- please specify which ghouls you would like! if you would like all of them, it will take much longer for me to write + it will most likely be drabbles unless ur alright with waiting a couple weeks!
- I write fluff, angst, smut, anything!
- If youâre looking for angst, please specify if you would prefer comfort or a good/bad ending! Or specify if you would like a specific ending! ^^
- Iâm a bit backed up on all the posts Iâm writing on right now, so thereâs a bit of a wait!
â> what iâm working on now:
dream date drabbles
- Kaito fuji dance one-shot
- ghouls being downbad, fluff req, hcs/drabbles
whatâs nextâ đŐ. .ŐđŠŻ
â> vecna / angst w good ending (req) || this one will take a bit
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Hellooo! I have a request for Henry Creel/001 x fem reader where they have known each other since before Henry got sent to the lab and years later they meet again whether itâs Brenner forcing the reader to work as a nurse in the lab or maybe sheâs maxs mother or something? Itâs up to you which one you decide! :)
â Request: Come, Little Spider
(Henry Creel/001 x Reader)
Tags: General, Slight Fluff, Angst if you squint really hard
Length: 14.4k
A/N: Sorry, I know this request took a LONG while, but I was halfway across the globe to catch The First Shadow in NYC, fell sick, and finally got well enough to finish it!!! It's been sitting too long in my draft pile so I'm gonna release it into the wild now...
Have fun reading this one and thank you for requesting, anon! (˶ᔠᔠá”˶)
Henry Creel Master List | Also on Ao3! | Writing Master Lists
It tickled him, at the back of his mind, of the way youâd seemed so familiar; yet he couldnât quite put a finger on it. Until he did, and the horror set in. His little spider, come to play, in a treacherous web not his to name
Your relationship with Henry hadnât always been smooth sailing. Not that he'd made it any easier, with all the hurdles you had to jump through in your quest to befriend him. In fact, he'd fought you every step of the way.
Henry was reticent for a boy his age, preferring to observe others in the safety of the sidelines rather than to join in on whatever commotion seemed to be the highlight of the day. He never really felt at home with his peers, neither comfortable in their company, nor willing to shed the polite veneer he wore in an attempt to fit in.Â
Was it the way he'd been brought up? Because his family was new to town? Or perhaps, just the fact that heâd been a difficult child, right from the start?
No one truly knew, and no one truly understood why heâd turned out the way he did.
It was no secret that the patriarch of the Creel house was decorated, having served time in the war. Hawkins was a small town, so word got around quickly enough, which made it tricky to keep things under wraps. The news had spread like wildfire the moment theyâd moved in, their names carried under whispered breaths and fleeting looks. As such, people gave him a wide berth everywhere he went, not wanting to get on his bad side, and not being brave enough to risk an altercation with someone from a military family.
There was an unexplained otherness to Henry that was both foreign and intriguing. To his credit, it had managed to turn a few heads his way, but most eventually strayed away due to his less-than-accommodating personality. Staying out of the public eye, shying away from the spotlight, and coupled with the oddities that separated him from the general populace, he was an outsider in every sense of the word. This resulted in cordial interactions at best, and outright avoidance at worst. Most people left him alone to his own devices, not wanting the same label to be slapped on them and alienating them from everyone else.Â
Society was harsh, as most would come to learn in school. Even so, Henry had no qualms with it, largely preferring to keep to his own company. It didnât matter if theyâd called him a âweirdoâ behind his back, or even if there really was something inherently wrong with him. That was how he preferred it. The fewer people poking into his business, the better.
And then, you'd stepped into his little bubble.
âHey! Wanna partner up?â You'd chirped, beaming with a smile so bright that he'd instinctively backed up.
There was something infectious about your cheer. Not in a bad wayâ just something that he wasn't quite used to, especially when it felt like the full force of the sun was being directed at him in one go.
He blinked, wondering if you'd mistaken him for someone else. After all, why would anyone want to talk to someone like him?
âSorry?â He said, glancing at you in confusion.
Words of refusal sat at the tip of his tongue, but it was clear that you weren't about to take no for an answer. The unexplained sparkle in your eye was all the warning he'd gotten before you'd promptly taken things into your own hands.
Grabbing his hand in yours, you'd dragged him over to your table before he could so much as splutter in indignation. Heâd withdrawn into his shell soon after the incident, bewildered at your openness to an otherwise complete stranger. But the damage had already been done; youâd left a lasting impression on him.
It was innocuous when it first started. Having shared a class with him, you'd had a few interactions with the guy over time. Mostly greetings in passing, or the occasional exchange while awaiting the bell to signal the start of the next period. And while he seemed to keep everyone at an arm's length, Henry seemed like a pretty decent fellow.
Just⊠odd. Not that he seemed particularly interested in assimilating with his new environment either.
Youâd always faced him with a smile, seemingly undeterred by the looks everyone had shot your way as a result. Noticing how heâd always seemed to be by his lonesome, you doubled your efforts, seeking him out every opportunity you found, much to his chagrin.
Even loners needed a friend at times, right?Â
Heâd been cordial, at first, knowing that you were likely to turn around and stab him in the back just as everyone here seemed prone to doing, no thanks to the rumors surrounding his familyâs troubled pastâ theyâd escaped to Hawkins in hopes of a new start. But what he hadnât accounted for was your sheer stubbornness, even when the initial hubbub about there being a new kid in town had long faded.Â
No matter his biting words or how scathing heâd turned in an attempt to dissuade you from approaching him, you hadn't been deterred.
Henry had even taken to employing the simplest trick in the book to distance himself when that hadnât worked by simply pretending not to hear you whenever you started hovering around him. But eventually, even avoidance grew old. Youâd only gotten bolder in retaliation, as if being louder would make him concede.
âHenry! Wanna join us for lunch?â Youâd called out from the opposite end of the corridor one day, standing at the head of your little group, waving at him to catch his attention in the crowd.
Inconspicuously raising his head, his eyes drifted in your direction at the sound of his name. Noticing the way your friends had started whispering in their midst with slightly furrowed brows, Henry had a feeling that they werenât exactly as welcoming as you were, despite your open enthusiasm. Hence, heâd assumed it a trick of the wind, ducking his head and continuing on with his path, your invitation falling through, perhaps for the best.
Not to be disheartened, you tried again the next time you saw him, having caught him while shuffling between classes.Â
Students crowded the corridor, either swapping their books out for the next period or on the way to their next destination. Spotting Henry by the lockers, you raised a hand in greeting as you approached, deciding to invite him to the cohort-wide hangout after school if someone hadn't already done so.
âFinally caught you! There's a gathering after classes end for the day at theââ You'd started off, only to be cut off with a wave of his hand and the squeaky creak of metal as the locker door swung open.
âSorry, but could we do this another time? I'm running late for the next period.â He'd apologized, unloading his books from his locker before promptly turning away. Pointedly, in the opposite direction, leaving you standing awkwardly in the hallway. Your invitation had fallen flat, again.
Shaking your head, you'd simply written it off as unfortunate timing and carried on your merry way. No matter, you could always just invite him for the next one.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
It was clear that youâd wanted something out of him, and Henry was happy to ignore your existence for the most part. Until he couldnât.Â
Your persistence, while admirable, had started to draw attention from both him and the others. Unsavory attention, in a manner that he knew bestâ malice. It tinged the air, whispering at the edge of his subconscious. How he knew, however, he couldn't tell. It was a skill he had, yet hadn't quite mastered; an omnipresent sixth sense, at best.
Of course, that dismissal hadn't been enough to thwart your efforts. No, because you were back at it again a week later, like hardy weed that even the strongest weedwhacker couldnât tempt into submission.
âHey, Henry!â A voice called out from behind him, in the same cheery manner he'd reluctantly gotten acquainted with.Â
His shoulders tensed. Yeah, he definitely recognized that voice. It was you, again.
Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Your stubbornness, it seemed, knew no bounds.Â
âPerhaps it would be best if you didnât seek me out that often, hm?â Snapping his book shut, heâd turned sharply in your direction, hoping that the bite would make you turn the other way.Â
However, your eyes had only lit up at that, for heâd finally acknowledged your presence.Â
âWhy not?â You questioned, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Heâd given you an odd look then, much to your puzzlement. Why would someone go to such lengths?
You were impulsive in a way he didnât understand. Headstrong, when most would falter.
âIn case you havenât noticed, Iâm not the most liked around here. Poke your nose in places where it shouldn't be, and trouble will come looking.â He reiterated, hoping that youâd get the memo this time.
âAre you trouble, then?â
Henry blinked, not having expected that answer. Slowly, he replied after a moment's pause, the lone syllable falling hesitantly from his tongue. â...Yes?â
âGood, because I don't care.â You smiled, planting your feet firmly on the ground.
You werenât budging from your spot now that youâd caught him and finally had his attention, even if he was keen on withdrawing it post-haste from the way his eyes darted almost nervously toward something behind you.
âYou should.â He smiled, though not unkindly, as he pointed at the group that had gathered a ways away behind the both of you. âNot everyone is as nice as you are.â
You looked in the direction he was pointing at, noticing that there were a few people loitering about the corridor. They were watching your interaction with Henry with wary eyes, and with the slightly ominous buzz in the air, you had a feeling that they didnât exactly have the best intentions in mind. However, they turned away, breaking eye contact the moment they'd noticed your gaze on them.
You looked back towards him then, slightly doubtful about his claim. âYou donât know that for sure.â
He tilted his head then, a wry look crossing his face. âOh, but I do. Trust me.â Having said that, he distanced himself from you, walking away with a small shake of his head.Â
He could hear their thoughts, the ridicule and disdain, plain as dayâŠ
You watched as he retreated into the sea of students, alone like a piece of driftwood amid the tides. His words had given you some things to think about, but youâd heard his unspoken words all the same, expertly hidden between the lines: Stay away, if you know whatâs good for you.
Something was bound to happen if you continued, and it was only a matter of time.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
By the fourth time youâd managed to strike up a conversation with him of your own accord, Henryâs brow furrowed.
Were you deaf? Had you not taken any of his warnings to heart?Â
He quickly surveyed the area around the hallway youâd somehow found him in, noticing how there wasnât anyone present. Youâd willingly chosen to approach him, again. Heâd wondered then if you were stupid, or if you were truly oblivious to the dour way everyone had started to look at you the more you tried to talk to him.
People hadnât liked him, and he was fine with that, for the most part. But Henry couldn't quite understand your actions. There was nothing to gain in attempting to befriend someone like him, a black sheep in a field of whites. Yet, somehow, heâd caught your eye. And, despite everything, here you were.
A thought flickered through his mind then. Maybe⊠it wasnât an inherently bad thing?
Luck had never quite been on his side when it came to making friends with the students here, partially due to his own conscious actions of keeping everyone at bay. And⊠his internal turmoil with the unknown.Â
There was something within him. Something living, breathing, otherworldlyâ he didn't understand it, but he was cognizant enough to know that it was a part of him, much as he loathed to admit. It whispered into his ear, nudged at the peripherals of his mind, but it mostly lay dormant, nestled somewhere deep within him.
He sighed. It seemed that fate had other plans for him despite his efforts to thwart them.Â
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he supposed he could start by gaining your trust. And the first thing he could do, as his father had always taught him, was to be charitable. All he needed was an opportunity to act on.
Thankfully, he didnât have to wait long, for the perfect chance had presented itself the next day, just as heâd been exiting the classroom.
Heâd caught sight of you then, walking backward out of the teacher's office with jittering steps. He paused, head tilted in curious inclination.
What⊠were you doing?
He watched as you staggered, shakily proceeding down the corridor after backing out of the office with your arms fuller than heâd ever seen.
You were holding papers. A bunch of them.Â
Were those handouts? And⊠they were starting to slip.
You were a subject rep, that was true. So this was just part of your duties, he supposed. But this was a stupid endeavor to attempt alone, nonetheless.
Wherever had your partner gone off to anyway? There was no way you were managing all of that on your own. You needed another pair of hands, and as much as he didn't want to intervene, it was hard watching someone struggle that much.Â
Quickening his pace, he headed in your direction.Â
Except, something must have gone wrong somewhere, for youâd swerved the moment heâd nearly fallen in step with you, nearly bludgeoning his head with the tall stack.Â
And with it, went your balance.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
You'd been making your way down the corridor when you accidentally bumped into someone, the impact sending you stumbling a couple of steps.
âWhoa, careful.â You heard someone speak as you felt a pair of hands reach out to steady you as you attempted to regain your balance while maintaining your white-knuckled grip on the stack of papers you were carrying.
Unfortunately, due to the heavy-set papers blocking your vision, you couldn't quite tell who it was from the voice alone. Not that you had been paying much attention either, considering how you were focused on trying not to trip over your own feet and send papers flying everywhere.
âSorry, I hadn't meant to run right into you.â Came the voice again in a more apologetic tone once they'd ensured that you were firmly rooted to the ground.
The next moment saw the weight in your hands considerably lightening, revealing a familiar face as half the pile was lifted from your hands.Â
âAnd where are these supposed to be going?â
âHenry?â Your brows quirked in disbelief.
He shrugged. âMore efficient, fewer walking accidents. Now, where are you headed?â
You stared at him for a moment, all speech having left your brain at his sudden appearance. With how much heâd been avoiding you as of late, it was a wonder how he was standing before you now. Actively⊠interacting with you, in fact.
Once you managed to gather your wits back together, you replied. âThe handout box.â Though with the puzzled look heâd given you, you doubted that he even knew what to make of that answer.
Henry drew a blank. He'd never heard of something like that. What or where was that even supposed to be? The office, perhaps? Then again, he was a relatively new enrollment here, so instead of trying to figure it out, he opted for the simple, âlead the way.â
Youâd both walked along the corridors side-by-side as you made your way down. There were a sparse few groups of students who still loitered about, dotting the area with specks of life. And whilst the hallway was relatively unoccupied, given that normal classes had already ended for the day, it was still quite the trek to your destinationâ the other adjoining building.
You glanced sideways, observing Henry as you both proceeded onwards in silence. You werenât quite sure what to make of his sudden appearance; it was the last thing you had been expecting out there. Walking in absolute silence, however, was not your forte, so you decided to strike up a conversation with your surprising companion.Â
Though it seemed that Henry had already felt your eyes lingering on him, for heâd made a sound in his throat before you could speak. âHm?â Heâd caught you staring. âWhy are you looking at me like that?â
âPeople have been talking about you, you know? About what happened at your last school. Thatâs why everyoneâs afraid of approaching you, to some extent.â
âIâm aware.â Heâd answered simply.
âDoes it bother you?â You asked as you both stopped before the door that marked your destination.
He shook his head. "No." He was already used to it anyway. âConsider its days numberedâ itâs bound to die down, eventually.âÂ
âThen I pity the calendar.â You laughed, using your foot to nudge the door open a little wider before elbowing yourself the rest of the way in.Â
You heard a small huff escape Henry as he entered the room after you. âAnd here we are.â You announced.
Surveying the classroom, he noticed the large box that sat atop a corner of the teacherâs desk. Was that the box you were talking about?
âDonât think Iâve ever been to this side of the classroom block before.â He commented as he set the pile of papers down by the table at the front, watching while you worked at loading it into the handout box.Â
âProbably not. This is the seniorsâ classroom. Though you should probably familiarize yourself with the school soon.â You replied as you loaded the last of the papers into their rightful place. âSo⊠why did you help me anyway?â
Looking up, you noted the way he seemed to shuffle his feet in the same spot he stood, hesitant and slightly unsure. âYou seemed like you needed a hand.â
But hadnât he been avoiding you with all the times heâd turned you down?Â
The crease between your brows deepened as you came up empty. You couldn't get a read on him no matter how hard you tried, and it would be impolite to stare any longer than you already had.
That being said, you must have stared at him a little too hard while trying to puzzle him out, for his voice sounded again not a few moments later, laced with faint suspicion. â...And you should really stop doing that. The staring thing. Itâs a little unnerving.â
âWell, since you helped me and all. I'd say that makes us friends at least, right?â You smiled, bumping a fist to his shoulder in mock camaraderie.
âWe barely know each other.â He pointed out.
âBut we are classmates! And you clearly need to be around more people. First step to everything, right?â Beaming, you held a hand out in offering. âSo, friends?â
He saw the way your eyes brimmed in anticipation as you looked at him expectantly. And while he wasn't entirely against the idea⊠You certainly had an odd way of making friends, if he could even call it that.
Did you even know what you were signing up for? It was something that even he didn't know, himself. But perhaps things could be different this time around. Maybe⊠he didn't need to isolate himself from everyone and everything anymore. Not in the same way he did at his last school after the mishap.Â
The idea of it sounded good to his ears. Enticing, even. Maybe it was a good thing if someone could come to understand him.Â
Something in his subconscious stirred at the thought, moving in unnoticeable silence.
You could see hesitation flicker visibly across his face before his lips curled into a small smile. Taking your hand, he agreed. âFriends.â
And thus, a mutual agreement of friendship was made. Except, you hadnât known the consequences that came with befriending someone like him. And you wouldnât know, until much later.Â
But even then, it was little more than a vague suspicion that there was more to Henry than he'd initially led you to believe.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
Being friends with Henry, of all people, was actually rather uneventful, all things considered. He had his moments, sure. But everyone had their moments. Perhaps it was the stress he'd been facing, or maybe you were just too optimistic for your own good.
Or maybe both, now that you thought about it.
Your eyes flickered downward at a small nudge against your arm. Henry had extended something towards youâ an offering. It looked like a paper figure of sorts. Something that he'd been busying himself with for a while now.Â
You took it from him, slipping him your own paper creation in exchange as you brought it up for a closer look.Â
Heâd folded you a kangaroo, intricate with neat edges, looking almost life-like, as if its minuscule self would jump to life at any moment as you held it within your palm. You felt slightly bad at how your little origami squirrel looked terribly amateurish next to his work of art. Unfortunately, you hadnât been blessed with nimble fingers like he had, it seemed. Glancing over, you gauged his reaction, watching as he squinted at the squirrel, turning it every which way and that.Â
Confusion marred his face as he tried to make out what it was supposed to be. âAnd whatâs this? A possumâŠ?â He guessed.
âItâs a squirrel,â You sighed, shoulders drooping, âbut sure, why not?â If he said it looked like a possum, then a possum it shall be. Not that it looked anything like what it was supposed to be, anyway.Â
âHey, don't look so down. You just need more practice.â He laughed, accepting your failed paper amalgamation nonetheless.Â
And so went your little exchanges after school over time. Your continued interactions, once awkward, slowly bloomed into a solid and tangible connection.
Then, came the rumors that arose months down the roadâŠÂ
Some people whoâd crossed paths with Henry had claimed to have witnessed disturbing nightmares, whilst others complained not about nightmares, but of shadows flickering at the edges of their visions.Â
People were losing sleep. Afraid. And it all seemed to revolve around the newcomers in town, despite it being months since the Creels had first arrived.
You half-wondered if the rumors surrounding him were true. But given the time youâd spent around him, youâd turned out fine, havenât you?Â
You certainly hadnât suffered from nightmares, and you hadnât experienced unexplained sightings, capable of spooking the common folk either. But all the talk had made you curious.
You could always check up on him, right?Â
Heâd left school early today, claiming to be ill, and youâd overheard murmurs in the corridor that perhaps heâd gone home if only to curse his next victim. And now that you were standing on his side of town with a box of brownies in hand, you wondered if whatever misfortune had befallen them would come to plague you, too, in due time.
You glanced around the area. This was the neighborhood he lived in? Wow. It sure was different, though he hadn't told you his address, just mentioned the street he was on in passing. Hence, you'd resorted to craning your neck through the fences of the apartment houses until you'd seen the name âCreelâ written on the mailbox. And as you peered past the bushes that had clearly been meticulously tended to, you spotted him standing alone off to the side near the back of his house.Â
He looked focused⊠on something that you couldnât quite make out from where you stood.
Why was he just standing there?
âHenry?â You called out.
âShit.â Â He cursed inwardly as the item of his focus fell back to the ground with a sharp clatter, no longer manipulated by psychic forces to defy the laws of gravity. He had half the mind to swipe it under a bush, to hide all evidence, had you been of the observant sort, but it was too late for that, as he could already hear your approaching footsteps and the sound of grass crunching beneath your feet.
Your voice had startled him, breaking him out of the trance-like concentration he'd lapsed into while attempting to test the limits of his abilities. By unironically levitating a rock he'd found near his house. Small, simpleâ not a problem at all, right?
Except, you were here.
âWhat are you doing alone out here?â You asked, drawing closer to his side.Â
You glanced in the direction heâd been staring all so intently at earlier, but there was nothing there; only a lone rock resting amidst the semi-grassy pavement.Â
He wasnât just looking off into space, was heâŠ?Â
Then, your gaze returned to himâ to the trickle of red dripping from his nose.
A beat passed before you spoke again in a slightly hesitant manner. âHenryâŠ? You're bleeding.â
Right, heâd forgotten about that.Â
Wiping the blood off his nose with the back of his sleeve, he turned to face you, innocently brushing off your concerns. âNothing.â He said, placing his hands on your shoulders as he steered you away from the scene. âI could ask you the same. What are you doing here?â
âJust came here to give you these,â you said as you held the box youâd brought out towards him before continuing, âand to see if you were okay.âÂ
And to make sure that you arenât actually cursing people in their sleepâŠ
Which, for some reason, you imagined the involvement of a voodoo doll of sorts. But, of course, you didnât mention that. Still, you were slightly suspicious of how he had just been staring at literal space.Â
No weird-looking dolls in sight, however.
A faint wave of relief washed over youâ your friend certainly wasnât off cursing anyone in his near vicinity, that's for sure.
He glanced down, a look of puzzlement crossing his face.Â
You came all this way just to give him food? They did smell delicious thoughâŠ
âI hope you feel better soon.â You'd beamed before turning back away, casting a quizzical look at the rock on the ground before you made to leave.Â
Had there been something interesting about it? It looked like any ordinary rock to you, though.Â
You shook your head, chalking it up to another one of the many peculiarities that seemed to surround him.
âThanks.â He smiled, accepting the gift and breathing a little easier as he watched you leave with a parting wave. His fingers curled around the edges of the box, flexing in contemplation as he flipped a thought in his mind like one would a prized shined quarterâ would it hurt, for someone else to know?Â
No. It'd probably scare you away. It was best that it be kept a secret. He didnât want you to know about his powers.Â
Not yet, anyway.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
With practice, his abilities eventually grew stronger.Â
And while his results werenât perfect, Henry had managed to gain some control and understanding over them with his repeated efforts. Extending his senses, he attempted to gauge the effective radius of his powers. Then, heâd moved on to bigger feats, testing his range on larger rocks and smaller creatures.
He'd levitated a heavy rock from a distance away, watching as it spun⊠and spun⊠and spun, the sound of faint droning filling his ears. He felt something strange creep up over him as he slowly fell into the trance-like state heâd oftentimes find himself lapsing into. An odd feeling that made itself known every once in a while.Â
He knew not what it was, only that it felt like a thin veil whenever it surfaced within him, falling gently over his mind. Curious, heâd tried reaching out to it, soon realizing that while it was susceptible to his nudging, it was ultimately unyielding in nature, refusing to break no matter how much he prodded and poked at it. Like spider-silk, he thought with fascination.
Just then, the bushes nearby rustled, alerting him that he wasnât alone.
His eyes immediately darted in the direction of the sound. Spotting movement, heâd sent the rock hurtling without a second thought, whistling sharply as it cut through the air. He hadnât been expecting anything, but the startled yelp that came soon after certainly did snap him out of the red-tinged haze that had settled over his mind. Something registered in him then that that hadnât been a wild rabbit, like heâd been expecting.Â
In fact, it sounded very human.Â
âAnd very much like you.Â
He paled, very much wanting to retake the second thought heâd disregarded earlier. And if his past deeds had been any proof of the casualties he was capable of causing, he hoped that he hadnât done too much harm.
Using his hand to part the bushes, he peered down at you from where youâd fallen onto the concrete, gingerly pressing your palm against the wound.
âOuch. Whereâd that big of a rock come from?â You grumbled, the projectile clattering a distance away.
He met your eyes as you retracted your gaze from it, a mumbled excuse escaping his lips. âMaybe one of the kids in the neighborhood was up to some mischief.â
Though, in hindsight, it was probably not the most convincing lie, considering how the Creelâs estate was secluded in its own little corner of the main street.
âHi.â You greeted him with a smile, though it came out as more of a grimace than your usual optimism.
Blood was starting to trickle from the wound, and it did look pretty gnarly when you'd gingerly lifted your hand up a smidge for a look. He'd gotten you goodâ a jarring gash between your neck and your clavicle.Â
âThat'd probably need stitches,â he thought.
Then again, what were you even doing here on a Saturday morning?Â
His eyes drifted slightly away from you to where a couple of books had fallen onto the pavement.Â
Ah. Heâd forgotten that he'd been the one who'd invited you here, the two of you having made plans at the start of the week to hang out at his place over the weekends.
âThat looks nasty.â He said as he pulled you up, holding you steady as you staggered. âCome on, we can get it cleaned up inside.â
Leading you inside, he sat you by the table before pulling out the emergency first-aid kit stashed beneath the sink.Â
âSorry, this'll sting.â He'd apologized, pressing balls of cotton to the wound to stem the bleeding.Â
He hadn't meant to, truly. While he hadn't lost control, it had been an instinctive reflex when he'd sent the projectile flying your way.
âNever knew younger kids were into slingshotting rocks these days.â You commented as he worked.Â
Surely the kids who lived in this neighborhood hadn't made a habit of randomly throwing rocks in the direction of every bush that so much as rustled in the wind? It was dangerous, for starters.
Henry made a sound of acknowledgment at that, but there was an inexplicable hint of regret that seemed to mar his features even though he supposedly had nothing to do with the incident.Â
He may not have said much, but you could tell that there was something else going on.
And as you watched him gingerly thread needle to skin, you wondered just where he'd picked up something like that. He seemed awfully used to the motions, and it wasn't exactly a common skillset for people your age to have.
âHow did you learn to do this?â You asked, gesturing to the bandages and the medical supplies laid out before you.
âMy father was in the military. He often came back with wounds that needed redressing, so heâd taught me how to.â He shrugged.
Henry said nothing of his fatherâs past actions. Of how he was capable of seeing more than he should. Know things that he shouldnât have known.Â
Peopleâs deepest, darkest secrets, he found, had been what enraptured him. It was as intriguing as it was profane to see the horrendous acts that some people had once committed in the past, only to hide them behind a perfectly crafted facade that they showed everyone.Â
Or maybe he just had a twisted sense of humor.
After putting the last stitch in and cutting the thread, he'd dressed it with a bandage before declaring with a smile, looking proud of his own handiwork. âAll good now. Though you should get it checked out at the hospital later, just in case.â
âThanks, Henry.â You thanked him, tilting your head in question as he got out of his seat, waving for you to follow him.
âCome on.â Heâd called out from somewhere above the stairs as he disappeared around a corner.
And follow him up the winding stairs, you did.
âThere isn't much here, but make yourself at home.âÂ
He'd brought you up to the one place he felt at peace, the attic, the main reason why he'd even invited you to his home in the first place. An offer that you'd been quick to accept despite his initial hesitations.Â
He knew that the spiders he'd kept as company weren't exactly everyone's cup of tea, so he hadnât been sure when heâd extended that particular invitation. But now that he was sitting on the floor and watching as you moved about his space with apparent glee, he was glad he did.
His eyes followed you as you wandered the small area he'd claimed as his own, something unreadable hidden in the shadows of his gaze.Â
He observed the way your fingers drifted over the small glass bottles heâd collected, once hidden under the wooden floorboards, in an almost reverent manner. The way your face lit up, as you carefully held one up to the light, watching the way the spiders within skittered in their small makeshift terrariums. You loved them too, he realized.
âCall it a hobby of mine.â He'd explained when you'd faced him with marvel in your eyes, asking about his collection of jarred specimens. Especially since the ones he'd kept were not the sort that people usually kept as pets. Black widows hardly made good pets, but somehow, he'd seemed to have made it work out in his case.Â
âLook at them go!â You gushed.Â
They were oddly docile as they crawled along his arm, their spindly legs waving as they scuttled atop the tip of his fingers, standing proud and tall.
âThey seem to like you an awful lot.â You observed. âMaybe because you're a lot like them.â
Something tickled at him then, an odd fuzzy feeling that he couldn't quite understand. Perhaps this was what people felt to be understood, he realized, even if just a little.
And as your eyes passed the many sketches he'd made of his spiders, you had a feeling that he didn't exactly go around showing these things to just anyone. Gradually, you realized that you'd reached a mutual understanding with Henry.Â
Or at least, youâd like to think so.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
Things changed a couple of months later when your continued presence beside Henry was noticed, and not in a good way.Â
Word about you hanging around the oddball had spread, and while you didnât quite care about what others had to say about you either way, the same couldnât be said about people who were unsettled by the rumors. A faction that had only rapidly increased in size over time. And in some sense, severity.Â
Things had only seemed to spiral, unbeknownst to you both.
Some students had uncovered what happened back in Henryâs old place of dwelling, drawing speculations about what happened, although no one truly knew for sure. Youâd overheard a few of those that had been circulating the school while youâd moved about the campus. And you had to admit that while some of the hypotheses were plausible, most of them were outright ridiculous with how far-fetched they sounded, even to your ears.
Some said that Henry had been a monster in human skin, while others claimed that heâd caused tragedies to befall those whoâd wronged him and his family, which only caused people to give him a wider berth. A witch, perhaps.
That had made you raise an eyebrow. Because, really? While odd, he wasnât exactly prone to getting a black cat as a pet, stirring potions in a pot while hexing the next person who so much as looked at him the wrong way. Although the thought that crossed your mind did make you chuckle.Â
Henry with a big floppy witch hat and an awfully sharp scowl on his face? Now, that was interesting. Maybe you should make him wear one during Halloween just for a good laugh.
But as uncaring as you were of the consequences that came to associating yourself with him, it eventually caught up to you one day, when you inevitably found yourself singled out and surrounded.Â
Thank god for Henry, for he'd happened to be in the area when that happened.
He'd spotted the little entourage surrounding you from across the field. He hadn't thought much of it at first, assuming that you'd just hit them up to extend an invite to another group hangout or something.Â
After all, hadn't you done the same to him back when he was still relatively new?Â
However, he soon noticed that something wasn't quite right when the group hadn't dispersed even after a while. He didn't like the way they were crowding you. And although their backs were to him, he could see the strained smile you wore.
He'd picked up the pace then, heading towards your location.
âHey, you alright?â He called out as he approached.
However, the little group that had gathered around you instantly scattered the moment he got within a meter's radius.Â
His brow furrowed. Odd.Â
They were actively avoiding him, giving him wary side eyes as he passed, almost as if afraid, and that usually meant one thing.
âHenry!â You'd exclaimed upon his arrival, your once-strained smile morphing into a genuine one, although it did little to hide your apparent unease.
Unease. With what? He'd never seen you so perturbed, until now.
âWhat did they want with you?â He questioned, eyes narrowing at the mark he'd noticed your arm now sported.Â
Looked an awful lot like a handprint, didn't it?
âJust a word of warning, nothing serious.â You replied.
He saw a flicker of guilt flash past your features before it was gone like the wind. That hadn't been the whole picture; he could tell. And you were being cagey about it, something you never really did. Those guys definitely hadn't been here just to have a conversation.
You looked around warily before bringing a hand up to whisper into his ear, changing the topic before he could pry further. âWord out there is that youâre cursed, you know. They think you cursed them, robbed them of their sleep. It's just an unproven theory, though.â
Heâd laughed at that, as if it were the most inane thing heâd heard all day. âCursed? Me?âÂ
But there was something in his laugh that seemed to have fallen flat; something knowing and resigned. Maybe⊠this hadnât been the first time something of a similar vein had happened.
With a wry shake of his head and a humorous quip, heâd instantly shot down your doubts. âNo, of course not. Iâm just a boy, not some eldritch being as people are so keen to label me as.â
Realization dawned upon you then, grimly setting into your features. âYou already know about the rumors, donât you?â
Heâd shared an equally resigned smile with you. It was something that he'd long been aware of, and he had his own way of dealing with unsavory parties.
âDid they do this then?â He'd reached for your arm, fingers brushing over the reddened skin that was starting to bruise from the force they'd used to grab you with, he assumed.Â
Such marks didn't belong on you.
There was a rueful look in his eye that was masking something unintelligible, something that you couldnât quite make out. A new untenable factor⊠that made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end when his movements against your arm finally paused.
The newfound glint in his eye as he looked up at you⊠It was unnatural. Uncanny.
Haunting.
Heâd uttered a question then, parsed kindly despite the coldness that seemed to undulate beneath it by a hairâs breadth. âDid you know them? âŠWho were they?â
His tone was laced ever so thinly with a sliver of ice, something that you hadnât quite known him to be capable of.Â
Since when⊠was your friend capable of harboring such darkness?
Something funny scratched at your brain. There was an unmistakable feeling of something foreign and different about him at this moment.Â
Why did Henry feel so far, even while he was so close at hand, standing merely within armâs reach?Â
Youâd shaken your head, adamant on keeping your silence. Perhaps youâd done it to protect him, but little did you know that it had only sent Henry on a mission.
The presence at the back of his mind rose then, roused by fear or conviction, he wasnât sure. But this time, he welcomed the fog that seemed to reach out to his consciousness, the tendrils of red death, as heâd come to know.
He'd hurt you once, though it had been largely due to an oversight on his part, but he wasn't about to sit by and let it happen again.Â
No, he'd smiled. Not under his watch. You wouldn't be harmed because of him, much less by fools who went after the people around him because of their own cowardice.
So the spider spun his webâ a tensile web so tightly woven that it snared anyone in its path with vindictive fervor.
Heâd gotten a close look at one of them as they fled and committed their face to memory. Finding them was going to be easy enough, he thinks. And like a gift from the heavens, the scales tipped in his favor mere hours later.Â
He'd found them loitering around the side of the field by the gym, alone. School was out, which meant that there wouldnât be anyone missing them anytime soon.
Bingo.
âHello.â He greeted them, facing them with a smile so disarming that theyâd started to second-guess their initial accusations against him. âDo you happen to know the way to the science room?â He'd asked, easily playing the part of an innocent new freshman.
