for starters/meme continuations/literally whatever, feel free to drop your own if you wanna thread sth. blanket warning for potential nsfw, violence, + cw: everything if yoru's involved.
Well. It's more like War is raging, in the form of a girl with jet-black arms and limitless destruction at her fingertips. Ironically, it's the closest she's come to understanding Yoru; violence as an emotion, how much better the catharsis of suffering is when it's someone else's instead of yours. Destroying things for no other reason than to prove that you can. A declaration to the world itself: "I was here. You will not forget me." ]
Bang! [ Every bird in the vicinity takes flight, screeching their panic into the afternoon air. ] Bang! [ The front wall of an abandoned apartment block disappears. ] Bang! [ Dozens of windows shatter, strewing glass everywhere around her. ] Bang! [ There's a crater in the ground like a bomb exploded. ] Bang! Bang!
[ It's exhausting work. Asa doesn't know if using Gun was easier for Yoru, or she just made it look easy, but every shot feels like it's taking a part of her with it, and that's exactly what she wants to happen. She's too much of a coward to put that same finger to her head, too scared of it not working, but soon there won't be any of her left to worry. She just hopes it won't hurt. That whatever form of death this world has is more merciful than her sister at home.
By the time the sun rises again on the ruined wasteland she's created for herself, she's become a part of it — lying on her back in the rubble, barely conscious, tear stains tracking a path through the blood and dirt covering her face. Not pain, but relief. ]
[Denji had heard people chattering about a destructive, wild force—which seemed odd, because while Denji hadn't been here for long, this place didn't seem all that crazy. he'd heard from some folks he'd met that every month or two, something might go down... this has been chalked up to some rogue force of destruction, not even identified yet as a resident for a while. it had caused the denizens, all from other worlds, to murmur and try to put a plan together.
then someone said it was a young girl—which piqued Denji's interest for no sort of appropriate reason. there were tons of cute girls around this place to talk to, but Denji was awkward and off-putting; he hadn't really got the gumption to talk to them anyway he might have liked to... but this kinda shit he was used to. fucked up but true: he's kind of excited.
that is, until following the rampage, he finds... what he initially thinks is a victim to the damage, but Denji squints under the flat plane of his hand. something about the body is familiar.
Denji approaches, and his heart stops, eyes going wide.
Asa?
well... Yoru, more likely?
once fully approached by her side, Denji squats like the delinquent he is. he feels something twist in his chest as he looks down on her, jaw jutted forward. he was too distracted and horny by Yoru's baiting him to remember what she said about Asa's mind breaking, but he vaguely remembers something like that.
he strokes the back of his fingers across her cheek, her tears mixing with the blood and the dirt.]
Hey. Asa.
[can she even hear him?]
You're here too, huh...
[what are the fucking chances? his only friend from back home.
why's she doing this? it's hard to know—Yoru seems to enjoy destruction pointlessly, because of her devil instincts. it only seems to hit Denji now how that's probably wearing Asa out.]
Edited (DAMN IT sorry im still groggy from shit sleep lol) 2025-02-12 17:39 (UTC)
Of course it's fucking Denji. All that effort she went through to save him, and being brought here, away from him, was probably the single most helpful thing she ever did. And she can't even have that! She can't even have that, and she wishes he'd been just a few hours later, so she'd have been dead already. She wishes he'd been earlier, so she could have reached up to touch him back, even if it was with a hand made of a devil's corpse.
Mostly, she wishes she had the energy left to laugh. She tries anyway: the wheeze in her chest sounds more like someone breathing through a punctured lung. Feels like it too. Her expression stays blank, like she doesn't even have the mental capacity to change it anymore. ]
Just get it over with... [ It's cruel of her to dismiss him, but what's the point? She can't undo what she's done to him in the time she has left; not that she could even with all the time in the world. All she can really do for him now is close her eyes and not put up a fight as he kills her. Let him be the hero that stopped the monster. ]
Don't be an idiot, [Denji mumbles. the other denizens weren't even intending to kill the destructive menace; probably capture and punish her somehow, sure, but...
hell. they hadn't caught her. Denji had. it was so recent and rapid, most people didn't even know her identity. so fuck 'em. Denji adjusts his position so he can gather Asa up in his arms, standing with her cradled against him. he tries not to look at her, because it feels. it feels bad. or something. it's hard, seeing your friends lose their grip like this. she's suffering.
he wants to know why, and what's going on, and all that... but later. she's clearly wiped the fuck out. hopefully Yoru doesn't kick Asa out of the driver's seat in her weakened state...but he guesses Yoru would be tired to. Denji turns on his heel, walking her towards his place.]
If you need t'nap, don't go doin' it in the dirt...
[ He's adjusting himself: maybe he's going to choke her out instead of using his chainsaws? That would suck, but whatever. She waits, and it's not until he's already taken a few steps with her in his arms that she realizes what's happening. ]
I wasn't napping, you idiot.
