Okay so that post asking about which demon/spirit would be drawn to your Rook for possession planted some Brainworms and I have to share. As is the way
An AU where Rook was captured during a mission for thier faction. They're sold into slavery -- or at least they tried to sell them. Rook is trouble, through and through, so the captors are planning to just end them when one Zara Renata comes combing the markets for new, disposable test subjects.
A Rook that's picked for thier fire. For their anger and strength. They manage to kill 14 Venatori by the time the bastards get them to the Ossuary.
A Rook that sits in a cell one corridor across from another prisoner. He's Zara's favourite, the poor bastard. A Crow from what they've heard between sessions on the table and the rack. Between blood spilt and bone cracked, sand and salt and Other Voices. Has heard the words 'potential' and 'nuisance' in equal measure in reference to him.
The first time they see him try to escape, they understand why.
14? Chump numbers. He creates a red river under the ocean and Rook thinks he might just do it--
He's twisted like a ball joint doll to kneel before Calivan. The mage holding a small vial to fuel the obedience spell. His phylactery.
The crow is pressed down, bled until nearly unconscious, but Rook sees his eyes, staring at them, vicious and determined.
Rook makes a plan.
It's not a good plan, but it's better than what they had before.
They're pliant when hands grip them. Go lax after a blade cuts. They need anonymity. They need to fly under the radar as best they can.
The first time they manage to get free, they get as far as the door. They need to appear hopelessly weak. Down trodden. They're getting out of here. They're getting back to their people. The idea of a rescue doesn't even come to mind.
The next time, they get to his cell door.
Possession hasn't happened yet. They're just two people meeting in the dark for the first time.
If he has a phylactery, so must they too. Somewhere.
"There's not much time," Rook begins. "How do I get you out?"
This attempt ends much the same as the last. They're further separated. They start leaving notes to coordinate escape plans. Mostly just markers as time stamps. Items may be stolen and hidden in the dirt for the other to find. A pin, a shard, maybe a knife if they're lucky.
Then it's food that's shared. Cloth found and shred into bandages, rolled up and shoved into crevices.
They know eachother without ever knowing eachother. Their sanity becomes dependent on these few and far between gifts, between long stretches of nothing. Of numb, hazy thoughts of elsewhere.
Then the crow sprouts wings in his next attempt.
Demon, Rook's mind hisses. Abomination.
But then he's reaching for their cell without a thought, breaking them out, bodily lifting them to stand. There's barely any strength between their physical bodies, but something else, something new is driving him.
"Hey," Rook murmurs, heavy on his shoulder. "Name's Rook."
He breathes out his nose in the facsimile of a snort. "Lucanis."
They're caught that time, too.
They need those vials. Need them destroyed. There's no escape for either of them otherwise.
Then Rook hears of plans of them being transferred elsewhere. Another dungeon. Another torture chamber.
That's when Lucanis gets his hands on their phylactery.
"For such precious cargo, they didn't even lock the box." And he's handing it to them outside their cell. Just like that.
"They'll know it's gone."
"So we better make this chance count."
'We.'
When had it become 'we'?
They were using eachother. It was the best option. If they were free of Calivan's influence they could fight him. Give Lucanis a chance at his own phylactery.
Or they could run. Forsake this fragile trust and flee like a coward. A free coward, but a coward nonetheless.
Not Rook's style.
...
The vial is a fake. A trap. They all realise this too late, and then it's Rooks turn in the chamber. Rooks turn to be forced to house an inhabitant that does not want to Be. A spirit dragged from its place in the fade kicking and screaming and--
I'm thinking Faith. Faith that things will work out. Faith that every leap you take there will be ground to land on. Faith in others, in thier ability to come together and fight.
But that Faith can so easily become Recklessness. Carelessness. Rash and unwise but so passionate. A good, strong emotion.
The Venatori wanted Despair. They wanted Envy. A Good, Strong Emotion.
Instead they got Impulse. Something far too chaotic and wild to use for thier needs. Spite is tempered with rage and -- at a push-- patience if a goal is set. Impulse... really isn't.
