#<- guy who has never cared about nico h until this moment

[malewifenico]

I’m sorry, the fact that Haas already have someone to fill the experienced older driver role, a guy who’s finished on the podium once in eight seasons, but they’re replacing Mick with a guy that’s finished on the podium zero times in ten seasons, and Mick in his second season has so far earned four times as many points as George did in his second season and George got a third year and then a Mercedes seat rather than getting dropped before the last race when it’s too late to go anywhere else,

[led-writes]

One Minute

How long is one minute?

Marcus lets his vision adjust as the whirring of the machine on his wrists winds down and the world stops spinning. He’s on Nelumbo Avenue now. It's busy at this time of night, and the bright city lights always make him dizzy for an instant. He’s assaulted by the strong smell of wet pavement and gasoline, followed by the sound of the cars rushing past him and the wind that follows. He’s frozen, just for a moment. 

One minute is about fifteen breaths and twenty blinks.

A group of rowdy drunks walks behind Marcus and knocks him off the sidewalk. It’s enough to snap him out of his daze. He’s in front of the concert hall, and he needs to get to the next street over: that’s where the bike is. He takes off, ignoring the honking drivers as he makes his way to the next sidewalk. His phone vibrates in his jacket. He doesn’t need to take it out of his pocket to know who it is; as always, he’s late for dinner and, as always, Jeanne is pissed at him for it. He lets it vibrate and speeds up.

One minute is on average one hundred meters walking and two hundred meters running. 

Marcus skids to a stop on Daisy Street and spots the bike. There’s someone trying to get on; he’s late. He sprints forward and knocks the innocent bystander off the bike before climbing on himself, sneakers slipping along the gears. He used to apologize. He doesn’t anymore. There’s a cry of outrage from behind him, but he rides past without a care, confident there are enough people around to help the guy back up. He skips a corner and drives straight through a holographic advertisement, closing his eyes just in time to avoid being blinded.

One minute is how long it takes for seventeen cars to cross the intersection between Marigold and Main Street. 

Marcus dodges through the intersection with practised ease, careful not to anger certain drivers along the way. He narrowly avoids a man distributing religious pamphlets on the sidewalk and moves the handlebar straight before easing off the pedals, letting gravity carry him all the way down Main Street. The brakes screech when he reaches the roundabout at the end of the road. He turns left along it for a moment before turning on Edelweiss, past Stena Park and onto Columbine.

One minute is enough time for the entire Earth to move six million kilometers around the sun.

Marcus reaches the edge of Columbine and jumps off the bike. It rolls on without him. Right there in front of him is the alleyway between an abandoned apartment building and a cheap grocery store. He used to notice the stench of the dumpsters against the walls, the crunch of the broken glass beneath his feet, the buzzing and flickering of the aging street lamps. Now all he can see is Nico. Nico, his childhood friend, in his usual overworn hoody and cheap boots. Nico, with his hair a mess and his tired smile matching his sleepless eyes. Nico, with his back hitting the dirty pavement, his skull shattering against the ground, his face bloody. It never gets easier.

Marcus stops breathing. The device on his wrist beeps; he’s out of time. He glues his eyes shut and braces himself for the nauseating sensations of being brought back. Next time, he tells himself, next time, I’ll catch you. 

Marcus opens his eyes in a daze of city lights, and takes a second to remember. He’s on Nelumbo Avenue. The drunken crowd bumps him off the sidewalk, and he takes off in a rush towards Daisy Street.

For Marcus, this one minute has lasted three days.

He gets there quick enough to beat anyone else to the bike and hops on it as fast as he can. His phone vibrates; he’s late for dinner. He turns left on Marigold through the holographic sign, endures the honking and cursing when he crosses the road on a red light, then turns right on Main, careful to dodge the pamphlet priest. 

Marcus has always been smart. It’s his point of pride, the first thing he mentions when he’s asked to describe himself. It’s never said as a brag, just as a simple fact of life. The sky is blue and Marcus is terribly intelligent. It’s because of his intelligence that there’s a dinner tonight at all. His friends are celebrating his latest breakthrough: a portable way to travel through time. Gone was the era of bulky machines and endless prep. Now, thanks to Marcus’ new prototype, government agents would be able to travel anytime with just the push of a button on their wrists. 

He drifts along the roundabout for a few seconds before getting onto Edelweiss, then makes a sharp turn on Columbine, rushes along Stena Park until the end of the street, stops between the apartments and the grocery store. Nico’s back hits the ground. 

Beebeep!

Marcus opens his eyes on Nelumbo, feeling nauseous. He blinks until the bright signs come into focus. He’s pushed off the sidewalk. He runs.

He was on his way to the restaurant when all this started. His prototype proudly attached to his wrist, he’d practically jogged down the road, his step giddy. He’d been standing on Nelumbo Avenue, admiring the new colourful sign above the concert hall door, when his phone had first buzzed. 

That was the last time he heard Nico speak. His voice has been shaky and soft; Marcus had barely been able to hear him over the sound of the cars rolling by. But Nico had sounded distressed, and Marcus always wanted to help, so he’d offered to meet him in person. 

“I’ll see you on Columbine.”

Those were Nico’s final words, not that Marcus had known that at the time. Still, the way they had been said had rang alarm bells in his head, and his mind had kicked in overdrive. He’d begun sprinting down the road, thoughts swirling in a pool of panicked adrenaline. He’d known something was wrong. 

He’d arrived at the alley too late, Nico already on the ground..

Running towards the bike, Marcus remembers that first time, that very first minute. He’d screamed, he’d cried, he’d begged. Nico was in his arms, dead, shattered, impossible to save. In his panic, his bloody fingers had reached over to his wrist, activated his prototype, and Marcus had appeared back on Nelumbo, eyes fixed on the concert hall.

Marcus rides the bike down Main and onto the roundabout, then on Edelweiss, then Columbine, and then Nico lands.

Beebeep!

Dizzy on Nelumbo Avenue. Shoved onto the street. Buzz. Sprint to Daisy. Get the bike.

After thousands of attempts, Marcus has gotten the trip from the concert hall to the alley down to a science of microseconds. His latest route is the fastest so far, but evidently isn’t fast enough. He needs to do better.

This time, he twists the bike’s handlebar right when he reaches Marigold. At the end of the street in a dead end, so he turns left on Tansy, then left again on Tarragon. All along the right side of the street is a barren construction site; on the left is nothing but houses for sale. The road is deserted. Tarragon ends back on Main, and he makes it through in record time, the tires marking the asphalt when he takes a sharp turn right to the roundabout. He slips onto Edelweiss, then Columbine and along the park.

Nico falls. And this time, Marcus sees him in the air just a little longer. Progress is so rare that this extra second is enough to make him tear up. 

Beebeep!

Lights, push, buzz, Daisy, bike.

Marcus makes a sharp right turn on Marigold. He thinks of Nico. They would always sit in Nico’s dorm room; Marcus fixing wiring on some new machine, Nico sitting on his bed working on three different laptops at once, an ocean of empty energy drink cans at their feet. Marcus would listen with amused patience to Nico’s quiet rants every time his coding crashed, and Nico in turn would bandage Marcus’ hands when he inevitably cut them on the metal between his fingers. 

The bike skids left onto Tansy. Marcus makes the mistake of looking at his hand; there’s some gauze taped to his wrist. He remembers crying out as Nico applied it there to cover up a nasty gash, his sleepy voice teasing Marcus about his whining. He remembers crying out as the gauze turned red from Nico’s head resting in his arms. His vision blurs and he misses the turn on Tarragon.

Instead, the bike drives straight into the construction site. Marcus struggles to maintain control through the dirt and around the few metal structures laying around. He picks up speed as the terrain shifts downwards, the uneven ground making it almost impossible to hold onto the handlebar. 

He’s about to reach the edge of the construction area when he notices the small brick border separating the sidewalk from the site. He barely has time to brace for impact before the front wheel collides with the foot tall wall, sending Marcus flying over it and onto the road. 

Lying flat against the ground, skull throbbing from the hit, he takes a deep breath that feels more like a broken gasp. His ribs scream. His breathing is reduced to nothing more than a wheeze, but he stands nonetheless and wobbles forward. He’s on Cherry Street, on the other side of Stena Park. He can feel that his ribs are broken, his left shoulder is most likely dislocated, and there’s something warm dripping down his chin. But he can see Columbine Street through the trees of the park. He keeps going.

He makes it two steps from Columbine. He isn’t anywhere close to Nico, but there’s blood on the gauze again anyway.

Beebeep!

The city lights are blinding, but nothing hurts anymore. Marcus lifts his arm to his eyes and stares at the clean bandage on his wrist. This time, when he’s pushed off the sidewalk, he simply falls to his knees. No one notices.

He should be rushing, but he can’t bring himself to. The clock will reset no matter what, and he needs this minute to pause, just this once. 

He swallows with difficulty, and lets the rush of cars nearby ruffle his hair. He gets a text from Jeanne; he is late, after all. 

His shoulders shake. He loves Nico. He does, he does. And seeing him die is the hardest thing he’s ever done. Seeing him die over and over has broken him. He’s here, racing against the clock as many times as he has to for him. Right?

But Marcus also knows that the resets will only stop when he catches Nico. Until he succeeds in stopping his death, the minute will restart. And Marcus will be stuck here, in Nico’s last moments. Forever running full speed through uncaring crowds to a dark alley filled with blood.

Marcus stares up at the concert hall sign, unable to read it through the water in his eyes, and wonders when Nico’s life became a simple byproduct of his freedom.

Beebeep!

How long is one minute?

Marcus is snapped out of his daze when a crowd of clumsy drunks push him off the edge of the sidewalk. He sprints across the avenue towards Daisy Street, where he knows there’s a bike waiting for him. He ignores the buzzing in his pocket; he knows he’s late for dinner. 

One minute is about fifteen breaths.

He pushes an innocent man off the bike and rides away without paying any mind to the complaint resonating behind him. He turns left on Tansy, then drives straight through the construction site, gritting his teeth at the strenuous steering. He swiftly dodges the brick border separating him from Cherry Street, the metal wheel screeching when it scrapes the ground. 

One minute is two hundred meters.

Marcus ignores the ache in his knees and pedals forward straight through the park ahead, moving with difficulty around the trees and through the neatly trimmed grass. He arrives on Columbine with mud on his sneakers and scrapes on his arms and legs.

One minute is six million kilometers.

Marcus jumps off the bike right before the grocery store, rushing head first into the alley, hand stretched out. It grazes Nico’s arm, but doesn’t stop his fall. Marcus shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath, bracing himself for the nausea and fighting back tears.

One minute is not enough.

Beebeep!

x

[lygerastia]

emotional jinx (Nero DMC) - Part 1

Summary:  You are Nero's childhood friend who disappeared on him one day, leaving him heartbroken and confused: and straight into Kyrie's arms. Now, you have returned--and the demon hunter's world turns around as he remembers his forgotten feelings for you. But he's with Kyrie and... What will he do? And what will you do when Nero believes you like Dante?

Warnings: none

Chapters: 1 / 4 [Completed] 

READ IT ON AO3. 

Part 1. / Part 2.  / Part 3. / Part 4. 

**

Once upon a time—

You hoped.  

You dreamed of a white picket fence house alongside your loved one, your kids safe from the threat of demons. Back then, you were young and happy and you’ve never faced danger before—before your friend got mixed up in that 'end-of-the-world' type of plot. The world almost got destroyed: but the horror consisted of you losing your loved ones. It changed you completely. You became what you are today: a devil hunter wielding a gun and a sword. A family heirloom. You trained and survived, pairing up with your best friend—and hoped.

Hoped that, one day, Nero would be yours.  

A silly wish, unfulfilled. Nero had his eyes set on another: on Kyrie, the beautiful songstress. You understood why Nero would be attracted to her. You couldn’t even be jealous after seeing her gentle nature—she was too kind for you to hate her. It wasn’t fair to her for you to hate her. She wasn’t at fault here; if Nero preferred her over you, his childhood friend, then so be it.  

Yet you couldn’t get rid of that nagging feeling. You continued loving him, unconditionally. Sometimes, you didn’t even want him: you were fine with just taking care of him from afar. Oftentimes, you wanted him to whisper sweet words in your ears while holding you tight in his arms—and kiss you like you mean the world to him. In moments of weakness, you craved for that affection, crying your heart out when you didn’t get what you wanted. It pained you to see him acting like a puppy around the songstress, but you put on a brave smile and acted as if nothing was wrong. Nero suspected nothing. He was still your friend you could joke around and be close with—until you could take it no longer and moved on.  

Well, more like the world was coming to an end, you lost everything and Nero finally expressed some real interest in Kyrie (or so it seemed). You had to get away. You did. But destiny brought you together when a new threat emerged to destroy your world.  

He was changed, you noticed.  

Luckily, you were also different. One thing never changed: your love for him, which rekindled the moment your eyes set on him.  

They say hope dies last.  You agreed.  

And you were a fool.  

**

The world was going to shit and here you two were: on top of Nico’s van, enjoying the sunset. The time for reminiscing was gone; you didn’t have much to catch up with. Except that yes—his Devil Trigger has been stolen by some unknown figure. You stared at his robot arm, but it’s not as if you were disgusted by it. You were just used to see him with his usual arm. It was what made Nero Nero. This new one felt unnatural.  

How many uses did it have?  

Brushing these thoughts away, you two spoke, like old times. Just—trivial stuff. Not in your opinion, though. You absorbed everything Nero said, every word, every gesture. His stories were compelling and cool: you just couldn’t wait to meet this Dante. Nero sounded like he admired the guy, in a way. Anyone the white-haired boy held in high regard was ok in your books. You watched him unfold his tale with a smile, but your heart was unsettled. A question kept popping inside your head, itching on your lips to get out.  

Are you and Kyrie…?  

