#copes tree frog | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lizzie-is-here · 1 year

Text

like the dawn

part xviii- the time heist

“am i supposed to be grateful to have survived this?” - brenna twohy

summary: five years after the snap, you still haven’t moved on. but when tony comes calling with a proposition, you aren’t so sure.

wordcount: 4.6k

warnings: cussing, violence, angst, reader has precisely 0 coping skills, events of the first half of endgame

taglist: @whelvedfeelingsstuff @sebsgirl71479 @rebloggingmyrecs @babyblublossom @local-mr-frog @thenyxsky @capsiclesdoll @moonlightreader649 @saranghaey @almosttoopizza @itsprashimusic @yourfavunsub

a/n: two more parts after this 🤭 anyway i’m so sorry @yourfavunsub because it WONT LET ME TAG U CRYIN FR but i do hope y’all enjoy this one. this series has been one of my favs so far and i’m still not sure where i wanna go after this. but love y’all have a nice day 🫶

previous part | series masterlist | next part

After killing Thanos, you run.

You take everything from your rooms in the compound and take off one day after leaving a note to tell the team how to reach you in an emergency.

They respect your decision, especially after hearing you wake up screaming every night.

With nowhere else to go, you head to an old HYDRA safe house. It’s abandoned, obviously, but it has everything you need.

You clean the place up, fix the paint and repair damaged wood. You plant a large garden and buy a few chickens to take care of. You work for two weeks straight.

In the end, the cabin is comfortable. Homey and small but a great place to hide from everything going on. A way to keep running but stay in one place.

The small Romanian town grows used to your presence, and after a few months of living nearby, they don’t even ask about your past when you come to market to trade. They saw the look in your eyes when they asked about Captain America and the Winter Soldier.

You tend your garden that grows every week, in part thanks to your powers that seem to affect the area. You can’t control it, but your crops and flowers grow faster and healthier. In just a year you have a fully-grown plum tree in your walled-off yard.

And the years keep going by.

You celebrate Steve and Bucky’s birthdays every time they roll around, mainly by heading back to Brooklyn for a week and visiting the museum. Your museum.

Despite how often you go, you find that you’re never able to look their pictures in the eye.

All you see is your boys disappearing from your grip.

It’s all you can see when you go to bed.

———————————————————————

“Come, come on Margaret.”

You gather the unusually small chicken into your arms, smoothing her feathers as she clucks in greeting. The birds like you a lot. You suspect it’s the wings.

“It’s about time I fix that fence, isn’t it? If you keep getting out.”

Margaret shuffles indignantly in your arms, bawking as you let her back in the fenced-in chicken coop.

They’re a bit spoiled, you have to admit. All eight hens shared a large coop, with heaters and lights, and hay you change out every week. You let them out every morning and bring them in every evening.

With a light sigh, you start fixing the fence. Enhanced strength makes it easy work as you push the post into the ground, tuck the chicken wire back down, and make sure there are no more holes.

Shaking the dirt from your skirt and wings, you rise and head to the front of your home. As you clean your feathers, your hands pass over the small charms still on them. The ones from Wakanda. From a happier time.

The stone walls surrounding your property have one entrance at a large metal gate, which is currently wide open.

Usually, you keep it open during the day, lest a villager needs a cut healed or extra food. But it’s late now, and you’re ready to head in for the night.

But just as you head to the gate, you see a car. Furrowing your brows, you call out.

“Buna ziua. Te pot ajuta cu ceva? [Hello. Can I help you with anything?]” When no one steps out of the car, you continue. “Am prune în plus [I have extra plums].”

“Come on, (Y/N). Of all the languages I do speak, you know Romanian isn’t one of them.”

A voice comes from behind you and you whip around, firing off a blast of light that the group of three dodges.

Natasha, Tony… and Scott.

Scott was dusted. Five years ago.

You storm up to them, eyes watering.

“What are you doing here? What’s going on?” you ask.

Natasha takes your hand in hers, smiling.

“We might be able to bring them back.”

Your lips purse and you take your hand back, starting to shake. Entertaining such a hopeful idea is dangerous, you’ve learned.

Every night, you dream of your boys. And every time you wake up, you hope that it all was a nightmare and you’ll wake up in their arms.

You never do.

“Don’t tell me that unless you’re sure,” you say, brushing past them and heading towards your house.

They follow you, unsure if this is an invitation or a dismissal.

When you open the door and sigh, they know it’s the former.

“It’s a nice place,” Tony comments mildly. You offer a small smile, stepping into your kitchen. You open a cabinet and grab a tin of tea, the same kind you’d buy in the 40s, and put a kettle on.

You take three cups out, setting them at the dining room table that only has three chairs. Most things here are in threes.

As you hesitate to set the cups down, Natasha speaks up again. Slowly, carefully, as though you’ll run at the wrong word.

“Will you at least hear us out?”

To her credit, you don’t run. You start crying.

Scott and Tony share a look of “Oh, shit,” as the lights start flickering.

“What is there to hear?” you ask, laughing ruefully. “Unless you’re sure, I don’t want to hear anything about it.”

Whistling from the stove catches your attention, and you hurry over to grab the kettle. Like usual, you forget to grab a glove. Your hand meets searing metal and you hiss, cursing your bad habit.

“Are you okay?” Scott asks, standing up quickly.

You nod, eyes watering even more. It’s not from the quickly-healing burn, though. “Yeah,” you sob out. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Leaning on the counter, you take a few breaths. You grab the kettle again and fill all three teacups, dropping in the tea bags and some sugar.

“(Y/N), give us a shot.” Tony takes the cup. “That’s all we’ve got, and you’ve taken chances against worse odds before.”

You don’t dare look at the pictures on the wall.

“These two managed to rope me in, and we need your help. You ran off with Cap to save Barnes, so-“

“That’s before I watched both of them die.” You gently hit the table. “Twice.”

“And we might be able to bring them back a second time,” Natasha adds. “Please?”

A third chance. You’ve seen second chances, but never third. Never. And for you, you rarely got the former.

But here one was.

“Okay. Okay,” you say eventually. They all breathe a sigh of relief.

“Just… find someone to watch the chickens.”

———————————————————————

“I see we’ve both been taking it hard.”

You sit next to Thor on a bench. Everyone else is working on a large platform, but you’ve done your part. The years clearly haven’t been kind to him either. He’s at least 100 pounds heavier and reeks of alcohol.

He shrugs, sipping a beer. “Well, I didn’t have anyone left, so…” He raises the can. “To them.”

You awkwardly form a misshapen can from light and tap it to his.

“To them.”

“Hey Point Break, Lucifer! One of you care to lend a bit of that super-strength?” Tony shouts. You sigh, hoisting a large box of metal supplies in one arm. Tossing it at Tony’s feet, you gesture to the invention.

