#what sorcerer keeps harming him? the answer is all of them. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aireia · 2 months

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from the stars did your kindness bleed through. — you are a spy, he is a sorcerer, a student in the very place you plan on betraying, but he doesn't know that, because he'll fall for you, the same way you fell for him.

tw/cw: reader referred to with she/her. angst with little fluff. hurt no comfort. spy! reader. spying. mentions of blood. minor violence. blades. suicide/ self harm. death. injuries. lowercase intended. author's first language isn't english. wc: 7.5K

note: riko told me to rival her 6.2k word fic, so i'm pulling up with this. (i got carried away) —masterlist

entry snippet, september 5th.

gojo introduced us to a new student today. she seems a little bit like me, but she isn’t, at least that’s what our unreliable teacher told us.she hasn’t interacted much with itadori or kugisaki, even after their pestering. i’m guessing it’ll take a while for her to get used to the new faces. not that it concerns me anyway…

the sun didn’t shine very brightly the next day. grey clouds covered the skies, the winds were getting colder, the once green leaves on trees were turning into a mixture of yellows and browns. winter would be approaching in just a few months, which meant they’d soon have those nights again, where they’d get permission to stay at each other’s dorms and have sleepovers while trying not to burn the kitchen down by making ominous hot chocolate for each other.

that morning when the trio walked into class, they were greeted by you absentmindedly staring out the window at the falling leaves. no concentration to any surroundings, considering you didn’t even look at them when they came in. yuji was the first one to say something, loudly greeting you a good morning, followed by your name, hoping to catch your attention.

you looked over to the trio, trying to take note of their expressions.

itadori yuji, who seemed excited, waving with his arm in the air and a grin as if you were worlds apart and you wouldn’t have seen him if he didn’t.

kugisaki nobara, who waved with a smile on her face. the perfect mix of crazy and calm, you think.

and finally, fushiguro megumi, who had his arm raised in an attempt to wave, but instead looked like he was raising his hand to answer a question. his expression showed nothing, something between irritated and ‘why am i friends with these people again?’

he reminded you of yourself… in a way. probably not what you were thinking about him, but something about him. maybe it was keeping interactions at minimum with people he didn’t know much about… yea. you’ll keep it at that.

the hyper duo had walked up to your desk before you finished processing your own thoughts. itadori slammed both his hands on your table, causing some of your things to vibrate upon contact.

“so, y/n, where are you from? what grade are you?” he asked.

“i’m from osaka, and i’m a semi second grade sorcerer.” lies spilled from your mouth easier than when you breathed around them the day prior. being a spy meant having to detach your identity as a person, which also meant having to create layers and layers of lies about who you actually were.

right before the cheerful boy managed to get another question in, the door of the class flew open, and gojo walked into class with nothing but happiness and positivity surrounding his aura… he was about to send all of you on a mission. you knew, even if it was just a gut feeling.

a loud clap followed by details of a new case confirmed your suspicions. a simple investigation in shinjuku about an unidentified curse that had caused deaths and disappearances of innocent civilians, as well as injuring numerous others.

“i’ll be leaving the rest of the details to our trustworthy assistant director ijichi! he’ll be waiting for you at the entrance.” gojo finished his ‘speech’ before hurrying all of you out the door.

“that gojo…” ijichi silently sighed before beginning the mission brief.

“your task is to only collect information from the residents in a specific area of shinjuku, mainly the offices around schools.” ijichi stopped speaking, only continuing after a brief period of silence. “If you happen to run into any high grade curses, please don’t try to challenge it.”

“my heart can’t take this type of stress anymore…” ijichi sighed.

the four of you began the mission shortly after, around 10am in the morning. you began by questioning some of the residents. a lot of them seemed nervous the moment anyone in your group mentioned the curse, some even running away from you. most of them didn’t have any information either.

when noon rolled around and your efforts weren’t bearing any fruits, the four of you decided to split into two groups. nobara with yuji, you with megumi. after the split up, you and megumi continued the search for anyone that might have had any type of intel. you never expected him to speak to you first.

“l/n, right? let me be straightforward about this. why did you join jujutsu high school?”

“to spy on you, obviously,” but you couldn’t say that.

“to help others,” another lie slipped past your lips.

“...did principal yaga actually let you pass the interview with that answer..?”

“no, but i doubt you’d want to listen to the speech i memorised to get in. he told me to stop before i finished it,” you sighed, remembering the amount of struggle you faced a few days before the interview. you had to ensure you had a 100% chance of getting into the school, or you would’ve been a failure as a spy. who the hell failed a mission before it even began?

megumi looked at you with a bewildered expression, though quickly shook the look off his face as you approached an ice cream vendor near one of the high schools.

“recently, less and less people have come by to buy ice cream. a lot of those were kids who would come by to get a sweet treat after school, so i have noticed quite a few of those disappearances.” the vendor placed his fingers on his chin, thinking of the customers that he enjoyed speaking to, even if their interactions were limited.

“alright. thanks for your time,” you expressed your gratitude, even though the things that the vendor had said had helped you in your investigation in… absolutely no way possible.

just as you and the raven haired boy walked away, your phones rang. a message from yuji, reading, “we ran into one of the victims that managed to escape the cursed spirit!! apparently most of the victims are people who’ve lost or cut contact with their parents. they won’t tell us anymore about it.”

“that’s vile,” you thought to yourself.

“we should meet up with them and report back.”

“so, what do we do now?” nobara whined out of boredom. ever since reporting back, there hadn’t been much to do. you all had a free day, but nothing to fill said free day with.

“we should go watch human earthworm 4!”

“no.” nobara and megumi said in unison, wanting to avoid the movie at all costs.

“oh! y/n, we should go shopping together!” nobara suggested. and somehow against both yuji and megumi’s wills, you had all been dragged to go shopping.

nobara suggested that she helped you get a new wardrobe, which ended in you trying on multiple sets of clothes. nobara insisted that you got them, and forced megumi to carry your shopping bags even though you said it wasn’t needed and felt bad that he had to help.

the rest of the day went by with a blur, and you exited the mall after the four of you had a few photos taken in a photobooth.

“my child…” everyone was walking in front of you when you heard that voice. it sounded oddly familiar, and it was calling out to you. you whipped your head around to look for the source, but there wasn’t anyone there. the call of your names continued, and you strayed from the group to look for the source of the sound.

you were almost one hundred percent positive that it was the curse you had investigated the other day. why was it targeting you? and no one else in the group seemed to hear anything either.

eventually, you were led to an abandoned building. you could feel the cursed energy leaking from it, and there was a very pungent smell coming from the abandoned structure. you briefly wonder how no one has flagged the place for an investigation yet. maybe it was, and was ignored. who knows?

the voice continued to lure you closer to the building, eventually getting you into the building and up the slippery stairs, wet from the leaking pipes around the building. your footsteps echoed in the building, the sound of your breathing in your ears.

you walked up to a room with a closed door. a heavy stench seeping from the gaps of the door, even worse than when you were in front of the building. maybe coming here hadn’t been your best idea, but you were already this close, so why stop here?

you exhaled deeply before twisting the rusty knob open. you saw the dead. blood and corpses were by the spirit’s legs. its claws were digging into the flesh of the innocent, shaking the body as if trying to toy with it more.

the report you submitted was done a week ago, and the incident started way before this. these bodies had been rotting for weeks at least. assuming the cursed spirit in front of you killed all the people around it, you were going to be next.

you entered a defensive stance, hand on the handle of your weapon, ready to fight if it pounced on you. instead, you watched as it slowly turned its head towards you and walked towards you. your body tensed, but it didn’t seem to bear any hostility.

it held its hand out, taking one of your hands, and you found yourself unable to move. even when you screamed at yourself to get out of the way, you found yourself unable to resist as it dragged its fingers along your wrist, a thin line of red bleeding out.

“l/n, step back!” the familiar voice snapped you out of whatever trance you were in before the spirit in front of you was hit with a few nails.

“you’re just like fushiguro. you really should tell us more about yourself, you know?” nobara sighed, holding her hammer over her shoulder. “oi, i’m the one who noticed she disappeared in the first place,” megumi grumbled. you looked at his hands.

so that’s how they found you.

“if anything, she reminds me of when you first came to the city, kugisaki!” yuji chirped in, seeming laid back even in this situation. he turned to look at you. “you aren’t hurt anywhere else other than your hand, right?” you shook your head.

you looked at the spirit on the ground. it was a first grade at most, but it had been weakened significantly, probably even before you arrived. it wasn’t long before you exercised it, with some degree of resistance.

as the three of them prepared to leave, you walked towards one of the dead bodies and crouched down, placing your hand over them.

while yuji and nobara had already left, megumi was curious about what you were doing. you got up and exhaled when he asked. “i don’t know if it works on those who’ve already passed, but usually, my cursed technique allows me to grant people on the verge of death a better demise.”

“it overrides the brain and erases any and all memories they have in exchange for peace, and a painless goodbye.”

“those two are probably waiting for us. we should report back.”

when you got back to your dorm, you took the picture out and stared at it. more people that you couldn’t be friends with, but they had saved you earlier… maybe you’d get it framed just to decorate your dorm.

you looked at your injured arm, which had been bandaged, and closed your eyes.

yuji itadori is physically gifted, a guy born with a set moral standard. his mental game is easily shaken, but that might change in the future. he has a ton of room for improvement. that’s what makes him scary.

nobara kugisaki is strong-willed, a woman born by the countryside. she cares for others the way she cares for herself, and doesn’t like showing her affected mental state to the world. she’s strong in her own way, and that’s just the type of person she is.

weeks passed by quickly. you continued gathering as much information as possible, while growing closer to your classmates. yuji often told you to cover up for the pranks he pulled, nobara would invite you out to go shopping with her, and you and megumi enjoyed reading together.

one morning, you saw megumi sitting by the benches eating alone. right, yuji and nobara had recently been dispatched on missions. you realised early on that you preferred to be with megumi out of everyone.

maybe it was his personality that drew you in? the both of you were paired up on missions often, so maybe the fact that you were partners helped develop your trust in each other… when he shouldn’t be trusting you at all. or perhaps it was the way he put you first instead of himself.

megumi is a selfless person that might not seem caring at first glance, but actually does in his own way. he holds back a lot, and has a mind matured enough to compare to that of a man twice his age, though lets loose around people he can truly find comfort in. that was the conclusion you came to about his character.

you walked towards him, hoping to be able to make small talk with him. instead, you were called upon by someone right before you got to him.

“so this is the location?” you and megumi had been informed of a cave infested with multiple third and fourth grade spirits. your job was simple. take care of them and go home.

“yea. be careful,” you said, gripping your weapon tightly.

you and megumi stepped into the cave, almost immediately registering that there was something wrong. a veil was lowered. were such low grade spirits capable of such a thing? you gulped and looked around. just the herds of lowly graded cursed spirits around. no signs of anything else.

“be careful.”

the both of you managed to make quick work of the spirits. a few scrapes, sure, but you were overall uninjured. now, there was only one problem. every last spirit in sight had been exorcised by you and megumi, but the veil wasn’t lifting. something was still there, and you both knew.

something in your senses clicked. “fushiguro, jump out of the way!” you screamed at him. there was something underneath you, and megumi had dodged just quick enough to not be drilled and split into two halves.

a drop of sweat rolled down the side of megumi’s face. how would he deal with this? his first thought was to have you distract it while he attacked, but that would probably be useless and would put you and him in too much danger.

“fushiguro! focus!” megumi lifted his head up, and you were in front of him. you had blocked a direct strike for him. he needed to concentrate. this wasn’t like the spirit you had dealt with at the abandoned building, where it showed little to no hostility, and had been weakened.

“are you back in your game yet?” you breathed out, the tiredness from blocking the attack and dealing with the earlier curses starting to kick in.

megumi took one look at your expression and hummed. there was something about it he couldn’t read, but he can’t let his thoughts consume him now.

you aren’t allowed to die here.

the both of you observed the curse for a little longer while simultaneously dodging its attacks. it primarily dug underground to attack, which made it hard to predict where its location was. the only warning sign was the rumbling of the ground before it drilled back up, which made it just a little easier to dodge.

it could blast balls of pure cursed energy, and with each dodge meant the interior of the cave was crumbling. you’d have to look out for falling rocks and stray boulders.

its weak point was probably somewhere other than its head, considering it used it to dig into places.

you shot glances at each other before megumi summoned his demon dogs to attack it from behind. “i have your back.”

you and megumi took turns switching on offence and defence. the one on offence would deal attacks to the cursed spirit, while the one on defence would watch out for oncoming attacks and destroy any rocks that were falling from the ceiling of the cave.

the plan worked well for the both of you. the uncertainty of when the both of you would switch out confused the curse, making it more vulnerable to your attacks. once you felt that the curse was confident on when you’d switch, you and megumi delivered one final attack to it together, letting it fall with a thump.

“is it over?” you heaved, your hand over your chest. a sudden realisation hit. the veil hasn’t been dropped. that meant–

“l/n, look out!” megumi pushed you out of the way before he got hit by a shot of pure cursed energy. you hear the sound of his body smashing against the rough walls, and his coughing afterwards. you looked towards megumi and briefly saw him cough blood out. you’re hoping he didn’t take the impact head first.

you narrowly managed to escape another blow just when your eyes snapped back onto the weakened, but still active cursed spirit. it can be exorcised in a single blow.

you rushed towards it and drove your weapon through its body as hard as possible, twisting, and slicing right through it. it’s as good as dead. you stared at the splatters on the floor that used to be a cursed spirit. you don’t have time for this.

turning your head away from the remains of your enemy, you focused your attention to megumi who was bloodied and injured. he was resting against the stone walls of the cave, and you could hear his heavy pants and breaths. you gulped and looked at his leg. it had stopped bleeding, the crimson now staining his leg.

you ripped a part of your uniform before crouching in front of megumi to tend to the wound. your eyes showed almost no emotion in the face of the situation, yet your trembling lips gave yourself away. you weren’t supposed to care for them, and yet here you were helping one of your targets.

you only spoke up once you finished bandaging his wound with the makeshift bandage.

“why would you do that?” you had unintentionally let your emotions slip. megumi looked at you tiredly. “just returning the favour. i would’ve gotten hurt if you hadn’t blocked the attack at the start of our battle.”

“fushiguro-” you started, quickly being cut off by megumi. “i know what you’re about to ask me,” he coughed a few times before he continued to speak. “you’re assuming i’m going to die? you’re cruel, you know?”

you tried to find words to speak, yet all you could say was a “no, i’m not,” turning your head away to not meet his gaze.

“i would kill myself if i died on you now,” he confessed, closing his tired eyes.

“and besides, you’re all i really want to think of right now.”

megumi went completely silent afterwards, and you heard soft breathing coming from him, compared to the heavy breaths from just a few minutes prior.

the next time he awoke, you were asleep, your head in your arms by his bedside. he felt a little sluggish, but his wounds had been properly bandaged and he was fine, aside from some soreness. you on the other hand, looked exhausted. there were creases on your forehead as you slept, and dark circles under your eyes.

there was a plate of food wrapped up on his nightstand, with a note stuck to it. “we make a good team.”

only after did he learn from shoko that you had completely gone against her instructions of two days of bed rest, and spent the time taking care of him instead.