Shaped like Rook, this creature wants freedom. Demands it. Consequences do not exist to them. They push Rook to try and escape again and again without reprieve, has no understanding of conserving energy, of careful planning and execution. It wants action. It wants. To leave.
Anyway yeah I'm thinking Rook does get transferred and somehow escapes but has no way of finding that Ossuary, of knowing if Lucanis is even still alive. They're searching for it when Varric turns up/gets in trouble/gets them out of trouble.
Imagine their surprise when they go to the crows for the help of The Demon of Vyrantium and hear Lucanis' name
they were broken up but when they both ran with the same friend group, they couldn't avoid each other forever. it had been months since she had ended their relationship and they were still awkward around each other. ethan's feelings lingered in his heart, but he was in no way ready to express that to her; not when she had been the one to end it. going to a beach house with their friends had seemed like fun despite both of them going, since they could always just avoid and ignore each other. however when they'd run out of beer and ethan and his ex had been the only sober ones, they were forced on a beer run. the drive to town was about an hour from the house, and ethan's mind raced while he steered the car. it wasn't until the engine rattled and the car suddenly pulled to a halt, that ethan begun worrying. "what the hell...?" he wondered and looked from his ex to the road in front of them, as he turned the key in the ignition only for the engine to sputter and not start. they'd been expertly ignoring each other until that moment, and now they'd be forced to come up with a solution together. the model's face twisted into a worried expression as he pulled out his phone. "oh fuck... no signal," he informed her and swallowed, as it'd get dark soon and with no blankets or extra clothes in the car, it was bound to get cold. would it be the worst thing if we have to fog up the windows when it gets dark just to keep us warm? he wondered to himself and bit down on his lower lip, awaiting her reaction.
I’ve been thinking about the day Jess meets Rory lately and I’m trying to guess what made him accept he had fallen for her so quickly. I’m not really a “it was love at first sight” enthusiast but that’s only because I can’t stand insta love tropes where both characters are completely into each other 2 seconds after they meet, which is clearly not the case with Literati. (I can relate to meeting someone and developing an instant crush, and then getting to know that person and falling for them, I think this is a different kind of trope, and one I do like.) But about Jess, what I mean is, he had just been shipped to this town against his wishes, it’s interesting to me that he opens up to that feeling so “easily”. We also know he wasn’t very good at ‘connecting’ to people either way, so, do you think he used to be like that when he had a crush or was it something that happened exclusively when he met Rory? I’m so curious to know how he felt in that moment, you know? And after. I wonder if Rory was very different from girls that he fell for before. Not in the “she’s not like others girls” sense but really, if it surprised him to feel that way or if he didn’t think much about what was happening, if he was just glad he met her and now that town didn’t seem that awful anymore. I’m rereading what I wrote and I think I didn’t explain at all what I mean, but I love your meta takes and I wanna know what do you imagine that happened inside Jess Mariano’s brain/heart that night, so I’m gonna send the ask anyway.🥰
Thank you so much for asking! 😊. This is a tricky one, and one that I often wonder about as well, honestly. Like you, I'm not always fond of "love at first sight" scenarios in fiction, unless it's done really well, and most of the time I just can't buy it. At the same time, though, I'm really fascinated by the concept, especially because it apparently does happen occasionally in real life. I've always loved hearing real-life couples' "love stories," especially if they've been together a long time, and I've heard multiple accounts of it happening. Even more than that, my own father always said that that's how it was when he met my mother. And the way he described it (as well as the other people who had similar experiences) was that he saw her, and he just... knew. He didn't know anything about her yet, but he was just struck with this unshakable feeling that "She's the one." Weird, huh? It seems to happen sometimes, and I don't understand it, but it seems to go beyond logic. Was this how it was for Jess? I'm not sure. We know that even before he "met" Rory, he was struck enough by her photo on the mantle that he did a double take and went to pick it up. My husband (who is not known for picking up on signals of romantic interest, bless him!) when we watched that episode could tell right away that he liked her, because it was the first time Jess actually moved closer to someone after greeting them. He had never done that before.