“So this can do it?”

The genius proudly slaps a metal leg. “Yep. Time travel made simple.” You glance at the complex wiring and countless panels. Sure, simple.

———————————————————————

You watch as Bruce, now half-Hulk half man, Nebula, and Scott test one suit. Apparently, there are risks with time travel. Interdimensional warping, quantum entanglement, String Theory, blah, blah, blah.

You’ve tuned them out by the time Rhodey walks in.

“Time travel suit, not bad,” he comments. As Bruce tries to insert a vial into the suit, Scott snaps.

“Hey, easy, easy!”

“I’m being very careful,” the scientist insists.

The two go back and forth before Scott momentarily disappears. He comes back, sighing heavily.

“There goes the first test run,” you say. When Scott tries to hype himself up to no avail, you pipe up.

“Let me go. Got nothing to lose, right?”

They have you suited up in minutes. The suit, which is nanotech, materializes with a simple tap on the watch, molding around your wings to fit you perfectly.

“(Y/N), now you’re gonna feel a little discombobulated from the chronoshift. Don’t worry about that.” You nod as Nebula types away on a screen.

“Wait, wait, wait a second. Let me ask you something,” Rhodey cuts in. “If we can do this, you know… go back in time, why don’t we just find baby Thanos? You know, and…” He pantomimes strangulation.

“First of all, that’s horrible,” Bruce says at the same time you say, “Honestly, it’s not a bad idea.”

The scientist blinks in confusion before pressing on. “And secondly, time doesn’t work that way. Changing the past doesn’t change the future.”

You groan as they argue and eventually begin listing movies.

“Boys, as much as I love this little debate, can we get going?” They oblige your request, and head to the main room. The platform stands, ominous and waiting.

“Are you sure about this?” Natasha asks. You nod, smiling.

“I just wanna see them, even just for a second.”

She won’t say it, but she thinks it’s a bad idea for you to go. To see your past selves, before all the trauma. But you’re set on going.

You step onto the machine, flexing your fingers as you watch Bruce press various buttons.

“All right, (Y/N). We’re going in three, two, one…”

It’s like the ground opens up beneath you as you dive in, passing through some dimension in milliseconds before you pop back to normal.

You shout a bit, quickly stifling the sound.

You’re in your old apartment. The radio crackles with familiar music, and your bow sits by the door.

Wandering the small rooms, you finally come to your old closet. When you open it and find the box you’re looking for, you smile and pocket it. Past you forgot it even existed, so it wasn’t like you’d miss it.

The door handle clicking makes you jump, quickly closing the door.

Three voices wander in.

“You need to stop spending all this money, or Stevie’s not gonna have any when we ship out.” Your own voice sounds weird to your ears. Not just in the normal way, but because of how light it is.

The next voices knock the breath from your lungs.

“Hey, it was worth it. I got you that bear,” Bucky retorts. You lift a hand to cover your mouth as you sob.

“Three bucks, though? And you’re supposed to be a sniper?” Steve’s voice is wheezy, thin, and breathless.

“There’s a big difference between throwing a ball in a ring and shooting someone,” the brunet grumbles.

The three of you dissolve into bickering, and all the while you sit in a cramped closet. You haven’t heard their voices in so long. So long.

Maybe you can open the door and warn them. Where to avoid, what to do. How to live a normal life.

The moment you reach towards the door, the watch starts beeping.

“No, no,” you whisper, trying to quiet while frantically fumbling with the doorknob. “Please!”

And you’re back.

You’re kneeling on the platform again, teary-eyed for the umpteenth time and more determined than ever.

The team runs up, and Natasha gently helps you stand up.

“Hey, hey look at me. You okay?”

You catch your breath, reaching into your pocket. “Yeah, yeah, it worked.” You present the small box, clutching it tightly in your hands.

———————————————————————

“Okay, so the ‘how’ works. Now, we gotta figure out the ‘when’ and ‘where’,” you say, standing at the front of a meeting room. Various screens show the various stones, and the gathered team is grasping at any ideas.

“Almost everyone in this room has had an encounter with at least one of the six Infinity Stones-”

Tony cuts you off. “Or substitute the word ‘encounter’ with ‘damn near been killed’ by one of the six Infinity Stones. You nod. Two out of three times you’d come into close contact with one, it had almost killed you.

Scott shrugs. “I haven’t. But I don’t even know what the hell you’re all talking about.”

Bruce steps around the table. “Regardless, we only have enough Pym Particles for one round-trip each. And these stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history.”

“Our history,” Tony clarifies. “So not a lot of convenient spots to just drop in, yeah?”

You tap a screen, watching as all six flicker to life with images of each stone. “Which means we have to pick our targets.”

“Correct.”

“So, let’s start with the Aether. Thor, what do you know?” When you mention him, you look up to see the god slumped in a chair.

“Is he asleep?” Nat asks.

Rhodey replies, monotone and unbothered as ever. “No, no. I’m pretty sure he’s dead.”

You manage to shake him awake, guiding him to the front of the room and sitting on a nearby stool.

The god coughs a few times, tugging off his sunglasses. “Uh, where to start? Umm… The Aether, firstly, is not a stone. Someone called it a stone before. Um, it’s more of an angry sludge sort of a thing… so someone’s gonna need to amend that and stop saying that.” You massage in between your eyebrows, waiting for him to continue.

Thor puts in a few eye drops as he speaks again. “Here’s an interesting story though, about the Aether. My grandfather, many years ago, had to hide the stone from the Dark Elves. Ooh. Scary beings.” He makes vague sounds, frightening precisely no one.

“So, Jane, actually-“ He pokes at the screen. “Oh, there she is. Yeah, so Jane was an old flame of mine. You know, she stuck her hand inside a rock this one time, and then the Aether stuck itself inside her…”

You cough to hide a chuckle.

“…and she became very, very sick. And so I had to take her to Asgard, which is where I’m from, and we had to try and fix her.” When you look around the room, Scott, bless him, is the only one paying real attention. You’re pretty sure Clint is asleep with his eyes open.

This doesn’t deter Thor, though. “We were dating at the time, you see, and I got to introduce her to my mother… who’s dead and, um… Oh, you know, Jane and I aren’t even dating anymore, so…” He sniffles a bit, voice growing heavy.

“Yes, these things happen, though. You know? Nothing lasts forever. The only thing that-“

You gesture for Tony to bring his little soliloquy to an end, and the billionaire reluctantly tries to bring the god to a chair. “Why don’t you come sit down?”

Thor brushes him away. “I’m not done yet. The only thing that is permanent in life is impermanence.”

“Awesome. Eggs? Breakfast?” Tony asks. You awkwardly clap a few times.

“No. I’d like a Bloody Mary.”

For the rest of that day and much of the next, you all discuss the rest of the Stones. Where they came from, what their powers are, and everything any of you know about them. And after hours of brainstorming, the plan is all laid out.