“you still couldn’t have brought something more digestible?” megumi eyed the three of you, who had brought pizza to him. something that probably wasn’t nutritious enough for a patient in recovery.

“if you don’t want it, i’ll help myself!” the pink haired male took a slice of the pizza and began feasting on it. “oh, and since we’re already here, let’s just have our sleepover at fushiguro’s!” “itadori, talk after you’re done eating!” nobara shuddered at the sight of the food in his open mouth, while megumi looked as if he were about to kick everyone out of his room.

“we are not having a sleepover in my room,” megumi said in a deadpan voice, though the annoyance was evident on his face. “we can’t have it anywhere else because you aren’t permitted to leave your room, fushiguro,” you joined in on itadori’s suggestion.

“hypocrite,” megumi thought.

“alright it’s settled, we’ll have it here!” nobara clasped her hands together in victory, earning a sigh from megumi. “i still haven’t agreed to this,” he grumbled.

december 21st.

it’s cold outside. the temperatures have dropped significantly ever since the day you stepped foot into jujutsu tech. currently, you, alongside two of your classmates, were camping in megumi’s room. you had to admit, with so many people, the room considered spacious for one person became cramped.

you were sitting on megumi’s bed with a mug of hot chocolate in hand as you watched nobara and yuji fight over what they wanted to put into each other’s drinks. you found their sibling dynamic entertaining. megumi on the other hand, looked at you with softness in his eyes. the both of you had grown a lot closer compared to the first day you met. you were grateful for that.

maybe not in the right way, but at least you knew he was your friend, right?

the night went on with both chaos and comfort. yuji had suggested playing cards at one point, and he lost just about every single round. monopoly was going great until megumi somehow dominated the game so hard that the banker had to borrow money from him.

“i’m telling you fushiguro, it’s just this once! i’ll pay you back!” “you’ve said that about three times, itadori.”

you certainly weren’t in any place to laugh, and neither was nobara, since the both of you were basically hanging onto a thin thread, and if by any chance you landed on anyone’s property other than your own, you would’ve been out of the game from bankruptcy.

but you laughed anyway.

the night ended with all of you (except megumi) in your respective sleeping bags with extra blankets in case it got cold. it was quiet. too quiet, even with yuji’s snoring and nobara’s breathing. maybe that’s why you couldn’t fall asleep.

you slowly sat up, careful not to make too much noise. you looked at the clock on megumi’s nightstand. 11:47pm, thirteen minutes till midnight.

“can’t sleep?” a quiet and soft voice invaded your ears, and you looked over to megumi. he was lying down on his bed, staring out into the bushes and trees, which had been covered in a thin layer of snow. as a response, you shook your head and got up to sit on his bed. the both of you sat in silence for a while before you spoke up.

“fushiguro, you like the stars, right? wanna go stargazing on the roof?”

“are you crazy? it’s freezing outside.”

“we can use blankets.”

“have you forgotten that my leg’s still injured?”

“i’ll carry you up.”

that was how you found yourself sitting on the rooftops with a thick blanket around your shoulders. the stars shone brighter tonight. the cold winter wind that breezed by you every once in a while made you shiver. you looked up at the moon, it was full tonight. although the moon didn’t have an expression, you were sure it was smiling down at you and the raven haired boy sitting next to you.

come to think of it, even without exchanging a lot of words, you’d argue that you were closest to megumi out of all your classmates. when you first met him, you saw him as the moon, someone like yourself. yet you realised over the months that if you had to describe him, you’d have to say he were the stars. so pretty, yet disregarded by many as something outshone by the moon.

“y/n,” megumi’s voice broke through the comfortable silence, and you looked over at him. he had a small smile on his face. you felt him shuffle closer to you. maybe it was getting cold? the wind was getting stronger, afterall.

“yes?” megumi looked at the moon once more, then back at you. “the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” the words reached your ears, and you couldn’t help but laugh a little. “and what of the sunset?” you questioned him back, feelings hidden behind your eyes and the convincing smile you put on your face.

“the sunset? i dislike it. the rays of the sun blind me too much for me to appreciate it as much as others do.” the sound of your soft laughter reached his ears again when he finished his sentence. “is that so…” you rested your head on his shoulder and looked towards the skies, some of the stars now covered by clouds. “really? i think the moon is beautiful too, but i’m the opposite. i prefer sunsets over moonrises.” you continued, one of your hands inching closer to him and eventually resting on top of his hand.

you exhaled deeply before lifting your head up. “fushiguro, what time is it?” he looked at you with confusion before answering. “a little bit past midnight, i’m guessing.” “oh.”

“may i kiss you?”

your question caught megumi off guard. it was expected, considering it came out of nowhere. a familiar warmth creeped up his face, and the hand on top of his now seemed to weigh heavier as you looked at him, awaiting an answer. he slowly nodded, and you leaned in to press your lips against his. the kiss was short and sweet, the light of the stars shining down upon him as you did.

“fushiguro-”

“don’t call me by my last name.” you smiled when he said those words.

“happy birthday, megumi.”

nobara eyed the both of you suspiciously, looking you up and down. “you guys could at least try to keep it down when you’re climbing onto the roof. i need my sleep,”

“i thought i was being quiet. my bad,” you apologised sheepishly. the brunette looked clearly annoyed before she sighed and let it go.

“sorry,” megumi said to you. “why are you saying sorry?” you shot him a confused look.

“we would’ve been quieter if you didn’t have to carry me.”

“oh, thaaattt,” you dragged your words out. “don’t feel bad. you were worth it.”

“how about you come with me to the cliffs sometime? maybe in the next few days? there’s a great view of the ocean and sky from there, and it’s more secluded.” the invitation fell from your lips before you even processed it.

a rare smile appeared on megumi’s face. “alright.”

“what are you two doing?! we have a mission soon, hurry up!”

he kept to his word. you and megumi ended up going stargazing together so often that yuji and nobara started questioning if you were going on dates. to them, it was blatantly obvious that you two liked each other. hell, even the both of you knew. it was just that none of you had confessed yet.

megumi always felt warmth when you guys would go together, pointing out constellations and shapes of the clouds when you did.

you on the other hand, felt the spark between you grow stronger the first few times. you tried your hardest to suppress the rising guilt. afterwards however, you spiralled deeper and deeper into the guilt you felt as a spy. you were never supposed to fall in love with him, and yet you couldn’t help but do exactly that.

you wanted– no, needed to get rid of your feelings for him. you would never want it, but you’d need it in order to get over him.

you began growing more distant. it was hard, slowly excluding yourself from hangouts and ignoring them more and more, day by day. you felt terrible. every second away from them felt agonising. you’d push them away, dismissing their help.

the fact that they noticed your distance made it feel even worse. you were going to betray them, and everything you had built up for four months, their trust, friendship, it would crumble.

you’d complete your mission and switch identities again. anyone you’ve met here won’t matter anymore once you disappear. that’s what you reminded yourself.

january 25th.

“oh, you’re here,” you approached megumi from behind, sitting down beside him. the skies were dyed with violet and orange hues, the sunset that megumi had once described to be too bright.

“i was waiting for you. you’ve been quite distant lately.”

“i thought you said you hated the sunset?” you asked, changing the subject to avoid the question. “don’t try to change the subject, y/n. answer me, please, tell me what’s going on.” you could hear the alarms in your mind go off. you wanted to get up and run away. hell, you should’ve never succumbed to the burning feelings in your heart over your mind.

“it’s really nothing. i’ve just been more busy lately, i guess,” a lie rolled off your tongue again.

megumi sighed. he could tell you were lying, but he didn’t want to push it. “you said the sunset was pretty. i thought the other day that maybe it was because i never took the time to appreciate it, but…”

“hm?” you hummed, looking at megumi.

“i still can’t see why you like it that much. i still prefer the night skies better.”

the soft laughter you let out afterwards had goosebumps pricking on his skin. he watched as the light of the sun glowed on your skin, and you looked at him. “i personally prefer the sunset…”

“but if you like the stars that much, i’ll be sure to hate the sun and love stars the next time i’m reborn.”

a light shade of red appeared on megumi’s face, and he turned to look away from you. in reality though, he’s glad. there’s the girl he fell in love with. “you don’t have to do that. we can like what we want.”

“and i want to be able to truly love the stars.” you said, your tone sullen.

night fell not long after, but there was no moon that night. the waves underneath you didn’t seem calm either. it was especially cold this winter night, and you and megumi found yourselves bidding goodbye to each other in front of the dorms earlier than you expected.

mental entry, january 25th.

i wasn’t planning on seeing megumi at the cliffs today, but he was there. i was planning on spending the last day at jujutsu high alone. megumi and i really are alike. It’s a fault on my part, i guess. i grew too attached to them.

i don’t want to do this anymore.

you gulped, and just before he was out of earshot, you called out to him, grabbing his attention. he turned around to look at you, only for you to mumble a “nevermind” before quickly apologising and running back to your dorm. you couldn’t bear to tell him.

megumi was confused. why’d you suddenly call out for him? he decided not to dwell too much on it and went to bed. and the more he thought about it, the more he felt as if he had lost the chance to speak to you about something important, because you disappeared the next day.

you stopped going to classes, training, and you weren’t responding to texts either. any calls were immediately sent to voicemail, and other than the picture that the four of you took at the mall months prior, which was framed on your nightstand, your dorm had been completely emptied out.

megumi was the last person to see you.

the week following your disappearance, it was raining every day. although the higher-ups had confirmed to have launched an investigation for you, megumi was sure that they were looking into things much deeper than just your status as a missing student. he just wasn’t sure what it was.

the first day you were introduced to them, he felt that you were different in a way. was this connected to it?

the higher-ups had also told the first years to not worry, and that they’d take care of it. as if they’d ever listen. they had discussions every single day about where you might’ve gone, if you were okay or not, and why they couldn’t see signs of this earlier.

they got confirmation shortly after that there were no signs of cursed energy from your dorm. it was as if you had never existed, and had it not been for the pictures you’d taken together, along with the texts you’d exchanged with each other, he probably would’ve believed it.

february 26th.

JUJUTSU HEADQUARTERS NOTICE

one, y/n l/n has been confirmed to be sharing confidential information to third party sources. she has hereby been expelled from both jujutsu high and the jujutsu realm as a sorcerer.

two, the penalty of the crimes committed by y/n l/n is death. the execution will be carried out promptly.

three, second grade sorcerer megumi fushiguro will serve as the executioner for y/n l/n’s death penalty.

a full month after your disappearance, a notice was released by jujutsu headquarters.

megumi’s head was pounding. he had just returned from a meeting with the higher-ups, and throughout the entire time he was in front of them, he wished for nothing more than for whatever you were accused of to be false. he was hyperventilating, his face in his hands. megumi swore he heard loud footsteps outside his room before loud knocks echoed through his room.

“fushiguro, open up!” the familiar voices of his classmates rang in his ears. no. as much as he wished to find comfort in his friends, he didn’t want them to see him in such a terrible state, so why did his legs move to help him stand and walk towards the door?

megumi doesn’t know whether to regret or to thank his decision of opening the door. his mind couldn’t register that it was yuji who placed his calloused hands on his shoulders and told him to snap out of it. even when they questioned him for details about you, whether he knew about your intentions, and if it was the reason you had grown distant the few weeks before you vanished, he answered vaguely. all he could think of was that it was over. you’re gone, and you’re never coming back.

megumi wanted to run into the pouring rain and let it wash his soul away so he wouldn’t have to face reality. he wished he’d wake up and realise it was all just a dream, and he could still see your face when he walked out of the dorm in the morning. he remembers the words of the higher-ups so clearly, he was to carry out the execution without delay. he wants to be selfish and give the responsibility to either nobara or yuji, yet the better part of him stopped him from doing so. he can’t do that to them. for once, megumi wished that he would stop loving you.

that night, megumi had trouble falling asleep. he found himself tossing and turning in bed, his head constantly clouded with the many things that would follow this incident. it felt like hours before he managed to go to sleep.

he saw you, right there by the cliffs. you were looking at the sunset again. now that he thought about it, how many of the things you’ve told him were lies?

megumi walked towards you, standing beside you as he watched the sunset with you.

“megumi, i understand why you dislike the sunset now,” you said to him, earning a puzzled look from him. “i thought you loved the sunset?” he asked. the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks reached his ears, and you turned your head to look at him.

“it really is too bright. it doesn’t suit me.” you replied.

“megumi, have you regretted it yet?” you questioned him back, and he gulped. “regretted what, exactly?”

“us.”

megumi wanted to say yes. he did regret it. he regretted that he loved someone whose purpose was to eventually betray and leave him. yet, his answer was stuck in his throat, and he said he never did. not for a second did he feel that you weren’t worth his time. he looked towards the horizon, where the sun had now fully set, then at the sky, where the moon was supposed to be, and finally, back at you.

“you made me fall in love with the moon.” you chuckled at his answer.

“i thought you loved the moon from the start.” a brief silence ensued. one that felt comfortable. something he couldn’t feel for the past month when you were brought up.

“would you let me substitute the moon in your sky?” your voice pierced through the silence, and he responded almost instantly.

“always.”

a content smile appeared on your face. “i’m glad.”

megumi’s eyes fluttered open, the sun shining in his eyes. the male rubbed tried to rub the sleep in his eyes away, only to be met with a damp feeling. tears? what was that about? his mind was hazy, and he swore he dreamt, but he couldn’t remember what it was about.

he could remember the curve of someone’s lips. yours? yea, it was. even if he went through hundreds of lives, he doesn’t think he’d mistake someone else’s smile for yours.

he didn’t have time to think about that. through the hours of lost sleep, he had convinced himself he was ready to serve his role as an executioner, and he had a feeling in his gut he knew where you were already. at the place he had refused to visit. his mind told him that you had been going there every single day, waiting for him.

“you’re finally here.” megumi could feel his heart clenched as he heard your words, and the eerie silence that followed creeped him out. you had a smile on your face, arms behind your back as you looked at him.

“why aren't you moving?” you turned your body to look at him and spread your arms out. “you need to do your job, megumi.” the smile on your face dropped when you noticed he wasn’t going near you. there were no signs that his shikigami were active either.

one step, two steps, you walked towards him instead. a part of you felt as if you were walking towards your death. you felt him flinch when you used a hand to cup his cheek. his skin felt cold and slightly damp to the touch. he had been sweating. you looked down. his blade was just inches away from your stomach.

you took his expression in, and you couldn’t help but hold back your laughter. megumi’s eyes widened when you suddenly laughed. he felt guilty for loving it. was it genuine? or another one of the things you did as a spy to toy with his feelings?

“megumi, you’ve grown attached too, huh?” it only dawned on him then that you felt just as guilty for everything you were.

“do you know what would’ve happened if you sold us out?” megumi spoke with poison laced in his tone, and a lump formed in your throat. “the world would’ve weeped for your sins, y/n.” your expression dropped completely. “i know that better than you do, and here i am, giving you a chance to end my life. yet, you’re hesitating,” you retort back.

“so hurry up already.” you looked at him with sharp eyes, looking for any signs that he might finally give in to the orders given to him. megumi’s hands trembled as he tightened his grip around the handle of his sword. “it’s not that easy to just…” he groaned loudly.