Instead, you focus on another thing that was currently bothering you. “Hey, Nero—” You catch his attention since he was lost in his thoughts, staring in the distance. You knew this stubborn look, mouth set in a flat line, eyebrows furrowed over his beautiful blue optics. As if something was on his mind and he couldn't find a solution to it. What was he thinking about so profound? It made your heart skip a beat, filling in with immense affection.

After all this time, you didn’t forget about him at all—and he matured just fine. You were a fool for believing your feelings would go away.  

They’d only seem to get stronger with longing—the more you stayed away from that cheeky smile, the more he grew on you. You treasured each memory with him, the way his long hair danced around his face whenever there was a breeze, how he laughed, the many times he took care of you and saved you in oh so many ways—like a knight in shining armor. How he held your hand and how he easily told you he’d always protect you, as a friend (was that only your imagination? Maybe).  It hurt, but the good intention was there. For you, it didn’t matter.  

You’d hold onto that promise with obstinance—even if it’s the last thing you do.  

“Yeah?” he doesn’t turn his head to watch you. That worked in your favor since you didn’t think you’d be able to look him in the eye without your cheeks turning red. What you were about to do…

You haven’t done this in a fucking long while. Being close to Nero felt foreign and you didn���t want to overstep your boundaries. One image kept repeating inside your head, though: he hugged the shit out of you when he recognized you, stroking your [h/c] hair and overall being glad to see you. You did your best not to cry, hugging him tight by the waist—you missed him, so so much.  But could you two still go back to what you were before? Two friends having each other’s backs? You forgot how to act casual around him.

But you dare. You gently run your fingers through his now cropped hair, your soul aching. His long white hair was your favorite thing about him—it looked so fluffy and you used to ruffle it, much to his annoyance. Would he still let you do that? Play with his hair? You’ll have to find out; you had plenty of time. You are not going anywhere. You swore that to yourself. Staying away from Nero was punishment—and you realized that you belong by his side, whether he wants it or not. You’ll be his partner till the end.  

You used to work well together.  

Back to the topic at hand, though. Your thoughts were running astray.  

“I like you better with your hair longer,” you said, bold. It wasn’t the moment to cut corners.  

Nero lets out a tired chuckle. He closes his eyes in contempt for a few seconds, enjoying the silence and the way your fingers ran through his short hair. It felt familiar and normal—it made him think of home. Back to those better days when everything was not as fucked up as it was now.  

The young demon hunter answers without thinking, “Kyrie told me it gets in the way.”  

Your heart seizes up, at a loss of words. Your mouth felt dry as you swallow the large lump of uneasiness that formed in your throat. There it was:  Kyrie.  So, she was still present in his life. Of course—why did you believe otherwise? He was in cahoots with her since forever; and she showed him the same love. You deleted that scene from your head, but here it was again now: how you watched them embrace and you stayed there, heartbroken. You knew you had to leave then. You had no place in Nero’s heart—not in the way you wanted.  

You had to say something. The pain numbed your whole body and you couldn’t move; but you had to force the words out: “Are you still together with Kyrie, Nero?”  

It felt suffocating, but you pushed through your disappointment and all of the negative feelings (despair) that surged forward and put on a teasing smile. Years of practice—and you got good with hiding your emotions in front of Nero.  

“Yeah, we’ve in moved together. And she bakes the best apple pies,” he goes on. “Kyrie’s just— perfect.”  

“Aww,” you hate the way your voice breaks. But you can’t act selfishly right now, not when Nero is sporting the most beautiful smile he ever had. The boy was in love and you had to accept that, once and for all. Even if it ached, you had to get over it. “I’m glad you’re happy, Nero. Really. You two make—”  say it, say it, say it  “—a cute couple, I’m sure.”  

Nero shrugs, “Maybe. I don’t care much about what other folks say. I just know that I—” he stops before he can utter the word ‘love’. For what reason—you don’t know. But a shadow passes over his expression, darkening it into some unknown feeling. You want to ask him what’s wrong: was it something about Kyrie that displeased him? You doubted that. Just like he said, Kyrie was a warm loaf of bread spreading kindness all around. You couldn’t believe she was making him unhappy. So you help him cross over this moment, like the good friend that you were.  

“You love her, huh?” As much as it hurt you to say it, there it was. Still—it didn’t seem to cheer him up. “Where’s all that 'Girls Are Stupid’  attitude gone to?”  

He laughs alongside you, but the good disposition quickly vanishes.  

“I’ve changed.”  

You sigh and, in a moment of weakness, you rest your cheek onto his back, cuddling to his body. “We’ve all changed,” you add. You don’t embrace him; you just sit there and lament. Him and Kyrie. Your missed opportunities. What you could’ve been, what you’re not.  You feel the sting of the tears in your eyes and you let a few go before you recompose yourself—and bite your lips till it hurt to stop them from falling. But your body is trembling and he notices immediately:

“You cold?”  

You shake your head, “Just stay like this, ok?”  

“Ok.”  

You close your eyes in an attempt to control your feelings. But, while being like this, your other senses awaken. Nero’s musky fragrance was as intoxicating as ever. It invaded your nostrils and blinded your perception, reminding you when you two had to share a small couch; that was your try for a sleepover. You were still young—kids just reaching the stage of maturity. It was the perfect time to explore each other, to try new things, to find out what kissing meant. As you two stared at one another, embraced, trying to keep your bodies warm, you felt overwhelmed with emotions. His breath mingled with yours in pure innocent ecstasy, his blue eyes darting toward your lips more often than not. A single move from you and you would’ve changed everything. He wouldn’t have said ‘No’—yet something held you away.  

Even if, sometimes, a tiny hope flared inside of you that maybe— just maybe— he also sympathized you. The gazing, the smiles, the friendly arm punches made you believe he was interested in you: a tiny crush ready to evolve into something more.  

But Nero wasn’t ready for this step either.

Was either of you willing to fuck up your friendship for the unknown? For fleeting and childish feelings that would probably disappear after they’ve crossed the initial curiosity threshold. Neither could do it; they valued their relationship more than this. So they’ve only resorted to breathing each other in, to imagine what it would feel like to match their lips together, and simply stare.    

Nero was the first to fill in the silence that night, asking you, “You won’t leave me, won’t you, [name]?”  

You smiled brightly, telling him wholeheartedly that you won’t. “Not now, not ever.” He believed you—but you forgot about it. You didn’t even think of what you were leaving behind when you left him that day. You just wanted to go clear your mind; Nero didn’t question it, simply let you go away. Honestly, you expected him to come after you, to stop you, to beg you. He did neither. You just disappeared and he had no idea where you’ve went. He never searched for you. Just waited for you to come back—did he ever think about you?  

It didn’t matter. You were here now—and he was more than happy.

Once upon a time—

You were young and you had a chance. And sadly, lost it. Back to the present, reality sank in. Nero was together with Kyrie—and that was fine. You shouldn’t question it: it was just your imagination fooling around when you thought he looked sad.  

‘Get to terms with it, [name].’  

Instead, you had to really  tell him one thing: “I missed you, Nero.”  

His body tenses, then relaxes. There’s anger in his voice when he asks you, “Where you’ve been all this time, then?”  

You can’t tell him the truth, so you lie the best way you could. “I had to get out for a while. I thought you’d understand that.”  

“You didn’t tell me. You just left.” You want to flinch away from his harsh words, but you don’t have the energy. You should’ve seen this coming. “I was worried about you! I thought they—” he chokes, almost with grief. “—I thought the demons got you.”  

“I’m here now, Nero, that’s all that matters.”  

Nero’s body shifts as he turns to face you, blue eyes burning with anger and hurt and longing. “You think that this will fix it all?”

“I’m sorry. Please—” you pleaded him with your eyes and you could see him crumble. His natural stubbornness never lasted long when it came to you. Most of the time, you felt guilty for using it against him; but now was not the time to fight over this. It would probably never be. Your feelings for him were a secret never to be spilled, lest you ruin everything. “Please forgive me, Nero. I never meant to—to hurt you, honest.”  

Your remorseful tone melts his final layer of defense. He grabs your shoulders, torn between smacking some sense into you and embracing you.  

“You’re lucky I missed you too,” he whispers, a softness in his look that he rarely showed. Instantly, you felt your cheeks redden—and was it the sun or did his cheeks darkened too? You shake those thoughts away: that was impossible.  He’s with Kyrie, like always. Nothing changed in this love triangle. You’re the fool who’s after a bigger oblivious fool who was in love with a cinnamon roll.  

You felt like weeping your fate, but before you could cave in, you hear unknown voices in the distance. You both turn toward the source, Nero removing his hands from you quickly. You notice their absence, but say nothing. You understand why he wouldn’t want for people to see you two together; someone might get the wrong idea and tell on him to Kyrie. You didn’t want that kind of trouble. You weren’t here to meddle or collect him as yours. Nero had a free will and Kyrie was his choice. You were here to rekindle an old friendship and be helpful for once. Your training has bear fruit and you were more than glad to show Nero what you know.  

To thwart your negative thoughts away, you examine the newcomers. Two ladies and one white-haired man. They looked tough and that man—he sent a shiver down your spine. He caught your gaze and it felt electrifying. He had a power in him that was magnetic, dragging you into something you weren’t sure you wanted to be a part of. When he saw your curious (and rather intrigued) look, he smirked bashfully. You immediately flush, embarrassed, as if this was your fault. You looked away, focusing on Nero: you’re surprised to see that he was watching you with interest and—

No. It was nothing.  

You smile at him (reassuringly, you hope), and he stands up as a response (not after giving you a rather dirty look). You pout: he had to forgive you. You were here now and you didn’t plan on leaving him again. You’re here to stay—if you had to emphasize that to him or prove it, you’ll gladly do it.  

Until then—

Nero offers you a helping hand so you can follow his lead. When you’re on your feet, he lets go of your hand as if it was filthy. You wipe your palm on your clothes, feeling self-conscious. Were you really that disgusting?  Once again, you ignore the pit in your stomach and put on another teasing smile. This time, it’s contagious and he’s smiling right back at you: he’s honestly missed you and he had no reason to hide it.  

“Are you still my partner?” Nero can’t help but ask and your eyes widen, sparkling with excitement.

“If you’ll have me,” you grin, more than happy to serve him.  

“Cool,” he says back, acting nonchalant when he didn’t feel calm at all. He gestured to the trio—and you couldn’t help but feel excited about what was to come. Your eyes linger—again—on that tall man, who was watching you with interest. You shudder. Clearly, he could make a good first impression. The question was: will he live up to the expectations?  

“C’mon, let me introduce you to Dante.”  

–

[masterlist]

[padawan-jiejie]

V’s Affection

Summary: You and Nero have to kick some demon ass while V's doing what he's doing...

Word Count: 1496 (yeah, even I was surprised)

Pairing: V (Vitale / shadow of his former self / whatever you wanna call him) x fem!reader

Warnings: !MyEnglish!, violence, swear words

A/N: THIS IS TRASH BUT I FELT BAD FOR NOT POSTING ANYTHING IN SUCH A LONG TIME THAT I JUST WANTED TO THROUGH THIS OUT THERE!!! I'm sorry for any mistakes and inconsistencies because I suck at writing action (when I don't know how to do them in my native language, howma supposed to handle it in English?! - so that can tell you a lot) and I wrote it in 2 hours (AND IT SHOWS) which is weird cuz normally write ONE FF in like a MONTH and it's still NOT finished, so I'M  PROUD OF MYSELF!!! And... Yeah... I never thought I'd get so attracted by a bunch of pixels, but yeah... Here I go!!! And... apparently, I'm not alone!!! And for the beginning... I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF!!! *PULL MY DEVIL TRIGGER!!! FIGHT ME ON THAT ONE!!! And for the ending... I have NO IDEA how they ended up talking about such stuff!!! DON'T ASK ME!!! IT JUST HAPPENED!!

You walked down a street. No one was there and everything looked like a mess. Crashed cars left on the sides of the road, newspapers slightly flying through the air and occasionally you could smell blood. Hell, a demon invasion happened just a couple days ago. Yet you were out searching for the boys that kind of went their own separate ways after Dante lost. Little did you know that it wouldn't take much longer for you to find them.

Boom!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!*

Scream!

Crash!

A bricked wall on your right cracked and Nero lent just a few feet away from you. Suddenly there were demons all around! One of those big flies tried to attack you, but you quickly jumped and pulled out your gun. You aimed at it, pulled the trigger and shot it in the head! First one - down! You stepped next to Nero and helped him up.

,,Seems like you need a lil bit of help here!"

,,Nah, I'd handle them myself."

,,Yeah, just like you'd have both hands! No offence!"

,,None taken."

,,Alright then - let's do this!" You smiled and loaded both of your guns, turning your back to Nero who was already charging his sword. You started to shoot the monsters and he ran right into a whole crew of them!

Nero was swinging his sword, slaying those bastards while you were shooting them until... You ran of bullets. The boy obviously didn't notice and accidentally pushed your back which almost made you fall down. He was fighting one of the enemies, havening trouble defeating it since it kept on fending off his attacks. Those scissors are the worst!

,,Egr! Fuck! Not now!" you dropped your guns and tried to get out of reach. But one of the Empusas lunged at you. You stopped, punched it. then you kicked it and rolled away so that you could pull out your daggers. Once you did that, you were back in the game!

V was at a top of a building observing the scenario below. He was very aware of that you could take care of this. And he quite enjoyed watching you. Well, not Nero but certainly you. He didn't want to admit it but he was fascinated by how you could handle all those demons with just two pistols and two daggers. He's seen it not work out already once or twice but still, you somehow found a way around and out! You are pretty confident with your skills - but not overly confident like Nero and Dante tend to be - and managed to be a badass when you wanted or had to be. Also, the way your hair flew in the air when you were fighting or fell down your face when you smiled at him was driving him crazy! As was the fact that you recognized the poetry he was quoting from time to time.