Reality is on Asgard in 2013, a mission given to Thor and Rocket. Natasha, Clint, Nebula, and Rhodey will be taking Power and Soul, all in space in 2014. Space, Mind, and Time are all in New York in 2012. And you’re going there alongside Tony, Bruce, and Scott.

“I don’t see how I’ll be much help. These-” You gesture to your wings. “-aren’t very subtle.”

Tony pats your shoulder. “Just c’mon, kid. We could always use the extra hands- or wings.”

“I’m 105, Stark. I’m no kid.”

“You’ve lived less than half of those years. You’re a kid,” he rebuffs. The two of you exchange a smile before he claps his hands.

“Alright, we’ve got a plan. Six stones, three teams, one shot.” He takes one last glance at the screens. “Let’s break some eggs.”

———————————————————————

New York City, 2012.

“All right, we all know our assignments,” you say, still catching your breath from the jump. “Bruce, get to the doctor. Get the Time Stone.” He rushes off, hurriedly jumping between buildings to stay out of sight. You turn back to Scott and Tony. “You two, get the Space and Mind Stones. I’ll get the Mind Stone once it’s in the elevator, but from there, I’ll only be backup if you get stuck.”

You fly up alongside Tony as Scott shrinks down atop his shoulder, ducking out of view as you spot the team. You can spot Steve, but you tear your eyes away, dropping down in search of the elevator.

Once you find it, you land on a ledge, taking a moment as you wait for the right moment.

“Oh, man. I almost forgot that Cap’s suit did nothing for his ass. I’m almost jealous, (L/N),” Tony whispers over comms. “That’s a slappable ass.”

“Tony!” you snap. “No one asked you to look.”

“But it is slappable, isn’t it?”

You sigh, deep and long-suffering. “Yes.”

“I think it’s great,” Scott pipes up. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s ass.”

The elevator beeps, and you get ready to ruin a few HYDRA agents’ days.

“Who are these guys?” Scott asks.

Tony starts to explain, not quite minding his volume. “They are SHIELD, well, actually HYDRA, but we didn’t know that yet.”

“Seriously? You didn’t? I mean, they look like bad guys.”

“Yeah,” you shout over the wind. “It’s even more obvious when they’re brainwashing you monthly and prodding you with needles.”

After a bit of shuffling, you see Tony leap from the tower. “It’s all yours now, (Y/N),” he yells. You mock salute, diving off your ledge and watching as the HYDRA agents load into the elevator. You’re going to enjoy this.

As soon as the door closes, you blast a hole in the glass from the outside.

You hear the screams as you barrel in, immediately smashing the emergency call button to bits. No communication.

Fire beams of light as quickly as possible, letting them bounce off the walls in deadly ricochets. Once you take out all but one, you stop.

Brock Rumlow smirks and opens his mouth.

“Свет [Light],” he begins, confidence growing. You watch patiently as he lists off your trigger words, and he finally comes to the end. “Я готов отвечать [Ready to comply]?”

You tilt your head and smile. “I don’t work like that anymore, asshole.”

Grabbing him by the tactical vest, you throw him against the wall, landing a powerful kick to the center of his chest before you start throwing punches. It’s satisfying, watching the man who caused you so much pain actually fear you for once.

You leave him, barely breathing, and pick up the case containing the scepter before starting the elevator and leaping from the shattered glass. You land on a stairwell inside the Tower, hoping to meet up with the other two. Instead, you’re met with one of your best friends.

And he can’t quite believe it.

“Hey, Stevie.”

Instead of the greeting you’re hoping for, the Captain grabs you by the collar.

“Who are you? What’s going on?”

You furrow your brows. “Steve, it’s me. Bucky and I are alive.” When he doesn't let up, you roll your eyes, still adjusting to seeing him after five years. “Stubborn as always, hm? How about I tell you something only I would know?”

He doesn’t respond.

“For example, you wet the bed until you were 7, and one night after you lost a tooth and put it under the pillow you did it again-”

The captain cuts you off, teary-eyed but still mortified. “(Y/N)? Oh my god, it’s you. How did you get wings?”

You barrel on. “-and in the morning you were too embarrassed to admit you’d pissed yourself-”

“Okay, I get it, really-”

“-so you told Buck and me that the tooth fairy did it,” you finish. He pulls you into a hug and you practically melt as he rests a hand on your head.

“Now, I’m from the future, and I really need this scepter, but me and Buck are alive, you’ve just gotta find us.” He never pulls away, just letting you lean into him.

“How am I supposed to find you?”

You sigh. “It’ll all work out in the end. I promise.” You feel him nod into your shoulder.

“I missed you,” he says.

You gently pull away, taking his hand. “I missed you, too.”

“We’ve got a problem, (L/N,” Tony gasps over comms. “Head back to the rendezvous point.”

The blond captain casts his gaze to the ground and purses his lips a bit. A shy tell.

“Guess that’s the future calling?” he jokes. You laugh before your gaze turns a bit sad again. Steve decides he doesn’t like how sad you look however far in the future.

“I love you so much, Steve. Take care.” If the words shock him, he doesn’t give it away.

You give past-Steve one last smile before turning on your heel and heading back to the elevator, prying open the doors, and diving out of the building.

When you land beside your meeting point, all you can do is wait. And when Tony and Scott walk out looking more than discouraged, your hopes sink in your chest.

In between their bickering, they manage to explain. They lost the Tesseract. And there’s no do-overs. You curse, before thinking.

There was a point in time when you were sent on a mission to retrieve Pym Particles. There was also a time when HYDRA was in possession of the Tesseract. But that means…

“I might have an idea. I don’t like it, hate it, actually, but I think it may be our only option,” you finally admit. “There’s a couple of months when HYDRA had both Pym Particles and the Tesseract.”

Scott tries to stand up before hitting his head on the roof of the car they’ve sat down in.

“Wait, HYDRA as in ‘HYDRA’ HYDRA?” he asks.

You furrow your brows. “What does even- You know what? Yes. HYDRA HYDRA.”

“So when was this?” Tony pulls up a screen.

You think about it. You know the time period, but it’ll be easier if there’s less guards around. So what date…

“March 1983. Siberia,” you decide. The peak of the Cold War meant HYDRA was sending out soldiers left and right. Better odds.

Tony nods. “Any particular day?”

“The 10th.”

Scott gets out of the car, much more carefully this time, and holds up his hands.

“So we’re going into HYDRA? No offense, but I don’t want to have to fight past-you or past-Barnes. Or the two of you together,” he says. You smile.

“None taken. But-“ You shove the scepter into his hands. “You’re not going. You’re going to get this back to the compound, okay?”

You see Scott breathe a sigh of relief before quickly hiding it. A few taps to the watch later, he’s gone.

