. SALVATORE, DAMON.. Dont Look At Me Like That. You Know Im Right. You Get It. [. . .]@rottedfigs .

❙⠀ ⠀ 𝒊.⠀ SALVATORE, DAMON.⠀⠀⠀.𖥔 ݁ ˖⠀⠀“⠀⠀don’t look at me like that. you know i’m right. you get it.⠀⠀” ⠀⠀[⠀. . .⠀]⠀⠀@rottedfigs .

nose wrinkled, lips twitching as a muted sound of disgust muffled in her throat. she stared at him, molten discs unrelenting as she tightened her grip around the crown of his his hair, nails digging into his scalp. the stake was tightly wound in her other hand, pressing dangerously into his sternum. hardly breaking through the thin material of his shirt. “ damon salvatore ? right ? you wish. ” scoff emitted, point of the wood pushing further as if she meant to prove a point. “ that little puppy dog eyes thing you're doing ? never worked on me, honestly. ”

happy national bf day to all my dudebros

“ thank you. ” simply delivered with the weight of a thousand lifetimes, a thousand unsaid declarations, all buried in the crook of his throat, of his heart — covered amidst the false promises of another day, another time, the right time. he would learn early on there was no right time, hardly ever existed, not when their tomorrows were not guaranteed. and still, he'd utilized it as incentive, as motivation to fight through whatever it was that dared to keep him from moving forward. in her he finds utmost admiration, and fear. fear in the most selfishness of an emotion, in which he dreads a future where her talents surpass her existence of a living being and forced to play weapon. he has felt it himself, seen it in gojo, in the sorcerers. perhaps it was hypocrtical of him not to want that for her. as if it were choice to begin with.

they sit there, calm and unassuming, as if the horrors of the games hadn't stained their hands red, an inked reminder that would follow them for a lifetime. how easily they're thrown into a world of nightmares simply from the fate of living as they did, in seeking to bear the title of protector. so young, and already cheating death at every corner, every turn. “ you do that thing where you sound confident. but — ” he heaved a sigh, sunken gaze dnacing over her features with concern, with care, with caution. “ it's almost like ... there's a crack there. maybe not everyone sees it, or hears it, but i do. ”

calloused digits fidget with the sleeve of his jacket before rolling them up, and then running through dark tufts. “ i'm more worried about you. ” a brief pause before he nervously added, “ not that you can't hold your own. just — y'know. it's a normal thing to feel, i think. for your friends. ” / @zeitkeist

so much grace bestowed upon such kind soul. it was not the power that roamed his veins or the blinding cursed energy akin to the force of a thousand suns that unraveled maki. it was the way he held all of it in such nonchalant regard. the respect she had was not for the man that could stand tall against an army of curses and still make them rue the day they were born - it was for the man that pushed it all aside with the back of his hands to plant orchids & lillies with toge in the gardens. it was for the man that put honor & friendship & dignity before a kind of power people would kill & die for. he had a radiant smile, a smile that brought maki right back to their adolescent years where limb grasped for limb in the training field, where maki shed sweat and dedication to make something of yuta even he would not anticipate.

a diamond in the rough, now grown into a tall man with the same grin of his boyhood with the rose hue upon his cheeks. still as shy as the day he got there. maki grins, proud that she still has the ability to undo him intact. ' perhaps. ' her head tilts, as she stares at him above her glasses, olive eyes gleaming. ' was that so bad, now? you learned to dodge beautifully. you're welcome. '

are you worried?

she hates the question. her stomach tangles on itself, the nudge of yuta's shoulder not being enough relief. she stares at the last rays of the day, not having it in her to look at him. ' no. ' she says, he is leaving as he does. it was yuta's part to leave and maki's to feel the twinge & the absence of it. it was the way things were. she misses him so fucking much when he's gone, it feels like they have taken her ribs out of her chest, heart bleeding raw on the open. still, she shakes her head, not a flinch in her sharp edged visage. ' you'll be fine. i taught you well. '

❙⠀ ⠀ 𝒊.⠀ REYES, ERICA.⠀⠀⠀.𖥔 ݁ ˖⠀⠀“⠀⠀oh, good, you're here too.⠀⠀” ⠀⠀[⠀. . .⠀]⠀⠀@the-replay .