If he felt it then, I would imagine that seeing her bookshelf only heightened that feeling (There's something almost "Edenic" about that sense of recognition of kinship, isn't there?- "This now is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!"). Did he recognize the full weight of it yet, though? I don't know. And it also seems to me that, even if he was feeling it, he was still struggling to "process it" at that point. I mean, despite the way he immediately tried to sneak her out the window with him, the way he looks at her seems just as wary and on-edge as it does transfixed! He's carefully watching her the way a wild animal eyes a person trying to befriend it: wondering if it's safe to come closer, but muscles tensed to immediately flee if necessary. I think he was feeling a lot of things, but had no idea what to do with it. I think the whole "Dodger" exchange really clinched it, though.
As far as if he'd ever fallen hard for anyone before, I really don't know. We really have almost nothing about his life before Stars Hollow, besides (troubling) bits and pieces of his life with Liz. I wouldn't count it out, though. I think he obviously feels much more deeply than he'd like people to believe. There are intriguing possibilities in his use of the plural "the girls that I like don't give a damn about me" (though, not necessarily). I think how he felt for Rory was the first time he'd felt THIS strongly though. A person (especially a person like Jess) wouldn't speak of "knowing" with such conviction if they'd been wrong about it in the past, I don't think. That has a way of making one more skeptical in the future (and THAT I know from my own experience, haha).
“i know i don’t deserve forgiveness, but i like the idea that some people think i might.”
Misc prompts for your feels
He paused for a while, having to take in his former colleagues admission. It hit him too, all of them went through this method of thinking. Even still hadn’t come to terms with the torment he put others through, even if he did try to rectify such faults with the replica program.
Turning toward Isa, a small smile on his face “I hold no ill will toward you, neither do any of the apprentices here. We are all in the same boat, but each of us will veer off into different directions, sometimes together.” He explained, hands motioning everything he was speaking.
“We have to earn it still, but it won’t be us on our own. Albeit, the organisation made our nobody’s do terrible things but through that - connections were made. Like atoms! Creating bonds and never breaking, it proved that a trace of humanity was left in the darkness.” Turning to face him completely a genuine smile this time.
“That bond that was shared between you and a friend has always been there, just hiding, awaiting it’s time to come alive! You have Lea, and a path that you can both walk together to get your forgiveness. Just like I have the apprentices again.” Even nodded “I’m sure you would be welcomed here, a lot of familiar faces reside here you know!”
⌠ CHANCE PERDOMO, TWENTY-ONE, CISMALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, ZANE WANCOSH! according to their records, they’re a FIRST year, specializing in MEDICAL TRAINING; and they DID NOT go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (sunglasses in every imaginable color, serenading ‘ my heart will go on ‘ loudly at 4 am, finger guns to the pals and the gals). when it’s the (aries)’s birthday on 04/18/1999, they always request their FRENCH FRIES WITH GRAVY from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation.
tw; drugs, jail/prison ??, alcohol
PAST but not rlly since i always had to mention what it did to him
- Zane was raised in Ottawa, Canada .. something he is very proud of and will mention a billion times as soon as he gets to know someone -- he will also deliberately say ‘ eh ? ‘ to let people know b ut we all know he ain’t sleek !!
- His parents had always been a loving bunch so he grew up receiving so much affection and attention that he now is a little FULL of himself but only because he seeks love and won’t stop until someone provides it for him im srry i didn’t make the law
.- So given his upbringing he’s always been the completely affectionate type, having his hands everywhere all the time and achING for hugs and small things like hand holding or just a pat on the shoulder like he is seriously convinced that if he doesn’t get at least four hugs a day he will die a painful, lonely death
- So in addition to that, he had always been a very active, youthful and energetic kid which was pretty much something he got from his dad since he sort of kept things playful and always did the best that he could while his mom was on the stricter side but instead knew how to teach him things that were important !!