“megumi, do you want to know why they chose you to execute me instead of anyone else?” you sighed and stared directly into his eyes. “they knew i would have resisted had it been anyone else but you.”

your hands went to wrap around his. then, you slowly pry his fingers off his blade and inspect it for yourself. “you sharpened your blade. were you hoping to finish me off in a single strike?” megumi almost choked on air in response, and nodded.

your eyes softened. “how nice of him,” you thought.

“how about this?” you stepped further away from him and pointed the sword at your skull. “i’ll be the one to carry out my own execution. then,” you pointed your finger at him. “you won’t have to bear the burden of killing me.” you could hear megumi’s heavy breaths. it seemed that reality had yet to crash into him when he first found you here. “megumi,” you whispered as you took one final look at him, “i think you know better than i that i wasn’t trying to give you an option.” you gripped the sharpened blade and winced at the pain as your hands bled, then flashed him a quick smile before you slashed your eyes.

you groaned, holding back the scream threatening to release itself in an attempt to sooth the pain in your eyes. you had no right after all the hurt you’d caused. you couldn’t open your eyes. it hurt like hell, but you didn’t want to see the look on his face either. you convinced yourself it was worth it.

megumi felt as if he were frozen during the entire duration of your encounter with him. what was he doing? he was spiralling into his own thoughts, and here you were, handling your own execution because he was too much attached and too much in love with you.

every nerve and muscle in your body seemed to scream at you as you gripped the handle of megumi’s sword tight. even then, your ears couldn’t mistake the heavy footsteps of your beloved as he ran towards you just as his blade pierced your abdomen. his scream rang through your ears when crimson spilled from your wound.

ah, it seemed that blinding your eyes wasn’t enough to keep yourself from thinking of his panicked expression and guilt ridden face.

then, everything went black. you weren’t sure how long you were out for. a few seconds, perhaps a few minutes? your entire body stung, as if you were laying in a tangle of thorned roses. one thing was for sure, you were dying.

you felt something soft under your head instead of the grassy surface the rest of your body laid on. “megumi…?” your voice sounded tired and hoarse. “is that you?” there was a brief period of silence that made you doubt his presence, but a hum from him confirmed that he was indeed still there. a smile tugged at your face even through all the ache.

“i can’t see right now. look up.” megumi looked up, and realised today was the beginning of a new moon. he could barely see anything. “could you tell me what the moon looks like?”

“a blood moon. it looks as if roses had bloomed on the moon.” liar.

“it’s not good to lie, megumi. but it’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“very.”

you didn’t exchange any words to each other for a period of time after that. by now, your breathing had calmed down, and everything around you seemed hot and cold at the same time. something in you told you to let go of your consciousness, and another part wished you’d stay awake longer to feel megumi’s touch. be a little selfish, you told yourself.

you shakily reached your hand up towards the skies. you balled up your fist, a part of your childish mind hoping you had caught a star.

megumi could hear his heart thumping in his chest, and he pulled your body closer to him. he thought to himself, even if there had been that satellite in the sky, his moon was going to stop shining soon. he couldn’t help but wonder if the stars in your sky had burnt themselves out.

maybe all of them, except for the one that willingly let the moon outshine it.

“y/n, can’t you use your technique to give yourself a better death?” megumi asked, his hand supporting the weak, quivering fist you held up, his thumb brushing your knuckles.

“i can,” you replied back without hesitation.

“but i’d have to erase everything that’s in my mind. and besides,” you flashed him a pained toothy grin.

“you’re all i really want to think of right now, megumi.”

by user @ aireia, do not plagiarize and/or translate.

fun fact: i actually invested sm into this fic i made sketches of the one of the curses

#signed by aireia!#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #megumi fushiguro #jjk x reader #megumi x reader #jjk megumi #jujutsu kaisen x reader #fushiguro megumi x reader #jjk imagines #megumi fushiguro x you #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen x you #this took 11 days to write believe it or not #also the first thing i uploaded in 3 weeks #how is everyone :D

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system-to-the-madness · 4 months

Text

A Promise Kept - Itadori Yūji x Reader

Pairing: Itadori Yūji x Reader (can be read as any gender, no pronouns used) Genre: angst (a tiny speck of fluff in the end) Word Count: 3 951 Warnings: suicidal Yūji, self-harm (Yūji), panic attack(?), throwing up(both Yūji and Reader), death, canon typical violence, description of sever wounds and pain, lots of crying, SPOILERs for up to chapter 137 / episode 47 Summary: Following the Shibuya incident, you try to talk to Yūji, who has locked himself away A/N: Inspired by an ask @delzinrowe sent to @just-jordie-things and I got the permission to write it. This is probably not what you guys had in mind, but I had this idea as soon as I read this ask and stuck with it. Also: I usually don’t write angst unless it ends in a lot of fluff, so this is a first for me.

Masterlist

“He’s hidden himself away.” Panda’s voice was heavy with concern. Not unjustified concern, considering ever cheerful Yūji had distanced himself from everyone following the events of the Halloween night.

It was the morning of the first of November. Dust still hung in the air like fog, the first sunbeams of a warm autumn morning shining their light on the destroyed Shibuya. You had not slept at all in the past 24 hours, nor eaten anything in the past 12. Instead, you had thrown up even the little stomach contents you had had left. You had tried drinking something, but none of it was any good, you just couldn’t keep anything down. Not the water the half-curse Chōsō had offered you, not the green tea Yaga had handed you, not the broth Ieiri-sensei had convinced you to drink. You had thrown everything back up.

The pictures of the night kept haunting you, of the curses you had exorcised, of the transfigured humans you had been forced to kill, of Gojō-sensei’s eyes looking back at you from that prison realm in Kenjaku’s hands, of Megumi’s lifeless body leaning against a wall, of Nanami-san’s body being torn apart, of Nobara clutching her face before dying. Now of the four first-years, only Yūji and you were left standing. But you were doubtlessly in way better shape than he was. Sure, you were so exhausted that your hands were shaking and your legs quivering, you had cuts across your arms and face, and bruises all over your body, but Yūji was of way worse than that. He had a huge cut right over his nose, was missing a part of his cheek so his teeth were showing. According to Chōsō, Ieiri-sensei had already healed him, but the scars were red and angry, and you knew it still had to hurt. Not to mention what he had gone through, watching his friends die, just like you had. But you were not possessed by an ancient, evil sorcerer who had used your body to wreak havoc to the city, burn it to ashes. And you knew he blamed himself for all of it.

Now, as you stood where once the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing had been, legs weak from exhaustion and morning sunlight reflecting in the broken glass of the skyscrapers around you, you wondered how you were even still alive. Sweat had dried on your skin, blood crusting your clothes, smears of dust painted your face. The shock of the news you had received about the outcome of the night had not quite settled in, instead it was a slowly creeping terror, that you knew would close its fingers around your heart once you stopped to rest. So it was better not to rest, not yet, not while Yūji was still in distress.

“Where is he,” you asked, turning to Panda, who was climbing over the debris. Somewhere beneath all that rubble the famous statue of that dog, Hachikō, was buried. Along with humans, all of them probably long dead.

“He hid in one of the bathrooms,” another voice answered.

Shielding your eyes from the sunlight, you were met with the sight of Chōsō. Dark circles were painted under his brown eyes, the black tattoo over the bridge of his nose seeming to split his face in two.

“Which one?”

You ignored how strange it was asking the half-curse – whose brothers you had killed – for directions to help your friend… who he also considered his brother. But Yūji was your friend and if Panda’s words were to be believed – why shouldn’t they? – then Yūji needed you. He was your friend. Right? Nothing more than that. And nothing less.

Chōsō looked around for a moment, trying to orientate himself in the rubble, then pointed to the stairwell closest to Shibuya 109.

“Down the stairs, the first bathroom.”

Instead of acknowledging either Chōsō or Panda any further, you began making your way to the entrance of the subway. In the backpack on your bag, bottles of water and bags with food shifted against one another, as you climbed over a piece of a building.

The stairs were almost entirely destroyed, but you made your way down anyway, trying to sort your thoughts out. This was not the time to contemplate your feelings for Yūji, you told yourself. What mattered now was to help him, not because you liked him, but because he needed help. He needed to drink something, something with minerals to avoid cramps later, so Ieiri-sensei had packed sports-drinks in the backpack you were carrying. He needed nutrients and vitamins, also packed in your bag. He needed words of assurance, so you had already thought about what you needed to tell him. That it wasn’t his fault. That without him, many more would have died. That you were glad he was still there. He probably needed a hug or two, and you were prepared to hold him for as long as he needed you to make him realize that you would always be by his side. Because you were his friend. Because you would always stick together.

Now was not the time to think about how you had always felt connected to him, from the first moment on. It was not the time to think about how tight he always hugged you, how close he sat to you during movie nights, how he pretended to serenade you during karaoke or make your favourite ramen for you when you felt down. Nor was it the time to think about how he always made you explain the homework to him, as if he had to force you to do it when really you were thankful for each moment you got to spend with him, especially when it allowed you to gaze at him for minutes on end without him noticing. And whenever he noticed, he would grin at you, as if he were proud of something, and your face would grow warm. One time he had even told you he liked it when you looked at him like this, and you had been unable to meet his eyes for the rest of the day.

And then there were those little touches, the hand on the small of your back whenever he guided you to walk on the inside of the pavement so he was walking at the side of the street. The touches that lingered a little longer than with anyone else. But now was not the time to think about any of that.

The lights in the subway station were flickering, making it hard to see through the dust in the air. On a wall the lit-up advertisement for some sports anime sent flashes of white light into the dark. What you’d give to be the stupid love interest in one of these harmless anime now.

And there was the bathroom.

Stepping through the dark, careful not to fall over any of the debris, you slowly approached the door, your dominant hand at the handle of the cursed katana you had spent the past six months learning how to wield. Listening for any suspicious sounds, you stopped for a moment, before you pushed against the closed door to the men’s bathroom.

It didn’t budge.

Furrowing your brows, your tried again, but the metal of the door refused to swing open.

“Yūji-kun,” you called into the silence.

Something moved behind the door.

“Yūji-kun, it’s me,” you called again, knocking against the door. “Are you in there?”

“Go away!”

Yūji’s voice sounded chocked up and raw when he answered from behind the door, making you exhale in relief. You had found him. And he was conscious.

“Yūji, you need to eat and drink something,” you told him, knocking again.

“Leave me alone, go away!”

“You know I can’t do that,” you refused, trying to suppress the shaking in your voice. He sounded so hurt and lost. All you wanted to do was wrap him in an embrace and protect him from the memories of the night’s events.

“I don’t wanna see anyone right now! Go away.”

“You don’t have to see me, we can keep the door closed if you like. Just-” you sighed, crouching down in front of the door. “Just talk to me. I want to help.”

“You can’t help! You can’t- unless you kill me, you can’t help!”

It felt like your heart stopped beating in your chest, and tears shot into your eyes. You knew Yūji would feel terrible, but bad enough to want to die? You had not expected that.

“Yūji-“

“They’re dead because of me! Because of me Nanamin and Kugisaki-” Yūji’s voice broke off in a sob. “They died because of me! Shibuya is burnt to the ground because of me! So many people died because of me! And Fushiguro- Ijichi-san, Maki-san, Inumaki-san- they all-”

This voice broke off again, and you heard choking from the other side, as if he was throwing up. Or at least trying to throw up. After tonight you were familiar enough with the sound of trying to throw up with an empty stomach.

“Yūji, it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have prevented-”

“Of course, it’s my fault. It’s all my fault, all of it is!”

“No, it’s not! If it had been your fault-”

“Stop saying it isn’t! Because it is! All of it is! Those were my hands who killed all these people! My hands who destroyed Shibuya! All of this only started because I’m a vessel for Sukuna! If I weren’t, they wouldn’t have tried getting to me, and all these people were still alive! It’s all burned into my memory! Every time I close my eyes I see them die, over and over and over again-”

He chocked and gagged again, making your own stomach clench, and you squeezed your eyes shut. You wanted to help him so badly, hold him, comfort him. But the door kept you at a distance.

“If I weren’t possessed by Sukuna, they’d still be alive! Gojō-sensei should’ve just killed me! He should’ve just executed me!” From behind the door, you heard a bang, as if he had punched the wall… no, he had hit his head against it.

“Yūji!” You banged against the door, before placing your flat hand against it. Your fingers curled against the smooth, cool metal, your nails scraping against it in a desperate attempt to get to him. Of course, you could have just kicked down the door, but a part of you knew Yūji wouldn’t forgive you if you were to intrude on this space, he had created for himself, away from everyone. “Yūji, stop it! Stop!”

But another dull bang followed your plea, accompanied by his sobs and more retching.

“He should’ve executed me the moment the order came in! I should be dead!” Yūji’s voice was soar from screaming and crying and throwing up. “I should be dead! Then none of this would have happened! I should be dead! They should’ve just killed me! The world would be better off if I were dead! I should be dead! I should just die! I should-”

“Stop it! Stop it, Yūji! Stop it!” Tears were running down your cheeks as you banged against the locked door again, your voice shrill in your own ears. “Stop saying that! Stop saying you should be dead! Stop it, please stop!” You chocked on your own sobs, weakly trying to bang your firsts against the door. “I need you, you hear? I can’t lose you, too!”

For a moment there was silence on the other side of the door, no more screaming, no more head-against-the-wall-banging, no more retching. Only some heavy breathing.

“You’re only in danger around me,” Yūji eventually answered, his voice quiet. “Sukuna could take over any moment and he’d kill you without hesitation. The only way to ensure everyone’s safety would be to kill-“

“Nobody’s killing you! And those who try will have to go through me first! And the same goes for you! If you try to hurt yourself, Itadori Yūji, I swear by my life I will do everything in my power to stop you!”

Again silence spread between you. Long and heavy silence, interrupted only by your sobs and occasional gagging from Yūji’s side. It spread for so long, that you were almost tempted to ask if he was still conscious, when he spoke up again.

“I want to go home.” It was only a whimper, small and pained in the vast destruction of the night, and it made you want to tear down that stupid bathroom door and pull Yūji into the tightest hug you had ever given anyone. “I want to go home. Not to Jujutsu High. I want to go back to my grandpa’s place. And I want to eat his Naporitan Pasta. And sleep in my old bed. And just forget everything. I just want to feel safe. Just once more. I can’t take this anymore. I just-“

“Yūji, I-“

What were you supposed to say? His grandfather had died over six months ago. The apartment that had belonged to him was empty. Even if Yūji went back to Sendai, there would be nothing left of his old life, there was no way he could ever eat his grandfather’s homecooked meals again. What could you do to help him fill this hole, this loss that was so overwhelming? You had lost family too, but you still had a home to return to, some place to feel entirely safe. The thought, that no matter where Yūji went, he would never feel quite safe suddenly hit you. Not as long as he was possessed by Sukuna.

Suddenly anger bubbled in your chest, pushing aside the grief and fear of the night, and the pain you felt for your friend. As long as Sukuna possessed Yūji, he could never be happy. So you had to find a way to get rid of him.

“Yūji,” you repeated, your voice calmer this time, now that you had finally found a proper thought to express. “I promise you we’ll find a way to exorcise Sukuna. And we’ll free Gojō-sensei and deal with Kenjaku. And when all that is over, we’ll sit down with Megumi and Gojō-sensei and we’ll all make Naporitan Pasta together, in honour of your grandfather. I promise you. So please. Don’t give up. Don’t stop fighting. We need you. I need you. Please.”

Your declaration was followed by more silence, but at least he didn’t seem to throw up anymore.