All color seemed to drain out of their faces at his sudden appearance.Â
He'd heard it then. An exclamation hissed under a breath. âWhat's the monster doing here?â
A panicked whisper. âShh, he'll hear you.â
A fearful murmur. âDid you thinkâŠ. Did you think he heard us back there?â
It brought about a morbid sense of amusement within Henry when he realized that he barely had to do anything to invoke such a response in them.Â
Didn't even have to lift a finger. Yet.
He watched as they exchanged fleeting glances with each other, before their eyes landed back on him, guarded and wary. A shaky smile formed on one of their faces, but even Henry could tell that it was forced.Â
An act of futile bravery.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear. He supposed there was some truth to the saying, so often used.
âSo⊠rumor has it thatâŠâ His voice dropped, his tone falling flat as he spoke of their transgressions against you. Against him. All the baseless accusations that had built up over time, only to finally boil over in a cacophonic tide.
âWe meant no harm! It's just all in a bit of fun, really!â
His thoughts flashed back to the way he'd found you. The blooming bruise that stood starkly against your skinâ something that shouldn't have been there in the first place. Least of all, with him as the cause of it.
âFun?â He'd echoed, his tone passive as he stared them down.
The corners of his lips gently lifted as he quirked his head in a mocking manner. âWas it fun? Tormenting someone beneath you?â
âTell me, did you enjoy it?â
A minute distortion rippled through the air at the rise of his fingers. Hand outstretched, heâd sent them screaming, raising horrific visions in the day. He watched as they clawed at their eyes, moaning pathetically at his feet.
Satisfaction ebbed through his veins as he watched them writhe, trapped in their own personal hell.Â
Could he have done more? Certainly.Â
He'd thought about snapping their bones, bending them every which way in an act of vicious mutilation.Â
The presence in his mind wanted it, craved it, yearned for it. It itched at the back of his mind, insistent and hungry. An urge so tangible that it almost felt like his own, so much that it almost convinced him.Â
But that wasn't him.Â
Or was it?Â
No.Â
He curled his hand into a fist as he lowered it. This was a warning, a taste of his potential.
And then, he was gone.Â
Henry Creel had vanished the day after.
With not a word to be heard, and nowhere to be seen, it was almost as if heâd disappeared into thin air. But even with the subject at the heart of all the sprawling rumors gone, it didnât cease. People had stopped coming after you, sure, but you were no wiser than they were when it came to his whereabouts.Â
You did, however, notice a difference ever since Henryâs disappearance. The small group of upperclassmen that had approached you that day had started religiously avoiding you, even making a point to keep their heads down whenever you were around, whispering about something under their breath. The way they regarded you with wary eyes and an equal dose of nervousness told you that they were afraid.Â
But, why?
You furrowed your brow as you passed them, catching a few muffled words. Between the hushed, panicked, and fearful tones that brushed past your ears, you heard something⊠something that sounded oddly like a prayer.
Word of the incident that had taken place in the field that day spread through the town soon after, accompanied by news of the fact that no one had seen anything of the Creel boy ever since. Youâd only come to know of the bigger news when itâd gone on the news a couple of weeks later, one that overshadowed the entire fieldtime mishap that had transpired one dreary afternoon.Â
The TV screen crackled with static as the tabloid news headlines flashed before your astonished eyes, the audio drifting in and out in intermittent measures as the report was delivered live on air.Â
Victor Creel had been arrested for the first-degree murder of his family, only to be incarcerated in Pennhurst after the court had decreed him not guilty by reason of insanity. The feed then switched to the footage of workers boarding up the now abandoned Creel house, followed soon after by interviews of witnesses and âvictimsâ that had fallen prey to the âdemonâ that the patriarch had claimed to have brought this calamity upon his household.
Good riddance, some might have thought. Finally, an end to the madness.
But the âvictims,â the ones who'd cornered you, were hesitant in their testimonials. Almost as if they'd forgotten what had happened despite having lived through the ordeal.
Similarly, no one truly knew what had transpired in both cases.
And yet⊠not a word was spoken in farewell. He hadnât even bothered to say goodbye before he left. Then again, how could he when he had been hospitalized in a coma after the tragedy that had taken place?
Like the flickering embers of a dying fire, the rumors, as did the memory of him, faded into the background as the town gradually moved on. The âdemonâ had been put to rest, and the townsfolk were more than happy to put the harrowing series of incidents behind them, but you?
Your gaze shifted to the paper spider that sat by the windowsill, basking under the golden rays of the setting sun behind the protection of the clear glass panes.Â
Youâd brought it into the safety of your room after it had caught your attention one morning before the stirring gales could whisk it away, a tiny black shadow in the corner of your vision on an otherwise sunny day. An unexplained offering that had appeared shortly before his disappearance, crafted with handiwork that you distinctly recognizedâ Henryâs.Â
After all, who else was capable of such neatly pressed edges and clean-cut folds? A picture-perfect recreation of an arachnid. Small, unsuspecting, and⊠oddly enough, you had a feeling that whatever had gone down with the Creels on the day of the massacre wasn't entirely as the news had made it out to be.
Even so, you hoped Henry was alright, wherever he was now.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
Years later, in an establishment far outside of town. A man stood before the window, hand pressed against the glass as he stared out into the distance. He watched as the armored trucks pulled in for the day, and the people beneath busied about like ants.
He'd wondered often, during days when time seemed to stagnate. Whatever happened to that one friend of his in the past that he used to play with? The stupid little girl across the neighborhood who should have known better, who would never fail to greet him with infectious cheer and an equally stupid smile, took the time to listen to him speak, and while others called him names, she didn't look at him as if he was just that.
âA monster wearing the skin of a human.
And as if to add insult to the wound he never knew he had, the girl shared his fascination with spiders, something that would have deterred most. He hadn't thought much of it at first, but over time, he'd slowly come to realize that he'd missed it.Â
Perhaps his time apart from society had made him yearn for someone to talk to. Someone who wasnât a cold white plaster wall, or blinding ceiling lights. A piece of the past to cling to whenever his mind tired of the countless experiments the lab had subjected him to.Â
âPeter.â A stern voice sounded, snapping him out of his reverie.Â
He drew his eyes away from the bustling scene of men unloading cargo beneath the glass panels that separated them.
Martin Brenner.
A flicker of distaste rose up within him at the dictatorial tone that commanded his attention. One that he unfortunately answered to like a well-trained lapdog.Â
It had become second nature in his time here. Part of a survival instinct ingrained in him so deeply that it would take a lot, and then some more, to shake off.Â
Whatever crumb of nostalgia had surfaced within his eyes at the thought of the past, heâd made the conscious effort to quash before it could be seen. It wouldn't do to give the head scientist any more ammunition than he already had.
Henry had learnt his lessons in captivity, and heâd learnt them well. Enough to be kept openly on a leash. It was a short one, nonetheless, being forced to play the role of caretaker. But he would take anything after all heâd been through.Â
Anything to feel even the slightest bit human again, even if he now knew that he was not.Â
He was more. Far more.
And when he finally turned, eyes drawing up to meet the manâs sharp gaze, he was no more than Peter Ballard. Docile, meek, and perfectly ready to bend at the crook of the Doctorâs finger, lest he, too, meet the fate of being discarded, like many of his other âbrethrenâ.
A failed test subject, he was not. After all, he had the ink to prove it, didnât he? In big bold font, his skin marred eternally by the black numbers that bore his name to the world.Â
The cuff of his sleeve shifted as he clasped his hands behind his back, standing at attention under Dr. Brennerâs observant eyes.
The index case.
His first lesson after getting processed had been patience. Gone was the rashness alongside the young boy heâd once been.
He watched silently with an unreadable expression as the head scientist surveyed him, recognizing the calculating glint in the older man's eyes all too well.
Was he in trouble? Had he done something to garner his displeasure? Oh, no. He held the manâs gaze as it shifted towards his arm, to something⊠behind him?Â
He tensed, but his worries were soon put to rest as the older man plainly stated with a long-suffering sigh. âYouâre dripping blood everywhere, son.â
Drip. He felt the wet trail of blood sliding down the length of his arm, and the unmistakable feeling of wet fabric sticking to his skin. Sticky and uncomfortable.
How had he not realized it?Â
It was a troubling thought, but perhaps he had already gotten used to it, desensitized by his many years here. Long enough to see his attending doctorâs once full head of brown wash out into silver.
He felt as the doctorâs fingers curled around his lower arm, lifting it closer so that he could inspect the injury.Â
A wide gash had been opened down the side of his arm, but the sight of blood, so usual an occurrence, no longer fazed either of them.Â
Henry only tilted his head in a questioning manner, as if Dr. Brenner held the answers to his curious plight.Â
When had he sustained this injury? The last experimental âclassâ heâd been overseeing, perhaps?Â
He then watched as Brenner took the handkerchief he always carried around out of his breast pocket, as pristine and immaculate as the lab he worked out of, and pressed it against the open wound. And although he shook his head in exasperation, he didnât seem to mind the fact that Henry was bleeding all over the white cloth.
âGo get it checked out. It wouldnât do for the children to see their favorite caretaker all bloodied up now, would it?â He said. âWhat sort of example would that set, hm?â
His second lesson had been compliance, for he soon learnt that going along with the dear old doctorâs whims tended to make things go more smoothly. Though Henry's cooperation had not come easily in the early days, and he did love to make Brenner work for it.
Oh, the lengths to which this man had tried to win his trust back then. He missed it, even. Foolish as heâd been to listen to the words of a snake whoâd masked âambitionâ under the guise of âacceptanceâ. But he was young, impressionable, and⊠No. He promptly put a stop to that thought. Ruminating over the past wouldnât change anything.Â
He lifted his eyes from the red-stained cloth after pressing a firm hand against it to hold it in place. Brenner was still waiting for an answer.
âOf course, Papa.â He smiled. Even though stepping a foot into that accursed room was the last thing he wanted to do. But it would make things go much better if he did, wouldnât it?
Hence, he made his way to the Infirmary. A room he'd been acquainted with so familiarly that he could probably still locate it even in his sleep.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
Opening the door, he was greeted concurrently by a bright smile, a well-lit room, and an equally chipper greeting before heâd even gotten a foot in.Â
âHi! How can I help?â said a voice he didn't recognize. There was a short pause, followed by the faintest utterance of an âoh,â which Henry assumed was because the nurse on duty had finally caught sight of the bloody state of his arm.
He squinted his eyes slightly at the change in lighting.Â
This was new. When did the lab get a new nurse?
No matter. He did hope that the nurse wasnât squeamish, at least; it would make for a short tenure.
The nurseâs initial smile had slipped as her eyes lingered on his silhouette, but she quickly gathered herself, waving him in as she slipped on a new pair of nitrile gloves. âCome on then, have a seat. Letâs have a look at that, shall we?â
He cast a cursory glance at the newcomer in vague curiosity as he settled into the patient's chair.Â
A new face. How rare.Â
Dr. Brenner wasnât exactly known for his penchant for adding or approving new personnel into the lab, considering the high confidentiality and security that seemed to surround this place. Not to mention how off-record everything that went on here was. And, if anything, Henry had prided himself on knowing everyone on the rotations. Or at least, those on shift duty that he often interacted with.Â
One could never be too careful, and it was always better to keep a wary eye out.
Snip.
He watched as the scissors cut through the sleeve that had unfortunately adhered to the wound with a slight grimace, making a mental note that he'd need to put in a request for a new set to be provided after he was done here. He only had so many shirts he could go through, after all.
He then felt hands gently maneuver his arm as the nurse on duty got to work assessing his injury. His gaze fixated on the wound, now that he could actually take the time to see the damage that had been wrought on his flesh, its edges puckered and angry from how long he'd left it untended.
âGood that you came in when you did,â the nurse murmured as she disinfected the wound, âany longer, and it probably would've gotten infected.â
He made a non-committal sound in response.Â
If only, then perhaps he would have an excuse not to show up for duty. But knowing Dr. Brenner, he would never let something like that happen, much less to a prized specimen of his.
Henry's eyes flickered up, unblinking even as stitches were placed into his skin, suturing the wound shut with practiced ease. He watched as the nurse worked, his gaze lingering for a second more, even after the nurse drew away to set the soiled medical tools aside after the additional bandage was snipped, and the rest secured.
It was only when the nurse turned back to address him with a smile on her face did he finally look away, breaking the line of contact.Â
âNot the best work youâve seen, Iâm sure, but itâll function well enough. Keep it dry, and it should heal fine.â She said.
âNo, itâs quite alright.â He replied, getting off the chair heâd been perched on.
And as he left the room with a murmured word of thanks under his breath, a niggling feeling tickled at the back of his mind. There was something familiar about the nurse. Something he couldnât quite place.Â
SomethingâŠ
âHenâ Peter, wait!âÂ
He froze, the sharp call of his name instantly stopping him in his tracks and snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to face the nurse who had popped back out from behind the closed door with the customary smile he always wore. âYes?â
âUhâŠâ The way she had faltered hadnât gone unnoticed by him. He watched patiently as she seemed to fumble with her words for a moment before finally holding something out for him to take. âYou, uh⊠forgot your ID card.â
Had it fallen from its clasp on his belt loop?Â
He was slipping, he realized.
âOh. Sorry, I must have⊠dropped it earlier.â He apologized, confusion flashing across his features as he reached out for it.
He was certain that his ears weren't playing tricks on him, but the first syllable that had been uttered sounded an awful lot like his real name, hadnât it? One he hadnât heard in years.
He glanced down at the access card that he always carried around his person. âPeter Ballard,â his name, as was written, followed by his security access clearance, his position, and the bar code that denoted his identity, ending with his signature. Not a single mention of his original identity.
A puzzling thought crossed his mind.Â
Why did the nurse know his name? Most of the staff didnât know it, or were otherwise sworn to silence. But for someone new to know of it? Had she read his file?
No, that canât be right. Dr. Brenner had kept that firmly under lock and key, hidden somewhere well-guarded within his personal office alongside the other important documents that most didnât even know existed.
Which begged the question, who were you, really?
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
It didn't really click until he'd seen you again, in the rainbow room where he was almost always permanently situated. You'd walked in, dressed in all white, as per regulationâ a uniform much like his own.
His thoughts stilled as he met your eyes from his station, curiosity pooling within its depths. However, youâd frozen a few steps in, your hand still on the handle of the door, the moment youâd caught sight of him in the room. He could see the recognition in your eyes.
Well, well, weren't you the new nurse he'd seen the other day?Â
He watched as you took to position, falling in step with the children who swarmed around the apparent newcomer, greeting them warmly with a smile. The way youâd interacted with them told him that you werenât exactly a green hand in this field.
One of the kids had even laughed, sharing what seemed like an inner joke between you two. Something that had surprised even Henry, a constant in their lives. A small huff of laughter that spoke millions in a place where tension often ran high, and fights broke out more often than civil conversations.Â
You were a highly amiable individual then, he noted, waiting till the crowd of children slowly dispersed back to their little groups scattered around the room.Â
Then, keeping his eyes trained ahead, he started up a conversation with his shift partner for the day.
âSoâŠâ he started, ânot the new residential nurse, I take it?â
âNo, I was just standing in for the nurse who went on break.â
Ah. An orderly, then? Perhaps heâd seen you in passing?
There was an air of nervousness around you now that the two of you were left standing in a corner. Gone was the relaxed nature you had when interacting with the children in the room. You seemed almost⊠wary. On guard. About what, he couldn't tell.
âThat was some pretty neat stitchwork for someone who isnât one. Whoever taught you must've been good.â He mused.
âWhat can I say, I was inspired.â There was a slight wistfulness in the way you smiled as you gestured to his arm. âHowâs the wound?â
âAll healed up thanks to you. Are you sure you werenââ He'd started, only to be cut off by a startled yelp that instantly caught both of your attentions.
You both turned towards the source of the sound, alert, noticing that some of the children had gathered around a corner, huddled in a small circle. Oddly enough, they even seemed to be whispering amongst themselves.Â
Oh dear, the scientists hated it when the children congregated like that, didnât they?Â
Henry could already hear the telltale whirr of the camera as it picked up on the activity in the room.
âWhat's going on here?â He called out as the two of you approached the small group, raising a few heads in the process.
A few of the children parted from the close-knit circle, pointing at something, allowing the two of you to see what lay, or rather, stood, in the center.
A spider skittered atop a pile of building blocks, seemingly alarmed at the presence of the gaggle of children it had been surrounded by. It had its fangs raised, clearly feeling threatened by all the activity.
âFunny creature.â One of them had chirped.
âNever seen anything like that beforeâŠâ Came a whisper from the sidelines.
You blinked. Had these kids not seen a spider before? Then again, you supposed that made sense considering how sterile and clean the entire lab seemed to be. There hadnât been a single bug in sight despite how this building was situated in the middle of literal wilderness. Pest control must have made a killing here, now that you thought about it.
Another one of the older kids had a hand out, eyeing it in a less than inquisitive manner. Glancing between the childâs intent stare and the small critter, you drew the blanks together. It reminded you of the way people looked at specimens before they dissected them⊠Not a fun thought to have, especially when such cruelty was placed in conjunction with a child who looked no less than five.
The spider seemed to jerk in its spot, its legs skittering frantically as it spun on the spot. As if it had lost its own sense of gravity despite being on solid ground.
âOkay, letâs get the spider out of the way.â You stepped in then, moving in front of the child and blocking off their line of sight. You scooped it up without so much as a second thought, completely oblivious to the way Henry had taken to staring at you as if you'd just grown a second head at the action.
He'd only known one other person who hadn't seemed to fear or have an instant kill-on-sight switch installed in them upon spotting an eight-legged critter like that, venomous or otherwiseâ you.Â
However, he dismissed the thought before it could form.Â
That couldnât be right, and he knew it. Far be it from him to let his buried thoughts creep up on him like that. You were supposed to be miles away from the goings-on here, as far as he was concerned.
âSpider?â Echoed a child.
âWhatâs a spider?â Asked another.
You saw the owl-eyed looks they were giving it as you held it in your hand. Bringing it closer to them, but letting it remain a safe jumping distance away, you watched as some heads edged closer to get a curious look at the spindly creature sitting docilely within your palms.
Henry had recognized it for what it was easily enough. It was a widow; a northern black widow, judging from the two red spots on its underbelly.Â
Moving with familiarity, he raised a finger, bringing it close to your palm.
âHere, let me.â He said, watching as it instantly scuttled up the proffered limb as if it were the most natural thing in the world.Â
Something in him settled with a sigh as he took a moment to admire the little creature with the same reverence heâd once handled his own widows with. Itâd been a long time since he'd seen one, and perhaps heâd missed it, too, in a way.
He tilted his head when he noticed the way your eyes seemed to linger on him and the spider. The way your lips had parted, as if wanting to say something more, only for you to swallow the words that had been at the tip of your tongue at the last moment.
âStay with them. I'll handle it.â He reassured you, nodding towards the gathered crowd of curious children.
It wasn't till he stepped out of the room, leaving you to sate the children's piqued curiosities, that it'd hit himâ a rising suspicion he couldn't quite quash despite his best efforts.
What if you hadn't been as far removed from all of this as he'd initially been led to think?Â
The doctor had given him his word, back when he had yet to become âpapa,â that the friend he'd left behind was alive and well. And would continue to be, as long as he complied.
But Papa was known to speak in half-truths, wasn't he?Â
Walking down the corridor in search of the nearest window, a crease formed between his brows as he mulled over the possibility of it.
For starters, the new orderly had gone by a different name from yours, which clearly meant that despite whatever chord she seemed to strike in him, she was clearly of no relation to you. But those eyes that seemed to see through him spoke of a different tune.Â
Unless⊠Had they crafted a new identity for you, as they did for him? Turned you into yet another orderly that no one thought to give a second glance to?
No, but even then⊠the two of you had different depositions. The orderly carried herself differently from the you in his memories, faded as they were; the grim set to her jaw, when she thought no one was looking, a far cry from his ever-spirited companion.
Henry lifted the window pane, watching as the black widow crawled off his finger, retreating back into the safety of the overhanging canopy.
But even so, he couldn't discredit the odd manner in which you'd regarded him, the momentary slip-up, and the spider⊠which he'd just released back into the wild. His lips thinned into a frown as the pieces started to form.
Clouded with uncertainty, he'd decided to bid his time then. And, once he was sure, he'd make his approach.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
If only he could peer into that little head of yours, then perhaps it would make things easier. It would be over in the snap of a finger. A peek into your mind, and all the information he needed would be within his grasp.Â
Things were never that easy for him, unfortunately.
So, Henry, ever-patient, had taken to observing you whenever you were slated for duty in the same shift as him, something that he was sure Dr. Brenner had a hand in. He was almost certain that the old fox had pulled some strings, for you'd been making an appearance around him more often than not, despite the highly regulated scheduling the place was run on.
Few things happened here by chance, and even fewer things were left to coincidence. That being said, he didn't like how the doctor seemed to be toying with him, leaving him to wait and ponder when the other shoe would drop.Â
He'd notice your gaze on him when you thought he wasn't looking. But Henry was observant. Of course, he was. He was watching you, wasn't he?
It'd happen every once in a while, where he'd tilt his head in question with a helpless smile on his face in response. To which you'd quickly avert your eyes, embarrassed at having been caught; the way your cheeks coloured prettily at being caught red-handed never failing to elicit a chuckle from him.Â
And as Henry stood, collecting all the pieces of the puzzle and slowly drawing the lines to his own conclusions, it all seemed to lead to the same answer. The similarities that had overlapped with his findings were hard to ignore, but denial was man's greatest foe, and just this once, he turned the other way.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
It wasn't until you got into an altercation with one of the kids that he'd finally seen the truth.Â
You'd been flung into a wall, hard, and heâd been there to witness it all go down. He watched with mute horror as you were sent careening into a wall of solid concrete with a pained yelp.
It had spurred him to action, moving swiftly to restrain the child that had lashed out in a fit of⊠What had it been again? Rage? Annoyance? Pain? He didnât know. But it didnât matter as he quickly crossed the distance between him and the child in long strides to immobilize them, arms winding around the failing limbs that reached out for him with vicious intent.
Distance that youâd created by putting yourself in the path of dangerâ by throwing yourself in front of him. An action that had caught him off-guard, if the minute flash of fear in your eyes hadnât.Â
He shouldâve shoved you out of the way. But the split-second heâd been distracted was all it took for the psychic force intended for him to slam into you as the childâs telekinetic powers took hold, reducing you into a little more than a puppet to their whims.
Stubborn, reckless, willful⊠Impulsive.Â
You had always been the impulsive one between the two of you, hadnât you? It was how youâd met.
He'd been hesitant, your name at the tip of his tongue.Â
No, it couldnât be⊠right?
Then, he'd caught sight of itâ a definite answer that he couldnât turn away from, as you lay crumpled on the ground, either unconscious or winded from the impact. A thin silvery thing that peeked out of your collar almost mockingly at him.Â
The recognition that flashed in his eyes was instantaneous. And just like that, whatever hesitation he had shattered like fractured glass.Â
He knew it for what it was, for he'd wounded you once in that exact same spot. An injury that would scar.
How had he not seen it sooner?
Two things hit him at once. First, the horrifying thought of you actually being here in real flesh and blood, and not as a figment of his imagination. And second, the fact that you'd just impulsively thrown yourself before him without a second thought.Â
No one did that. Not here. Not anywhere. And most certainly, not for him.Â
It was an entirely foolish thing to do, and he would have laughed at that, had it not been for the fact that you probably hadn't known better.Â
The children here wouldn't be able to do anything that hadn't already been done to him, but you didn't know that, did you?
The lights overhead flickered as he glanced down at the struggling child within his grasp, powerless and unarmed. No hands, no psychic waving about, no power.Â
He didnât like doing this, knowing what lay in wait for them once Dr. Brenner came striding through the doors, but for once, he thinks it deserved.Â
âEnough.â He hissed, tightening his hold around the childâs smaller frame. âStop this foolishness before more damage is done.â
He knew that it would be soon, as the doctor always made a personal appearance whenever things went awry. And, just like clockwork, the doors swung open moments later, but it wasn't the doctor like he'd been expecting. Instead, two orderlies walked in.Â
They were armed, he noted, spotting the sheathed shock batons hanging from their belts as they approached.
âWe'll take it from here. Dr. Brenner's orders.â One of the orderlies said, signaling for him to let go of his charge, which he instantly acquiesced to.
âDo you need a medic?â The other orderly inquired upon spotting you a distance away.
Henry followed his gaze to where you were currently half-standing and half-leaning against the wall you'd been flung into earlier, somewhere between picking yourself up and slumping back down.
âNo, I'll handle it.â He said, watching as the other orderly nodded before leaving the room after they'd finished assessing the damage caused by the little incident, scribbling notes in a notepad as they went.
The moment the doors swung shut with finality was the moment he'd immediately turned on his heel, his attention zeroing in on you.
You were conscious then. Good, he wanted answers.
âč âââ â„ âââ âč
Henry had brought you to the infirmary despite your insistence that you were fine. An argument that was instantly shot down the moment he'd caught you as you nearly toppled back down moments after assuring him otherwise.
âI can have myself checked out.â You pointed out.
âSit.â Was all heâd said, placing his hands on your shoulders as he firmly seated you down.
âIâm fine, Peter. Just a bump is all.â You sighed, but it was clear that he wasnât taking ânoâ for an answer with the way the pressure on your shoulder increased.
The nurse was out again, so here you sat, perched atop a stool as he gently felt around your head, feeling out any bumps you might have sustained from the fall.
And as his fingers roamed with purpose, he wondered if his first meeting with you here, when heâd been sent to the infirmary to get his wound checked, had been staged.Â
Had it just been a play of power to show him that they had another pawn to hold over his head? To let him know that his disobedience had a price, even though he already knew that better than most?Â
The doctor would have known who you were, no doubt, given that he'd asked about you once in his youth. And if anything, he knew Dr. Brenner was thorough in everything he did. He would've dug up every bit of information he could find on you. Plus, he had eyes everywhere in the lab, knew the rotations in and out, and all personnel like the back of his hand. The lab was his playhouse, and you, unfortunately, were stuck in it, just like he was.
âYou got off easy, from the looks of it. Just a nasty bruise or three.â He concluded after a while, but his hands remained as his attention shifted.
His fingers moved lower, resting on the back of your neck as his thumb brushed against the scar, raising goosebumps along your skin. It had healed well over time, he noted, leaving only a faint and slightly raised mark to show the wound that had once been there.
âSoâŠâ He started, noticing the way youâd instinctively stiffened at the gesture.
You were just about to jerk yourself away from his hold when the firm mention of your name stopped you in your tracks. You froze as icy blue eyes locked firmly onto yours.
âWere you ever going to tell me, or was I supposed to figure it out myself?â His voice was quiet, almost level in intonation, but you could tell from the way his fingers pressed down that he was anything but.
You swallowed thickly, casting your gaze to the ground. Towards his meticulously shined shoes. Immaculate, like the rest of him. Just like Dr. Brennerâs had been. You could see where he picked that up from.
âWhat good would it do?â
What good would it have done, indeed.
âI could've prevented the entire incident from happening.â His words were bitter, angry. Both at you, and himself.
Nothing. There was nothing he could have done if he were being truthful with himself.
âFlinging yourself in front of me? What sort of self-sacrificial idiot does that?â He hissed, eyes narrowing as his frustration was delivered in a single snipping comment.
You, apparently. Because youâd finally found him after years of searching in vain. Because of a hope youâd been too stubborn to let go of.
âAnd what? Did you have a better solution?â You'd challenged him, eyes glinting with the same stubbornness he'd missed.Â
Except, he couldn't find it in himself to appreciate it now, with the current circumstances.
âYou're as helpless as I am here, Henry. Admit it.â You jabbed a finger at him in accusation.
He scowled. You were right, and he knew it just as well. But unbeknownst to you, he was planting seeds. Seeds that would one day sprout, and hopefully, something would come out of his efforts.
âI know what you did to those upperclassmen back then.â A moment of silence lapsed before you continued in a slightly rueful manner, âbut without your mind-bending abilities, you're just as human as I am, arenât you?â
Human? What normal person, pray tell, was able to read minds, warp perception, and bend reality to their will?
âAm I?â He scoffed.
âI've seen you levitate rocks, Henry. I'm not stupid. I know what I saw, even if Dr. Brenner hadnât told me about it when I ended up here."
He narrowed his eyes. You knew about his abilities? Though not entirely, it seemed. If youâd known what he was truly capable of, then perhaps you wouldnât have pulled the stunt that you did.Â
He knew the doctor was somehow involved in your involvement; he just didnât know the whys and the hows behind it all. And it appears that Dr. Brenner hadn't been entirely truthful with you, if he had even been at all about how he could snap necks with a mere twitch, rending limbs and flesh with a single focused thoughtâ violence, that came to him as simple and natural as breathing.Â
The anger of being kept in the dark flared through his veins as he entertained the thought of ripping the doctor to shreds, as always. But it faded soon after, for he knew that if it hadnât been for him, he would never have understood his capabilities as well as he did now. Then, it morphed into a slow ebb and flow of sadness when he knew that you were doomed to the same fate as him, stuck in this prison.
And as he mulled over his thoughts, unmoving, you took his silence as permission to continue.
"Why do you think I'm here, Henry?" Youâd laughed then, bitter in a way heâd never thought heâd ever come to associate with you.
"I knew you were out there somewhere, so I looked into it. The more I looked, the more questions arose, so I went around to your place to see if I could find anything that might have been left behind.â You shook your head as you continued, almost wry as you spoke. âSome agents caught me sneaking around the area a couple of years ago. I guess they had it under surveillance, which would make sense. Next thing I knew, theyâd knocked me out, and Iâd woken up in a room with a gun pointed at me.â
âThat's when I knew that I was in over my head, and whatever you were involved in was clearly not something I should've been poking my nose into. But by then, it was already too late.â
Youâd looked up at him then. âHe forced me to make a choice. I think you know the rest.âÂ
âBe a willing accomplice to the doctorâs sick little game or get your brains blown out?â Henry scoffed at how typical it was. It hadnât been the first time that Dr. Brenner had pulled something like that.Â
But why had you even been looking for him in the first place?
âSo here I am, playing nurse, orderly, whatever he wants me to be. And⊠it looks like I found you, after all.â
Youâd taken a deep breath then, shaken despite how the incident had transpired years ago. You thought that you'd have gotten over it by nowâ the results of your own actions. After all, hadnât you gotten what you wanted in the end? Just not in the way youâd imagined.
âA nurse?â Henry had laughed, a small mocking sound. He was almost hysterical at your luck. You'd been so, so lucky. And you didn't have a clue. âAnd what gave you the idea that I was still alive? I was told that I'd been proclaimed dead to the world.â
You'd pulled out a paper spider from one of your pockets then, wrinkled and creased from the many times you'd thumbed over its edges.
A piece of craftwork, and a reminder so foolish he could cry.
"All this over a spider?"
ââHe could've made you a test subject.â He said after a momentâs silence, almost as if afraid to broach the subject.
âAnd do you know what happens to test subjects that fail to adapt?â He continued, in a solemn tone that you'd never heard him take.
Henry had seen the adverse reactions some subjects had to the original experiments. And if the other conditions they had been put through hadn't killed you then, he was almost certain that the blood and the psychedelics would. His blood, otherworldly and corrosive as it flared through your veins, destroying you from within if the medicine hadn't driven you to insanity first.
And that had only been a fraction of what he knew of the experiments that truly went on in this institution. Who knew what else they had hidden down in the labyrinths of the lab?
Or, worse. He dreaded thinking of the possibility that they could have just as easily made him kill you in a test of his abilities, disguised as yet another experiment. He'd be none the wiser until he saw the body once itâd been wheeled out of the room. And by thenâŠ
âThey die a death so horrific that a gun would seem sweet in comparison." He whispered a truth so chilling that it sent a shiver right through you.
The way his voice had wavered struck something deep within you. The weight of your actions, so natural at the time, seemed to now weigh like a ton of bricks atop his conscience.Â
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have left you that little trinket. And although a part of him was dismayed that his suspicions had turned out to be true, a small part of him was happy you were here, twisted as it was, no matter how much he wished you weren't.Â
âReckless little fool.âÂ
You could feel the slight tremor of his hand as he pulled you closer, his words dripping with harsh disapproval. But you could tell that there was no real bite behind his bark. If anything, it'd come off as a little self-depreciating on his part, as if he'd blamed himself for letting this happen in the first place.
Even so, he could do with a familiar face in the spiral of madness. Or company, really. He did wish that times were as simple as it was back then, but now that you were both at the mercy of whatever the scientists in this lab had planned⊠Heâll just have to do his best to keep you out of harmâs way.
âWeâll have to get a handle on your recklessness, wonât we?â He said, drawing away soon after, but you could see the reluctance in his eyes, so you took his hand into yours, rubbing soothing circles into it.Â
His fingers curled around yours, reminiscent of the handshake youâd once exchanged. Except now, he wasnât in any hurry to let go. He wonders then, if both of you would ever be free of this forsaken place. But until then, at least you had each other.Â
And Henry? Oh, he wasn't letting go of you this time.
I know this is going to take a long time to complete, so feel free to completely ignore this ask if you want.
If you are up for it, would you be willing to write what happens after you and the ghoul you were with are found dead (or not dead for special cases) by the other people that went on the mission with you?
Whether you agree or decline, I just want to let you know that Starcrossed had me hooked and I really loved it!
Keep up the good work!
starcrossed pt. 2 ౚৠTokyo Debunker
SFW // Angst
content., shorter drabble stories, not as bloody as the previous story though mentions of decay + dead bodies, not as dark as the previous part, Towa doesnt gaf about Ren being dead, implied that Towa has romantic feelings for the reader in Renâs, Ren vomits in Haruâs, this isnât very detailed, not everyone gets found (towa, rui, ritsu), implied Lucas + Kaito death, Jiro injected w painkillers !!: READ THE COMMENT
also heads up; all the ghouls are dead even if they lingered on in life in the previous part, they unfortunately all ended up perishing.
a/n: Thank you so much for the support! Iâm glad you liked it!! ( ˶ËáËË” )
Part 2 to the previous angst story I did, here.