- So growing up he always made friends very easily because of how open he was ( except that time when he brought this girl home at the age of 7 because he thought she’d make a cool pet ) and because he was always vERY friendly, even if he had a tendency to be too nice at times and just got upset when people didn’t like him ?? which is honestly still the case
- Of course he loved being popular which is kind of his aspiration in most things nowadays?? he seeks to be liked so much it’s sometimes a lil sad but he will legitamately try anything to make you his friend and he wont care if ur bothered because at least then he’ll get a reaction out of you !! but yeah it’s something he never really learned bc he’s used to getting validated from his parents so he genuinely doesn’t COMPREHEND meanness ://
- It was when he was around ten ( 10 ) years old when his dad randomly moved to New York ?? which was honestly super scary to him but his mother assured him that it was for a special job which was definitely weird for him because that was the only thing she ever said when he asked her about his father and ofc zane wasn’t dumb just a little idiotic !!
- They still visited his father often where Zane was able to get to know America and New York a little better, which he definitely enjoyed even though he sort of preferred Canada always because he likes snow a lot and the fact that it kind of melts when you pee on it but anyway he was getting a bit more suspicious as he grew older
- Then on his sixteenth birthday he was able to visit his dad once more to which he then was revealed that his dad was the ring leader of a spy business !! WOW to which Zane was baffled of course bc his dad ??? who tripped over his 7th birthday cake because Zane saw a squirrel and started to chase it ?? exactly !!
- So of course, Zane wanted to start working there !! Not only because of curiosity but school was kind of boring ( ngl ) and he missed his dad a lot so while his mother was not happy about his choice at all she always believed in people doing whatever they wanted so without much time passing the male moved to New York and started working for his father !!
- it was quickly noticiable that Zane wasn’t great at spy work, considering he was incredibly clumsy and was always distracted by everything and almost shot off his left toe ONCE okay it was only onCE !! Anyway his father got a little frustrated with his chaotic energy so he gave him the jobs were he was usually with someone else so they could babysit him which was honestly better for him too bc he could make friends !!
- So when he was around 19 that’s when he got to know his boy Landon, his main squeeze, one could even say the love of his life ( only he would say that ) but they immediately vibed with Landon being his driver even though they lowkey ended up doing stuff that completely wasn’t what his dad wanted but Zane was honestly just loving life and just doing a bit of shady stuff with his buddies was bonding ??
- HOWEVER NOT ALL THINGS CAN BE SUNSHINE AND CAKE; so they often kind of got into trouble ?? they were good at hiding and sort of running from the cops a couple of times but honestly not that much of a big deal as Zane would say but once upon a time, these assholes rlly got caught ahead of their time to which Landon then got away in time with someone from Gallagher helping while Zane honestly didn’t know what was happening n got caught ??
- To which he then ended up in jail for a year !! love carrying contraband while being high as fuck !! anyway, it was a very self reflecting time . even though he sort of learned nothing ?? anyway not even his dad could bail him out, only shorten the time if he in return joined Gallagher, a school where he would learn how to behave and use his spy knowledge to some good instead of just causing trouble !!