,,You're staring at her again! I'm sick of you, V! You perverted asshole! You don't help her but watch her slay down demons - that's rude! Your crush deserves some help!" Griffon teased a tattooed guy.

,,She's fine by herself. And she's not my crush!"

,,Yeah, keep telling that to yourself!"

You backed the creatures attack and stabbed it multiple times till it faded to the ground. Two of them decided to come at you and you gave them every damn reason why that was a bad decision. You kicked the first one and pinned it to the ground. The other jumped at you but you pushed yourself to the side so the monsters attacked one another and killed each other. Proud of your work you happened not to spot the tentacle with a sting right behind you.

You through your last dagger at a creature running right towards you which left you unfortunately without a weapon. Not so smart after all.

Swing!

,,Aahg!" you cried out in pain. The sting went right through your side leaving you bleeding. You fell down to your knees holding your wound so you didn't bleed out, cursing yourself for being stupid not to notice the tentacle.

Out of nowhere claws grabbed your arms and lifted you. Confused and startled you looked up and saw that Griffon was taking you away from the scene. Then you noticed Shadow in the corner of your eye. Panther made a guillotine out of herself and attacked a Pyrobat.

Griffon took you up to one of the buildings where you found V. His cane was leaning against his right leg as he was reached out to catch you when suddenly the little chicken dropped you without giving you any goddamn sigh! Thankfully it wasn't that high and V caught you although for a minute you thought he's gonna fall down. You didn't understand it, but somehow you developed a crush on him the first day you met him. And it just got stronger by time.

,,Hello, Y/N." his voice sent shivers down your spine, but... It could still be only your wound right? You tried to play it cool which almost didn't really work out considering you were in desperate pain and in the arms of an extremely attractive man!

,,Hey, jacka-ass! Ouch!" he laid you down on the roof a little concerned for you. Hell, you had a hole in your body! ,,Lil respect for a h-hurt woman, V!"

,,I apologize. Once Nero has the way cleaned we'll take you somewhere where you'll heal. For now... just rest." he acted calmly though was freaking out on the inside!

,,Easier said then d-done! You're not the one who's b-bleeding out here!"

,,Sorry." he caressed your cheek and pressed one palm to your wound to help you stop the bleeding. But it wasn't better. You felt a bit dizzy and started to pass out.

,,V...?"

,,Yes, Y/N/N?"

,,V... I..." you tried to tell him what's going on but it was too late. Your focus faded.

You slowly opened your eyes. You were laying on a couch on Nico's van. Your head hurt so as your side. You mumbled and heard someone approaching.

,,Ey! Nice to see ya finally awake! How ya feelin' girl?" Nico asked you and your sight.

,,Bad."

,,Well, you've been out for a while. Two weeks actually!"

,,What?! And- and what about... my...?"

,,Ya side? Got better since Nero took you in!"

You frowned. ,,Nero? What the hell happened?! Where's V? And Nero?"

,,Calm down, Y/N. Drink this... Yeah... It should make ya feel betta."

And in an hour you actually did feel better. But it was not because of the medicine Nico gave you. It was because of V. Nico found him with Nero and you asked for a second with V. You wanted to thank him for basically saving you and wanted to talk to him in private. You didn't get much of those alone-moments with him although you knew each other for about a month.

You were sitting in a van with him while Nero was arguing with Nico about something out on the street.

V pulled out something out of his pockets, ,,I thought that maybe you would want this back." and handed to you your guns.

,,Oh my! Thank you, V! I thought I lost my babies out there!"

,,Your babies?" he asked confused.

,,Um... You know... I don't think I'm going to have my own biological kids considering what I'm doing as a job I just... Needed something to get my feelings attached to. Guess guns wasn't the best choice but... Yeah..." I'm a mess. you thought to yourself.

,,Not that bad choice. Guns protect you. But having children would mean you would be the one who's protecting. So I don't think it is that bad."

,,Thanks for the support." you smiled at him. That made his heart pound faster. He loved your smile. You didn't smile much so when you did, every second of it was making him happy. The same went for you. With that conversation, you couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have children with this guy. Rising them to be strong and intelligent. Would they look more like you or would they have beautiful green eyes and raven black hair? Wait! What are you even thinking about?! And... You've been staring at each other the whole time?!

Suddenly feeling ashamed you looked away, biting your lip, heart beating fast. V stroked your cheek just like he did back then, sending butterflies to your belly.

,,What's wrong?"

,,Nothing. Just um... Not used to this kinda affection."

He chuckled. ,,What do you mean by this kind of affection?"

You looked him in the eyes and thought: what could I lose? and went for it. You closed the distance between the two of you and placed your lips on his. At first, V was surprised by your action but quickly gave in the temptation and kissed you back. He pulled you closer and deepened the kiss. You couldn't believe it was happening. Yet it felt incredibly right. After a while, you broke the kiss and said: ,,This kind of affection. And after this I want it, so from now on I got my eyes on you."

,,Pleasing, for I had mine on you since the very beginning."

[mazojo]

Kiznaiver Review

I just finished the Kiznaiver anime and I am not okay, so I decided to do a review with my opinions and thoughts on it, so beware the spoilers and rants on different aspects of it ;w;

Spoiler Free Overview ~

Before actually going into the spoilers, I wanted to leave a little spoiler free plot overview for those interested but not convinced on watching it. Basically Kiznaiver is about 7 teenagers connected by an experiment to their wounds and pain, making the pain of one, that of the others. The anime follows the story of these teenagers and their friendship with the mystery of the experiment and the future of it in their city, making it emotional and addictive to watch.

Although there is a lot more to say, if you don’t want to be spoiled on the anime do not click on read more but if you don’t mind, go ahead <33

Plot

So as mentioned above, the anime consists on the union of 7 characters (representing the 7 sins) through the Kizna system/experiment which bonds them through their pain so if one gets hurt, the other six will feel the pain too. Each of the teenagers choose represents one of the deadly sins, which I will go into further in my description of each character, and they all have to work together throughout the summer in order to free themselves from their Kizna. Everything is running smoothly and they all become friends until some of them begin falling in love with others and it all kind of crumbles. In the final episodes we discover that the experiments have been running for a while and in the past, they were done to kids but it failed miserably as some gathered too much pain from the others while others didn’t, making them feel numb and emotionless. Our main character, Katsuhira was originally connected to the first kizna experiment but became numb to any sort of pain due to another kid (now leading the project?) named Noriko taking all the pain. In the end, Katsuhira is able to convince Noriko to give back his pain and those from the other kids involved in the experiment through a f r i e n d s h i p speech and the whole group ends up becoming much closer, with Katsuhira and Noriko confessing their feelings to each other.

Characters

okay, so I will admit I kind of may have fallen in love with some of the characters from this anime and I am going to list them in order of which I liked the most explaining a bit on who they are and what I believe they must be protected. I also decided to place a song that reminds me of them in order for you to gather a feel of who they are in my opinion.

Katsuhira Agata (Kacchon)

Rise - Ashes Remain

So this gif pretty much describes his attitude and face throughout the whole series (except the two times he actually cries). His sin is “sloth” but referred in the anime as “the imbecile”. This is due to his apathetic behavior to everything happening around him due to the lack of emotions he has. He is precious and even as a kid he has always been looking for those around him (even in his kind of oblivious way) and I love how even after going through everythingg he went through, he is able to forgive Noriko and even loves her with all her faults and imperfections <33.

Nico Niiyama

Hello Kitty - Avril Lavigne

She is one of those characters you either love or hate, and I absolutely looove Nico! She represents the sin of greed I believe due to her wanting of attention and reassurance. I don't know if its because I see myself in her craziness or just her whole attitude throughout the series but Nico is in top place with Kacchon for my favorite characters. She is much more than the I-am-cute-love-me character as we advance through the series we began seeing her need to find friends in those surrounding her and how desperate she tries to fit into this “eccentric girl” stereotype to fit in (if that makes any sense). I also loved how she was one of the first to come back and unite the group after their Kiznas were released even though she was hurting over Tenga, which I thought was really brave and a bit underrated, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Yoshiharu Hisomu

Highway to Hell - AC/DC

So hear me out, Hisomu is a bit of a weirdo but through the small things he did and said he was able to win me over. Hisomu represents the sin of lust as he is a masochist and finds pleasure over the pain inflicted upon himself. I was a bit skeptical over his character as he appeared on the third episode unlike the others but he grew on me. Not only do I l o v e his character design but I think he has a personal growth over acquiring friends. He is close to Kacchon and never “abandons” him or leaves after all the others decide to part their own ways. Yeah, he may be a bit apathetic and unconscious towards the situations surrounding the others but I think in his heart he is actually a really good friend and sappy as it sounds, he cares deeply about the others and their suffering ;w;

Chidori Takashiro

Camouflage - Selena Gomez

Chidori is our tsundere-ish character. She represents the sin of envy as she is always second best when it comes to her unrequited love towards Kacchon. I really like her character and I feel bad for her as she often throughout the anime feels things very deeply and through Kacchon’s apathetic attitude, she mostly ends up hurt.I enjoyed her reactions as I know in the situations they face, I would definitely react similarly and she is very lovable overall.

Tsuguhito Yuta

Someone you Like - The Girl and the Dreamcatcher

Yuta is a classical popular kid with a soft side character. He represents the sin of gluttony as when he was little he used to eat a lot thus was seen as the fat kid and becomes kind of obsessed with his appearance after the fact. He may seem superficial at first but he is very caring and notices a lot of things others take for granted (like being able to be there for Maki even though she is a tough nut to crack). Also being a fellow cancer according to the wikia he went up my list :3. That being said I felt his character was all about Maki and he never really shined if there wasn’t any Maki story line involve which was kind of sad as I thought he had a lot of potential, but I still love him <33

Noriko Sonozaki

Never Enough - Loren Allred

Noriko is a weird character to me, as in some moments I really like her while in others I don’t really understand her. She has undergone a lot through her childhood due to experiencing the pain of her friends altogether and the constant fear of being left alone and not being understood even though Kacchon often reassures her of this but whatever. She may seem kind of like a psychopath and cold at the beginning but as we learn about her past I guess her behavior is kind of understandable but honestly I prefer the kid Sonozaki version which is adorableee. I like her relationship with Kacchon however and how they are able to grow from each other through their connection.

Honoka Maki

I Found - Amber Run

Maki and Tenga are my least favorite from the group but I don’t totally dislike them, I just don’t connect with he way they act most of the time. Maki represents the sin of pride as she often acts as if she is above everyone and everything going on around her placing a barrier between her and the other Kiznaivers. She has a rough past as she wrote a manga with her best friend Ruru and through their friendship feelings began developing. Ruru had a terminal illness and as Maki was afraid of getting hurt decided to cut all ties with her, which brings her to be the coldhearted person she is. Throughout the series she often rejects the other Kiznaivers refusing to call them friends inserts dramatic eye-roll until at the end she realizes its inevitable and accepts letting people in slowly.

Hajime Tenga

Counting Stars - One Republic

Honestly Tenga is pretty neutral to me and I don’t have much an opinion on his character. He represents the sin of Wrath as he often acts impulsively and resolves his issues through rage and anger acting with his fist rather than his head. He is quite loud and a bit obnoxious at times with his tough guy act but he means good. We don’t get much backstory on him other than he is afraid of dogs? which isn’t mentioned again after the second episode sooo… I mean he is a good character and has good intentions but I more often than not don’t understand his reactions and think he goes a bit over the top in most of them.

Ships

Although I know Kiznaiver isn’t an anime focused completely on the romance but rather a science-fiction/mystery kind of anime, I still had to mention the ships through the series starting from the one I like the most. Also note that some of them are non cannon so keep that in mind and note that this are my personal opinions ;w;

NicoxHisomu (non-cannon)

You can’t even understand HOW MUCH I WANTED THIS TO BE A THING. From the moment Hisomu appeared and had the first interaction with the group I wanted him and Nico to end together sooo badly. I don’t know if its because of their eccentric ways or how they are often looked upon as the weird ones from the group, but I always thought they would make such a cute couple! Even at the end when Nico is ranting on about Tenga, Hisomu is attentive to her and I honestly think their friendship is so pure and perfect ;w; I will be crying in the corner until this becomes a thing.

NorikoxKatsuhira (cannon)

Although I will forever be frustrated that NicoxHisomu didn’t end up together trigger please consider making a second season, I am actually really glad these two did! It was pretty obvious the two wouldd en up being cannon as the whole show premise basically concentrates in their relationship, and I am glad they did. I feel like both complement each other very well and stabilize one another through their feelings (or in this case, the lack of). I feel like both Katsuhira and Nori are very mature and overall I love their pairing as they both deserve all the happiness <33

ChidorixTenga (Cannon-ish?)

I really like this two together and I feel like through the finale we can kind of maybe say its cannon? I mean they never actually confessed their love to one another like Sonozaki and Kacchon (well, Tenga did), but Chidori kinda implied that she was starting to develop feelings? I totally feel like they work together as they level each other out by their protective mama bear attitude of Chidori and Tenga’s impulses leading to him being defensive of those he cares about. Also can we take a moment to appreciate their red aesthetic, like common they are adorable together.

MakixYuta (Cannon?)

This is also an odd pairing, as we see Yuta’s clear interest on Maki since episode 1 and where she only corresponds his feelings at the end of episode 12. Although they never truly became a couple I believe they both like each other so its kind of cannon? I like how they both have rough pasts and they help each other grow from them (cue to Yuta’s scene at the beach were he runs in the water although he may look like a fool) and they level the other out.

ChidorixKatsuhira (non-cannon)

The following two ships are ones I don’t like but I found important to mention as many people do ship them. I honestly can’t see this pair due to Katsuhira’s strong feelings towards Nori. I feel like he sees Chidori as her best friend and will never be able to see her as more than that. Chidori’s often explosive and overprotective character just doesn’t mash well with Kacchon’s laid back apathetic vibe, which is why I wouldn’t see this pairing working at all.