“You sure about this?” Tony asks.

You shake out your hands, getting ready for another disorienting jump to a much more sinister place.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s all good. In and out and we’ll be cooking with gas.”

The genius snorts. “Was that some 40s slang that I just heard, (L/N)?”

You roll your eyes, simply setting the date and coordinates in.

“Do you trust me?” you ask.

“I do.”

———————————————————————

HYDRA Base, Siberia 1983.

You almost forgot just how unforgiving the cold gets here.

The wind buffets your body as you and Tony spark into existence, fighting your way to the base. You let him shoot down the man guarding the door before you step over the body. Muttering under your breath, you punch in the code before slipping inside.

Just as you predicted, there aren’t many people prowling around. A few guards that you slip past or shoot down before they even know you’re there, but nothing you can’t handle. Plus, it’s not like you have to worry about an escape route, You can head back to the present as soon as you get the particles.

“They’re in there,” you whisper to Tony, pointing to a nearby lab. “Furthest freezer on the left, third shelf from the bottom. Code is 3395” You silently thank your usually-detested memory as he slips off, politely nodding to one doctor inside the lab before blasting him into the wall.

As he has his fun, you head further into the building, pressing down the nausea that comes with every familiar corridor.

You remind yourself that you’re doing this for the world, for your boys. You can handle a few minutes in this building.

Finally, you reach a locked door. Another code you remember too well.

In the center of the dull room lies a sealed safe. You raise your hand, focusing light to your fingertips before grabbing the lock. It melts in seconds, and you yank the door away.

Shielding your eyes, you reach out for the glowing cube when you hear a voice behind you.

“Что ты делаешь [What are you doing]?”

You bite the inside of your cheek. “Привет, Зима [Hi, Winter].”

When you force yourself to turn around, you see him. Not quite your Bucky, but not quite the Soldier either. His hair is shorter, but he’s got that same look in his eyes. Still holding the cube in your hand, you step closer.

He reiterates his question, but you don’t answer, instead opting to take his hand.

“It’s going to be okay,” you whisper. “You’re going to get out, and you’re going to be free. Just a little bit more of this, James, I promise.”

He tilts his head, but he doesn’t reach for his guns or knives. You don’t want him to get punished for not dealing with an intruder.

“What?” he whispers back. You can’t bring up the words, so you simply lean into him and rest your head on his chest. The tactical vest is scratchy and uncomfortable, but you ignore it. “Who’s ‘James’?”

“Not important,” you begin before backtracking.

“Actually, no. He’s very important. He’s you, in fact.” Gently bringing his flesh hand to his chest, you smile. “Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. You’re Bucky. And today’s your 66th birthday -technically.”

The man in front of you is bewildered. It’s as if you told him the world was crashing down. For him, it might seem that way.

“And I know that sometime you’ll go back into that damn chair and you won’t remember I was here, but you will eventually. You’ve just gotta hold out a bit longer, m’kay, love?”

He nods, quiet as ever. You hug him tight, just like you’d done to Steve a few minutes earlier. Or- 29 years later? All this time traveling was messing with your brain.

“I love you, okay? Remember that.”

Bucky is still standing in that room when you slip away, heading down the corridor until you find Tony again.

He holds up two vials of the Pym Particles as you hold up the Tesseract, the both of you grinning wide.

“We’re back in the game,” he cheers. Alarms start going off throughout the base, but neither of you care. The agents will be too late anyways.

“Yes we are, Stark,” you yell over the wailing siren. “Now let’s get them back.”

129 notes · View notes

tatorthots · 2 years

Note

Im sad so I take it out on all of you<3

So, I was thinking the pillars (preferably giyu, obanai or Sanemi) discover their S/O is cheating on them, they admit it then break up. Then we basically get to know what they do/feel after said break up. Like, would they deem it harder to kill demons with their mind preoccupied or?-

— to the one who…

Pairings: Giyuu Tomioka, Obanai Iguro, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Tengen Uzui + wives x afab!reader

=͟͟͞͞♡ Warnings: ANGST/no comfort, cheating, suggestive content, dark content, slightly violent underlines (Sanemi), unhealthy behavior, toxic behavior, toxic relationship, unhealthy coping mechanisms, cursing, polygamous relationship (Tengen)

=͟͟͞͞♡ Synopsis: how they handle you cheating on them

=͟͟͞͞♡ a/n: how dare you make me a victim in my own inbox 🤺 literally crying, throwing up and sliding down the wall as I wrote this . btw I tried making each story unique so thoughts anyone?

- ps sorry if Tengens is longer than the rest!! his is basically a 4 in 1! I swear I love them all the same xx

Love is beautiful, isn’t it? How it slowly develops. The way it’s seeds find homes under your skin and bloom into something beautiful. It’s funny, really, how a feeling can so closely resemble a taste. He’d describe it as the taste of fine black tea gently brewed in warm milk and honey. Oh, how his pretty eyes now soften when he hears of love. A feeling he never quite noticed. That was until he met you, and it was then, and only then, that he felt like the balances of his world gained its symmetry, for the world he lived in was now lively and full.

Giyuu

to the one who stayed

Giyuu spent his life observing as the world shifted around him. Idly standing by in the sidelines as the world moved around him. Yet most of all, he spent a lot of time observing you — his most beloved.

So it didn’t take him long to connect the dots. The lingering stares, the way you’d pull away from his touch, the time you exchanged for the company of another, and the sudden to drastic change of detached behavior. It was all silently noted in Giyuu's mind the second he noticed something off. The Water Pillar considers himself a man of logic, he’s not really the type to get caught up in emotion or allow it to cloud his judgment, but god did he try to live in ignorance. Maybe it wasn’t the best or healthiest thing to do but he figured he’d rather live hurt by you than be abandoned. So he made up excuses for you when you’d show up late at night with disheveled clothes and hidden ‘bruises’ on your neck. He’d rationalize when you’d leave him, muttering some quick lie to hurriedly rush into the embrace of another and away from his; even on your anniversary. He’d desperately reason you still loved him— even if you gave him every reason to know you didn’t. For a while, the Pillar started to believe his own lies until he caught glimpse of the way your eyes lit up when he came into range. The same way they used to look at him. No matter what way he’d try to look at it or how he tried to spin it he couldn’t come up with an excuse; deep down in his soul he knew you weren’t his anymore. And deep down in yours, you knew he knew you did too.