“Do you promise?” His voice was weak and sounded like he was far away with his thoughts.

“Yes, I do. I promise.”

“Can we have pancakes with strawberries and cream for dessert?”

“As many as you like. I know a really good recipe,” you answered, the weight in your heart lifting a little.

“Okay,” Yūji agreed. “Uhm… can I ask you something?”

“Yes, anything,” you quickly replied, perking up.

“When I open the door… can you- would it be okay if we wouldn’t hug or anything?”

Confused you blinked, but nodded your head before you remembered that he couldn’t see you.

“Oh, ahm, sure. Of course.”

“It’s just-”

“You don’t have to explain-”

“But I want to explain,” Yūji interrupted you. “I just feel like, if someone were to touch me now, I’d have another…” he hesitated for a moment, “another panic attack. Because after all that… how could I allow anyone to touch me, when I’m the one who’s responsible for-”

“You’re not the one responsible! Yūji, please, you need to understand-”

“It doesn’t matter right now, okay? It doesn’t matter,” he interrupted you, sounding impatient. “I just- I just don’t want anyone to touch me, alright? I can’t have anyone touch me. Promise me?”

You took a shaky breath closing your eyes before you answered.

“Okay, I understand,” you assured him. “I won’t touch you unless you want me to, I promise. But I’m here for whatever you need, okay? I also got water and something to eat if you want, alright?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Yūji answered from behind the closed door. “Uhm, one more thing…”

Quietly you listened to what he had to say, blinking your eyes open again.

“I’ve taken quite a beating through the night and Ieiri-sensei couldn’t heal all of it at once so… don’t be alarmed, okay?”

You swallowed, trying to get rid of the painful lump in your throat. You had seen Yūji earlier, before Ieiri-sensei had treated him; you knew what state he had been in. If he warned you now about his appearance…

“I’m not looking exactly fresh either,” you told him, trying to sound cheerful, “I’m sure both of us have looked better than today.”

A small hum sounded from the other side of the door, before you heard shuffling of clothes, the clinking of porcelain against stone tiles and the sound of shoes on dusty ground.

Quickly you scrambled away from the door, but it swung open before you had gotten to your feet. Yūji was right, he still looked quite beaten up. The two worst wounds in his face were healed to fresh, pink scars, but smaller cuts and bruises still littered his skin, not to mention the blood and dust that stuck to his hair and clothes. A red spot was forming on his forehead, slightly swollen with a few scratches in the centre, where he had hit his head against the wall. Underneath his eyes dark circles, quite similar to those of his self-declared older brother, seemed to have taken up permanent residence. Your eyes dropped to his right hand, fresh blood running down his fingers from cuts on the knuckles and dripping to the ground.

“Your hand-!”

Almost you would’ve forgotten what he had requested of you, but your stopped yourself just in time before you reached out, staring up at him from where you were sitting on the ground instead.

“I punched a mirror,” he admitted, his beautiful eyes looking away from you in shame. “I saw those marks under my eyes and I- I got so angry.”

You swallowed again thickly but nodded.

“Let’s get you to Ieiri-sensei,” you decided, scrambling to your feet.

Up closer to his face, you could see the tear streaks on his dusty cheeks. The longer you looked at him the more your heart ached, and the harder it got to stick to your word of not touching him, when all you wanted to do was pull him into a long hug. He sure looked like he needed it. But he had explicitly asked you not to touch him, so you wouldn’t.

“I’m sure she can do something for your hand and those cuts on your arms and stomach.” You gestured to where his uniform had been ripped apart, showing shallow cuts on his pale skin.

“Thank you,” Yūji mumbled, but when you gestured for him to walk ahead, he didn’t move.

“Don’t thank me, thank her,” you tried smiling, knowing you were failing terribly.

“No, I mean… thank you for coming looking for me. And respecting that I don’t want to be touched right now. I know you want to hug me, or want me to hug you… you deserve it so much after this night but I just can’t right now and-“

“And that’s okay. If I want a hug, I’ll ask Panda. He’s cuddly,” you assured Yūji. “I know you feel like the weight of the world is resting on your shoulders. And maybe it is. And while you carry a lot of responsibility, you don’t carry the responsibility of giving me hugs whenever I want them, yeah?”

A small smile tucked at Yūji’s lips, and he nodded. “Thanks for understanding.”

“Sure thing,” you nodded.

“Hey, you said you had something to drink-”

Quickly you dropped the bag to the floor, and pulled out a bottle of the sports drinks, Ieiri-sensei had packed for Yūji and you, handing it to him. He unscrewed it and emptied it in one go.

“Need more,” you offered, holding a second bottle out to him.

“You first,” he demanded, signalling you to drink first.

Obediently you unscrewed the cap and took a few long gulps, the sweetened liquid running down your throat and washing away the salty taste of tears in your mouth.

“How are you,” he suddenly asked, his dark eyes watching carefully as you drank.

After a few sips, you put the bottle down and handed it to Yūji, who eyed it for a moment but waited for your reply.

“Been better,” you admitted. “Tonight was… a lot. But I’m not as badly injured as you – or possessed – so I can’t really complain.”

“Just because others are off worse than you, doesn’t mean you don’t have a right to feel terrible,” Yūji mumbled, chewing on his lower lip. “I know what you’ve seen. Even if it had just been a stupid tv show, or anime or something… the things we saw tonight are enough to give me nightmares for a lifetime. So, I understand how you feel. Don’t down-play it for my sake.” He lifted the bottle to his lips, finishing it as well, before looking back to you again. “I’m asking again. How are you?”

Trying to keep the tears at bay the shot into your eyes, knowing this time you’d have to confront these feeling inside your chest, pursed your lips before answering.

“Horrible,” you pressed out, sniffing.

Yūji nodded. “If you ever need anything, someone to talk to, someone to wake you up from a nightmare… I’ll always be there for you, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. And I’ll be there for you.”

“You already are,” he answered.

Neither of you mentioned when you handed him some cereal bar and he hesitantly brushed the tips of his fingers against yours as he took if from you, or how he grabbed your arm to pull you off the floor.

As you made your way back to the staircase that would lead you to the surface, you couldn’t shake the feeling that it was important that it had been you, who had come looking for Yūji. You weren’t sure why, but then the backs of his fingers brushed against yours while walking. Instinctively you wanted to draw your hand away, after all you had agreed not to touch him. But then his pinkie brushed yours again, this time linking with it, and you relaxed. For the first time in hours a part of the tension fell away, and you dropped your shoulders, only focusing on the sensation of Yūji’s warm and rough skin against yours. Maybe he wasn’t ready for a hug, but this little bit of contact, contact initiated by him, was more than enough comfort.

At the foot of the staircase he stopped, bringing you to a stop as well.

“I need you, too,” he admitted, his huge, brown, with pain filled eyes glancing over at you for a moment. Confused you furrowed your brows, but then you understood he was referring to what you had said earlier. That you needed him.

You nodded in acknowledgement, taking a shaky breath when you realized that he was not only referring to the war with the curses you were about to face, but to himself generally. The same way you had meant it earlier.

Yūji gently squeezed your pinkie, and nodded back, before you both faced forward again. It would be a long way, to sitting down with Gojō-sensei and Megumi, eating food together, but you would get there, you knew it. And the first step you had to take was up this dusty flight of stairs, Yūji’s pinkie safely intertwined with yours.

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yuesya · 9 months

Note

Twin AU is watering my crops and clearing my skin ngl. Could we maybe see the moment of realization for Satoru (and maybe Shiki) about her situation as a cursed spirit? Because there’s probably a period of time when they both were effective toddlers that Shiki wasn’t yet hosted inside Satoru yet right? Or what is the development of personhood like what you effectively don’t have your own body? And how did they discover that Shiki was Satoru’s murdered twin?

Satoru had always known that he wasn't alone.

... There's no grand moment of dawning comprehension leading up to this realization, or anything of the sort. He just... knew. It's kind of hard to explain. Sort of like how a person knows how to breathe without ever actually learning how to breathe? Except this is something that's entirely beyond simple bodily instinct. It's really hard to describe using words.

Satoru had always known that Shiki was there with him, long before he ever knew who Shiki even was.

Every day when he wakes up in the mornings in his too-large room, he'll touch his hand to the ground at his side Good morning. His shadow promptly reaches back to him, cheerfully answering him in greeting.

When Satoru is on the verge of dozing off during one of his elder's droning lectures, his shadow insistently nudges him beneath his legs, keeping him just awake enough to prevent him from toppling over and making a fool out of himself. Or, even worse, earning himself an hour-long reprimand from an displeased elder over the lack of decorum.

Sometimes, when Satoru is alone, he'll purposely make silly shapes with his body. And laugh, when his shadow doesn't copy them properly. Then he'll stomp his feet in frustration, when his shadow smugly gets back at him by contorting itself into shapes that are impossible for a human body to mimic in turn, the cheater!

... It takes an embarrassingly long time before Satoru realizes that your shadow isn't actually supposed to play games with you.

It's not a realization that occurs all at once. It's something that creeps up on them as Satoru dives deeper into his lessons as a sorcerer, when they learn more about jujutsu together.

"Are you a cursed spirit?" Satoru finally asks one evening. His shadow wiggles in a 'dunno, probably?' sort of gesture. "Y'know, you're pretty harmless, for a cursed spirit."

His shadow crosses its harms huffily; Satoru grins.

"Aw, don't be like that, you know what I meant." Cursed spirits are amalgamations of evil and hatred, and must be exorcised for the sake of peace and order. Or so their teachers kept saying. "How did you even get here, anyways? And why me?"

Another wiggle.

But it's a valid question -with all the layers of seals and protections slapped over the Gojo Compound, it's impossible for any cursed spirits to slip through the cracks unnoticed. And yet the cursed spirit living in his shadow has clearly done just that. His Six Eyes informs him that the cursed spirit's energies blends perfectly with his own, which adds another layer of oddity to the mystery.

Everyone's cursed energy signature is different; families are similar, but not even siblings share the exact same signature. Was this a cursed spirit born of Satoru's own overwhelming cursed energy, somehow?

... Logic says that it's plausible, but his intuition tells him otherwise.

Satoru doesn't put together the pieces until his younger cousins are born. A pair of twins, a dark-haired boy and a dark-haired girl, sleeping together on the same cot. The way that their cursed energies intermingle next to each other is exactly the same as Satoru and-

...

... Midori-oba looks scared, instead of happy. Why?

"Cursed twins," his aunt whispers, trembling. "An ill omen, oh no... My husband is furious with me. Hina-neechan gave birth to you, while I- I-"

Satoru tunes out his aunt's incoherent ramblings, and instead focuses on cursed twins.

An ill omen, cursed twins. For twins begin as one singular entity in their mother's womb, and despite coming into this world as two individual bodies, they are still One. Each is only a mere Half of their Self, an empty shadow and pale imitation of what they could've been. Neither twin will ever reach their full potential, unless preventative measures are taken.

Satoru frowns. He doesn't like the sound of these 'preventative measures,' because if the implications are true, and knowing what the elders are like...

Six Eyes. Limitless. The Honored One.

What if the honored one was born with a cursed twin? ... What would the Gojo Clan do?

But did Satoru really have a twin? There's no trace of it -his father had told him about his late mother before while reminiscing, but he's never mentioned a twin sibling. Discretely poking around among the servants also reveals several glaring vacancies (sudden deaths) for those who'd been present during Satoru's own birth, which is not a great vote of confidence.

"... Are you really my twin?" His blood feels cold, a chill that runs down to his bones. Did he have another sibling? Did the clan kill his twin?

His shadow wobbles sluggishly. Satoru bites his lip, concerned.

Despite their innate compatibility with each other, the only way a spirit can truly dwell within a person's shadow was if the person in question was a Ten Shadows user. The bindings holding them together are fraying, growing weaker by the day -Satoru doesn't know how to keep his sibling with him!

And if it breaks- The Gojo Clan-

I won't let that happen.

Satoru's eyes narrow, determined. "I won't let you die again. I refuse to let you die because of me!"

How does one keep a cursed spirit with them?

By providing them with a proper vessel.

How does one hide a curse in a family of sorcerers?

By hiding them somewhere sorcerers will never notice or think to look.

... Satoru knows what to do.

The solution is simple: He takes his twin into his own body.

...

It's...

It's like suddenly drinking a large mouthful of ice-cold water, and Satoru can feel them spreading inside his body. He gets exactly one second to remember that, despite everything, they are a cursed spirit and Satoru's body isn't exactly one suited to be a vessel in the first place, maybe this was a bad idea-

But there's no accompanying pain. Nothing of the sort. Satoru gets the sensation of a soft sigh from his twin, as they carefully curl themselves through Satoru's flesh and blood and...

... goes to sleep.

... Wait, goes to sleep?? Just like that? Doesn't he at least get a 'thank you' or something?!

Unbelievable.

...

That night, Satoru has a dream. There's a little girl his age who appears in front of him. White-haired and blue-eyed just like him, and the moment she looks up and catches sight of him, she smiles brightly.

"Toru-nii!"

Satoru catches his little sister when she throws herself at him in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," he says. I'm sorry that it took me so long to figure things out. I'm sorry that you're dead, because of me. "I'm so sorry."

The girl tilts her head in confusion. "Why?"

Satoru chokes, "Do you really have to ask?!"

"Silly," his lookalike laughs, reaching up and patting his cheek in comfort. "Toru-nii has nothing to be sorry for."

Actually, no, but Satoru isn't about to let their first conversation together devolve into an argument. "What's your name? ... Wait, do you have one?"

"Shiki." They blink at each other in mutual surprise, and the girl -Shiki- scrunches her face in confusion. "My name is... Shiki?"

... She actually has a name. The clan even named her -then denied any records of her existing and killed her afterwards?? She's not even on the family grave! Were they trying to make his sister into a vengeful ghost??

Satoru breathes in deeply -even though this is a dream and he isn't actually breathing in deeply like this with his physical body right now, but, details- and firmly puts his hands on his sister's shoulders.

"Shiki," he says. "Do you know who killed you?"

His sister shakes her head. Well, it was a long shot -if Satoru had the timeline pinned down, then the clan would've ordered her death within the first few months after they'd been born. Children don't really start retaining conscious memories of their childhood until they're at least a few years old, so it makes sense that she wouldn't remember. In fact, it's probably for the best that she doesn't remember her no-doubt traumatic death.

"It'll be alright," he says. "It'll be alright. Toru-nii will protect you."

But first, he needs to know who in particular to protect her from. It takes Satoru awhile, over the course of a few years, but he's able to put together the minuscule pieces bit by bit. If Satoru hadn't possessed the Six Eyes and if it weren't for Shiki's own discerning eyesight, the investigation would've been a lot harder.

But the conclusion that they find at the end... it's...

...

Father? Really? Shiki had been killed by their own father?

Satoru can't believe it. Yes, Gojo Muneyoshi is another one of the elders' worthless puppets and only all-too-interested in polishing Satoru into the clan's sharpest weapon. But the man is a coward. Did he really have the guts to murder his own child?

... Only one way to find out.

The perfect opportunity comes one evening when both of them are awake, and going over Satoru's boring history texts. Muneyoshi gets up in the middle of the night, presumably to relieve himself or to fetch a glass of water, or something along those lines. Satoru deliberately turns on all the lights in his room.