- Which he honestly didn’t vibe with so much because he was kind of scared of these spy kids ?? legit all of them could kill them w a look he wasn’t sure was his dad was thinking but that’s also why he chose medicial training, in order to not get hurt and if he did, he would be able to take care of himself which honestly wasn’t that much of a help when he was about to bonk this girl but ended up hitting his dick against the ground as they rolled around ?? he doesn’t wanna talk about it
- Anyway, he sort of grew into Gallagher for the most part, since he is a very adaptable person in general and was looking forward to making friends with people who were way cooler than him which was honestly a plus !! he just vibing y’all there ain’t no problem at all at all
PERSONALITY & LITTLE QUIRKS
- He’s super chaotic and all over the place, loves talking about anything and everything and sort of philophises over the most mundane things because its fun to talk about life y’all
- He has a super colorful taste in clothing and decoration and is pretty extraordinary in most things in life, whether its sunglasses or flowers on his backpack and shirts and stuff that’s way too big
- Is a slow talker and also doesn’t understand people who talk fast
- Has a habit of interrupting people mid-conversation and doesn’t realize that it could appear rude
- Loves everyone, is also super affectionate and always has an arm around his friends or will at least ask for conSENT bc that matters to him but he will most likely touch u some type of way im sorry
- Probably because he is super fidgety too, he legit has his hands everywhere all the time because he doesn’t like to stay still
- Somewhat of a class clown and certainly does not enjoy studying or any school related work so he’s kind probably always on the verge of failing ?? idk how he does it you guys
- will fist bump you but will also grab your ass
- Just wants to chill most of the time but somehow still always stressed
- Is a party ANIMAL like if there is a party, he’s there and probably drunk and high before the party even starts ?? in general i don’t think he’s been sober a day since he turned 18 who the fuck knows
- Will probably trip and fall everywhere as a drunk but he just laughs about it the second day, like he says if he doesn’t get hurt it won’t be a good party and i honestly worry about him and i’m not sure how he’s still alive
- does the peace sign way too often
- could be considered a sunny boy but since he’s from cold ass Canada he loves snow way much more and the cold for some reason
- has the biggest potty mouth like he doesn’t even realize he’s swearing
- is extremely honest like he will just stand there listening to someone complain and be like well that’s a bitch
- also huge flirt and also catches feelings fast and will mostly say it outright when he falls for someone like boy has seriously no shame ?? he will feel the heartbreak but he believes he can deal with it better than questioning it all the time and if they feel the same he will just loVE
- he also might be polyamerous he doesn’t know it yet bc he’s never had that many chances but he just likes to love whatever
- his head is everywhere and nowhere at the same time so it’s possible that he doesn’t make sense 80% of the time
- has tattoos that don’t make sense at all, i like to refer pewdiepie or uhhhh what’s his name uhhhh kURTIS CONNER ?? im too lazy to fact check i been writing this for an hour let me be
- knows how to juggle and thinks that’s that probably the coolest skill he’s ever learned
- has two earthworms that he got during a biology project back in high school who have been in his possession for six years now ?? ( i checked they live for four to eight ) he loves them to death ok their names are Niall and Liam ....... ( yes he was an 1D stan don’t confront him about them he’ll cry )
- is very superficial, loves the horoscope and believes in like bad luck and stuff like that, will scold u if u don’t listen to him rant about unlucky things !!
so neil has to fulfill a fuckin fine arts requirement. UGH.
he is not a fan of this because it is not exy, it is not practical, it is not useful, it is not related to math he will never need it
but the administration thinks it’s necessary for some fuckin reason, so. he looks over all his options and chooses a music theory class, because out of all of his options it seems like the one least likely to actually make him do art. like, theory. that’s the opposite of practice. right???
but eventually he discovers, as so many disappointed music majors do, that music theory is fULL OF FUCKING MATH. SERIES AND SET THEORY EVERYWHERE. M A T H.
unlike the other people in his class, who are generally either a) music majors or b) non-music majors who are also not math majors and really just wanted to get this GE out of the way, neil is t h r i l l e d
he just happened to stumble on the ONE branch of fine arts, as far as he knows, that actually contains math. so this is like. him just using stuff he learned in math classes two semesters ago. the professor loves him
this is long but tumblr is absolutely refusing to let me put in a read more im so sorry. pretend it was here
(the professor also isn’t quite sure why neil was completely apathetic about the class until she introduced the concept of a harmonic series, since a harmonic series is not a very intellectually exciting topic, but he’s engaged and putting in effort so! not gonna question that too hard!)
and listen, at this point, neil knows his major doesn’t matter. he’s going to be a pro exy player. his classes are just a way of giving him a few extra years to train before he starts looking at contracts.
and he is someone who appreciates intellectual challenges. this is a man who decided to major in math. math. and neil finds the whole concept of music theory interesting, because it’s so... irrelevant to survival? someone invented music, and then later on, someone decided to analyze music, and now it’s a whole ass field of study
he finds himself signing up for another music theory class for the next semester. presumably, it’ll get more complicated as he gets further in. more math.