But his devotion to you remained stubbornly resilient. So when you’d be off and away from him, he’d spend his time under the Wisteria tree where he first promised himself to you. Reminiscing that day while he twirls a dainty flower between his fingers he glanced down at the empty spot beside him. You used to love visiting the Wisteria tree, smiling and giggling as you rest your back against Giyuus's chest while he held you securely in his arms. Sometimes you spent the time chatting and talking about your goals and ambitions, and others you spent silently listening to the sound of croaking frogs and chirping birds as you gazed up at the petals of the tree dancing in the wind. His heart squeezed in pain at the memory. ‘When was it, y/n?’ Leaning his head back on the tree he shakily sighed, ‘When did you stop loving me?’ Blinking back the tears collecting in the corner of his eyes, he could only stare blankly as the petals swayed in the breeze.

‘Is this what love is? Am I doing this right?’

Some might question or criticize Giyuu for his decision to stay within a relationship that was so obviously toxic. But those people didn’t understand how much kindness and patience you showed the Pillar when you first met. You were sincerely interested in getting to know him and never dismissed or demeaned him when others forgot him on the sidelines all too easily. They weren’t there to see how gently you handled him as you taught him what it was like to love and be loved. And most of all, Giyuu had already surrendered himself to you during a summer festival as the fireworks reached their peak performance. “My life and heart are yours to do what you see fit with.” he’d whispered against your ear before brushing your hair back and meeting your lips with his. He made this promise long before any of this happened, and there was no going back now. The way he sees it, if you trusted someone enough to submit your life to them then it doesn’t matter if one day they burn those bridges with you still on them. It’s easy to see a situation from the outside and direct it from afar but the love you two shared had so much more depth than that. In short, the man adored you, and he genuinely saw the best in you. Until the day you discard him he will continue to love you — devotedly.

It wasn’t until a few days later when you and Giyuu stopped to rest on a bridge in the countryside that he had broken his silence. “Why are you cheating on me?” his tone was flat but held an unfamiliar waver in it. Startled and caught off guard you snapped your eyes from the streaming river underneath to Giyuus's burning gaze beside you. Immediately your face twisted to one of mortification at the realization that you’d finally been caught in your web of lies. “I-I don’t… Tomioka what are you saying?” He winced, hurt by your response, “I know you’ve been having an affair. Y/n please.. be honest with me. Why?” Panic set in as your mind scrambled to come up with an answer but upon peering into your lovers tired eyes clouding with sorrow you eventually sighed in defeat. “I’m sorry.” Looking down in shame you bit your lip to hold back the tremble in your voice. Now wasn’t the time to be the victim. It’s not like your conscious hadn’t been eating you alive each time you’d lay next to your sleeping boyfriend after coming back late from another man’s bed. Or how you’d stare at yourself in the mirror with disgust when your fingertips would trace the hickies and marks left on your skin, you hated how they tauntingly glared at you. But most of all you hated yourself for the way you mistreated Giyuu because of it — projecting your anger onto him and treating him as the traitor.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you felt cold fingertips caress your cheek and gently move to lift your chin up. Widening your eyes in surprise you felt like absolute shit when you locked eyes with Giyuus sapphire irises peering down at you so lovingly, all the while tears threatened to cascade down his perfect skin. But what he said made you wish the earth could just swallow you whole. “Please don’t be upset, my love.” his voice cooed gently. Moving his right hand he gingerly tucked loose strands of hair back in place while his left delicately held onto the small of your waist to pull you closer to him. Resting his chin on the crown of your head he exhaled quietly in satisfaction. It’d been so long since he last held you like this, he missed it so much. You heard him shift slightly before feeling him place a lingering kiss on the top of your head, “it’s okay. I’d never leave you…” the pain in his voice made your skin burn and your eyes sting as you clutched onto his chest and wailed in frustration; feeling both relieved and furious at how easily he’d forgiven you. The pure love this man held for you was unparalleled to any you’d ever or could ever experience and you simply abused it — you abused him.

Despite ending your affair and spending your time attentively trying to fix the pieces that had been broken, your relationship was never the same. After all, love after betrayal doesn’t necessarily mean the person betrayed remains unchanged.

Giyuu used to be distant from others but now he was almost completely secluded. His rigid attitude turned into one void and emotionless, almost as if he was completely hallowed from within. His work hardly seemed to be affected by this incident, but other Hashiras had commented that even the demons he kills show more emotion than he does. You desperately tried to reassure him of your love for him and whisper tender affirmations each night as you held him in your arms, but it never seemed to help. His touches were cold. They no longer radiated the same warmth they used to when he grazed your skin. He’d still smile at you but they always seemed a little sad. The man who once loved you was now a mere shadow of his former self and it made your stomach twist in regret. Though despite his distant love he’s become clingier than before. Clearly much more insecure than he used to be. When he wasn’t out on a mission he’d often find himself wrapped around your embrace whenever he got the chance, and on other occasions, you’d find him sitting under the Wisteria tree.

The Water Pillar was a broken man before you met him but now his pieces weren’t just broken, they were missing.

Obanai

to the one who blamed himself

You’ve been gone more often than usual — it’s not out of the ordinary to leave home for week long expeditions but you were always fairly quick and efficient with them. Meaning coming home early or on time was pretty normal for you. One might assume that being partnered for a mission might even cut that time in half, but it seemed it only extended it.

He found it rather coincidental that you just so happen to be assigned a partner for this specific mission. The partner in question being a relatively new recruit into the Demon Slayer Corps, not to mention one who caught the attention of one of the other Hashiras. Apparently the Slayer was quick witted and talented which is why he was paired with you — another fellow Hashira. Initially the mission was said to be pretty straight forward: find the demon causing panic and kill it. It wasn’t even ranked as any formidable demon. The mission was set to be a sort of trial run for the new recruit to demonstrate his skills as well as display his adaptability to working with teammates. You were there to analyze his performance and give a verdict to hq on whether or not the recruit was fit to train under the Hashiras. The assignment was pretty simple. So then why were you still gone?

Obanai could be defined as a jealous man at times, he’ll admit that, but after the both of you took your time to slowly build a concrete foundation and form a strong bond his insecurities, inferiority, and feelings of being undeserving all eased in intensity when he finally allowed himself to feel safe in your love. And yes, after hearing you’d be going on an expedition with some stupid prodigy all the other brainless Hashiras were raving about he felt a little uncomfortable but when he saw how giddy and excited you were to be somebody’s first mentor — especially since it was Master Kagaya who assigned you the position himself — he couldn’t find it in himself to voice his concern over some petty feelings of a hurt ego. Which by the way, was really hard to suppress when he caught sight of the guy. He hated to admit but the man had a build similar to Rengoku with a face as ‘traditionally’ handsome as Tengen. It irked him to no end but Obanai trusted you.

Though his trust soon turned into anxiety and then doubt.