NicoxTenga (non-cannon)

I do not approve of this. I honestly can’t see this working and lets be honest Nico and Hisomu deserve each other so I am too blinded by that. I think their personalities wouldn’t work as Tenga is too aggressive and Nico much softer. I feel like Tenga is most of the times confused by her behavior or just doesn’t understand her eccentric behaviors which would definitely cause a problem if this were to be cannon. I can’t with this ship and if there is a season 2 I really hope this doesn’t become cannon otherwise ill just go cry myself in a corner.

To finish off this review on Kiznaiver, I would like to point out the things I like and the things I didn't like so much.

Liked…

- The characters is one of the things to really highlight from Kiznaiver. They are all so different but so lovable in their own ways and with their own faults which makes everything 10 times better.

- I haven’t been able to mention this before but I really liked the intro and outdo songs, I think they are catchy and represent quite well the anime.

- I adooored the character designs, specially Nico, Hisomu, Sonozaki and Katsuhira’s. I feel like the tones and designs of the characters with their little quirks really lets the audience gather who they are and why they are the way they are.

- I think the concept of the experiment and the characters being connected by their wounds and pain is very interesting! I dint know what to expect at first but as the story developed It really got me thinking what the Kizna system would look like in the real world.

Disliked…

- I feel like the character development could have been a little better for some of them? Specially Yuta, Tenga and Hisomu which even though we got to know, never really learned much about their past other than some random facts.

- The fact that Hisomu and Nico weren’t cannon

- Sometimes due to the small amount of time the creators had to create the episode, I feel like some things weren’t explained very clearly (like Sonozaki’s reasons to try committing suicide when she was young) but maybe its just me being dumb idkk

All in all, I really liked the anime and would definitely recommended to those who enjoy good characters and a little of science fiction as well as troublesome pasts. Remember this are just my opinions and feel free to ask me my opinions on anything related as well as I would love to hear all of yours :33

[dimensiontripperhibiki]

A Name In The Wind (17/?)

REPOSTED BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE LAST POST. 

Here’s the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy! Warning(s): Angst, medical triggers, character death.

Chika was feeling a little bit more optimistic as she made her was down the hallway at school. She was more hopeful now that she had an actual plan to try to save Honoka and had people willing to help her. The hard part was yet to come, she knew, but things were looking brighter. She noticed the door to the classroom ahead open but she didn’t think anything of it until a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, quickly yanking her inside. She yelped automatically just before she caught sight of You, closing the door. “You-chan…?” “I’m screwed.” You said in a panic. “I’m totally totally screwed, Chika-chan!” “Eh?!” Chika shook her head in confusion. “Wait...what’s going on? Did something happen? Did you have a fight with Riko-chan?” “No! Wait...why would I fight with Riko-chan?” You frowned at the question.

“I don’t know, I just figured…” Chika’s eyes widened suddenly in realization. “Did Kanan-chan say something to you? I didn’t plan to tell her you watched us have sex, it just came out. She didn’t seem angry at the time.” “You TOLD HER?!” You exclaimed in shock. “Ugh. It’s not that, okay?!” Chika frowned. “Then what is it?” “I made out with someone.” You frantically wrung her hands in front of her as she looked past Chika, nervous of Dia finding her. “A-And I gave her a hickey! I didn’t think and I’m SO DEAD!” “You-chan, I don’t under-” “RUBY!” “Oh!” Chika suddenly realized what was going on. “Shit. Dia-san...You’re so dead, You-chan.” “I know, HIDE ME!” You pleaded with Chika. She grasped Chika’s hands tightly. “Dia-san is going to notice and she’s going to lose it! You have to help me, Chika-chan!” “Oh my gawd…” You’s eyed widened at the sound of Mari’s voice. She wasn’t in the room though, she was in the next it seemed. “Mari-san, what are…?” Dia’s voice followed, taut with confusion. “IS THAT A HICKEY?!” You stayed quiet, waiting for Ruby’s reply. “Yes.” Ruby sounded blunt but embarrassed and You winced to herself. “Ruby-chan is so mature, zura!” Hanamaru piped up enthusiastically. “YOHANE IS JEALOUS! SHE’S SUPPOSED TO BE THE FALLEN ANGEL!” “Hide, You-chan.” Chika whispered, grasping You’s hand. She led her quickly over to the closet and pushed her inside. Just as she stepped away from it the door burst open and Dia stepped inside with Mari, Hanamaru, Ruby and Yoshiko behind her. “D-Dia-san!” “Is You-san in here?” Dia asked, looking around in search of You. “I thought I saw her come in earlier.” “Ah..no. I mean yes. She did come in.” Chika tried to casually lean against one of the desks. “But she left. It’s just me here now. Do you need her for something?” “I NEED TO…” Dia trailed off for a moment and gritted her teeth. “Talk to her. I just want to talk.” “Um...it doesn’t really seem like that.” Chika said with a nervous laugh. “But she’s not here. Maybe she’s on the roof? Or maybe she left already.” “Ruby, stop smirking and straighten your collar.” Mari chirped, noticing Dia looking at Ruby out of the corner of her eye. “Here, let me do it.” Dia breathed a sigh of relief as Mari straightened Ruby’s collar up, concealing the mark on her neck. She paused after, realizing it wasn’t very like Mari to go out of her way to do that. Usually she would just tease her. Chika was giving Mari a strange look too, confused by how responsible she was suddenly acting. “Um...yeah, as I was saying, You-chan isn’t here now. Can I help you with anything?” Dia growled under her breath. “No, you can’t. Wait...you can tell her that she shouldn’t be pursuing girls who are younger than her. Ruby is much too innocent.” “Uh...Ruby-chan is only a year…” Chika trailed off at the angry look on Dia’s face. Dia could be fairly scary at times. She put a desk between them before she continued. “Maybe if You-chan was Kanan-chan’s age I would tell her that but like I said before, maybe you should focus on keeping your sister’s hormones in check. You-chan has a hickey on her neck too. And one on her collar. I just didn’t want to tell her I saw them.” “RUBY!” Dia gasped, turning to her smug looking younger sister. Ruby suddenly didn’t look very smug. “H-Hanamaru-chan, class is starting, let’s go!” “DON’T LEAVE YOHANE BEHIND!” Yoshiko exclaimed as the two rushed from the room. She quickly followed them. Chika laughed nervously, realizing only Dia and Mari were left. “You’re not gonna kill me now that we’re alone, right?” Dia scoffed. “Tell You-san I’m looking for her.” With that she turned and walked from the room with Mari. The door closed and Chika breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly the closet door opened and You hurried across the room, throwing her arms around Chika. “Thank you!” You exclaimed gratefully. “You’re the best friend ever.” “Yeah, yeah.” Chika grumbled, rolling her eyes as You pulled back. “Maybe don’t leave hickeys where Dia-san can see them. Kanan-chan likes to leave them on my…” “Stop!” You held her hands up, effectively cutting Chika off. “I don’t need to hear that and I’m not d-doing it with Ruby-chan!” “You’re not? Oh...I guess that’s a good thing. Dia-san might actually kill you.” Chika thought, looking You over. “And then I guess Mari-chan would help her hide the body…” “HEY!” You exclaimed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Don’t tell me that! I’m freaking out enough already. What am I going to do?” Chika shrugged. “I guess you’ll have to talk to Dia-san eventually.” You groaned. “I was worried you would say that…”

-----

Honoka stared at the  computer screen, tears streaking their way down her cheeks. The organizers of Love Live wanted to send them to America so they could hold a third competition in Akiba Dome. But she wouldn’t be able to go. She would have to get her parents permission and with everything that was happening, she wasn’t sure they could give it. Hanayo was sympathetically rubbing her back, having been the one to show Honoka the invitation. She had chosen to do it quietly without telling the rest of Muse first. The door opening drew her attention to it and  Eli appeared in the doorway, the rest of Muse behind her. “Eli-senpai…” Concerned, Eli entered the room and made her way over to Honoka. Hanayo, who had sent out a quick text to Eli when Honoka hadn’t stopped crying, vacated her seat for the older girl, letting her sit down. Eli drew Honoka into her arms and looked up at Hanayo. “What happened?” “Muse received an invitation. Or a request, rather.” Hanayo pointed at the computer screen. Quickly the rest of Muse gathered around Honoka and Eli, leaning down to read what was on the screen. “America?” Kotori asked in disbelief, stunned by the news. “They want us to go.” “To raise publicity…” Nico read from the screen. Slowly, she straightened up and glanced toward Maki. “Can Honoka even go like…” She hesitated, looking at Honoka. “With her condition?” “I wouldn’t want to risk that if I was her doctor.” Maki said softly, staring sympathetically at Honoka. “Her parents would never say yes anyway. If she went she would need to use steroids if she was going to dance. And what if something happened and we needed a hospital? There’s a communication barrier, not to mention…” “I can speak English fluently. As well as French and Japanese.” Nozomi pointed out quietly. “We would be fine.” “You could help out with the steroids and stuff, right Maki-chan?” Kotori asked hopefully, grasping Maki’s hand. “I mean you could help her inject them if she can’t do it herself. Your dad could show you maybe.” “Maybe but her doctor might advise her not to fly.” Maki reasoned uncomfortable. “If she’s at risk for increased swelling in her brain.” “It’s worth a try though, isn’t it?” Umi asked quietly, her hand on Honoka’s shoulder. “You too, Umi?” Maki asked in surprise. She would have thought Umi would be completely against it “Fine. We can try. But if we do get to go you can’t abuse your medication, Honoka.” “I-I won’t!” Honoka sniffled, looking up from Eli’s shoulder. “I promise.” “I’ll give it to Eli and let her be in charge of it.” Maki said with a sigh. “You two will have to share a room together. With Nico.” “Huh?” Nico looked up sharply. “Why?” “No funny business.” Maki answered though she was staring right at Eli and Honoka. “I’m serious about that.” “Then you’re all going to be in different rooms. NOT with your girlfriends.” Nico cut in, crossing her arms in front of her. “Fine.” Maki grumbled. She couldn’t deny that, she supposed. It was fair. “I’ll room with uh…” “Kayo-chin is rooming with me, nya!” “I’ll room with you, Maki-chan.” Nozomi said softly. She smiled at the grateful look Maki shot her. “I guess we’re roomies, Umi-chan.” Kotori said with a small smile. Umi smiled back. “Yeah.” “So we really are going?” Honoka asked hopefully. Eli hugged Honoka gently. “Yes, we are. You want it so we’re going.” Maki cleared her throat. “With your parents permission. We’ll do everything we can to get it but I don’t want you to be disappointed if we can’t go. If we can’t, it’s for a good reason. Your health is more important than some stupid publicity stunt.” “They’ll let me go, I-I think.” Honoka said, looking up at Maki with a tearful smile. “Thank you, Maki-chan. You’re always taking care of me.” As Maki looked away, grumbling, Honoka continued softly. “It’s Yukiho I’m worried about. She’s going to be angry. And she’s going to worry when I’m away.” “I’ll ask my dad if Arisa can stay with her.” Eli said softly, stroking Honoka’s hair. “She’ll be able to keep her calm.” “Thank you.” Honoka said softly. Looking up, she addressed the others. “All of you. I want to do this with all of you. More than anything.” Together, the group huddled around Honoka and Eli and leaned down to hug them, a few tears being shed as they did.

----

Kotori shuffled into the kitchen, her eyes half-open still. As soon as she’d woken up she’d gotten out of bed, wanting to get things started as soon as possible. They would need to find Eli and explain everything to her. She paused, finding Maki in the kitchen, making coffee and what smelled like breakfast. Kotori briefly considered walking away but it was too late. Maki spotted her. “Um...I wanted to try cooking for you.” Kotori glanced over Maki’s shoulder. “You’re overcooking the omurice.” “Wha…?!” Maki turned around and quickly grabbed the handle of the pan, trying to keep a fire from forming. Kotori’s lips twitched upward. As much as she wanted to be furious with Maki, as much as she wanted to dislike her in that moment, she couldn’t. It wasn’t possible. She walked over to Maki, standing behind her and placed her hands on top of Maki’s, one hand on top of the hand clutching the pan and one hand on the hand holding the spatula. “You have to be gentle with the eggs.” She explained softly. “Hold the pan just barely to the heat and use the spatula to gently fold the egg over the vegetables and rice.” She helped Maki do so before letting go. Maki swallowed thickly. “W-What about the chopsticks?” “That’s for folding it the second time. Here, let me show you.” Kotori took the pan from Maki when her girlfriend offered it. Maki stepped to the side, watching closely as Kotori finished making the omurice. She waited until Kotori had set it on a plate before she spoke up. “I…” “You know how to use the ketchup, right?” Kotori asked, raising an eyebrow. “Ah, yeah...of course. I’m just not as artistic as you with the design,” Maki said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’ll love whatever you draw on it.” Kotori said in a whisper as she stared down at the plate. She heard a sniffle and looked up in time to see Maki trying to dash tears from her eyes. “Maki-chan.” “I just want to protect you.” Maki cried regretfully. “I’m not keeping things from you for any other reason. I just want you to be safe and happy. Y-You’re so much better at this than me. I don’t know why I keep failing at the most basic of things in this relationship. I just hate seeing you cry, upset, hurt and...I-I know you’re not fragile. I don’t think I would be stable if you weren’t beside me. You were the strongest, Kotori. It’s the same as with Umi, I don’t want you to see me weak.” “I want to see you weak.” Kotor murmured, shaking her head. “I want to see you not push your own feelings aside for the sake of mine. Come here, Maki-chan.” Maki stepped into the offered embrace, hugging Kotori tightly. “I started smoking a year ago.” She said bluntly. “I started doing it when I saw my grades slipping in senior year. The exams and cram school were killing me a-and you were busy with college and I just needed something to calm myself. Fuck, I just want to quit. I hate it.” Kotori was silent for a long moment before she spoke up. “Do you want me to help you?” “P-Please, just...I need you to keep me from being a workaholic.” “If you keep me from becoming an alcoholic.” Kotori said, half joking. She let go of Maki and picked up the omurice and the bottle of ketchup. “Let’s eat together, okay, Maki-chan?” “Okay.” Maki wiped the last of her tears away and crossed to the table where she sat down with Kotori. She watched as Kotori used the ketchup to draw a small bird and a cat with a heart between them. She smiled softly at the gesture. “I guess...if we get Honoka back this would never have happened. Our life now. Maybe I’ll never have started smoking.” “At least we’ll still be together.” Kotori reached over and took Maki’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Huh, and I thought I would have to keep that a secret.” Nozomi said softly from where she was watching in the hallway with Umi at her side. “Those two really are the most stable.” Umi said, tentatively leaning into Nozomi. Nozomi sighed a little. “Did you take your medicine?” “Yes. Did you?” “Yeah.” Nozomi said quietly. She blindly reached for Umi’s hand, grasping it after a moment. “Do you feel okay about this? We have to find Eli eventually. And she might have to speak to Chika after that.” Umi cringed at the thought. “She’s going to do something stupid. You know that.” “I guess it’s a good thing Kanan-san will be there.” Umi straightened up, her heart suddenly racing. “They’re going to fight. What did Maki tell you?” “That Eli is drunk off her ass when they talk.” Nozomi said softly. She squeezed Umi’s hand. “They’re not going to touch you, Umi-chan. Eli wouldn’t dare and as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think Kanan-san is like that.” “I won’t let her hit you either.” Umi said, her voice strong and defiant, taking Nozomi off guard. “She’ll have to go through me.” Nozomi smiled warmly at the comment. She didn’t doubt Umi. She would defend her even if she was panicking while doing it.