As expected, Muneyoshi makes his way over.

“I guess it’s a good thing that at least one of us is interested in this rubbish, so we can at least get lessons over with quickly." Satoru sighs dramatically, and inside his head, his sister's giggles echo incessantly. "Counting on you for the next test, Shiki!”

Outside their room, Muneyoshi freezes. The man's cursed energy trembles with heavy, unspoken guilt. But there's no hiding anything from the Six Eyes, and Satoru has his answer.

So it really was you.

His fingers tighten on the edge of his history scrolls.

... It's not fair.

It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair. Why does Shiki have to die? Just because some elders think it means that it will curtail Satoru's power? There's no proof! And Satoru is strong. Even if his sister was a non-sorcerer -which she wasn't- it didn't matter; Satoru would be strong enough for the both of them, if that was what it took. But they wouldn't even give her a chance, and they just-!

Toru-nii?

... Don't worry, I'm fine, Shiki.

That night, Satoru resolves to himself that he'd rather see the world burn, before he ever let any of them touch his little sister again.

#QA #Writing #zenith of stars au #twins au #thank you for readinggg #glad you're enjoying the au anon!#... even despite all the angst lol #hi yes i'm an author who likes writing happy things why do you ask-

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whydon-twego · 11 months

Text

Merlin has succeeded in his intention. The Golden Age is beginning, Arthur is alive and Gwen is at his side, everyone knows he possesses magic and no one intends to harm him for it, Morgana is defeated and now there is only a need to return home, rest, pay respect and mourn for those who died in battle and then finally celebrate and see a rosy future. Merlin could not be happier. Nor more alone. He watches Arthur and Gwen stand side by side, waving to the crowd, cheering the beginning of a new era, and thanking Merlin for all he has done, for all he has ever done, and his heart is filled with joy when he hears the king withdraw the ban on magic in Camelot, at last, he and his people can be free. And now? He can now become Court Sorcerer, and he can continue to help Arthur build the best possible Camelot, but isn't that what any magically gifted person could do? After all this, what is left for Merlin? After his destiny has finally been fulfilled, what is left for him? His heart belongs to two people he can never have and his task is finished. Why stay? He has never seen the world, he has never been among his own people because he has always been too busy keeping up with Arthur, there are a thousand things he could do and see and his heart should only be joyful and not mourn a loss that is not his. A loss that can never be. Because Arthur is Gwen's and Gwen is Arthur's. And there has never been a place for Merlin between them. And with destiny fulfilled, Merlin is now free and can leave Camelot peacefully, knowing that nothing can ever happen to them again. So he decides to leave. Arthur doesn't even want to hear about it and Gwen can't help but ask why, why now when we can finally live in peace? Merlin can't answer. Arthur forbids him to leave. And Arthur is his king and Merlin must obey him, but they both know that it never has been, nor ever will be like this. Merlin decides to leave at night, a few days later, because he does not feel like leaving the city with all eyes on him. He has said goodbye in the previous days to those he had to and will leave the city knowing that he has done what had to be done. And for once he does it for himself. To protect himself. Because his heart is already battered and he would like to stay in Camelot forever near Arthur and Gwen but what kind of life would that be? He knows he will never love anyone like he loves the two of them, but he must give himself the opportunity to move on. Arthur and Gwen decide not to give him that opportunity. "We love you," says Arthur, with the serious face of someone who is delivering important news. "We are in love with you," continues Gwen as Merlin is about to open his mouth and say that he also loves them both very much but that he must leave. "And neither of us can think of a life without you, Merlin, so please stay." and Merlin thinks it is the first time the king's voice seems to plead and waver. The eyes of both monarchs are pleading for him and Merlin cannot believe what he is hearing. But then Arthur is kissing him while Gwen is stroking his hair and then it is Gwen who kisses him while Arthur grabs his arm and makes sure Merlin does not leave. "Stay," they both say.

And Merlin does.

#and then Merlin is finally made court wizard and consort of the rulers #mergwnethur #merthur #mergwen #arwen #arthur pendragon #merlin #guinevere pendragon #king arthur #queen guinevere #court sorcerer merlin #my writing

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underratedbitch-number13 · 1 month

Text

Part 3 : Elpis

A/N: I know that I have been gone for very long and almost abandoned these series. But I have exams going, and yesterday's paper was one of the shittiest ones I've ever written and I was feeling super down. So I came back to finish the angst, lol.

Anyways, I think it's lowkey rushed, but I hope everyone likes it :)

Also It felt so weird writing this chapters because I kept getting new ideas and I wanted to keep writing, but I didn't want to make it tooo long, though it's still pretty lengthy.

Repeating for clarity, MC DID NOT KNOW Mammon at all. She's a complete random stranger who happened to be there.

This part is going to be pretty heavy, so please proceed with caution.

Part 3 : Elpis

(Mammon x F!MC)

Warnings: Suicidal thoughts, Mammon is almost about to attempt suicide, bullying, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse, blood, self harm, nightmares.

A LOT OF ANGST!!!

If you are sensitive to any of these, please do not read. This could be triggering.

Written in Third Person POV. Also, If there are any grammatical errors, please feel free to correct them.

Number of words : 2.5k

|| ☞ Part 1 || ☞ Part 2 || ☞ Part 4(coming end of April 2024) ||

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Simeon woke up with a gasp.

Beads of sweat lined his forehead as he desperately tried to calm his erratic breathing. It was the 6th time in a row.

He had another vision.

Simeon and Luke had temporarily returned to Celestial Realm after Luke fell seriously ill. Luke had almost recovered, but he needed a few more days to heal completely before they returned for the exchange program.

Simeon and Luke weren't aware of anything that had transpired back in Devildom in their absence, because they had left before the video was released.

But since the past few days, Simeon has been seeing terrible visions.

Visions of Mammon's death followed by utter chaos among his brothers, then a war with the human world. He vividly remembers seeing the Sorcerer's Society up in arms against the 6 brothers.

Solomon was there too, fighting against the brothers.

Simeon felt shivers when recalled how brutally Solomon ended Asmodeus's life after using their pact to his advantage. The entire war was a bloody mess with many dead, including Belphegor, Asmodeus, and Leviathan.

His visions never showed him the end of the war, so he never knew who won.

Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand Simeon decided it was time to talk to Michael. He needed to inform him about the visions and apologize for not telling sooner.

Getting out of his bed, Simeon got ready to visit Michael.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Michael appeared perplexed when Simeon told him about his visions.

Visions were not a part of Simeon's powers. Now he was seeing a recurring vision, that too one about a war between humans and demons?

Michael sent Simeon back after reassuring him that he'd get in touch with him about this matter soon. Unsatisfied with Michael's answer Simeon reluctantly headed back to his place.

He had a sinking feeling in his stomach and he couldn't shake it off.

He cared about Solomon and the brothers, and he had grown very attached to them. These visions were like nightmares to him, and he felt helpless. He really wanted to do something to prevent all of this.

The thing that perplexed him the most was Mammon's death.

He did not know the cause of his death, he only knew that his body was found in the human realm with his heart ripped out.

Seeing his brother's body in that condition had incurred Lucifer's wrath, equivalent to what he had seen during the war before his fall.

The brothers had concluded that humans were somehow responsible for Mammon's death and bathed the human world in blood. Simeon's head hurt just thinking about it.

"Father," he prayed. "Please protect everyone."

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♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

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Barbatos and Diavolo had known.

They were aware of the tragedy that was about to occur, after all, Barbatos had already checked every timeline.

Unfortunately, all of them only had one outcome, Mammon's death.

Diavolo was devastated upon learning this. He had failed! He failed as the future King! How could he not protect his subject, his dear friend Mammon?

Barbatos himself felt a little lost, his stoic persona wavered as remembered what he what he saw. Although he never openly showed his affection for Mammon, he cared. He cared more than anyone would believe.

It was hard for either of them to digest the fact

The panic slowly started to set in.

Diavolo insisted on talking to Mammon immediately, but he was stopped by Barbatos, who informed him of how every effort made by them in other timelines had done more damage than help.

In one timeline, when they tried talking to Mammon about his mental health, he denied everything. He laughed it off and replied with a "Nobody can hurt the Great Mammon!"

In other timelines, if they punished the students for bullying him, they would isolate themselves even further from him and would call him a snitch or a baby. And if they tried to stop Asmodeus from releasing the video by going to the past, another video of Mammon would always surface.

In the end, they couldn't change the future.

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♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

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The winds picked up as Barbatos chanted mantras to invoke his most powerful magic.

Diavolo stood not far away, looking at the figure at a distance with a grave look on his face, his demon form emerging as Mammon stepped closer to the edge.

The Prince of Hell had never imagined that a day like this would ever come. The guilt in his heart was immeasurable knowing he had failed his dear subject, and he had almost been too late to realize that.

Now they had no option but to do this. Barbatos was going to freeze the time on Earth for a couple of hours until the full moon ended and then erase his memories from the past few months.

The next moon full as powerful as this one was three months away and that should give them more time to do something.

His eyes turned to Barbatos on his left as he stood in a trance-like state with his eyes closed, a dark aura emitting from him. He was almost done with the process.

"δεθιλΠγπξΨυΣἀἧΪΏ"

Barbatos began chanting louder, and his eyes slowly started opening to release his powers.

Diavolo turned his attention back to Mammon to check on him, and his eyes widened at what he saw. “Barbatos stop!” He yelled and grabbed the butler’s arm to break his concentration.

Barbatos fell on his knees, eyes opened wide and bloodshot, tears pouring out of them. "My Lord," Barbatos gasped, completely out of breath. "Why?"

Diavolo winced at Barbatos' state."Barbatos, I apologize. But we don't need to intervene anymore. He already has."

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♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

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Silver butterflies.

They were a sign of God’s presence.

Diavolo, Barbatos, and Lucifer were the only demons who knew about those butterflies. They are usually seen when someone about to die is about to ascend to heaven OR it means that God was around.

Mammon, who was surrounded, couldn’t see the silver butterflies dancing around him.

They formed a line that was going in a particular direction. Almost like it was linking Mammon with something.

Or someone.

A human girl?

Diavolo and Barbatos watched from a distance, as the girl approached the bridge. She too was surrounded by the silver butterflies.

And she could see them.

There was awe on her face as she stared at those beautiful miracles fluttering around her. The bright full moon, the silver butterflies, and the gentle cool winds made the scene look magical.

Diavolo and Barbatos watched as the girl followed the butterflies giggling, not noticing Mammon.

Until she did. Her eyes fell on Mammon's figure, still in his human form, standing on the ledge with a painfully serene look on his face. The silver butterflies long forgotten, she ran towards Mammon with wide eyes and a panicked expression.

"No," she gasped, grabbing Mammon and pulling him down. “Please, please don’t do it.”

"What da hell?" Mammon cursed. "Who are ya?"

The human who was smiling and giggling just a few moments ago now had heavy tears flowing down her face.

"Please don't do this."

"What is it to ya?" Mammon yanked his hand out of the human's hands.

"It's not worth it, please. Don't do it," she repeated.

Mammon sighed irritatedly. "Look human, ya should go back. Ya don't know me and it's not yer place to tell me what to do."

"Please, it will hurt your loved ones--"

"I DON'T HAVE LOVED ONES." Mammon roared. "I am a scumbag, I don't deserve to live or be loved."

"That's not true!"

"What do ya know?!"

"Yes, I don't anything!! But what I do know is that nothing in this world is worth more than your life. It doesn't matter who loves whom. It's never going to be worth more than you!"

Mammon stayed silent.

"Why should you die for their sins? Why should you suffer because they aren't good people? I'm sorry you had to go through whatever you did, I'm sorry you don't think you deserve to be loved, and I'm really sorry that you find solace in the idea of dying. But please please please for the love of God, please don't do this"

Mammon wanted to scoff at the human. For the love of God? His father whom he betrayed for his wretched brother who has abandoned him now?

Karma, it's probably Karma, Mammon thinks.

He didn't want to listen to the human in front of him, after all, she was speaking the truth. He shouldn't have to suffer for his brothers.

But he was tired. Mammon didn't feel like he had enough strength to be strong another day. He had forgotten how to love himself, and without love, he knew he would shrivel.

Death was really the only option left.

Mammon realized that he shouldn't waste his time any further talking to this human. She was too nice for him and it's pretty late for a human girl to be out anyways.

"Look, I get what ya tryin' to say-"

"No," she stopped him from speaking, taking hold of his arm again. " I am not going to let you do it. You better be prepared to kill me if you want me to let go of you."

"Have ya lost yer mind?" Mammon looked at her with disbelief.

"No, I have not. But I will lose my mind because of guilt if I ignore this and let you do it."

Why? Why was this human going so far for him? Pity? Guilt?

"I will be there for you. We can be friends."

Mammon scoffed. What an arrogant human.

"Yer as stupid as ya look. Ya think I won't kill ya? And what makes ya think yer sob speech is enough to not make me jump? Ya only wanna be ma friend outta pity and I don't want any of that. Ya don't havta feel guilty or anythin. The world is not yer child an yer not responsible for it. Go home."

Mammon forced himself out of the human's grip and stood up. He looked at her, as she stared blankly at the ground.

He felt bad for being rude to her, but he had no choice. Mammon didn't like pity. After giving her one last look and climbed the edge again. He was about to switch to his demon form when a thought crossed his mind

Won't the human get terrified if she sees his demon form? What if she has nightmares?

"Give me one minute," she spoke interrupting Mammon's train of thoughts. She whipped out her phone and began typing furiously.

Is she calling for help? Will I have to deal with more annoying humans?

"Done," she declared and tossed her phone to the side of the bridge. It landed sideways and you could hear it crack.

What the--?

"Can you move a little and make some space for me? " She asked Mammon, coming over to where he was standing.

Mammon stood on a small ledge at the end of the bridge. It was the darkest corner and that's why he chose it. Although it was small, it could still hold two people.

"What are ya doing?" Mammon questioned, as the human struggled to get on the ledge.

"Joining you."

"What? Why? Human, have ya seriously lost yer mind?"

"No."

"Then what hell is yer problem ?! Why can't ya just leave me alone? Was that irritating speech of yours jus' empty words? Does the same logic not apply to ya?" "My brother committed suicide six months ago."

What--??

"I was the one who found his body. It was dark when I entered his room and his legs hit my face. He was hanging from the ceiling."

Mammon was left speechless at this sudden confession.

"I often wondered you know, why did he do it. He didn't leave a letter, a note, or even give a proper goodbye. He was my only family. I haven't moved on from his death yet. What if I had paid attention, would I have noticed that my always happy and smiling older brother was actually struggling? Did I ever notice how tired he looked or how lifeless his eyes were? If I had, maybe he would still be here."

There was a pause, as she struggled to continue.

"Maybe if I was a better sister, maybe if I wasn't such a burden, then he wouldn't have died. I feel so pathetic you know. So useless. If anything he deserved to live more than I do. He worked so many jobs to ensure we both had a roof over our heads and food on our plates. He sacrificed most of his life to make sure that my life was good, and what did I do for him? Nothing." "Hey stop. Yer not to blame for anything that happened, and ya don't havta to tell me if it's so painful--"

"No, I am telling you all of this because I want you know to that I don't have a reason to live either. I had lost my will to live the day my brother died, but I kept going because everyone told me that my brother would've wanted me to be happy. I tried, I tried so hard to be happy but I couldn't. And today when I saw you on the ledge with the same expression as my brother on the day he killed himself, I felt the world slip under my feet. If I can't stop you from killing yourself, it's going to destroy me. So why not join you? I always feared dying alone anyway."