[ She immediately snaps back, and it's probably a good sign that she can at least still argue with him. She doesn't want to admit what she was doing, because somehow, the embarrassment of admitting you were laying down and waiting to die is worse than actually doing it. At least he's not looking at her, though that also makes her mad. Does he think he's better than her? That he's doing her a favour? She claws at his shirt, but she can't even form a proper grip, let alone pull on his starter. ]
Denji... you aren't helping anyone by doing this. [ Not her, not the other people here, and definitely not himself. She's proven herself a threat — not just Yoru, but her. He's the only one too stupid to see that. ]
[Denji's known few people who aren't actually some kind of risk to him in some matter or another. if any, really. not closely. his self esteem is battered to hell, and he isn't even aware of it; his indifference to being used as a weapon if he finally gets laid, still foolishly and fully convinced that he'll have some paradigm shift that'll make him feel less empty. he doesn't care if his friends have maybe tried to kill him in the past, anymore. he doesn't mind that they're dangerous. he still dreams of Makima, of Power, of Aki.
Denji's dangerous too, after all. anyone who gets close to him suffers. there's no winning when it comes to that shit, so why worry about it? shit is so fucked that his question is actually genuine. helping, not helping. none of that shit's real to him anymore.
but he also doesn't really care what her answer is. he's going to do this anyway.]
[ Is he serious? She knows his self esteem is in the gutter, that he's accepting of things (and people) that he shouldn't be, but the answer is so obvious that she— ]
Nevermind.
[ —doesn't even bother giving him one. He's going to do this whether she wants him to or not, so she gives up; tucking herself against his chest and tuning out as much of the outside world as she can, aided by the wooziness accompanying blood loss, and the exhaustion of having pushed her body far beyond its limits. Maybe her injuries will finish the job before she has to explain herself either to him or whoever he's bringing her to. ]
[Denji's aware of her injuries, but thinks she has at least a couple hours left. maybe a little less. he's worried about her, but not worried about her dying as she's tucked away against him. he shouldn't be endeared by it, but he is. even if it's kind of bittersweet. it's probably not normal to feel this way, but damn if he has a slim frame of reference surrounding anything like normal anymore besides what movies tell him, at this point...
once at his, Denji carefully manages to get his door open without dropping Asa, and she deposits him onto her couch (so she doesn't freak out). once she's settled, Denji's on his knees by the bed, resting a hand on the arm of the couch to keep himself balanced.
his other hand, expression dull, Denji bites into his arm. his expression flinches from its stoic deadpan, brows knitting and the bridge of his nose snarling in wrinkled folds like a dog—it hurts, because his teeth are made for tearing. the taste of his own blood wells his mouth.
he observes Asa as he does this, trying to assess her condition. she definitely already seems weaker.]
Hey.
Open your mouth.
[it's going to be unpleasant. he's not sure if she's ever even drank blood before. but he'll make it up to her.]
[ Dimly, Asa's aware of being put down somewhere. Some small, stupid part of her feels annoyance at being robbed of the warmth of his body, of having the human touch she's always longed for as her last memory. Not that she deserves it, but still. It would have been nice. Then comes a scent that makes her groan and instinctively lick her lips in anticipation, though the smell of blood alone isn't enough to fully rouse her again.
Her eyes are clouded; she doesn't respond, but the muscles in her jaw are slack enough to open easily. If she knew what he was planning, she'd be far more resistant (in theory, anyway, it's not like she can actually do much), but even though she's obviously aware of devils using blood to heal — she'd given her own to Denji, after all, back when a little thing like the Falling Devil was their biggest problem — she never once considered doing it, even when she lost her arm. She's human. She's not like them. If she drinks blood, she loses the one thing keeping her truly separated from being more than just the host of the War Devil, and not a devil herself. ]
[well. Denji will kick his own ass up and down this whole place when he finds out he took that from her.
Denji doesn't want to take anything from Asa; he does genuinely want to help, but he's also sort of absently aware that he's never really been able to do that in significant capacities. not as much as he wants to, in this personal way, besides Power. he doesn't want to do anything that'll make Asa dislike him, because...
well.]
Man... Why'd you go'n do all that, Asa...
[it's rhetoric; he understands she's basically out. he hopes his gut is wrong. he hopes maybe she just had some kind of literal internal conflict with Yoru that lead to (again, literal) explosive tempers... not that she just was dead set on doing as much damage to everything around her and to herself. she couldn't be coincidental collateral, after all. there were no devils here. the stakes are insignificant in comparison.
carefully, heart thudding reflexively in his chest as he brushes the soft of his arm across her lips, other hand carefully pulling her chin down with his thumb to open her mouth. he isn't bleeding so much that it flows out of him abundantly, but it steadily drips out, some of it smeared against her lip as the blood gathers and pools, preparing to drip into her mouth.]
[ He won't have to wait long to see results. Within the span of just a few seconds, Asa goes from passively letting Denji's blood drip into her mouth, to gently lapping at his skin like a cat, to savagely biting into his forearm. It's the last one that jerks her into a conscious state of awareness; she sits upright with a gasp, shoving him away from her for his own protection. Most people's concern would be that they're somehow alive, but hers is: ]
What the hell did I do? [ Before he can respond, she touches a hand to her own mouth. Red on black tells her everything she needs to know. ] Oh, no, no, no— [ She starts making gagging noises, trying to force herself to throw up, as if that might somehow undo things. ] Why can't you leave well enough alone? Look, I already hurt you! Denji!
