A casual Glitch devoted to artworks, fanart and all kinds of illustration. Fandom material. Currently on many anime & cartoon hells. Will post own drawings (maybe). Sideblog.
It’s been years since the god-monster of the mountains has taken over Hikaru’s body. It was tumultuous, at first, as Hikaru ('Hikaru') learned how to live among humans, and Yoshiki choked down the sharpest parts of his grief. But eventually things hit a sort of equilibrium. The perilous, fragile thing between them was never stable, exactly, but it was precious to Yoshiki. It was home.
But when Yoshiki finally escapes their small town – to college, to Tokyo – Hikaru follows. And once more, things start to change for them both.
“Hey, Yoshiki.”
Yoshiki pulls out of the half-sleep fog of his own mind.
His back is propped against his bed and this late in the day – after many grueling hours spent studying for exams – he’d almost dozed off. His brain is slow and groggy with it, and it takes him a moment to recognize that he’s in his own bedroom. But he doesn’t need to turn his head to know that it’s Hikaru speaking to him. Hikaru – who's lounging easily on Yoshiki’s bed or maybe even laid across it. It’s Hikaru who exists in Yoshiki’s space like he belongs there.
Who else would be there?
There’s only him.
“Nn.”
The sound from Yoshiki’s throat isn’t a question or a response, but Hikaru (“Hikaru”) seems to understand him.
“You heard back from that school in Tokyo yet?”
Hikaru has started asking this every day. He might not know how the world works, but enough of their classmates talk about college that Hikaru has picked up on it. Enough of the people in this town chatter about Yoshiki’s 'smarts' and his 'potential' that Hikaru had to take notice.
Instead of answering Hikaru’s question, Yoshiki picks up the textbook that had fallen out of his hands in his almost-sleep.
“You shittin’ yourself over it?” Hikaru laughs at the thought. “Gloomy guy like you, you probably think you’re not gettin’ in, huh?”
Yoshiki hums noncommittally.
Hikaru would be right, except –
Except that Yoshiki has had the acceptance letter hidden under his mattress for a week.
Sometimes he takes it out and stares at the university’s shiny, embossed crest on corner of the paper until he feels sick.
“You remember all that stuff I said about you movin’ to the city? About stayin’ over at your apartment all the time so you can’t ever bring a girl back?” Hikaru goes on. “I remember that. I mean, I remember Hikaru sayin’ it.”
The mattress creeks, like Hikaru is laying down. Or maybe he was already laying down, and now he’s turning over. Maybe he’s looking at the back of Yoshiki’s head, but Yoshiki isn’t going to turn and check.
Am I just imagining that he acts more human now?
A hand fists into the soft, stretchy fabric of Yoshiki’s t-shirt – pulling on the short sleeve.
“Hey – are you listenin’ to me?” Hikaru complains, and Yoshiki turns to find him pouting.
“Stop it – I'm listenin” Yoshiki doesn’t move to loosen Hikaru’s fingers from his abused shirt, though. "And I remember. I remember you tellin’ me you’re gonna stay here and take over your grandpa’s shiitake farm.”
“That was the other Hikaru,” Hikaru says. “I’m goin’ where ever you go, Yoshiki. Maybe you ain’t that smart after all, cause I told you that a bunch of times.”
He’s grinning at Yoshiki with that crooked canine, and Yoshiki feels his chest bloom open. When he teases like that – when he smiles like that – he looks just like Hikaru used to.
It’s too much.
Yoshiki turns back away and closes his eyes, because sometimes his head still hurts if he thinks about this too long. This Hikaru is so different from human Hikaru that he doesn’t ever mix them up, but still – there’s something messy and complicated and tangled about the two of them. The two Hikarus.
“Nn,” Yoshiki says, again. A non-response.
He pulls his knees up to his chest and pillows his head onto his arms – like he’s suddenly exhausted.
He is exhausted.
He turns his head so his face is totally out of view. Hiding like he always does.
“He was prob’ly right, though,” he mumbles against his knees. “The country’s good for some people. Just not me.”
It’s as close as Yoshiki can get to a warning.
Can you even leave this town, Hikaru?
Can you leave the mountains?
Your birthplace?
Will you die? Or fade away?
Will you be torn out from that body you’ve taken?
If Yoshiki was a selfless person, he’d tell Hikaru he’s being stupid for always following him like a lost puppy.