-----

“Are you feeling okay, Honoka-chan?” Kotori asked as Honoka took her seat next to her. They’d just gotten onto their plane, heading for New York and Honoka seemed a bit nervous. “You seem worried.” “I’m excited.” Honoka smiled back at Kotori. She was relieved her parents had agreed to the trip, albeit reluctantly. “But I’m a little worried about Nozomi-chan, having to sit next to Eli-senpai. They’re still mad at each other, I can tell.” “They’ll be fine.” Kotori said reassuringly. “Don’t worry about those two. Umi-chan will keep them in check. Nico-chan too.” Honoka didn’t look convinced but she needed anyway. There wasn’t much else they could do besides switch seats and while she wanted to sit next to Eli she wanted to sit next to Kotori too. “You should get some rest on the flight over.” Kotori suggested quietly. “I know you, you’ll want to look around as soon as we get there and I don’t want you to wear yourself out.” Honoka smirked. “You don’t have to act like my mother, Kotori-chan.” “I’m not your mother, I’m like...your older, more mature sister. I have to look out for you sometimes, don’t I?” Kotori asked expectantly. “Just like you look out for me and Umi-chan sometimes.” Honoka smiled softly at the comment. “Like sisters.” She murmured to herself, nodding her head. “I think of you that way too, Kotori-chan. You and Umi-chan.” Kotori winced at that, thinking of Umi’s old feelings for Honoka. At least she had moved on to someone better suited for her. She fell silent for a moment, thinking about that but so did Honoka. She seemed to be nervously biting her lip now. Kotori figured Honoka was thinking about when Kotori and Umi were the only two left out of the three childhood friends. She took Honoka’s hand, both for her friend’s comfort and for her own. Nozomi watched from a few seats away as Honoka rested her head on Kotori’s shoulder. She sighed. At least they weren’t as uncomfortable as she was. She looked back to Eli in time to see the blonde staring past her at Honoka and Kotori, a slight frown on her lips. “She’s fine. Kotori-chan is a good friend.” “I know…” Eli mumbled, sitting back in her seat properly. She knew Honoka was fine with Kotori but she wanted to be over there. “At least I’m not Nicocchi.” Nozomi joked, hoping to get a response from Eli. She didn’t. She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “So are you excited for the…?” “No.” Eli interrupted sharply. “I’d rather us not go for her sake, damn it.” Nozomi coughed awkwardly and looked up, catching Maki’s eyes. The redhead was sitting just a couple of seats away from her. “Help me.” She mouthed silently. She watched as Maki nudged the person next to her. A moment later, Umi stood up with her bag and made her way over. “Um...would you like to switch seats, Eli?” Eli looked up. “Who are you sitting with again?” “Maki.” “The seat’s yours.” Eli stood up and walked over to Maki, sitting down next to her with a heavy sigh. Nozomi felt a wave of relief wash over her as Umi sat down next to her. “Never leave me alone with her again.” “Nozomi.” “What? I can barely speak to her without her spitting fire at me. What am I meant to say?” Nozomi asked in frustration. “Let Maki calm her down. She can teach Eli how to use the injection through the trip too.” Umi reasoned, hoping to soothe Nozomi. She knew Eli not speaking to her girlfriend hurt her. “Can we watch a movie?” Nozomi wrapped her arms around Umi’s arm and pressed her face into her shoulder. “Sure.” Umi said with a gentle smile. “When we take off we can start watching together, okay?” Eli huffed in annoyance as she looked away from Umi and Nozomi. “Great. She gets to be with her girlfriend and I’m stuck here. Typical.” “Hey, my girl is with your girl.” Maki pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “We’re both watching them with envy. We just have to accept that they want to be together right now. Otherwise they would have already switched seats. They’re best friends, they need their own time.” “Why? Because they don’t have much?” Eli gritted her teeth, her hands balling into fists. “Fuck.” “Eli, you need to calm down.” Maki said softly as she watched Eli struggle with several emotions. “Saying things like that is only going to make you feel worse. Trust me. Here, let me just teach you how to inject the steroid.” “Eh? But we’re on a plane!” “I don’t have it with me, we’re going to watch a video on my laptop.” Maki said with a roll of her eyes. “It’ll…” She trailed off, briefly distracted by her phone. She checked her messages and blushed at Kotori’s request to meet her in the bathroom once they were allowed to unfasten their seatbelts. She looked back at her girlfriend, noticing a coy smile on her face, even with Honoka dozing off on her shoulder. “Maki, what are you looking at?” Eli shifted in her seat, struggling to see. “N-Nothing!” Maki said quickly, turning her attention to the space in front of her. “I’ll show you the steroid thing later, okay?” “Um...okay.”

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It was during her lunch break that Kanan decided to go and look for Riko. She’d intended to speak to the second year for a while now but hadn’t gotten around to it, with everything that was happening with Honoka and Muse. She walked down the hallway to the music room, already catching the sound of the piano being played. She knew it was Riko. She didn’t know anyone else who could play that well. She paused in the doorway, looking through the small pane of glass to be sure. Indeed she found Riko sitting behind the piano, her hands moving over the keys. She was relieved she had managed to find Riko so fast. Truthfully the girl could have been anywhere in the school. She pushed the door open and entered the room and the music stopped immediately. “Kanan-chan.” Riko said in surprise. “Take it easy.” Kanan said, holding up her hands. “I just came to talk.” She waited for a nod from Riko before she made her way further into the room, pacing over to the piano. She ran her fingers lightly over the glossed surface. “I figured I would find you in here. You’ve been avoiding us a little.” “Have I?” Riko didn’t look or sound shocked but it was clear she was trying to. “That hasn’t been my intention. Maybe I’ve just been busy with homework or school or something.” “I’m not oblivious, I can tell.” Kanan said, raising an eyebrow. “W-What?” “You like her.” Riko felt like the ground had been pulled out from under her and for a moment she could only open and close her mouth. Finally she managed to form words. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Riko.” Kanan sighed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb.” “Fine.” Riko slumped down slightly, her hands falling to her sides instead of resting upon the piano. “Well I screwed up. I thought she was...crazy.” “Well that’s the worst thing to say to a distressed girl.” “NO!” Riko exclaimed, her eyes wide. Kanan jolted in surprise. “I-I didn’t say it out loud! But I...maybe hinted at it when she tried to tell me about whatever is going on with her.” “It’s true you know.” Kanan pointed out, her tone clipped with annoyance. “You should have believed her. She wanted your help. She even told me she wanted it over mine.” “O-Oh…” Riko worriedly bit her lip, looking down at her lap. Kanan stared at Riko long and hard. It was clear the pianist didn’t really understand the gravity of what she was telling her. “We’re dating now, the two of us. I don’t know if she told you that.” Riko smiled sadly. “She didn’t. I kind of figured it out myself though.” “You could have been in my position, you know.” Kanan frowned at Riko. She didn’t want to hurt her but she needed her to know what she had done. “If you’d just believed her. Or supported her.” “I had a feeling she might have felt the same way...I guess we misunderstood each other.” Riko took a deep breath and looked up at Kanan. “You’re the better option. You’re unconditional.” “I am.” Kanan said softly. Riko stared at Kanan pensively for a moment. “Is it true that you have experience? With more girls than Chika-chan?” Kanan nodded. “It doesn’t matter now though. She’s the only girl that makes me feel...happy. My heart beats faster when she smiles. It skips when she holds my hand,” “Sounds nice.” Riko said wistfully. Kanan straightened up a bit. “We’re friends too, Riko. So I don’t have to tell you not to go after Chika-chan. Do I?” Riko shook her head. “Good.” Kanan said softly, her stance slowly relaxing. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry if I ended up hurting you by dating Chika.But I couldn’t just ignore how I felt about her. I love her.” “I understand.” The simple answer had Kanan thinking that while Riko did understand, she didn’t especially want to. She cleared her throat. “Thank you. We can still be friends, right?” “Of course.” Riko said with a hurried nod. She looked a little worried at the question, something that reassured Kanan somewhat. “I need some fresh air.” Kanan watched as Riko stood from the piano bench. “Are you going to skip class?” “Maybe.” Riko answered quietly as she skirted around the piano. “Don’t follow my bad habits.” Kanan advised as Riko moved past her. Riko waved Kanan off as she left the room. She walked down the hallway, zoning out as she did so. She had thought that Chika had feelings for her but then Chika had told her she didn’t have feelings for anyone so she’d assumed that she’d been wrong. Riko remember with a twinge in her chest that Chika had been pressing her to see whether she was interested in anyone though. Maybe Riko had just scared her off by lying to her. Maybe Chika had thought she didn’t feel the same way. A part of her wanted to tell her now. Just so that Chika knew the truth. She collected her shoes and left the school at a jog, in a hurry to get away. She had about ten minutes left until the end of lunch so it was easy for her to slip away unnoticed. She would deal with her mom later if the school called her. She reached the beach, vaguely noticing a photoshoot of some kind happening a short distance away. It was only when she got closer and heard someone speak that she really started to pay attention. “Gimme a profile, Nico-chan!” Riko wiped briefly at the tears that suddenly clouded her vision. Her eyes widened as she looked closer at the photoshoot, noticing a girl with wavy black hair, under a sun hat. She was wearing heels and a stylish blue sundress. Riko stepped close, making a mental note to look for it online. “Always so mature, Nico-chan.” The photographer was saying as he snapped pictures of Nico. “The other models tend to smile but you always know when to keep a straight face. Now give me that fierce look!” Riko inched as close as she dared, noticing the loneliness in the model’s ruby red eyes. Her brow furrowed in confusion. She recognized her from somewhere. “Nico-chan.” She repeated back to herself thoughtfully. The only Nico she knew of was Yazawa Nico from Muse and it wasn’t as though she would be there. Deciding to wait, Riko stayed where she was. She had only been planning on walking anyway. “Okay, that’s enough.” A woman standing on the sidelines called out. “The wind is getting too strong. Plus, we have a fan.” Riko glanced over her shoulder, looking around to see if anyone else was there before she realized the two of them were talking about her. She blushed fiercely, realizing she had been caught staring. As she backed away, she noticed the figures begin to pack away. She caught the model staring at her and froze once more. Suddenly the model was walking toward her. Riko considered running but it seemed her feet were glued to the ground. “What are you doing here?” Nico asked when she reached Riko. “You’re not allowed within five feet of the shoot. Damn it, don’t tell me you were behind me.” Riko narrowed her eyes as she looked up at the girl. In heels Nico was around an inch taller than her. “I was further than five feet away from you.” She pointed out. It had been clear to her that she was around ten feet from the shoot. She wouldn’t have dared get as close as Nico had said she was. “And...does it look like I was behind you? This is a public beach. Maybe you should have put up some warnings?” “Oh god, you’re like her…” Nico groaned in exasperation. “Excuse me?” “Nothing, just...an old friend. Nevermind.” Riko watched as Nico turned to her team and said that she was taking ten. She almost wished she had stayed at school. This conversation was only making her feel worse. Nico turned back to Riko. “Know a good place to get something to eat around here?” “Huh?” “I’m starving. I haven’t eaten anything since I got here.” Nico said slowly as if she was speaking to someone especially stupid. “So do you know a place?” Riko frowned. She didn’t like this girl’s attitude. “How old are you? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” Nico twitched. “I’m twenty.” Riko blushed at her mistake. Nico smirked. “Playing hooky, huh? I’ve done that. Why don’t you come with me? It’ll be my treat.” “Go with you?” Riko echoed in surprised. She laughed in disbelief after. “I-I’m sorry, it’s just...you came over here and accused me of getting in the way of your photoshoot and now you want to take me out to lunch.” “Yes? A beautiful girl deserves something nice.” Nico shrugged her shoulders. “Besides, playing hooky usually means something is bothering you.” “And now you’re hitting on me.” Riko said, a little surprised. “Even though I’m clearly wearing a uniform so you obviously know I’m a student.” “Don’t flatter yourself, You just look upset. I’ve been in the situation at your age. I just thought you needed something to cheer you up.” Nico argued, shaking her head. “Besides you have to be like...a third year, right? You’ll probably be graduating soon so it’s not like it would be weird for me to hit on you.” Riko hesitated for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s right. So um...what kind of food do you want to eat? I don’t know if I’ll go with you but I can show you the way.” “I don’t mind.” Nico answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’ll leave it to you.” “Okay. Follow me then.” Riko hesitated for a moment before she led Nico along the beach, trying to figure out where to go as they walked. “There’s not much here. You’re probably used to Tokyo or somewhere, right? You look like a city girl.” “In a way. I’ve lived in France for the past couple of years. Before that I lived in Tokyo…” Nico seemed to trail off in thought. She came to her senses after a moment though, clearing her throat. “Uh...I’m just visiting for a while.” “Are you staying here? In a hotel or something?” Riko asked curiously as they stepped off the beach, onto more solid ground. She noticed for the first time that Nico had taken her shoes off and had been holding them loosely in her hands. She paused for a moment to put them back on. “At an inn.” Nico clarified as they started walking again. “I have some business in Tokyo tomorrow but I’ll still be staying here.” “Business? Like another photoshoot?” Nico gave a soft laugh. “You’re pretty curious, huh? No, not another photoshoot. I’m visiting a friend.” Riko watched Nico closely, noticing her smile fade and her expression sadden. “I’m sorry to pry.” “It’s fine.” Nico smiled again but to Riko it looked forced this time. “I like your curiosity.” Riko smiled back, hesitantly. “You’re...daring. You seem like you would be fun to be around.” “Oh so now you’re figuring that out?” Nico laughed genuinely and Riko felt her cheeks warm at the sound. Nico reached out and ruffled Riko’s hair. “Sorry about earlier. I tend to be grumpy when I’m hungry and I wanted to get out of there.” “It’s fine.” Riko said softly. She stopped short, nodding toward a small restaurant she’d led Nico to. “Um...this might be a good place to stop to eat. It’s small but the food is nice.” “You won’t come in with me?” Nico asked as Riko turned, seemingly to walk away from her. “I don’t even know your name.” Riko turned back to Nico with a small smile. “Sakurauchi Riko.” “Riko.” Nico echoed softly. “Will you come and eat with me? Come on, I don’t know anyone else in this town.” Riko pursed her lips to hold back a laugh. “I um...don’t know if I should. I don’t really know you and well….I don’t know.” “Yazawa Nico.” Nico teasingly held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Riko.” “What?” Riko stared at Nico in surprise for a moment. She numbly took her hand and gasped as Nico pulled her in close, kissing one of her cheeks. “I-I um…” “Sorry.” Nico said softly, smiling at Riko’s shock. “Habit. I’ve lived in France for a while, remember.” “I-It’s not that, I’m just…” Riko paused, unsure as to whether she should tell the truth. “Um...I feel like I’ve heard your name before.” Nico’s smile faded slightly and she let go of Riko’s hand. “Let me guess, you’re a school idol.” Riko nodded. “Well that would be how you’ve heard of me.” Nico said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Anyway, I’m not a school idol anymore. I haven’t been for a long time.” She looked over her shoulder at the restaurant. “Are you sure you won’t come in with me? I want to hear more about you.” “About me?” Riko asked in surprise. She wasn’t sure why someone like Nico would want to hear about her but it was touching that she did. “Um...sure.” Nico grinned and grabbed Riko’s hand again. She tugged her into the restaurant and they quickly found a small table in the corner to sit at. The waitress wandered over right away and they ordered their drinks. “So.” Nico said, leaning back in her seat. “What else do you like doing?” “Um...I play the piano.” Nico laughed at that. “Oh man, you really are her. Do you compose?” “No, my friend Mari-chan is our composer.” Riko said with a shake of her head. She was tempted to ask about Maki, given that she had figured out that was who Nico was comparing her to but she resisted the urge, not wanting to bring up painful memories. Nico leaned a bit closer to Riko, their eyes locked intently. “Your eyes...they tell a story about someone who isn’t sure about what they want. Do you want to talk about it?” Riko swallowed thickly. “I-I barely know you.” “Sometimes strangers are the best people to talk to.” Nico lightly touched Riko’s hand. “Come on, whatever you have to say can’t be that bad. I’ve done some pretty bad things too, you know.” Riko felt her composure crumble at the gentle touch, her throat aching and her eyes watering. As she broke into tears she reached up, covering her eyes with her forearm. “I just don’t know what I want.” She said tearfully. “I love playing piano but I’m not really good. I get nervous and now that someone I thought I liked is no longer close to me I feel I’m losing my last inspiration to play. Like I said I’m not even composing the songs, I’m just...a help. I don’t really do anything.” “Play for me.” Nico requested softly, giving Riko’s hand a light squeeze. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be here. I haven’t decided yet. But I want you to play for me before I leave.” Riko sniffled as she looked at Nico. “O-Okay.” She realized what she was doing and quickly wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t usually do this in front of people I’ve just met.” “So you’re saying I’m special.” Nico smirked teasingly. She didn’t wait for a response from Riko though. “It’s fine, I don't mind. Let’s just order, okay?” “Yeah.” Riko slowly allowed herself to relax. “Okay.” She fell silent for a moment as Nico waved the waitress over. The two ordered and when the waitress left, Riko chanced another glance up at Nico. “My friend used to have a poster of your...group on her door. You look a lot different.” “Thanks?” Nico said hesitantly. She tried not to picture what that poster would have looked like, with the others and Honoka. “I felt like a change after high school. I used to have to fit the idol persona but they’re called school idols for a reason.” “Right.” Riko said quietly. Much like everyone with an interest in school idols she knew what had happened within Muse, with their leader getting sick and eventually dying of her illness. “Well this look suits you.” “Thanks.” Nico said again, a smirk tugging at her lips as she leaned back. “You’re not so bad yourself, you know.” Riko blushed at the compliment. “I thought you weren’t hitting on me?” Nico gave a soft laugh. “If that’s how you react to something like that, I’d love to see how you react to me actually flirting with you.” Riko swallowed heavily. “You...still haven’t let go of my hand.” “Do you want me to?” Nico quipped. Nevertheless, she drew her hand away, letting it fall back to her lap. She drew something from her pocket and slid it over to Riko. “Here. Before I forget to give this to you.” Riko looked down. A business card was sitting in front of her, on the table. “Your phone number…?” “Well you promised you’d let me listen to you play.” Nico said with a shrug of her shoulders. She gave a soft laugh as Riko blushed once more.

