Blood Bind (Feitan x Reader)

Chapter 30

CW: Descriptions of domestic violence. It has absolutely nothing to do with Feitan/reader or anyone associated with the Phantom Troupe.

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You couldn't understand the greetings you and Marco shared. It felt too normal, like nothing had ever changed.

Marco was cold, his skin tight against his bones. Stress had consumed him and left his remains in the desert to rot. Last time you'd been so set on running him through, you hadn't had time to consider if he was doing well. In fact, you'd wanted him to be suffering when you'd seen the bags under his eyes.

Cuts and bruises speckled his skin like freckles. His right eye was dark and half-lidded from the puffiness and his grimy, split hair fell over his eyes. He was in need of a haircut.

You rested your palms on his face and he flinched. You wanted to hit him for being the stupidest person you'd ever met, and you wanted to smack yourself for jumping to conclusions from your blinding rage you could hardly feel without it consuming you whole.

But there was one thing you couldn't yet forgive him for. The one thing you wouldn't compromise on.

"I can heal you," you said, itching to try out the strange development in your Nen that had left Feitan better than before that you could only attribute to the Blood Bind. "But on one condition."

Marco's open gaze closed off, but he didn't look away. He nodded for you to continue.

"If you harm or help in harming Feitan," you whispered, gripping his face until he flinched at the pressure against his purple, bruised skin. A trick you'd learned from Fei. "I'll chase you to the ends of the earth and make you suffer before I kill you."

Marco withered under your touch and it made you want to throw him out in the cold. He dared wilt under the confirmation of the actions he himself had taken?

"I said no killing each other," Anaia said, arms crossed as she came to stand beside you like the parent preparing to separate the siblings.

"I'm not killing him right now," you said, not bothering to look Anaia in the eye. "I'm making a promise since he thought he could murder my soulmate without repercussions."

The thought alone made the bond ring in your chest; pound and claw at your rationality that slipped quicker every passing day when you considered what Marco had meant to do to Fei.

"You tossed Anaia in a dungeon and tortured her for days," Marco said, his own hand flying up to clutch at your collar. Your neck cracked as you were jerked up towards him. A move so uncharacteristic of the brother you thought you knew. But even in his anger, sadness seeped through the cracks in his words. "I have never touched Feitan, but you almost killed Anaia. You've already harmed her."

You didn't have it in you to ask if he didn't hurt Fei because he decided it was wrong or because he never found him.

"Because you both blew up an entire town and did it while working for a cult trying to kill people just like you and I!" you said, slamming your wrist into his. Your bones rang at the impact, but Marco's did too. He pulled his arm back and shook out his hand. Murderous intent flickered in his eyes before perching closer to acute helplessness. You'd assumed Anaia's request was for you not to kill Marco, you hadn't realized it went both directions. "I never targeted her like you targeted Fei."

It didn't matter that he'd never succeeded, what mattered was that he'd had the intent.

"I did it because I know what you're like," he said gently, as if it could placate you. "You weren't safe from yourself as long as your soulmate survived."