[ There's no way he did that to himself willingly. Not for her. Physically healed, but still mentally reeling, she attempts to get to her feet and stumble towards the door, only to collapse to her knees in a heap not even halfway there. ]
[her tongue stings, but it feels—k-kinda nice—then she's fucking biting him, and Denji tenses, eyes widening as he sucks in a breath through his nose, clenching his teeth. Denji stumbles backwards onto his ass in surprise when she shoves him, but he catches himself on his palms.]
Hey! Hey, whoa!
[he scrambles up again when she starts gagging herself, grabbing her arm to try and pull it away from her mouth. but. you know. Asa is strong as fuck. which is why she manages to wobble away from him, and he's all the way up to his feet, managing to catch her before her knees fully hit the floor.]
Asa!
"Well enough alone"? Like you dyin' is well enough or some shit? Don't fuck with me!!
[he pulls her up carefully, guiding her away from the door.]
Tryna run away from me the second we get to reunite... Jeez...
[ She's not usually one for swearing (it's the language of the uncouth and unintelligent) but she's in too much disbelief to do anything other than parrot Denji's own words straight back at him. There's no great struggle when he pulls her up; she's mostly limp again, cycling between wanting to destroy himherselfthe both of themsomething, and wanting to curl into a ball and cry.
A second later, though, and she's shoving at him again full-force, hard enough to knock him down if he doesn't brace himself in time. ]
I should just turn you into a weapon right now! Maybe then you'd learn your lesson! [ Well. No, he wouldn't, because he'd be dead. ]
[he does very nearly fall over, and he keeps his stance wide when he recovers, fully anticipating she'll attack him more. which is confusing. but when isn't it. he's surprised she has this much gusto from so little blood—he didn't think she'd be this hostile with so little energy.]
Me?! The fuck did I do!
Anyway, you're too weak to turn me into a weapon right now.
[probably.]
If you just rest and chill out, I'll let you beat my head in and bust my brains out or whatever else you wanna do, okay? I'll get those guys off your back, too.
[it sucks his only friend doesn't seem to like Denji very much. besides That Way, which he'll more than happily take. probably it's just his body, right? in the various ways that can apply. but it doesn't matter—he just wants her to recover.]
[ That's her secret: she's always hostile. Just usually not so physically, but without her usual restraint, there's nothing holding her back from letting him have it. ]
Stop it, [ she hisses, reaching up to physically cover her ears. ] Stop just going along with everything. That's how all this bad stuff happened in the first place!
[ Yeah. That's right... it's his fault. And since he's the reason she's alive, anything that happens with her now is also his fault. She could go outside and blow the heads off a dozen people, and it'd all be because of him. If she can't blame Yoru anymore, at least she can blame Denji. Stupid, idiot Denji.
God, she wishes it were that easy. ]
I wanted to help you. [ She nearly sobs the words out, lowering her hands as she trembles. Every single thing she did for him backfired, so she tried to do the one thing that couldn't possibly go wrong, only to fail at that too. But isn't that just the story of her life at this point? If Asa Mitaka was a movie, everyone would criticize it for being too unrealistically pathetic. ]
[he approaches her cautiously, drawn in by the way her voice gets just a little watery and a little high. he gently takes her palms, obvious undeterred by their borrowed nature, smoothing his palm against them. he ducks his height a little bit to try and peer at her face.]
I'm not just goin' along with whatever. If I was doin' that, I wouldn't have brought you back here to try'n help you. Okay?
I have free will. I'm just easy to jerk around.
[uh. oops. bad word choice. Denji quickly moves on:]
If you wanna help me, then just try'n calm down. I can get you some water or somethin'.
[he pauses.]
Y'know.
Devils—which is a lot'a the people I've known... hurt me on purpose. But it's human nature to mess up sometimes. If you ever hurt me, it's not like I'm gonna take it personally.
[now that he knows that Yoru is the War Devil, it's pretty easy to tell who's who somewhat. devils aren't sadistic only by their natures—Power did come to care for him, in her own way, that was less painful than the "care" and affection of other devils.
but Yoru isn't that way. she gets off on Denji's suffering. for Asa, she's clearly demonstrating it's the opposite.]
...Plus, why's it gotta be so one-sided? Why can't I help you too?
[ He's right, but Asa chooses to ignore that. It doesn't matter that his approach is gentle, his words kind, and that he touches her hands like they're hers and not the dead monsters they really are. She takes every olive branch he offers her, and throws them back in his face. ]
Because you don't like me. [ Quiet, but accusatory. ] You like her.
[ And it's so, insanely unfair to use that against Denji, the fact that maybe he'd managed to find some shred of enjoyment in what Yoru did not with, but to him, but she's uncharitable at the best of times, and even moreso now. In Asa's mind, he'd only help her if he liked her. So either this is all some sick joke, or... ]
But I'm better than her! [ Explosive again. Almost desperate. Those same hands grab him by the cheeks, cold against his skin. ] It's because she kissed you, isn't it? It's because she—
[ The alley. He'd been so desperate to find out which of them it was that jerked him off — he was probably hoping it was Yoru and not her. The fun one. The one who gave instead of just taking, even by the most twisted logic imaginable. Is that why he saved her? Because he saw the destruction and thought it was Yoru?