She had successfully climbed up and now stood beside Mammon.

"If you don't mind, can I request something? Can we hold hands when we jump?"

Mammon could tell she was trembling, he could sense her fear.

Humans truly are the most annoying species in the whole universe.

"Tch, stupid human," Mammon grumbled and picked up the human in bridal style. He got down from the ledge and walked away from the corner, still holding her in his arms.

"What are you doing?"

"Shuddup, I'm taking ya to the mental hospital. Ya need some serious help."

"Do you know the address to one?"

"No, but ya will tell me. I know ya know."

"Fine, I'll tell you. But can we please stop at my place for a bit? I have to pick up a couple of things."

"Tch tch, Annoying little human."

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♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

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ALSO GUYS I AM SO SORRY FOR ABANDONING THIS. I WILL FINISH THIS SERIES BY THE END OF THIS MONTH, I PROMISE.

And also thank you to everyone who took their time to read so far. I really really appreciate it.

Reblogs and comments are appreciated. Please let me know your thoughts on how you feel about this.

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atwistedandbrokentale · 5 days

Text

From a king to a slave

When the king of Rosas got trapped in his own staff, a mask flashed for a split second. This mask would soon become his face, as he fell from a king to a slave. But how did he become this way? How did he fall into Queen Grimhilde’s service? And how does a young innocent princess fall into this? This story seeks to answer these questions.

WARNING! This story has slavery. It’s not with a black or white man. It’s a hispanic man. Granted that’s just a headcanon but still. Naturally there will be graphic depictions of abuse. There’s yelling, chains, maybe self harm (?) and even a scene of the slave owner choking the slave to assert dominance. If any of this is uncomfortable to you, please scroll past. With that said, please enjoy this story!

Magnifico sat inside his crystal. Was it still a crystal? The space inside had gotten larger. A wall had been made. He had forgotten how long it had been since it formed. There was no way to keep track of time anymore. He couldn’t see the sun anymore.

There was one good thing that came out of this. It was reflective. He could see himself once again. And he still looked great. He had his icey blue eyes, his smooth skin, his gray hair. Magnifico could look at reflection for ages.

Suddenly a voice spoke.

“Slave in the magic mirror, come from the farthest space.”

Magnifico angrily looked around. Who was that talking? And who does she think she is? Talking to him like that? He’s still a king, goddamn it!

“Through wind and darkness, I summon thee”

Suddenly, through the wall, streams of green light reached out to him. They forcefully grabbed his hand and neck, becoming a collar and shackles. Magnifico angrily tried to grab at them but it was useless.

“Speak! Let me see thy face.”

The chains started to yank him around. Magnifico tried to resist, pulling against their force. But the chains were too strong. Whatever magic was this, it seemed stronger than his.

The chains eventually managed to pull him to the wall. He started to faze through it. He flinched as a bright light started to shine. Was this it? Was he dying? It felt painless yet was just as terrifying.

“So the stories were true.”

Magnifico opened his eyes. He was still wearing the green chains. He could see the world again. His crystal wasn’t in the dungeon anymore. Instead it was in a different room with the most gorgeous looking woman staring at him.

The woman seemed fairly young. She had dark brown curls flow down her shoulders. She had cold piercing green eyes. Her face was sharp and smooth. She had a large crown resting on her head. She was so beautiful.

“What is this? Why am I in chains? Who are you?” Magnifico fiercely demanded. He couldn’t move around so much. The chains kept him bound. The woman crept up closer to him. “I am Queen Grimhilde. And I own you now.” She said coldly.

“I heard of you and your kingdom. But I didn’t expect it to be true.” Magnifico furiously glared at her. “What are you talking about?! I am the king of Rosas! I’m a legend all over the world! You don’t own me!”

“The kingdom of Rosas fell 100 years ago.” Queen Grimhilde simply replied.

Magnifico stopped. His kingdom, fallen? He couldn’t believe it. He knew he was the crystal for a long time but he never thought it would be this long. Everything he built up, everything he did, was destroyed, lost to time.

“I knew this would happen. I knew if I wasn’t in power, they would fall! All because of that girl! She did this! She did this to me!” Magnifico growled. Queen Grimhilde did not answer. “Well, that doesn’t matter now. You belong to me now.”

“I heard you were a powerful sorcerer once. That you could cast a spell to know the truth about anything.” Queen Grimhilde said. “I’m still powerful.” Magnifico angrily declared, ignoring who was clearly in power now.

Queen Grimhilde smiled. “Good. You will cast the spell and answer who is the fairest in all the land.” Magnifico looked at her confused and angry. “That’s what you want to know?! I don’t have to listen to you! I’m a king!” “And now you are my slave.” Queen Grimhilde simply said.

“I am not a slave!!” Magnifico yelled at her. His dark magic flowed around him, his eyes burning with green intensity. He would not be helpless. Not again. The queen's eyes narrowed with silent fury. “You forget your place.”

Queen Grimhilde's hand glowed green as she clutched it into a fist. The chain around Magnifico’s neck started to tighten. Queen Grimhilde is trying to choke him. He attempted to grab the collar but his efforts were useless. It started to hurt. A lot. But he didn’t dare scream. He won’t.

“You are in my chains, you reside in my mirror.”

MagnÃfico desperately tried to keep his pride. He is not a slave, he is not someone’s prisoner. He won’t give in. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction even as his throat started to burn.

“You are my property. You do as I say. Do you understand?”

MagnÃfico can’t give in. He can’t, he can’t, he just can’t. Tears started to burn out of his eyes. The world started to black out. Is he dying? Or worse, will he still live through this pain? Is giving a simple answer worth this much suffering?

“Ok! Ok! I’ll do it! I’ll do it! Just stop!”

And just like that, the collar became loose again. MagnÃfico gasped loudly. He took heavy breaths, not wanting his air to escape again. A few tear drops dropped to the floor. He was crying. Magnifico couldn’t believe it.

“I knew you’d come around.” Queen Grimhilde said. She didn’t care about his suffering. Heck she even enjoyed it, a small smile shown underneath. “Now, magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all?”

MagnÃfico growled at her. He hated her. He wanted to get rid of her. But he couldn’t handle her strangling him again. Was he really going to bend to someone who isn’t worthy to stand in his presence?

MagnÃfico sighed. This was so degrading. But what else can he do? He was trapped here by her. He reluctantly casted the spell in his head. “As I now stand, tell me who is the fairest in the land?” He thought as green magic streamed around himself.

The answer didn’t so much pop in his head as it seemed to click into place. As if he always knew it and was simply remembering. “Queen Grimhilde is the fairest in all of Germany.” Of course she was. She was so beautiful on the outside.

“You’re the fairest of them all.” Magnifico said, bitterness dripping from his voice. He gave Queen Grimhilde a furious glare, his eyes glowing green. Queen Grimhilde smiled satisfied. “But of course I am.” She flipped her hair back with pride.

“That will be all, slave. You can go now and we’ll do this tomorrow.” MagnÃfico looked up with confusion. “Wait, tomorrow?” Queen Grimhilde grinned rather darkly. “Of course, I need to know if anyone dares threaten my place.” Queen Grimhilde replied.

Queen Grimhilde's hands glowed once more. And the chains pulled on MagnÃfico, yanking him away. “Wait! Wait! You can’t do this to me!” The bright light of the sun started to fade away. He tried to reach out for it, only for the overwhelming darkness to come back. And MagnÃfico was alone again.

He can’t believe it. He’s trapped here. He’s weak. He’s enslaved. But he’s still a king, kingdom or not. He will find a way to escape. He has the chance now. MagnÃfico banged on the wall with anger. “Just you wait, Grimhilde! I’ll escape from this prison and then I’ll destroy you! I’ll take my power back! I swear!”

But Magnifico would never fulfill that promise.

Instead Queen Grimhilde kept him in her mirror for years. Day after day she would summon him and ask who is the fairest of all. And day after day it was always Queen Grimhilde. It was always her. Yet she was never satisfied.

Magnifico still tried to defy Queen Grimhilde’s will any way he can. But he couldn’t do much, Queen Grimhilde had a good hold on him. But he still had his voice. He tried to get creative and put all his answers in rhyme. It’s small but it’s something.

“You keep me as a slave on demand, and yet you are the fairest in the land.” He spoke one day. “I didn’t give you permission to speak in rhyme.” Magnifico couldn’t believe this. Queen Grimhilde may keep him in chains but she will never own him.

“You don’t get to decide how I speak.” MagnÃfico told her, his eyes glowing green. Queen Grimhilde gave a slight smile. “Well at least it’s entertaining enough. Ok, you’re allowed to speak like this.” And from then on he spoke only in rhyme.

Whenever he wasn’t summoned, Magnifico stayed behind the wall. It was much worse than when he was just in his crystal. It was one thing to be trapped in a small dark room, with just you and your thoughts. Isolated in cold dark nothingness for hours on end.

It’s another to be “granted” a few moments of sunlight. To be “given” a glimpse of the world for only a few seconds. Even if it was just a simple room. Even if it was just to be used. Only for it to all be taken away from you and thrown back in the nothingness once more.

This enraged Magnifico. He would vent his frustration by punching the wall for hours on end. The chain around his hand would “protect” him. He wished it didn’t. The wall would be as smooth as ever but he didn’t care. He just wanted to do something. Anything to vent his anger.

After a few months, Magnifico got bored of needless fighting and just sat there, just like he used to. There was one difference. He could see his reflection now. And he hated it. Overuse of dark magic can have an effect on a sorcerer’s body. And it showed on Magnifico.

He would see the chains keeping him trapped. His skin becoming more green like the magic he was bonded to. His royal robes reduced to simple rags. Cracks forming around his eyes. His eyes glossy and reflective. Like a mirror. He started to hate his reflection.

Magnifico would often cry after being summoned. He’d never been so devastated since.. that day. He swore he would never be as helpless and weak as he was back then. But now look at him. Used as a tool for a queen so much powerful than him. How pathetic.

Queen Grimhilde insisted on Magnifico using the truth spell every time, even when he tried to tell her of her deceiving beauty. She needed to know it was true. She needed to know nobody would come close to her. That she was the fairest of them all.

One day this truth spell proved helpful. 7 years after his enslavement, a new name clicked into place. “Famed is your elegance, but I see another with far more pleasantness.” Amelia Beaumont was her name and she was the fairest of all. For now.

This was the only time Queen Grimhilde ever got visibly angry. There was a reason she demanded this information. She framed Amelia for treason and had her burned at the stake publicly. So all could watch her beauty melt.

Her dark and radiant skin burned and melted, showing her cooked flesh. Her lovely curls shriveled away. She screamed and cried until her angelic voice gargled into faded moans. A corpse cannot be the fairest.

Queen Grimhilde did not tell him this yet Magnifico knew of it anyway. Magnifico knew a lot of things outside of his mirror. He knew everything. It seemed to be a side effect of the truth spell. But he didn’t need to activate the spell anymore. It was a part of him now. It was him.

Magnifico was much more powerful than he ever thought he could be. But he didn’t care anymore. He stopped caring about anything. He just.. stopped feeling. A side effect of magic overuse, he knew. His voice became more monotone. Dull and flat. But he didn’t care.

All that mattered was serving the queen.

One day Queen Grimhilde married a wealthy king. Not for love but for the power that came with bringing two kingdoms together. This new king brought a young princess. Only 7 years old. Cheerful and bright. She had skin pale as snow, bright red lips and hair dark as ebony.

Her name was Snow White.

As the new family adjusted, Queen Grimhilde had only one rule. “Don’t go into my private room. It’s where I go to rest.” She told this to Snow who wanted to listen. She wanted to be good. But one day against her better self, Snow went inside. She saw a beautiful mirror with herself staring back.

Suddenly flames burst from beyond the glass. Snow backed away from the mirror. A green mask came into focus. He looked like the tragic mask she saw once. He spoke with a deep stoic voice. “What wouldst thou know, my princess?”

Snow started to creeped up to the mirror, nervous. She didn’t expect a person to be in her new step mom’s mirror. “What do you mean?” “Anything you command I will do. Know I only give answers true.” The mask replied.

Snow heard as a future Queen she would have to command her subjects but there was something about this that made her uneasy. “I don't want to command you to do anything.” The mask showed no emotion but seemed a little surprised by this. “No?”

“I want you to decide what to do.” Snow told the mask. The mask seemed to think to himself. “A story to you I’ll tell. About a kingdom long ago fell.” Snow loved fairy tales. She sat and eagerly looked at him starry eyed.

In a flash of fire and smoke, the mask disappeared. Shadows formed in the glass. They looked like puppets. Reflections of the past. Snow could still hear the mask’s deep voice as he started his tale.

“Once upon a time, a young boy lived in a peaceful village. Until thieves came and started to pillage.”

“The boy saw his home destroyed. Ever since, in his heart, there was a void.”

“The boy became a man who wanted to make it right. A kingdom he built as a beacon for the light.”

“A lovely woman soon stole his heart. She was so graceful and kind, they would never part”

“Amaya was her name. She was a beautiful, wonderful dame.”

“The king grew powerful over the years. He gave a promise to the farthest ears.”

“The king would grant his subjects deepest desires. But this exchange came with wires.”

“The wishes he kept close, they would never part. The king hoped they would fix the hole in his heart.”

“He sought out an apprentice to teach. A young girl came into his reach.”

“The girl was kind with little pride. She knew the stars were there to guide.”

“The girl saw her family’s dreams tucked away. She pleaded for them to see the day.”

“The king told her the wishes, he would spare. And the girl was left in despair.”

“To the stars, she cried out to. And down to earth, a star flew.”

“The star was a bright beacon. And the king feared his rule would weaken.”

“The girl and the star teamed up to get the wishes back. Their friends were let in and they made a pack.”

“The king did not like losing control. To dark magic, he sold his soul.”

“The girl had her grandfather’s wish, pure and noble. But a friend made her actions vocal.”

“In the king’s hand, her mother’s hope was crushed. That power made his magic much more rushed.”

“The girl sent her family away. The king granted a wish and led her friend astray.”

“A chase ensued, with magic flying through the sky. But the king she fought was just a disguise.”

“The girl was far too late, the wishes were cornered. And the star’s magic was conquered.”

“The king held the power of the night. He desired to snuff out any hopeful light.”

“The king had gone mad, he didn’t care about his horns. What was once a soft rose was cut to the thorns.”

“Still the girl had hope, wishing good will win. Soon the captured subjects joined in.”

“A hopeful song of wishes overtook the air. Their starlight shone everywhere.”

“And the star had won, free from the staff. The king was trapped inside with a flash.”

“The girl was given a gift for her bravery. Her own wand to guide wishes worthy.”

“The wonderful queen took over the throne. Her natural heart she had shown.”

“For 100 years, the kingdom of Rosas thrived. But the king had survived.”

“He is stuck in his own glass to this day. Kept in a room, he is on display.”

“So we’ve arrived at the end of the tale. The lesson; follow starlight in order to prevail.”

Snow clapped her hand in joy. “What a pretty story!” She said. “But it was really sad. The king didn’t feel all that evil.” The mask narrowed his eyes. “No?” Snow shook her head. “Some wishes are dangerous. He was right about that.”

