I don't remember posting this last year's sketch of Issei's Inugami but here you go
Centuries ago, an ancestor of the Ogami family cursed their bloodline by performing an Inugami ritual to gain power and status in society. The ritual worked and the Ogami rose to prominence, becoming renowned artists throughout Japan, known for their influential works and emergence in high society. However, every member of the family bears this curse hereditarily, each of them bound to an Inugami spirit that directly influences their artistic lives.
Ume, as he calls himself, is the Inugami born with Issei Ogami. He is a spirit that forces Issei to create cursed paintings using his own blood to satisfy Ume’s twisted vanity. Dominating, artistic and vain, Ume believes that all true art must be born from pain, sacrifice, and blood. He sees himself as the true “genius” behind Issei’s work and demands perfection in every blood-made piece. If the painting displeases him, he inflicts both physical and mental torment upon Issei as punishment.
Ume is fully aware of Issei’s desire to be free of him and despises it. He wants Issei to accept him as an essential part of his “creative soul.” During exorcism rituals, Ume always finds a way to sabotage them, taking control of Issei’s body and forcing him to act in humiliating and compromising ways in front of others, like making him crawl and bark like a dog or self-harm under possession.
His presence is often marked by a putrid stench in the air, and he tends to appear in moments of emotional or social collapse. Unlike other Inugami spirits, Ume takes pleasure in Issei’s failures, using them as retaliation for the boy’s futile attempts to reject him. He drives Issei into suicidal episodes, ruins his social interactions, and continuously wears down his physical and mental health, pushing him into isolation, paranoia, and despair. At times, Ume even lashes out at others, causing strange and violent incidents that make Issei socially ostracized due to the possessions and eerie occurrences that follow him.
he’s an idiot. one who acts before he thinks and tells people you’re dating when he hasn’t even asked you out. did he mention the christmas party is tonight? (wc: 2.2k)
a very merry renskaji christmas special
You’ve never met anyone as chaotic as Teruomi Inugami.
Which is probably a good thing.
You never know what's going to come out of his mouth next, or what he'll fixate on. Usually, you can take whatever he says with grace and patience, falling in step beside his erratic thinking without fail.
Usually.
"So, Sako thinks we're dating."
So casual.
You pause, hot chocolate halfway to your mouth when you realize what he said. He's walking beside you, bundled in warm clothes to keep out the cold, and not even a little bit phased by what he just said.
"And he thinks that because… why?" You press, expression pinching in confusion—and maybe a little concern—as you wait for your best friend to answer.
"I dunno." He shrugs carelessly, kicking at a chunk of snow on the sidewalk that was in your path. You watch him closely, because you know him well enough to know he's not telling you the whole truth. "Okay, well, maybe I know."
You sigh, defeated. Sipping the hot chocolate you had dragged Inugami out to get with you, you try and calm the racing of your heart to a more manageable level. It's not an easy task, but you think you do a good job with it.
"Explain, maybe?" You suggest, nudging him in the arm with your elbow. In response, he presses close against your side. So much so that your bodies are touching and you have to worry about your heart once more.
"Promise you won't get mad?" He sounds genuinely concerned, which doesn't mean much coming from him. You've spent enough time around him to know he can be dramatic over the littlest things.
"Teruomi." Your voice is flat and expression pointed as you call him by his first name. He flinches like a schoolboy in trouble, and you'd think it's adorable if you weren't trying to get to the truth out of him.
"Okay! You don't need to play dirty; I'll tell you." Inugami relents, body heaving with a defeated sigh. His reaction pulls a satisfied grin to your lips that you quickly hide behind another sip of your hot chocolate. "Sako thinks we're dating because I told him we are."
So, so casual.
You don't respond immediately, because you're choking on your drink. You're not exactly sure what you thought he would say, but him telling Sako that you're dating wasn't it. You don't expect him to say that in the slightest and it catches you off guard.
Mostly because you've been half in love with your best friend for months.
"You're joking." You tell him when you recover, frowning at him for half a second before shaking your head. He hasn't moved from your side, and has the audacity to wear his trademarked 'I know I'm in trouble but I'll just act like I'm not' expression. "Actually, you're you, so I know you're not joking."