Yoshiki should tell him it’s dangerous for a thing like – whatever he is – to be in a big city with all those people around.
But when he thinks those things he feels so lonely, he could just about die.
Don’t ever leave me again.
You promised.
“If the country ain’t good for you, then it ain’t good for me either,” Hikaru says, like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
Hikaru flops back onto Yoshiki’s bed.
“Wonder when you’ll hear back from that school,” he muses. “Whaddya think we’ll do if you don’t get in?”
We.
We.
Yoshiki thinks about pulling the college acceptance letter from under his mattress and showing it to Hikaru, but he can’t make himself do that either.
“Yoshiki?”
Yoshiki’s face is still hidden.
I’m such a coward, he thinks.
The bed creaks behind him.
I’m afraid to bring him with me, but I can’t stay here.
I can’t leave him, either.
I can’t move forward, but I can’t stay still.
Stuck. I’m stuck.
Hikaru’s fingers curl around the curve of the back of Yoshiki’s head. Warm and soft, they ruffle at his silky, dark hair.
“Ehh, don’t worry so much, Yoshiki,” Hikaru says, oblivious to Yoshiki’s internal turmoil. “Things’ll work out.”
Could I really leave you?
Ever?
Even if I had to?
Even if I had no choice?
Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Yoshiki lets himself be soothed by the warmth of Hikaru’s touch and his words.
Despite everything, Yoshiki pretends for a moment that he isn’t stuck.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
designs for a zine piece! enjoy some background story my illustration never needed under the read more (fair warning I did NOT edit this at all):
newbie mage apprentices Sam and Tucker who became friends bc they're kinda… the ones at the bottom of their class and struggle the most, for different reasons. they become besties over time and practice together!
except one night, something goes terribly wrong. they spent the last few nights preparing for a project, a bigger spell that needs an intricate circle with precise measurements to work. but when they try to activate it, well…
oops. they summoned a demon.
which is, for one, extremely illegal. only certified demonologists are allowed to summon demons because they're so dangerous. anything less than a perfect binding circle and thoroughly researched info on the demon, including their true name, is even remotely safe.
but, weirdly enough… the demon seems just as surprised as they are. as Sam and Tuck frantically try to figure out how to dispel the demon, they realize–oh god, did their circle actually sufficiently bind the demon? it can't leave. they watch the demon tentatively poke it's claws into the air around the boundary, and watch it fizzle, retreating back with a strained hiss.
okay. okay, they can do this. without death looming over their heads, they can figure out how to send the demon back. it's cool, it's fine. except while they leaf through their books, they notice the demon watching them. it looks kind of… curious. timid. interested in what they're doing. it catches them noticing his staring, and it. apologizes? it seems flustered?
weird, okay. they keep looking, and the demon starts talking. at first, little comments to itself. mumbles that soon get just loud enough to hear. little “ooh, is that a telescope?" and “is that what fire looks like up here?" and “that must be for making charcoal…”
Sam is the one brave enough to be like "are all demons as chatty as you??” and the demon gets flustered again, apologizing. says he's just never been topside before, he's only read about humans in tomes. oh wow is that the moon outside? it really IS blue up here! is it always blue? what are you doing up? I thought humans slept at night?
Sam and Tuck can't help getting pulled in with the demon's genuine curiosity. they're wary though, since they know demons can be clever, conniving. there's a number of ways a demon can get the upper hand on a summoner who has them bound. if he gets their full names, gets them to smudge and break the circle… there could also be ways they aren't aware of. so they consider their words carefully, but engage in some chatter while they research.
it's almost morning by the time they find a way to send the demon back–but as they prepare the spell, the demon says WAIT WAIT and they stop, uncertain. the demon starts stammering out how this is weird but like… he really had fun tonight. he doesn't get to just hang out much, especially with anyone his age.
Tuck is like “how do you know our ages??" and the demon points out "oh, you said something about Paulie’s 18th birthday party, so I thought…” and they're both like oh shit we didn't even notice we did that?
“Paulina" Sam corrects in her dumbfounded stupor.
“Right, Paulina!" the demon snaps his fingers, but quickly loses his confidence when Sam and Tuck continue to stare at him like they're not sure what's going on. he coughs and fidgets and says “um, well, I was just wondering, I guess… if you wanted to summon me another time, I wouldn't mind. you see those circles there? yeah, that's what summoned me. the candles helped too I think. oh, it doesn't need all those runes though, probably don't want to redraw all those.”