Not once did he imagine he’d be suspicious of his lover, or doubt your loyalty, but the unsettling feeling in his gut only got worse by the day and by the following week it felt like his instincts were practically setting off alarm bells that something was wrong. He tried his damndest to rationalize with himself. Maybe he was just overreacting? You’ve never given him reason to question you. Even when Kaburamaru hissed at your touch before departing, he decided to look past it — I mean, you’ve been together for so long, what could change now? So instead he clicked his tongue and busied himself with killing any filthy demons infecting the nearby villages. Maybe your trail had gone cold, or maybe there was another demon unexpectedly lurking in the shadows? You would always tell him everything that crossed your mind no matter how stupid or ridiculous it was, and you’d still diligently reassure him you loved him when you’d catch him staring at his reflection too long. You would never hurt him like that. You were just caught up, that’s all.

But your arrival only made him wish you never came back at all.

Since returning you seemed more fidgety than usual, rigid even. When he asked you how your mission went you laughed nervously, and the moment you went on an apprehensive ramble about the mission, his mind had finally come to confirm what his heart already knew to be true.

“What about h/n.” His eyes narrowed sharply on yours, “You went on a three week long expedition with him yet you haven’t mentioned him once.” His voice trembled at the end, and he felt disgusted by his vulnerability.

“We didn’t talk much.” Your gaze glued to the ground. Obanai studied your shifty form before suddenly turning on his heels and ending the conversation short. He didn’t bother to utter a single word or even glance back at you as you called out to him. Instead his fists clenched and his focus remained straight ahead. He’d like to say it was due to his dignity that he didn’t dare turn back at the sound of your voice calling his name, but in truth it was in fear that you’d hear his voice shake when he tried to speak or catch glimpse of the way his watery eyes betrayed his enraged look.

Upon returning home later that night he immediately sought refuge in the safety of his bedroom. Self deprecating thoughts had been fervently enveloping his mind since he left. Memories of long ago whispering poison in his ears until he picked up the faint scent of your perfume lingering in the air, dispelling the intrusion. From the corner of his bloodshot eyes he caught sight of the promise ring he gifted you — the one he’d kiss on your finger each time he’d hold your hand. Now it sat returned and desolate on the bed. That jade ring used to be a promise of a love that was meant to be forever eternal, but now symbolizes another promise. A final goodbye. With a sharp inhale he stalked over to the bed, wide mismatched eyes glaring down at the thin green band. Snatching it from the bed he crushed it in his palm until it was nothing but dust and grains. “If I am bound for hell then let it be hell. No more false heavens.”

Weeks have passed by since then, but Obanai hasn’t moved on. He decided to leave your life quietly and sever every last thread connecting you to him. When the other Hashiras asked him about what happened he’d immediately lose his temper. His tongue far more venomous than any serpent slithering in this realm of reality. In turn this made being around him all the more difficult. Obanai already held a reputation of being demeaning and demanding, he was cold to anyone who interacted with him but now all those traits just seem to be amplified.

But most notable of all was the image he now held of himself.

Deeply rooted in his soul, the Serpent Pillar never believed he was truly worth loving. He wasn’t born with that right. As much as he hated his family for what they said to him, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t agree. He was doomed to living a life of suffrage and because he allowed himself to feed into the pathetic idea of being loved, he was now facing the consequences of forgetting his place.

So he simply lost himself in going off on mission after mission, not necessarily to take his anger and hurt out on the demons, but to get as far away from you and the corpses of memories haunting the halls back home.

Sanemi

to the one who broke

Sanemi caught you red-handed cheating on him.

Huge mistake for you, fatal mistake for the poor trash currently groping your half-naked body in a secluded area of the woods in broad fucking daylight. Of course upon seeing this, Sanemi’s vision turned red. It was almost instinctual how his body reacted. His mind was blank, he didn’t think of the consequences or the fact he was a Hashira with an image to represent for the Corps., he just… well, reacted. It took no time at all for Sanemi to beat that slimy bastard one punch shy from death. Your cries begging him to stop might as well have fallen on deaf ears because his movements wouldn’t cease until the guys face was bloody and his fists ached from the brute force of him pounding whoever the fuck side piece he found you with. Slowly blinking as he hovered above the guys body he eventually came to his senses. The sound of your voice increasingly grounding him back to the situation he had just caught you in, and that’s when his lilac stare snapped up to lock with yours. Picking himself up he slowly strided towards you — anger and confusion clearly evident on his pretty features until he finally reached you. Extending a freshly bruised hand he roughly cupped your jaw.

“Did ya like it?” He seethed through gritted teeth. His predatory irises narrowed on your puffy eyes as they wet your cheeks with tears. “Was it worth it?”

If you focused closely you’d probably be able to notice the small crystal droplets collecting in the corner of his eyes and the uneven pattern of his breathing. In fact, if you pay attention you might be able to note the underlying hint of pain hidden in his voice. But you didn’t have time to register his demeanor before he pushed you up against a tree with his hand still firmly grasping your jaw and his face inches from yours.

“Fucking answer me.” He growled, almost too pathetically close to pleading, but you simply squeezed your eyes shut while tears continued to stream down.

Your mind ran fervently with embarrassment as you tried desperately to cover your exposed skin — humiliated and ashamed at the compromised position you’d put yourself in. Before this Sanemi had never once laid a hand on you like this, in fact, despite his aloof and aggressive nature, he’s never done anything to purposefully hurt you. The Wind Pillars love has always been loud in its silence — domineering, possessive and rough around the edges sure — but never one someone could question. Many of the other Hashiras even joked about the way Sanemi treated you compared to the way he interacts with other people, how love can truly make the heart grow fonder no matter how stubborn and hot-blooded it’s owner is. It was clear he didn’t simply view you as his but rather viewed himself as yours. Which is why he couldn’t bear to remain in your godforsaken presence any longer. Because that’s all it was, wasn’t it? You were never actually his.

So he released his hold on you and furiously turned to disappear into the creeping veil of sunset.

To say that Sanemi allowed his rage and raw emotions to consume him is an understatement. He went on a complete rampage challenging any demon misfortunate enough to cross his path. He slaughtered and ripped demons apart the same way you did his heart — no, no Sanemi wasn’t cruel enough to match you. For the rest of the night up until dawn, Sanemi remained located in the deepest and darkest parts of the forest until sunlight finally caressed his skin and illuminated the litter of wounds and injuries now decorating his body. That’s when he finally snapped out of his violent dissociation. But he didn’t bother covering his wounds or stopping the bleeding, instead he just picked up his sword from the ground where it laid surrounded by fallen branches and the crimson color wetting it’s blade.

“Shit.” Coughing out a bit of blood he tiredly limped his way back home. Completely void of any emotion at all.