also, music is something neil can’t quite work out how to conquer yet-- the subjectivity involved, and the understanding of phrasing and rhetoric, is exactly the same stuff he has trouble with in writing. his ear is nowhere near as good as most of the other people in the class, because neil has never been someone who listens to music a lot, if ever.
it’s a challenge. neil josten does not back down from that shit. he tackled learning languages, beat math into submission, and is well on his way to conquering exy. and he’s a little tempted to make music theory his newest victory.
the music theory major doesn’t have a lot of required courses, enough that he could easily switch majors. part of neil rebels at the idea of majoring in something so impractical-- the part of him that still remembers mary’s advice and yells at him for not hiding from cameras.
neil listens to this part of him, and he does what he does best: he tells it to fuck right off. as long as neil plays exy, it doesn’t matter what else he does.
he goes to that music theory I professor and asks her to be his advisor and help him figure out changing his major, and she is still completely mystified but at the same time strangely honored? because her class made this math major who was clearly only taking it for the GE completely change his mind and decide to study music. hELL yeah.
she does warn him that music is a time-intensive major, but neil dismisses that. he’s never really listened to music before. he can start. he doesn’t need to keep his ears open for cars or passerby while he’s out on runs anymore. he can listen to music then, and when he’s doing warmups
he also forces kevin and andrew to listen to the music out loud with him at night practice. they’re not amused but also what are they gonna say?? no?? this is a weird new Phase Of Neil but he’s happy so. they give in.
also the professor was 100% right and neil is swamped for the rest of his time in college, but he’s also not a performance major so that saves him a lot of time because he’s not taking lessons or anything.
and he starts figuring out how piano works. he has to search up some tutorials, but he knows how to read music now, and it’s not a great leap to translate sheet music to a piano. neil’s hands carry a lot of significance to him-- they’re scarred, and they are one of the keys to his success at exy-- but this is the first time he’s ever used them to produce something beautiful.
also, he uses them to produce things that are horrifically ugly. really just the worst noises you can imagine on a piano. because neil is still neil.
he also discovers that kevin is surprisingly good at picking up melodies, because at one point kevin corners him and angrily hums a few bars of a gluck piece before asking what the hell it’s called because it’s been stuck in his head for two days and he can’t get it out
neil desperately tries to get the orange notes to let him compose a new palmetto fight song for them. by the end of his third year, he wears them down.
at the foxes’ first game in neil’s senior year, fifth-year andrew takes one step into the inner court for warmups and says, ‘did you fucking write that?’
he sure did and neil josten is like a proud mama listening to the orange notes play their new fight song.
he yells out some notes during the game. christy is half a beat off for like half of the b section and she’s messing up the other trumpets. he likes the extra flourishes the drum section has added. the backliner marking him is utterly baffled
unsurprisingly, he still finds a way to make his senior thesis about sports
as they approached, nico fingers paused what they were doing (flicking through the pages of the bookstore’s book log---his shop isn’t particularly busy, at the moment). he closes it and leans, cautiously, against the counter towards them. “you’re not hiding a glass of ice water behind your back, are you?” more than anything he is wary, for the entire situation is simply embarrassing for all parties involved. nico had been intoxicated himself when the whole debacle went down at the bar last weekend, but he remembers clearly the iced beverage dripping from the ends of his hair, his chin, onto his shoulders, down his chest. if the revelation of being his ex’s mistress hadn’t been enough to sober nico up, that was.
“do what you have to do. just not on my books.” he doesn’t hate them, although maybe he should---and maybe he had, for awhile. after reflecting on it for the past week, often over a few beers, he’s come to the conclusion that his ex was the asshole. the truth was, the other was just as clueless as nico had been in the whole thing, so he doesn’t blame them. but he needs them to know, that he hadn’t known either. based on the fifth!