She's kissing him before she even realizes it, his blood still painting her lips, the motion messy and ugly and bruising, and only stopping either when she's pushed away or needs to break for air. There's zero affection in it: this is to prove a point. ]
[ On the night of the 13th of February (by her world's standards, anyway), Sanji gets a text. ]
DON'T open this around anyone else. I mean it. And don't be weird. Just say thanks or something. Ew, no. Don't do that. You know what? I don't even care what you do. Ignore it if you want. I won't be mad. Maybe I'll be a little mad. But I get it. This is presumptuous of me. Just so you know, the costume was Yoru's idea. I thought it was patronizing, personally. Like, wow. He's a pirate, so OBVIOUSLY he's into this sort of thing? Please. Of course a devil would think like that. I bought it just to shut her up. So if I don't use it, I've wasted my money. I'm not cheap, but I'm sensible. That's all this is. Me being sensible. I'm not nervous, either. We talked about this. Sort of. It's really not even that big of a deal.
[ Hopefully he took her first message to heart, because the picture that comes through is a mirror selfie of Asa wearing this. Yes, eyepatch included. She's blushing up a storm, and looking away, so it's not a great photo, but the effort is there. ]
[It's a big deal, actually—so big, in fact, that Sanji first has to take time to surmount the wave of dizziness that accompanies a sudden dip in cresting blood pressure after it hit a threshold once thought improbable. He might be banned from thanking her aloud, but he's inwardly chanting the words to himself. Tremulous hands tighten around the phone as he gawps heartfully at the photograph, and he types as frantically as his inexperienced fingers will allow.]
You look amazing, Asa! ♡♡♡ Yoru was right. ♡ That money definitely went to good use. You're so sensible. ♡♡ Even the eyepatch suits you. ♡♡ Meet me at the house tomorrow? ♡
[Incidentally, this photograph is going to be his home wallpaper now. He has enough sense to reserve something more modest for the lock screen, but he is a man in love with a diverse appetite!]
[ Yoru was right. Oh, she can't let that stand. (She'll also kill him if she sees that photo as his wallpaper......................) ]
To be clear, she just suggested I should try dressing up. And the theme. The actual outfit was my choice, so that's why it looks good. [ It was the only pirate one they had, but he doesn't have to know that. ] I don't even want to think about what she'd choose. She's so shameless, it'd probably barely cover anything.
[ Because what she's wearing covers so much. Enjoy the mental image of it being even skimpier, Sanji. ]
Sure. I'll tell the church I'm taking a few days off for personal reasons. We've recruited more Devil Hunters. They're nowhere near as strong as me, but they should be fine. And they need to learn sometime. I can't do ALL the work for them. [ It's not HER fault if people die while she's trying to get some dick. ]
I guess I'll bring this outfit. When else am I going to get any use out of it?
[ She would never, ever be able to sound this casual in real life, but that's what text is for, baby. ]
Right now, he finds himself narrowly avoiding a fainting spell. His overactive imagination probably will be the death of him someday, because Asa (and Yoru) in an even skimpier outfit, especially after these long months in Kamabakka? Oh, no. Oh, no, what'll he do? What will he do?!]
You have a good eye as always. ♡ I'm sure they'll be fine.
[If the guys perish, that's not their problem. (He'll feel bad.) Asa is right, anyhow: Independent study has its merits.]
You've been working hard, so we can take it easy over there. You can bring anything you want. ♡
[This offer naturally extends to Yoru, which is a dangerous game Sanji is far too eager to play. The messages he sends are true reflections of his feelings, but they're also much smoother in text than he'd sound in person. He's also looking forward to the outfit very, very much.]
[ Selfishly, she hopes nobody else is there — not because she doesn't want to see some of them, but because she really doesn't want to have to explain herself. She's pretty sure Anna would take one look at her and know exactly what she was up to, even if she didn't say a word. It'd be mortifying.
At least it's not a school day, which means a quick stop at the church in the morning (ignoring Yoru's smug comment of how much she sounds like a devil, making demands and ordering about humans beneath her), and all she has to do is go home, get dressed, grab her already-packed bags, and she's off to the house. She doesn't know if he'll be waiting or not, but... it'll be good to see him again. Even she can admit that much to herself. ]
[Sanji barely sleeps, which is par for the course when he generally runs on five hours and even fewer now that he's constantly on the run. For once, the okama's nipping at his heels doesn't bother him as he gathers what fragrant flowers he can on the island. If nothing else, Kamabakka sports some truly beautiful flora that speaks to a romantic heart. Dawn breaks, and he jumps over to the house after notifying his monstrous pursuers over his shoulder that he'll be out.
First things first: He's filthy.
Well, he isn't, but surviving outdoors all this time hasn't given him any to take care of his appearance as carefully as he'd like. He takes full advantage of the house's modern amenities to clean up in the bathroom, then wash the sand and smell of fish out of his clothes (his usual suit with a mint green shirt and striped tie) before heading for the kitchen. Finally, he feels alive again!