Jinâ
Tohma shuffles down the hall, two institute agents walking behind him with slow, hesitant steps. He steps over the numerous debris scattered on the floor, stopping at a white door, engraved with a gold trim. He jiggles the doorknob, struggling to open the jammed door before pushing it open with his body weight.
His eyes glaze over the roomâ a bedroom mostly untouched by the anomaliesâ attack, except for a knocked over vanity, shards of a mirror scattered over the floor. Tohmaâs eyes move to the bed, and his face falls.
Your body was curled up like a fetus on the bed next to Jinâs unmoving body. He approaches but is stopped by an agent.
âWeâll take it from here.â An agent moves towards the bed, stretching a pair of plastic gloves over their hand.
Tohma watches as the agents check for a pulse before pulling your dead body away from Jin, fitting you into a body bag and zipping it up.
âHas everyone been evacuated?â Tohma places a thumb under his chin, asking inquisitively.
An agent nods, the two beginning to help each other heave Jinâs heavy body towards the other body bag.
âThe rest of your colleagues were evacuated, if thatâs what you mean.â The agent stuffs Jinâs head into the body bag, unfazed by his corpse, âThe blonde boy and purple-eyed kid. Theyâre both on their way to Darkwick General with minimal injuries.â
âI see.â Tohma winces as he noticed how rough the agents handle Jinâs body, though he swallows his discomfort.
The bag is finally zipped up, both of the agents gripping either side of your body bag before lifting it onto a cart. They sigh before looking at each other with dread before struggling to lift up Jinâs body bag into the cart. They carefully drop the bag to the floor before slowly shimmying the bag onto the cart.
âIâd be a bit more careful.â Tohma narrows his eyes, âFuneral proceedings will be difficult if you continue to be so reckless.â
The agents nod and murmur in halfhearted agreement, making a show of just how gentle they are by adjusting
Tohma is left in charge of funeral proceedings, Darkwick donating just enough to the funeral funds to seem considerate, not that itâs needed.
Kaito and Luca are completely distraught when they learn what happened to you. Their best friend. Luca doesnât say it aloud, but he feels guilty for your death. If he had just been thereâ he could have taken the brunt of the attack, or at least help the two of you fight.
He forever curses himself for it as he watches your casket lower into the ground a cold week later, your grave right next to Jinâs. Lucaâs eyes flicker over to the freshly piled on dirt of Jinâs grave. Jin tried his best to protect you. Luca knows that. Jin would always try his best to protect you, in life and after death. He breathes out, his breath creating a warm cloud in the air as he drops a single white rose onto your casket, watching as dirt shovels atop of it, slowly concealing it until he canât see it no more.
Tohmaâs eye glints behind his monocle as he watches, arms crossed and stern. He doesnât allow the grief swallowing him while to show on his face. Ever.
Heâs been appointed captain of Frostheim now, and he never lets his emotions weigh him down now. Though, late at night, Tohma stares at Jinâs old piano, never having the heart to get rid of it after moving into the captainâs room.
Luca and Kaito can see something lying under Tohmaâs weak smile though. Theyâll exchange worried looks at each other, but will never bring it up to their captain. They understand after all, theyâre grieving too.
Tohmaâ
âN- N- Noo! What the fuck, man!!â Kaito screams, squeezing his eyes shut, toppling over and turning his face away from the anomaly as he launches an arrow towards it.
âYou hit it Kaito!â Lucas affirms, tightening his grip on his swords.
Kaito cranes his neck up towards the anomaly, watching as it writhes against the floor. Jin slams his foot into its back, before sinking his sword clean through its neck, the anomalyâs head toppling straight to the ground.
Kaito stammers, backing up as Jin comes up to him, kneeling down and scrunching up Kaitoâs collar with his fist, lifting him up like a mother cat carrying her young. He adjusts Kaito onto his feet properly.
âWeâre not done.â Jin says, the silence coming after his words radiating in the air for a moment.
Kaito and Luca already know what he wants.
âFind them.â
Luca nods, beckoning Kaito to follow him who is still stammering. Kaito quickly finds his step, hurrying after him as Jin watches on. He watches as the pair dip behind the corner of the hallway before starting the other way.
Jin had seen the two of you before you were forced to run off. Your shirt bloody, Tohma trying to hide his limp as he carried you off. Needless to say, Jin was worried.
He steps down the hall, steps something between a walk and light jog. His gaze catches on something at the end of the hall, a splintered, pushed in door. It certainly wasnât like that when the group came by earlier. Jin takes a step through the door, kicking wooden debris out his way before his eyes land on Tohmaâs bloodied back.
âTohma.â
Jin gets closer to the bed, slowly at first, before rushing over as panic sets in.
âShitââ
His fingers slowly land on Tohmaâs back, eyes flicking between the back of Tohmaâs head and towards your face. Jin knows what this is. Heâs seen it before. Slightly parted lips, jaw still slightly slack. And yet his breath still hitches in his throat as he expects your chest to rise and fall. He cranes his head down towards Tohma.
He knows itâll be the same. He takes a step back.
The thought of turning Tohmaâs face towards his own made him sick.
Jin doesnât move as he hears the sound of two pairs of shoes clacking against the floorboards, one uneven and heavy, the other more elegant. The steps grow more urgent before halting, just outside the threshold of the door.
âCapââ
Kaitoâs voice falls short, and Jin can only assume Kaitoâs seen past him towards your body limp on the bed. Luca pushes past the doorframe, eyes wide. He stops at the edge of the bed, pausing for a few moments before glancing back at Kaito, still standing in shock. Kaitoâs eyes begin to water before he squeezes them shut as tight as he can, stars pricking his lids before he turns on his heel, running off with heavy steps.
Lucaâs lip quivers. He feels the need to go after Kaito, butâ
He looks back towards you on the bed. Something about this moment feels too final. He feels something deep down, sick, disgusting. Luca finds a weird need to savor this moment. This is the closest youâd be to life, and he feels like leaving you, abandoning you, would be a crime.
âTheyâ They can stillââ He chokes out, and Luca is surprised how dry his voice comes out.
Jin, who had been silently mulling over something in his head, gripped the box of Dunhills in his pocket. He lit the cigarette, in an instant taking in an incredibly slow breath before exhaling.
âNo.â
Smoke blows out of Jinâs mouth and curls around his head, obscuring his face for just a moment from Luca.
The two stand in silence, neither moving. Jin takes another long draw from his cigarette, holding his breath for a moment this time, before exhaling a large pouf of smoke again. Luca grimaces, his head burning as the smell reaches his nostrils. He coughs, before turning away from the acrid smell, unable to bear it. Luca hobbles for the door, vision hazy, stopping with his hand against the frame. Was Jin even inhaling the smoke?
Not that it mattered, Luca supposed. His choice.
Though, maybe it was on purpose. Maybe Jin just didnât want Luca to see how Jin had to bite down on his bottom lip to stifle his cry. Maybe Jin wanted to blame his watery eyes on the smoke.
âŠ
Luca stepped out of the room, limping towards the direction Kaito had run off in.
Jin had always preferred solitude anyways. This feeling was nothing new for him.
Kaitoâ
Jin slams his sword down into the neck of the anomaly with pure brute force, blood splattering across his face and vest. He wipes his hands across his cheek, moving blood away from his mouth and spitting out a drop of blood. Luca slowly lowers his swords, watching as the anomalyâs body slowly disintegrated before returning them to his artifact chain.
â⊠Shit, whereâs y/n and that blonde shitstain?â Jin swivels his head towards Luca and Kaito.
Luca glances around for a moment before looking at Tohma for further guidance. Tohma takes a step towards Jin, adjusting his stained gloves and looking Jin in the eye.
âThey went East.â Tohma explains, âWeâll find them.â
Tohmaâs reassurance sounds mildly hollow though as the group begins walking in the East direction. Tohma leads them, moving branches and leaves out of the way before they stumble into a clearing. The tone instantly shifts as the group uncomfortably stares at your bodies, perfectly lit up by the moon.
âKaito!ââ Luca immediately cries out, running towards the two of you before heâs stopped.
Jin holds Luca back by the back of his collar, watching as Tohma reaches your bodies first before letting go. Luca watches from a distance as Tohma moves to the side of your body, respecting your right hand intertwined with Kaitoâs left. Tohma firmly places two fingers against your wrist before pressing them up into the crook of your jaw and neck, frowning.
Jin sighs, knowing exactly why Tohmaâs expression is so sour.
âContact Darkwick.â
âHuh?â Lucaâs eyes are wide, breath shaky.
It takes him a second to reach for his phone, his face stuck in the same expression as he calls their house advisor. Professor Danteâs stoic voice answers.
âHello, Errant.â He says, âAre you having issues on your mission?â
Luca doesnât answer, his throat too dry and full of shock to form words. Jin glanced at his face before reaching for the phone, easily snatching it from Lucaâs weak grasp.
âDante. We need reconnaissance.â Jinâs tone is gruff, âTwo bodies.â
Dante hums in response on the other side of the line, voice trailing off for a moment like heâs leaned away from the phone before he returns.
âAlright. Agents will be there in an hour.â
Jin hangs up before Dante gets the chance to, sliding Lucaâs phone back into his pocket for him.
All of Frostheim grieves your death, but thereâs no one who feels worse than Luca. Two more. Two more people he cared for and couldnât protect. Again. He feels like an empty husk walking to class, remembering how you and Kaito would walk by his side, Kaito complaining about how hard studying was as you both listened to him ramble. His eyes are glazed over, hardly full of life.
Everyday is the same cycle. Eat, school, train, sleep.
Again, and again. He does it again. Every time he goes to sleep itâs the same too. Walking into that clearing and seeing you and Kaito. Blaming him.
Jin and Tohma refuse to assign him to missions anymore. Too unstable.
The cycle will never be over for him. Nothing new will arise. Heâll always be stuck in this cycle of grief, wonât he?
Lucasâ
Kaitoâs grip on his bow slackens, hand shaking. It slips free, falling towards the floor before a clinging sound rings out and it returns to his Artifact chain. He slumps against the blood-splattered wall exhausted, before grumbling to himself and pushing on. He had to find you two first.
Kaito grins.
Damn, the two of you are gonna be so impressed when you find out he took out an anomaly all by himself.
He stumbles through the halls, hand pressed up against his stomach. He had gotten slammed against a wall, a large bruise flourishing across his skin, the aching feeling gnawing at his side.
âLuca!â Y/N!â Kaito calls out, before wincing.
He curses in annoyance. Whereâs Jin? Hell, heâd be grateful to see Tohma!
A loud crash echoes from somewhere else in the manor. Kaito freezes. Are there more anomalies? Heâs in no condition to fight, heâll get fucking massacred! Kaito tiptoes to the nearest pair of still-attached doors and pushes them open before quickly shutting them behind him. He sighs, before turning his eyes towards the room. Itâs sorta big, yeahâ lots of blood, but heâs desensitized to that by now. The only thing that matters is thereâs nothing dangerous. And, youâre in hereâ! Wait, holy shitâ
âY/N!â Kaito cries out, his voice faltering as he notices Lucaâs slumped over body.
âLuca⊠hey, man?â He tilts his head, slowing his pace.
A quiet, wet sound echoed from beneath Kaitoâs shoe. He glances down, lifting the sole up to see thick rivulets of dark, red blood trailing off. He stumbles back, a stain of blood in the shape of the soles of his shoe etched onto the floor.
âHey, heyâ! Shit, are you guys okay?â Kaito clambers down, grimacing as he tries to ignore the feeling of cold blood seeping through his clothes.
The lack of response hurts Kaitoâs ears as he reaches for his phone, dialing Jinâs number. The phone clicks as Jin picks up, but Kaito doesnât make a sound. Hell, it doesnât even register that Jin is speaking on the other side of the line.
âDead.â Kaito squeaks out after a moment.
Jin scoffs, voice going cold, âWhat are you talking about?â
Kaito doesnât answer. Jinâs voice is rising over the other side of the line, growing with anger then desperation. Kaito canât understand a word of what heâs saying. Jinâs words only come out through a muffled stream in his ears.
Beep.
His thumb hovers above where the âhang upâ button was just a moment ago, trembling before his phone slips towards the ground, crashing into the semidried puddle of blood.
Kaito gags, turning away to regain what was left of his composure. He groans, resting his head up against a wall, facing away from the two of you. His head is throbbing. Painfully, he feels like none of this is real. His body doesnât feel real, like this is a dream. Heâs far too detached from his own self, he canât feel his fingers, the palm of his hands, his core, everything feels like it's floating. The only sense of reality he has is the cool touch of the marble wall against his temple.
Kaito squeezes his eyes shut and curses, âFuck you, man. Said youâd protect me and y/n forever.â
He huffs one more moment before he loses control of his body, slowly touching the ground and passing out.
Alanâ
Leo is dragging his white sneakers against the school halls, a faint smear of blood dripping off the toe and smudging against the floor.
âDude.. you want me to carry you or somethinâ?â Sho cocks a brow at Leo, watching him drag himself down the hall.
âFuck you. Donât need it.â Leo scowls, more agitated than usual.
Sho shrugs, âOpportunityâs on the table.â
Leo doesnât answer, sliding a classroom door open and peeking his head in. The moon is bright enough to illuminate the whole room, though Leo doesnât see anything of note.
âThey just up and vanished when that thing attacked.â Leo crosses his arms, expression sour, âCap couldâve at least tried to fight it.â
âHe was more focused on keeping y/n alive, yâknow.â Sho frowns, âYou canât blame him.â
Leo ignores Sho. He understands Alanâs soft spot for you, but itâs so annoying. Watching him coddle you like some sort of precious baby. Alan doesnât say anything, but Leo can tell. Youâre always the one Alan runs to protect when missions get dangerous, first to receive first aid, first to be pulled from a fight, always the first.
Alan could have at least taken care of the anomaly before falling back with you. Leo could hardly see you during the fight but itâs not like you were half-dead.
He pulls open the classroom door at the end of the hall, stepping in before stopping. His eyes follow the blood trail leading straight to the pool of blood underneath your body. Leo can hear Shoâs breath go shaky behind him before Sho pushes past him towards you and Alan.
Sho crouches down, keeping his shoes just out of the crimson red puddle. His fingers gingerly move up to the side of Alanâs neck. He braces himself for the worst, still frowning when his fears are confirmed.
âDead.â
âSeriously!? Fucking hell..â Leo curses under his breath.
Leoâs face scrunches up in discomfort, his stomach queasy. Sho scratches the top of his head, standing back up and looking at Leo, feelings of dread setting in.
âUm.â
Leo blinks. He feels strangely uneasy. Gross. Gross, gross, for his thoughts. He stands still, his feet planted to the classroomâs floors, whispering as quietly as he can under his breath.
âHaxs.â
Leo holds his breath. Listening. Listening to see if your heartbeat will come back. Idiot. Did you really have to go die on him? Just because of his bratty thoughtsâ He didnât mean them. I was just annoyed. Upset. Please. You have to understand. You canât die thinking I hate you. It was just jokes. Please?
âLeo.â
Iâll scream if I have to! I know you can fucking hear me!
âLeo, câmon man.â
Everything was okay. Everything was fine. Why couldnât you just stay? Stop ignoring me. You know this shit pisses me off.
âLeo!â
Sho shakes Leo back and forth, âDude, we need to contact Darkwick, you got your phone?â
Leoâs eyes, wide and terrified, looked into Shoâs, his face scrunching up in resentment. Leo pushes Sho away, sending him back.
âNo.â
Sho scowls, âThis isnât something to be a brat about, Leo. Knock it off.â
His right eye twitches, his brow furrowing, âYou wanna contact the school responsible for their death?â
Sho doesnât answer, staring at Leo with a disapproving frown.
âNo, no, Iâm fucking out of this shit.â Leo yells, âThey donât give a damn about us! I fucking hate that place. We donât even get to leave, itâs sketchy as hell, the classesââ
Sho grabs Leoâs shoulders firmly, his grip lethal as he stares into Leoâs eyes with a look heâs never seen before.
âCall the fucking school.â
Leo grits his teeth, shoving his phone into Shoâs hands, âDo it yourself.â
Sho watches as Leo stomps into the hall, slamming the door behind him. He waits for a moment before looking down at the two of you. He scoffs, tears running down his face as he holds Leoâs phone. Fuck. Shouldâve gotten to you sooner.
âIâm sorry.â He whispers, âIâm sorry.â
He almost expects you to move, to say âitâs okayâ, but the room is completely still.
âThis schoolâs a bitch. Leoâs right. You guys donât deserve that.â
Sho looks down at the phone, lightly tapping the display with his thumb, Leoâs bright, electric wallpaper flashing onto the screen.
âItâs okay.â He whispers to himself, dialing Professor Danteâs number.
Across the door, just out of sight, Leo stands pressed up against the wall. He could hear Sho mumbling to himself in a low, trembling tone. He hates hearing people sound like this. Like a fork being scratched along metal. Grief. Despair. A pitiful tone. He hates it. More than anything else.
Leo grips his headphones, pulling them over his ear, the sound of Sho speaking to Professor Dante immediately dimming, before turning on his heel and walking off.
He doesnât know where heâs going. Where heâll end up. Whereâ
Leo looks around. How long has he been walking? Itâs like in an instant heâs ended up on the streets of the city.
His hands are stuffed into his coat pockets, face unreadable. A loud, heavy rhythmic sound leaks into his headphones, making him look around. Shinjuku. He has no clue how he managed to walk so far. Just off to his right is a club, colors so bright it illuminates the entire street. Ever since he got to Darkwick, heâs always⊠Leo pushes the door open, immediately suffocating among a large crowd of people. Itâs so loud, even without his stigmaâ even with his headphonesâ music doesnât stop playing. It feels almost like a heartbeat. Alive. Leo blinks. There. At the bar. He blinks again. Oh.
Someone with your face, smiling. Alive.
Leo maneuvers his way through the crowd, stopping behind the bar. Haxs.
The loud music is almost shattering his eardrums apart, but he doesnât careâ he pretends not to notice, flushes it out. Heâs listening to their heartbeat. Leo smirks.
âHe-ee-ey, mind if I bother you?â
Shoâ
Leo spits out a rivulet of thick, red blood onto the wet asphalt, stomping it in with the toe of his shoe.
âHey, cap.â He sighs, looking up at Alan, âYou got any medicine?â
Alan tosses a vial of anomalous medicine towards Leo, gold dust swirling inside. Leo pops the cap, watching as the little glimmers of dust breeze over his injuries. He lets out an exaggerated sigh of relief, throwing the bottle over his shoulder and ignoring the sound of the glass breaking into pieces.
Alan looks around the empty street, green and red light reflecting from the traffic lights onto the rain-soaked road. Leo catches his gaze.
âLooking for Sho?â
He nods in response, eyes flickering to an alleyway. Alan takes a step towards the dumpster like he can just sense the two of you are there. He stops short when he sees the two of you slumped over against the wall, frowning as he crouches down and checks for a pulse on your wrist,
Nothing.
Alanâs jaw immediately clenches down as he moves his fingers to Shoâs neck, concentrating hard. Itâs barely there, faint, but his heartbeat is still there, hardly clinging onto life. His eyes move down to Shoâs injuries as he reaches for his pocket for the last vial of anomalous medicine.
He stops.
Leo turns his head down to look at Alan, frustrated, âWell?â
â⊠That was the last vial we brought on the mission.â
Leo went silent, the weight of his mistake lingering heavy on his chest. He didnât think twice when he downed the vial. He grinded down on his teeth. How could he be so stupid? Of course youâd get hurt. Of course youâd drag Sho into it. But Leo canât fully find it in himself to blame you, no matter how hard he tries. He feels more at fault than anything.
Alan seems to sense Leoâs frustrations, rising and looking him in the eyes, unsure of how to comfort.
Alan pauses for a moment before nodding, âThereâs nothing we can do.â
Leo wants to lash out but he stays silent, hands at his side.
âDarkwick needs to be informed.â Alan turns on his phone, poking at the screen.
Leo watches Alan try to figure out his phone before grabbing it from his grip, âIâll do it.â
Leo feels numb as Professor Dante picks up the line, asking what the matter is at this late hour. He responds, voice monotone as Dante says thereâll be institute agents to help them sort everything out.
Vagastrom is never the same after that. Leo hardly talks to anyone, and when he does, heâs completely hostile. He doesnât poke his nose into Darkwickâs business anymore, unless it has to do with your case file. He stares down at the paper, looking at where your signature should be on the report. There isnât a second of the day where he doesnât feel guilt for that night, even if there was no way he could possibly have known to save that bottle.
Alan feels like a robot. Forcing himself out of bed to take the Vagastrom general students out for training. Forcing himself to go to class. Forcing himself to complete every mission Darkwick sends him on, but he always has one condition now.
Heâll only go on missions alone now. Says he works better alone. But we all know how much better he worked with the two of you.
Leoâ
Alan shoves Sho up the steps of the station, before launching himself for the top of the stairs as well. Behind them, the entrance of the subway warps, the stairs spreading across the walls and ceiling into a spiral before spreading out so thin itâs impossible to make anything out.
Sho looks around for a moment, rubbing his bruises and sore joints through the cloth of his shirt before frowning.
â.. Where are they?â
Alanâs head perks up as he surveys the pavement, looking for any sign of you or Leo before grimacing and pointing around at the local area.
âSearch for them.â
Alan and Sho pace around the subway entrance, calling out your name. Shoâs hand traces the brick wall of a building, peeking his head past the alleyway, and searching for any sign of the two of you. His eyes narrow when he catches sight of what looks like the top of your head, though he immediately feels his chest weigh down when he realizes itâs not youâ just some plastic bag caught on a pile of boxes.
.. Why do they even make plastic bags in that color? They should all just be clear, itâs so fucking annoying. Sho scowls, reconvening with Alan whoâs had no luck either.
âTheyâre probably still in the station.â Alan crosses his arms, face dark.
âWhy donât we call them!?â Sho exclaims.
âI tried.. it said âcall couldnât go throughâ or something.â
âWell obviously you didnât do it right!â Sho hisses, fumbling with his own phone and calling Leoâs number.
He stares down at his phone screen, staring at Leoâs contact image of him making that stupid face, sticking his tongue out and smiling at the camera.
âThe number youâve called cannot be reached.â
Sho throws his phone down and groans, swiveling on his heel and punching the nearest building.
âThereâs nothing we can do, the anomaly closed its domain.â Alanâs grip on his arms grows tighter as he clenches his jaw, âWeâll have to come back another time.â
âSeriously? Thatâs it!?â A vein pops out of Shoâs forehead, âThey were practically half-dead when we last saw them, theyâre not gonna be able to wait for us to come back.â
Alan sighs. He knows Sho is right, but thereâs nothing they can do. Even if they walked back into the station, itâd just be a normal train platform.
â.. Theyâll turn up eventually.â
Alan has to drag Sho back to the Galaxy Express, firm grip on Shoâs shirt. It doesnât matter though. Sho wonât ever forget about you two, even if he doesnât know if heâll ever get to see you again, he still searched for you everyday, lingering around the subway station hoping the anomaly will show up again.
But it never does. And neither do you and Leo.
Haruâ
Ren stares at the small âreadâ under his text message, frowning as he waits for a response from Haru heâll never get.
âStupid fuckinâ clown.â He scowls, âWants to meet up but wonât say where he is.â
Towa glares at Ren, though doesnât say anything as they continue walking through the woods, leaves crunching under their feet. Ren hastily ducks under one of the anomaliesâ strings, Towa following suit and wondering in his head if he should push Ren into the sharp thread. Probably not. Haru wouldnât be pleased.
âMan, weâve been looking around so long.â Ren crosses his arms.
Ren suddenly stumbles forward on an object, quickly catching his balance and looking down before crying out. He backs up, hand over his mouth as he takes in the sight of Haruâs upper body separated from the rest of him. Renâs eyes slowly trail down to the top of your head, slumped over.
He doubles over, turning around and gagging twice before he hacks out a puddle of vomit. Towa ignores Renâs groans, stepping past him and looking down at you and Haru.
Towa frowns at first. Then squeezes his eyes shut as he finally lets it sink in that youâre both gone. The people he had been closest to. The two of you had felt like parents to him. His throat whines for a moment before he breaks down, his knees hitting the ground as he sobs.
Ren turns back around to face Towa, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket before immediately regretting it and turning back around and shakily typing in Darkwickâs contact number into his phone.
The dial tone drones on before the sound of Professor Hyde cheerfully greeting Ren cuts through.
The line clicks dead, and Ren stares at his phone in disbelief for a moment before hastily calling Professor Hyde again. The ringing goes on, no one picking up, and Ren feels even more sick now. The sound of Towa sniffling fills his ears and he turns away from everything, squeezing his eyes shut and shoving his hands on the sides of his head and over his ears.
He just wants it to all stop.
Renâ
After the two of you had gone lost at sea, Towa and Haru had been whisked back to Darkwick by speedboat before they could search for the two of you. Although Towa isnât necessarily keen on finding Ren, he desperately wants to find you, and Haru shares his sentiment. Haru is going to Professor Hyde and the Chancellorâs office every day, begging them to check nearby islands, anything.
Darkwick eventually grees, although weirdly reluctantly, to send a reconnaissance squad out on a boat to the islands that surrounded your mission, Haru insisting on tagging along.
They donât find the two of you on the first day, though the institute agents that came along donât really seem to be giving it their all, heading back to Darkwick after just a day on the water, much to Haruâs dismay.
Haru pays no mind, deciding to take initiative, sneaking back onto the boat at night with Towa who tagged along as well, the two going out to search for you themselves.
Haru sighs as he marks off another island on the paper map in his hands, folding it up.
â⊠Thatâs all the islands in a 25 mile vicinity.â Haru grumbles, turning to Towa.
Towa frowns, look out towards the murky black ocean, stars twinkling in the sky above them. He perks up, pointing into the distance.
âWe havenât checked there.â
Haru unfolds the map, glancing from the paper back up towards the small island, âThatâs weird, itâs not marked on the map anywhere.â
Haru starts the engine of the boat back up, steering the boat towards the small chunk of land ahead. The boat comes to a slow brake as it gets close to the shore, Haru cutting the engine and swinging his legs into the shallow water and wading towards the sand. Towa follows, splashing water everywhere as he tries to run against the weight of the sea.
âThis islandâs pretty small, so we donât really need to split up this time, okay Towa?â Haru looks around the beach, his eye catching on something.
Towa nods, though Haru is already taking off, jogging towards a dark silhouette across the beach. Haruâs step slowly falls short as he catches sight of what he was looking at.
â⊠Uh.â Haru gulps, a bead of sweat dropping down his forehead.
âDandelion?â Towa calls out quietly, though your body doesnât move.
âI guess weâre supposed to.. we need to contact Darkwick.â Haru reaches for his phone in the pocket of his jumpsuit while Towa steps towards you.
Towa steps over Renâs dead body, leaning down to your face, âMaybe theyâre just sleeping. See? Their eyes are closed.â
âAh. Yeah.. um. Letâs take a step back Towa, okay?â Haru looks up at Towa, visibly uncomfortable as his phone dials.
Towa moves to side of your body, kneeling to sit down next to you. Towaâs eyes move to your chest, waiting for it to rise and fall like it should. The fabric on your chest shifted, didnât it? Maybe he just wants to believe it, but he can have hope, canât he? Towa slowly looks over the rest of your upper body, eyes trailing over down your arm and to your handâ holding Renâs.
Renâs fingers are stiffly wrapped around your hand, unmoving. Towa almost reaches out to rip your hand away from Renâs, before he stops himself.
âDonât bother them Towa.â Haru lowers his phone as he finishes his call to Darkwick, âCome here.â
Towa glances back at you for a second before scampering to Haruâs side.
âWe just have to wait for a squad to get here, you wanna wait on the boat?â Haru looks over at Towa.
He shakes his head in response, staring at you, âWanna stay.â
Haru nods, trying to turn his attention to something besides your dead body, looking up at the night sky. He squints his eyes, âHuh. Towa?â
âHm?â
âYouâre good with stars, right?.. What constellation is that?â
Towa leans his head back and looks up at the night sky, trying to find what Haru is talking about. All the stars heâs seen before are there, but something else is there. Just off to the side of the sky is a new arrangement of stars he hasnât seen before, brighter than any of the other constellations.
âMmm⊠I donât know!â
Haru crosses his arms, small smile on his face, âKinda looks like two towers, maybe.â
Towa shakes his head, whining, âNoo! Itâs two people! Look!â
Haru takes a closer look before nodding, âOh, yeah. Youâre right. Theyâre holding hands in the middle.â
Towa grins and nods, âDo you think theyâre in love?â
Haru pats Towa on the back, âYeah. Probably.â
Towaâ
Thereâs no come coming for you. No one that cares about you, or even cherishes you. Even if the two of you were able to cling onto life. Haru and Ren would have never come for you, as they had met the same fate as you, heads pounding in on themselves before bursting splatters of blood all throughout their room.
Darkwick didnât even consider sending in a reconnaissance squad to find your bodies, much to the outrage of your other friends at the academy, but even then, they understand why Darkwick never did. Multiple ghouls died. The entirety of Jabberwock was now empty, no one truly able to understand and care for the anomalous animals. All of the Jabberwock duties were dumped on Darkwickâs janitor, Elias Pratt, as well at the few volunteers who were willing to help out in the park in your memory. Though it doesnât take long for the entire house to become defunct, unable to support itself anymore with just one person watching over all the animals.
The park animals slowly get sold off to turn a profit, with the more powerful ones staying in Darkwickâs care.
You almost feel unrest from beyond the grave knowing you wonât ever receive a proper burial, as Darkwick refuses to send any more missions to the manor. Instead they sectioned off the area from the public and anyone that wanders in on the grounds with an electric fence and numerous warning signs, hoping no one else will go missing like you.
But Lucas and Kaito need to know what happened to you.
You were their best friend, the main component of your chaos trio. Lucas had always been one for following rules, but it feels like something is clawing at his throat. He needs to know if thereâs still a chance you could be alive.
So, the two decide to find out what happened that day, making their way past the electric fence by disabling it, past the signs warning caution, over the overgrowth of the forest, and right to the front of the manor you had your last mission.
The splendor of the house is uncharacteristic for its surroundings, but Lucas barely hesitates as he pushes the door open, sword drawn as Kaito cowers behind him.
Theyâre immediately greeted by a line of servants, bowing at their arrival. Thereâs something in the Head matronâs eye that unsettles Kaitoâ hunger.
Like she hasnât had a meal in years.
Taigaâ
â2:23 am, we are now making our way down the West hall of the auction house.â Ritsu speaks into his recorder, following behind Romeo.
âTurn that stupid shit off, for once.â Romeo grumbles.
Ritsu pays no mind to Romeoâs words, keeping his composure, âYou seem more agitated than usual, Vice-Captain.â
âFICO. Fee-â Romeo begins to sound it out for Ritsu before stopping, cursing, âFuck you, just forget it.â
The two walk down the hall in silence, their footsteps clacking softly against the polished floor. Ritsu kept his gaze forward, glancing at the back of Romeoâs head every so often, wondering what could have ticked him off so bad. As the two turned down the hallway, Ritsu spoke up.
âAre you perhaps upset because that gentleman smacked you with the stock of his rifle?â
Romeo swivels his head around, revealing a large red mark spanning across the midportion of his face, his brows furrowed against his eyes. He sputters for a moment, trying to think of a retort before huffing and turning back around. Ritsu frowns, thinking of a way to pull Romeo out of his mood.
âRest assured, your attackers have been taken care of.â Ritsu speeds up his stride a bit, moving closer to Romeo, âYour safety has also been secured.â
âI wouldâve preferred if they used the other end of the gun, but sure..â Romeo mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose.
âWhat was that, Vice-Captain?â
âHm? Nothing.â Romeo plasters a bittersweet smile over his face, before dropping it, âLetâs just find that BTH and Y/N.â
Ritsu nods, remembering their original mission. Romeo abruptly pauses, Ritsu bumping into him as a result.
âVice-Captain, I ask you toââ Ritsu steps to the side, moving past Romeo before stopping.
Ritsu stares at the floor, dragging his foot to look at the bottom of his shoe, a dark, dry smear following.
Blood.
His eyes widened, slowly following the trail of blood.
âThat BTH..â Romeo scoffs, âProbably killed every hooligan in this place.â
Ritsu frowns, moving carefully so as to not disturb the drying pool of blood spreading across the floor. He scrunches up his face, the metallic smell stinging his nose.
Ritsu pauses, stopping in front of a slightly cracked door, âIn here.â
Ritsu raises a hand up to the door, pushing it open softly. The door creaks as Ritsu steps into the room, Romeo following close behind. The two stand in the doorway, mouths agape at the sight. Romeo curses.
For a moment, Ritsu thinks that the walls and floors have been painted red, for they have been, just not with paint. His breathing goes shaky. How is this even possible?
Blood coats every possible surface, bodies slumped on top of each other like an animal massacred and stacked each of them.
âDid Mr. HoshibamiâŠ?â Ritsu struggles to string his words together properly.
âTaiga, youâŠâ Romeoâs attention seems directed towards not the corpses surrounding them, but instead the middle of the room.
Slumped right up against the wall. You and Taiga.
Ritsuâs hand twitches. Itâs not right to tamper with a crime scene, especially not one of this caliber, and yetâ he wants to grab you. Feel your pulse. Wipe the blood dripping out the side of your head. Try to resuscitate you. But he knows itâd be futile. That not even your fingers would twitch. Ritsuâs jaw clenches as a tear falls down his face, clapping a hand over his mouth.
Romeoâs face is hot, red if either of you would look at him. Ritsuâs sobs donât seem to register in Romeoâs ears as Romeo slowly drags his feet closer. Closer to you, and closer to Taiga.
The soles of his shoe cut through the blood-soaked floor, his steps sounding small splashes that cause blood to streak across the floor.
Ritsu watches as Romeo falls down to his knees, blood soaking through his pristine clothes. Romeo stays still for a moment before reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a handkerchief, dragging it across your face.
It doesnât do much, most of the blood already beginning to brown as it dries down to your skin. With a bit more persistent rubbing, Romeo tilts his head, more satisfied when he can see your expression better.
Itâs haunting.
He tucks the cloth in on itself, gently lifting your fingers out of your lap before placing the handkerchief in your hands. Romeo glances at Taigaâs face. Bloodsoaked. Slack jaw. A glint catches his eyeâ Taigaâs gun. It doesnât shine like it did before, like itâs lost the life it once had.
