Luffy Is Deciding People Are His Friend/crew/boyfriend Without Their Knowledge Again

The moon floated on the still black waters, shattering and re-forming as her ripples washed over it.

Daenerys in the Womb of the World

Angel of Her Own Making | Part 1

Author's note: I'm literally at a work conference but this idea is stuck in my brain and for the sake of mankind, I need to jot it down. This isn't a fully-written piece, just a rough sketch really and totally NOT proofread, but bear with me.

WARNINGS: Reader is not the default MC, plenty of angst, depiction of violence & character death.

Parts: (1), (2)

The temporal setting is the Beyond CloudFall myth timeline.

You met Sylus when you were both kids. He'd just been taken by the humans, mistaken for a human child, and adopted into a regular family.

You played in the alleyways together, went to grade school together. He joined your class a bit later than usual as he initially refused to go (he was not interested in learning how to be a human). You were constantly scrutinized by the teachers, although you did well in school, because you were stubborn and inquisitive. But compared to Sylus, you still had a better time fitting in. Due to your "persona non grata" status, you two were often paired together, and you started helping Sylus out with his homework. At the beginning, he was nearly illiterate, having never had any need for reading, but with your patient help, he quickly caught up. Something akin to friendship grew between you two - you did most of the talking, and he was happy to listen, and for the first time in your lives, you both felt like maybe you belonged.

Then came the hormonal teenage years. He got ridiculously tall, and you started growing out your hair instead of sporting a home-grown bowl cut. Suddenly, you found yourself blushing whenever you turned around and caught crimson eyes already looking at you. The way he'd maintain the eye contact and give you a smirk almost made you lose your mind, because it felt like he had no idea what he was doing to your emotions. Little did you know, the dragon-boy was struggling with his own confused emotions. He'd read human books and heard the human adults talk about these sorts of things, but he never thought it was possible for him to actually experience anything beyond general fondness. So he said nothing to you about it, adopting a nonchalant appearance that only made him all the more attractive to not just you but also the other girls in your town on the outskirts of Taurus City.

With puberty came other, more alarming changes Sylus had always dreaded. Ever since he cut off his horns, he had half-hoped no one would ever find out about his true origins. Much to his dismay, the skin on his forehead felt taut and irritated, as though something was growing underneath and preparing to break through, and his shoulder blades ached like the bones and muscles were realigning themselves. He could hide these terrifying abnormalities by putting on a hat and bearing through the pain, but he couldn't fool you, his best friend.

You noticed his discomfort before long. Perhaps the only person in the world more stubborn than Sylus himself, you got the truth out of him quickly enough. Sylus was fully expecting you to be disgusted and resent him for being a fiend. Imagine his utter shock when you simply gave him a smile and squeezed his arms, telling him that it was alright, that he had nothing to fear.

You revealed something about yourself that you had told no one else before: you had recollections of a life you once lived, fragmented memories of another existence that ended a long time ago. Sometimes, you'd come across something that evoked this extreme sense of nostalgia that you couldn't quite place, but in your heart of hearts, you knew this was not your first time being alive. You were afraid he'd find you odd and laugh you off, but he didn't. In fact, in that moment, he thought he finally understood what he felt for you. Yet he couldn't bring himself to confess, still fearful that he would be pushing his luck if he did.

On Philos at the time (which felt and looked Medieval), people got married young. As you and Sylus got more comfortable around each other again, there was a tacit promise between you. It wasn't like either of you had the courage to say anything, but there was no mistaking your affection for each other. For you, there was no one else you could see yourself spending the rest of time with. And you were hoping Sylus felt the same, until one day when he just disappeared.

Two more days passed; you searched frantically for him, running from house to house, knocking on doors and asking if anyone had seen him. Your parents thought it was unbecoming of a young maiden such as yourself to so publicly pine after a man, but you didn't care. You even asked his foster parents, who knew you well by that point, but there was something off about the way they dodged your questions. You thought you heard his foster mom say something along the lines of "the boy is better off hidden away" and your anxiety shot through the roof. You were so frustrated that you cried yourself to sleep at night. In fact, you were tossing and turning in bed, unable to get any rest, when somebody pelted your window with pebbles. Only one person would ever do that, and the joy that surged through you was almost dizzying as you threw off your blanket and ran to the window.