By the time Asa arrives later in the morning, Sanji has set a table in the dining area with a bouquet of pink buds and a handful of candles he's scrounged around the house on the side. He's in the middle of considering whether to light the candles now or later when he hears the front door open.
His heart pounding something fierce, he pokes his head out to glimpse the new arrival.]
[ She says, annoyed at the question; before remembering that yes, it could have been a lot of people. This isn't their house. She takes a deep breath. Curbs her defensiveness. Tries again. ]
... Yeah. It's me. [ And... it's him. It feels almost mundane, seeing him here again, but it's been a while. She's changed, and not entirely for the better — has he? ] It's good to see you, Sanji.
Come here for a second?
[ He probably has something planned (presumptuous of her, but it's Sanji), but she has her own first impression she wants to make today. ]
[It remains to be seen how much he's changed on the inside, but he's already begun to bulk up from two months of almost nonstop running and fighting. All the fights in the world couldn't have prepared him for this momentous occasion, though, and he leaves the threshold to make his way across the house in long strides.
His senses never fail when there's a lady in the vicinity. They're even more hyperalert around Asa, so he can see all the details of her face and her outfit before he's in range for indoor voices, an ear-splitting grin on his face and his arms spread wide.]
So good to see you, too!
[Seriously. She has no idea what she's doing for him by being present and real. Iva's island is hell on earth.
Sanji all but throws himself at Asa to loop his arms around her for a hug. He just wants to squeeze her and sob about how adorable she is. Whether she allows it or not, he peels back after a moment (the greatest tragedy of his life), his whole body tingling from the barest contact.]
You look so cute! How was the commute? Here, I'll take your bags to the room. [He leans forward, reaching for them.]
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@benchrental
Well. It's more like War is raging, in the form of a girl with jet-black arms and limitless destruction at her fingertips. Ironically, it's the closest she's come to understanding Yoru; violence as an emotion, how much better the catharsis of suffering is when it's someone else's instead of yours. Destroying things for no other reason than to prove that you can. A declaration to the world itself: "I was here. You will not forget me." ]
Bang! [ Every bird in the vicinity takes flight, screeching their panic into the afternoon air. ] Bang! [ The front wall of an abandoned apartment block disappears. ] Bang! [ Dozens of windows shatter, strewing glass everywhere around her. ] Bang! [ There's a crater in the ground like a bomb exploded. ] Bang! Bang!
[ It's exhausting work. Asa doesn't know if using Gun was easier for Yoru, or she just made it look easy, but every shot feels like it's taking a part of her with it, and that's exactly what she wants to happen. She's too much of a coward to put that same finger to her head, too scared of it not working, but soon there won't be any of her left to worry. She just hopes it won't hurt. That whatever form of death this world has is more merciful than her sister at home.
By the time the sun rises again on the ruined wasteland she's created for herself, she's become a part of it — lying on her back in the rubble, barely conscious, tear stains tracking a path through the blood and dirt covering her face. Not pain, but relief. ]
no subject
then someone said it was a young girl—which piqued Denji's interest for no sort of appropriate reason. there were tons of cute girls around this place to talk to, but Denji was awkward and off-putting; he hadn't really got the gumption to talk to them anyway he might have liked to... but this kinda shit he was used to. fucked up but true: he's kind of excited.
that is, until following the rampage, he finds... what he initially thinks is a victim to the damage, but Denji squints under the flat plane of his hand. something about the body is familiar.
Denji approaches, and his heart stops, eyes going wide.
Asa?
well... Yoru, more likely?
once fully approached by her side, Denji squats like the delinquent he is. he feels something twist in his chest as he looks down on her, jaw jutted forward. he was too distracted and horny by Yoru's baiting him to remember what she said about Asa's mind breaking, but he vaguely remembers something like that.
he strokes the back of his fingers across her cheek, her tears mixing with the blood and the dirt.]
Hey. Asa.
[can she even hear him?]
You're here too, huh...
[what are the fucking chances? his only friend from back home.
why's she doing this? it's hard to know—Yoru seems to enjoy destruction pointlessly, because of her devil instincts. it only seems to hit Denji now how that's probably wearing Asa out.]
no subject
Of course it's fucking Denji. All that effort she went through to save him, and being brought here, away from him, was probably the single most helpful thing she ever did. And she can't even have that! She can't even have that, and she wishes he'd been just a few hours later, so she'd have been dead already. She wishes he'd been earlier, so she could have reached up to touch him back, even if it was with a hand made of a devil's corpse.
Mostly, she wishes she had the energy left to laugh. She tries anyway: the wheeze in her chest sounds more like someone breathing through a punctured lung. Feels like it too. Her expression stays blank, like she doesn't even have the mental capacity to change it anymore. ]
Just get it over with... [ It's cruel of her to dismiss him, but what's the point? She can't undo what she's done to him in the time she has left; not that she could even with all the time in the world. All she can really do for him now is close her eyes and not put up a fight as he kills her. Let him be the hero that stopped the monster. ]
no subject
hell. they hadn't caught her. Denji had. it was so recent and rapid, most people didn't even know her identity. so fuck 'em. Denji adjusts his position so he can gather Asa up in his arms, standing with her cradled against him. he tries not to look at her, because it feels. it feels bad. or something. it's hard, seeing your friends lose their grip like this. she's suffering.
he wants to know why, and what's going on, and all that... but later. she's clearly wiped the fuck out. hopefully Yoru doesn't kick Asa out of the driver's seat in her weakened state...but he guesses Yoru would be tired to. Denji turns on his heel, walking her towards his place.]