“ uh, no. not good. i don't want to be here at all. ” nose wrinkled as she slumped her bag over the table, taking a seat in the cheap, plastic chair. the scent was overwhelming, something akin to trashy perfume and detergent to cover up the smell of bleach. and the faint air of rot. she couldn't place it, but it was enough to leave her unsettled. “ why are we here ? ”

he'd lived for his brothers before and he'd decided he'd die for his brothers. brother. the guilt still hung over him as a clouded anchor, a weighted reminder of his failure in the promise he'd meant to keep for the entirety of their existence — across lifeforms, across universes. vessel or no, he was meant to be the protector. and so he would protect the only one left in this world, holding on so tightly that it meant he cared little of his own demise. it would be the price of love, the reward of family. and supposedly, as evident with the sincerity of his words, of his intents — of friends. foreign concept and yet something so wildly natural, he hadn't caught onto the way he looked after her with the same care he'd reserved for his brothers. it confused him, the extents of these emotions, how his loyalty would cling. “ you don't need to ask, and it isn't so much of an offer as it is a promise. ” he blinked, once, and then twice. unassuming as the thoughts roamed in the crevices of his mind. he'd always decided his existence was null to a point, a means to an end. was he worthy of grief, of being mourned ?

“ whatever we do, i'm sticking with you throughout it. there's no use in going about it alone, and i would rather die knowing i did my best than to do nothing. ” if anyone deserves to carry on living, it's you. but the words never reach past his lips, never fall from his tongue. “ have you talked to your brother since ? does he have any intentions of visiting ? ” attention shifted from the scenery towards her, inspecting those kind eyes, something he'd caught onto early on. he'd never figured how someone who could withhold such a thing, but his gut said it. yuuji mentioned once before gut feelings were important. “ i don't have a lot to talk about. unless you mean literally ... ” free hand reached up to brush over his earlobe, brows furrowing the slightest. “ don't think we can change our ears. ”

@leventar: you don't understand, it doesn't matter what happens to me.

the soft chirping of birds filled the air, the sounds a gentle caress against her skin. the beauty around her stood out in stark contrast to the heavy silence that hung over her like a suffocating cloak. she'd always loved this little area ever since she moved to tokyo, loved how secluded it was, how quiet. everything was slower here, more timid, more calm, which was something one wasn't truly used to due to the amount of cursed spirits around. shams could hear the faint echo of everything surrounding her as she notes his presence. she was supposed to be inside by now, but the longer she lingered there, the more she felt the pull of the curse's presence, the echo of the touch haunting her like a ghost. she knew, however, that she ought to step into the very same room once again. she should have taken another minute, another hour. with a deep breath, she adjusted her posture, making a mental check of the time. ``     i guess i have to be the one doing this.    `` despite the fact that she already knew of this, it felt heavy as soon as she said it. ``     i cannot risk anyone else's life.    ``

but she finds herself stopping for a second as she hears him speak. it doesn't matter what happens to me. a sentence she has told herself a hundred times, but the more she has lived, the more she knew that wasn't true. being needed was a simple human necessity. it happens whether one wishes for it or not. her gaze instantly flickers back to his eyes. she scans his face, taking in his features, noting that they were quite truthful, at least from is side. she gives him a smile, then, a small glimmer in her eyes. ``     i don't think so, chōsō. while i do appreciate you helping me, i cannot ask anyone to do that.    `` a pause. ``     you have a brother, don't you? i'm sure it would matter to him. i'd understand. who knows what my brother would do if i suddenly disappeared?    `` she lets out a small laugh at that, but it has been a thought that troubles her mind every second. if she does not survive this and cannot return home, what will he do? her gaze momentarily drifted to their surrounding, before settling on him again, eyebrow raising. ``     i'm quite good at listening, you know. you look like you need a good ear.    ``

eyes widened as they meet his, and she took a moment to recalibrate. nobara wasn't the most social of the bunch but she certainly had a better finesse in the human interaction. only she was fumbling terribly here and she just knew that the boys would be laughing at her were they here to witness it. slipping the card into her own pocket, she pat it through the fabric for safekeeping, as if to reassure that it was, in fact there. would be just about the worst thing should she lose it. she might have to just send herself home and never show her face again.

“ okay ... not sure what i did to deserve this, but i'll stop asking questions. i mean, we're doing this because i'm the best out of my class, right ? ” she leaned into whisper, the playfulness present in her tone as she grinned, hardly leaving him space to confirm nor deny as she choked out a laugh. “ i don't — really have friends. haven't had the time to make any. unless you mean fushiguro and itadori, but they're off doing ... something stupid, probably. 'sides ! you can lend me some of your wisdom. ”

nanami doesn't blame her for being suspicious. nothing is ever simple or easy. every time he thought it might be, or he might be on the verge of getting to take a break, something else came crashing down or a new mess appeared for him to deal with. so her reaction is entirely expected. a rather large gift from someone who was arguably a perfect stranger seemed rather suspicious, indeed.

' no occasion. no test. no strings. no debt owed. ' he prefers to be simple and blunt. he wasn't the type to mince words, or dance around a subject (unlike a certain colleague of his....) though he does feel happy seeing her get so excited, a small smile quirking at the corner of his mouth. he removes his goggles so she can see his eyes, and that he's completely serious about this.

' you don't want to go with your friends ? surely there's better company available to you. seriously, you can take it for the day. '