And there he was, his face shadowed by the hood of his cloak, his eyes shining like rubies under the moonlight. He waved at you, and you had a thousand questions to ask, but he only shook his head and made you promise to meet him at the datura fields outside of town after sunset the day after. You immediately agreed, completely ready to elope with him if he asked.

Fate, of course, had other plans. Sylus waited for you in the field of flowers, but instead of you, the soldiers of the Justicia came. The Supreme Adjudicator led them in a divine mission to rid Philos of the last fiend. They taunted him, saying it was you who'd ratted him out. And the rest was history.

1677 years. He spent over a millennium in that Abyss, a sword driven through his chest yet not quite killing him off. In the early days of his imprisonment, you were constantly in his thoughts. He did not want to believe you - of all people - had betrayed him, but the darkness and the rage won out in the end, and by the time he realized there was another prisoner in the Abyss, all he could remember about you was how much he hated you.

It was easy, then, for him to fall in love with the human girl who pulled the sword out of his chest and set him free. Even if any part of him still had feelings for you, he figured you were already long dead. In contrast to those distant memories of your shared childhoods, his new-found object of desire was oh-so-vivacious. She satiated his depthless hunger, willingly offering him half of her soul. And as each day passed, he wanted to give more and more of him to her, despite his own nature. He would ask her to use him, to use his strength, to be greedy - it was almost as though he'd been stagnant for so long that he'd rather burn out in a blaze of glory than survive another empty stretch of eternity.

Even if you weren't around, his arch enemies were still coming after him. And they eventually caught up with him and his human beloved. When they took her away from him, he vowed to break her free, retreating deep into the forests to recover his strength for a counter-attack.

But his pursuers were relentless. The Supreme Adjudicator - the latest in a long line of Adjudicators, descended from that very first one who sealed him away - summoned the Order of the Holy Knights to aid him in this hunt. And it was the Holy Knights who chased after Sylus now as he fled farther and farther up the mountains. Separated from one half of his soul, his wounds would not heal, and he hadn't enough strength to take to the skies. As he moved, he left a trail of blood that stood out glaringly against the white snow of winter. He hardly knew how many days had passed before he found himself cornered.

He couldn't die yet. Not when she was still waiting for him to rescue her. Thus, he fought with everything he had left - claws, fangs, tail, wings, in a whirlwind of black and red mist. He failed to notice at first that his assailants weren't trying to retaliate as much as evade him. Were they stupid? Or unsure? Why weren't they going for the kill? These religious zealots weren't ones to toy with their prey.

After a frenzy of movement, he paused - both to catch his breath and to reassess. The Knights surrounded him, silver armor glimmering though their swords remained sheathed. As he stared at them, thrown off by their lack of action, they parted to make way for their commander - a smaller figure, clad in rose-gold metal that gave off an ethereal glow. As this commander stepped forward, the other Knights bowed their heads in deference.

When the person removed their helmet, Sylus couldn't believe his eyes. Perhaps his mind, in its death throes, was playing tricks on him. Yet there was no denying who it was - you. In the flesh. Looking only slightly older than you had then, when you had been friends.

You approached him like you were trying to appease a bear caught in a trap. He wanted to lash out, to rip you apart for the crimes you had committed against him, but even the smallest move from him caused alarm to rise among your troops. Two of the Knights, most likely your closest companions, were especially quick to react. Sylus didn't doubt that they would cut him down in an instant to protect you.

Sensing their agitation, you raised a hand to calm them down. Your eyes remained locked on Sylus, your brows strewn together in what he didn't want to believe was grief. You had thrown him to the wolves, so how dare you look so sad? How dare you look at him with such a tender gaze? Your pity was the last thing he wanted.

He made up his mind to take revenge, pushing himself forward, claws outstretched, aiming for your throat. But before he could lay a hand on you, his legs gave out - he had lost too much blood - and he collapsed. He didn't even realize you'd caught him before he hit the ground, your arms wrapping around his broken body.

