-Muzan," you whispered, and felt him smile against your neck, which made your face burn twice as hot as the bite. He drank in slow pulls, taking his time because your embarrassment fed him almost as much as your blood did. When he lifted his head he turned your face back toward him and studied your wet eyes and red cheeks, running his thumb across the marks on your neck. "Good girl," he said, and you buried your face in his chest before he could see your reaction, though your pulse easily gave you away.

Kokushibo

You stood in the doorway so long he finally spoke without turning. "Either come in or leave..." Your feet carried you inside before your courage caught up and you pressed your back against the closed door, clutching your robe. Kokushibo sat facing the window, moonlight illuminating across his profile. "Y-You haven't fed in days," you said to the floor. "I can tell because you get quieter--more so than usual." That made him turn. All six eyes settled on you and you fought the urge to run.

"Come here then," he said, and you crossed the room, kneeling close enough that your knees touched his. You could not look at his face so you looked at his hands instead, took one of them, and placed it against your neck. Your pulse hammered into his palm and you heard his breath catch. "Please," you whispered. His fingers curled around the side of your throat and he drew you forward until your full weight leaned into his chest. His mouth found the curve where your neck met your shoulder and he bit carefully, so carefully, and you pressed your face into his collar. He held you through it, one arm across your back, feeding in slow pulls that matched your breathing. When he stopped he did not release you. You did not move. The two of you stayed like that until your heartbeat slowed to its normal rhythm.

Doma

He was talking about something completely unrelated when you interrupted him. "Doma, stop delaying, you need to... eat." He stopped mid-sentence, his rainbow eyes blinking at you, and then a grin split his face wide open. "Are you offering? You are, aren't you? Oh~ That's so sweet of you ♥︎" He was already reaching for you before you could change your mind, pulling you onto his lap with one arm hooked around your waist. You landed against him with your full weight and immediately tried to shift off, heat flooding your neck. "I-I-I can just hold my arm out--You don't have to--" you started, but he squeezed you tighter and pressed his cheek against yours. "Why would I want your arm when I have all of you..." he brought his lips to your ear, "Right. Here?"

"D-Doma," you said, flustered, and he laughed against your jaw, the vibration traveling down your spine. "You get shy so easily, it's adorable!" He nuzzled the collar of your robe aside and kissed the curve of your neck before biting into it slowing, causing your fingers to dig into his sleeve. He hummed, pleased, drinking like someone tasting their favorite wine. You squeezed your eyes shut and tried not to make a sound, which he noticed immediately. "Mm, don't hold back on my account," he murmured against your throat. When he pulled away he licked the wound, still smiling, blood on his lips. "You taste better when you're flustered. Lucky for me that's always."

Akaza

You caught him after training, his knuckles split and healing, and you stood at the edge of the clearing. He looked at you and knew right away why you were here. "You don't have to do this every time," he said, wiping his hands on his clothes. "You went too long again..." you replied, not quite meeting his eyes. He grumbled to himself and walked towards you and stopped right in front of you. Your breath caught and you looked sideways at the trees instead.

"Hey , look at me." You did, barely, your eyes flicking over to his and then away again. He took your arm and pushed your sleeve back himself, his calloused fingers circling your wrist, and you watched his jaw tighten as he brought it to his mouth. He bit hard and fast, making you sucked in a breath through your teeth. Your free hand grabbed the front of his shirt and he let you hold on without comment. He drank quickly before pulling away and pressed his thumb over the wound, holding pressure. "You okay?" he asked, searching your face. You nodded, not trusting your voice. He held your wrist a moment longer than necessary, his thumb still pressed to your pulse, and then let go and turned away from you. "Eat something tonight," he called over his shoulder. "I took more than I meant to." Your legs were shaking but you smiled at his back, knowing he would never admit he had been careful the entire time.

Gyutaro

He was scratching at his arm again, hunched in the corner, and you knew he had gone too long without feeding because he got meaner when he was hungry. You sat down next to him and he flinched like you had thrown something at him. "What do you want!?" he snapped, not looking at you. "You need to eat," you said softly. He laughed jaggedly, "Don't start with that shit." You pulled your sleeve up without saying anything else and held your arm out toward him, your wrist bare and trembling. He stared at it and then at you, his expression caught somewhere between anger and hesitation.