“You are quite insightful for a child. Some dreams are wild. That is true. But to crush them all just won’t do.”

Snow understood what the mask was saying. No one person should be in charge of deciding what wishes to grant. “But the girl became a fairy godmother at the end. Like the king. Does that really make her better than him?”

“If the girl could not help them, they could try themselves. Their wishes are not kept on shelves.”

Snow understood the lesson much clearer now. “That was a wonderful story..” “You may address me as M. It can stand for Mirror.” Snow smiled. “M. That’s a lovely name.” M said nothing but he really liked this little princess. She was much better than-

“What are you doing here?” Queen Grimhilde had found her out. Snow stood up fast. “I was just-.” She looked at the mirror. M was gone. Snow looked back at her new mom. “I wasn't doing anything-.” “I told you to not come into my private room. And what have you done to my mirror?”

Snow had a guilty look on her face. “I was just playing. You didn’t tell me your mirror had a person inside.” Queen Grimhilde stopped dead in her tracks. She knew? “What did you say?” Snow didn’t hear the anger in her voice. She told her everything.

“Your mirror had a person inside. And he told me a story. About wishes and stars. He was really nice.” Queen Grimhilde was bubbling rage but she didn’t dare show it. She kept her queenly demeanor. “You misunderstand. It’s not a person. It’s a slave. It’s not supposed to tell stories.”

Now that was a word Snow had never heard before. But she could tell it was bad. There was a pit in her stomach when she heard it. She didn’t know it’s to be used and treated as less than a person. As less than nothing. “B-but he wanted to-.”

“It’s a mirror. A tool. It can’t want anything.” Queen Grimhilde was letting her anger show. Snow started to cry a little. She didn’t mean to make her new mom angry. She was too young to understand but having a slave does not deserve her of any kindness.

Snow tried to plead with her new mom. “You don’t understand. He deserves-!” “I decide what it deserves!” Queen Grimhilde suddenly snapped. Snow started to cry. She didn’t mean for this to happen. Queen Grimhilde didn’t care about Snow but her crying was annoying to her.

Queen Grimhilde grabbed Snow’s wrist. “Stop this crying at once.” “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Snow cried. “Clean this mess up at once! That’s the least you can do for this transgression!” And Queen Grimhilde let her go. She walked out of the room. Snow was left there alone, crying.

M came back. Snow tried to apologize to him. “I’m sorry, M. I didn’t mean to-.” “Oh, little one, do not bemoan. The queen doesn’t care for anyone but her own.” Snow’s cries were much weaker now. She somberly grabbed a broom and started sweeping.

M saw this before. The queen using people as she pleased. He felt something. It wasn’t quite sadness but it tugged at his heart. “I see and know all that goes on. I have another story if you’re drawn.” Snow somberly smiled. “I’d like that.”

And from then on, a lovely friendship was formed. The queen would make Snow a maid and force her to clean most of the castle. Of course, the queen would make her clean her private room. That would be the brightest part of her day.

M would tell Snow stories from long ago. Stories of brave knights and kind princesses. It helped Snow keep her head up and always look for the bright side of things. And Snow always treated M with kindness and respect.

Snow did not know who M was before he was trapped. M preferred it that way. She was far too innocent to know what he’s done. And a part of him knew that if she knew the monster he used to be, then she wouldn’t want to be friends anymore.

And he couldn’t stand being alone again.

Of course, Queen Grimhilde would use M for her daily ego boost. Many girls would shine brighter than her. And one by one, they were all extinguished. It was easy when they were simple peasant girls. No one would miss them.

As Snow grew up, she became beautifuler every day. Queen Grimhilde did not like this and attempted to hide her beauty with rags. But her kind heart would always shine through. On her 14th birthday, Queen Grimhilde asked once more, who is the fairest of all. And the answer clicked for M.

“Snow White is the fairest of all.”

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fratricideknight · 9 months

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top 5 merlin characters go !

AHHHH I LOVE THEM ALL I CAN'TTTTTT. bc i adore them all, i'll name them in no particular order depending on how compelling i think they are.

i can say that lancelot is my favourite in every way. listen. he's just so lovely and cool and softly spoken. and i just. i make jokes about him being perfect, but i honestly don't think he is. i might not like him if he was. he's sad and overly devoted to the point of self-ruin, and his humility and endless pursuit of nobility sometimes do more harm than good. e.g. when he left gwen bc arthur liked her without asking how she felt. he's "everything the knight's code stands for" so he's also something of an examination of the knight's code and its ethics?? where those ethics fail, where the rules must be bent for the sake of goodness (for instance, lance keeping merlin's secret even though he hates lying). which, of course, i want to see when watching a medieval chivalry show. he's just so compelling to me. he's just like me fr. i, in no way, shape or form, self-insert as sir lancelot. absolutely none. he was so underutilised. i was robbed of self-insert content. i am normal about him. not to mention his dynamic with every character he interacted with was gold. he deserved to spend time with more characters. e.g. morgana. i would KILL to have an arc about his response to the oppression of magic users and morgana's ideology. he trusts in systems of power and wants so desperately to be a knight of camelot - how would he respond when that quite possibly contradicts the righteous course of action?? which is more important to him?? would he be swayed by the allegiances of the people he loves, thereby showing a major chink in his nobility?? please. i need this to be explored more in fanon.

okay listen. gaius. it's widely acknowledged that his dynamic with uther is almost the grown-up version of merlin and arthur's. by the time season 5 rolls around, merlin has been groomed very well into becoming the next gaius. he would watch his kin burn at the stake for the sake of a "promised kingdom" "a better future" which he is convinced will be brought about by arthur even if he hates magic. literally what gaius did. he was kept alive despite practicing magic bc he was uther's friend and confidant. but he isn't just loyal to uther in the way that merlin becomes doggedly loyal to arthur. he also adores merlin. it's super interesting to think about where the hope for the chosen one who will help arthur unite albion ends and his devotion to his surrogate son begins. if he had to choose between merlin and arthur, who would he choose? has he been utterly sucked in by the prophecy like merlin eventually is or does he retain enough love for merlin that he would toss it aside? i need answers

morgana was done so, so unbelievably dirty. but she's so fucking interesting. i'm just gonna toss aside botched canon characterisation for a sec and talk about her arc like it was done well. she was uther's beloved ward, valued but (bc she didn't know she was his daughter) dispensable, unlike arthur. maybe uther would never execute his son, the crown prince and sole heir, but her? uther is so mad with hatred and emotionally withdrawn that she can't possibly know where she stands. she's plagued by haunting dreams which she swears show the future but can't discuss openly, with absolutely no one to turn to. her attempt to connect with the druids ends in their being slaughtered. when she finally knows she has magic, she is forced to watch her own father figure execute people like her, alone and scared. no one tells her anything, she is in the dark and utterly alone. she clings to the first person who tries to connect with her, who also happens to be her sister - a family relation who isn't, at least outwardly, pro murdering sorcerers. then her own friend, who tells her nothing, fucking poisons her. no explanation. the only one she receives is no doubt a twisted one from morgause. before, she was conflicted by her love for uther to the point that she couldn't go through with killing him, but when she finally reaches a stage where she must resolve to murder her own surrogate father because he's a horrible tyrant, she's the villain. she's told that it's not right to kill him, that she should stand by and watch him kill. by people she considered allies. then she learns that this bastard is actually her father ;_; and then the whole "mOrGanA wANtS tHe ThRonE" "sHe'S jUsT lIkE uThEr" arc begins and it all goes downhill. (it is absolute bullshit that morgana coveted power that badly 💀 she wanted to live in the woods with the druids before they were all murdered before her eyes. if she wants power, it's so she can change things, not for selfish reasons.) the writers had to make her do drastic, ooc things like shooting innocent citizens of camelot to turn her into a villain, bc she simply wasn't wrong lmaoooo. the girl who handed out food to the poor and rode out to defend a village outside of camelot's borders for her friend's sake suddenly despises both the people and her friends. feelings do not suddenly change that drastically, i'm afraid. if they added in something about morgause brainwashing her, it would make so much more sense, but if they did that then morgana would be a tragic antagonist and WE CAN'T HAVE THAT!!! SHE MUST MAKE POTIONS WITH BABIES' GUTS JUST BECAUSE!!!

nimueh was only around for one season but she was so interesting. she's kind of a mix between gaius and morgana. used to be uther's friend, but after being betrayed by him became vindictive. she, too, was labelled a villain for attempting to strike out at a nasty tyrant 💀 young women on this show are either arthur's love interests or villains, istg. instead of playing the "why did she go about hurting uther in an evil way?" card like i did with morgana, bc we never saw her before she turned "evil" and therefore cannot speak on the legitimacy of her characterisation, i'm just going to accept that she's willing to make innocent people suffer to hurt uther. in that way, the writers could have drawn a contrast between her and morgana; nimueh goes about bringing uther down in an immoral way, whereas morgana is righteous in her actions. but ofc. we can't have that. speaking again about her relationship with uther: she gives some level of insight into the person he was and the person he became. he wasn't brought up to hate magic but rather came to that - utterly illogical - conclusion on his own and was willing to toss aside a loyal friend and an entire group of people bc he could not bear the consequences of his own actions.

everything seems to come back to uther. he's at the centre of it all, the main driving force. without him the plot simply would not exist. he's irredeemable, literally a genocidal murderer. not to mention a man who betrays his friends and unfairly pressures his son and to an extent values his pride above his people. there is no redemption arc for him. which makes these little glimpses of something else so interesting. a broken husband mourning his wife, a father worried for his son, a man haunted by visions of what he did. the concept that he built camelot from the ground up commends him as a good ruler, and to an extent he is. he's jaded, and makes heartless but practical decisions, unlike arthur in the early seasons, but ultimately he cares for the kingdom over his own son. as time goes on and arthur's burden increases, even he - our lovable hero - becomes more like uther. how did uther's rise to power change him like arthur's did? i wonder if uther built camelot with magic and what tearing out that essential pillar of his kingdom felt like. if he feels lost without its support, if he regretted his decision but his pride and the weight of what he'd already done just caused him to double down harder to avoid holding himself accountable. again, he's irredeemable, but he deserves good faith character analysis which many people don't afford him in favour of calling him profanities. understandable - but still.

it genuinely caused me great amounts of pain to choose. i mean it when i say i love all of them, and could wax poetic about them as characters. i think the reason 3 of the core 4 aren't on the list is bc they were around for so long that the writers had plenty of time to botch their arcs and it was just so much more pronounced with them. the way arthur wasn't allowed to hold an intelligent thought for more than 2 seconds?? the way gwen was gradually reduced to just "star-crossed love interest"?? it frustrates me so much that i'm not naming them just to be petty tbh. morgana suffered the worst, imo. they did her so dirty that i just want to toss aside canon and talk about her potential.

anyway. apologies for that essay. thanks for asking!!!

#sir lancelot #gaius the physician #morgana pendragon #nimueh the high priestess #uther pendragon #bbcm meta #bbc merlin #mine #askbox

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bleachanimefan1 · 9 days

Text

EverRealm Part 8

The Journey Begins,

In the workshop, Cedric was running around gathering some of his belongings. Several of his luggage were floating in the air opened as his green shirts, red vests, and black pants and extra shoes soared straight into them. Also, some potions, just in case anyone might get sick or injured on the trip and some others in case they run into trouble. When Cedric was grabbing some of his books, deciding on which to take, his mother and father came through the family portrait, watching him scramble around. Cedric hadn't noticed them.

"I see that you're very excited to go on this trip, son." His father smiled.

"Yes, father, I am! Just think about all the possibilities of what's out there! What kind of people and creatures there are! Maybe some different herbs and ingredients as well!" Cedric said, excitedly.

"I also see that there is something else as well. That far off dazed look, sighing repeatedly," Winifred smiled. "Our darling Cedric is in love." Cedric's eyes widened a little.

"Mummy, it's not like that. Elora is just a really good friend and I'm helping her return back home." Cedric spoke.

"Of course, a girl who is an extremely powerful sorceress and not to mention beautiful."

"She's more than that, she's amazing, incredible, kind-" Cedric began to ramble before Winifred interrupted him.

"And have you said this to her?" She asked him. Cedric didn't answer her, and Winifred smiled.

"Don't think that I didn't catch her stealing a couple of glances at you. I think she feels the same." His mother pointed out. Did she feel the same way? He didn't want to make this awkward. He didn't want to ruin their friendship that they had. What if she rejected him? What if she hated him if he told her what he did in the past? Oh, he didn't know what to do!

Then Cedric paused when he realized something. Who was going to look after the workshop and take over as royal sorcerer while he's gone?

"Don't worry, I can take over your duties until you come back." Goodwyn assured him.

"Thank you, father." Cedric smiled. His mother and father both hugged him, surprising him, and Cedric returned a hug back.

Cedric headed out of his workshop with his luggage floating behind him and reached the front entrance of the castle. Sofia and Elora were waiting for him by the carriage that had a flying horse. The remaining luggage were packed onto the back of the carriage. Sofia had brought some travel clothes as well as some money that Roland had gave her for the trip. Roland and Miranda came out along with James and Amber saying goodbye to Cedric, Elora and Sofia. Amber hugged Sofia, tight.

"You better come back."

"Of course, I will." Sofia smiled, hugging her back.

"I promise that I will keep her safe, your majesty." Cedric told Roland, bowing a little.

"I promise, too. No harm will come to her. She'll be perfectly safe with two sorcerers." Elora told him as well.

The three climbed into the carriage. Sofia rode in the back, while Cedric and Elora rode in the front, driving the horse. Elora released Koa and they followed him.

#fanfiction #read more #sofia the first #cedric x oc #cedric the sorcerer #cedric sofia the first #cedric the great #sofia the first fanfiction

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wumiings · 10 months

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Okay but what if Merlin had openly used his magic in 1x10??? That would have been so great actually because like. The others in his village have always been so wary of him both because he’s a bastard and because they suspect he has magic, so for him to turn up and deliberately use the very gifts they shunned him for to save them would absolutely shake up their mindsets a bit. Now instead of a Heroic Prince (from a different kingdom) swooping in and saving the day, proving that royals can be Good Actually, it’s reinforcing the idea of magic as the great equalizer — something that allows common folk to look after themselves and grow less reliant on monarchy.

Let’s say Arthur is still There (though a version of this where he doesn’t come along also works). Merlin is initially hesitant about using magic in front of him, but after his talk with Will, he’s resolved to not hold himself back on Arthur’s account. Will still gets injured; Merlin heals him and explicitly takes credit for the sorcery. When Arthur get pissed about it, Merlin reminds him that they’re in Cenred’s kingdom and Arthur doesn’t have the authority to execute him (since he technically has no proof that Merlin used magic in Camelot). In the end, Arthur banishes Merlin from Camelot but makes no other move to harm him.

So now Merlin is free. He has his family, a community that’s more welcoming than its ever been before, a book of spells to study (and potentially teach others), and nearly a year’s worth of wild stories about what the fuck goes on in Camelot. Gwen and Morgana both know where he is and can send letters/come visit if they want, which also means that when Morgana’s powers starts manifesting, she knows at least one person she can reach out to for support who isn’t affiliated with the Pendragon regime.