It was all darkness again while he was unconscious. When he finally came to, it took him a moment to even comprehend where he was - a small bedroom, with a low ceiling and sparse furnishings. Something moved in his periphery, and he turned to strike, only to find you stirring awake. From the looks of it, you had been staying up to take care of him.

It should have taken another millennium for him to even entertain the thought of forgiving you. But there was no time to waste; he didn't even want to spend a second talking to you when he could be out there trying to save her.

You insisted that he stay for another day, just until his wounds fully stopped bleeding. And when he pushed you aside and sprang from his bed anyways, your companions had to intervene. They did not understand why you were being so patient to Sylus, why you were willing to basically commit treason. But these men - Issac and Zachary - owed you their lives, and they would do anything you asked, even if it meant tolerating the presence of a fiend. Even so, they did not like the way Sylus seemed to spit at your kindness, for did he not know who you were? The Commander of the Holy Knights, the legendary warrior who led Philos's legions to conquer foreign lands near and far? And it was not even your conquests that had earned you respect and love from all; it was the way you treated even your former enemies with empathy, allowing aid to reach foreign cities and ensuring equal treatment for new citizens. More than once, you had abandoned a conquest simply because the human cost was too high, and you'd sooner suffer punishment than let innocents perish in the name of Philos. Your popularity even rivaled that of the ruling monarch. Hence, your immense sway over what the Knights could and could not do.

Met with your sincere concern, Sylus did what he knew how to do best: he struck a deal. He told you that if you'd let him go to his beloved, he'd let you finish him off without putting up a fight. In his anger, he sneered and dismissed your concern as a trick, a pathetic ploy to get him to let his guard down again so you could drive the knife in even deeper. You made no attempt to argue, caring only that he was risking himself. But when he practically asked you to kill him, you flat out refused.

"No, I told you, I have no intention to harm you," you stood firm, blocking his way. You had shed your armor and weapons, wearing only simple civilian's clothing. Even a weakened dragon could end your life if it so wished.

The thing was, Sylus wasn't sure why he hadn't yet got rid of you and left already. He tried to rationalize it - there were still guards outside the room, and you were his best bet at getting out unscathed. "You misunderstand me, human. I want you to kill me," he changed tactics, revealing a half-truth.

You looked surprised. "Why...?"

"Because..." He inched closer, leaning down to really study your features. It was you, no doubt. The same girl he'd grown up with, the same girl who should have died ages ago. The same girl he'd detested for the better part of a thousand years. "I can't make her do it."

"What?"

"The dragon's curse," he explained. "I am destined to kill my beloved. Unless she kills me first. And I can't do that to her... I can't have her carry that guilt."

You blinked, clearly stunned. You took a step back, avoiding his gaze. Something in the way your shoulders deflated told him you were hurt, though he could not imagine why. When you spoke again, there was the faintest quiver in your voice, "And you think I'd be able to carry that guilt in her place?"

The question only made him angrier. "You won't have to carry any guilt," he replied. "Because you won't feel any. Or don't tell me you're doing all of this because you are capable of guilt? As if you could make amends for turning me in?"

Confusion flashed across your expression as you looked up at him. "Is that what you think happened? Is that what they told you?"

Sylus laughed - a humorless, empty sound. "You never came. It doesn't matter what happened. I'm still convinced you're just a specter sent from Hell to torment me."

For a moment, you looked like you wanted to argue, to defend yourself. He could see the words forming on the tip of your tongue, see you open your mouth to begin your rebuttal. When you said nothing instead, part of him was glad - because he was beginning to realize he wouldn't be able to stand it if you had contradicted the narrative he'd repeated to himself all this time.

No, you didn't try to argue. You only withdrew further away, as though he'd physically struck you. It was only when he sought to close the gap that he realized that you'd created a force field between you and him. It was your Evol, the ability to create constructs out of pure energy. You two used to have so much fun combining your Evol and building castles of out of thin air.

"I will bring her back," You declared, already turning away. "I know my word means nothing to you, but it's better that I go than you. The Justiciars are prepared for you; neither of you would make it out of there alive. I, on the other hand, can just walk right in. They won't suspect a thing. I'll have her back here by dawn."

"Why should I trust you?" Sylus chuckled bitterly. The force field couldn't last forever.