If you need t'nap, don't go doin' it in the dirt...
no subject
I wasn't napping, you idiot.
[ She immediately snaps back, and it's probably a good sign that she can at least still argue with him. She doesn't want to admit what she was doing, because somehow, the embarrassment of admitting you were laying down and waiting to die is worse than actually doing it. At least he's not looking at her, though that also makes her mad. Does he think he's better than her? That he's doing her a favour? She claws at his shirt, but she can't even form a proper grip, let alone pull on his starter. ]
Denji... you aren't helping anyone by doing this. [ Not her, not the other people here, and definitely not himself. She's proven herself a threat — not just Yoru, but her. He's the only one too stupid to see that. ]
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[Denji's known few people who aren't actually some kind of risk to him in some matter or another. if any, really. not closely. his self esteem is battered to hell, and he isn't even aware of it; his indifference to being used as a weapon if he finally gets laid, still foolishly and fully convinced that he'll have some paradigm shift that'll make him feel less empty. he doesn't care if his friends have maybe tried to kill him in the past, anymore. he doesn't mind that they're dangerous. he still dreams of Makima, of Power, of Aki.
Denji's dangerous too, after all. anyone who gets close to him suffers. there's no winning when it comes to that shit, so why worry about it? shit is so fucked that his question is actually genuine. helping, not helping. none of that shit's real to him anymore.
but he also doesn't really care what her answer is. he's going to do this anyway.]
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Nevermind.
[ —doesn't even bother giving him one. He's going to do this whether she wants him to or not, so she gives up; tucking herself against his chest and tuning out as much of the outside world as she can, aided by the wooziness accompanying blood loss, and the exhaustion of having pushed her body far beyond its limits. Maybe her injuries will finish the job before she has to explain herself either to him or whoever he's bringing her to. ]
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once at his, Denji carefully manages to get his door open without dropping Asa, and she deposits him onto her couch (so she doesn't freak out). once she's settled, Denji's on his knees by the bed, resting a hand on the arm of the couch to keep himself balanced.
his other hand, expression dull, Denji bites into his arm. his expression flinches from its stoic deadpan, brows knitting and the bridge of his nose snarling in wrinkled folds like a dog—it hurts, because his teeth are made for tearing. the taste of his own blood wells his mouth.
he observes Asa as he does this, trying to assess her condition. she definitely already seems weaker.]
Hey.
Open your mouth.
[it's going to be unpleasant. he's not sure if she's ever even drank blood before. but he'll make it up to her.]
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Her eyes are clouded; she doesn't respond, but the muscles in her jaw are slack enough to open easily. If she knew what he was planning, she'd be far more resistant (in theory, anyway, it's not like she can actually do much), but even though she's obviously aware of devils using blood to heal — she'd given her own to Denji, after all, back when a little thing like the Falling Devil was their biggest problem — she never once considered doing it, even when she lost her arm. She's human. She's not like them. If she drinks blood, she loses the one thing keeping her truly separated from being more than just the host of the War Devil, and not a devil herself. ]
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Denji doesn't want to take anything from Asa; he does genuinely want to help, but he's also sort of absently aware that he's never really been able to do that in significant capacities. not as much as he wants to, in this personal way, besides Power. he doesn't want to do anything that'll make Asa dislike him, because...
well.]
Man... Why'd you go'n do all that, Asa...
[it's rhetoric; he understands she's basically out. he hopes his gut is wrong. he hopes maybe she just had some kind of literal internal conflict with Yoru that lead to (again, literal) explosive tempers... not that she just was dead set on doing as much damage to everything around her and to herself. she couldn't be coincidental collateral, after all. there were no devils here. the stakes are insignificant in comparison.
carefully, heart thudding reflexively in his chest as he brushes the soft of his arm across her lips, other hand carefully pulling her chin down with his thumb to open her mouth. he isn't bleeding so much that it flows out of him abundantly, but it steadily drips out, some of it smeared against her lip as the blood gathers and pools, preparing to drip into her mouth.]
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What the hell did I do? [ Before he can respond, she touches a hand to her own mouth. Red on black tells her everything she needs to know. ] Oh, no, no, no— [ She starts making gagging noises, trying to force herself to throw up, as if that might somehow undo things. ] Why can't you leave well enough alone? Look, I already hurt you! Denji!
[ There's no way he did that to himself willingly. Not for her. Physically healed, but still mentally reeling, she attempts to get to her feet and stumble towards the door, only to collapse to her knees in a heap not even halfway there. ]
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Hey! Hey, whoa!
[he scrambles up again when she starts gagging herself, grabbing her arm to try and pull it away from her mouth. but. you know. Asa is strong as fuck. which is why she manages to wobble away from him, and he's all the way up to his feet, managing to catch her before her knees fully hit the floor.]