For a moment since the incident, Sanemi felt tranquility, too tired and mentally drained from the night of nonstop fighting but upon reaching his bedroom door it felt as if every raw emotion slumbering under his skin had violently awoken to fuel his veins. But instead of anger he felt despair. Falling to his knees he grit his teeth to keep himself from crying out loud and instead threw his sword to the side only to be startled by the sound of glass shattering. Glaring up in the direction of the noise he scoffed to see he had shattered the mirror you’d placed across the room, now parallel from him. His lips turned into a sneer until he caught glimpse of himself between the cracks of the glass. His whole demeanor seemed primitive and dirty, some of his scars reopened along to what he imagined to be a few new ones and his eyes seemed to stare back but they seemed unfamiliar. Though the most noticeable difference hid within. The numbness of his body reverberated into his heart and the blood of his emotions stained onto his soul, mockingly covering the bit of purity he had left. With nothing left, Sanemi curled into himself with his calloused digits intertwining and harshly gripping his hair. Tears streamed down his dirty face as he felt the last of his compassion slip away from his fingers. The life he felt undeserving of having was so close in reach, he could swear his fingertips felt the radiating warmth of it, but it’s like once his fingertip grazed it, it sealed away further from him than before — forever remaining out of reach.

All he wanted was you.

Sanemi’s prowess in battle is genuinely something predatory — especially given that he has quite the blood-lust for killing demons — but now it seems like a new motive has been added to the mix. His fighting style has always been brutish but never reckless, though now it just seemed like he’d linger a little too long on deaths door before completing his missions. It was a subtle but distinct difference Shinobu had noted since she started to see him frequenting the Butterfly Estate more often.

The Wind Pillars hatred really manifested after your betrayal. He trusted you with his pain and you only hurt him even more. You knew why he was the way he was, you knew why he was so abrasive, violent and dismissive, you knew how he was only terrified of losing any more of the people he loved — yet you still dragged him in the mud and mocked the vulnerability he so fully entrusted to you. You knew. But I guess this should serve as a lesson to the Pillar. Demons and humans cannot coexist, but what then are demons if not former people? How much malice is already burrowed under the surface before turning into the wretched creatures he kills every night? You were a lesson.

The wolf in sheeps clothing.

Tengen

to the ones who reminisce

It’s such a sad misconception to believe infidelity doesn’t exist within polygamous relationships. Though it’s not like you weren’t aware of it. So then what prompts somebody to cheat? Dissatisfaction, neglect, jealousy, lack of intimacy or connection, lack of flair? What was it, what was it that prompted you to cheat on them? What went soo horribly wrong you had to go and do something so selfish.

But it’s also not like the signs weren’t already there in all their deceitful might. They all just couldn’t — or wouldn’t — believe it. You had a happy, loving home with four people who’d give up the world for you. There wasn’t some weird hierarchy in the relationship, everyone was loved entirely and equally. The wives were so kind and welcoming when Uzui first introduced you and it was them who begged their husband to propose to you. Sure the dynamic was a bit strange for you given that polygamy wasn’t something you’ve ever experienced but they all did their best to be as gentle and understanding as possible. Meaning jealousy or miscommunication couldn’t have been the reason for your betrayal. Not to mention that you were also happy — or at least were at some point. You loved Uzui with such a burning passion! Loud and flamboyant, as if the man himself hung the stars in the sky. You loved Hina the way flowers loved the beams of the sun, and just like a tiger lily, you’d always gravitate towards her warmth. You loved Makio as fiercely as a warrior in battle, relentlessly and earnestly — someone worth fighting for. And Suma? The bond you had with her was innocent and childlike, you handled her with care and never once scolded her for her emotions, instead comforting her with open arms.

That’s what made it hurt so much. When did you lose your love for your family? What changed?

It was Suma who first noticed something off about you. It was another day of Makio and Suma arguing over something petty, and as per usual Suma ended up running off to find you. When she found you tending to the garden she immediately tackled you from behind crying about how Makio had been bullying her all morning just because she accidentally dropped the egg basket on the way back from the chicken coop. Her tears and snot was already covering the entirety of your back but instead of cooing words of comfort she heard a small sigh leave your lips. Turning, you held her as she cried on your shoulder but she didn’t feel the same radiating warmth coming from you. In fact, you were hardly listening as she hiccuped through her whines — you were completely zoned out! Lifting her head up to peak at you she caught glimpse of the irritated glint in your eye. A look she’d never seen directed at her before.

Then Makio started to raise some questions. Everyone in the household had a job to do to keep the house running, her and yours was picking up medical supplies from the Butterfly Estate. The errand run was biweekly. You’d go, gather the supplies — maybe chat a bit with the girls while you wait — and then go home. Simple. But lately you’ve been going a little more often than usual. It started when you began making weird excuses, from ‘Oh they forgot to add bandages’ to ‘Uzui went on a mission this week so I’m just going back in case we need more supplies!’. At first she shrugged off the situation, thinking maybe you’ve been more on edge since rumors began circulating about a Upper Moon lurking in the Red Light District, but then she noticed that sometimes you’d come back empty handed, muttering a quick ‘They didn’t have anything…’ before shuffling back inside. Curiously she visited the Butterfly Estate to ask about it and when they said you hadn’t come to pick up any supplies recently it was like an alarm had just been set off.

Next was Hina who noticed something was wrong. It started with nervous chuckles and forced smiles here and there when you’d all be enjoying time together. She caught on at the retracted touches and shifty behaviors — and for some reason you were always tugging and fixing your clothes. She tried asking if something was wrong or if something had been bothering you but you’d always quickly dismiss her questions or get upset with her for ‘always assuming the worst’ and snapping at her for pestering you with ‘stupid questions’. Hurt and confused she’d let the topic go but your reaction just prompted more questions. Her final straw though was when an argument occurred within the group involving Makio and Uzui, and a messy Suma sobbing as she begged them to stop fighting. Moments like these would usually be times when you and Hina would work together as the voice of reason. It was such a relief for her to have someone she can rely on at times like these, especially because you were always so present and patient in the relationship, but this time instead of trying to settle everyone down and find a solution you burst in anger. Callling them childish for their stupid fights and storming off and out of their sight — leaving your husband and wives staring wide eyed as the sliding door slammed shut.

Now Uzui has had his eyes set on you since your behavior shifted. You were smart, cunning, and surprisingly conniving — he’ll give you that. It took him a while to see through your deceit. I mean you were going up against the Sound Hashira himself, despite what he says, he got his position as a Hashira for a reason; you kept your cards close to your chest with him which made this reality all the more heartbreaking because you did it with intent. Uzui loved you so much and when thoughts of infidelity began plaguing his mind he couldn’t help but blame himself a little. Had he not been paying enough attention to you? Were you unsatisfied with his flamboyant boasts of love? Did you realize polygamy wasn’t for you? Were you looking for something more? Something entirely to call your own? But if you were why couldn’t you talk to him about it, why did you have to go and rip apart the home you built with him? After surmising what the truth might be, he took a few days to process the pain and heartache that came at the probability, and as much as he hated it, he indulged his need for you as much as he could until it became unbearable. It's not that he lived in denial, he just truly couldn't wrap his head around his sweet wife doing something so wicked. Even the idea alone sounded so wildly ridiculous to him, that under different circumstances, he would throw his head back and laugh. That was until the cold caress of your touch stung his skin and the absent look in your eyes broke his heart.