"I don't expect you to. If I don't return by dawn, my men will not give you any trouble. They are under oath to obey me. Then you can do anything you'd like."

"And why would I agree to that?"

"Because you have no other choice," your tone was final. As you walked towards the door, you turned to look at the man you loved one last time. "I hope she makes you happy."

Waiting was agony, but Sylus could tell in his soul that his beloved was still alive. He paced around his chamber restlessly, as the night stretched on.

The so-called Sorceress was returned to him before first light, just as you'd promised. One of your Knights, Sir Issac, had stolen her away during the chaos of your battle against the Justiciars and their Arbiterwings. And as Sylus embraced his lover and showered her with his affections, he also felt his hatred for you fall away. Although he would never admit it aloud, he was looking forward to seeing you again, if only to thank you for what you'd done.

But there were to be no second chances. You never returned. Only Sir Zachary arrived at the safe house days later, his face drained of color. He was clutching a letter in his hand. A letter which he begrudgingly delivered to Sylus.

"What's this?" MC asked, wide-eyed. Despite her ordeal, she was relatively unharmed. Her mistreatment at the hands of the Justiciars only served to intensify her thirst for vengeance. Already, she was conspiring with Sylus about which area they should raid next.

"It's from my lady," Sir Zachary said flatly, not putting a lot of effort into hiding his discomfort. His sullen demeanor made Sylus suddenly uneasy. "It's for the fiend's eyes only."

"Oh, alright," said MC. She turned to Sylus and winked. Perhaps, she was planning on teasing him for the information later. "I'll leave you to it then." Now, it was only Sylus in the room. Alone with his thoughts, and your words.

Dear Stäyrus, or should I say Sylus now?

His lips curved into a smile, despite the knot of anxiety twisting in the pit of his stomach. You remembered. Of course, you did. You were alive when he was but a child. You were perhaps the last person to speak that long-lost language - certainly the last to write with it, as you did in your letter.

You opened the message with an apology you didn't expect him to accept, before beginning a tale almost as incredible as his own. Bits and pieces of the life you once shared came back to him as he read: you had been reincarnated once before, that much he knew, but what you were telling him now was beyond anything he could imagine.

Part 2

i need more fics where lawlu is getting married out at sea and because they're both captains, they can't officiate, and so they need a third captain to do so.

and oh would you look at that, eustass kid comes sailing through completely on accident, and before he could even say a word, luffy drags him from his ship and he gets roped into officiating their wedding with a lot of loud demanding from luffy while law is simultaneously going "hell no anyone but him" and kid also does not want to be there at all

in the end, they end up getting married, officiated by kid who looks like he would rather walk into the ocean before officiating another wedding, so he places well timed jabs and insults in his speech.

(law gets his revenge years later during kid and killer's wedding as he immediately volunteers to officiate, an evil smirk on his face)

post marineford / i can’t lift you up cause my mind’s tired

law being downbad for a guy he barely knows

Ikigai, Part 2

Summary: You’re desperately in love with a man who already belongs to another.

Ikigai (n.) (Japanese): "A reason for being," the thing that gets you up in the morning.

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4

The same arms that cradled you last night now carry her. She’s unconscious (apparently because Sylus choked the life out of her and you will be pressing him on that later), and she’s beautiful. So beautiful that you tug on your sleeves a bit to cover more of your skin as you stare. The strange woman is a literal sleeping beauty, so you can’t help but keep your eyes on her.

But those details about her aren’t what make you truly stare. No. Something else entirely makes you stop dead in your tracks as you approach the twins and Sylus at the doors.

Her threads. As in multiple ones. Multiple soulmates and multiple bonds. They flicker in a way you’ve never seen before, and behave like winding paths. They’re each a gateway to a different love, to a different story. And she could choose which one to take.

You don’t know how you know this. But that isn’t new to you. Your power’s always been a mystery to you, seeing the bonds of soulmates even before they themselves have connected and formed. You know someone’s love story before they do. And you know what they’ve lost whenever you see a severed thread like James’. All this you learned through trial and error, since no one else sees what you see.

It got even worse once Evols started showing up and the Deepspace Tunneled opened. Like a puzzle you must assemble without instructions. Or a full picture. While blindfolded.