"You don't have to keep doing this for me," he muttered, but his hand was already closing around your forearm, his grip too tight and then suddenly too careful, like he had caught himself. "I-It's okay, I want to." you said. His jaw clenched and he looked away, bringing your wrist to his mouth almost reluctantly, and when his teeth broke skin you winced causing him to freeze. "Did I hurt you?" The question came out accusatory, aimed more at himself than at you. "N-No--Keep going," you whispered. He finished fast, almost angry at himself about it. "You're stupid for staying with me," he said, his voice thick. You leaned your head against his shoulder and felt him go rigid and then, slowly, leaned back.

Enmu

You were already half asleep when the mattress dipped beside you and his fingers found your cheek. "Still awake?" Enmu whispered, and you made a groggy sound that was not quite yes or no. He settled behind you, his chest against your back, his arm sliding over the curve of your stomach. You could feel his smile pressed against the top of your spine. "I can feel your heartbeat like this," he murmured. "It speeds up when I touch you, even when you're barely conscious. Isn't that something~"

"Don't tease me when I'm sleeping," you mumbled into the pillow, and he laughed quietly. His mouth traveled up the back of your neck and you felt teeth graze your skin. "Enmu," you said, a half-hearted warning that made him hum against you. "Just a little. You won't even notice." He bit down gently at the nape of your neck, his arm tightening around your middle and pulling you closer. The pain felt muted and your hand found his where it rested on your stomach and laced your fingers through his. He drank slowly, his thumb stroking your knuckles in a lazy rhythm, and by the time he stopped you were drifting to sleep again. He pressed his lips to the bite and pulled the blanket higher over your shoulder. "Sleep well dear." he said with a soft smile.

Sekido

He was in a foul mood, which was not unusual, but the air around him practically crackled and you had learned that meant he was overdue. You approached him the way you always did, quietly, standing a few feet away until he acknowledged you. "What," he spit out. "You need to f-feed," you said, and your voice wobbled on the last word despite your best efforts. His eyes narrowed. "I don't need you to babysit me." he warned. "I'm not, I'm asking you to take care of yourself," you shot back, and the sudden spike of backbone surprised you both. He stared at you and you immediately looked at the floor, your face flooding with heat.

He crossed to you in two steps and grabbed your wrist, pulling your arm up between you. "Fine," he said, like you had won an argument he resented losing. His grip was hard and you bit the inside of your cheek as his teeth sank into your wrist. Your free hand reached out on instinct and grabbed his sleeve, bunching the fabric, and you felt him pause for half a second before continuing. He drank quickly and when he released you he looked at the marks and then at your face. He smoothed his thumb over the bite. "Will you stop fucking shaking already," he said but the command sounded almost like a question. You nodded while still holding his sleeve, but he didn't push your hand away.

Karaku

He found you on the porch watching the rain and dropped beside you with a contented sigh, stretching his legs out until his bare foot nudged yours. "Hey," he said. You tucked your knees closer to yourself and glanced at him sideways, "Hey." He tipped his head back and watched the water pour off the side of the roof. "You've got that look again," he said. "What look?" you questioned with squinted eyes. "The one where you want to say something but you're going to make me drag it out of you." Your ears went hot and you hid your face with your hands. "You haven't fed much lately, I'm getting worried..." you mumbled.

"Ahhh," he said, and you could hear the grin without looking. His arm came around your shoulders and tugged you sideways into him. You pressed into his side reluctantly and kept your eyes on the rain. "You don't have to make it such a big deal out of it," he said as he tilted your chin with one finger and you met his eyes for exactly two seconds before looking away. He laughed softly and kissed the corner of your jaw before moving lower to bite into the side of your neck. He hummed against you, his thumb drawing circles on your shoulder. When he pulled back he pressed his lips to the bit and kept his arm where it was. "See? All good now."

Aizetsu

You found him sitting alone with his spear resting across his lap, his gaze fixed on nothing. You lowered yourself beside him and he looked at you with those heavy, tired eyes. "You don't have to come check on me..." he said but didn't push you to leabe. Your presence almost made him smile. Almost. But when you pulled your sleeve back and held your arm out you saw his expression fracture into a combination of guilt and gratitude. "I-I don't like taking from you," he said quietly. "I know..." you told him. "That's why I'm offering."

He took your hand in both of his, his fingers pressing gently into the plush of your palm. "I'm sorry for this... Please, tell me if it becomes too much and I'll stop." he said, and you merely nodded because your throat had closed up. He brought your wrist to his mouth and bit down carefully as you clenched your free hand into the fabric of your clothes and blinked hard against the sting. A small sound escaping between your teeth. His eyes opened and looked at you apologetically. He finished with a slow exhale against your skin. "Thank you," he said, his voice breaking.