-------

Maki took a slow breath as she straightened her laptop in front of her. She wondered how long it had been since she’d spoken to Rin. It had been a long time, she knew that much. During their last two years of high school they had barely spoken. She’d hadn’t spoken with Hanayo much either. She felt hands on her shoulder and then Kotori was leaning down behind her, their cheeks brushing together. “I’m going to bed.” Kotori whispered, gently rubbing Maki’s shoulders. “Are you going to be okay?” “Yeah.” Maki said softly as she looked up at Kotori. “Yeah, of course. It’s just Rin.” Kotori lightly kissed Maki on the lips. “If you need me I’ll be in the bedroom.” Maki nodded and watched as Kotori turned and left. She waited until the bedroom door closed behind her girlfriend before she turned to her laptop. Trying not to think too much about it, she pressed the button to skype call Rin. It rang for a few minutes and Maki wasn’t sure Rin was going to pick up. She hadn’t warned her that she was going to call, after all. As she continued to wait for Rin to pick up she double checked the time difference. It was one in the morning in Japan, meaning it was eight in the morning in America. “Maki-chan?” Maki flinched as the skype call was finally answered. She flicked back to it on her laptop and paused when she saw Rin. The girl was jogging, her ponytail swinging behind her. “Your hair got longer.” “Uh...yeah.” Rin seemed to adjust her grip on her phone. Lifting her other hand, she used her sweatband to wipe her forehead. “What’s up? You wouldn’t call me unless...” She stopped short, alarm finding it’s way to her face. “What happened?” “Nothing, everyone is fine.” Maki said quickly, not wanting Rin to get the wrong idea. “I need to ask you for a favor.” “Now? I’m kind of busy. I’m practicing.” Rin said as she went back to jogging. As the phone moved, Maki could make out a track behind Rin, suggesting she was running on campus. “I need you to come back to Japan.” She blurted out. “Huh?” Rin frowned in confusion. “What do you mean? Why would I come back there? Are you not telling me something? Is someone sick? Is it Kotori-chan?” “NO!” Maki exclaimed quickly, her voice raising at the idea of that. “No, it’s not that. Um...it’s about Honoka.” “Honoka-chan?” Rin once again ground to a halt. Deciding to take a break for a few minutes, she walked over to the bleachers and sank down. She picked up the bottle of water she’d left there and pressed it to her forehead. “I don’t understand.” “I’m sorry.” Maki said sincerely. “I don’t really know how to explain all of this, it’s just...we need you back here. For...a reunion concert?” “You’re lying.” Rin retorted bluntly. “And I wouldn’t want to do that. Muse isn’t Muse without Honoka-chan. I can’t believe you would even…” “Okay, okay. It’s not that, I’m sorry!” Maki exclaimed quickly, seeing that Rin was getting upset. “I’m sorry, okay? But...it is for Honoka in a way. Eli is back in Japan.” “Good.” Rin said with a soft sigh of relief. “And we need you to come back because she’s leaving again soon.” Maki lied, hoping Rin would believe her this time. She felt bad for doing it but it couldn’t be helped. “And…” “Maki-chan, you’re a terrible liar. I’m hanging up now.” Maki cursed under her breath. “Wait, wait. Okay, fine. Just hear me out. Honoka needs you. She needs all of us.” Rin lowered her eyes. “Honoka-chan is dead. This isn’t funny.” “Am I lying though?” Maki asked expectantly. She watched as Rin looked up, seemingly staring at her intently. “Rin, please. Nozomi and Umi are here too. We just need you, Hanayo, Nico and Eli.” “You sound crazy.” Rin said with a shake of her head. “You know I hate bullshit, especially…” “I know!” Maki said as Rin trailed off. “But damn it, I’m begging you. Just come over. Give me a day! I’ll even pay for your plane tickets!” “Fine!” Rin finally relented with a huff. “But it better be important. I have track meets! I’ll call you later.” “Ri-” Maki was cut off by Rin abruptly hanging up on her. She sighed and slumped back in her seat. “That went well…”