So, sometimes your ability just tells you things. Like now. It told that this strange girl, Miss Hunter as the twins call her, had multiple possible soulmates. It also told you of her multiple pasts. One of which you know quite intimately.

Sylus. You can’t bare to look at the man in question. From his heart protrudes his string, and on the other end of it is her. Her and not you.

You always knew you’d meet Sylus’ soulmate one day. And when that day came, you knew you’d be happy to see them love one another. But when you imagined that, you imagined he’d be their only love. Not one of many. Not some choice among different slices of pie.

You force yourself to keep walking. Pain creaks through you, like a car slamming on its breaks every few feet. Jagged and raw. Cutting.

”You aren’t her only one,” you want to say. ”You aren’t her only one, and you deserve better than that.”

Why? Why did this girl with so much love have to take from you the one thing you wanted? You want to pluck that stupid string of hers that belongs to Sylus and tie it to your pinky finger. You want to scream at the universe at how unfair this all is.

You don’t do anything of that. Instead, you fall into line with the twins as Sylus takes her to a spare bedroom. Part of you is relieved beyond words he didn’t put her in his own room. You think your heart would’ve given out there and then otherwise.

Once she’s carefully laid down on the bed, Sylus finally speaks.

“Kieran. Luke.”

“Yes boss,” they say in that weird unison thing they’ve always done; you find it strangely endearing.

“Watch her.”

He’s all business, acting as if this was an everyday occurrence. Like he always brought strange girls back to his home.

“Of course, boss,” Kieran replies. He gives you look when he does so. Even with his mask, you could tell what he was trying to say: ”you know what’s going on, right?”

You shake your head at him. His older brother is oblivious to the whole mess, sitting on a chair in the room and kicking his legs back and forth. You envy his silly disposition right now. You couldn’t afford to be nearly as calm.

Sylus and you quickly leave the room, and you guide him to his office rather than his room. Questions burn on the tip of your tongue. They well up inside of you, begging to be released. You can’t bare to let any of them out. So you tame them with persuasion like you’ve done to your clients and opponents in the past.

“He’ll tell you everything,” you think as you walk beside him. ”Just be patient.”

Patience goes out the window the second you two are alone.

“What in the ever-loving fuck do you think you’re doing, Sylus?”

“Name dropping me again, Gamayun. What have I done to bring forth your wrath this time?”

He casually leans against his desk, smirk on his lips and tension in his shoulders. You try to stand a ways away from his, but he uses his Evol to pull you closer. Your feet momentarily leave the floor when he does. The energy of his power is gentle against your skin, and caresses you in an almost apologetic matter.

You glare at him as he does this. He just leans in close to your face, one hand hovering on your waist and the other near your cheek. You stupidly lean into the touch.

Fuck me and my touch-starved self.

“Being sweet with me won’t change the matter at hand.”

“You think I’m sweet on you?” He leans in even closer. “And if it’s worked in the past why can’t it now? Perhaps I need to be more than just sweet…”

He trails off and brushes his fingers on your ear. Suddenly you feel too much. His breath. His skin. The gaze of his eyes. His coat. Everything.

You place a hand on his chest and lightly push. He immediately backs away, and his expression seems to stiffen a bit. You ignore it.

“No amount of sweetness will change the gravity of your lies. You brought a strange woman into the heart of our operation, and I won’t let it go.”

“Jealous?”

Yes.

“Do not dodge my question, foolish boss of mine.”

“So feisty today.”

Sylus leans back on the desk and beckons you closer. You stand firm with your hands on your hips and eyes on his soulmate thread. Anything to keep your focus on the task at hand.

He sighs and says your name. You’re inwardly grateful; no Gamayun means no sweetness which means your weak heart won’t make you back out of this conversation.

“She’s a Hunter. One with a unique Evol that I’ll be needing for my plans. That’s all. It’s just business.”

Sylus walks towards you this time.

“Business you couldn’t be fucked to include me in?”

You both wince at your harsh words. You because you’re normally never this openly hostile. With anyone. It’s bad for your line of work. And the only other people you’re normally around are the man you love and his chaotic children henchmen. You’ve no need to be so.. crass.