Communication with Izuna could be a teeth-grinding, frustrating, hair-pulling, infuriating, and irritating ordeal. His brother had a bad habit of dropping off the grid on a whim and no matter how much Madara nagged, he never changed this. But as his thumb hovered over the Send button, Madara was struck by a rare bout of indecision.
He remembered how their dad used to keep him on a short leash. It’d only gotten shorter as he grew older and it’d been the endless source of arguments between the two of them. He’d hated the lack of freedom, the constant oversight, the feeling of being caged... and he’d promised himself to not be the same. And here he was, doing the exact thing he hated.
There was probably a difference between his dad micro-managing his time between school and work and Izuna’s late-night disappearances, but wasn’t that what Madara had wanted? The chance to wander, to run from his responsibilities, to play games with his growing body and the people who interested him...
Biting his lip, Madara hit the backspace before he changed his mind. Let Izuna have his fun.
2. i’m sorry
They didn’t fight often. Oh, sure, they bickered constantly and sometimes it got a little personal, but they rarely ever actually fought.
Well, this time, they had. And this time, Madara hit him.
Izuna was five centimeters shorter and twenty kilos lighter than him. He fell the instant Madara’s fist touched him.
He regretted it immediately. But instead of apologizing on the spot, he left. And now he was in the park at two a.m. staring at his phone with the world’s shittiest apology text hovering in front of him.
He grimaced and shoved his phone in his pocket. No. If he was going to apologize, he’d do it in person. His brother deserved that much from him.
3. he’s gone
Their relationship with their father was never comfortable. Tajima had always struck Madara as a man who was eminently unsuitable for fatherhood and only cognizant of that far too late in life. He was sharp, jagged all over, and his tongue was the sharpest of all. He’d always loomed over his two sons no matter how far they went, the dim shadow they both felt on their backs.
Privately, Madara always thought their dad preferred Izuna. Was that an unfair thing to think? He didn’t think so. Even though Tajima paid more attention to Madara, his attention fell differently. Harder, colder.
It came as no surprise to Madara that he would be the one to kill him. Technically, it was being ruled as an accident. Blunt force trauma to the head. But he knew better. And when the call came, he decided not to tell Izuna.
He would eventually. But right now, Madara wanted to be alone.
4. tobirama? rly?
His brother has a strange proclivity of picking up the worst people. Madara hadn’t liked Boyfriend #1 or Girlfriend #2. He’d personally chased Boyfriend #5 away. So when the news breaks from Hashirama of all people that his brother was hooking up with that guy --
For a real and genuine moment, Madara was tempted to find his tire iron and beat Tobirama’s pale face into wet pulp. Looking at Hashirama soothed the violent urge in him, as did hearing about the alleged date.
His brother was... happy. Tobirama made him happy. Madara couldn’t imagine why or how but he did and wasn’t that enough? His brother’s happiness mattered more than his dislike. Tobirama’s face could go undamaged if looking at it made Izuna feel the same way that Madara did when he looked at Hashirama.
So he deleted the accusing string of texts he typed up and turned his phone off for good measure. The tire iron option would always be there if Tobirama messed up. But... let Izuna have this. Let him be happy.
5. i’m dating hashirama
So maybe he never got around to telling Izuna about his own love life. That was just how things ended up being, him being too busy to ever tell Izuna and Izuna having his own shit to deal with and --
Alright. Madara will admit it.
He didn’t want to tell Izuna. He didn’t want his brother’s interference. His entire life he’d shared everything with Izuna, from clothes to secrets, and that had suited him just fine, but not this time.
Hashirama was his. He wanted to keep it that way.
He’d tell him. Eventually.
1. i’m coming over
That’s the last text he ever sends his brother before he walked into their shared flat and found his dead body.
Murder, says the police after they arrive. Madara didn’t call them. His neighbors did after they heard him screaming. They had to pry him off of Izuna’s body and nearly tazed him when he went berserk.
Need to find the suspects, someone else says. They sounded far away. Madara could only think about the notification that flashed on his phone right before he texted his brother.