Itâs placed in his palm.
Romeo narrows his watering eyes, ignoring the burning feeling behind his sockets as he realizes what Taiga did, âIdiot.â
Romeoâ
âFuck you mean?!â Taiga angrily pushes the vase off Professor Hydeâs desk, broken porcelain scattering across the floor.
âWe tried, Mr. Hoshibami.â Professor Hyde sighs, his voice condescending despite his attempts to sound disappointed, âThe entire island was destroyed in the blast, as well as their bodies.â
The sound of Taigaâs gun clicking radiates throughout the room as he points it towards Professor Hyde, âYou did this shit on purpose.â
Hyde stares at Taiga, unwavering, shallow smile on his face, âI understand your anger, Mr. Hoshibami, I would never endanger my students.â
âTwenty-eight.â Taiga hisses.
âHm?â
âTwenty-eight distress calls, all within the span of 24 hours.â
âA shame, really.â Hyde frowns, though itâs not of grievance, but annoyance.
âThat anomaly was secured on the island by the institute 18 years ago.â Taiga continues, âAny attempts to exterminate it were only to be carried out by institute agents ordered by the Chancellor. You know that.â
âI donât appreciate what youâre insinuating, Mr. Hoshibami.â Hyde crosses his arms, âThe Chancellor had no issues in approving the mission.â
Bam.
Smoke drifts from the barrel of Taigaâs gun.
â... Donât do that again.â Hydeâs voice says through the smoke, completely unmasqueraded as hatred drips through his voice.
As it clears, Taiga frowns, Professor Hydeâs head moved just inches away from the bullet that had been shot straight into the wall. Taiga backs up, gun still in his hands as he slightly lowers it.
âFuck. You.â He hisses, âYou got what you wanted, didnât you?â
Hyde ignores him, âWeâll try to retrieve their ashes for an urn.â
Taiga turns on his heel, stalking off towards the door.
âThough, I suppose you wouldnât be able to tell if I gave you their ashes or a pile of campfire ash, would you?â
Taiga pauses, his finger twitching against the trigger of his gun, before he steps out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
âMr. Hoshibami!â Ritsu cries out, moving from where he had been leaning against the wall, âI heard a gunshot, are you alright?â
Taiga grumbles in response, walking past him.
âDid Professor Hyde say anything about y/n?â Ritsu picks up a faster pace to keep up with him, âOr the Vice-Captain.â
âShut the fuck up, Shinjo.â
Ritsu stutters, going silent when he sees the dark look in Taigaâs eyes.
âIâll handle it.â Taiga murmurs to himself, âThat dirtbag will learn what it means to get blown sky high.â
Ritsuâ
The sound of gravel rolls underneath Romeoâs feet as he stops at the entrance of an alleyway, gloved hand gently pressed against the brick and mortar.
âAhh.. you onto something, huh Lulu?â Taiga hums in Romeoâs ear, smiling.
Romeo harshly nudges Taiga with his elbow, turning back to look at him with a frown, âFound security footage of them around here.â
Taiga looks around the alley, unimpressed.
âThey just vanished.â Romeo huffs, scanning the alley.
Romeo had dragged Taiga along to Shibuya after you stopped answering his texts asking you to pick up newly launched beauty cream for himâ 100 SPF, by the way, totally revolutionaryâ not for the anxious feeling gnawing through his chest, telling him you needed help. Romeo crosses his arms, eyes narrowing as he tries to think.
Taiga grumbles, shopping bags rustling as he shifts his weight around, âTell me weâre going home soon, yeah? Even better, we could stop at that steak house I saw earlier. Fuuck. Iâm so hungry.
Romeo scoffs, stepping into the alleyway, âThat missionâ... Theyâ... They were supposed to be back a day ago.â
Taiga pauses, thinking for a moment before he realizes Romeoâs actually right, âHuh. Yeah.â
Taiga sets Romeoâs shopping bags on the pavement, one toppling over, a small crashing sound as the products fall onto one another, before following him into the alleyway. Romeo doesnât even bat an eye at the sound, kneeling down in a corner next to a dumpster.
âWhatâcha see, Lulu?â Taiga leans against the wall, looking down at him.
ââŠSomething.â
Romeo runs his fingers along a small, small dried splotch of oxidized blood. He narrows his eyes, standing back up.
âBlood.â Taiga says.
âMaybe. Yeah.â Romeo sighs, âBut, I bet you thereâs a million different stains in this alleyway that look like that.â
The exit door is pushed open, an employee dressed in black from head to toe with an apron and white face mask hauling a heavy trash bag. The two swivel their heads towards the employee walking through the door. The worker stops, staring at Romeo and Taiga, leachate leaking from a small hole in the bag and slowly dribbling down the alley towards them.
âUh, sorry.. We donât..â The employee glances at Taiga, âWe donât feed the homeless⊠company policy, sorry.â
Romeo clears his throat, ignoring the connotation.
âNo, weâre sorry.â Romeo stands up, his face and tone immediately softening, âWeâre looking for our friends, theyâ they were recently. Uh, greyish hair, blue-grey eyes.. About this tallââ
Romeo held his hand up in the air, wavering it a bit, âAnd he was with our friend as well, umââ
The employee's eyes widen in realization, âOh, yeah, I know who youâre talking about. Uh, that guy was like, a lawyer, or something. Yeah, yeah! Offered me his services. Those two stopped by on, like, a date or something and asked something about⊠uh⊠bugs? Yeah, something like that.â
The employee rambled, moving past the two and heaving the garbage bag into the dumpster, a loud metallic clanging sound echoing throughout the sludge.
âDo⊠you know where they went?â Romeo asked.
âThink they took the back exit, no clue.â The worker shrugged, slowly starting to retreat back into the restaurant.
Romeo nodded, watching as the employee disappeared behind the door before turning to Taiga, whose upper half had overturned into the dumpster. Romeo scrunches his face up as Taiga pulls himself back up, watery sauce and bits of food running down him.
âPlease, tell me you had a reason for doing that that doesnât include being hungry.â Romeo closes his eyes in disbelief and exhales, turning his head away.
Taiga wags his hand back and forth, a frown on his face, âRecognize this? Shinjoâs dumbass recorder, he takes everywhere.â
Romeoâs eyes widen as he jolts towards Taiga, âPlay it back!â
Taiga clicks âplayâ, the two standing in silence as static plays for a good minute.
âLoveâ Youââ
The two glance at each other, unsure expressions.
âSounds like the neophyte.â Romeo murmurs.
Seems like that's all that's left of him too.
Subaruâ
Haku yawns, shuffling his feet into slippers. Haku cranes his neck back, catching a glimpse of Alan sitting with his knee propped up against his chest, already fully awake.
âMorning, Mido.â Haku nods towards him, smiling, âYou wake up early, huh?â
Alan nods, quietly murmuring, âMm. Yeah.â
Haku responds with a quiet chuckle to ease the silence before sliding the door open and stepping out into the hall of the ryokan. Alan isnât exactly Hakuâs first choice for a roommate on a mission by any means, but heâd feel evil if he split you and Subaru up on a mission. Haku drags his feet down the hall slowly, rubbing his eyes, his stomach and mind set on breakfast. Subaru probably has a whole bunch of different tea leaves and hors d'oeuvres already set up in your room. Haku throws his head back and smiles, stopping in front of the sliding door leading to your room.
âHeeey, guys.â He calls out, âMind if I come in?â
He waits for a moment, tilting his head when he gets no response. What is that smell? Are you guys really still sleeping? Sure, you tend to wake up when you want, but Subaru tends to be up a bit earlier. Ohh. Late night maybe?
Haku snickers, turning on his heel as he shouts over his shoulder, âIâll be in the lobby, they got complimentary tea, yâknow.â
He begins walking back down the hall, humming minyo to himself quietly. This mission has felt more like vacation to him, zero leads on the anomaly so far, but getting to sit in the hot springs and spend late nights with Hotarubi has been fun. Haku moves over a board, distracted and momentarily tripping before he catches himself, âShiââ
âHaku!â
A tall, gangly pale figure floating behind Haku rises from beneath the floorboards, panic set in his face.
âOh, Zenji.â Haku exhales a sigh of relief, âScared me. Join me for tea?â
Zenji shook his head hastily, âNoâ No!! Hakuâ! Y/Nâ Subaruââ
Hakuâs easygoing smile begins to grow its doubts before melting into a frown, âWhatâs going on?â
Zenji flies through Hakuâs body, Haku running to keep up, slamming his slippers against the boards with urgency. Zenji phases through the door to your room, Haku hesitating for a moment, fear freezing him. Something in him doesnât want to see whatâs on the other side of the door. He already fears the worst. Haku bites down on his bottom lip, stifling any type of noise he could possibly make as he slides the door open.
Pure blood.
Everywhere.
The dark red seeps through the tatami, staining every possible surface, Haku can hardly make out the shape of your bodies through the mutilation. Zenji hovers just off to the side, their demeanor matching each otherâ bodies both frozen except for their trembling hands, eyes wide yet both looking at different things. Zenji refuses to look anywhere except for Hakuâs face, hoping to forget what heâs seen.
Haku takes a step forward.
âIââ His vision unfocuses, red bleeding through his cornea until itâs all he can make out.
Haku turns his head away and blinks, covering his mouth.
âWeâllâ Iâllâ Uh, call Darkwick. Andââ Haku sputters out from behind his palm, words muffled.
He trips over his own feet, tumbling towards the ground, a sharp pain shooting up through his knees as he throws his hands out to catch himself. Haku stares at a line of blood centered right in front of him, splattered across the floor, growing darker as it bled into the tatami.
Haku lifts himself back up, heaving himself through the door.
Death is a natural part of life, heâs always known that. Heâs put many spirits to rest, from children to the elderly, heâs seen death ever since he was a child working in his familyâs shrine. He always felt a little bit of pity whenever he looked into that casket, skin smoothed over, never moving even a centimeter. Tranquil. Quiet. Yeah. He had grown to find peace in that look though, that their spirits would move on and rest.
This. This is not that.
This isnât anything like that.
âThatâ Notââ Haku coughs, falling onto the wall.
Death isnât peace. Not for you at least. And certainly not for Haku.
Hakuâ
Subaru stares into your photo, your eyes, glossy and full of light completely disreflect his own. Itâs funny though, youâre the one whoâs dead, yet anyone looking at Subaru would likely assume the same. Heâs stiff. Face unmoving, eyes refusing to blink. The candlelight lit among a row of assorted flowers seems to refuse to light up Subaruâs face, like heâs just some sort of black hole.
Itâs been a week since the mission.
Zenji had begun to fade from Subaruâs vision as the days went on, slowly becoming quieter and quieter before he said a temporary goodbye to Subaru, and his hopes to meet again. Without Hakuâs spiritual presence, Subaru wasnât strong enough to keep his connection with Zenji despite their bond, leaving him completely alone. The only ghoul in Hotarubi. Subaru glances behind him, Zenjiâs doll standing in the doorway, casting a large shadow onto Subaruâs back.
âThereâs a large bowl of incense lit, you may not want to come in.â Subaruâs voice barely above a whisper, traveling like smoke.
The doll stays still.
Subaru forces a small smile onto his face, not reaching his tired eyes before he turns back to the photo, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a small wrinkled polaroid.
âY/n, here, you may want this tooâ in caseââ Subaru chokes on his words, a tear suddenly falling down his face.
He moves across the room, sobbing and letting out choked breaths as he tucks in a photo of you, Haku, Subaru, and a floating doll at the amusement park into the frame.
âIâm glad we went back there, evenâ hicââ Subaru wipes his face with his sleeve, skin burning from the friction of the fabric of his uniform, âEven after the mission, it wasââ
Subaru stops talking, burying his face into his hands with shame despite no one else in the room. He wails loudly, hunching over, âDonâtâ leaveâ me. Please.â
âI canâtâ I canâtâ lead Hotarubi on my own..â Subaruâs lip quivers, âJust donâtââ
His knees buckle beneath him as he curls up into a fetal position, shaking. A grotesque sight for no one except wandering spiritsâ seeing a pretty face in the public world contort into pain and rawness in private. Subaru wails, rocking himself back and forth as he speaks to himself.
âI canât doâ hicâ anything rightââ Subaru screams, âI canât protect the people in my House, I couldnât protect you, I canâtââ
His voice quiets down, âI canât do anything alone.â
He lays there for a minute. Thirty. An hour. He canât move, whispering over and over, hoping maybe you would hear and come back to wipe his tears, reassure him itâll be okay.
âI canât do this alone.â
Ruiâ
Lyca snarls, standing up from the chair, âWhatâs that mean?!â
Professor Moby shrinks back into the plush fabric of his desk chair almost immediately, sweat beading across his tentacles.
âI justâ I meanââ Moby whimpers, âWe canât recover the bodies.. Um.. per se.â
Ed stares at the wood of Professor Mobyâs desk, arms folded over his chest as he stays seated next to Lyca, letting his chair envelop him while Lyca shouts at Professor Moby. Thereâs not much of anything going on through his head, unusual to him, whereâs the quips of philosophy?
The centuries of years of this same thing happening to him, and yet.. Nothing. Every mortal dies, yes. Not every mortal lives a full life, also yes. But this feels.. Unreal. Preventable. Too soon. The span of time he had known you and Rui was simply a blip in his life. Like tripping over a shoelace or stubbing your toe. But this doesnât feel like something heâll forget in twenty minutes, maybe not even a decade, or centuryâ maybe not even when Darkwick has been burned to the ground, not when humans have been wiped out, maybe never.
Lycaâs hand flies out in a dramatic display, almost hitting Edward in the face, his shouting still raining on.
âWeâll be the only two people left in the dorm!--â Lyca barks, âWhy canât you go get them?! I donât wanna be stuck with this dumbass casanova!â
Lyca wags his hand towards Ed, pausing for a moment before he continues yelling. How annoying. The young. Never know anything, yet still keep talking.
âMr. Coltâ We canâtâ Theyâre not aliââ
Was this meeting even necessary? Ed already knew. That feeling of despair had caught up to him before any news, like every other time heâs predicted something.
⊠Can fate be changed?
âIâm sorry, weâll send a fruit assortment..â Professor Moby mumbles as Lyca finally grows tired of yelling, watching as he begins to turn for the exit.
Ed watches as Lyca pushes the office door open, closing it behind him.
âEhm.. anything else, Mr. Hart?â Moby asks, an undertone of worry for another yelling match.
Edward thinks for a moment about everything he could say, the ready recovery team Darkwick has but refuses to send, the reason Moby thought this mission would be safe enough, the glowing tree in the courtyard, the way Darkwick will burn down in a month, orâŠ
⊠Can fate be changed?
â... Mr. Colt doesnât particularly care much for fruit. Get him some chocolate.â
Lycaâ
Rui staples his phone in the crevice between his shoulder and ear, âYes, yesâ Weâll be home in like, 10! I justââ
He grunts, cursing under his breath as he attempts to shove leaves and branches out of his face with his other free hand.
âI just need to find doggo and y/n, yâknow how it is.â
Ed sighs on the other line, âKids..â
âDude, y/n is almost the same age as me, and Lyca is likeâ two years younger, or something, I dunno.â Rui grumbles, trying to navigate the dense forest to the best of his ability, âYâknow, it would be great if you could get off your ass and actually help on a mission.â
âJust keep walking, youâre in the right direction.â
Rui rolls his eyes, impervious to how Ed could possibly know what was right or wrong.
He continues pushing through the forest, blocking out the sound of Ed watching YouTube on the phone, the loud sound of chips crunching and assumably falling onto Edâs double chin. Rui groans as his path is blocked by a tangle of vines.
âShit, sorry, gotta go.â Rui hangs up, moving his phone into his coat pocket, while using the other to maneuver the vines out of the way.
Rui mumbles to himself out of annoyance as he untangles the mess for a good minute before stepping back. He strips off his gloves, complaining on how he didnât just do this sooner, pressing his hand up against the vines and watching as they curl up. Thereâs a low, writhing sound, like the plants are screaming as they begin to wither away. Rui slips his gloves right back on, stepping through into the clearing. Rui pauses, before rushing over to your body, realizing it is you. He crouches down, hands hovering over your body glancing at Lyca.
â... Doggâ Lyca?â Rui tilts his head, worry tensing up his face, âHey? Hey!â
Lycaâs body is completely unmoving, stiff, his eyes not reflecting any sort of light. Hollow and dark. Rui knows that look. Rui looks towards your handsâ Intertwined. Ruiâs eyes widen.
His hand twitches as he moves it just a tad bit closer towards Lycaâs wrist. Pulse? Should he check for a pulse, maybe? The idea is stupid in all honesty, Rui already knows there will be no thump of any kind. Maybe thatâs what makes him feel itâs alright.
He raises Lycaâs hand into his own, pressing his thumb gently onto Lycaâs wrist. Nothing. Maybe itâs just the glovesâ and the pulse could be a bit faint too! He slips off his glove, discarding it onto the grass and pressing his middle and pointer finger onto the pulse. Of course. Nothing. Lycaâs body doesnât even crumble a tiny bit. Itâs not warmâ though itâs not cold. Thereâs some remnant of heat.
Rui sighs and knocks his head back, staring up at the moon. Yeah, he had read the file. Something about snake venom. He narrows his eyes.
Rui looks back down between the two of you. Something in his demeanor has changed. Maybe itâs something in the air.
He reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone. The screen brightens as soon as he pulls it out, the time flashing across the screen, reminding him just how long the three of you had been out here. Fuck. He really should have checked in with you guys sooner. Things couldâve been different.
âIâm sorry you guââ Rui stares in shock at the drop of water on his screen.
Raining?
No, itâs a clear night. Oh. Rui wipes his eyes with his sleeve. He bites down on his bottom lip, the feeling completely numb as he dials Darkwick.
âMm!-- Professor Moby speaking!â
Professor Mobyâs voice crackles through the phone, his mouth full.
Ruiâs mouth, agape, doesnât make a sound despite being open. He stammers.
âWeâ Thereâsâ hicââ
âOhhhhhhh.â
The call goes silent for a moment, the sound of Moby shuffling something in his desk.
âYouâre in Habu Forest, no?â Moby waits for no response, âYour location is pretty deep. Can you try moving them closer to the edge?â
Rui stays still, dumbfounded at Mobyâs words, mouth struggling to come up with a response. He stares far off into the distance, past the trees, grass, and vines into nothingness.
âMr. Mizuki?â
âYeah.â
Click.
Professor Moby hangs up on him, eager to get Rui off the phone. Rui slowly lowers his hand, looking towards your corpses on the ground, unsure of how to move now. I guess⊠it might be a little harder to carry Lyca. So maybe he should get you out of the way first. He reaches for you, hesitating. This feels weird. Heâs going to touch you.
He clears his throat, trying to figure out how heâs going to move you. Rui grips your wrist, still for a moment, before screaming and recoiling, crawling back.
Holy shit. Youâre alive. You were alive. He watches in horror as your body begins to shrivel up. Normally, people would scream. But you donât even make a sound. You donât move. You just lay there as your body decays.
Why the fuck didnât I just grab my glovesâ
Rui sits there, eyes struck with grief and terror.
âI didnâtâ hicâ mean toââ
Rui hardly ever means to kill someone. He can hardly ever bring himself to, and yet this one time. This one time.
Yuriâ
!!tw: morphine injection/suicide!!
Jiroâs eyes, creased with exhaustion, can't focus. He canât make anything out as Professor Nicolas speaks to him.
â... Mr. Kirisaki? Can you hear me?â Professor Nicolas tilts his head, eyes glossy and soft, nothing like Jiroâs.
Jiro nods, â... I⊠Yes.â
He attempts to clear his throat, accidentally choking on his own saliva, pressing his fist up to his mouth as he hunched over. Professor Nicolas rests a hand on Jiroâs back, craning his head downwards.
âMr. Kirisaki? Are you alright?â Professor Nicolas furrows his brow.
Jiro nods, still coughing into his fist. He fumbles over his own feet, reaching out his other hand to stop himself from falling onto the professorâs desk. His vision is blurry stillâ eyes stinging, I canâtâ he canâtâ breathe. Episode. Is this another episode? Shit, shit, shitâ
âMr. Kirisaki!â Professor Nicolas looks around, starting to understand the problem, âYour medicineââ
Professor Nicolasâ eyes dart around the room, surely he had some on hand. He rushes over to the large, white apothecary cabinet, pulling open sleek, modern drawers. The chilled air hits him as soon as the doors open, Nicolas immediately reaching for different vials. Phytomenadione, Enoxaparin, Dalteparâ shit, wrong drawerâ
The sound of Jiroâs ragged, harsh coughs pour out into the room behind Nicolas, nonstop. Professor Nicolas furrows his brow, fumbling with the key ring clipped onto the inside of his lab coat. Large brass key, noâ thatâs for the general hospital, small silver key.. no, thatâs for the electricity room. Right, right. Nicolas picks out a medium-size key with a surprising bit of weight to it, clicking it into place in a smaller drawer.
There.
Among five other vials stored in the drawerâ Jiroâs medication. He picks it up, bringing the glass up to light. What the hell?
Nicolas swirls the vial around, watching in horror as the only drop slowly runs around the bottom of the glass. Was it not stored properly? He moves the bottle around, reading the FIFO date.
He had stored the bottle a year agoâ When it had first been formulated. It expired almost half a year ago.
Behind him, Jiroâs feet drag across the floor, stumbling before he lands against the apothecary cabinet with a thud. He shakily raises his hand, pointing at a bottle in the drawer Professor Nicolas had just opened. Professor Nicolas raises it up, reading the label and looking at Jiro, shaking his head.
âNoâ thisâ this is morphineââ
Jiroâs knees buckle, his body plummeting for the floor before he barely catches him. Jiro looks up at Professor Nicolas through his brow, nodding.
Professor Nicolas hesitates, staring at the bottle of morphine then back at Jiro, watching as his breath grows more shallow, more jagged. His breathing is painful and dry as he slowly extends his palm out. Nicolas squeezes his eyes shut, dropping the bottle into Jiroâs hand, before uncapping a syringe for him.
Jiro swipes at it, holding it as firmly as he can in his hand, slumping down next to the apothecary cabinet. He holds the handle of the syringe in his mouth, turning the vial upside down and drawing up the fluid through the needle. Jiro takes a deep breath, trying his hardest to stabilize his hand before pressing the needle through his skin, taking in a long breath as he injects it. Jiro exhales, his breathing growing shallower, yet more stable as he lets it overtake him.
Professor Nicolas takes a step back, covering his mouth with his hand.
âYou deserve privacy.â
Nicolas closes the office door behind him softly, locking it.
Jiro lays on the floor, blinking so slowly it feels like an hour. He doesnât mind. He knew he was going to die regardless. You twoâ you and Yuri. You were the only thing keeping him alive. Only people that would talk to him. Yuri. The only person that could administer his medication properly. Without you two, heâd be dead within a week. More painful. Mooree painful thaan this. I doonât feel too badd actually. Sluggish. Beeesstt Iâve felt with my condition.
He blinks. Slower and slower each time he does so.
Taro? Are you here with me now? I can see you. Maybe this is a dream though.
I donât get why youâre upset. Is Yuri with you? Is y/n? This is my own choice.
I donât want to live my whole life in pain. Just go. Iâll see you soon.
Jiroâ
Yuri stares up at his ceiling fan, eyes unfocused. 2 weeks. 2 weeks, 3 days since he first got the news. At first he screamed. Screamed at every single person who had any hand in the mission. Professor Nicolas, then the Chancellor, Romeo for some reason, and every Mortkranken student in a 6-foot radius that dared to even slip. But now. Now he was tired. Lead. Feels like lead has replaced every bone in his body. He canât move, open his mouth. Just breathe. Is he breathing? Oh, yeah. Good.
He blinks for the first time in two hours, his eyes sour and red for a moment, threatening to overflow with tears once again, but this time Yuri canât find the energy to sob anymore. A tear rolls down his cheek, rolling onto his pillow. How long has it been since heâs moved? Dunno. Whoâs keeping track of the weeks and days?
Yuri blinks again. Get up. And he melts further into the mattress. Get up. He thinks to himself as he turns his head to face the curtains that were pulled shut over each window.
âIII canât do anything..â He murmurs.
âIâm a fraud.â
He closes his eyes, thoughts flooding his mind. Shouldâve gone instead of being lazy. Thatâs what a real doctor would do. A real doctor wouldnât be scared. A real doctor would have risked their life for a patient, someone who trusted you with their life. A real doctor would have done what it takes. He turns his head to the other side.
You can only publish so many theses about anomalous medicine. You can only ignore your problems so much. It hurts now that youâre gone. Why would you leave me so soon? I still need help. I need my assistants. I need your smile. I need your stupid faces.
Thereâs a knock on his door. Yuri only partially opens his eyes, glancing towards the general direction of the door. No one speaks. Thereâs only a quiet shuffling noise before the footsteps disappear down the hall.
Idiot. Probably some imbecile that thinks heâs pathetic for walling himself up in his room. I understand. Iâm a coward.
Yuri rolls over, falling out of the bed. He lands with a thump, grunting. The pain resonates throughout his abdomen for a minute before he finds the urge to get up. Stupid door. Isnât there a Do Not Disturb sign up?
Yuri glances through the peephole for a moment, worrying about being seen before opening the door and staring out into the hallway. Itâs desolate. Quiet. Dark. He glances down. The tattered Do Not Disturb sign had fallen facedown, wrinkled, clearly stepped on. Yuri sighs, picking it up before he notices something. A small basket. He blinks.
Yuri drags it into his room slowly, not yet closing the door as he rummages through the contents. The first book of his favorite light novel series. Amedei chocolate. A classical music CD. He stares at the CD. He recognizes this song. The Blue Danube. His favorite. He and Jin had listened to it together quite often.
Yuri glances back out the door again, trying to catch anyone lingering in the hallway at this hour. He pops open the CD case, carefully handling the disc as he inserts it into the music player atop his desk.
Yuri pauses for a moment, just standing there as the first few notes play. He breathes the notes before humming along quietly, shutting the door. He crumples the paper Do Not Disturb sign, releasing it into the trash can before taking a seat at his desk chair, letting the music wash over him. He doesnât move, staying there for the whole night listening to the symphony.
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please come home my princess pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplsplsplsplsspslppslplplplsplsplpslpslspsplpslspsplspslpsllsplplsslpsplspsplsplsplsplpslpslpslpslpslpspspspsppspspspspspspspspspsppspspspspps pretty please with four anomalous cherries on top
since they're so important to his practice he takes surprisingly good care of them (the gloves are partially protective)
he has a surgeon's hands!! dexterous, precise, super steady
he has a KILLER writer's callus. also if you look closely there's an area on his purlicue that's a little tougher where he rests his scalpel
he has one pretty prominent scar from a slip-up with his scalpel when he was just starting out
his hands are warmer than you'd expect, and quite strong. if you actually get him to hold hands somehow it's a very nice experience
jiro..... jiro.... jiro's hands... i'm so normal about them
they're BIG and SPIDERY. ~23.6 cm/9.3 inches in length
his palms are pretty broad and his fingers are slender
they're thin! skin is practically stretched over his bones
there's prominent discolouration and mottling all over his skin. it stands out especially after he's been lying down/resting for a while (i imagine something like livor mortis kicks in)
mortkranken duo ofc both have surgeon's hands... strong, dexterous, etc
he and yuri have matching tougher patches from scalpel use
he's also got an impressive writer's callus
i think he at least moisturises but by nature his skin is really really dry. and quite rough, especially on his palms (please get some padding onto his chainsaw handle...)
GLACIAL in temperature. SO COLD. super strong and very secure but dear lord
hand headcanons for sinostra boys!! text + small elaborations written below incase anyone has trouble reading the og pics
i imagine taiga has pretty big hands...... 21 cm/8.3 inches from the tip of his middle finger to the first crease under his palm
they are veiny as well. and rough in texture. his fingers are pretty thick but average in length
he's got lots of small scars from knife nicks (don't play five finger fillet kids) + a couple big ones
there's a prominent callus on his trigger finger
i am forever a sun-coded taiga truther. he runs hot. like. almost unpleasantly so. he's great in the winter i guess??
and the prettiest hands award goes to exactly who we expected it to go to
average to long-ish hands... around 19.5 (7.7 inches) in length
flawless manicure ofc
basing this off a headcanon but at least to Me. romeo is a pretty seasoned seamster. he tries his darndest to avoid/hide them but there are needle pinprick scars scattered around his fingertips, and a subtle callus or two
literally GLACIAL in temperature. it's almost concerning. you should thank your lucky stars these hands belong to him of all people because having those on your neck unexpectedly? should be classified as a crime
i'm a baby(-ish) hands ritsu truther. they're around 16.5 cm/6.5 inches in length
fingers are on the shorter side + very delicate. honestly very pretty
they're quite warm and very soft to hold
he has a KILLER writer's callus. zero sensation in that area
doesn't do anything super extra in terms of hand care but the products he uses are very high quality and tearjerkingly expensive. the gloves also are also decently protective
vagastrom hand headcanons because by this point i have deluded myself into believing drawing hands is therapeutic
okay speaking personally. alan has the most beautiful hands out of the ghouls. you can see so much of his story etched into his skin
he has BIG HANDS!! ~22.5 cm/8.9 inches in length... they are veiny as well
very calloused... rough palms...
square fingers + wide palms
his knuckles are scarred pretty prominently! there are a couple smaller ones scattered across his hands
when he doesn't wear gloves a good amount of dirt gets caked around his nails from mechanic work
his skin is so dry please introduce him to moisturiser i'm begging
his hands are WARM. literally the best things in winter. use them as a heat pack. go wild
prettiest hands contender... again...
leo has PETITE BABY HANDS!! ~17 cm/6.7 inches in length
slender, delicate fingers... dexterous as well
he takes super good care of them i think
skin is silky soft smooth supple...
he has one (1) noticeable callus from supporting his damn phone
if you examine them super closely his fingertips are a little tougher from typing but it's like. barely there
his hands are so cold. assuming he's deemed you worthy of making physical contact with him you must protect your neck around him if you know what's good for you
sho also has wonderful hands
they're big and somewhat spidery... 21 cm/8.3 inches in length
i hc that he just has especially long pinkies (cooling sweat ssr card ahem). was just born with it
has a couple prominent veins
fingers are long and slender but strong
palms are rougher than average and quite calloused as well
he has a killer chef's/knife callus at the base of his index finger
there are also some subtle scars from cooking scattered around! oil splashes, stovetop burns, oven incidents...
his knuckles are scarred too!! not as much as alan's but they're there
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content., fluff, all the ghouls! Established relationship, gender neutral, post-darkwick, not proof-read, haru is in debt </3, yes Leo is still a bitch, Lyca is terrible with his money, reader lives w the ghouls, mentions of reader drinking alcohol in Ruiâs, Ed turns reader into a vampire, Taigaâs is lwk just a crackfic
The ghouls planning to propose to you and how they do so! might make a pt. 2 where itâs wedding planning + how the wedding goes?
Jinâ
- Jin has always given you little gifts, rings are no exception of course, so he needs to make sure the ring he proposes with exceeds all of them. Though itâs hard when heâs spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on jewelry for you alone.
- Gets it custom made, best quality metal, highest diamond clarity available. The center stone is surrounded by tinier diamonds, more diamonds, and more diamonds. Just the center stone has to be almost a million dollars, the entire thing is almost pure diamond.
- Keeps it in a cherry-red finished oak box, gives it to Tohma for safekeeping. Waiting for when the time is right.
- Decides youâll be picked up by helicopter one random Friday night. You have no clue where youâre going until youâve landed on some rooftop belonging to one of Jinâs vacation homes.
- Itâs not uncommon for him to randomly whisk you away on dates like this, so you donât suspect anything major at first. Just a⊠50-something food course. The dishes are small, probably some chefâs idea of artistic, though delicious. Might as well been the best thing youâve ever had.
- You were thinking heâd propose once the two of you finished your meal, though the two of you were soon ushered back into his helicopter back to Tokyo.
- Heâs the type of person whoâd prefer to propose in private, away from the annoyance of the world.
- Jin waits until the two of you are getting ready for bed, running his thumb over the ring box while he waits for you to get out of the bathroom.
- Stops you before you get into bed, getting on his knee and opening the ring box up to you, moonlight hitting the diamond just right and making it glitter.
ây/n.. I really do love and appreciate you. Everyoneâs always been a nuisance, but I actually enjoy being around you. Being with you. Will you marry me?â
- Gently slips the ring onto your finger when you say âyesâ, leaving a firm kiss on your hand.
Tohmaâ
- Heâs had a well-thought out elaborate plan for months now. Heâll take you out for lunch at a downtown bistro at 1pm sharp, art gallery by 3pm, dinner reservation at 5, and a late night walk to end things off.
- He would have done it sooner, really he wouldâve, though the restaurant he selected was booked out for six months. And yes, it has to be that restaurant. Tohmaâs selected each part of the night to be perfect.
- Comes along with you to a boutique a few days before where you pick out a dress for your date, smirking to himself the whole time while he thinks back to the ring hidden in his nightstand.
âWhat are you smiling about, Tohma?..â
âNothing, my dear.â
- Picks you up for lunch at exactly 1pm. The whole day goes according to plan, and you have a lot of fun! The two of you get out of dinner a bit late around 9..
- The two of you walk back home, air a bit chilly. Tohma puts his jacket around you, slowing to a stop when the two of you walk past the pier. When you turn around to question why heâs stopped walking, you see him on his knee, ring held out.
âMy dear, y/n, I love you, I have loved you since our school days, and I know I always will. I truly believe there will be no other person I will love like how I love you.â
âWill you marry me?â
- Helps you put on the ring, smiling as the two of you finish the rest of your walk home. He was confident youâd say âyesâ of course, his plan went off without a hitch.
Kaitoâ
- Takes Lucas with him to different jewelry stores, trying to get his opinion on a type of ring youâd like. Literally sends different pictures of rings, engagement ideas, wedding venues, everything.
â??⊠I canât speak for y/n, Kaito. You know them best.â
- Yeah, thanks for the help. -3-
- Eventually settles on a ring, he hopes youâll like. But thereâs still so much he needs to plan! How is he supposed to do this without any input!? Spends the late hours of the night scrolling his feed looking for engagement ideas, though he just gets the same stuff every time.