Inugami turns and smiles at you.
"I'm taking that as a compliment."
"You would." You scoff, but you know he's trying to derail and deflect, and you won't let him. "Why did you tell him that?"
"Because," He says with a dramatic pronunciation, grabbing onto your arm to pull you even closer to avoid a patch of ice on the sidewalk. You hate that he doesn't even know the effect he has on you. "He asked if I was bringing anyone to the Shishitoren holiday party and I said I’m obviously bringing my girlfriend. Then Arima and Kanuma told me I didn't have a girlfriend—"
"You don't," You remind him, though you know the bit of truth is ignored immediately.
"—and I told them that I do, and when they wouldn't leave me alone about it I said that I'm dating you." Inugami finishes his story, nodding along like everything he said made complete and total sense.
And it does—but only to him.
"And they believed you?" The question falls off your tongue before you can think better of it. Inugami looks absolutely shocked that you would even entertain the idea that they wouldn't, and you know it's not worth the battle to get him to see sense.
"Well, yeah." He assures you, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. The simplicity of it all makes you roll your eyes, and you can't fight the grin building on your lips. "So, will you pretty please pretend to be my girlfriend for this party? Then I can totally brag about it!"
And here's the thing. You should probably say no. There's enough stories in the world about pretending to date the person you're in love with and having it immediately blow in your face for you to know better. A night of faking being Inugami's girlfriend sounds more painful than it would be helpful.
But then you're talking, and your heart answers before your brain.
"Fine." You say with a sigh, planning to blame the pink in your cheeks on the cold weather if asked. "When's the party?"
"Tonight."
He says it like it's nothing, and part of you thinks it's an act so that he can avoid a lecture from you. There's no helping the exasperated chuckle you let out, wrapping your arm around his. To stay warm, you reason with yourself.
"Why am I surprised with you?"
You've made a mistake.
A massive, glaringly obvious mistake.
"So, he really asked you out, finally?"
Sako delivers the question in his typical manner. That being—flat and like he's wholly unimpressed. You know he actually cares, because he wouldn't be asking if he didn't, but it takes all of your self control to not choke on your own saliva.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Inugami complains, arm draped over your shoulder and leaning more and more of his weight on you as the night continues. "Of course we're dating! You need to stop questioning our love."
You're not quick enough to stop the squeak from escaping you. Sako gives you a questioning look, and you're certain you've just given up your little rouse. But how could you not react when Inugami so casually declares to one of his closest friends that the two of you are in love?
It wouldn't be so hard if you weren't actually in love with him, but that ship has sailed many, many goofy smiles of his ago.
"He's right, Sako." You clear your throat and agree with your boyfriend, which you're entirely too awkward about to seem convincing.
Inugami doesn't seem to notice the look of disbelief on Sako's face. He's too busy pulling you closer to his side with the arm wrapped around your shoulders, excitedly telling you about something that's caught his eye across the party.
The Cage is decorated... fittingly. You wouldn't necessarily say it's nice, since you're pretty sure Arima and Kanuma were in charge of decorations, but there's enough touches of the holidays to know what the theme of the event is.
Not that you've been able to pay attention to much at all. Since the moment you arrived to the party, Inugami has been all over you. Touchy in a way that goes beyond his usual level, all in an effort to convince his friends that he really does have a girlfriend.
And you're losing your mind.
It's not like you can blame anyone but yourself, either. You had predicted before even agreeing that you were just setting yourself up for heartbreak. It's far too much for you to pretend to be dating Inugami when all you want is for it to be real.
"You seem nervous tonight," Sako asks you, voice measured in a way only he can ever muster. It's almost unimaginable how he's friends with someone so unpredictable as Inugami, but you know they're rather close.
Which is why you feel really guilty about helping Inugami lie to him like this.
"Peachy," You force through gritted teeth and false smiles, all trying to make it seem like you're certain about what you have to say. It's enough of a reaction to steal Inugami's attention back to you, and in one swift moment he swings his head in your direction, stopping a few short inches from your face.