Maybe he travels. Maybe he seeks out the druids for more education on magic and/or the prophecies. Maybe he tracks down Lancelot, or runs into some of the other errant knights (Gwaine, Elyan, etc). Maybe he meets and frees Freya, or finally gets some answers about his heritage and tracks down Balinor. Literally any of the above are on the table.

Eventually, Uther dies. (Actually, it probably doesn’t take that long. He would die like two episodes later.) Arthur is king— untested and vulnerable and far too young, but with so much potential if he can just survive long enough. And at some point, there is some magical attack on the citadel because of course there is, and Gaius once again tells his king that the threat can only be defeated with magic. And after all else fails (because there’s no one to secretly solve the problem with magic and let everyone think it just resolved itself somehow) and all hope is nearly lost, Arthur gives in and reaches out to the one (1) sorcerer he knows who may actually be willing to help him, if only for the sake of his other friends in the city.

Naturally, Merlin agrees, but he outright refuses to keep his involvement a secret. The people of Camelot are going to know that it was a warlock who saved them, not the renowned Knights of Camelot. They’re going to have to think about what that means regarding everything they’ve been taught to believe about magic. And, of course, they’re also going to know that Arthur was not too proud to turn to sorcery if it meant protecting his people, even though it calls into question his father’s legacy of magical persecution.

The Golden Age is built on the open negotiation and collaboration of magic and non-magic, not to mention nobility and peasantry. And the “union” of Albion isn’t about conquest but rather strong alliances built between nations as the benefits of maintaining a healthy relationship with magic become obvious to more and more people.

Yes, one day Arthur will die and be laid to rest in Avalon to await an age when his strength and wisdom is once again required. Yes, Merlin will live through the centuries, traveling and learning and watching humanity grow, assisting wherever he can instead of endlessly grieving and waiting for Arthur’s return. For now, though, they can all just take life one challenge at a time.

#bbc merlin #au #the moment of truth

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kj-1130 · 2 years

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Anything For You

Chapter 5

things are coming y’all,, it’s getting real!

previous chapter || series masterlist

You cleared your throat and stared at the man with a small grimace. A tense silence spread across the three of you as small glances were exchanged. You didn’t expect it to get this awkward, this fast.

“It’s (y/l/n). Not Stark.”

He raises his eyebrows in surprise at you and gives a subtle nod.

“Follow me.”

Strange walks away, leaving you to fall behind after taking another confused and curious glance at the Beyhive member behind you.

As you walk behind the sorcerer, you could’ve sworn his little red cape waved at you. It seemed like it had its own little personality too. You blinked and the cape was simply laying limply against Strange’s back. Michelle was right--you were going crazy and needed therapy asap.

After a minute or so of walking, you found that he led you back towards a living room area, inviting you to take a seat in a chair across from him.

You sit down and sink back into the seat, crossing your arms and hiding your hands underneath them, trying to prevent them from shaking so much. The simple prospect of this interaction was causing your nerves to skyrocket.

“We can’t help you.”

You raise your eyebrows in shock at the blunt response and stammer through a response.

“You--you can’t help me?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Are you just going to parrot back everything I say?” he asks with an impassive face.

“I’m sorry it’s just,” you pause to take a deep breath and let out a sarcastic chuckle. “You were in the same position as I am not that long ago, were you not?”

“Look, Miss Stark-”

“(y/ln),” you correct sternly, staring the man straight into his eyes.

“My apologies--Miss (y/ln),” he says, letting out a sigh. “I don’t think you want this-”

“You don’t think I want-”

“Please, stop doing that,” he begs, running a hand down his face. The motion made him seem extremely exhausted and run down. You sink back into the chair and whisper out a ‘sorry’.

“You believe that this is your quickest solution. But it’s not. It’s not the easiest and will most likely harm you in the long run. There are risks that you don’t know of, and I’d rather you not find out about them.”

“Dr. Strange, I am capable of making my own decisions,” you firmly say. “I know what I want and this is how I want to achieve that. I refuse to live this way and I will do anything I can to fix this.”

Stephen closes his eyes, hearing the desperation in your voice. Still, he takes in a deep inhale and…

“My answer is no, and that is final.”

You clench your jaw and take a moment, hoping to quell the storm that’s growing inside you. Eventually, you get up and walk back towards where you entered, leaving the sanctum and slamming the door behind you.

Another sigh escapes from the man’s mouth as his mind runs a mile a minute. Right now, he was wondering if he really should’ve listened to Stark and kept the promise he made to your father.

“You know damn well that wasn’t what I meant when I said put in the work.”

Your mom was definitely not wrong about her being with you at all times. It’s like you could hear her nagging right in your ear about your actions.

Placing your jacket on the back of the couch, you plopped down on it, dropping your head back. Your spirits had been brought down tremendously and you just didn’t have any more energy.

But you made Michelle a promise. You made your mother (who was apparently watching over you like a hawk in the afterlife) a promise. And you know they’d beat your ass if you didn’t keep it.

With a sigh, you heave yourself off the sofa and search for your phone. Once you find it, you scroll through your contacts to the letter ‘P’. Your hesitancy is apparent as you sit for a moment, wondering if this was really a call you wanted to make. But then your argument with MJ came to the front of your mind. It didn’t matter whether you wanted it, or not. This was something that needed to happen if you ever wanted to get better.

With that thought, you click on the green call button, place it on speaker, and listened as the phone rang.

And it felt like a lifetime until someone finally answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Pep. I..uh need some help.

-_-_-_-_-

taglist

@idek-5 @jesuswasnotawhiteman @sirsell @augustvandyne @uselessgay101 @evilcr0ne @bunnyweasley23 @atlas-nex @daniphantom1 @korekiyoss @itsyourgirlmalise @voidsaddiction @soggyxfroggy @coollemonsaresour @ximaginx @xx-narcissa @yelena-belovas-wife @yomama010101 @freyathehuntress

#michelle jones x fem!reader #michelle jones x reader #tony stark x daughter!reader #marvel x reader #avengers x reader #avengers imagine #marvel imagine #x black!reader #anything for you miniseries #anything for you

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curatoroffiction · 1 year

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Hard To Love

A story where the two angels can feel the pain and emotional turmoil of humans nearby. MC goes to a holiday function and returns feeling apprehensive around the angels, and this is a story about Luke wanting answers. Simeon takes the backseat because I feel like he’d struggle to find the words to join this conversation except to help Luke understand. I also feel like Simeon would feel like it wasn’t really his place to push MC to open up, because he’d be at least passingly familiar with this pain coming from a human in his presence. This is a story that came to me when struggling with some religious trauma of my own in my own family this holiday. I decided to create some LORE for the idea of how religions connect to the three realms and the entities within them. I feel like I was fair to keep it from being disrespectful, but I’m also writing from a place of pain, so I apologize if it comes across as less than couth. Disclaimer: Religious trauma incoming. Particularly Christian Religious Trauma. - MC is non-Christian, coming from a Christian family. - MC’s family celebrates Christmas - MC went to visit their family for Christmas, but came home early because PAIN - As you can tell, this is a Christian-Centric Religious Trauma story. Sorry if this is less relatable for religious trauma unrelated to Christianity! ----- Simeon and Luke felt it the minute they met you. Originally, they thought it was because you were a human in an unfamiliar place surrounded by dangerous creatures that wanted to harm you - While Solomon was used to demons, it was natural to believe that you'd be apprehensive. After all, as you got comfortable, the feelings they got from you dissipated. It wasn't until the human holidays rolled around that they felt it spike again. This time, though, they couldn't shrug it off as you being a human in an unfamiliar place. You'd visited home for something the humans called "Christmas". One of the brothers came to pick you up early, before the actual day of the event, and in hushed tones you were returned to Devildom. The brothers were more protective of you after that. When pressed for answers, Mammon spat that your family didn't deserve you, and the other brothers seemed to be fairly in accordance. It seemed that your pain spiked something deeply protective within the brothers. Solomon even got to be in on the loop, as he quietly explained to the angels that you just needed some space for a while. It seemed to spark an ancient pain in the sorcerer himself. Something he wasn’t sure how to broach. But you only seemed to need space away from the angels. Simeon was pretty sure he knew what was going on. It was Luke who was struggling with this shift in your relationship. It wasn't until Luke was finally able to catch you in the school library that they felt the palpable pain from your personhood. He grabbed your jacket, calling out your name, and when you turned to see them, the pain that flooded through your system hit both of the angels, whose systems were sympathetic to humans'. - Luke is caught off-guard as he stares at you, realizing that the immense heartache that just hit him was yours. Did he do something wrong? Simeon gives you an apologetic glance, trying to pull the smaller angel away. He's more familiar with this pain coming from a human, he’s just sad to feel it coming from someone he holds so dear. "..." Your eyes soften. Luke didn't do anything to hurt you. It's not his fault that he's a reminder. Your chest twists with the pain of guilt atop the fresh emotional injuries. A pain you're more familiar with. "... why..?" Luke finds himself crying, his tears overflowing from the pain and from the emotional turmoil that he's causing you this pain. He finds himself surprised as you tug him up into a silent hug, massaging into his back. Simeon finds himself shy. Your pain is so palpable, and he can feel that it runs deep. How long have you carried this burden? ".. I'm sorry, Luke. ..." You feel your own eyes becoming less dry as the pain wells inside. ".... You both just.. remind me of a rift, in my family. ..." "A rift? Why is there a rift in your family??" He's now overcome by shock at the idea that you, the person who was able to bring the brothers back together, are unable to fix a rift in your own family. You bring so much good into this world, and you're so good with people, what kind of rift can't you fix? "Because.. they find me hard to love." The pain stings in your throat as you choose your words carefully. As the angel’s tears flow, you find yourself struggling to keep your composure. ".. We have different beliefs, and theirs are very harmful to me." "What kinds of beliefs??" "....." It's hard to breach the subject of religious trauma with the smaller angel. Simeon reaches a hand out to Luke's shoulder, but the small angel shrugs him off as though he's trying to stop him from helping you. His little blue eyes look up to yours, stained with tears as he determinedly says "Whatever beliefs they have are wrong! Any beliefs that could hurt you this badly are wrong! How can they not see that?!" "..." You glance up to Simeon, as though asking permission. He seems to understand as he nods, giving you permission to tell the younger angel about the world as you know it. ".. Well, Luke, they believe in a religion called Christianity. Do you know what that means?" The angel shakes his head. This wouldn't be easy. "Well, they believe in a god - The man you'd call 'Father'. They believe he had a son who came to the human realm, and they believe that following them and believing in them are the only way to get to the Celestial Realm." Luke furrows his brow, soaking in the information. "... What happens if you don't..?" "Then you suffer for all of eternity." In all his self-righteous rage, Luke throws his arms up. "Well that's obviously not true!!!" Which is when the older angel steps in. ".. Actually, Luke, it's... Hard to say what's true and what isn't." Which gets the disbelief of the younger angel's shock. "What do you mean??" "Father's plans aren't really known to us angels, and the humans have had the most contact with him and his goals personally. The stories of these encounters are passed down through human communities, and make up the sum of the human realm's religions. And that's just the moments that have been recorded and passed down. As far as we know, the humans have the greatest grasp of the Grand Plan of the three realms... But even they are divided on what that exactly means." Luke looks to you now to explain. So you try to. "Humans connect with other realms in... strange ways. Some of us are attuned to other realms naturally. We can talk with entities like angels and demons and people like the man you’d call ‘Father’. Some of us have to work really hard to feel that kind of connection. If what Simeon says is true, then your ‘father’ reached out to the human realm and connected with humans and led them. They came to see him as a god, and they came to worship him for his magic and power and wisdom. Those people call themselves many things, but one of the legacies of that ancient moment of contact is a religion called "Christianity" - But there are many branches, and many other types of connections that go outside even these three realms." "Humans can interact with realms outside of the three??" Luke is surprised once again, blinking. "Possibly. It's hard to say. Humans are the only ones holding the stories of these connections, and many of these have been lost to destruction or forced into silence. There's a lot of stories of people meeting with and speaking with gods, which.. it seems your 'Father' was one such person to be called a 'God'." "So how does that mean you get hurt when you see us?" His brow furrows as he tries to connect the dots. "With these stories of connections to gods came... other stories. And rules. Which are where religions come in. Christians, which is what the majority of my family are, believe that your father came to humans as an omen. That he had a son through a human realm connection, and that this son led people to a salvation which would allow them to enter the Celestial Realm when they die. They also believe that he will eventually return to the human realm and kill the 'sinners', letting the 'devout' live with him in his kingdom on earth." "........." Luke just kind of stares at you, unblinking, not really sure what to make of that. ".... Yeah, I don't really buy it myself. Which is why I'm not Christian." "Okay, but why would that make you hard to love?" "It doesn't. My family just feels that.. I'm choosing to live an eternal life in suffering. And instead of treating this time together like we're getting the chance to be with each other for the short time we have before we eventually die, they choose to spend it being upset with me for not believing the same things they do.” "But that's just ONE human story, right??" "Yes, and it's one that many of them have defended to the death." "... Humans kill each other over these stories?" Luke's voice gets quiet as he stares at you. "Some of these stories say that all the other stories are lying to humanity, and humans are very invested in the fate of their spirits. Some think it's a puzzle to be overcome. Some believe that all the stories have a bit of truth to them. Some believe that none of the stories are true anymore and that we've lost too many puzzle pieces to solve it. It's... hard." "Would your family kill you..?" His voice is almost cracking as he gets to realizing that this means your family might hate you. "God, no. I suppose I'm lucky in that respect. I just get rough holidays where the whole family reminds me that I don't belong. Which is what happened. Seeing you and Simeon... it's.. hard. ... I love my family, I just wish they could respect my difference of opinion and my perspective on the matter." "...." Luke can feel that pain welling up inside you again. He moves in to hug you again, forgetting to ask as he's just overcome with your pain. You smile bittersweetly as he does, gently rubbing into his back again. “.. You really do love them. .. Even with all this pain, I can feel the love you have for them is the source of your pain. ... How can’t they see that..?” “... Humans can’t feel each other’s feelings as well as angels can, it seems.” Simeon moves to sit beside you, finally entering the conversation. "Does it help to know that whatever the outcome, we will love you all the same?" You find yourself staring blankly as you feel the angels slowly begin to envelop you with their company. You feel your heart slowly being soothed with their presences. "... A little bit." "May I.. ah.. join in on this hug?" Simeon asks, not wanting to overwhelm you. "... I think I'd like that, yeah." Simeon moves to hug you close, giving you a soft squeeze, taking over the massaging of the younger angel's back to give you a break. Luke is determined though. "Whatever happens, I'm going to make sure your soul gets to the Celestial Realm!" You almost chuckle with how ironic it is to have an angel declare that he'll 'save your soul'. "Your family's going to be wrong because I'll personally make sure you're safe!" ".. Thanks, Luke." You give him a gentle squeeze of a hug, resting your head against Simeon's shoulder. --- Even if you don't have your family to spend this holiday with, two of the kindest angels you know want to personally see to it that you know you're loved and treasured. Neither of them find you hard to love even in the slightest. In fact, they both see you as a gift to both of their lives. ----- Part 2: https://www.tumblr.com/curatoroffiction/704439717363646464/hard-to-love-part-2?source=share

#Religious Trauma #Christian Trauma #Obey Me #Obey Me!#Fanfiction #Fanfic #Luke and Simeon #Luke #Simeon

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