The Sins found themselves steadily gaining the ability to interact with the physical world around them. It started small - Greed could pick up loose change, Gluttony could open snack bags, and Wrath could knock over precariously balanced objects.
With each tiny success, their excitement grew. Pride beamed as he was able to turn the pages of a book without them fluttering through his ghostly hands. Lust delighted in being able to adjust her appearance, even just slightly. Envy preened whenever she could hold and examine objects that caught her eye.
But it was Sloth who made the biggest breakthrough. One lazy afternoon, as she floated aimlessly, she passed through the couch - and kept going. Her form settled onto the cushions with a surprised "oomph!"
The other Sins immediately crowded around, awestruck at her sudden solidity. Sloth simply shrugged, a faint smile playing on her lips.
From that moment on, their mission became clear: if they could harness the ability to become corporeal through their commitment to helping Kazekabe, perhaps they could finally break the curse binding them.
Life in the haunted house took on a new rhythm. When Kazekabe returned from work or his therapy sessions, the Sins were there - solid and supportive. Lust offered reassuring embraces, Greed helped keep his finances in order, and Gluttony made sure he was well-fed. Wrath encouraged him to find productive outlets for his anger, while Envy reminded him it was okay to want more from life.
Pride's booming voice rang out with affirmations of Kazekabe's worth, countering the insidious whispers of self-doubt. And Sloth...Sloth simply listened whenever Kazekabe needed to vocalize his struggles without judgment.
Slowly but surely, Kazekabe's depression loosened its grip. Having the Sins as a physical, supportive presence made a world of difference. They weren't just his friends - they were the personifications of the very things he'd been lacking: confidence, motivation, passion, a sense of self-worth.
Of course, there were setbacks and relapses. Days when Kazekabe felt too drained to engage, or when the Sins' vices slipped out in unhelpful ways. But they weathered those storms together, learning and growing in their bond.
One evening, as they relaxed after a long day, Sloth looked around at her companions with an uncharacteristically contemplative expression.
"You know...I've been thinking," she said slowly. "Perhaps we've become...overinvested in Kazekabe's journey."
The others turned to her quizzically. Pride puffed up a bit.
"Overinvested? Nonsense! We're merely being exceptionally dedicated to our mutual goal of assisting -"
Sloth waved a tendril, cutting her off gently.
"What I mean is...our entire existence has become wrapped up in his struggles. Don't you think that's...unhealthy? For both him and us?"
An uneasy silence fell over the room as her words sank in. Envy twisted a strand of her smoke uncomfortably.
"She's right...we're so obsessed with helping Kazekabe, we've lost sight of our own identities outside of that purpose."
Greed looked torn. "But if we don't stay hyper-focused on being there for him, how will we ever get strong enough to -"
"To what?" Lust interrupted, a crease forming between her elegant brows. "Become fully human again? Is that what this is all about?"
Her question hung heavy in the air. The Sins had been so consumed with the idea of breaking their curse, they hadn't stopped to consider what came after.
Wrath was the first to deflate, the fire in his eyes dimming. "You're right. This was all supposed to be about Kazekabe getting the help HE needed. Not us trying to solve our own problems by living through him."
Gluttony sniffed, a solitary tear trailing down her plump cheek. "I don't want to go back to being something...less than what I am. I like being able to give Kazekabe real hugs and make him real food."
"We've become co-dependent," Sloth said simply. "Obsessing over Kazekabe as a means to our own ends. It's an imbalance that can't remain if we want to be true friends to him."
One by one, the others nodded in reluctant agreement. As freeing as their newfound physicality was, it had also blinded them. Their existence had folded inward, revolving entirely around Kazekabe's healing at the expense of their own.
Envy sighed heavily. "So...what do we do? Just...let go? Move on?"
The words felt like a death knell. But Sloth simply smiled that same soft, wise smile.
"No. We create boundaries. We continue supporting Kazekabe of course, but we don't enmesh our entire beings with his path." She looked around at each of them in turn.