- Begs Lucas for help. Sends him on a mission to find out what your dream proposal would be. Absolutely disappointed when Lucas returns with zero information besides that youâd like something âromanticâ.
- What does that even mean!? Itâs an engagement proposal, itâs automatically romantic!
- Sighs as Lucas gives him the same advice of just âfollowing his heartâ. Cringe, man.
- Fine. Well.. taking you to France would be cool if he wasnât broke. Maybe he should just go the simple way. Dinner date and propose to you after! Right. He decides on that, blowing up Lucasâ phones talking about his plans.
- Sweating the entire time.
âWhyâre you so nervous, Kaito?â
âHuh!? Nervous!? Haha, Iâm not proposingââ
- You kind of know what to expect already when youâre digging into your dessert. You expected Kaito to fumble onto one knee, opening the ring box and holding it up to you as he stammers about how much loves you, but you feel yourself chew down on something hard and metal.
- Yes. Itâs the ring. He did the thing.
- Surprised when you say yes. I mean, heâs still used to getting rejected for everything, so wow!! Kaito is ecstatic! Always grabbing your hand to look at the ring on your finger, twisting it to admire the gem.
- Posts about it everyday for a week straight.
Lucasâ
- Poor boy is a bit nervous, but heâs trying his best to be confident in his choices! Heâs known you for a long time, and the two of you have been through so much together that he trusts himself to do something perfect for you.
- He wants to take you back to the UK, show you around his hometown, spend time with his family, and show you a memorable time. Lucaâs family loves you, and the two of you have gone on trips to visit them from time to time, so heâs sure you wonât mind.
- First-class! Only the best for you, of course. The two of you are staying a week in England. Luca takes you to different historical landmarks, bakeries, parks, every place youâve wanted to go to in the past but didnât have enough time to.
- Tells his family on the fourth day of your trip that heâs going to propose to you with a ring he had custom-made a few months ago. Gets hyped up by his mom.
âYou got this!!â
- His family leaves the manor to the two of you, leaving for the night to go to dinner themselves. All the overhead lights in the house have been turned off, halls illuminated by candlelight and the fireplace.
- The Errantâs private chef makes the two of you a delicious 5-course meal, ending off with a mini chocolate cake with a lil raspberry on top for both of you.
- Luca clears his throat nervously before you dig in, getting up from the table and running his fingers along the grain of the wood before he settles in front of you. He slowly gets down to one knee, taking the ringbox from his coat pocket and opening it.
ây/nâ Although, I am admittedly a bit nervous.. I do believe you are the one for me. Iâve never set aside time for love, and I know Iâm not going to appreciate it with anyone who isnât you. I love you.â
âWill you marry me?â
- Smiling, visibly nervous, though he immediately perks up when you say âyesâ, his whole face brightening. Kisses you as soon as he stands up, his hand resting on the side of your face.
Alanâ
- There are absolutely no dead giveaways. Like, it comes completely out of the blue, completely unexpected.
- Of course, Alan already knew that he wanted to marry you, he was just worried that maybe you wouldnât want to settle down with a guy like him. Though after how long the two of you have been together, how gentle and understanding you are with him, he knows he wouldnât want anyone else. If you say no.. thatâs.. okay. Itâs a risk heâs willing to take.
- Spends his time after work browsing jewelry stores, looking for a ring and often coming home a bit late. Finally, finds a ring he knows is perfect for you and he immediately places an order to get it in your size.
- Picks the ring up on his way home from work a few weeks later, tucking the velvet box into his back pocket as he looks for another gift to get you. Stops inside a flower shop, grabs a box of chocolates.. maybe a teddy bear? No.. kinda looks off.
- Gets lost trying to find you more stuff.
- Returns back home after midnight to you nervously pacing around the kitchen, waiting for him to come home.
âAh! Alanââ
- Tad bit confusing on why his arms are literally filled with a bouquet, three different boxes of chocolate, perfume, a stuffy blanket, and a Congratulations! card held between his teeth.
- You help move everything onto the kitchen counter, taking the card from his mouth and reading it.
âCongratulations..?â You murmur, â âCongratulations on your special occasion!â â
âI thought it was fitting.â
âFitting for whaââ
- Heâs dropped down to one knee, fumbling with the box and nearly dropping it. Proposes to you on the kitchen floor. Light smile on his face when you say yes, as though heâs not casually exploding inside.
Shoâ
- After Darkwick, the two of you begin settling down after Sho opens his restaurant. Youâre basically already like a married couple, you live together, split chores, split bills.. itâs just a matter of when and how Sho pops the question.
- Talks to his co-workers and Leo about it, just to get berated by Leo for a multitude of things. He shuts him up QUICK.
âIs that seriously how you want to spend your life?..â
âAre you going to spend the rest of your life filming thirst traps? Some of us want to settle down.â
- ok damn. sorry </3.
- Once youâre asleep, Sho stays up a bit later, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding the ring in his hand, looking at it from different angles while pondering things over in his head. He wants something meaningful.
- Sho was thinking about proposing in a restaurant, after all that is the standard, but he realizes heâd rather be the one to cook for you, after all thatâs how the two of you got so close.
- Takes the day off from work, spending the whole day cooking the two of you dinner and dessert. He surprises you when you come home, dinner already on the table as he takes off your coat.
âI thought you had work today, Sho?..â
âOh.. yeah.â
- Youâre confused on why Sho set up a candlelit dinner, though you donât openly question it.
- Asks you how you like the food, smiling when you answer. He waits until both of you have finished your meal before he gets up, slowly kneeling down in front of you while youâre seated and bringing the ring out.
âI hope this isnât too sudden.. but Iâve been thinking about it, and I love you y/n. I wanna get married, so⊠will you marry me?â
- Softly puts the ring on your finger, smiling after you say âyesâ and bringing out dessert. A square white cake with a sparkler on top.
Leoâ
- Absolutely playing with your mind leading up to it. Drops hints to it, letting you see his search his âhow to proposeâ while also typing in things like âwhat to do if my partner is annoying meâ
- Books a vacation for the two of you to an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas! You think heâs going to propose.. I mean he makes each night âmagically romanticâ though he never does.
- Leo likes messing with you, dropping down to one knee and shocking you for a moment before getting up and saying, âI was tying my shoe.â
- Youâre on edge the entire vacation, waiting every single day until youâre boarding the plan back home.
- Well, looks like heâs not going to propose.
- While youâre resting up from jet lag in your bedroom, Leo pops in pulling you out of bed and saying heâs got a reservation for a super popular restaurant only the ultra elite can get into. Somehow he can manage that with his TikTok following.
- Maybe heâs going to propose now..? Nope. You do get a delicious meal though, taking dessert home. Youâre stumbling into the kitchen with your takeout box before you trip over something, just able to stop yourself from falling.
- Somehow faux flowers had sprouted all across the house, candles magically lit.
âDid a fairy break in or something?â
âWell, I wouldnât call Sho a fairy.â
- You swivel around to see Leo holding a ring, the gemstone glinting off the candlelight. Obviously youâre going to say yes, thereâs no other option with Leo.
- Leo texts Sho later that night, while the two of you are in bed, thanking him for setting everything up.
Haruâ
- Marriage? Expensive! @-@
- I mean, this man is in deeep debt. Heâs still broke from his days at Darkwick, yet getting a ring on your finger is his number 1 priority. He knew from as soon as the two of you got together, heâd be getting married to you!
- Absolutely scrimping pennies to save up for the perfect ring. You deserve perfect, of course and heâs not going to make you settle for anything less.
- Bargains his way with every jeweler he meets, trying to strike up a good deal before encountering Romeo in a downtown bar. Great timing as Romeo had just happened to be selling off his old rings, expensive but Haru is able to get a good deal after lots of âYeah, but remember our school days! We were best buds!â and buying Romeo lots of drinks.
- Ring acquired!
- Comes up with a gameplan with Peekaboo, telling the critter to distract you on your way home from work so he can set everything up.
âGot the plan?â âBoo!â
- As soon as you walk through the door, thereâs flower petals everywhere, a âmarry meâ sign, yellow and orange bouquet of flowers, and, of course, the ring.
- Itâs beautiful, and unique in its own way, the diamond in the center a fiery orange.
âHow about an archway like this for the wedding?.. Hey, how many kids dâya want!?â
Renâ
- Decides to browse for rings online one day. Just for fun. No other reason.
- Physically recoils when he sees how expensive engagement rings are. Wtf?? Thatâs like months worth of pay? Who is actually going out of their way to spend money like that?
-He starts subconsciously saving his checks, cancelling his streaming service subscriptions, stops buying game currency and sticks to the cheapest ramen packet for each meal.
- Takes him a couple months, but as soon as he has the money, heâs setting something up. He scoffs at the idea of anything flashy, scrolling through Pinterest for an idea. Rose petals? Candles? Weekend getaways? Heâd rather die than do something like that.
- So itâs a little strange when he invites you to a week-long trip back to where he grew up, Shonan, Kanagawa.
- Insists itâs just to visit family and show you around, though youâre confused why he splurged on a private vacation rental home when you guys could have just stayed at his dadâs.
- Absolute nervous wreck the day of. Cooks dinner (!? Shocker!), sets the table, dims the light, lights a candle. Throws a few rose petals on the table before quickly wiping them off the table. Way too much.
- Insists throughout dinner that itâs not a special occasion, he just decided to cook dinner. Gosh, just get off his back!
- Face is completely red as he gets down on one knee after your meal, holding the ring up to you. And, wow. The ring is gorgeous and you can tell it cost a lot, the band an intricate woven design, tiny seashells alongside it with a large diamond in the middle.
âUhâ um.. I love you. Umm.. shit, I practiced this.. uh.â
- Too nervous to look you in the eye until you slip the ring onto your finger, gushing âyesâ.
âHuh? Râ Really? Pfft, yeahâ Yeah!â
like obviously youâre gonna say yes
- Acts like he wasnât worried at all, totally smug afterwards. The two of you spend that night cuddling and watching movies til you fall asleep.
Towaâ
- This is Towaâs specialty of course! Heâs the one true mastermind of love after all..
- He always proposed with these silly little makeshift rings out of string, flower stems, anything he can make fit around your finger. Though it doesnât get much of a reaction, Towa pouting as you dismissed it as a joke.
- So, he knows when he proposes to you, itâs gotta be big and unmistakably an actual proposal.
- No clue on how he got his hands on such an ornate ring, I mean, it looks expensive! Itâs a three-stone ring, two stunning opals surrounding a diamond, the gemstone of lovers of course!
- Asks Haru what the most romantic proposal would be.
âEhh.. I dunno. Everyone does it different, Towa.â
- Hmm, fine. Heâs not sure when the perfect moment will show up, and yes, it has to be perfect. So, he just keeps the ring in his pocket at all times.
- The moment isnât as grand as you would think. The two of you are walking home after a festival, fireworks shooting up into the sky. Itâs not really planned, but it does seem romantically spontaneous!
- You hardly even realize whatâs happening until Towa is on one knee, his hand propping open the white velvet box, ring shining in the moonlight.
âKsks, I love you, Dandelion! Letâs get married!â
- Squeezes you into a hug as soon as you say yes, peppering kisses allll over your face, almost dropping the ring in the process. Practically carries you all the way back home, gushing about how much he loves you.
Taigaâ
- Thereâs no planning, no indication, anything. The idea hits him through the skull like a dagger while heâs watching you saunter around. Heâs slinging his arm around you, bringing you in closer and musing.
âLetâs get married.â
- Youâre not sure what he has in mind, but heâs pushing you into an airplane seat later that night and staring out the city lights outside the window, picking at the crevice between his canine and molar with his pinky.
- Youâve landed in Las Vegas the next morning, Taiga sliding you his black card and grinning.
â24 hours, âkay? Wanna see what you come up with.â
- You have no idea where to start. Complete whiplash.
- Youâre stumbling down the street, panting as you enter a wedding boutique. It doesnât take long for you to find something you like, and even though you donât have the time to get anything customized to your size, it just so happens to fit you perfectly.
- Youâre literally running down the street in your new clothes, but passerbys donât even care. After all, it is Las Vegas.
- You stop into the first flower shop you see, a florist helping you customize a floral arrangement. You wouldnât really know what to do with a bouquet, but a pin seems to be.. the same. Thereâs pearl embellishments around the bud, and it looks just as well as anything else.
- As the sun starts to set, you stop on the edge of the curb, slumping down to sit, your legs and feet cramping like hell.
âFuck, Iâm hungry..â
- You look around at the options are you, deciding on what looks like a steakhouse in the distance and limping your way over to it. The restaurant is completely empty when you walk in, which is weird for a restaurant on the strip you think.
- You seat yourself, sighing as a waiter comes by with a tall glass of water and a menu, watching as you gulp it down in seconds.
âAah, hey kitty.â
- Your head instantly pops up, Taiga sitting across from you in the booth, plate of thinly sliced meat in front of him.
- He slides something else across the table. A ring-box. Inside is what looks like an extremely impulsive amount of money spent on a beautiful ring.
â⊠We can redo the wedding part. Think itâll be better if Lulu comes.â
- You look up at him for a moment before signing it and nodding. Although that wasnât your actual wedding.. think of it as a trial run.
Romeoâ
- He has the best possible taste. He knows exactly what type of ring would look perfect for, excellently complementing your features. He knows the most lavish possible venue, without it being tacky. Romeo knows exactly how he wants to propose.
- The ring is a rare collection piece he hassled collectorsâ and every connection he has in the industry to get it.
- He has everything planned for a month out, when Darkwick hosts an auction for its alumni. Romeo plans on having you accompany him to bid on a present for you and then dinner.
- The days leading up to it, Romeo comes home with gifts. Beauty products like lotions, expensive shampoos, and necklaces, pastries, new shoes and clothes.
- The auction starts on Friday, going on for a week. The auction building is massive with multiple restaurants, shops, arcades, karaoke bars.. it reminds you more of a tiny town.
- Romeo pulls you along to sit by him, watching your reaction to each thing pulled out.
âStarting bid!â 2 million yen for the golden egg!â
- Questionable how Darkwick is selling off anomalies to the elites, though itâs not really your place to comment. Nothing seems to catch your attention, though Romeo bids on an infinite briefcase similar to the one from your school days.
âLast item of the night.. a memorycatcher necklace! Starting bid.. 5 million yen!â
- The crowd erupts in a few aweâs at the sight of it, and you canât help but admire it as well. The violet gem is piercing your gaze, like itâs reaching depths greater than your eyes. Romeo quickly notices your interest and raises his hand.
â5.5 million yen.â
- You look at him like heâs crazy but Romeo takes no notice, brow furrowing as someone in the crowd ups the bid.
â5.8 million yen!â
â6 million yen.â
â.. 6.3 million yen!â
â⊠7 million yen.â
- That shuts up the crowd quickly, and just an hour later, Romeo is clasping the necklace around your neck with a smug look on his face.
âYâ You really didnât have to spend that much money, Romeo..â
âTch. Donât want it now?â
âNâ No.. Thatâs not-â
- Romeo takes you out for a late dinner, restaurant practically empty and dim, though the candlelight makes it cozy.
- After you both have finished eating, Romeo gently holds the necklace up to his eye, running his thumb over the gem as his lips slowly curl up into a small smile.
âI think itâll go well.â
âGo well with what?â
âThe ring.â
- Romeo gently pulls your left hand towards him and slides the ring over your finger. He crosses his arms, not saying a word yet waiting for a response.
âIs this?..â
- He nods. You quietly agree, watching as Romeo plants a small kiss on your hand.
â.. I love you.â
Ritsuâ
- Heâs a family man. Ritsu first told his mother that he wished to propose to you, much to her delight. Ritsuâs family loves you, and they genuinely donât see a better fit for their son.
- Not only are the the first people to know, but his parents also help him pick out a ring, venue, scenario.. itâs not because theyâre overbearing. Ritsu actually insisted. He believes his mom would have the best possible opinion as his parents had an extravagant engagement.
- The day before, his mother takes you out for a day to yourselves, all expenses on her. Pays for both of your manipedis, clothes, hair.. insists itâs just to show appreciation for..
the person marrying her son
.. sticking around with Ritsu!
- You donât mind though, as itâs just in time for your date with Ritsu. Itâs sweet how his eyes light up when he sees you all dolled up and excited for your big dateâ despite not even knowing what he has planned.
- Dinner is nice, Ritsu dotes on you throughout the meal, complimenting you every few seconds.
âYour outfit choice today is truly exceptional, I believe this necklace will complement your figure.â
- Slides an expensive velvet box towards you, sliding the top off of it and revealing an even more expensive necklace.
- Ritsu is always incredibly sweet to you, though itâs turned up 100x tonight. Heâs softly holding your fingers in between his while watching the opera, his lips curved up into a small smile.
- The actors bow in front of you, and the theater erupts un applause. The crowd begins to usher out, though Ritsu doesnât get up from his seat.
- One of the leads actors tap on the microphone, capturing your attention and beckoning you up. Ritsu looks over to you and smiles, nudging you up.
- Ritsu follows you up the stage, hands running along the set piece, eyes tracing back to you as you awkwardly find your place in the center of the stage, looking around confused as the actors duck behind the curtain.
- Ritsu clears his throat behind you, and when you turn around you see him on one-knee, looking into your eyes with what you can only describe as.. determination? Or confidence. Confidence in that heâs sure of his decision in marrying you.
âY/n. We started out as business partners yet, and although I was.. unsure on the type of person you were, I do know now that I love you. Will you marry me?â
- Absolutely beaming when you say âyesâ. Of course, he knew youâd say yes, but hearing you say it.. actually having it happen!â it feels better than he couldâve ever thought.
Subaruâ
- Poor boy, heâs so nervous! Subaru is worried about a million things going wrong. Maybe you wonât like the ring, or maybe you donât feel ready yet.. though he knows he wants to get married to you. He wants to spend his life with you, and he canât imagine being with anyone else.
- Talks to Haku for encouragement and advice, and Haku fully thinks he should go for it. Haku knows how much Subaru loves you, and heâs seen how close you are to Subaru, so Haku is just waiting for the wedding invitation at this point.
- Subaru asks for Haku and Zenjiâs opinion on everything.
âDo you think this ring looks nice?.. Maybe this one would be better, Iâm not sure..â
- Eventually settles on a ring, but Subaru is worrying about other things. He wants to make sure both of your families support his decision first, and so he sends off letters to both of them.
- Their approval is important to him as he sees your familyâs approval of him as your approval.
- His family sees no faults as they know Subaru loves you, nor does yours as they see him as a well-accomplished and polished man. As soon as he has their approval, heâs setting everything in motion.
- Subaru invites you out to a private onsen ryokan, telling you that you deserve to relax, and you wonât have to worry about any crowds or people as itâll be an exclusive resort.
- The two of you spend your days dipping into the hot springs and enjoying your dinners created by a private chef.
- Throughout the week, Subaru shares snacks of mochi and tiny cakes prepared by your chef as well as making you a kettle of tea to start the day. Each day he chooses a different blend for you to try, like lavender earl grey, yuzu-infused sencha, or a fruity hibiscus.
- Two nights before you plan to head out, Subaru insists on having dinner in your room this time, moving a wooden chabudai to the center of the room.
- Your meal tonight is more fancy than previous, thin cuts of wagyu, assortment of vegetables, a bowl of fresh steamed rice, and a small serving of noodles. Subaru unwraps two small tan cakes onto a plate, gently slicing them in half and releasing a nutty smell in the air.
âThe cakes have a bean paste filling.â
- When youâve finished your meal, Subaru takes a swig of tea before sliding a white cloth across the table, a small lump underneath. He nervously clears his throat, bowing his head down.
âI hope this isnât sudden.. and youâre free to decline of course. I understand if youâre not ready. But I love you y/n, and I want to marry you. Youâve always supported me when I doubted myself.. and I will respect your decision no matter what.â
- He lifts the cloth to show the ring, never looking into your eyes until you say âyesâ.
Hakuâ
- The idea comes up while heâs visiting Rui and going over the memories of their school days just a couple years after graduation.
âOh, yeah.. about y/n. You two gonna get married?â
- Haku hasnât exactly thought of it before as youâve just begun getting settled into âordinaryâ life, but now he canât stop thinking about. He always imagined the two of you would get married, but he had gotten so caught up in your lives now, it already felt like the two of you were.
- Later that night, he comes home with a bouquet of flowers for you, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his jacket as you smile at them.
- He was always affectionate, but subconsciously it just dials up 100x. He always brings home a new bunch of flowers whenever he notices the last bouquet begin to wilt, or heâll bring home a pastry he saw on his way home from work before peppering your forehead with kisses.
- After work, he browses jewelry stores in-person and online for rings, looking for the best pick.
- Eventually, when he settles on something, he tucks the wooden ring-box into his back pocket.
- Haku brings up the idea of visiting his family to you, talking about how nice the shrine is and how youâll enjoy the scenery and peace, though he doesnât add the fact his parents wanted to be nearby when he proposed.
- Itâs incredibly tranquil when you arrive, the two of you get your own room with Hakuâs parents gushing about how excited they are for Haku to take over the shrine now that heâs going to be getting marriâ
- Well.. youâre not sure what they were going to say because they quickly scampered off, apologizing to Haku and saying âitâs nothingâ to you. Haku quickly brushes it off when you ask him about it.
- Later that night, the two of you sit at the chabudai in your room eating dinner, Haku pouring you a small amount of decaf green tea into your mug.
- The screen door of the room is open, and outside a multitude of paper lanterns light up the sky, floating past slowly.
- When youâve finished your meal, you sit on the wood balcony, legs hanging over where a railing should be. Haku joins you, dropping beside you and smiling.
âIt really is nice here.. Thank you, Haku.â
- Haku places a hand around your shoulder, the two of you watching the light show before you feel him move away.
- You instinctively look over to him, watching as he moved one knee up while the other laid behind him on the wood. Haku slowly opens the ring-box, his eyes flickering from the light of the lanterns.
ây/n.. yâknow, from as soon as we met each other I liked you. I love you. I love your smile, I love the way you look at me, I love everything about you. Honestly.. I thought I was just joking around with you at first, but the more we got to know each other.. I love you. Will you marry me?â
- Heâs absolutely beaming when you say âyesâ, slipping the ring on your finger. You swear you couldâve heard an excited giggle and two shadowy figures behind the screen door to your room, but they quickly dipped back.
- Coincidentally, his parents come in just five minutes later with a feast of different desserts and treats for you to tryâ walnut cakes, wafer bites, cheesecake, tiramisuâ and a pile of presents.
Zenjiâ
- Marriage! The commitment of two people, the amalgamation of love.. Isnât it magical? (ÂŽêł`)
- Well it certainly should be treated with as much care and love as possible.. Like the embodiment of two soulâs love for one another. So just how exactly is Zenji supposed to go about it?!
- Zenjiâs not exactly sure why heâs so nervous, he knows you love him and you know he loves you, but every time he thinks about it, he feels his throat closing up. Maybe you wouldnât want to get married, or his proposal wouldnât be grand enough? Either way, he feels as though he has a million things to worry about.
- He confides in Haku and Subaru about his feelings, murmuring about how he used to be a ghost, so heâs not sure how youâd feel about marrying him now. Both of them comfort Zenji, telling him that theyâll help him come up with something.
- Zenji already knows he wants to propose to you with the help of his craft, or at least have some sort of expressive creative freedom, though Haku insists itâll be way easier if the two of you watch a kabuki play or opera, to which Zenji excitedly decides on a kabuki play.
- Subaru and Zenji go out to look at a ring for you together, the two going to a jeweler in the countryside and looking at options. Zenji picks out a few different rings that he thinks would look splendid on you, and Subaru helps him narrow it down to just one.
- Zenji keeps the ring in his front pocket, his finger running over the tiny outline of the band in the fabric over his shirt when heâs writing or working on something, a spark of aspiration going through his head every time.
- He suddenly invites you out for a date, a kabuki play, practically shaking with excitement when you say âyesâ.
- You get a pleasant surprise when you see Subaru on-stage, temporarily coming out of retirement for this show you suppose. Though he does have this mischievous glint in his eye as he holds his fan up to his mouth.
- You hear a few notes of a biwa playing, and you turn to see Zenji strumming his biwa in support of the singers. You look around for a moment, realizing this is part of the show before you sit back and listen to the melody.
- At the end, as the actors leave the stage and the attendees disperse, Zenji turns to you and smiles.
âHow did you like the show, my dear?â
- You smile and compliment both Subaruâs acting and Zenjiâs performance before he moves down in front of you onto his knees, head slightly tilted up to look you in the eyes. His brow is furrowed up as he reaches for the ring and holds it up to you, looking at you for an answer.
âMy dear.. Sometimes I wonder how you love me, though after everything weâve been through, I am more than grateful for you to stand by me. I.. love you, y/n. Will you marry me?â
- His face curls up into a smile as you say âyesâ, and he rejoices before pulling you into a tight hug. Zenji is absolutely beaming, and he canât stop smiling.
Edwardâ
- Ed knows he wants to marry you, but the idea of losing you is too much. He has loved many men and women throughout the centuries, and theyâve all been lost to time.
- Even so, Ed loves you more than he has ever loved someone before, he does want to be with you forever. Forever.
- He stares down at the ring late at night, sitting at the dining table and thinking. He had already offered to turn you into a vampire during your school days, though you had firmly rejected the idea then.
- He needs to ask you first though, Ed isnât going to force you to do anything though, itâll be your decision.
- He brings it up casually during dinner, watching as you pause mid-bite.
â⊠Huh?..â
- Ed doesnât fully elaborate on why heâs bringing it up now, simply saying he âwouldnât want to lose youâ.
- The two of you have been together so long.. and you understand his worries. So after some consideration, you agree.
- Hides his excitement, simply smiling as he bites into your neck, gentle at first before slowly getting more harsh. You cry out for a moment before he moves back, staring at the red mark on your neck.
- After youâve gotten used to your new form, Ed finally starts planning. Dinner is a guarantee.. He plans on getting Rui to cook. The ring.. he actually has just the thing.
- Itâs a ring heâs kept for centuries, though its condition has never seemed to diminish. Everything about itâ the stone, the metal, the band styleâ itâs just your taste, and Edward canât help but feel like the ring was made for you.
- All the lights in the manor are off per usual to Edwardâs preferences, though it seems even darker than usual. The only light seems to come from the dining hallâs fireplace and numerous candelabras.
- Edâs quiet while eating, just that same mysterious smile on his face while you eat.
â.. Donât you think itâs strange? Marriage is an act of commitment, supposedly unbreaking.. yet you have the freedom to choose whoever you want, so maybe itâs a radical choice of freedom.â
- ..? Youâre confused on where this has come from and you look at him for a moment, just to realize something glimmering on your dinner plate.
âWhââ
- Youâre not sure how it got there, or when it got there, but thereâs a ring on the rim of your plate, a glimmer in the centerstone winking at you. You look back up at him in shock, only to see a smirk on his face.
âWell?â
Ruiâ
- Rui knows the way to someoneâs heart, I mean he often has young women dropping into his bar talking about their recent engagement or how they hope to get married. He takes a mental note of what they all seem to like, planning to apply it later.
- When he gets downtime at the bar, he daydreams. Daydreams about buying you an expensive box of assorted chocolates, a mixed bouquet of white and red roses, and how your face lights up when you see the ring.
- Asks some of the barâs regulars about the ring settings he has picked out, showing them a picture on his phone and asking what they think.
âWell, what if your boyfriend proposed with a ring like this..? Whatâdya think?â
- Absolutely ecstatic when he gets the ring, smiling like an idiot when he gets home, trying to play everything cool. Later when you go to bed, he opens up the box to admire the ring again in the moonlight.
- Surprise! Books a flight to Paris. Yes, itâs very cheesy and stereotypical, but itâs the city of Love! Plenty of people have gushed about how they want to get engaged in Paris while he pours them a drink.
- Holds your hand while the two of you walk into Paris, stopping every time he sees a sweet treat in a bakery window, or a shirt he thinks will look perfect on you.
- The two of you spend your whole day exploring Paris, stopping for dinner when the sun begins to set. After the two of you have finished your meal and a few rounds of drinks, you begin walking back to your hotel.
- Rui points towards the Eiffel tower, his other arm in yours as he pulls you towards it. You had finished your last drink later than you expected you guessâ the streets are basically empty.
- Youâre a little tipsy, slightly swaying from side to side, but Rui keeps you steady.
âItâs pretty, right?â
- Rui smiles as you stop in front of the Eiffel Tower, looking up at it lit up and nodding. While youâre not looking, he swoops down to one knee, catching you off guard as you turn back around.
âHehe.. you look really surprised, y/n. But I know, you know how much I love you. And I always will, so⊠Will you marry me?â
- Such a sweetheart. Peppers your face with kisses when you say yes, putting his arms around you as the two of you walk back to your hotel.
Lycaâ
- The idea hasnât dawned on him actually. Heâs not sure what comes after being your boyfriend, he always just assumed that was it and the two of you would be together forever.
- That was until he popped into one of Ruiâs bars on a late night, striking up a conversation with the guy.
âHuh? You and y/n arenât married yet? I was sure the two of you would be by now.. well, if you arenât planning on getting married Iâll gladly put a ring on their finger.â
- Oh, hell no. Itâs Lycaâs number 1 priority now. Who does that blonde gigolo think he is, acting like that?
- Slams the door while leaving the door, phone in hand as he searches up how to propose to you. Ring, location, speech. Perfect, he can do all that and more. Heâs very capable.
- He can get a ring easily, just pop into a jewelry shop and pick something out.
- ⊠But why are there so many options? Lycaâs being bombarded by salesmen talking about the âperfectâ ring, the biggest carat diamond they have, the most expensive settings.. Aughhh! Itâs all so annoying!
- Picks the least annoying salesperson and has them pick out the ring. He has no idea what youâd like! ⊠Yes, he pays thousands of dollars for the most expensive ring in the store. Things like âour customers love this one!â and âthis is our best ring!â completely convinced him.
- Checks his bank account and realizes the funds he was planning on spending on the fancy dinner and suit was spent solely on the ring. Tries to refund it and get something cheaper only to be pointed to a âNo refundsâ sign.
- Well, heâs learned that corporations suck now, but heâs not sure how heâs actually going to propose to you now. He could just.. propose to you at home right? Seems a bit anticlimactic considering the ring costs more than your kitchen.
- Returns to Ruiâs bar for advice and gets offered a temporary part-time job to help Lyca work something out. Lyca scrubs the water spots off each whiskey glass, stays after hours, insists on closing, insists on doing everything.
- Only takes his first paycheck for him to have enough to take you out to the best restaurant in town! Comes home with the paycheck clutched in his hands, telling you to get ready days in advance.
- Youâre a bit unsure of why heâs so eager, his tail wagging behind him, but itâs nice seeing him so ecstatic!
- Dinner goes great, and Lyca orders everything on the menu talking about celebration.
âCelebration? For what?..â
â⊠Being together?â
- Proposes to you while youâre mid-bite of your entree, staring intently into your eyes.
âLetâs get married.â
- !?
- Youâre surprised, but of course your answer is yes!
- Small clapping from other people dining in. Also free dessert from the restaurant! The waiters come by with a molten chocolate lava cake, a sparkler on top, and itâs delicious.
- You decide to take another box of dessert home, sharing it with Lyca for breakfast the next morning.
Yuriâ
- You better be grateful the great Isami Yuri wants to marry you. Of course, youâd immediately fall to your knees and say yes as soon as he popped the question.
- So why is he so nervous?
- Heâs planned so many dates, keeping the ring in his back pocket and telling himself heâll propose to you after, but he always gets cold feet.
- Jiro brings it up sometimes while the two are at work, sorting patient files as he asks Yuri if heâs proposed yet.
âWâ Well, itâs not any of your concern!â
Poor Jiro just wanted to make small talk
- Fine. He can do this. He can do this! Heâll just text you about going out for dinner this weekend, so clear your schedule for that day, okay?
- The restaurant he chooses is the same he originally planned on proposing at, so you donât get suspicious when he brings it up.
- Heâs already red and flustered before the two of you have even left for the restaurant. Keeps adjusting the collar of his shirt, but youâre used to him being like this now.
- Sputtering while trying to make small talk during dinner. Heâs not sure if heâs trying to distract himself or you, though you canât help but wonder why heâs so nervous.
- Better late than never. Squeezes his eyes shut and drops to one knee, holding up the ring to you.
âI love you, y/n!â Weâve been together for a while nowâ and Iâve loved it. I love it. So.. um.. would youâ willâ will you marry me?â
- Massive sigh of relief when you say âyesâ. Really?! I mean.. yeah. Heâs so smug, waiting for Jiro to ask Yuri if heâs proposed yet. Though he gets frustrated when Jiro doesnât bring it up.
âArenât you going to ask if weâre engaged yet!?â
âOh? You are? I thought you didnât want me bringing it up anymore.â
Jiroâ
- Knows he wants to propose to you, but doesnât know how. Love is strange to him, and itâs certainly not a feeling heâs had before so he doesnât really know how to go about things.
- He decided on asking Yuri for advice, though heâs not really any help.
â!? What!? Youâre gonna get married!?â
- Jiro isnât a very social person so he doesnât really have any other options on who to ask so he needs to asking the only thing thatâs truly all-knowingâ the internet!
- âConsider your partnerâs preferences, choose a meaningful location, and a heartfelt speech!â Oh. Well he can do that.
âHey.. Yuri? What should I tell y/n when I propose?â
- Yuri has no idea obviously, Jiro doesnât even know why heâs asking. He should trust his best judgement. Jiro has the ring, flight booked.. but he doesnât know what to say.
- Heâs not the best with words. Jiro could let his feelings for you swirl up inside him and spit it out onto paper, and itâd probably be better than any âheartfelt speechâ he could come up with.
- When youâve gone to bed at night, Jiro stays up at the kitchen table, trying to draft up something to say before the fast-approaching vacation. He hasnât come up with anything good by the time the two of you board the plane, the only words un his notebook being âI love youâ.
- He can figure it out later. Jiro decides to focus on making sure you enjoy the vacation. Itâs a week-long, and the dinner reservation is on the last day.. so, yeah. He has time!