Asa!
"Well enough alone"? Like you dyin' is well enough or some shit? Don't fuck with me!!
[he pulls her up carefully, guiding her away from the door.]
Tryna run away from me the second we get to reunite... Jeez...
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[ She's not usually one for swearing (it's the language of the uncouth and unintelligent) but she's in too much disbelief to do anything other than parrot Denji's own words straight back at him. There's no great struggle when he pulls her up; she's mostly limp again, cycling between wanting to destroy
himherselfthe both of themsomething, and wanting to curl into a ball and cry.A second later, though, and she's shoving at him again full-force, hard enough to knock him down if he doesn't brace himself in time. ]
I should just turn you into a weapon right now! Maybe then you'd learn your lesson! [ Well. No, he wouldn't, because he'd be dead. ]
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Me?! The fuck did I do!
Anyway, you're too weak to turn me into a weapon right now.
[probably.]
If you just rest and chill out, I'll let you beat my head in and bust my brains out or whatever else you wanna do, okay? I'll get those guys off your back, too.
[it sucks his only friend doesn't seem to like Denji very much. besides That Way, which he'll more than happily take. probably it's just his body, right? in the various ways that can apply. but it doesn't matter—he just wants her to recover.]
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Stop it, [ she hisses, reaching up to physically cover her ears. ] Stop just going along with everything. That's how all this bad stuff happened in the first place!
[ Yeah. That's right... it's his fault. And since he's the reason she's alive, anything that happens with her now is also his fault. She could go outside and blow the heads off a dozen people, and it'd all be because of him. If she can't blame Yoru anymore, at least she can blame Denji. Stupid, idiot Denji.
God, she wishes it were that easy. ]
I wanted to help you. [ She nearly sobs the words out, lowering her hands as she trembles. Every single thing she did for him backfired, so she tried to do the one thing that couldn't possibly go wrong, only to fail at that too. But isn't that just the story of her life at this point? If Asa Mitaka was a movie, everyone would criticize it for being too unrealistically pathetic. ]
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[he approaches her cautiously, drawn in by the way her voice gets just a little watery and a little high. he gently takes her palms, obvious undeterred by their borrowed nature, smoothing his palm against them. he ducks his height a little bit to try and peer at her face.]
I'm not just goin' along with whatever. If I was doin' that, I wouldn't have brought you back here to try'n help you. Okay?
I have free will. I'm just easy to jerk around.
[uh. oops. bad word choice. Denji quickly moves on:]
If you wanna help me, then just try'n calm down. I can get you some water or somethin'.
[he pauses.]
Y'know.
Devils—which is a lot'a the people I've known... hurt me on purpose. But it's human nature to mess up sometimes. If you ever hurt me, it's not like I'm gonna take it personally.
[now that he knows that Yoru is the War Devil, it's pretty easy to tell who's who somewhat. devils aren't sadistic only by their natures—Power did come to care for him, in her own way, that was less painful than the "care" and affection of other devils.
but Yoru isn't that way. she gets off on Denji's suffering. for Asa, she's clearly demonstrating it's the opposite.]
...Plus, why's it gotta be so one-sided? Why can't I help you too?
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Because you don't like me. [ Quiet, but accusatory. ] You like her.
[ And it's so, insanely unfair to use that against Denji, the fact that maybe he'd managed to find some shred of enjoyment in what Yoru did not with, but to him, but she's uncharitable at the best of times, and even moreso now. In Asa's mind, he'd only help her if he liked her. So either this is all some sick joke, or... ]
But I'm better than her! [ Explosive again. Almost desperate. Those same hands grab him by the cheeks, cold against his skin. ] It's because she kissed you, isn't it? It's because she—
[ The alley. He'd been so desperate to find out which of them it was that jerked him off — he was probably hoping it was Yoru and not her. The fun one. The one who gave instead of just taking, even by the most twisted logic imaginable. Is that why he saved her? Because he saw the destruction and thought it was Yoru?
She's kissing him before she even realizes it, his blood still painting her lips, the motion messy and ugly and bruising, and only stopping either when she's pushed away or needs to break for air. There's zero affection in it: this is to prove a point. ]
this fucking work call is taking SO MUCH TIME IM DYING how dare u slow down my tag time
help i'm usually slow tbh... dw... i feel so bad for denji AGAIN
SGSLKG SUCH IS THE NARRATIVE
😭😭
denji: the man who wants to be the knight but is in fact the sub damsel
his battered wife coding... crying at this vs the 'consent is important!!' thread
LMAO asa: the fucked up saint of consent denji needs
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potential for memshare "event" in the future of the PSL goes toooo:
i want her to see makima's treatment of him sooooo bad
YESSS…. let’s dog-ear that lol
🙏
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POLITELY URGING HER TO SHUT THE FUCK UP he just like me fr
LOL
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@hgeegh
DON'T open this around anyone else.
I mean it.
And don't be weird. Just say thanks or something.
Ew, no. Don't do that.
You know what? I don't even care what you do. Ignore it if you want.
I won't be mad.