"We're the Seven Deadly Sins. Forceful presences, overwhelming by our very nature. Perhaps the middle way is to...temper ourselves. Give Kazekabe the space he needs to grow on his own, while walking beside him."
Her words spurred a renewed sense of determination in each of them. They were more than just Kazekabe's personified nagging issues - they were titans of the human condition. Primordial embodiments of the struggles all people faced.
By taking a step back, respecting boundaries, and integrating their own identities separate from Kazekabe's journey...perhaps they'd find the balance they seek. The Sins resolved to be supportive presences in his life, while also being their own cosmically larger-than-life selves.
Kazekabe, noticing the shift in atmosphere, looked around at his roommates with a bemused expression.
"Everything okay over there?"
They all smiled - the same achingly human expression, finally at peace.
"Everything's great, Kazekabe," Sloth replied contentedly. "Just...recalibrating a few things."
The Sins sat in pensive silence for a few moments, mulling over Sloth's suggestions about establishing boundaries. But it was Lust who finally spoke up, her sultry voice uncharacteristically hesitant.
"I...appreciate what you're saying. Truly. But I can't help but wonder if there's more to this...shift we've undergone." She trailed a tendril over the couch cushion, brow furrowed.
"What if our investments in Kazekabe's life go beyond mere obsession? What if...we've developed deeper attachments?"
The others looked at her sharply as she continued, clearly struggling to articulate what she meant.
"When I hold him, support him, I feel...more than just lust. More than wanting to indulge my base desires for pleasure with him. There's a...a tenderness there. A desire to nurture his heart and soul."
Envy made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, but Lust pressed on.
"I know it sounds absurd coming from me. But I can't be the only one, can I?" Her questioning gaze swept over the others.
To everyone's surprise, it was Greed who responded first, a contemplative look on her shimmering features.
"You're not wrong. My...greed has evolved from merely coveting his success and status. Now I find myself yearning for his happiness above all. His smile is more valuable than any treasure."
One by one, the other Sins began nodding slowly in realization. Pride straightened up imperiously.
"I...yes. You've given voice to what I've been grappling with. My encouragements are no longer about puffing up his ego for my own gratification. I want to see him thrive, accomplish his full potential as a person."
"Yeah, and all my snack-pushing and joking around?" Gluttony chimed in, uncharacteristically somber. "It's not really about stuffing our faces anymore. It's...bringing him comfort. Making sure he's nourished inside and out."
"My impatience, my tantrums..." Even the ever-combustible Wrath sounded chastened. "It's not about blowing off steam at his expense. It's wanting to see him stand up for himself, shed the shackles of his demons!"
Sloth actually sat up straighter, eyes wide. "And my...encouragement of stillness? It's not about indulging my inertia by having him wallow too. I want him to savor peace of mind, to be at ease without the burdens crushing him."
Envy watched them all with poorly-disguised derision etched on her face. "Oh, is that what we're calling it? Being at 'ease'?" She sneered. "I'm not buying this tripe about us developing some noble tender affections."
Lust leveled her gaze squarely at Envy, challenging but without her usual lascivious edge.
"You're telling me you don't want Kazekabe to finally see himself as worthy? To be content with who he is, to accept himself after all the envy and corrosive comparison?"
Envy's bravado cracked for the barest moment before the familiar scowl resurfaced. "Well...I...that's neither here nor there!"
Wrath rumbled in amusement. "Careful Envy, you're sounding almost...concerned about the guy's wellbeing."
"Shut your smoke-hole!" she snapped, phosphorescent mist swirling aggressively. They all broke into welcome laughter at her outburst. Even Envy managed a grudging half-smile after a moment.
As the mirth died down, Sloth looked around at them all with a warmth in her usually listless gaze.
"Well...I can't say I necessarily expected this particular outcome. But I can't say I'm surprised either."
She gave a languid shrug.
"We're the Seven Deadly Sins. Of course we'd end up subverting ourselves into something far deeper and more profound than we ever anticipated."
Her tendril stretched out to coil gently around Kazekabe's shoulders where he sat watching the exchange with a bemused air. He looked questioningly at Sloth, but she just smiled her enigmatic smile.