- Though Jiro canât see to actually find time to brainstorm anything. Jiro is carrying your shopping bags as the two of you are going around Shibuya, the two of you not returning back to your hotel room until after midnight. And even then, Jiro is helping you line up your newly bought plushies on the bed.
- Shifty, unusually more quiet than usual when the dinner reservation comes around. Heâs trying to come up with something while youâre eating (heâs enjoying his juice), because thatâs what a normal proposal looks like, right? Thatâs what you want. Normal.
- He stares at you for a moment when youâve finished your food, pausing before he slowly moves down to one knee in front of you, and opening the velvet ring box, his mouth quivering.
- Heâs lightly shaking, barely noticeable. Jiro is frustrated he doesnât know what to say. But he doesnât need to. His eyes are watery, but heâs not sad.
âI love you.â
- Apologizes for not doing more when you get back to your hotel, but heâs done more than enough.
content., dead dove: do not eat, angst, death of reader and the ghouls, heavy descriptions of blood, pain, and injuries, missing limbs, no established relationship except for Tohmaâs and Romeoâs (which can be interpreted as engagement), NOT a happy ending, Taiga puts reader out of their misery, Taiga suicide, dark romance? in Taigaâs, some of these are a bit more peaceful, bugs crawling across body in Ritsuâs, flesh eating bugs, hanahaki disease (yuri), gender neutral except fem for Kaito, Haku, and Rui., reader has short panic attack in renâs, head explodes in Towaâs, paralyzation in Ritsu + Lycaâs, Romeo kills BOTH of you, yes ofc Leo is a bitch, reader breaks down in Leoâs, maybe unrealistic :(
a/n: zenji and ed not included for uhh spoilers and yk ed just regens when he dies sorry :â) read all warnings! Not proofread
you and the ghouls spending your last moments together on a mission together, death inevitable.
PART 2 HERE
Jin staggers into the hall of the mansion, a chunk of the corridor missing like someoneâs taken a bite out of it. He adjusts you in his arms, a hand supporting your knees and the other on your back.
âOpen the door.â Jin orders, stopping in front of a room.
You turn the brass knob for him, pushing it open as he steps inside, taking a step back and closing the door with his hip. Jin spots a bed in the middle of the room, moving over to it and resting you on it. For a moment, his knees buckle and he sways before placing a hand out and catching himself on the bed. You hear him click his tongue in frustration.
âYou..â Your eyes flicker at each of the bullet holes staining his suit.
âDoesnât matter.â
Jin shuts you up with a simple sentence, lowering himself to take note of each of your injuries.
He only saw two bullets in your lower left leg, another shot through your chest. Jin supports himself on his knees, leaning over the bed.
â... Thereâs really nothing we can do, is there?â He mutters.
You blink, âAâ Are you sureâ?â
You hear a round of gunshots being fired off in the distance, the Huntsman anomaly finding another victim you suppose.
âMy body isnât healing anywhere near as fast as it should..â Jinâs brow furrows, âThose fucking bullets..â
âJâJin! Are we going to..â You sit up too quickly, wincing in pain before lowering yourself back onto the mattress.
â..y/n.â Jin presses a large hand over yours, squeezing, âIâm not going to lie to you. You know nothing lasts forever.â
You open your mouth before closing it knowing nothing good will come out. Instead, your eyes water, blurring your vision. Jin turns his face away from you. You move over on the bed, patting the space next to you.
âLay down.â
âHuh?â Jin sneers, âYou canât order me around, y/n.â
âPlease.â
He pauses for a moment, before slowly angling himself into the bed next to you. You hear a loud bang go off in the distance, the ground shaking. Jin shifts his weight over, crossing his arms as you begin crying softly. You canât control it, your whole body feeling like itâs about to burst from stress, the only expulsion of your emotions coming out through your eyes.
â... y/n.â Jin quietly moves his hand over to yours, palm expectant.
Your hand trembles as you take hold, still sobbing.
âBianerus.â
You glance over at him confused before your eyes widen as he opens his mouth.
âDie happy.â
Your sobs catch in your throat, shrinking away until thereâs nothing making you cry anymore, the weight in your chest lifting until you could breathe as well as you could. You feel your lips slowly curling up into a small smile as you lay back. Jin stays silent, glancing over at you.
âI.. I donât..â You swallow, â..want to leave you, Jin..â
âYouâre not.â He brushes his thumb gently across your hand, âClose your eyes.â
Your lashes flutter shut as Jin closes his own.
âIâm coming with you, y/n.â
Tohma presses a large white dresser chest adorned with gold handles against the door before turning to you, laying on the bed and shaking.
âThat will have to do for now.â He dusts off his hands, making his way to you as the anomaly bangs against the door.
Tohma kneels down beside the bed, his hands steady and gentle as he turns your arm over to look for any injuries. He carefully unbuttoned the top part of your blouse, his brows furrowing in concern as he stares at the jagged laceration across your stomach.
âHm. A bit deep.â You watch as he slides his blazer off and wraps it around his hand, applying pressure to your wound.
Tohma sighs, as if he knows his efforts will be in vain. Youâre bleeding far too much, and where the hell was back up?
âTâ Tohma..â Your voice trembles.
âYes, my dear?â He replies calmly, but you can see the sweat gathering above his brow.
â... What about you?â
âWhat about me?â He looks up at you through his monocle.
âYour back.â
Tohma pauses, frowning for a moment. He wasnât sure how you noticed. His blazer had been covering his blood-stained shirt, and his back had been turned away from you this whole time. He quickly regains his composure, offering you a small smile.
âIâll be fine.â
You wince in pain, âAre.. are the others coming?â
Tohma nods, âYes, yes, donât worry, dear.â
Thereâs a sickening splinter as the anomaly breaks through the wood of the door, trying to push back on the dresser.
âHere. Hold this down.â Tohma replaces his hand with yours, gently pressing down before walking towards the door.
He moves the dresser over the hole of the door, and you can see how the back of his shirt is completely stained with deep, red blood all the way through. You grimace, Tohma noticing as he turns back around. His steps are uneven and clumsy, as if drunk, as he makes his way back over to you. He fell to his knees beside the bed, dropping his head down next to you and clasping his hands together into a prayer position above his head.
âI love you, my dear.â
â... I⊠love you too.. Tohma.â
Thereâs a crash as the anomaly slams against the door again, the dresser shuddering before it rams itself into the door again, wood splintering as the door crashes open and the dresser falls to the ground with a thud. The anomaly makes its move towards Tohma before stopping and grumbling as it notices the lack of a heartbeat in the room. It turns, stalking back into the hall.
After all, thereâs no fun in killing prey thatâs already dead.
The two of you are laying next to each other, the stars of the night sky drifting above peacefully despite the sound of Kaito heaving his chest in pain, wheezing as he tries to stabilize his breath.
âshit, shit..â He shuts his eyes for a moment, âI knew.. I knew we never should have gone on this mission..â
You gingerly turn your head to look at Kaito, tears streaming does his cheeks as he bites down on his bottom lip, trying to silence his sobs. All of Frostheim had been recruited for this mission, Darkwick reminding them time and time to be careful. Though, no one could prepare for anomaly this strong. A series of disappearancesâ all leading to this forest stalked by a cat-like entity, its tail shaping into a clawed hand at the end.
It had shredded the front of your torso with its claws, crushing a paw into your chest as it held you down. Kaito had shot it multiple times with his arrows, only enraging and causing the beast to hook its talons into him instead. You were sure that would be the end of the both of you. But as the creature unhinged its jaw atop of the two of youâ it suddenly stopped. Its head jolted up, breaking your ribs as it used you to take off deeper into the forest.
âMaybe.. maybe the others will find us.â Kaito says, trying to reassure himself more than you.
Though, for what feels like hours, nobody comes for you. Not an animal, insect, or even the anomaly. Your eyes feel heavy, your vision darkening. You canât tell if your eyes are closed or if all the stars have closed, though just a few moments later you feel a drop of water hit your face, rolling down. Are you crying? No. Itâs raining.
âI.. I thought the weather would be clear tonight.â You say quietly, unable to talk above a whisper without your chest aching.
Kaito hums, his hand moving closer to yours. Maybe the universe has taken pity on you. Who wouldnât pity two young souls writhing in pain on the harsh dirt, destined to never be found. The rain slowly washes away the burning pain and blood collected in pools across your neck and torso.
â...I feel different than I thought I would.â Kaito mumbles, closing his eyes as the rain ran across his body, âI thought.. I thought I would be scared to die.â
Kaitoâs fingers intertwine with yours, flipping your hand over as he shakily holds it, âBut⊠I donât for some reason.â
You turn your head to look at him, curious for what he has to say.
âMaybe⊠itâs not as scary with you by me.â
The two of you lay in silence, hands clasped together as you process what Kaito had said. You squeeze his hand, and Kaito turns to look at you.
âIâ I⊠Iâm not really good with girls.â His face scrunches up a bit as a light tinge of pink erupts on his cheeks, âIâve never had a girlfriend or anything Iââ
âIt doesnât matter Kaito.â You say firmly.
The rainwater rolling over his face looks more like tears to you now, his face shaking as he smiles at you.
âKaitoâ will you be my boyfriend?â
His eyes widen, opening and closing his mouth, struggling to form words, âYouâ you want toâ?â
âWhen we get out of here, letâs go on a date, okay?â You smile at him, eyes half-lidded
Kaito nods frantically, staring at you with the last bit of life he has left in him, âIâllâ Iâll take you somewhere nice! I promise!â
You hear the sound of a screeching howl in the distance, âThe others must have found the anomaly.â
âTheyâll find us too!â Kaito exclaims optimistically.
You turn your head back up to the sky, âI feel like Iâm floating. Like my head is just a balloon drifting towards sleep.â
âHuh?â Kaitoâs voice sounds distant.
âWhen⊠when we wake up⊠Iâll visit you first thing.â Your blinking slows down, each time you keep your eyes closed for longer and longer.
Kaito doesnât respond, his eyes closed. You turn to look at him, a peaceful smile on his face before closing your own eyes.
Itâs a shame the two of you donât ever get to go on that date.
You hear a squelching sound as Luca lunges his sword into the back of the anomaly, a red stain blossoming across the front of the satin layers of its gown. As he pulls his sword out, the anomaly falls to the ground, screeching. The sound startles you, the wail warped and shrill as though a thousand different women were screaming in pain. The eerily long limbs of the anomaly flail in jagged, uncontrolled motion as it slithers across the blood-stain marble floor.
Thereâs a clinging noise as Luca returns his sword to his artifact chain before he dashes over to you, crouching down to be face level with you.
ây/n!â His eyes darted over your arms, legs, torsoâ looking for any urgent injuries, âAre you hurt anywhere?â
You open your mouth to tell him about the sharp pain shooting through your back, the inch deep lacerations across your back, your bruised ribs, but youâre cut off by the sickening sound of nails puncturing straight through Lucaâs chest. He froze, hacking up blood and watching as it stained the palm of his glove. You watch as the anomaly rips its hands out of him, body slowly disintegrating. Like a cat, it backed against the wall, contorting its once humanoid body over, spine protruding from underneath its skin as it spiralled into itself.
Luca falls against your chest, his breath shaky and quiet. You wince in pain, and for a moment you think heâs dead. But just a few moments later, you hear his voice wheezing as he says your name, ây/n.â
You look down at him, his violet eyes twitching as he looks into yours.
âTell⊠tell me youâre not hurt.â
Thereâs a metallic taste flooding your mouth, maybe blood, maybe your shame, but you swallow it back down, unable to answer Luca. And for the first time since youâve met himâ you see tears exploding in his eyes, as his face crumpled up. A broken sob escapes his lips, then another, until heâs breaking down, leaning his head on the wall above you. His tears drop onto your head like raindrops,
âPlease, please, tell me youâre not hurt. Please tell me youâll live.â He cries, âPlease tell me I protected you.â
Your mouth tastes like sin as you choke out the words, âIâm okay.â
It feels like a snake has curled itself around your neck, tightening until you can barely breathe.
A liar. Youâre a liar. But if it relieved any sort of pain from Lucaâs last moments, you can be happy to die with that secret.
You help him sit back onto the wall, a smear of blood dragging as he slumps down. You stare up at the ceiling, a strange, mesmerizing canvas of black splotches and faded stars that prickle your vision. Itâs almost as if the night sky had crept into your vision, settling onto the top of your cornea. Wherever you look, the stars seem to follow. Luca glances up at the ceiling, trying to catch what youâre viewing.
âWhatâre you doing?..â His voice is quiet and mumbled.
You donât know. You shrug.
â..What do you see?â
âStars. I guess.â You mumble, âI dunno what they are.â
He doesnât speak, but you can hear him sniffling again.
âLucaâŠ?â You glance over at him.
âWhat color is the ceiling?â
The question catches you off guard, and youâre not sure what his intent is. You stare up at the ceiling. The longer you look up above you, the more darkness blooms across your vision, only dissipating for a moment when you move your eyes to look at another point of the ceiling.
âBlack. The ceilingâs black.â You answer.
Luca rests his hand on top of yours, not saying much else. In silence, you drop your head on his shoulder, eyes slowly fluttering close. The sky follows you when you close your eyes, all the stars once on the ceiling behind your eyelids.
âItâs white. The ceilingâs white.â He mumbles, a tear rolling down his cheek but you donât hear him.
You donât hear his sobs, or the way his breath crackles in his throat.
He knows you canât hear him. He knows that you lied.
âThe ceilingâs always been white.â
Alan grunts as he tightens the bandage on you, kneeling down beside you, pulling on it before wrapping it around your waist securely. He topples over for a second, his forehead hitting the wall of the classroom before he regains composure, backing up.
âSorry.â He says firmly.
âNo, no.. donât apologize.â You cough, scooting over, âYou should sit too.â
Alan seems to think about it for a moment before making his way over to the wall, letting out a breath of relief from respite. Moonlight filtered in through the classroom window, the room quiet as you two said nothing to each other. The two of you sat next to each other, shoulders almost touching. You turn to look at him and his tired expression, voice quiet.
âAre you okay..?â You ask, glancing over him to get a look at any injuries.
âYeah.â Alan crosses his arms over his chest as you notice dark red splotch stained across his shirt.
Without thinking, you reach over, gripping at the edge of the fabric to get a closer look. Alan moves back for a moment before letting you look over his chest. You unbutton the top of his shirt, peering down and wincing as you catch a glimpse of his mangled chest, blood gushing from the wound. Alan pulls his shirt back, letting you back away. You sit back against the wall, wrapping your arms tightly around yourself, trying to forget the sight. Alan catches sight of how your legs tremble uncontrollably despite how hard you tried to keep them still. Your body felt busy, shaking with anxiety, yet it was hard for you to make a coherent thought in your head, millions of them popping up at the same time, smearing whatever notion of a thought you had come up with before.
You feel a large hand clasp on your shoulder. You look up at Alan as he gently pulls you in closer to him, his arm wrapped around you carefully. Your head instinctively falls on his shoulder, cheek squishing into his warmth. Alanâs never been good with words, you know that, though his touch was probably more comfort than any words could give.
â... This⊠doesnât hurt, right?â Alan asks quietly.
You nod, âItâs fine, Alan.â
He grunts in response, running his hand along the side of your arm gently. Alan clears his throat awkwardly before speaking.
âSorry. Didnât want you to get tangled up in things.â
âItâs my job as inspector.â You speak softly, âDonât beat yourself up over it.â
âStill.â He doesnât elaborate much further.
Your vision softens, the edges of your view becoming blurry, tiny specks of static stars drifting across your sight. You hum quietly as your eyelids begin to flutter shut. Alan glances down at you, not bothering to stop you. He knows itâll go by much more peacefully if heâs gentle, simply gazing at you. He rubs the side of your arm once again, his head dipping down as he stops fighting back that groggy feeling behind the back of his eyes. His eyelids close shut, arm still around you.
âNgh..â Sho grunts, clutching the side of his stomach as he sits up against the alleyway wall.
âDid you get hit too?...â You look over at him.
Sho nods, â... Yeah. Leo ând Alan are luring the anomaly to the other side of town.â
You take a better look at him under the moonlight, his clothes tattered, stained with dirt and blood. Cuts are scattered across his arms and neck, still fresh, drips of blood running down his body. He wasnât moving muchâjust breathing, shakily. You gulp. Sho glances at you, noticing your concern.
âHey. Worry about yourself.â He heaves, his eyes landing on the laceration spanning across your torso.
You grimace, looking down and covering your abdomen with your arms shamefully.
âIs anyone coming to get us?â
âYeah, as soon as theyâve got the anomaly captured.â Sho places a hand on your back, âItâs been moving around the city pretty erratically, so give them a bit.â
Your brows knit together as the hot pain in your stomach grows. You shift around uncomfortably, hoping a change in position would help mellow it. Shoâs hand moves slowly up your back and around your shoulders, gently pulling you in closer to him, your head falling on his chest. Sho chews on the bottom of his lip, listening to the puff of your breath. He wanted to be hopeful. He wanted to believe someone was coming, that Leo and Alan would be able to get to you guys in time. But he didnât. He couldnât. Still, he didnât say anything to you. You didnât need to hear what he was thinking. You shiver, bringing your legs in closer to you, pulling them over Shoâs.
âCold?â He rubs your shoulder.
You nod, Sho nudging your head off of him for a moment as he removes his jacket, placing it over you.
âIs⊠Is anyone coming sooner?â You wince, curling up underneath his jacket.
âTheyâll come soon, y/n.â He scoots you in closer to him, âDonât worry.â
â...Right.â
You close your eyes, trying to focus on anything besides the pain and creeping feeling of despair in your chest. You lean in closer to Shoâs chest, listening to his heartbeat and try to center your attention on it. It didnât sound right. Slow, uneven, but you didnât care, it was still a reminder he was still alive next to you.
ây/n?â Sho asks quietly.
You open your eyes, feeling groggy as you hum in response.
âOh. Good.â He mumbles, sounding a bit surprised but relieved, âTired?â
You nod.
âWhy donât you rest?â Sho nudges you with his elbow, a small smile on his face, âWhen you wake up, weâll be back in Darkwick, âkay?â
You thought it over, darkness shrouding the corners of your vision, âI feel bad falling asleep..â
âThe agentsâll come pick us up, so just close your eyes.â
âMm.â You let out a quiet sigh as you leaned back, body finally starting to relax.
You close your eyelids, focusing on the sound of Shoâs heartbeat until the sound slowly fades away. Sho stares down at you, his eyes trailing to your chest and sighing when he realizes it's not moving anymore. His eyes slowly close shut as well, deciding itâd be best if he got some rest too.
Shame you donât get to wake back up in Darkwick.
Leo sucks in his breath through his teeth, hissing as his back hits the wall of the subway station, a rivulet of blood knocking out of his mouth. He raises his arm, firing off three shots towards the anomaly, watching as it recoils back, slowly melting into a black substance.
âFuckinâ gross.â Leo clicks his tongue, backing up towards you.
You watch in fear as the anomaly writhes around, like something underneath its skin is attempting to break through. It melts into a bubbling puddle on the station tile, hissing. Leo turns back to face you, his hand over the edge of his stomach, bloodstained. He kneels down in front of you before sitting down, sighing.
â... I donât have any anomalous medicine.â Leo says, reaching into his pocket then frowning, âThe fuck?â
You tilt your head in confusion as Leo begins patting himself, swearing.
âI guess I donât have my phone either.â He huffs, âSo call Cap or Sho.. No way weâre getting out of here by ourselves.â
âI⊠I donât have my phone either.â You mumble, looking down.
âHuh? Seriously?!â Leo exclaims.
âI think it dropped while we were runningâŠâ
He scoffs, eyes narrowing. You look at his face and see something you havenât seen before. Fear? Leo looks scared. Worried.
âIâm sorry, Leoââ You stammer.
âGive me your hand, Honor Roll.â Leo doesnât ask. He grabs your hand forcefully into his, closing his eyes, âHaxs.â
You watch as his face twitches a little, a subtle movement as he listens in. He didnât say anything for a solid minute, opening his eyes and looking at the ground in disappointment.
â... Why canât I hear anyone?â Leo mutters under his breath, not talking to you.
He moves over, laying back on the wall and staring down at his bloody uniform, frustrated. You donât know what to do, or say, so you stare at the ground, looking at the dark grey grout between the tiles, your eyes following it.
âWhat are you doing?â Leo crosses his arms, giving up on his previous mission.
You shrug. Leoâs eyes try to follow your vision, giving up when he doesnât see anything of interest.
âYouâre not doing anything useful, yâknow.â He says, âHave you given up?â
You glance back at him, watching how Leo is completely slumped against the wall, his eyes half-lidded as he uses the wall to support himself up.
âHave you?â
He scowls, âWeâre gonna fucking die in this dingy abandoned subway station. Shouldâve lent your ability to Cap.â
â... He doesnât want me doing that.â You look away from Leo, mumbling.
âYeah, well maybe we wouldnât be fucking dying if you had!â
Leo stares at your back, eyes widening as he hears a quiet sob from you. You bring your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around yourself as tears roll down your face uncontrollably, âIf I had the chance to, I would have!â
Your shoulders shook as you struggled to breathe, âItâs not like I want to die! Iâm only at Darkwick so I won't dieâ If I could, I would have never come here! I wouldnâtâ hicâ have gone to that concertâ I wouldnât have taken thatâ sobâ trainâ I wouldnât have done any of it!â
Leo doesnât say anything, a pang of guilt weighing him down.
âI fucking hate this school! I hate missions, I hateââ You break down, watching how your blood runs down your arms, your hands sticky with semidried blood.
You look back at Leo, and he physically recoils at how broken you look. Your face is contorted into misery, blood dripping down your forehead, down your cheek and into your tears, nose runny.
âDonât..â Leoâs face crumples up as he turns his face away from you, âDonât make that stupid fucking face..â
He covers his mouth, regretting his former words and wanting to stop anything else from coming out. You turn away, stars prickling the edges of your vision and slowly closing in on you as you grow lightheaded. You hear Leo say something, though you can barely hear it, your ears ringing.
â... sorry. Okay?â
You turn back to him.
âIâm sorry. Just⊠just stop crying, please.â Leoâs expression is twisted into desperation, his face scrunched up as if he was trying not to cry.
You donât move, donât say anything, as Leo pulls you in towards him, gently pushing your head down onto his shoulder. He locks his arm around yours, snaking his hand down to your fingers and holding them. You sob quietly, trying to level your breathing.
âHaxs.â
You donât understand what heâs trying to listen for as your vision slowly fades out, your eyes squeezing shut.
Badum. Badum.
Leo listens to the sound, using it to ground himself. He closes his eyes, imaging it as a line in his head, the line jolting up to the rhythm. Leo frowns as it starts to slow down in a decrescendo, squeezing your hand harder like itâll rejuvenate the sound again.
But it doesnât.
âOof..â Haru grimaces as he looks over your body, taking a mental note of every injury.
Your legs are certainly broken, bruised and twisted into abstract angles, minor cuts across your skin, and your once pristine school blouse is completely stained red. Haru crouches down beside you, his expression clouded with worry, âYouâre going to be okay..â
He gently reaches for the collar of your shirt and pulls it down ever so slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of the bloody gash staining your shirt. His breath catches in his throat and you notice his gaze lingering over it.
âGyhaha.. Good thing I found you, yeah?â Haru laughs, but it sounds hollow, as though heâs only trying to lighten your mood.
âAnomaly, yeah?â He tilts his head.
You nod, âItâ It.. has these strings planted all across the forest that cut you up..â
âDonât worry, Iâll get us out of here!â
You groan as Haru gently slides one arm beneath your knees and the other around your back, lifting you up carefully against his chest. He glances around the dark forest, it took a while to find youâ forty minutes of urgent searching from the entrance of the forest without the use of his stigma.. With it, maybe he could get the both of you out in twenty. Reaching the Galaxy Express would add on twenty more minutes with the use of his stigma..
âMm.. hold on tight, âkay y/n?â Haru smiled.
âR.. right.â You murmur.
âBahnti.â
He launches forward, the forest surrounding the two of you becoming a blur. Heâs hardly touching the ground before pushing off again, urgency apparent in his movements.
âDo.. Do you know where Ren and Towa are?â You ask quietly.
âMm.. Ren found me and Towa, said he had no idea where you had gone.â Haru answers, âWe ended up splitting up a bit ago.â
You turn your head against his chest, eyes slowly shutting close for a moment. Haru glances down at you.
âUnh-uh-uh! Donât fall asleep on me, y/n.â Haru bumps his arms up to nudge you awake.
Your eyes flutter open again, still feeling drunk with fatigue as you raise your head back up. Something in the quickly approaching distance catches your eye thoughâ a thin white string, barely illuminated by the moonlight. You cry out, pushing yourself off of Haruâs chest and crashing hard onto the ground, dirt and leaves scraping your skin. The sudden shift throws Haru off balance, his foot tripping over your body, sending him tumbling forward. Thereâs a sharp slinging sound as his body is cut by the string before a harsh thump as he hits the ground.
âH-Haru?..â You gingerly glance towards his body, fearing for the worst.
You hear him groan in pain, relief flooding through your body though itâs cut short as you see him sit up. His shirtâs been cut in two, a diagonal cut so thick it spans across his entire torso.
âD-Donât worry!â You watch as he reaches into his pocket for his phone, âI can still call Towa and Ren for helpââ
Haru fumbles with his phone, mumbling to himself as he types on the cracked screen. He crawls towards you, helping to support you onto the back of a tree.
â...Sorry, y/n.â Haru sighs, âI really shouldnât have tried to play white knight..â
He falls back on the soft grass with a gentle thud, spreading his arms out.
âAre⊠are they coming?â You wrap your arms around yourself.
Haru thinks for a moment, as if not sure what to say before nodding, â...Yeah. So donât worry, âkay?â
You rub your arms against your shoulder, trying to warm up as a cool breeze drifts through the forest, hunching over slightly.
âGetting cold?â Haru sits up, moving to sit beside you before wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you in a bit closer.
You lean in against his warmth, â...Thank you. Do they know where we are?â
Haru turns his phone over against the dirt, rubbing a hand along your shoulder.
âMhm! Donât you worry, okay?â He smiles down at you, âYou can rest now.â
You let out a sigh as your head drops against Haruâs shoulder, eyes heavy, the soft humming of Haru slowly lulling your eyes shut.
âHurts.â You murmur.
âI know, I know..â Haru whispers, gently caressing you, âJust close your eyes..â
You briefly see him staring at his phone before your eyes close, wondering what could have possibly made Haru frown like that.
Shit sorry me and towa got lost, where r u guys??
âShit, shit..â Ren winces, trying to lift his head up.
His legs arenât there, instead thereâs a line of blood smudged across the sand from where he washed up on shore. Ren glances to his side, the sand around your figure stained red, your left leg missing as well, eyes closedâ shit. He lets his head hit the sand again, squeezing his eyes shut.
âI hate the ocean, I hate sand, I hate this mission, I hate this stupid fucking schoââ
â..Ren..?â
Ren yelps, turning to you on his side a bit too quickly and instantly regretting it, âOwâ y/nâ youâre aliâ youâre awake!â
You groan, head heavy and your thoughts muddled. You blink against the setting sun, orange hues of light raining down on both you and Ren as you try and pull yourself up.
âWhoa, whoaâ whatâre you doing?!â Ren says as he pulls you back down to ground.
You furrow your brow, looking around the beach in confusion, âWe need to find Haru and Towaââ
Renâs mouth went agape, staring at you like youâve gone crazy, âDid you hit your fucking head too?! Look around!â
You sit in silence for a moment, looking around and finally realizing the situation you were in. This wasnât the same beach the four of you had taken off on for your mission, you were stranded on some random patch of sand in the middle of nowhere. Your thoughts felt sluggish, like your whole head was wading through water, heavy but not painful. You finally take notice of the aching feeling below your left knee and glance down, screaming.
âWhereâs my legâ What happened?!â You wheeze, clutching your chest as you begin breathing quicker than you should.
âOkay, okayâ calm downââ Ren places a hand on your back, âWe went out looking for this shark anomaly thatâs been killing fishermen, and itâ overturned our boat. Bit us.â
Oh. You remember now. The two of you had been plunged into the water, Ren had wrapped his arms around you, curling you under him to protect youâ but you couldnât remember anything after that.
You instinctively reached for your phone, just to be met by wet fabric. Of course. You fell into the fucking ocean, of course itâs gone. The emotional distress starts hitting you as the shades of the sunset begin fading into night, a cool breeze hitting the two of you. You choke out a sobâ an ugly one, tears rolling down your face as you sniffle, âHowâs anyone going to find us?!â
âTake⊠take a deep breath..â Ren mumbles.
âLay back on the sand. Focus on it, okay?â He moves his hand towards yours.
You lean your head back, trying to level your breathing, stars appearing in the sky one by one above the two of you.
âWhat.. sniff.. What are we gonna do?..â You whimper.
Ren doesnât answer, rubbing his thumb up and down your hand, a helpless ache in his chest. He wishes he could help you. He wishes that he knew what he could say to you to make you feel better but everything he thinks of feels useless.
â...Look. How many stars do you see?â Ren asks.
You go silent, blinking in confusion. You donât understand why heâs asking but something in you answers anyways, â... A lot. More than in Tokyo.â
Ren hums in agreement, âYeah, you can see âem a lot better without all the light pollution and crap.â
He points to a line of stars brighter than the others, âThatâs the Andromeda constellation.â
You look over to the bundle of stars, âIt looks like someone falling.â
â...Kinda cool, yeah?â Ren says, âI remember my dad talking about it.â
You turn your head to look at him as he continues, âItâs based on some Greek tale, itâs about this princess who gets sacrificed to this sea monster, but she gets saved by some dude.â
âAnyways, they get married and stuff.. After she died she got turned into a constellation.â Ren shrugs it off, âI think itâs kinda corny.â
You turn back to look at the constellation, the stars twinkling at you, âDo you think everyone who dies turns into a star?â
Ren pauses for a moment, â... Maybe, sure. I donât see why not.â
You let out a soft breath and smile, squeezing his hand, âThat doesnât sound too bad.â
He glances over at you, watching you for a moment, your face now calm and still. Something about how you donât say anything else makes his chest tighten. He turns his gaze back towards the sky, staring at how much brighter the stars in the sky were away from everyone but you, before closing his own eyes.
Maybe you two will get your own constellation too.
Towa smiles as he pushes more and more trays of thinly sliced fish fillet and steamed vegetables.
âCâmonnn~ You should eat more..â Towa lifts a piece of fish up in between two pinched fingers, bringing it towards you.
âIâ Iâve already had, like, twenty plates, Towaââ You turn your head away from him.
Towa puffs out his cheeks, looking at you through his lashes, âDonât you have room for dessert?â
You sigh, glancing at Towaâs poutful expression then down at the small plate he had slid over to youâ a dark chocolate glaze torte graced with a single raspberry on top. Towa doesnât say anything, simply batting his eyes at you and putting on his best puppydog look as you sigh in defeat, causing him to instantly light up and lift the fork up to your mouth. You take a small bite, watching as Towa smiles.
âIs it good, Dandelion?â He tilts his head.
You nod, just as a female servant who had stood in the corner of the room gathers your finished plates.
âIâm glad youâre enjoying your meal.â She stacks the plates in her arms.
As sheâs collected the last of the dishes, she pauses, offering you a small smile out of politeness. You donât think it should, but her smile unnerves you. Like someone behind her, someone you canât see, has hooked their fingers into the corner of her mouth, pulling them up. She steps back, turning away from you towards the doors of the dining hall.
âGehehe, this missionâs super easy, right Dandelion?â Towa pulls you up as soon as youâve finished your dessert.
âUhm.. we should stay cautious, Towa.â You say, âItâs certainly not⊠normal⊠just getting treatment like this.â
He frowns, âWell, Ren and Haru are investigating.. And they havenât found anything! So..â
Towa gently takes your hand, leading you up the stairs and guiding you through the corridor back to your appointed guest room for the night, soft candleglow flickering across the shadows of the hall.
âLetâs have fun, âkay?â He turns the knob, opening the door for you.
Towa follows behind, shutting the door as you enter your room.
You glance at Towa, a small twinge of disappointment behind his smile, your heart sinking just a little. He just wanted to spend time with you. Towa rocks back and forth on his heels like a child waiting for attention.
â... Okay, I guess youâre riââ
A sharp, blinding pain explodes through your head, light a needle has cracked through your skull. Your hands immediately shoot up to the dome of your head, some invisible force crushing your brain from the inside.
â... Dandelion?â Towa places his hands over yours.
Your vision has shifted, nothing staying perfectly still. The floorboards underneath you seem to wobble, everything around you seemingly melting into a vortex.
âMy headâ owowow..â You hiss.
â...Huh? Dandelion, whatâre you saying?â Towa kneels down a bit to look you in the eye.
âTowaâ you need toâ call Haru and Renâ the anomalyââ
Towa whines, shaking his head, âMmnmh! Nothing youâre saying is making sense!!â
You fall to the ground, still cradling your head, âHaruâ Haru!!â
Towa still doesnât seem to understand, brows furrowing in confusion as you spoke again, he huffs, âI donât understand!â
You shakily reach for your phone, tapping the screen, âCall Haru!â
Towa bends down and picks up your phone, the sound of him ringing Haru following just moments later. The sound of dialing drawls on, pounding on in your head.
âHe wonât pick up.â Towa frowns, âIâll go find hiââ
You hear Towa crying out above you before you see him falling to the ground next to you, hands wrapped around his head as he writhed in pain across the ground.
âHead hurts, head hurts, head hurtsâŠâ Towa whimpers, hunching his body in on himself.
You place your hands against the side of his face, rotating his head to face you. Thunder crashes outside the mansion, the sound echoing in your head and around your body, âTowa, stop, stop, pleaseââ
Towa garbles in response, his words coming out strangled and choked, âHerhipmsr, izivcxlmrk lyvxwââ
You blink in confusion, but when you reopen your eyes, the world around you has shifted into something you canât understand. You should understand that the dresser behind Towa is a dresser, that the ceiling is the ceiling, the floor is the floor, but nothing makes sense no matter how much you go over it in your head. The only thing that your brain seems to register is Towaâs agonized face, crying profusely.
âEvi ai ksmrk xs hmi..?â Whatever he says comes out like a question as he looks at you with those broken eyes, his chest heaving up and down.