Uzui knew then that he had a choice to make.

Tengen isn’t someone who beats around the bush or tip toes over issues. No matter how hard the confrontation is, he’s never backed down from getting answers. It’s just such a shame that he had to take such drastic measures with you. Not only did he need to settle what exactly was going on between the two of you but he needed to answer to his wives. After all, he wasn’t the only one reeling back from this, his wives — your wives — were too. So he waited outside the entrance of the estate for your return and hurriedly ushered you to the seclusion of the garden where he figured his wives wouldn’t be able to hear. You stood nervously in front of him as his eyes narrowed on you and his usual flair of showmanship completely 180’d. Clicking his tongue he tilted his head, “Got something on your mind?” his voice was low. “N-no… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Your voice wavered at the end, he noticed. “I’m talking about your cheating, what else?” Immediately your eyes widened at his bluntness; your voice stuttered as you tried to speak but no words came out. You were completely caught off guard and unprepared. Silence filled the room for a minute before he spoke, a dry chuckle croaking out of his chest. “So it’s true, huh?” He bit the inside of his cheek in a desperate attempt to keep his composure but the feelings he’s been trying to keep at bay began bubbling up to the surface. Anger, sorrow, and confusion jabbed at his heart and he couldn’t find it in himself to keep his act. Hearing him take a shaky inhale you hesitantly turned your gaze to him, chest clenching when you caught glimpse of the single tear running down his cheek as he struggled to hold himself together. The sight alone made your own eyes water and your skin burn with shame. ‘What was I thinking?’ blubbering out apologies, your walls began crumbling as hot tears poured down your eyes. Upon hearing your wails and Uzuis voice raising in volume, the three wives came rushing to the source to see what was going on; when they arrived they all paused in their tracks at the scene in front of them. Collectively they understood the situation.

Suma was the first to speak. Her wide blue eyes turned to look at you as her voice barely spoke above a whisper, “Is it… true?” unconsciously her body had began moving towards you, her heart automatically gravitating to comfort her crying wife but as her arm reached out to touch you Makio quickly swatted it away. Looking to her left Suma saw Makio angrily wiping her tears away as she stepped in front of her and furiously glared at you, “Answer her, y/n!!” she roared. Solemnly you looked up at your three wives with puffy eyes pooling in regret, and instantly it felt like their world had stopped. Buckling to her knees, Suma began wailing. Her mind ran in a frenzy, hiccuping cries asking if it was her fault, if she had been too clingy. She caved into herself as she hugged her stomach to calm the nauseating feeling accumulating in her system and in her heart. Makio erupted into a blind rage, enveloping her in an armor of fury to keep herself from breaking. She screamed and yelled at you, calling you ‘heartless’ and ‘a traitor’ in her wake of emotions, even if her voice cracked in between. Hina wept silently in the sidelines, averting her gaze from you and squeezing her eyes shut to try and pretend none of this was happening; desperately she tried blocking out the commotion of raw emotions ringing in her ears. And in the midst of all the chaos it was Uzui who gave the final verdict. Coldly and detached, his maroon irises deadpanned on you before snarling out a single word. A single word that would cut the thread of fate connecting the five of you.

“Leave.”

Seasons have passed since that day and the four have finally returned to their normal routines. Ironically enough, the trauma had brought them all closer together, comforting and checking in on each other attentively as they all tried their hardest to move on. For a while Tengens flamboyance and charisma dimmed. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was because he began struggling with his appetite, or maybe it was because nothing was appealing to him anymore. Hina thinks maybe it’s all three. The Sound Hashira tried to keep his mourning as lowkey as possible, he didn’t want to weigh his wives down or make them worry more than they already do, he knows how hard this is for everyone and he’d rather they focus on their own healing than fret over his. But not everything can be bottled up before it spills and that leak spread all over his work. During his time of grieving, Uzui found it harder to go on missions, he didn’t have the same motivation or flair and he quickly found himself feeling irritated each time he’d take off on another assignment. He hated coming back home after missions most of all, mostly because his thoughts were so consumed by grief that his efficiency in killing demons took a hit and he’d come back home littered in wounds, only prompting his wives to worry about him instead of taking care of themselves.

Over time the group had started to heal little by little and their usual spark had returned. Smiles and laughter echoed through their home and regular arguments between Makio and Suma returned back to schedule. Their little family survived thanks to their endless love and support for one another, but sometimes… sometimes things were still hard. It happens when Hina would be busy in the kitchen, stressed and overwhelmed with balancing both her cooking and Suma making a mess with the flour, she’d instinctively call out your name — pausing before realizing you weren’t.. here anymore. It’d occur when Makio would be out running errands. She’d stop by a snack booth to buy something to eat only to find that instead of buying one steak skewer she accidentally bought two. Staring at the second skewer she’d grit her teeth before angrily throwing it in the woods, muttering it’s only use was for the wildlife to eat. It’d happen for Suma when she’d find herself overwhelmed with emotion. She’d run off from whatever situation she found herself in, sobbing and hiccuping to go find you, running through the halls only to slowly come to an abrupt stop when she’d remember what happened. At times like that she’d hide herself in a closet and silently weep into her hands. Then there was Uzui, the one who seemed most pieced together. It wasn’t really situations or events that still kept him visiting your memories. It was a small picture he kept hidden under the floorboards of his bedroom. A single picture of you smiling on your wedding day, god how you looked so gorgeous, so…. happy.

A sad smile sat on his lips at the memory of the one who wasn’t meant to be.

———

Love is cruel, isn’t it? How quickly it could deteriorate. The way it’s roots latch themselves onto your nerves and bleed when weeds begin to fester like a plague. It’s funny, really, how a taste can so closely resemble a feeling. He’d describe it as the bitter taste of burnt kuding tea carelessly brewed in loss and betrayal. Oh, how his pretty eyes now void themselves when he hears of love. A feeling he’ll never quite forget. That is because he met you, and it was after your betrayal, and only after your betrayal, that he felt the balances of his world no longer held any symmetry, for the world he lived in was now desolate and barren.

Reblogs and Interactions Are Appreciated!! ღ

#jay writes ! ⋆⁺₊⋆ ♡̷̷̷ ⋆⁺₊⋆#🍯 :reqs #kny x reader #kny scenarios #kny angst #kny hcs #giyuu x reader #sanemi x reader #uzui x reader #tengen x reader #obanai x reader #iguro x reader #giyuu tomioka x reader #hashira x reader #giyuu headcanons #demon slayer #kny imagines #sanemi angst #kny x y/n

363 notes · View notes