--------

“I um...have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” Eli rolled her eyes as she watched Maki get up and head down the aisle to the bathroom. Looking over her shoulder she noticed that Kotori wasn’t in her seat either. “Of course.” She muttered. She paused for a moment before she decided to get up herself. The fasten seatbelt sign was no longer on so she was free to go where she liked. Quickly, she made her way to the seats a few rows back and sat down next to Honoka. “Where did you go?” Honoka mumbled without opening her eyes. “You’ve been gone for a while.” “I think she went to make out with Maki in the bathroom.” Eli answered with a smirk. Honoka’s eyes sprung open. “Eli-senpai!” She exclaimed happily. “What are you doing over here?” “I came to keep you company. Kotori’s probably going to be a while.” Eli said with a roll of her eyes. She leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to Honoka’s forehead. “How are you feeling?” “Um…” Honoka hesitated for a moment. “My head hurts. And I feel kind of nauseous but I think that might just be from flying.” “I feel a bit sick too.” Eli murmured with a nod of her head. “I wonder how those two can handle screwing in the bathroom.” Honoka made a face. “I don’t need to think about that, especially when I can’t do that myself. We’re not going to get much time to ourselves at the hotel…” “I’ll kick Nico out.” Eli said with a grin. “We need to get her a girlfriend.” Honoka gave a gentle laugh and shifted closer to Eli, resting her head lightly on her shoulder. “How do you know she likes girls?” “How do you know she doesn’t?” Eli countered, raising an eyebrow. “Besides I’m pretty sure she was into Nozomi at one point.” “Nico-chan and Nozomi-chan?” Honoka thought about that for a few seconds, nodding thoughtfully. “I guess that would make sense. Nico-chan is a bit hot-headed. Nozomi-chan would be able to keep her calm. Nozomi-chan is with Umi-chan now though. Do you think she might be interested in Nico-chan too?” “There’s a lot I can say about Nozomi right now but she’s not a cheater.” Eli said, irritation slipping into her voice. “And she wouldn’t be with Umi if she wanted Nico.” She looked over her shoulder, noticing a line forming outside of the bathroom. “Those two nerds are going to hold up the bathroom. Who would have thought Kotori could be so bad. Or Maki…” “Maki-chan isn’t surprising.” Honoka said with a shrug of her shoulders. “When we were…’dating’ she wanted to make out in the piano room. And in an empty classroom between classes…” She trailed off as Eli turned to frown at her. “Oh. Sorry. If it makes you feel better you’re a way better kisser.” Eli’s lips turned up at that but then they heard a moan from the bathroom and the smile slipped away. “Crap. I should go and get them.” “You don’t have to.” Honoka nodded over Eli’s shoulder. Eli looked up in time to see Nozomi storming down the aisle, an annoyed expression on her face. She relaxed slightly, a sense of familiarity settling over her. At least they were still the parental figures of the other members of Muse. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth against a laugh, noticing Nozomi mouthing that she was going to kill Maki. Nozomi got to the floor and rapped loudly on it. A moment later, a rather disheveled Maki appeared. Her button down shirt was untucked, three of the buttons at the top undone while her pants were only zipped, not buttoned. Kotori stumbled after her, her ribbon missing from her hair and her skirt wrinkled, like it had been pushed up then hastily tugged back down. Eli watched as Nozomi said something and the two blushed before Nozomi tugged Maki by the ear back to her seat. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.” Maki cringed as Nozomi tugged her down the aisle. On her way past Umi, Nozomi seemed to apologize before she went to sit next to Maki. “You can take the seat next to Umi.” Eli pointed out when Kotori returned to Honoka. “I’m going to stay with Honoka. Unlike someone I’m not going to leave her to have sex.” Kotori couldn’t think of an answer to that. She bowed her head. “Sorry, Honoka-chan.” She mumbled before she wandered off to take a seat next to a furiously blushing Umi. “That was mean.” Honoka said with a soft giggle as she wrapped an around around Eli’s waist. “Well they have to learn.” Eli shrugged, smirking as Umi seemed to shrink away from Kotori slightly in embarrassment. “Otherwise they’re going to end up fined or arrested.” “I thought Nozomi would have teased them about it.” Honoka said as she watched Nozomi and Maki. From the way Nozomi was talking and Maki was staring at the floor, her shoulders slumped it was clear that some kind of lecture was going on. “Poor Maki-chan.” “Nozomi tends to be more serious when it comes to being arrested.” Eli sighed and shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about Nozomi. She didn’t even want to look at her but Honoka seemed captivated by the discussion going on. Eli watched as Maki tugged on her grey jacket and Nozomi grabbed the younger girl’s phone. “No sexting either.” Nozomi’s voice was just loud enough for them and several other people to hear and Honoka burst out laughing. Kotori slumped down in her seat as Umi scowled and started her own lecture about why she should be more responsible in a public place and what the consequences could have been for Muse AND the other passengers. “Umi-chan still hasn’t done it yet.” Kotori teased, interrupting Umi mid-sentence. “KOTORI!” Kotori smirked and glanced at Nozomi who was watching them out of the corner of her eye. She winked at her and turned her attention back to Umi. “I thought Nozomi would take you already since she’s the most perverted out of all of us.” Nozomi’s face turned bright red. “Kotori-chan, what are you talking about?!” “Nothing.” Kotori said innocently as Umi started to tug her collar further up her neck. “Just some girl talk between best friends.” Maki laughed at the look on Nozomi’s face. She turned in her seat, looking around at Kotori. “I love you.” “Enough, both of you!” Nozomi exclaimed loudly. “Now I know why Nicocchi said nobody can share with their girlfriend.” Nico perked up. “TOLD YA!” “Miss, please be quiet.” A passing flight attendant said, causing Nico to frown. “It’s like Umi-chan and I are the only responsible couple.” Nozomi said with a roll of her eyes. “Hey, we are too!” Honoka called from her seat, earning herself a few annoyed looks from other passengers. “MISS!” “S-Sorry.” Honoka said sheepishly, slumping back down in her seat. She lowered her voice slightly. “I think it’s time for most of us to go to sleep. Rin and Hanayo are already.” “Yeah and they’re both sleeping on my shoulders!” Nico scowled. “MISS!” “Sorry, sorry…” Nico grumbled, rolling her eyes as the flight attendant berated them once more. “As I was saying, you need to be more responsible.” Nozomi told Kotori as she looked over at her. “Please.” Kotori scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “If Umi-chan wouldn’t freak out you wouldn’t hesitate to pin her to a wall and have your w-” “KOTORI!” Umi whisper yelled. “We’re in public!” “They’re all sleeping.” Kotori said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Or they have headphones on. Besides, you can’t say you don’t feel the same way. Nozomi-chan is hot.” “W-Well I do but…” “You do?” Nozomi asked in surprise. “I mean so do I but...I mean I don’t want to rush into anything. Not that I would feel rushed or anything but...I mean you. I don’t want to rush you.” Kotori smirked in response. “Seems like someone has been holding herself back. Must be driving you crazy.” “Why don’t you sit next to Umi and talk about that?” Maki suggested hopefully. “I guess Kotori could sit next to me and you two can talk about whatever you need to talk about. Umi looks like she wants to say something, doesn’t she?” “Nice try.” Nozomi said with a roll of her eyes. “We’ll talk about this later, Umi-chan.” Umi smiled and nodded, settling back in her seat. Kotori huffed out a sigh and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Kotori.” Maki called, successfully drawing Kotori’s attention back to her. “It’s Umi who has it bad. Nozomi can control herself. Umi can’t. I should have taken a picture of her pinning you to the wall that time I walked in on you two.” “I’m going to kill you in your sleep.” Nozomi muttered as Umi spluttered out her innocence. “T-That’s not true.” Umi spluttered. “Go Umi-chan!” Honoka hollered from where she was sitting with Eli. “Miss, for the last time, be QUIET!” Eli grabbed Honoka’s hand and tugged her back down into her seat. “Okay time for bed everyone. Especially you troublemakers.” She looked pointedly between Maki and Kotori. Thankfully the two quietened down. Eli closed her eyes and angled herself more toward Honoka, letting Honoka sink into her, huddling against her chest. Eli positioned Kotori’s pillow behind her, ignoring the girl’s protests that she needed it. It wasn’t long before Honoka dozed off but Eli couldn’t force herself to sleep. She glanced at Nozomi and Maki and found Maki lying down with her head in Nozomi’s lap, the third year gently stroking her hair. Eli shifted ever so slightly to check on Umi and Kotori too. Kotori’s head was resting on Umi’s shoulder while Umi had tilted her head to rest atop Kotori’s. They seemed to be sleeping soundly, much like Maki. A glance at Nico had her chuckling softly. Rin and Hanayo were sleeping huddled against her, each with an arm around her waist. As unhappy as Eli was sure Nico would be, she was sound asleep anyway, leaving only herself and Nozomi the only two awake. She quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

-----

Maki was surprised when she opened her apartment door and found not Hanayo but Chika and Kanan standing in front of her. “Oh…It’s you two.” She frowned. “What are you doing here?” “I want to get started!” Chika exclaimed brightly. “Can we come in?” “Don’t you have Love Live to focus on?” Maki asked dryly. “Thanks!” Chika ducked past Maki into the apartment. “We have the day off. Besides, Honoka-chan is more important than Love Live. More important than saving our school even.” Maki groaned as she allowed Kanan to walk into the apartment. “I’m going to fail my classes if this keeps happening.” “Do you have a photographic memory, Maki-chan?” Chika asked expectantly. She turned to smile warmly at Maki. “Besides, priorities. If we change the past this won’t be happening right now so that means you’ll be studying instead. Maybe you won’t even want to study what you are now. Maybe you’ll...” “Chika.” Kanan interrupted pointedly. “Right, sorry. Um...where’s everyone else?” Chika asked, glancing around. “Wow, this is a really nice apartment.” “Nozomi and Umi are on holiday.” Maki explained slowly. “Winter break. So they’ve gone out to make the most of it, I think.” “So they’re sightseeing?” Chika asked with a hint of skepticism. “We need to be here though.” “Umi-chan wanted to go and talk to Honoka.” Kotori’s sleepy voice sounded from across the room. “She went to visit her grave.” Chika glanced at Kotori, her eyes widening as the girl wandered into the room. Having just woken up she was only wearing panties and a shirt that was only closed with a couple of buttons in the middle, leaving her midriff on show and exposing a fair amount of cleavage. “Whoa…” Maki glared at Chika. “Watch it.” “Huh? Oh right. Sorry.” Chika quickly averted her eyes. “So you were studying, huh?” Kanan quipped, raising an eyebrow. Maki huffed and crossed her arms. “I was about to. Not that that’s any of your business. She just fell asleep after...ugh, why am I telling you this?!” “It’s a gift.” Kanan said with a smug smile. Maki’s gaze trailed to Kotori who was shuffling over to the coffee maker. She bit her lip as the shirt rode up, exposing Kotori’s ass. Quickly she remember that Kanan and Chika were there. Luckily for them when she glanced at them they were both averting their eyes. “Kotori, can you put some clothes on? Please?” “I need coffee.” Kotori pouted as Maki walked over to grip her shoulders and turn her around. Maki’s gaze shifted down. Being so close to Kotori she could easily see down her shirt. Kotori took advantage of Maki’s distraction and gripped her hips, pulling her in close. “Like what you see?” She asked in a husky whisper as she kissed the redhead’s neck. She smirked in satisfaction at Maki’s answering whimper. “Knock, knock, knock.” Maki and Kotori pulled away from each other at the sound of another voice. Looking over to the door they found Hanayo standing in the open doorway. “Hey.” Hanayo said with a small smile as she stepped into the room. Kotori quickly tugged Maki back in front of her. “You didn’t tell me she was coming! I’m practically naked!” “What? So Hanayo you care about but these two you can walk around naked in front of…” Maki said with a roll of her eyes. “And they’re teenagers! And one of them was gawking at your boobs the whole time!” “Maki-chan, you jerk!” Kotori pouted, grasping Maki’s arms to keep her in front of her. “I don’t care about what they think, but it’s Hanayo-chan!” Hanayo smiled at their antics. It seemed some things hadn’t changed. “I see I came at the wrong time. Good thing I brought…” “Hanayo, I think these chocolates melted all over the backseat. It’s dripping out of the box somehow. I guess we shouldn’t have put the heat on.” “You brought a BOY?!” Kotori exclaimed as a dark haired male appeared in the doorway. “What?” Hanayo glanced between Kotori and Raven who had already turned his back. “Oh please, he only sees me naked. This is Raven, my boyfriend.” “It’s nice to meet you both.” Raven said, lifting his hand in a wave without turning back to them. “I’m going to get changed.” Kotori said before she hurried off to the bedroom. “We can come back later if you’re busy.” Hanayo said, glancing at Kanan and Chika. “You seem to have company.” “Oh...no, they’re staying. Come in, it’s fine.” Maki said with a shake of her head. “Um, can I come in or…?” Raven trailed off as Hanayo grabbed his hand and tugged him into the apartment. He closed the door behind him. He turned to face forward, holding up the chocolates in his hand. “Uh...we brought a gift but we blasted the heat in the car on the way over so they kind of melted.” “Um...thanks.” Maki said, taking the box of chocolates. She placed them on the side, not wanting to rudely throw them in the trash right in front of the couple. “I told you she was straight.” Chika whispered, nudging Kanan who rolled her eyes. “Bisexual actually but close.” Hanayo answered, glancing at Chika. “She was dating a girl before me.” Raven chimed in, in agreement. “I won her heart though.” Hanayo fondly rolled her eyes at him but she was more focused on Chika. “You’re Chika, aren’t you?” “Uh…” Chika grimaced. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. This is my girlfriend, Kanan-chan.” Hanayo smiled fakely, her eyes closed and Maki shuddered. She knew that smile. Shivers ran down her spine as she remembered the last time Hanayo had smiled like that. After Honoka had died, Hanayo had started to fake her smiles and cheerful tones at school. It was part of the many reasons she and Maki had grown distant. Raven leaned toward Maki, lowering his voice to a whisper. “That’s her ‘I really don’t like you but my boyfriend is here so I’ll play along’ look. She’s actually seething.” “I know.” Maki whispered back as Chika and Kanan shifted uncomfortably. “She slapped someone in junior year when provoked. All with that smile.” “She’s scary when she’s mad.” Raven mumbled, glancing at Hanayo. “At least she’s stable.” Maki mused as she noticed Kotori wander out of the bedroom and move to greet Hanayo with a hug. “I’m guessing Kotori-san is a handful?” Raven asked curiously. “Sometimes. But she’s stable.” Maki answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “Hanayo’s told me about her. About...Chika.” Raven said with a nod toward Chika. “Not specifics, just...that she hates her. And that she was involved with...well, you know. I don’t want to bring it up but maybe putting those two together isn’t a good idea.” “It has to be done.” Maki sighed and stepped forward, taking Hanayo’s hand. Kotori glanced at Raven as Maki tugged Hanayo into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. “Not a good sign?” “Nope.” “What the hell is that fucking bitch doing here?! Do you know I’m shaking? I’m fucking SHAKING, Maki-chan! WHY IS SHE HERE?!” Kotori, Raven, Chika and Kanan cringed at the loud exclamation from the bedroom. “C-Calm down, don’t be crazy, Hanayo.” Maki said warily, her voice harder to hear than Hanayo’s. “She’s lucky Raven is here or I wouldn’t be so damn NICE!” Hanayo yelled angrily. “You haven’t answered me! Why is she even here?!” “Um...I’d rather we all explain together.” Maki said with a wince. “Nozomi and Umi should be back soon. They…” “Do THEY KNOW about this?! How can you even let her into your apartment?! She KILLED HONOKA-CHAN! You know what, I’m not doing this.” The door to Maki’s bedroom was wrenched open a moment later and Hanayo stormed across the room to Chika. Kanan moved to step forward but Chika held her arm out, stopping her. A second later, Hanayo lifted her hand and delivered a sharp slap to Chika’s face. “I deserved that.” Chika mumbled, her eyes watering. “Damn right, you did!” Hanayo yelled as Raven walked over to her, lightly tugging her away. “Do you have any idea what you did to us? To HONOKA-CHAN?!” “Of course she knows!” Kanan, who had turned Chika to face her so she could look at her cheek, retorted, shooting a brief glare at Hanayo. “Why do you think she’s here?” “Just hear her out.” Maki said quietly as she paused next to Kotori. Hanayo scoffed and looked directly at Chika. “I don’t know what you did to convince Maki-chan but me and Rin-chan are going to be harder to crack.” “You are going to pick her up in two days, right?” Maki checked thoughtfully. “Yeah, yeah.” Hanayo grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Oh and she’s bringing her best friend from America too.” “Fine. Ugh, the apartment is going to be so cramped.” Maki muttered, glancing around. She wondered if Nico would end up staying there too when they finally managed to track her down. “You’re rich and it has space.” Hanayo pointed out skeptically. “This is KOTORI’S!” Maki exclaimed loudly. “I told you that on the phone. Listen, just...you can stay if you want. We have one bedroom left. Rin can sleep on the air mattress in my study or something. I guess if she’s best friends with this girl they can just sleep together.” Hanayo smirked and raised an eyebrow. “You know Rin-chan has a crush on her, right?” Maki groaned in exasperation. “Whatever. We’re sticking with the plan.” “Those two.” Hanayo jerked her thumb in the direction of Chika and Kanan. “Aren’t going to be here, right?” Chika sighed loudly but she was saved from replying when her phone chimed with an alert. She tugged it out of her pocket, her brow furrowing when she noticed it was a news alert. “Local has been spotted with international model, Nico-chan. Hey, that looks like…” “RIKO!” Kanan exclaimed, looking closer at the picture. “It is!” “Wait, INTERNATIONAL?!” Chika exclaimed in surprise. “Nico-chan is that popular?!” “Somebody doesn’t read the fashion magazines.” Hanayo said snarkily. Chika looked up, stunned to see the others didn’t seem all that surprised. “Wait, you all know?” The others nodded. “Nozomi reads in french so yeah.” Maki answered with a shrug. Kotori chimed in after. “I follow her on twitter. The clothing she models inspires me. Most people only know Nico-chan as a model. Not even many people in Japan know her as an idol. Besides school idols.” “Rin-chan and I were practically her cheerleaders when she first started at eighteen.” Hanayo explained quietly. Chika frowned at Maki. “You told me that the rest of Muse didn’t talk anymore. Didn’t you say that Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan only spoke when they had to?” “But they still seem like best friends.” Kanan said thoughtfully. “You are, right?” Hanayo nodded her head. “Yeah. The time difference usually works out so we talk every couple of weeks.” “Muse was separated.” Maki pointed out, frowning at Chika’s implication. “I didn’t know what happened to Nico. Rin and Hanayo started ignoring me.” “US?!” Hanayo cried out in disbelief. “You threw yourself into fucking cram school and med books! You abandoned US! At least Nico-chan tried, even though she was a mess too! You were the one who kept acting as if everything was okay when in fact you were a wreck. You became obsessed with finding a cure for an incurable disease!” “FOR HONOKA!” “Honoka-chan was already DEAD, damn it! There was nothing you could do to save her when she was alive, what makes you think you can when she’s DEAD?!” Hanayo’s accusation had Maki reeling back but she didn’t pause to give the redhead time to reply. “Rin-chan ran into track the moment we disbanded but she was trying to take her mind off what had happened, like Honoka-chan wanted us to! You were OBSESSED with it! You’re lucky Kotori-chan was so patient with you. With the way you were acting, anyone else would have broken up with you! And what would you have done then?” Raven leaned toward Kotori. “Shouldn’t we…?” “Let them get it out.” Kotori said with a shake of her head. “It’s the first step to recovering. We should probably leave them alone...you have a car, right?” “I-I KNOW THAT!” Maki finally yelled after hesitating a moment. “I know if she wasn’t here I would be getting drunk off my ass right now!” Kotori cringed. She was relieved when Raven nodded yes to her question. “We should go and pick up some food for when they’re done if you don’t mind driving.” “Sure.” Raven shrugged his shoulders. “Uh…” Kanan stepped forward slightly. “Can we…?” “Yes, you can come along.” Kotori said with a nod of her head. “Let’s just go.” Maki and Hanayo didn’t notice the other four leave the apartment. “I didn’t abandon you.” Maki said, her voice low and angry. “The two of you just expected me to be fine after Honoka died. You two were allowed to be as broken as you wanted but you expected me to be steady. I wasn’t a damn robot, Hanayo. I loved Honoka too, just as much as the rest of you. Maybe even more than some of you. I even dated her for a bit, you know?” Hanayo’s eyes went wide with surprise. “What?!” “The whole Chika thi-” “Shut up! Just...shut up. I don’t want to hear it.” Hanayo turned on her heel and stormed into her temporary bedroom, slamming the door behind her. “Damn it.” Maki stumbled back, barely managing to find her way to the couch before she collapsed down onto it, in tears. “DAMN IT!”