Urogi

He landed on the railing in front of you with a thud that made you jump backward, your hand flying to your chest. He crouched there grinning, wings folded, looking pleased with himself. "Haha, you scream every time!" he said. "You know I get startled easily!" you shot back, breathless, your heart slamming against your ribs. He hopped down from the railing and walked toward you. "Guilty--Now commere, I'm starving!" Your face went red and you took a step back. "Can you at least pretend to be normal about--?" He cut you off, "No," he said cheerfully, and caught your hand before you could retreat further, spinning you around so your back pressed against his chest.

"Urogi--W-Wait," you stammered, but he was already giving himself access to your neck, his claws gentle despite the rush. "But waiting's boring, you know what's not boring? You. Now hold still." His teeth found the nape of your neck and bit down sharp and sudden, and you yelped and grabbed his forearm. He drank eagerly, making pleased humming sounds against your skin. You squeezed his arm and he squeezed you back, a brief tightening across your chest. He pulled away with a satisfied gasp and spun you back around, his hands on your shoulders, his grin painted red. "Best meal I've had all week," he announced. "Same time tomorrow?" He was gone before you answered, launching himself upward, and you pressed your hand to your neck, biting back a smile.

Muzan Kibutsuji

He didn't look at you when he spoke, fingers turning a page on his desk with complete disinterest. "Our arrangement is over. You've served whatever novelty your presence provided… I have no further use for you." When you didn't move, he finally looked up, and his eyes held nothing in them. "I won't repeat myself. Leave."

"You're lying." Your voice came out surprisingly steady. "You don't do anything without a reason." Something shifted in his expression before he composed himself. He rose slowly, straightening his jacket, and looked at you. "You were never the exception," he said. "Whatever story you told yourself about what this was, let it go. And don't come back." He turned away from you like the matter was already settled, like you were already gone, and the worst part was how final it felt. Because Muzan Kibutsuji had never once said anything he didn't mean to say.

Kokushibo

His visits ceased and for a while you thought perhaps something had happened, perhaps he was occupied. But when you finally found him and asked directly, he turned away from his meditation with a cold expression. "You should not have sought me out," he said. "What existed between us was a lapse in judgment. One I do not intend to repeat." He didn't look away from you when he said it, all six of his eyes holding yours, leaving no room for negotiation.

"A lapse." You repeated it back to him, and something in your tone made his jaw tighten. "That's all it was to you." He was quiet for a long moment. "You are human," he finally said, like that was the entire answer, like the word itself was reason enough. "What I am does not permit attachment." You took a step toward him and he didn't move, but something changed behind his eyes. "Do not make this harder than it needs to be," he said quietly. "Live. That is the only thing I will ask of you."

Doma

He told you with a smile, like he was discussing something as basic as the weather. "I've been thinking," he said, tilting his head, "that you shouldn't come around anymore. It really would be for the best!" The cheerfulness was seamless, but Doma performing and meaning something were two entirely different things. You'd spent enough time with him to know the difference. "You're serious?" you ask rhetorically. He kept smiling. "I'm always serious!--Well actually... Heh, you know how I am~"

"Doma." Your voice cut through. "If something is wrong, just say it." He laughed softly and looked away, fingers folding together in his lap. "Nothing is wrong. Things are perfect, actually. That's rather the problem." He stood, smoothing his robes, and when he looked back at you his smile was thinner. "You're the sort of person that other people use," he started, "against someone like me and that's not a small thing. Sooo." He paused. "This is me being responsible. Isn't that funny? I didn't think I had it in me either."

Akaza

He picked a fight. Coming in sharp and looking for friction. "You've been getting comfortable," he said, arms crossed. "Too comfortable. Like you think this is something it isn't." You didn't take the bait and that seemed to frustrate him more. "I'm serious! Whatever you think is happening here, it's not. You should go find someone who can actually give you something." You stared at him. "You liar," you said bluntly. He laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Just tell me the truth." For a long moment he said nothing, jaw tight, looking somewhere past you. "People who get close to me don't stay in one piece." He said it bluntly, like it was a fact. "I'm not doing it again." You opened your mouth and he shook his head once, sharp. "Don't. I've already decided." He turned and walked, and the awful thing was, you could see grief set in his shoulders.