You shake your head, unsure of what heâs asking. A streak of heat pours out your eyes, running down your face. You lift a hand to your cheek, swiping the liquid and taking a look at it. You think you wouldâve been happier if it was just tears but instead thereâs a swipe of red across your fingertips. Your eyes widen as you glance back up at Towa, small prickles of red swirling in his tears.
âM pszi csy, Herhipmsrââ He hiccups, âRs qexxiv alex lettirwââ
Your head explodes with a sudden, wet crack, a thick geyser of blood splattering across the floor and Towaâs face, his eyes widening as rivulets of your blood run down his face.
â... Dandelion.â
His voice is quiet as he stares at where your eyes should be, where your head was.
âDid⊠did you hear me?â
Heâs not sure why heâs asking, he hasnât even begun to process where youâve gone.
â... Whereâd you go, Dandelion?â
âAah, kitty.â Taiga stumbles over towards you.
Itâs almost terrifying watching him drag his feet towards you, blood dripping down his face in slow, thick rivulets and staining his once white shirt red. The sheen of blood glistens under a flickering light, and you immediately realize. Something is wrong. Very wrong. Thatâs not the anomalies blood. Even though you can see the anomaly thrashing violently for its life just out of focus, spewing blood across the room and all over Taiga, you can tell. You can tell the blood covering him is his own. He drops to his knees in front of you, running a hand across your cheek. He chuckles.
âWhatâre you still scared for?â Taiga tilts his head, âItâs dead.â
âYouâreâ youâre..â You swallow, shaking, âYouâre⊠bleeding.â
He doesnât answer. A chill runs down your spine as he smiles, looking uncannily calm.
âYou are too.â
You look down at the laceration that tore apart your stomach, your uniform had been entirely stained into a crimson red color, you hadnât even noticed your viscera exposed on your lap. The sight sickens you and you shoot your face up to look at Taiga. Heâs not smiling anymore, but his hand is still caressing your face.
âDoes it hurt?â
You donât answer. Taiga already knows the answer, of course he does. Taiga closes the distance between the two of you, the heat of his breath mingling with your own as he kisses you. Itâs like a thunderstormâ rough, unrestrained, full of emotion. The metallic taste of blood fills your mouth, as he pushes you deeper into the kiss. You rip your face back, panting.
You hear the cling of his artifact chain, watching in fear as he loads in exactly two bullets next to each other in the chamber.
Taiga presses the cold metal square up against the middle of your forehead.
You open your mouth to protest, but nothing comes out. Youâre in pain. So much pain. A searing jolt tears through your stomach every second, sharper and sharper, like hot knives twisting deeper inside you. Tears stream down your cheeks. You wish they could pour down your whole body, encasing you, wiping away all the pain but no matter how hard you sob, the pain only grows.
âSpin.â Taigaâs voice is empty.
It doesnât have that same convivial quality to it. Like heâs forcing himself to do this, for you. You shakily reach your hand up to the barrel of the revolver, weakly spinning it. Taiga presses down on the trigger. Click.
âSpin.â He says again.
You spin the barrel again with more strength, squeezing your eyes shut as you hear him squeeze the trigger. Click.
â... Spin.â
You keep your eyes closed as you roll the barrel one more time. Taiga doesnât press down on the trigger right away, hesitating before he pulls it. Bam.
His eyes donât follow your body as it slumps to the floor. Without blinking, he moves the tip of the smoking gun up against the temple of his forehead, focusing on the heat radiating from the nozzle. Youâve only been gone for him three seconds now. Three seconds too much, and he wants to catch up with you. He presses down on the trigger.
Bam.
Romeo kneels down behind the crumbling wall, the ruins overlooking a large chunk of the forest covering the island. You hear a clinging sound as he sets his sniper rifle atop the weathered edges of the ruin. He peers his eye into the scope, mumbling to himself as his eye searches for its target.
âRomeoââ You were sitting against the wall, hand clutched over your bloodstained shirt.
âI know. Itâs okay.â Romeo gently hushes your pained sniffling, adjusting his rifle.
Youâre slumped across the crumbling wall, your hand clenched over the fabric of your school button-up, now blossoming red stains all across the front of your chest. You whimper, finger fidgeting with the ring Romeo had given you, stammering as you try to catch his attention.
âI already gave you the last vial of anomalous medicine Darkwick provided..â He frowns, âTGA.. The reconnaissance squad has refused to pick us up until the anomaly has been taken care of.â
âNoââ You garble, choking out blood, âYouâ canâtââ
Bam.
Romeo watches as the bullet whizzes through the trees, locking directly onto the anomalyâs chest. Thereâs a piercing sound, and for a moment, Romeo believes the anomaly has been hit, but instead, thereâs blood splattering out of his chest as if he was shot. Romeoâs body hunches forward, coughing out red rivulets of blood across the ground. Romeo shifts up onto the cold, uneven wall next to you with a wince. He clenches his teeth, cursing under his breath.
â... Is that how you got injured then?â Romeo sighs, glancing at the puncture wound in your chest.
You nod. When the two of you had gotten separated, you had come across the anomaly, panicking until you remembered the knife Romeo had given you in case anything went wrong. It did pierce through the flesh of the anomaly, but you immediately recoiled when you felt a burst of heat ripping your chest open.
âIâm sorry, I was trying toââ
He hisses in frustration, silencing you, âIt doesnât matter. Itâs that SSAâs fault.â
SSA? Stupid shifty academy?
Romeo clutches his chest, looking down at the red stains smearing his fingertips, jaw clenched.
He didnât speak, didnât need to; you could tell how frustrated he was just by sitting next to him. Itâs not that you didnât share the same sentiment as him. You were upset too, but your chest hurt so much you didnât want to move. Didnât want to speak, didnât want to do anything. Just crumple up so you wouldnât keep hurting. You hear Romeo grunt, glancing at you. You touch your face, realizing you had been crying. You wipe your face with the edge of your elbow, but it doesnât do much as you keep on sobbing, tears staining the arm of your shirt.
âItâs fine.â
âHowâ How can you say that though?!â You sob, voice cracking as your words come out between gasps, âIs anyone even coming for us?!â
He tutted, still clutching his chest and looking up at the sun fading behind the horizon, â... I know weâre alone.â
âI know weâre going to be alone. I know no oneâs coming for us, y/n.â Romeo turns to you, âBut Iâm here. That has to count for something.â
You open, then close your mouth, whispering, âWeâre going to die.â
He doesnât say anything, moving his free hand down to yours. You glance down, watching as he intertwines his fingers with yours. That ring. Romeo had on the ring matching yours, a black platinum ring. Your eyes scrunch up again as you remember the times youâve spent with Romeo, your first ever mission, the little gifts, the dates, everything.
âThe anomaly is still here on this island, when reconnaissanceââ
âWe can take it down with us.â Romeo squeezes your hand.
âHuh?â
You look over at Romeo, confused, before your eyes widen in realization. âRomeââ
â...Tiris.â
You donât get to witness what happens next. The explosion tore through the entire island, a column of smoke blowing debris straight into the sky, bits of ash falling to the sea. For a split second before he said his incantation, Romeo wondered.
How big would the explosion be if he had actually touched you, and not the ring?
White tiny parasites shaped like spiders, gnaw at the skin of your ankle, chewing through your flesh and bone. You try to move, crawl away, kick them off of you, anything. But you canât.
âParasite du corps..â Ritsu mumbles into his recording device, â...injects a paralytic into any living being..â
The two of you are staring at each other, bodies limp against the ground, faces squished against the pavement of a Tokyo alleyway. A pale green LED sign lights up the outline of Ritsuâs expression against the rainsoaked nightâ agony cracked into his usual calm expression.
âShinjo..â You mumble, â...Why didnât you use your stigma?â
Ritsu stops talking into his recorder, meeting your gaze solemnly. He doesnât answer, simply pursing his lips, swallowing any words he mightâve said as rain drips down his cheek.
âIfâ if you use itâ you wonât die!--â You use your last bit of strength to move your hand closer to his, trying to nudge the recorder out of his hand.
Ritsu inches his hand away from yours, watching as confusion and shock flashes across your face.
âIâm.. Iâm simply collecting information about the anomaly.â He says firmly.
Thereâs a pang in his heart as your face crumpled up into sobs, your cries barely heard over the thunder and rain, although no less real. No less painful to watch as your weeping muffles against the wet asphalt.
âI can enhance your stigmaââ Your hand shakes as you reach for him again.
Ritsu reaches into your touch, wincing as the anomaly burrows deeper into his body. His hands intertwine with yours, slowly caressing his thumb against your hand. But he doesnât say his stigma incantation. He doesnât open his mouth.
You wince in pain, trying to raise your head to glance down at your body. You canât see your feet anymore, the colony of parasites eating your flesh completely down to the bone and moving up your leg, completely covering your lower legs, a circle of red bulging through the translucent skin of the bugs.
âShinjo!ââ You cry out.
â...Iâm sorry, y/n.â He replies, âI canât do anything in this situation. I apologize.â
âYes, yes! You canâ!â You grasp onto his hand tighter, âYou can live.â
Ritsu doesnât say anything to that, staring into your eyes before averting his gaze downward towards the pavement.
â... Ritsu.â Your eyes widen a bit, âWhy arenât you doing anything?â
The LED signs across the alleyway flicker.
âWe donât need it.â He says quietly, voice cracking before he regains his composure, âIt will only work on me.â
Youâre not sure what to say, and Ritsu keeps his gaze shamefully averted to the ground. The pain shooting up from your legs throughout your body eats up almost every word that could possibly come out anyways. Ritsu doesnât seem to react roughly to the pain, biting his lip down and wincing every few seconds, although you can tell his conscience is fading, his teal irises watery.
â...Are you stillâŠâ Ritsu pauses, as though choosing his words, â... awake?â
You hum in response.
âIâm sorry for going against your wishes, y/n.â His fingers grip yours a bit tighter, âI love you.â
âWhââ
âI apologize if this feels sudden, y/n.â Ritsu frowns, âIt was not my intention to put you on the spot. I donât believe I will have another time to tell you.â
âNo, itâs fine.. I-â You inch closer to him, âI love you too.â
Ritsuâs face lays close to yours, his breath shallow. His face shakes, lip quivering, parted just slightly, as if the wordsâ or kissâ were right there, the action trembling on becoming real. Getting closer to you. But he couldnât move. You can see the struggle in his eyes, the yearning wrapped in frustration. You want to close the distance yourself, but you can hardly move. A tightness coils in your chest as the paralytic creeps higher, each breath you let out shallower than the last, until your lungs refuse to obey, frozen in place just like the rest of your body. You try to speak. To say one last thing to Ritsu.
Ritsu watches helplessly as the light slowly fades from your eyes, any emotion you harbored draining along with you. You donât choke for air desperately, seemingly accepting your fate. Maybe you wanted to, but you couldnât. Ritsuâs breath catches in his chest as he stares into your eyes, glassy and distant, like youâre not anchored to the world once around you. Maybe the paralytic has sprouted into his lungs as well, making him unable to exhale, maybe the sight of your corpse has completely taken his breath away. Whatever it is, the parasites consume his and your flesh whole, leaving absolutely nothing behind. No clothes, no blood, no bones, nothing. Only Ritsuâs recorder was recovered by the Darkwick cleanup squad, playing only the distorted sound over and over when played.
âI love you.â
â... Iâm sorryââ A tear falls down Subaruâs porcelain face as he stares at you.
The two of you lay side by side, breath shallow as you stared at one another, the air of your onsen ryokan room is damp with the smell of sulfur and earthy wood. Blood bleeds across the tatami mats in a deep, red stain.
âIâm sorryâ Iâm sorry y/nââ His face crumples up as he turns his gaze away from you.
You swallow, your mouth tasting metallic, âItâs not your fault.â
Just earlier in the night, while the two of you were asleep, someone had slid the door open. Too quietly for you to realize what was going to happen next, as you could hardly hear the soft creak of the wood. Then she stepped insideâan abnormally tall woman with long black hair covering her face. She didnât say anything, didnât make a sound as she moved across the tatami, muilating your bodies with a knife.
âIâm not a good fighter like Alan, nor am I as levelheaded as Hakuââ
âSubaru..â You reach your hand towards him, brushing a lock of his disheveled hair out of his eyes, âItâs.. okay.â
Subaruâs shoulders tremble softly as he cries, moving onto his back and wiping his tears away, âI donât know how youâve kept so much faith in me, y/n.â
âYouâve always been hardworking Subaru!â You say, âYouâre more than capable.â
âThereâs not much I could have done in this situation though..â Subaru glances over the blood staining the cotton of your yukata.
You turn your head towards him, unsure of what else to say, moving your hand over your heart. Your chest ached from both the pain and his words. Your vision grew fuzzy as Subaru continued speaking.
âYouâre always so bright, y/n, and I.. I sometimes felt bad being around you. Like..â He turns his head towards you, meeting your gaze, âLike I didnât belong near you. Even if this was just a mission.. Iâm glad I got to go with you somewhere. You made today nice.â
You pause, closing your eyes to think back to today and letting the memory surround you. Sunny. It was sunny, the air humid and full of steam. You, Subaru, Alan, and Haku had been assigned to an Interhouse mission, sharing the hot springs together. You had made so many memories in your life, most good, some youâd rather forget. Coming to Darkwick was scary at first, the missions werenât calming at all, yet this one hadnât been too bad not considering your current circumstance. It was relaxing. Calming. Enough to put you to sleep.
â...y/n?â Subaru frowned as he noticed how still you were.
Subaru doesnât need to check, your chest didnât move, and the faint sound of your shaky breath he had been listening to was gone. With trembling fingers, Subaru slowly pulls off his glove. His hand shakily hovers over the mat for a moment before he reaches out and clutches the sleeve of your yukata. Maybe itâs greedy what he wants, but he doesnât care.
âTalnandio.â
Itâs sunny again, the two of you soaking in the hot springs.
âCareful, princess..â Haku pulls your arm over his head, helping lower you to sit against the nearest wall.
You slump over, hand covering the bleeding gash across the side of your stomach. Haku lowers himself next to you, letting a soft breath out and finally resting from the numerous gaping wounds he had.
âGood thing we got away, yeah?â He cocks his head towards you.
You nod, chewing on the bottom of your lip in pain.
Haku reaches into his pocket, expecting the vial of anomalous medicine he had brought on this mission, but instead finds nothing but fabric inside his pocket. He frowns, getting your attention.
âWhatâs wrong?â
Haku sheepishly glances at you then back at his pocket, âUh, medicine mustâve slipped out while we were running.â
You paused, blinking, as you considered your situation. Both of you were bruised, bleeding an amount soon to become fatal, and had no idea how to get out of the labyrinth of lamplit wooden rooms. Haku wraps an arm around you, âDonât worry, y/n.. We can still.. wait for Subaru and Zenji to find us.â
âRâRight.â You nod, but you donât have much hope.
Thereâs a pool of blood spread out beneath the two of you, growing with every minute that passes by. Haku grumbles, checking over your cloth makeshift bandages from time to time before sighing, â... Doesnât hurt too bad, does it?â
You purse your lips, glancing down, âKind of.â
You pull your knees up to your chest, crossing your arms over them, âHaku?â
He hums in response, running his fingers through your hair.
â...Can you play your flute?â
Haku furrows his brow, puzzled but he does as you say, a clinging sound as he retrieves his flute from his special artifact chain. He hesitates only briefly before raising the mouthpiece to his lips, âWhat do you want me to play?â
âUhm.. anything.â You lean into his chest as Haku begins to play.
You donât realize it at first, but after the first few notes you seem to recognize the song from somewhere in your memories, â... Is this the same song you played on our first ever mission together?â
Haku doesnât answer, the only sound in the air being that of the soft sounds of the flute. It calms you, brushing off the weight on your chest. For a moment, all the pain, fear, and confusion in your body fades, carried off by his flute.
âAh.. donât you use this for putting spirits to rest?â You smile, closing your eyes.
He doesnât stop playing until your head falls over into his lap, unmoving.
If you can move on peacefully, Haku knows he can too.
Rui crawls across the floor, wrapping his hands around the ankle of the anomaly as it slowly approaches you. It writhes in pain, screeching as it slowly disintegrates, leaving nothing but a crimson red cloak and a paint porcelain mask. Rui pulls himself across the floor, a smear of blood following him.
ây/n.â He looks over you, eyes stopping on the numerous knife slashes all across your body.
You meet his gaze, unable to speak from the pain. Rui blows a kiss towards you, but it doesnât have that same underlying charisma as usual. A golden mist cradles you, rocking away the worst parts of the pain until youâre only left with an aching feeling running throughout your body.
You sit up, noticing the pool of blood across the floor of the entire room. Is it yours? Ruiâs? Both?
âNo, no, lay down.â Rui turns his body up against the wall, panting as he rests.
âYour legs..â Your voice is shaky.
Rui glances down at his legs, cracked impossibly into abstract shapes, he winces, âItâs okay, donât worry about me y/n.â
He slides down the wall to lay next to you in your own pool of blood, ignoring it. Rui isnât dumb. He knows neither of you are going to get out of here alive, youâll only be seen again when a Darkwick cleanup team is sent in to recover your bodies when the school gets suspicious of your lack of communication.
âDoes it still hurt?â Rui asks.
You shake your head, causing Rui to smile just a bit. At least he can help mellow your pains.
âI donât want to die like this.â You whisper.
You turn your head towards him, â... You can survive if you take my life force, right Rui?â
Rui subconsciously moves his ungloved hands behind his back, âNo, no. Even if I did, I canât heal from this.â
âAt least⊠at least kill me yourself.â Your voice quivers as tears streamed down your cheek, âI donât want to die to an anomaly. Not like the Kyklos.â
Ruiâs eyes widen as you turn your face to hide it from him.
â... You know, y/n.â Rui sighs, âI wish⊠I wish we met under different circumstances.â
You stare at the ceiling as Rui talks, âMaybe in another universe. Where neither of us are cursed. Where I can touch you, where youâre not counting down the days until deathââ
He pauses, â..Do you believe in reincarnation?â
When you donât answer, Rui goes on, âMaybe in another life. Neither of us are cursed, we donât know about Darkwick or anomalies.. We can live normally.â
Stars prickle the corner of Ruiâs vision, ây/n. If.. if we had a family.. Maybe.. What would you name our kids?â
â..Akane, maybe.â You whisper, like a secret meant for only you and Rui, âI had a friend named Akane before coming to Darkwick. We were close.â
You reminisce on the last night the two of you had talkedâ the night you were cursed. You had rocked each other back and forth as your favorite band played their last ever concert before disbanding, yelling to the song. More pleasant memories flash through your head, late night karaoke with your friends, shopping, but thereâs more. Thereâs more memories from when you first arrived at Darkwick. Getting into trouble with Kaito and Luca, mornings spent rounding up anomalous animals in Jabberwock, walks through Hotarubi.. Meeting Rui. It all feels like a dream in your head. Is this the last seven minutes before death? You donât know.
âIâm sorry. I⊠I just want to talk to you before I touch you.â Rui inches his hand a small bit closer to yours, â... y/n. Iâ I love you.â
The words donât come out smoothly like a flirtatious comment. They come out desperate. Desperate for you to know that despite all the times he seemed like a playboy, a womanizer, he loved you. Rui squeezes his eyes shut, not wanting to see the life drain from you as he intertwines his fingers with yours. Your hand is warm and softer than silk, unlike anything heâs felt before. He waits for your hand to go cold. He waits for you to cry out in pain. But it doesnât come.
Rui opens his eyes, turning to look at you before he feels his own blood go cold. No wonder you hadnât died from his touch.
You were already dead.
Lyca barks, backing up against a tree as the naga, half-snake, half-human, slowly approached, forking its tongue out at the two of you. It lunges toward him with a screech, biting down on his arm before Lyca swipes at it with his claws, ripping its torso to shreds. You watch as it slithers away, body slowly disintegrating. Lyca turns to you, kneeling down.
âCâmon. Letâs go before anything else happens.â
You shake your head, clutching your shoulder, âIâ I canât.. Move my legs.â
Lyca glances down at your legs before meeting your gaze, âWhat? How come?â
âThe venomâ it bit me.â You chew on your bottom lip nervously, âI canât walk.â
âItâs fine.â Youâre barely registering whatâs happening as Lyca hoists you up, his arm under your thighs before he pulls you over his shoulder like a potato sack.
âLâLyca! Werenât you bitten too?â You grasp the back of his shirt with your hands.
âHuh? Oh. Yeah.â He speaks into the side of your thigh, âWhy?â
â... Itâs going to paralyze you tooââ
Just as the words leave your mouth, Lycaâs legs give out, his body dropping to the floor like a rock thrown into water. You held your hands out, bracing your impact as you hit the ground with a thud. You glance around, noticing Lyca clutching onto the fabric of your shirt before using his arm to pull himself up across the dirt, his face meets yours.
âDo.. Do you have your phone?â Lyca asks, his expression scared for once, searching for comfort in your own, âWe can call blondieâ..â
You stiffly pat yourself down, unable to find your phone before shaking your head. Lycaâs ears flatten against his head as his gaze averts towards the ground, frowning.
âEd said something about this, didnât he?..â Your eyes trail towards the night sky above you, watching as the leaves rustle, âHe said.. Something like this would happen..â
â... Donât listen to that wrinkly sybarite.â Lyca clenches his teeth, âWeâll be fine.â
You purse your lips together, trying to ignore the numbness creeping up your abdomen, your senses dulling.
â... Are you sure, Lyca?â The words leave your mouth quietly.
Lyca lowers his head slightly, the edge of his lips curving back, the sharp edge of his teeth poking through, just the corner of his canines showing through as he grumbled in his throat, a quivering, lowly sound. He doesnât respond, burying the side of his face closer to the dirt.
You move your slowly numb-becoming hand to the top of his head, resting it there.
âThis isnât fair.â He growls, squeezing his eyes shut, âIâ I still havenât seen Neros..â
Your fingers brush through his hair slowly, hand weak as Lycaâs voice quivers quietly.
âAt least..â Lyca pauses, âAt least weâre together.â
You smile at the small sentiment, your eyes half-lidded as you look at him, moving your hand down to his and lifting his middle and pointer finger between your own. Lyca watches as your body slowly goes limp, your fingers still intertwined with one another. His throat whined as he looked down at your hands together, staring at how his claws splintered at the edges wrapped around your own fingers, delicate and soft. Stupid.
What good were they now? He couldnât even protect you.
Yuri grumbles under his breath as he tosses a handful of bloodied, crumpled up tissues into the trash, missing the bin once before angrily shoving them in. The hotel room had been converted into Yuriâs temporary office, the room faintly smelling like antiseptic and bleach. He wipes his hands on a towel, sighing, as he turns back to you sitting on the desk.
âItâll be easier to find a cure once we get back to Mortkranken.â He says.
â...Right.â
Your voice comes out thick, like itâs been muffled from inside of you.
âDarkwick is sending transportation tomorrow morning,â Yuri crosses his arms, âThat forsaken schoolâŠâ
He turns away, peeling off his plastic gloves with a snap, flinging them into the bin. He rubs his throat, lightly coughing, dry and sharpâ then freezes. Yuri stared down into his hand, eyes narrowing as he sees a faint streak of red across his palm.
Yuri slowly turns back towards you, a short flicker of uneasiness breaking through his gaze. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but instead, another cough comes out. Yuri doubles forward slightly, grasping the sides of the desk, his head hung above your lap.
âYuriââ
Your breath hitches as you notice something as he raises his headâ soft white petals coated with Yuriâs blood. A sense of dread rises in your throat as you stare down at the petals, Yuri quickly wiping them off your lap.
â.. Nevermind that. Itââ He stammers, âIt takes numerous days for the disease to fully take hold.â
He glances out the thin curtains of the hotel window, moonlight pressing through the glass before he slips his arm around you helping you towards the bed. You can feel his body trembling against you as he supports you up, and just as you near the bed, you feel yourself falling.
Yuriâs body gives out, the two of you hitting the carpet with a thud. You glance over at Yuri, watching as a cough tears through his lungs, choking up sputters of blood and petals onto the ground.
Yuri clasps a hand over his mouth, trying to stop, âHowââ
âHow is this happeningââ He gags, a whole flower coming out.
Yuri levels his breathing, heaving his chest as he lays on the ground next to you.You turn your head towards him, trying to think of comforting words to say, parting your lips only to find nothing coming out of your mouth. Yuriâs eyes widen as he stares at the tiny purple buds of hyacinth and crumpled white flower blossoms filling your throat and mouth.
Itâs not supposed to happen this fast. How has it managed to take hold of him so quickly? Was he ignoring it this whole timeâ Just to realize now? You had been sick for much longer than Yuri had though, he spent each night doting on you to make sure it hadnât gotten out of control. Why did it only flare up now?
Yuri reaches his hand out towards yours, you grab on watching as Yuri struggles to say his stigma incantation through the flowers filling his body.
âAghâ nit.â
âHaaghnaet.â
You can see the tears pooling in his eyes again. He can solve this. He can solve this. He knows he can.
âAgnihaet.â
Right. Right, he knows about this diseaseâ heâs read about it before. The Hanahaki disease is caused by an anomaly taking hold of your body and filling your lungs and esophagus with flowers until youâre eventually consumed by it. And the only way to cure itâ
Yuriâs eyes widen.
You watch as Yuri tries to speak, his lips moving around sounds that barely sounded like words. Yuriâs voice was strained, completely muffled by the white peonies filling up his mouth, petals dropping out onto the floor.
âHrgghâ loveâ yaaghhââ Yuri clutches his chest, flowers blooming too fast for him to cough out.
His breaths coming out in short, puffs, his fingers digging into the floor, as he fought past the flowers choking him out. His voice trembled as he cried out,
âI love you!ââ
He expects the flowers to clear out right away, after all thatâs what heâs read. But after each passing second, he can only feel the oxygen being stomped out of his lungs. Do you not feel the same?
No. You do. He was simply too late.
Jiro staggers over, pinning himself over you as protection as the jorogumoâ a half-woman, half-spiderâ screams, falling to the floor. It had attempted to hook its talons through Jiroâs chest, the attack being reflected onto itself. The domain of webs and woven cocoons that once surrounded the two of you slowly disintegrate into the same dirt of the forest floor.
You wince, the pain that had once been covered up by your adrenaline was now amplified, shooting up throughout your body causing you to cry out in pain.
âJiro, Jiroâ offâ off?â You try to say but Jiro doesnât move.
His head is shaking, pupils dilated as he stares at your face with his own deathly pale expression. You fight the pain, helping move Jiro off of you and onto the ground as you make the realization.
âYour medicine..â
Jiro coughs weakly, trying to get up only to get pushed down by you, âNeed toâ carry you back.â
Though, itâs no use. The both of you are too weak to move, Jiroâs condition overtaking him and your own injuriesâ a laceration running all the way from your knee and running up to your waist.
âI can walk us.â You insist, but you know you wouldnât even be able to walk, much less support Jiroâs weight as well.
Jiro shakes his head, âYou wonât be able to. The cutâs tooâ coughâ deep.â
He lays his head back against the dirt, watching as you do the same. The night sky rips through the top of the trees, a deep and endless canvas dusted with stars. They shimmer full of life, like distant lanterns. There is no breeze, no rustle. Only the sound of cicadas humming through the forest and the sound of your own heartbeat ringing through your head. Both you and Jiro know it. This would be the last time either of you would get to feel the night, see the stars. You feel your chest well up with anxiety. You felt your breath slowing down as a cold hand wrapped itself around yours. Jiro.
His face is as indifferent as ever as he stares up at the sky with you.
â...Are you⊠are you not scared?â You ask.
Jiro doesnât respond for a moment, tightening his grip on your hand though his strength is fading and his grip is weak, âI almost died once, already. Iâm ready.â
His words weirdly comfort you, squashing the fear in you.
âIâm sorry. I should have tried harder to protect you.â He says quietly.
You wish you could find your voice to tell him that he did everything he could, but your pain tightens around your vocal cords like barbed wire. You squeeze his hand as tightly as you can, hoping the message gets across. The two of you lay there silently like that, the universe pausing around you. The stars are disappearing slowly, the blackness of the night sky stretching out across your whole vision. Jiro turns his face to look at you, already knowing what heâs going to see but the sight invokes a new emotion in him. He was never one to be afraid of dead bodies, but looking at yours caused tears to prick his eyes. He turns away, trying to forget the sight so itâs not the last thing he remembers. Jiro focuses on the feeling of his hand in yours, trying so desperately not to move so your limp hand doesnât fall out of his.
The silence is deafening as Jiro feels his vision fading, all the things he wanted to tell you dying with him.
content., fluff, all the ghouls! reader is a mom/afab, she/her used! called mama + papa + daddy + by kids, established marriage relationship though not explicitly stated, not a-star parenting, some of these are more focused on the ghouls than the reader. this takes place after darkwick graduation so everyones 30ish! Pneumonia story in Yuriâs that includes taking medicine, not proofread, maybe ooc tried my best! y/n = your name, reader is burnt out in Towaâs story, Leo is literally a menace to your guyâs kid
the types of parent the ghouls are, as well as their kids! theyâre not exactly the greatest parents, but they do love their kids
Jinâ
- Jin spoils you and your 11 year old son Ryota in every way he can, either with time and affection or a multitude of gifts when busy with work, he will always prefers spending time with the two of you though.
- He enjoys the littler moments, where all three of you are sat on the couch, doing any sort of family activity. Board games, movie nights, anything.
- Bigger social events with your whole family are quite common though with your status as the Kamurai family, which Ryota often objects to as he tends to be on the shyer side. Jin always drags him along though.
- Ryota tends to stick by your side as much as possible while Jin reluctantly has to socialize, the two of you awkwardly standing in the corner of any sort of event.
â⊠I wanna go home.â Ryota mutters to you from behind his masquerade mask.
âJust a bit longer. Why donât you try some food?â You nudge him towards the refreshments table.
Ryota eyes a platter of thinly sliced translucent white meat, âWhatâs that?â
âUm⊠that must be some type of fowl.â You answer unsure, lifting your champagne glass to your lips.
ââŠI want salmon.â Ryota crosses his arms, âWhy donât we go home and have chef make some?â
âWe have to be here to support Jin.â You reply, placing a hand on Ryotaâs shoulder, âIf you want seafood, I believe thereâs crab legs on that table over there.â
Ryota clicks his tongue, the same expression of annoyance Jin has, âTch.â
âIt wonât be long until your father is done, Ryota.â You say, âFind something to snack on and we can have salmon when we get home.â
Ryota sighs, taking a plate from the table next to you and placing two mini meat tarts on it. He moves the plate towards you, watching as you try it first.
âItâs good, Ryota.â You confirm.
Ryota searches your eyes for any hint of displeasure or dishonesty before taking a small bite out of the tart, â⊠Itâs okay.â
The two of you finish your small snack just as Jin approaches you, looking completely annoyed. Ryota immediately takes it as a sign to leave, placing the plate down and taking a step towards his father.
âLetâs go.â Jin mutters, taking your arm in his and spinning on his heel towards the exit.
- Ryota hurriedly follows behind. And yes, Ryota does get his salmon that night.
Tohmaâ
- Tohma is the definition of gentle parenting when with your guyâs 6 year old daughter, Asuka. Sheâs young, and sheâs curious, always asking questions about everything she sees.
âwhat kind of bug is that?â
âThat is a ladybug.â
â.. what kind of bug is that?â
âThat is my monocle.â
- Treats your daughter like a princess. Buys her dresses, snacks, toys. Anything. Always opens the car door for her, acting like her chauffeur.
âAfter you, mâlady.â
- Her jaw absolutely drops when Tohma takes her around high-society, especially when she met Uncle Jin for the first time. You thought Tohma spoiled Asuka? Jin doubles it.
- Her room is so lavish compared to the rest of the home, it almost looks like itâd belong to another house, and Asuka is incredibly proud of her collection of gifts! She loves showing them off to you and Tohma every night before bed.
âNow, look at this mama!â Asuka pulls out a velvet jewelry box, opening it to reveal what looks like an incredibly expensive sapphire necklace with encrusted diamonds around the edge.
âMy, my.â Tohma crosses his arms, âDid your uncle get you that?â
Asuka nods, putting it back on her shelf.
âLooks like weâll have to step up our present game.â Tohma says.
âI donât know about thatââ You reply, looking around the room at the multitude of gift boxes.
âDid you say âthank youâ?â Tohma asks as Asuka moves through her toy chest.
âYes!! And I made Uncle Jin a drawing of him and his super cool sword.â Asuka grins, pulling out her favorite stuffed toyâ a white rabbit with navy blue ears.
âIâm surprised you still sleep with that one.â You comment, âYouâve got so many new ones.â
âThis oneâs my favorite!! Itâs the first one you and papa got me!â Asuka explains, getting into bed.
You kiss Asukaâs head, shutting off the lamp, âAww. Goodnight Asuka. I love you.â
âLove you too mama!!â
Kaitoâ
- Kaito and your young teenage daughter, Miu, are like best friends. They tell each other almost everything, do everything together, and you can hardly spot them apart from each other.
- A dance dad. Attended all of Miuâs dance recitals and practices, always cheering her on from the sidelines.
- Your family has a small tradition the three of you started when Miu was in elementary school, getting crepes together every weekend. You all come by so often, the workers have your order memorized. Two fresh strawberry crepes for you and Kaito, and one chocolate spread crepe for Miu.
- Miu seems to have grown a knack for mischief and adventures though, dragging Kaito along with her so they can make memories. Though reluctant, he always seems to give in to her persuasion every time.
âshit, shit, okay! Donât tell your mom, sheâll kill me!!â
- home in time for dinner (somehow), both of them trying not to act suspicious. Though, itâs obvious to you the way Kaito is sweating and dodging conversation during dinner that something happened.
- it all comes flooding out as the two of you are getting ready for bed in your shared bedroom, everything about how he and Miu had went ghost hunting and actually ran into a low-level anomaly. As soon as he notices your brows furrowing, heâs apologizing over and over again, reassuring you the anomaly only took one hit from his bow and arrow before perishing.