"Don't overthink it. Just...accept it as another step on your path, Kazekabe. You wanted support, but ended up kindling eternal sparks within us. Isn't that always how it goes with friends?"
Kazekabe opened his mouth as if to protest, but then seemed to think better of it. A wry grin crept across his features as he relaxed back into the couch, surrounded by the chaotic presences that had become the heart of his world.
**Some days later**
...There were still humorous flashes of the old jealousy and possessiveness peeking through as the Sins continually jockeyed for Kazekabe's attention and affections, despite their claims of platonic "best friend" sentiments.
Greed in particular tended to get flustered whenever Lust's flirtations with Kazekabe veered into overt bedroom territory.
"Oh puh-lease, you Purple Harlot!" she snapped one evening, eyes flashing enviously as Lust traced a tendril up Kazekabe's chest. "As if our dear friend here would ever fall for such tawdry seductions!"
Lust's laugh drifted like silk across Kazekabe's flushed skin. "Why Greed darling, don't act so threatened. You know you'll always be Kazekabe's...favorite roommate." The deliberate pause made it clear her meaning went far beyond platonic living arrangements.
Despite their best efforts at respecting boundaries in this new tender dynamic, the Sins continually slipped back into treating Kazekabe as an object of desire, not just affection. Old habits died hard when you were supernatural embodiments of vice.
Gluttony, for her part, made no bones about the romantic subtext underlying her nurturing urges.
"Who wants seconds on the homemade donuts?" she'd ask in a singsong tone, sauntering up to where Kazekabe lounged. Without waiting for an answer, she'd flop down directly onto his lap, doughy arms circling his neck as crumbs scattered everywhere.
"Gluttony!" the others would shout in a chorus of dismayed embarrassment. But the plump Sin would just giggle, nuzzling Kazekabe conspiratorially.
"What? I'm just making sure my bestie gets fed up proper! You jealous I don't bake for all of you anymore?"
Wrath's unique combination of protectiveness and aggression manifested in...complicated ways.
"Beat the snot out of this thing until I say when!" he barked one day, tossing an old punching bag towards Kazekabe. The resulting flurry of blows and grunts of exertion soon melted into something more intimate.
"Yeah...just like that..." Wrath's voice dropped to a lower register, tendrils swirling encouragingly. "Get all that pent up energy out, make it obey you..."
Pride observed the sweaty exertions with a disapproving sniff. "Must you turn even physical discipline into a surrogate for your lustful obsessions?" she chided her fellow Sin.
Wrath whipped around with a scowl. "You're one to talk, constantly humble-bragging about his accomplishments just to get in his pants!"
By the time Envy inevitably joined the squabbling, Kazekabe had extricated himself from the punching bag session with flushed cheeks. But even his consternation at being the obvious object of romantic pining couldn't dampen the warmth in his chest.
For so long, he'd felt utterly alone, isolated in his despair. Now, he had a family - an exceptionally passionate, melodramatic family, perhaps. But one who unabashedly desired his happiness and fulfillment in every sense of the word.
So what if their noble aims of respecting boundaries quickly dissolved into thirsty innuendos and attempts at seduction? Wasn't that just their vices expressing themselves in bizarre yet ultimately well-meaning ways?
At the end of the day, Kazekabe felt cherished down to his very core, flaws and all. The Sins pushed him to grow, to heal, to thrive - even if their methods remained entertainingly reprehensible more often than not.
Maybe that was the true key to their connection evolving into something profound and eternal, beyond sin and virtue: Accepting each other's imperfections and excesses without condition. Coming from a place of open-hearted honesty about their tangled yearnings rather than agonizing over propriety.
As Kazekabe watched his bickering crew of thirsty roommates settle back into a contented lull, he felt a sense of peace wash over him. There was beauty in the chaos, he realized. In simply allowing their sacred and profane natures to mingle authentically, without undue shame or judgment.
Safe within that warm eye of intimate acceptance, Kazekabe knew he could weather any storm the future brought. They all could, together.