Maybe I'll be a little mad. But I get it. This is presumptuous of me.
Just so you know, the costume was Yoru's idea. I thought it was patronizing, personally.
Like, wow. He's a pirate, so OBVIOUSLY he's into this sort of thing? Please. Of course a devil would think like that.
I bought it just to shut her up. So if I don't use it, I've wasted my money. I'm not cheap, but I'm sensible.
That's all this is. Me being sensible.
I'm not nervous, either. We talked about this.
Sort of.
It's really not even that big of a deal.
[ Hopefully he took her first message to heart, because the picture that comes through is a mirror selfie of Asa wearing this. Yes, eyepatch included. She's blushing up a storm, and looking away, so it's not a great photo, but the effort is there. ]
Happy Valentine's Day, Sanji.
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You look amazing, Asa! ♡♡♡
Yoru was right. ♡ That money definitely went to good use. You're so sensible. ♡♡
Even the eyepatch suits you. ♡♡
Meet me at the house tomorrow? ♡
[Incidentally, this photograph is going to be his home wallpaper now. He has enough sense to reserve something more modest for the lock screen, but he is a man in love with a diverse appetite!]
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To be clear, she just suggested I should try dressing up. And the theme.
The actual outfit was my choice, so that's why it looks good. [ It was the only pirate one they had, but he doesn't have to know that. ]
I don't even want to think about what she'd choose. She's so shameless, it'd probably barely cover anything.
[ Because what she's wearing covers so much. Enjoy the mental image of it being even skimpier, Sanji. ]
Sure. I'll tell the church I'm taking a few days off for personal reasons.
We've recruited more Devil Hunters. They're nowhere near as strong as me, but they should be fine.
And they need to learn sometime. I can't do ALL the work for them. [ It's not HER fault if people die while she's trying to get some dick. ]
I guess I'll bring this outfit. When else am I going to get any use out of it?
[ She would never, ever be able to sound this casual in real life, but that's what text is for, baby. ]
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Right now, he finds himself narrowly avoiding a fainting spell. His overactive imagination probably will be the death of him someday, because Asa (and Yoru) in an even skimpier outfit, especially after these long months in Kamabakka? Oh, no. Oh, no, what'll he do? What will he do?!]
You have a good eye as always. ♡
I'm sure they'll be fine.
[If the guys perish, that's not their problem. (He'll feel bad.) Asa is right, anyhow: Independent study has its merits.]
You've been working hard, so we can take it easy over there. You can bring anything you want. ♡
[This offer naturally extends to Yoru, which is a dangerous game Sanji is far too eager to play. The messages he sends are true reflections of his feelings, but they're also much smoother in text than he'd sound in person. He's also looking forward to the outfit very, very much.]
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[ Selfishly, she hopes nobody else is there — not because she doesn't want to see some of them, but because she really doesn't want to have to explain herself. She's pretty sure Anna would take one look at her and know exactly what she was up to, even if she didn't say a word. It'd be mortifying.
At least it's not a school day, which means a quick stop at the church in the morning (ignoring Yoru's smug comment of how much she sounds like a devil, making demands and ordering about humans beneath her), and all she has to do is go home, get dressed, grab her already-packed bags, and she's off to the house. She doesn't know if he'll be waiting or not, but... it'll be good to see him again. Even she can admit that much to herself. ]
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First things first: He's filthy.
Well, he isn't, but surviving outdoors all this time hasn't given him any to take care of his appearance as carefully as he'd like. He takes full advantage of the house's modern amenities to clean up in the bathroom, then wash the sand and smell of fish out of his clothes (his usual suit with a mint green shirt and striped tie) before heading for the kitchen. Finally, he feels alive again!
By the time Asa arrives later in the morning, Sanji has set a table in the dining area with a bouquet of pink buds and a handful of candles he's scrounged around the house on the side. He's in the middle of considering whether to light the candles now or later when he hears the front door open.
His heart pounding something fierce, he pokes his head out to glimpse the new arrival.]
Is that you, Asa?
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[ She says, annoyed at the question; before remembering that yes, it could have been a lot of people. This isn't their house. She takes a deep breath. Curbs her defensiveness. Tries again. ]
... Yeah. It's me. [ And... it's him. It feels almost mundane, seeing him here again, but it's been a while. She's changed, and not entirely for the better — has he? ] It's good to see you, Sanji.
Come here for a second?
[ He probably has something planned (presumptuous of her, but it's Sanji), but she has her own first impression she wants to make today. ]
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His senses never fail when there's a lady in the vicinity. They're even more hyperalert around Asa, so he can see all the details of her face and her outfit before he's in range for indoor voices, an ear-splitting grin on his face and his arms spread wide.]
So good to see you, too!
[Seriously. She has no idea what she's doing for him by being present and real. Iva's island is hell on earth.
Sanji all but throws himself at Asa to loop his arms around her for a hug. He just wants to squeeze her and sob about how adorable she is. Whether she allows it or not, he peels back after a moment (the greatest tragedy of his life), his whole body tingling from the barest contact.]
You look so cute! How was the commute? Here, I'll take your bags to the room. [He leans forward, reaching for them.]