Gyutaro

He was mean about it, cutting where he knew it'd land. "Look at you," he said, not quite meeting your eyes, mouth pulling into a sneer. "You actually thought this was going anywhere? That someone like me wanted someone like you hanging around?" It was the someone like you that did it, and you both knew it. You went quiet. He took that as confirmation and kept going, picking at the wound. "This was never serious, you were just easy."

"You don't mean that." He finally looked at you and his expression cracked slightly. "Yeah I do," he said, but it came out a half-second too slow. "Gyutaro." You said his name plainly and he flinched. "Is Daki in danger because someone learned about us?" The silence that followed was answer enough. He looked away, teeth working at the inside of his cheek, hands curling at his sides. "Just go..." he finally muttered, and all the venom had drained out of it completely.

Enmu

He didn't look at you directly, eyes half-lidded. "I'vvve decided you shouldn't be around me anymore," he murmured, almost fondly. "It's such a shame. I really did enjoy you." The past tense was deliberate and the corner of his mouth curved just slightly when you caught it. "Enmu, what are you talking about?" you asked. He sighed as though the question tired him. "People have been watching you. The kinds that would find it very useful to have access to someone I lo--" he paused, selecting his words carefully, "I've spent time with."

"So that's it," you said. "You're ending this because someone might use me to get to you?" He finally looked at you fully, and there was something almost genuine in his expression. "I'm ending this," he said softly, "because I would find it very distressing if something happened to you." He reached out and almost touched your face before his hand fell. "Go have lovely dreams," he said. "I mean that. I genuinely do."

Sekido

He was irritable about it in a way that felt different from his usual irritability, like he was holding something back behind his teeth. "You need to stop coming here," he said, arms crossed. "This has gone on long enough and it ends now." You didn't react immediately and that only agitated him further, his jaw pulling taut. "Didn't you hear me!? I said it's over!" His voice was sharp but his eyes kept cutting away from yours.

"You're angry," you said. "--Well, you're always angry, but this is different. What happened?" He made a short, frustrated sound. "Nothing happened. I simply came to my senses." You took a step toward him and he stepped back. "Don't," he said tightly. "I can't--" He stopped. Started again. "My emotions are not stable. They have never been stable. And you standing close to me when something goes wrong is not a position I want to put you in."

Karaku

He brought it up like it was nothing, sprawled out with his uchiwa resting across his lap. "Sooo we should probably wrap things up, you and me," he said, not even looking over at you. "Nothing against you. Just how it is." You sat with it for a moment before speaking up. "You're not even going to look at me when you say that?" He turned his head slowly, unhurried. "I'm looking now, want me to say it again?"

"Something happened," you said. He held your gaze for a beat, then looked back at the ceiling. "Someone got too interested in you," he said. "Because of me. That's not something I want for you." He turned the uchiwa over once in his hand. "You're good. You deserve boring and safe." He said like he'd already made peace with it long before this conversation started. "So go have that without me 'kay?"

Aizetsu

Aizetsu told you while looking at the ground, "I think it would be better if you didn't stay close to me anymore," he said quietly. "I've thought about it for a long time... It's the right thing to do." His voice carried melancholy but it was strained. You hummed to yourself, and he finally glanced up, then quickly away. "I'm sorry," he added. "I know this isn't what you want to hear."

"Aizetsu, look at me." It took a moment but he did, and his eyes were so miserable that it almost took the words out of you. "What's the reason?" He exhaled slowly. "Because everything I love ends badly," he said. "That isn't self-pity, it's just--it's just what's true." His grip tightened on his umbrella. "I would rather spend a very long time being sad about this," he murmured, "than spend it knowing I was the reason something happened to you."

Urogi

He was perched on a rooftop ledge with his large wings half-spread and his taloned feet hooked over the edge. "So I think we should cool it. You and me. The whole thing really." He said it like you could just as easily agree and part ways and that would be that. "Cool it," you repeated. "That's the phrase you're going with?" He shrugged one shoulder, "I was trying to be friendly about it."

"You're deflecting," you said. "Something spooked you." The grin winced. "I don't get spooked." You crossed your arms, and after a beat his wings folded in against his back. "Fine--You got followed last week," he said finally "One of ours. They were curious about who you were to me and I don't--" He clicked his tongue. "You're nice and sweet, and completely useless in a fight, which means you're not safe with me." He glanced back down at you. "So. Let's cool it. Yeah?"