He's so close, and the movement so sudden, that you flinch.
He notices.
The arm he has lazily swung around your shoulders slides down to your hand, his own wrapping tight around yours. He uses the connection to pull you, almost right off your own two feet, to the outskirts of the party where only Sako's confused expression follows you.
You feel your heart hammering in your chest, mind racing with possibilities about what he's going to say. Does he know that you're in love with him? Can he tell just how affected you are by pretending to be his girlfriend? How much you want this to be real?
Does his skin burn against your palm the way it burns you?
"You're not okay with this." Typical of Inugami, to cut straight to the point and give you his honest thoughts. The only thing out of place is that his mischievous smile is missing, replaced by a frown while he studies you. It’s unnerving.
"No, I am!" You defend, thrown off into honesty by the rare serious expression he's wearing. You're glad that he pulled to the side of the party, because you think you'd melt in place if he confronted you about this in front of others. "It's just, I don't know. Don't you think it's weird to pretend to date?"
That's not exactly what you wanted to say, but you're already treading dangerous territory.
"Weird?" He tilts his head to the side, like a puppy. It's entirely too adorable and you realize all at once just why you're in this situation. He has a face too pretty for your own good. "I don't think it's weird. Besides, I asked you to do this because I'm in love with you."
"What?" Your brain stalls at his confession. So casual. So Inugami. You think your whole body freezes up.
"Huh? Didn't you know?" There's genuine confusion on his face, so you know he's not messing with you. Not that you think Inugami would ever be as insensitive or senseless to joke about something like this.
"No, Teruomi, I didn't." You let out a breathless chuckle, still wracked in disbelief. You hands are worrying the hem of your sweatshirt while you try and parse through the options presented to you.
"Oh. Uh, surprise?" He grins, smiling so wide his sharp canines show. Warmth bubbles up in your chest at the sight of him, so adorable.
"You have got to be kidding me." Your cheeks hurt from the force of your own smile, but Inugami is already barreling on with his stream of thoughts.
"I'm not! That's why I told the guys I was dating you! Ask Sako, he's heard me talk about you so much, I think he's getting tired—"
You can't help it. You grab him by the collar of his shit and tug, slotting your lips against his.
It takes a moment for him to react, but once his mind catches up to your actions, he holds the sides of your face to keep you pressed against him. It's hard to really kiss him, with how wide you're both smiling.
He's panting when he finally pulls away, which is a good thing, because you're just as affected as him.
"So, girlfriend for real now?" He asks, still holding your face. You let go of his shirt and hold his wrists, thumb brushing gently over his pulse point.
"Yeah, for real." You agree, and it's so much easier to do so than before. Because now it's not a lie, and you really are Inugami's girlfriend.
A much better ending to this story.
"That's so cool." He darts forward, catching your lips for a kiss so quick that you don't have time to reciprocate before he's pulling back. He's still smiling, even as his hand slips into yours and he's once more pulling you through the party. "C'mon!"
"Wait—!" You shout, but you're cut off by your own laugh at his excitement. You feel entirely too giddy to really care about the scene he's making as he drags you to stand in front of a group of his Shishitoren friends.
"This is my girlfriend!" Inugami declares—for the second time that night—with his hand extended to show you off. You have to fight a face palm, but you know you're blushing. Still, you're almost too happy to put into words.
"Yeah… we know." Arima glances at Kanuma like he's possibly missed something, and it's then you realize you at least sold your ruse to them.
"No, for real this time!" Inugami—your boyfriend, for real—continues, nodding his head in all seriousness. You squeeze his hand to get his attention, and when his wide grin turns to face you, you feel yourself fall for him all over again.
"You're telling on yourself right now." You break the news. His friends hadn't realized it was all pretend, but now they have fuel to tease him endlessly.
"Oh… right." Inugami pouts for a mere two seconds. You think you hear Choji giggle. But your boyfriend perks back up again, smile on his adorable face as he pulls you close. "Oh well!"
"About time." Sako mutters, talking into his cup of punch. "It was getting a little ridiculous, honestly."