Sam and Tuck are practically gawking, but… for some reason, this demon looks so sincere. so much like them, awkward and lonely and genuinely curious.
it's a bad idea. a terrible one, even. the demon probably noticed they're newbies and not demonologists. it could be hoping they make an error in their circle, or mess up a candle, or reveal their names on accident.
But, well. They're stupid. they're also eager for anything to help them in school, and too empathetic for their own good. they send the demon off with a yeah, no. they then think about it for a week, and end up summoning the demon against their better judgment.
the demon is shocked and so happy, they can't help but be a little endeared. they lay down some ground rules, take care to be as safe as possible… and soon, this demon that introduces himself as “Phantom" becomes a nightly visitor. they talk about their worlds, find out they share a lot of common interests, and help each other in their studies. which, hello, demons also study? bro are you serious??
they play games, laugh till their ribs hurt, and open up to each other on a far deeper level than anyone expected. over time, Phantom becomes a true friend.
Sam and Tuck quietly begin to lament the fact Phantom is stuck in that damn circle. they want to take him places, let him see the human world he seems so interested in. they want to paint his stupid claws and noogie him between his dumb horns and hug him.
but it's an astronomical risk. it's legal for a demonologist with a proper permit, but it's still considered a grave taboo to grant access to a demon outside a circle. there's just too much at risk. demons can be dangerous enough to lay waste to entire towns, take multiple teams of military-rank mages to take down.
they wouldn't risk it… if they hadn't snuck into the library’s restricted section and copy a page from a demonologist book that gives them good framework for a contract. they make some edits to it though, giving Phantom at least a little wiggle room to protect himself if need be. and allow him use of transformation magic so he can hide somehow. but they spend weeks making sure they have airtight wording to ensure Phantom can't cause anyone or anything any substantial harm.
when they finally bring the contract to Phantom, he's stunned. he cries. nothing needs to be said, they all know the gravity of their proposal. even if they ask for proof of Phantom's trust in turn, first. they ask for his full name, so they can bind him. just temporarily. but in that moment, they'll have full control over him. they could instead tell Phantom to serve them, force him to obey their every order. even if it's just for a moment, giving them his full name with the proper circle and incantation, is putting his life in their hands.
Phantom, with tears still in his eyes, smiles warmly and nods. with only a breath to steel himself, he gives them his full name. Daniel James Fenton.
magic sparks in the circle, and Sam and Tuck finish the incantation. ethereal chains sprout up to wrap around Phantom's arms and legs, which makes him jump–but the unwavering trust in his eyes makes the two humans choke up.
they release the binding. all that's left is to break the containment barrier in the circle, so Phantom can walk free.
“Uh, about that…” Phantom laughs sheepishly… then proceeds to step outside of the circle, merely wincing when the barrier zaps around him.
Sam and Tucker gawk. Phantom scratches his neck. “Y-yeah, so… your barrier circle was already broken that first night. It's, uh… right over there. You missed a spot.”
abject horror overcomes them because this entire time Phantom's been visiting, he could have broken out? EASILY?? THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD.
Tucker falls to his knees, but soon starts to laugh. it's kind of hysterical at first but slowly, he and Sam are genuinely laughing. they're so STUPID, and Phantom is the most un-demonlike demon they've ever HEARD of. Phantom is still flustered, stammering out apologies because he wasn't trying to deceive them or anything! he just didn't want to scare them! without a proper containment circle they technically couldn't send him back either, so he just… went back using his own magic each time they “dispelled" him.
once they've calmed down, Phantom morphs his body into a human form–which shock Sam and Tuck, because uh, only elite demons are capable of that. they were expecting an animal, or straight up going invisible. Phantom laughs it off, says he just, spent a lot of time practicing bc he's so interested in the human world (not a lie, but). he proceeds to adopt the nickname Danny, and they all have FUN WONDERFUL SHENANIGANS
(and sometime in the near future, when faced with something truly threatening he needs to protect them from, Danny reveals that. well. their contract also had some holes in it. and he's had access to his full demon power this whole time. whoopsie! it's a good thing he genuinely loves them and doesn't want to hurt anyone, or their asses would be SO dead lol)
they're about as normal about his full demon form as you'd expect from me btw:
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