âaggh, Iâm sorry!! I wonât do it again!â Kaito groans, stuffing his face into the pillow.
you bop him on the head lightly, causing him to whine, âI know.. I know.. sorry y/n..â
- though there will certainly be another time the two get up to mischief, kaito always keeps her away from anything even a whiff of dangerous, for your sake. (and his own)
Lucasâ
- you two have the absolute sweetest 8 year old girl, Minami, who the two of you love to bits! Somehow, the two of you won the jackpot with how kind and determined she is, a real mirror to her father!
- sword training together, because of course. Minami saw him use his special artifact once, and now sheâs obsessed with sword fights. took a lot of convincing and help with a good word from you to get Luca to start training with wooden swords.
- Minami gushes to you everyday about how dad said she was getting so much better as Lyca watches from the doorway, smiling. Insists that sheâs going to keep working hard everyday!
- Minami is big on amusement parks and all the rides! Luca always wins her a new huge stuffed animal for her bedroomâs collection.
Minami stops walking, tugging at your hand, âLook!â
You spin around, looking at the 3-foot tall raspberry pink bear hung up on a hook as the grand prize of a throwing darts game.
âOh, do you want that bear?â Lucas eyes the game watching a multitude of parents try and win their kids a prize.
Minami nods.
âHm.. it looks like one of those carnival scams.. no oneâs even won one of the smaller prizes yet.â You mumble to Luca.
Your daughter looks up at the both of you with watery eyes, pouting, âSo we canât get it?â
âThatâs not true!â Luca breaks immediately, âIâll win you it, I promise.â
Luca has forked over half the cash in his wallet over the course of twenty minutes, absolutely determined on winning that prize! When he finally throws the last dart onto the board, Minami cheers. The game attendant seems surprised, but hands over the pink bear to Luca without reluctance after how much money he spent on the game.
- happily tucks in Minami with her brand new friend who she named âBerryâ because it sounded like âbearyâ before coming to bed with you.
Alanâ
- you both love your 6 year old daughter, Chihiro. though Alan doesnât explicitly shower her in gifts or affection, you and your daughter both know how much he loves his family.
- heâll silently sit there as Chihiro plasters sparkly cat stickers across Alanâs face and arms, not even flinching when she has to peel them off before bed.
- personally headcanon that he works as a police officer, so he gets cursed and spit at all the time. but threatening his family? That crosses the line. He wonât beat them up, but heâll certainly shut them up with a punch.
- his favorite part of the day is coming home to the two of you and having a homecooked meal, everyone sharing what they had done that day.
âMaking dinner?â Alan gently wraps himself around your waist.
âYeah. Almost done.â
Alan buries his face into the crook of your neck as Chihiro jumps down from her stool, âDaddy! Look! We made hambagu steak!â
Chihiro pulls Alan away to the dining table, showing him the plate of hamburger steak and steamed vegetables.
âOh, looks good.â Alan comments, sitting down.
âAndâ look! Look!â Chihiro grabs a drawing from the counter, showing Alan the crayon portraits of your family and house.
âVery nice.â Alan smiles, hands clasped together on the table.
âDinnerâs ready.â You announce, placing the pot of soup in the middle of the table.
Chihiro hastily sits down, scooping rice into the side of her plate. You ladle a small portion of miso soup into a small bowl for Chihiro, placing it next to her plate.
âDadd! Whatâd you do at work today?â Chihiro turns to face Alan.
Alan holds his steak steady with a fork, cutting off a chunk, âHm. Easy day, we checked out a disturbance at a karaoke bar but there wasnât any issue.â
âI think Iâm gonna be a police officer too, so then I can protect everyone!!â Chihiro takes a large bite of her steak.
The three of you continue to talk throughout dinner, sharing a meal as well as laughter. Itâs a simple thing, and yet, it will always be the highlight of Alanâs day.
Shoâ
- Your 8 year old son, Daichi, is incredibly shy and artistic, sharing new drawings to you and your husband, Sho. The first ever drawing Daichi drew for the two of you was all three of you outside of Shoâs restaurant alongside your familyâs sheepdog, Sho praising his artistic skill and pinning it behind the counter at his restaurant.
- Daichi is the type of kid to work at his parentâs restaurant after school though since heâs so shy, he doesnât work the register and prefers working with Sho in the back of the kitchen, helping keep shelves stocked and marking expiration dates on boxes of produce.
- Sho always brings home dinner after work so you donât have to cook, different types of dishes each night. Katsu curry, barbecue skewers, teriyaki chicken with sides of steamed broccoli, pulled pork sandwiches, anything he has extra of that day. Sho always makes sure to bring home three servings of whatever meal so the whole family can eat together.
Daichi spoons curry over the breaded pieces of chicken katsu before sliding a new drawing across the table towards you. You look over it, itâs a well-done picture of Sho riding his motorcycle, colored and shaded with color pencils, âVery nice!â
Daichi smiles, Sho leaning over to get a look, âLet me see.â
You hand Sho the drawing, watching as he nods in approval, âIâll have to pin this one up too. Good job Daichi.â
Daichi quietly mumbles out a thanks as Sho hands the drawing back to him, taking a bite of curry.
- Sho puts the drawing right next to the first one Daichi ever made, beaming whenever a customer inquires about the drawing behind the register, âMy son drew it.â
Leoâ
- oh, your daughter Hiyoko has a bit of a rebellious streak despite only being 8 years old. At least according to Leo. He has a sharp tongue and is quick to fireback at her when she pushes back though.
âI donât want to go to school!â
âKids like you need to!â
âYou went to school and look how you turned out!â
âSeriously!? Where are you learning these things!?l
- Gets annoyed when Hiyoko listens to everything you tell her to do, complaining about how she hardly even listens to Leo. You tell him theyâre comparable, heâs just gotta be patient with Hiyoko too.
- Shows his affection in other ways. New box of gum on her desk, her favorite dinner wrapped on the kitchen table, or her room completely cleanedâ and Hiyoko knows her father is behind it. So she slowly becomes nicer and nicer, listening to Leo just a bit more.
- They actually become incredibly close, like best friends, growing their old bickering into a type of inside joke, making fun of each other but simple and trivial things. Theyâre no. 1 gossiping duo
âSayukiâs mom was surprised when you picked me up.â Hiyoko says, holding Leoâs hand as they walked home from school, âShe probably thought you were another kid.â
âThe hell? Iâm not even that short.â Leoâs face sours, âIâm taller than your mother. Youâre making that up.â
Hiyoko giggles mischievously, not answering Leoâs accusation, swinging her arm back and forth as they round the corner to your guyâs home.
âYeah. Thatâs what I thought.â Leo says, reaching into his pocket for the house key.
âThought? I didnât know you could think.â
Leo is about to respond but stops when he sees you at the door, greeting them.
âMom!â Hiyoko drops her backpack on the floor, running up to you and hugging you.
âWe gotta get rid of this kid. Sheâs evil.â Leo pretends to whisper to you, though purposefully makes his voice loud enough for Hiyoko to hear.
âGood luck with that! Mom loves me waaay more than you.â Hiyoko sticks her tongue out at Leo.
âYeah. As if. Good luck getting someone to love you.â Leo pats the top of Hiyokoâs head.
You hit Leo with your elbow shooting him a look to knock it off, though Hiyoko giggles.
- you may not get their relationship, but you certainly do know they love each other.
Haruâ
- youâve got two sweet girls! mira, whoâs 4, and kyoko whoâs a bit older at 6! Haru works hard for them, and for youâ heâs got a picture of you guys on his desk at work. you really are his motivation honestly!
- brings home treats for the girls after workâ gummy bears, caramel chews, and more. after he comes home from work, mira and kyoko run up to him and pester him for candy.
âDid you get the sour gummies I wanted, pa!?â Kyoko is already rummaging through Haruâs belongings.
âYep!â Haru reaches over her head and pulls the gummies out of his bag.
- The girls absolutely love Peekaboo, chasing him around the house so they can âplayâ with him. Either you or Haru always have to come to Peekabooâs rescue once the girls catch him.
- The girls figured out that their favorite thing to do ever is playing makeover with their parents. More specifically Haru. Kyoko and Mira haphazardly rub blue eyeshadow over your lids before moving over to Haru and covering his eyes with the thickest eyeliner wing youâve ever seen.
âWhatâ? Do I have to put on the dress too..?â Haru sighs, already knowing the answer as Kyoko pulls the hot pink dress over his shirt.
âYeah!! Then you and mama will both be super pretty!â Mira smiles, grabbing a deep red lipstick.
âWhaaâ!?â Haruâs jaw dropped, âIâm already pretty!! I donât need anymore makeup! You barely put any on your mama!â
âWhoahoa, donât lump me in, Haru!â You crossed your arms.
âYeah, thatâs cause mama doesnât need it!â Kyoko laughs mischievously.
âOuch! So young.. but so mean..â Haru mumbles to himself, staying still as the kids patted white powder over his face.
âAre you ready for your date with mama?â Mira holds a mirror up to Haruâs face.
He gawks at his appearance, drawn on eyelashes with eyeliner, rosy pink circles on his cheeks, and a ring of bright red lipstick lining more than just his mouth. Haru says nothing, stunned into silence.
âOkay! Now kiss mama!â Kyoko pulled Haru closer to you.
âWait!â wait! Let me clean up a bitââ
- You have to help him clean off the makeup after the girls have went to bed. He thanks you profusely as soon as itâs off, collapsing into bed with you.
Renâ
- you guys have two boys! arata and ichiro, and theyâre certainly a handful. and extremely messy, always tracking in mud from the yard and stomping on the rug. ren chases after them with a towel, desperate to get them to stop spreading mud around the house.
âugh⊠arata! ichiro!! get back here!â
- complains when he has to bathe them because they always splash water on him in the bath, absolutely drenching him in water by the time heâs done. thought he had cracked the code when he got them rubber ducks and bath toys.. just for them to throw the toys at him. despite always complaining, heâll still do it every time you tell him to!
- takes them to the park on saturdays and âwatchesâ from a bench. Watches in quotes as heâs on his phone most of the time, yelling at them to âplay niceâ.
âoi! ichiro! let arata play on the firetruck first.â
- drags them back home when they keep on arguing over the slide, scolding them all the way about learning to share and take turns.
âweâre not going back to the playground âtil the two of start behaving better!â
(takes them back next Saturday regardless)
- thereâs a moment of peace in your home as everyone unwinds for the night. when ren has wrestled arata and ichiro into their pajamas, sitting in the middle of their bedroom with action figures. ren smilesâ a genuine oneâ as he plays along with them.
âKaaapooom!!â Arata slaps the robot figure Ren is holding out of his hand.
Ren picks it back up, clashing it against Arataâs superhero figure, the two plastic toys battling it out.
âOi! Letâs team up and take dad down!â Ichiro grips his soldier figurine in his hand.
âHuh? Thatâs not fair.â Ren says, frowning.
Renâs words fall on deaf ears as Arata and Ichiro hit Renâs figure with their own, knocking it right out of his hand. The two keep hitting it, making loud and animatic sounds.
âHey! Hey!! You got me!â Ren cries out, pulling his figure away, âStop it!â
Arata and Ichiro laugh, âLetâs play tomorrow!â
âIf you guys behave, yeah.â
- returns to your guyâs bedroom, absolutely exhausted. falls into your arms and complains about how exhausted he is. Insists youâll be taking care of the kids by yourself from now on! (you know he doesnât mean it)
Towaâ
- you swear Towa is almost as childish as your 8 year old son, Haruki, the two bickering like children whenever Towa canât get Haruki to do something simple like put on his shoes.
âYou have to put on your shoes before we go out!â Towa shakes his head.
âI donât wanna!!â Haruki cries.
âWell, your mama would want you to! So you have to!â
- oh so overprotective of the two of you. another kid makes Yasuhiro cry at school? suddenly the kid is no longer showing up, transferring to a school in a completely different town. Towa simply smiles at you when you ask what he did, completely ignoring your question.
- absolute menace of a duo, both are incredibly clumsy resulting in trouble if you leave them alone together too long.
you shut the front door of the house, calling out to Towa and Haruki. You get a yell back from the kitchen, following the noise to see the two on the floor covered in so much flour they look like piles of snow.
âmama!â Haruki exclaims, kicking up flour from the floor as he runs to hug you.
âwhat happened!?â You look over at Towa.
Towa giggles in response, wiping flour from his face.
âMe and daddy tried to bake cake so we could have it after dinner!â Haruki explains, caking your clothes in flour as he hugs you.
You pat his head before trying to wipe the flour off of you with your hand, sighing from the exhaustion from work. Towa seems to notice though, his smile faltering and that stoic, thoughtful expression of him coming out.
âHow about you take a quick bath, Haruki?â You suggest, âIâll wash yours and daddyâs clothes.â
Haruki runs across the house to find his bath toys, leaving you alone with Towa. You take a rag from the counter, wiping Towaâs face off.
âYou look tired, dandelion.â Towa comments.
âWork sucks.â You sigh.
Towa tilts his head, looking around the kitchen at the mess he and Haruki made, âI can clean up and make dinner while you help bathe Haruki.â
You feel surprised at the sudden level of responsibility Towa has grown, though youâre certainly not going to complain.
âThank you Towa, youâre a real help.â
Towa smiles at the praise, âHehe, love you dandelion.â
- spoons you that night, peppering kisses all along your face and head as you fall asleep.
Romeoâ
- Romeo will only allow the best for your guyâs 10 year old daughter, Tsukuyo! Sheâs in the most elite school an elementary schooler can be in, high-end clothes only, and has all the most expensive toys, Romeo makes sure of it.
- Tsukuyo takes after her father a lot with her natural leadership and thirst for perfection. She knows you guys have put her through the best life possible, so she studies hard, making sure to get the top marks in her class.
- Every time she returns home with that red â100â on the top of her tests, Romeo grins.
âThatâs my girl!â
- Heâs incredibly proud of Tsukuyo, taping every single test to the fridge and bragging to his friends about his SSC! (Super smart cookie)
- As a business man, Romeo often teaches Tsukuyo the ropes, and with how similar they are she catches on fast! Sheâs ordering around everyone in the office, and by the end of the day, sheâs being called Ms. FICO.
âHaha, fantastic work Tsukuyo!â Romeo exclaims at the end of the work day.
Tsukuyo beams proudly, âI wanna tell mom when we get home!â
Romeo nods, starting the car, âSheâll surely be proud.â
A man, one of Romeoâs employees knocks frantically on Tsukuyoâs side of the car window, holding up the kids size light pink briefcase she had brought into the office. Romeo rolls down the window for her as she reaches out for her bag.
âNow leave!â Romeo and Tsukuyo order at the same time.
The man apologizes before scrambling away. Romeo turns to Tsukuyo, âYouâll make an excellent businesswoman.â
She rests the bag into her lap, as Romeo backs out of the parking lot, speeding home like they were escaping the scene of a crime, which could be considered true as they certainly are each otherâs partner in crime.
Taigaâ
- you donât think youâve ever seen Taiga been this gentle with anything beforeâ the way he treats your guyâs 8 year old son, Tsukasa, you think heâs transformed into an entirely different person.
- Whenever Tsukasa messes up or gets hurt while playing too roughly, Taiga is always there, squatting next to him and patting Tsukasaâs head, âHey, itâs okay. Itâs just a bruise.â
- Teaches Tsukasa different card gamesâ poker, rummy, blackjack, baccaratâ all of it. No gambling included of course, itâs their way of bonding over one of Taigaâs hobbies.
Taiga blinks, staring at the table as Tsukasa places down his last cardsâ three Aces. He laughs, throwing down his cards and ruffling Tsukasaâs hair, âNice job, kiddo.â
âYouâre not teaching him to gamble, are you?â You raise your brows at Taiga as you enter the kitchen.
âNo, no, weâre just playing Rummy.â Taiga pulls the cards back into the deck, âDinner soon?â
âYeah, meatâs thawed.â You turn from the sink to Taiga and Tsukasa at the dining table, âDo you want steak or something else, Tsukasa?â
âI want steak!â Tsukasa answers as Taiga deals out another hand of cards, âCan we have dessert after?â
âI donât think we have anything sweet.â You answer
âAw.â The disappointment in Tsukasaâs voice is apparent and it causes Taiga to look up at him.
âI can take Tsutsu for ice cream after dinner.â
- He grumbles whenever you bring up how heâs turned gentle ever since Tsukasa came along, scratching the back of his neck and ignoring your comment.
Ritsuâ
- Your daughter and son, Kirika and Meguru, are both 12-year old twins. Theyâre big mom and dad kids, the four of you an extremely close-knit family.
- Though Ritsu works on weekdays as a lawyer, weekends are all spent with his family. You all often go on family trips to the mall, racking up a tab quickly on different sorts of goods and matching outfits. Yes, your family wears matching outfits.
- Besides just shopping, weekends are spent playing board games and Jenga. This is not something you can escape and these games are taken extremely seriously by your family. /hj
Thereâs beads of sweat running down Ritsuâs forehead as he reaches for a Jenga piece stuck stiffly in the middle of the structure. He pokes it, grimacing when it doesnât come out easily. With bated breath, Ritsu pushes it through. The family stares at the tower for a second before watching it collapse on the table. Ritsu groans, âPerhaps there is a different solution to this.â
âYou can only take out the middle or the two side pieces.â Kirika says, helping you rebuild the tower.
âIâll try that next time.â Ritsu shoves a few Jenga pieces towards the two of you.
âCanât we play something else?â Meguru groans, âI wanna play Uno.â
You glance around at the faces of your family, âUno?â
Kirika shrugs, âSure.â
Ritsu rifles the cards into two stacks before letting them cascade down upon each other.
âDad, can you teach me how to shuffle?â Meguru asks, head on his hand.
âRight after this game.â Ritsu answers, dishing out seven cards to everyone.
âWhereâd you learn how to shuffle?â Kirika asks.
âMy old house at Darkwick ran a casino.â Ritsu says, picking up his cards.
âYou used to gamble!?â Meguru exclaims, slamming his hands down on the table.
âHeavens, no.â Ritsu cocked a brow, âI simply found that it would be a useful skill.â
- Your kids never let that go, always teasing Ritsu about how he helped support an illegal gambling ring. Ritsu always clambers to his defense, insisting that gambling is legal on Darkwick property.
Subaruâ
- Your 10 year old son, Takashi, is the happiest kid on Earth, Subaru makes sure of it. If thereâs anything Takashi wants to do, Subaru is his number one supporter! Maybe one week he wants to join his schoolâs gardening club, the next wrestling. Either way, Subaru will always cheer him on.
- Though, Takashiâs biggest passion is definitely baking! Heâs always making a new treat for you and Subaru after school, lemon bars, cheesecake, pudding, fluffy cakesâ all of it! You guys are his taste testers. His birthday and Christmas list are full of baking supplies, and of course, Subaru gets him all of it!
- Your family often bonds over going out to watch musicals on the weekends, with Takashi writing his own stories when the three of you get home, performing his own musicals for you and Subaru after dinner.
- Subaru goes all out for birthdays making sure itâs perfect for Takashi. For every birthday, Takashi insists that you help him bake his birthday cake instead of ordering one from a bakery. The two of you make his favoriteâ strawberry shortcake!
âReady to blow out your candles?â Subaru smiles, holding up his phone camera.
Takashi nods as the two of you begin singing âhappy birthdayâ as Subaru records, clapping as Takashi blows out the candles on his face.
Subaru cuts the camera, moving next to his son to help slice the cake.
âTakashi!â You push a large wrapped box, reaching down and using all your strength to pull the present onto the table, âHere, open your present!â
Takashi peels the wrapping away, his eyes widening as he sees the picture of a stand mixer printed on the box, âIs thisâ?â
Subaru smiles, âYes, do you like it?â
Takashi jumps from his seat, wrapping his arms as tight as he can around Subaru, âThank you, papa! Thank you mommy!â
âLet me get a photo!â You hold up Subaruâs phone, trying to take a landscape photo of the two of them.
- That photo of Takashi and Subaru is framed right in the living room right between two bookshelves, and you often see Subaru stop and gaze at it for a moment as he walks by, reaching out to touch it and relive the memory once again.
Hakuâ
- Youâve got just one daughter, 11-year old Kanae, whoâs incredibly sweet. She absolutely loves the two of you, going out of her way to make at-home gifts of drawings, beaded bracelets, and all sorts of crafts. All her drawings are held up by magnets on the fridge, Haku regularly commenting on how much he loves Kanaeâs drawings.
- Type of dad to help his daughter tie her shoes and take her on walks throughout the nearby parks. Together they photograph the different blooming flowers around the park, Kanae picking a few and crafting a flower crown to bring home to you.
- Haku likes arranging family photoshoots so he can send out postcards to his parents and extended family for the seasons, and theyâre always themed.
âHow many photos do we have to take?â Kanae whines halfway through the photoshoot, sweating under her floral print dress.
âAlmost done!â Haku answers, changing his pose, âI want to get a few more to hang up in the living room, okay?â
Kanae groans as the photographer instructs her on how to pose.
âHow about this?â Haku kneels down next to her, âWe can go get ice cream, yeah?â
Your daughter thinks on it for a moment before nodding, âOkay, but I want double scoops!â
- As soon as the photoshoot is over, Kanae is dragging the both of you to the nearest ice cream shop, ordering herself the biggest sundae possible, triple scoop despite what she had said earlier, extra chocolate sauce with little toffee bits mixed in. And when Haku tries to get a lick, she pulls it away, devouring it whole.
Zenjiâ
- The absolute biggest girl dad of all time. Absolutely adores your guyâs 8 year old daughter, Oriko, and they get along fantastically, always together.
- Plays his biwa in the living room while Oriko watches, singing along with her own lyrics. Zenji absolutely influenced her to get into the arts, applauding her every time she shared a new poem or song she had made.
- Will do anything to help! Oriko canât find something around the house? Zenji is dropping everything and helping her find it. Oriko needs help coming up with a new line for her poem? Zenji will spend hours helping her come up with the perfect stanza.
- Oriko jumps up and down as she proposes a new idea to Zenji, a performance for mom! The two spend the whole day creating a song on Zenjiâs biwa, Oriko creating her own dance to go along with it.
âYour moves are the catâs pajamas!â Zenji exclaims as the two takes their place in the living room..
Right on cue, the front door opens as you get home from work.
âMama! Come to the living room!â Oriko calls out.
You slide off your shoes, dropping your keys and purse as you follow the side of Orikoâs voice. Oriko is wearing her best dress, an ornate hairpin tied up in her bun. Zenji sits next to her, biwa held up against his chest.
âWhatâs this?â You ask, confused.
Zenji strums his biwa as Oriko takes a step forward, âWe made a song for you! Sit down.â
As you take a seat on the couch, Zenji begins playing his biwa, yodeling as Oriko dances along to the melody.
Though not the most graceful performance, you still find emotions muddling up inside you. Youâre not sure what it is but you feel your eyes watering as Oriko spins one last time and bows. You applaud the two, âI loved it!â
- You treasure that song deeply, one of your favorite memories with your family. Itâs a simple gesture but one that you will never forget.
Edâ
- Ed is always dropping random, cryptic life lessons to your guyâs 8 year old daughter, Sayaka, always just to be met with an annoyed groan and a whine about how weird her dad is. Ed feigns a hurt expression, âHow could my own daughter be so cruel?â
- sits with Sayaka while she watches YouTube toy reviews and neon color-saturated kid videos, begging her to put a movie or something else on so he can watch too. (sheâs not switching it)
- gets you to convince her to have a family movie night so he can watch something else on the TV for once.
- huuuge family cuddle bundle while watching movies! Itâs actually become somewhat of a tradition every Sunday. Sayaka helps pick out a movie, hugging her stuffed animals as she moves through the Netflix catalog, while Edward hugs you close to his body on the couch.
âHow about Ponyo?â Sayaka looks back at the two of you on the couch.
You nod, âAw, yeah. That one looks good.â
She crawls up onto the couch next to the two of you after the starting credits play, âCan we have popcorn?â
âIf your mom makes it.â Ed says, practically melting into you and the couch.
âWhy canât you make it?â Sayaka speaks over the movie, âI thought mama said you were the strongest vampire ever!!â
âWith age comes weakness.â Ed sighs dramatically.
âWe have some caramel popcorn in the pantry.â You cut through their conversation.
Sayaka races to the kitchen to find the popcorn before something interesting happens, dragging the whole bag with her to the couch.
Ed holds his hand out, beckoning her to give him some.
âDid you get the popcorn?â Sayaka sticks her tongue out.
Ed closes his eyes, pretending to faint, âMy only daughter⊠hates meâŠâ
(she gives him a handful but refuses to give anymore after)
Ruiâ
- you guys have one 5 year old daughterâ Akaneâ who absolutely loves the two of you but at the same time hates the two of you together. Rui is a huuge lovebug, always peppering kisses all over you and hugging you from behind. itâs his little reminder to akane that she shouldnât settle for a man that doesnât practically worship the ground she walks on.
- Though, when Akane mentions how she has a boy âbest friendâ at school, Rui loses it.
âHuh!? Is he treating you nice!? Guys these days are mean!â
- Complains to you over and over again that Akane could be getting played by some gangster playboy who runs the playground at school! You have to reassure him over and over that theyâre just friendsâ and that youâve seen the kid. Heâs just some short boy who doesnât have a ton of friends.
- spoils her with desserts like crazy, always bringing home chocolate or a slice of cake for her to have after dinner.
- Rui has a natural talent with parenting Akane, somehow always getting her to do those annoying chores you canât seem to get her to do. (heâs bribing her with more cake)
- Akane is a huge fan of bring-your-child to work day. She absolutely loves coming down to the office Rui works, somewhat of a micro-celebrity in the company.
âAkane! I got you cake from the cafeteria!â A group of ladies surround Akane, handing her different treats and gifts.
âMan, I wish I had a kid.. my boyfriend is a deadbeat though..â One of the ladies sighs.
Rui pulls her away from everyone, taking her to his desk, âAw, Akane! Youâre almost as popular as me.â.
Akane wanders off as Rui works, bored watching him fill out spreadsheets and calculate company expenses, and returns to the group of office ladies, sparkling as they shower her with compliments.
âWow! Hopefully youâre doing well in school, Akane!â An older lady gushes, pinching her cheek.
âWow.. her hair is so soft! Itâs like those conditioner ads I see on TV!â A younger worker comments, braiding a strand.
Akane grins, âJust like my mommy! My dad says I have my momâs hair and his eyes!â
âY/N Mizuki!â A senior manager exclaims, âOooh, Mizuki is always talking about her, isnât he?â
At the end of the work day, Rui finds Akane sitting on a table in the break room, hair braided with an assortment of different treats and gifts surrounded around her.
Rui sighs.
âAt least help me carry all of this to the car.â
Lycaâ
- Youâre new parents to a baby boy, Kai, whoâs a bit over a year old. Itâs still new to the both of you but youâre both trying your best and love him very much!
- Lyca grumbles whenever Kai spits up baby food, trying to tell him that, yes, he has to eat the mushed peas, theyâre good for him!
- Heâs confused about a lot of things heâs doing, asking you questions on how to do everythingâ though you donât fully know what youâre doing either. The two of you figure it out together!
- Itâs stressful raising a baby, and when preparing to move Kai into his own room, you find things more stressful than usual, the two of you clumsily building furniture.
â⊠I donât think thatâs the right piece.â You comment.
Lyca is attempting to connect two pieces of the crib together, grumbling out of frustration, âThis doesnât make any sense.â
âThe pieces of furniture have numbered stickers on them.â You explain, cradling Kai in your arms.
Lyca checks the instruction manual scrawled out on the floor again before reaching for a different part of the crib. You set Kai down in his baby walker before seating yourself next to Lyca, helping him hammer the crib together. Lyca purses his lips in concentration, âI think itâs coming together.â
You step back for a moment, the shell of the crib coming together. The two of you fit the mattress in before moving Kai from his walker to the crib. Kai babbles happily in the crib staring up at you and Lyca, reaching his hands out to grab at yours. You lower your hand into the crib, smiling when Kai grips your finger around his hand.
âHeâs pretty mighty for a baby.â Lyca says, staring down at Kai in his crib.
You laugh at his comment, âYeah. Just like his dad.â
Yuriâ
- incredibly boastful about his feats to your guyâs 6 year old daughter, Aoi. he loves the sparkle in her eyes as he tells her about how he runs the darkwick hospital and saves lives everyday with his groundbreaking inventions in medicine.
- astoundingly happy when Aoi says she wants to be a doctor too, and save lives just like her daddy! hands her a pile of incredibly thick textbooks on medicine, biology, and anatomy, ignoring the fact that she can hardly read or understand any of the words in the book.
âif you want to be a doctor, you need to get a headstart!â
- incredibly overprotective over your daughterâs health. Face looking a little red? Temperature check! Headache? She should come down for a CT scan! She has a cold!? Dr. Yuri Isami wil personally write her a doctorâs note, excusing her from school so she can rest for the week!
- although heâs busy with work a lot, he always makes time for the both of you on weekends, the three of you going to the park and watching Aoi play. When Yuriâs really busy in the hospital though, uncle Jiro comes over to play with Aoi or babysit when you and Yuri have a date night.
- Though, when Aoi falls ill with pneumonia, Yuri takes as much time as he can get off of work, taking care of her with you by his side like the days from when you were still students.
âhm.. y/n, whereâs her medicine?â Yuri turns to you, swiveling on his stool.
âoh!â uhm..â You quickly hand the bottle to him, watching him shake a pill out onto his hand.
âwahh.. do I hafta take that?..â Aoi groans quietly from the bed.
You hand her a tall glass of water as Yuri crosses his legs, âOf course! This is a vital part of your recovery!â
Aoi whines but swallows the antibiotics after you encourage her with a smile.
âNow, remember to take these regularly! Your mother will help you to take them everyday.â Yuri wraps an arm around you as you stand next to him.
âI donât wanna take medicine!!â Aoi cries, âItâs stupid!â
âDidnât you say you want to be a doctor!?â Yuri purses his lips, âHow could you switch sides so quickly!?â
You canât help but giggle at the altercation, Yuri marveling about the inventions through regular and anomalous medicine. You pat Yuri on the back, âMaybe you can invent a cure-all drug so no one ever gets sick.â
Yuri shoots you a look, but itâs too late, Aoiâs eyes sparkling, âReally!? Is that possible!? Papa you have to do that!â
He sighs, âIâll see what I can do.â
Jiroâ
- your daughter is a sweet and reserved 7 year old girl, Ayano, who seems to follow you and Jiro around the house all day long. Asks and comments on everything the two of you do.
âWhat are you doing?â
âWork.â Jiro replies, writing something down in the contents of a file.
- although quiet and not outwardly affectionate, Jiro is constantly doing things for your daughter. Tying her shoes for her, buying her candy, and silly little games of puppet.
- the two of them sometimes walk to the corner store after dinner, Ayano picking out a new candy to try, usually chocolaye flavored in some way. Insists that Jiro tries something too but he always just gets a strawberry milk if anything.
- Ayano loves playing dollhouse with all three of you, though she doesnât have traditional tastes, preferring to play warriors.
âaagghh!â Ayano cries out, hitting Jiroâs knight doll with her own.
âaah.â Jiro says flatly, dropping the doll, âYou got me.â
Ayano huffs, âSay it with more emotion!â
â⊠aaahh.â He blinks.
âMama!! Get him to play right!â Ayano turns to you.
You look at Jiro, trying not to laugh, âPlay right.â
Jiroâs brows raise a slight centimeter and he opens his mouth a bit wider, âaah!â
You laugh, doubling over as Ayano lectures Jiro on proper âdollhouse playing etiquetteâ.
Jiroâs laugh is like a whisper, barely loud enough to hear, âSorry. Letâs try again.â
- you tease him later that night as the two of you are going to bed, telling him to âsay it with more emotionâ when he says âI love youâ.
content., yandere/possessive behavior, extremely unhealthy relationship dynamic, stalker behavior, implied death of ed, Towa is a creep, reader is isolated, dark/angsty, NOT lighthearted
- Towa, who knows he loves you the moment he sees you. That youâre the one. That he wonât love anyone else and youâll love him too, with no choice about it. No one will threaten your guysâ relationship, whether itâs one of your friends from school like Kaito or even Haru.
- Towa, who originally followed you home after school to make sure you were safe and werenât going to see anyone. Though discovered that you left your dorm key hidden in a nearby plant pot. He truly believes itâs alright if he pops in once a while, tidying up your bookshelf or sleeping on your pillowâ as long as he puts everything right bwck where itâs supposed to be, including the key.
- Towa, who leaves notes in your lunchbox about how much he loves you, small hearts drawn into the corner. He always leaves little reminders so that youâll never forget his love for you. Spamming your phone with messages begging you to come back to Jabberwock so he can see you again, and when you ignore those, you find the notes in your dorm. No matter how many times you make sure your doors and windows are locked, you always find his notes written with a pink gel pen scattered around.
- Towa, who always feels a thunderstorm crackling inside of him when he sees you smile while talking to someone. He wants to be the only one to make you smile. The only one to make you happy. The only one to make you laugh. Lightning always seems to strike just a few feet away from whoever youâre talking to, as if a warning.
- Towa, who loses it when Ed finds him late at night, talking about you as if you were his. He had it coming with the way he smirked while talking about you, not listening to Towaâs warning of âshut upâ.
- Towa, who gets away scot-free with what he did as no one truly knows what happened. Maybe Ed had escaped. Ran away. No one ever voiced their suspicion over Towa, though you noticed a change. Your friends were more hesitant to talk to you, Ruiâs flirting halting to a stop as he politely avoided you. Kaito scampering off after you say just a few words to him. Ren walking away when he sees you coming near him.
- Towa, who is completely pleased and sees absolutely no downside to what he did. Ren stays completely locked in his room and Haru simply seems more nervous around Towa. As though heâs tiptoeing around a bear, trying not to wake him.
- Towa, who believes youâre finally coming around. Spending more time with him as youâre isolated from the rest of your friends, listening to you vent your frustrations about how everyone seems to avoid talking to you now. He reassures you over and over, you have him. He wonât leave. Not like everyone else.
- Towa, who has completely convinced himself that heâs the hero. That youâre the protagonist and heâs the love interestâ the two of you destined to be together. All the setbacks, and all the things he did. For you.
- Towa, who feels it was finally all worth it as you press your lips against his. That heâd do it all again, burn everything to the ground and start over. As long as it always meant being with you in the end. Itâd be worth it.