TBC

[meltaren]

Leo Valdez imagine|Fireworks

Yo waddup! Imagine number 2. Again, don’t be hard on me, I’m new with this stuff.. enjoyyyy!

Summary: The reader and her crush Leo Valdez happen to see some colorful fireworks in the night sky.

-any godly parent -no warnings, perhaps some swearing?

—————

The 4th of July. Happy Birthday America yeah. Even though everyone around you was keen on celebrating this wonderful day, you were frustrated.

Why? Well the reason started with ‘L’ and was latino. Yeah! Right guess! Leo Valdez! (Hehehehe)

The adorably funny fire boy never left your thoughts. You couldn’t shut them off, you couldn’t think of something different. You even tried to band Leo from the fucking server. No luck.

Lost in thoughts, you didn’t notice Piper approaching your bench.

“Watcha thinking ‘bout (Y/N)?” You looked up to see her smirking. Did she know? Was it that obvious?

“U-uhm nothing, why?”

“Oh don’t 'nothing’ me! You know damn well what I’m talking about. Wait let me help you remember: does your huge crush on a certain member of the seven ring a bell?” She asked raising an eyebrow.

“Wh-what.. h-how did yo-.. no.. I-i don’t have a c-crush on Leo!” You tried to save yourself, oblivious to your mistake.

“Ha! I knew it! You have a crush on Leo!” And suddenly she started singing. “(Y/N) has a crush on Leo, (Y/N) has a crush on Leo!” A small amount of charm speak, that Piper didn’t mean to release, washed over you and you started to lightly hum to the rhythm. Until you noticed what you were doing and stopped yourself.

“Piper! Stop! Please.. I don’t want anyone to know. It’s already embarrassing enough.” You whined.

“Oh come on (Y/N)! Leo’s a good guy. And i think he likes you back.”

Your heart skipped a beat. I didn’t matter if piper was right or not. Somewhere your hope lit up and, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t avoid smiling. As you pictured the both of you together you felt your cheeks lit up and looked away, embarrassed to be seen like this. Changing the topic, you asked something you had wanted to ask her all day.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?”

Your best friend seemed fed up about the change in subject, but quickly forgot that, as she started talking about the plans.

“So at first we wanted to do something in couples. Just the seven… and then we noticed that Leo is the only single… so now we will all just go see the fireworks and enjoy each others company. Why? What are you gonna do?”

You thought about your plans. “I’m gonna do the best thing on this planet. Make myself a huge bowl of popcorn and watch game of thrones. And when I’m done with that, imma grab a bag of chips and begin the walking dead and then imma finish reading harr-” you were interrupted by an unimpressed piper.

“Ok stop” she put her hand on her hip and smiled “you’re gonna come with us. No but’s! It’s decided!”

“But..-”

“I said no but’s! Meet me at 8 in my cabin. And take some clothes with you. And by “nice” i mean NICE, alright?“

You sat there, thinking about your answer. Sure, it was cool having friends and going out with them. But you wanted to finish reading your favorite book.

Then you thought about your crush. Usually you never wanted to be seen by him. It made you think you looked suspicious. But at that moment you didn’t care. So you decided to give it a try.

"8 it is then.” You simply answered. A huge smile grew on pipers face. It made you happy to see your friend like that. You had seen her sad so many times. She was a wonderful person. All of the seven deserved the world. Not to save it. To enjoy it and live a happy life.

But you couldn’t just magically wish them a happy life. Maybe you could just be with them and make them laugh. Even if it meant to skip a perfect Netflix night.

'Le time skip’

All afternoon you were nervous. Regretting your decision, but then catching yourself making inhuman sounds as you were filled with excitement. A ton of emotions washed over you again and again. Some positive and some negative, but they were there.

You decided to try to nit be hopeful. Every time your heart pictured you and Leo together, your mind screamed for the image to go away. It was a fight no one could really win.

Caught up in the show of the battle in your brain, you didn’t notice it was getting late. So you quickly moved to the closet in the cabin of (G/P), trying to find something to wear. Soon you realized though that you were not going to find something in there. So you made the decision to ask Piper for advice.

As quick as possible you walked to the Aphrodite cabin. There were already some fireworks, symbolizing that the fun evening with the group was getting closer and closer. That made your heart skip a beat and your feet walk faster.

Soon you reached the cabin and knocked on the door. Piper opened and didn’t seem surprised by your appearance.

“Didn’t find anything, huh? Well I have ton of stuff. Just come in!”

And so you did. You entered the Aphrodite cabin and were overwhelmed by the smell of oil and sweat, which you found odd. So you asked Piper about it.

“Uhm Piper… why does it smell like in some kind of fabric in here? Isn’t it supposed to smell like perfume and roses?”

Your best friend just turned around and looked at you with the biggest grin you had ever seen.

“Hm.. so that’s how it smells for you!” You were confused and Piper could tell by your face.

“Girl. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, right?” You nodded your head. “Well it should smell like love in here. But there isn’t just one smell of love. Everyone smells something different, because everyone has a different definition of love. Understood? Good. So me for example, I smell the rain after a hot day. Or sometimes the wind in winter. So it smells like Jason basically. Annabeth, she smells the sea, duh… everyone smells something/someone different.” And with that she gave you a second grin. “Which means….”

You stood there in shock. You hadn’t meant to embarrass you. Luckily none of her siblings were there to laugh at you.

“Wh-whatever. Let’s just- let’s just… you know-”

“Calm down!” She laughed, “I have the perfect dress for you!”

“Dress?!” You hated dresses. So you hated what was about to happen.

“Yeah! Look here.” She held out a dress. It was white and had two hearts on it. Both on the chest. You cringed. “Really Piper?”

She looked confused, the took a look at the dress herself and laughed. “Oops! Wrong dress! I apologize!!”

Then her head was lost in the closet again.

The next dress she pulled out, was much better. It was reddish, but a little tighter on the top. From the waist down, it fell beautifully. It convinced you from The moment you saw it.

“Yes.” You said and Piper had a victory smile all over her face.

“Ok now… make up and hair.” She said and both of you moved to the cabins bathroom. You were there for like 30 minutes and when you left it, both of you were ready for the party.

Piper had a white dress and her hair pulled in a ponytail. You had your dress on and your hair was straightened. With only a little bit of make up, both of you looked like natural beauties.

“So… you ready?” Piper asked, clearly seeing how nervous you were.

“Yeah… let’s do this” you tried to get yourself to believe, that everything would be ok. But it was difficult with all the nervous thoughts filling your brain.

“It’ll be ok” Piper said and hooked her arm with yours.

“It’ll be ok.” You repeated and the both of you walked out of the cabin, towards the beach.

'Le time skip 2.0’

It was difficult walking on the beach with a dress. There was a light wind, but the weather was ok. As you approached the others, you could see that you were the last ones to arrive.

To your surprise you could see two more people. They were holding hands.

“Omg it’s Will and Nico! I might not be able to contain my screams.” You said to Piper. You had shipped them since they first talked. It was your OTP, and seeing everyday that it had become canon made your life worth living basically.

“Same girl!” Piper simply said as you reached the other ones.

“Hey guys!” Your best friend said, catching the others attention “I brought (Y/N) too! I hope that’s alright.” You looked at her, with your eyes saying everything. She hadn’t asked them?! What if they didn’t want you there?! What if they wanted some privacy?! What if-

“That’s perfectly fine! The more, the better! Hey (Y/N)! How are you?” A voice spoke and you instantly recognized it as Percy’s.

“Oh.. H-hey guys. Thanks Percy. I’m good! How are you?” Percy smiled at you.

“I’m perfect! Well I’m feeling perfect too of course!” At that Annabeth gave him a quick slap on the arm.

“Oh come on Seaweed Brain. We don’t want (Y/N) to leave because she thinks we are so weird.” She said and looked at you with a sorry face.

You laughed and wanted to say something, but then he spoke.

“Hey (Y/N)!”

“H-Hey Leo! How are you?”

He smiled, and for a moment you think you were gonna fall to your knees. Thank gods your arm was still linked with Piper’s.

“I’m really good, thank you! How about you? Oh wait you answered that to Percy already right? Ugh I’m sorry.” He smiled and looked down. Your knees were definitely pudding now.

“I’m great Leo, thank you so much for asking.” You said and smiled at him.

“Wanna take a walk till the fireworks really start?” He asked and you were wondering how you were still standing.

“Yeah sure. Be right back.” You said the last part to Piper, who was talking to Jason.

Leo and you took of and walked along the water. Your feet were inside, while Leo’s were on the sand only. At first there was silence with some random small talk. Leo had asked you about your day and you repeated his question.

It wasn’t awkward though. You loved to be around him. Sure, you got all nervous, but it was comfortable and you could be yourself.

After some time of talking, Leo turned towards you and stopped walking.

“(Y/N)?” You hummed in response staring at him, waiting for his next question.

“Do you like someone?” He asked and you weren’t prepared for that question, so you blinked and started stuttering.

“Uhm.. I-I.. do you?” You were taken aback by his smile. It was weirdly confident.

“In fact, I do.” He said. You didn’t know If to be happy or sad.

Happy because there was a chance that he liked you back. Sad because there’s a chance that he loved someone else.

You stared at him, frightened of your next question. “W-who?”

“Well she is beautiful.” He started. Your first thought was 'Oh wow.. definitely not me’

“She has (H/C) hair. And beautiful (E/C) eyes. I love when she smiles. It makes my days better. She enters a room and you could think the sun started shining even brighter. I love her so much, I wish she’d know.”

You wanted to scream Don’t tell her! Tell me!’ But obviously that would look suspicious. So you tried for the helping best friend kinda advice. You ignored the pain in your chest and said. “T-Then tell her. I-I think she’d want to know if such an amazing person as you loved her.” It was only the truth. Right as you said that, the fireworks, that you had completely ignored, became louder.

“Alright then” he looked you into your eyes “(Y/N)…. I love you.”

Your brain was on fire.. well it felt like it was. Your cheeks were to 100% as red as your dress.

“Oh my gods.” Is all you could say for the moment. He smiled and took your hand into his.

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

“Fuck yes” and he kissed you. It was a tenderly sweet kiss that had you on cloud 16389. After pulling apart, you hugged him. The smell of a machinery filled your nose and everything was perfect.