Sylus winces because… well, you don’t exactly know. His thread gives off some weird feelings you’d rather not dissect. You worry you’ll glimpse into his first meeting with his soulmate, and you’d rather hear about it that experience that yourself.

“There was no need.” Sylus is firm with his words, but his reluctance to make eye contact with you tells a different story. His guilt almost makes you think that he knows how you feel about him, and that he’s sorry for what he’s doing to you.

Fat chance of that.

“Since when is there ever no need for my involvement? You literally drag me anywhere you possibly.”

“Because I fear you becoming a hermit otherwise.”

Your cheeks warm at his words. Stupid Sylus and his need to remind you of your early days working for him.

“Says the man who’s only other companion is his mechanical crow.”

“You don’t say? You know, Gamayun, I’ve seen the way you rant to Mephisto sometimes after certain deals. You’re not too far off to becoming like me.”

You roll your eyes at him.

“Even if I, perchance, do, it’s only because of you. And those “deals” you mention are the ones where you don’t give me much to work on. Like now.”

You two are back to square one. The light-hearted atmosphere is sucked dry in that moment. It’s been replaced by a weight, a fog, of uncertainty and worry. It takes you back to before you meant Sylus, all the way to high school, when something similar happened between you and the first person you fell for.

Those memories eat away at you. Strands upon strands of memories that twine with your nerves to create discomfort in every cell in your body. You only speak in hopes it would rid you of such pain.

“Why can’t you just explain yourself to me like a normal person?”

“Because you have no need to get involved.”

“Morana,” you try using his own tactics against him. “Please just tell me.”

You walk to him this time and cup his cheek with one hand. Sylus leans into the touch, basically nuzzling your hand. You love doing this to him. You love doing this with him. And you’re probably only doing this with him in this moment because you both know somewhere in your hearts you won’t be able to in the future. You doubt his soulmate will appreciate having another woman that loves him touching him like this.

So you’ll savor it.

“What’s the benefit of hiding such a thing from me, your partner?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with useless things.”

“So useless you’ll bring the twins?”

“They were just there for some fun.”

“Fun which you excluded me from? How rude.”

Sylus winces at your dry tone, knowing there was more to the story. Ever since he met you, he knew you had problems feeling left behind or excluded. You always felt like an outsider anywhere you went due to your powers. It got even worse once you realized you had no soulmate.

My relationship to them isn’t your problem.

So many times has those words been uttered to you. So many times have people spat them at you before they walked out your life for good, too in love to notice your broken heart. You wonder if this conversation with Sylus is the beginning of history repeating itself. If right now, the thread of your relationship is unraveling while his new one weaves together.

“Rude? Maybe. But necessary.”

“Why ever would you think that? You need to give me a valid reason.”

“You were sleeping in my arms so peacefully I couldn’t bear to wake you.”

“I said a valid reason, Morana. Not your usual nonsensical reasons.”

“It is a valid reason. I figured letting you sleep would be my way of making it up to you for stressing you yesterday.”

“It doesn’t. Telling me the truth might.”

“You drive such a hard bargain. You do remember I’m your boss, not the other way around? You work for me, sweetheart.”

“I do. But I’m more akin to a partner rather than a subordinate, even if I call you boss. So I’m entitled to the truth about your plans for this new person in our lives. I need to be involved, Morana. Why can’t I?”

“Because maybe I don’t want to get you involved.”

Your thoughts stumble at that. You shrink back from Sylus, dropping your hand and bringing it close to your chest. His eyes widen. You see the panic in them. It’s satisfying, in a sick way.

“Gamayun, that’s not what I—“

You don’t want to hear his excuses.

“You need something from her.”

Something you know you can’t get from me and you know I would stop you from taking.

Moments like these make you wonder if he knows. If he knows how you love him. If he knows you can see the threads of fate. If he knows that you know he’s not your soulmate but hers. If he knows you’re doomed to be alone.

But then you tell that part of yourself to be quiet. Because thinking about the what ifs would only drive you crazy.

“I do. And I will get it from her.”

You hold back a cringe at that. Stupid Sylus. That was no foundation for a relationship of any kind, let alone a soulmate bond.

“Not after such a hostile introduction.”

“Hostile? Me? Whenever have you known meet to be hostile, Gamayun.”

“The day we met,” you make a list of tallies on your hand as you speak. “Last week with that one arms dealer. Last month with the numerous explosions. James.”

His face twists when you mention the man. You roll your eyes.

“You and I both know that I have the best chances of resolving this peacefully.”

“Resolving. Gamayun, I haven’t done anything that needs resolving,” he smirks. “Not yet anyway. I’ll call upon your skills when they’re deemed necessary.”

It hurts a little to hear him say that, but you press on.

“Listen to me. The poor girl’s going through something; why else would an upstanding citizen of Linkon come here by choice? She’s in an unfamiliar environment. She’s been kidnapped twice. Once by you, and another by someone who, according Kieran, was going to kill her for what she had. And then you go and choke her until she fell unconscious. “

You caress his hair as you say this, leaning even closer despite your better judgement. His breath hitches and he gets closer as well.

“She’s not going to trust a word you say. And you and I both know the twins; negotiations and civil conversation isn’t their strong suit.”

The two of you laugh at this, and you vaguely wonder if this is how it feels to be a parent of insane teens. Because that’s what you think your life is sometimes.

“You’ve all made a bad impression on her. I haven’t. She’s in a sensitive spot, and I think the advice of someone with far more tact would do her good.”

“You got all that from just a glimpse? You’re better than even I thought, my sweet Gamayun.”

“Like I said before, being sweet won’t get you anywhere.”

You giggle when Sylus uses his Evol to mess with your hair. His hands hover around your waist.

“Just let me be the contact with her, alright? My relationship to her is far better than yours despite never truly meeting her. Whatever there is between you and her will be dwarfed by her grief.”

Guilt twists in your gut at that lie. Their relationship will never equal any relationship you have to either of them. But that bond doesn’t exist yet. So you’ll cling to those false words and hope they get you through this storm.

You think you have him. You think you’re about to get your answers. Instead, Sylus breaks your heart again. Except this time, it’s in a way you thought he never could.

“My relationship to her isn’t your problem.”

And just like that, you’re 16 years old again with your best friends. And then 12 with your friend’s father’s “new friend”. And then 10 with your former friends turned bullies. And then 7 with your first ever close relationship. All the times when someone spouted those same words just before they abandoned you. Just before they broke your heart, threw it the trash, and went home happily to their soulmate.

You can barely hold it together. You briefly register pushing him away, hands shaking and adrenaline practically going to war on your system. It’s different from the last time you pushed him away. So, so different. Your body betrays you in this moment. It’s on guard. It sees Sylus as a threat.

“Oh,” is all you muster.

You don’t need to see Sylus’ expression to know that your mask has slipped. All that practice acting and pretending means nothing now.

“I’ll just… I’ll just go. Yeah. I’ll just go.”

You think you hear Sylus protest. Or maybe you imagine it because you want him to chase after you unlike so many in the past didn’t. It doesn’t matter either way. You leave all the same. You leave and try to pick up the pieces of your heart while Miss Hunter slumbers away, oblivious to the plague of emotions her entire existence has brought you.

Taglist: @eolivy, @rafayelridesfisheatsfish, @animegamerfox, @jasperjokester, @schrodingerskimdokja, @just--crys, @snowdynasty, @shi-thats-kiera, @mansonofmadness, @dwuclvr, @ameilli, @katiedoesstuff101, @everythingistaken00, @napa-the-yappa, @hanaluxx, @lovesick-sylus, @madam8, @tenaciouszombiewombat, @ladyparamount, @applepi405, @midnight-reverie, @69-gojos-wife-69, @bellagrayson-wayne, @phisen, @idkmanimjusthorny, @munchychuusy, @autumn2534, @poptrim, @sillyfreakfanparty, @zaynesfirefly, @flamedancer13, @thissmartdumbass, @mrsllawliet, @jeondyy, @ssetsuka, @dels-page, @that-lost-one, @johnnysactualgf, @mariquitas-en-verano@toelady, @sinnamon-bunn, @yesbiaswrecked, @doggyteam2028, @little-rays-of-darkness, @albatrossblue, @vyntheria, @silverianni, @browneyedgirl22, @tiklestar, @beaconsxd, @pepperushia