#“Please notice me Senpai” type shit but senpai is actively avoiding him

[keiachi-chan]

Zhongli kept running away from Neuvi so hoyo locked them in the closet together so they would be forced to talk (Zhongli is in the corner)

Fic trope or something

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 142

Another late chapter... I’m really batting a thousand lately, seems like.

So, work has been insane, but @baelpenrose reminds me to post when I forget, thankfully. And this is SUCH a fun chapter.  I hope you all enjoy!

I dropped into a seat in Mess Hall Seven with a groan, so exhausted that I barely managed to get soup and a grilled cheese from the console.  Tyche yawned and nodded in agreement before poking at her sushi bowl idly. It was six Von-days after the last drill, and between coordinating increased training schedules for Shelters Three and Seven and helping Charly plan kink-night at the Undine, we were wiped.

“People are ungrateful,” she muttered before managing to barely balance a piece of salmon into her mouth.

I muttered something that hopefully sounded like agreement before I scooped up a bite of my soup with one wedge of sandwich, too lazy to even bother with the spoon. “Remind me why we don’t have Vati and Hannah handling the practice schedules?”

“Because they are handling the extra evacuation drills with Jokul and Arthur.”

Personally, I thought they were getting the better end of this deal, but since the raging success of their first Food Festival, it really was only fair. “And the relocations for those who need it,” I admitted. “Except mine.”

“Conor may actually strangle one of them if any of your plants don’t make it,” she pointed out, gesturing with her chopsticks for emphasis after having given up and using her fingers to eat her lunch. “Not to mention I wouldn’t wish packing with Maverick on anyone.”

“He’s letting me pack the books and textiles.” I shrugged in acceptance after taking another bite of soup-dipped sandwich.

We picked at our food in silence after that, grateful for something resembling a reprieve, before we were interrupted by a flurry of grey hair and enthusiasm landing in one of the nearby chairs with a heavy thunk. “Good afternoon, Madams Reid.”

“Hey, Jokul,” I muttered as Tyche just waggled her fingers at him. I really think I liked it better when he was trying to kill me. Right now, I might even let him do it.

“I know you are both on your meal period, but I wanted to test the waters on potentially scheduling a community activity,” he rushed out.

Tyche guarded her lunch with an almost feral aggression, having heard what happened the last time Jokul had interrupted my lunch. “That should really be something you run by Al-”

“Worthington, yes, I know,” he interrupted. “However, I know you are both quite busy and I wanted to be respectful of your time. As such, I will make this as brief as - ow!” He snatched his hand back away from the other half of my sandwich, rubbing where I had slammed my spoon down onto it.

“I have no idea where the food stealing comes from, but don’t,” I warned him.

“Rude, got it,” he nodded in a terrifying impression of Charly’s normal demeanor. “As I was saying, I recently learned a new type of game from Terra, from the Before.  It involves teamwork, and encourages creativity and escapism, and I think it would be a very good community activity - “

I surrendered to my urge to groan. “We are not doing a redux of Settlers of Cattan. Arthur stabbed someone last time.”

“I didn’t press charges…” Jokul pouted, glancing at the scar on the back of his wrist briefly. “Besides, it was only a fork. Clearly he didn’t mean it, there were four knives in arms reach counting my own.”

Tyche cocked an eyebrow at me. Seriously?

I pursed my lips and wrinkled my nose in response. Yep.

“So what game is it this time?” I asked hesitantly.

I was reward-bombarded with a grin. “It’s called Dungeons and Dragons! Somewhat like a video game, but with more people, and using writing implements and paper. Oh, and different kinds of dice, very important. One person is something of the narrator, to give the game a kind of structure, while the other players act as characters in the game… Ivan introduced me to it, and it is quite challenging with the right people.  The dungeon master - that is the narrator - has to re-evaluate the story based on the actions of the other players, but the players themselves don’t know what the dungeon master is going to do. It is very much a social diversion, and there are many classes….”

As Jokul continued to gush, he was rather oblivious to the fact that Tyche and I were stuffing our faces as quickly as possible to avoid interrupting him or laughing. We had both played when we were younger - in fact, we had been introduced to the game by our mother.  There had even been a very overwhelming pop-culture movement in our youth around the game, which further emphasized just how far out in the boonies Jokul had grown up.  As shocking as it was that he was just now discovering the game, it came at exactly zero surprise that he enjoyed it so much - it was right up his alley of interests.

About fifteen minutes and two more grilled cheeses into his retelling of the campaign he was part of, Charly and Arthur squeezed in with us, their own lunches in tow.  As seemed to be a growing trend, Arthur reached over and snagged one of my sandwiches before I could react, shoving half of it in his face.

That was apparently enough to snap Jokul out of his story. “Hey! Why didn’t you hit him?”

“His deathwish, not my problem,” I shrugged.

Around the remains of my lunch, Arthur managed to enunciate. “Told you, Noah fissed the dairy allergy.”

“Bleargh,” I gagged comically. “It’s okay, think I’m done anyway.”

Jokul’s hand swatted Arthur’s out of the way to steal the rest of my food. “As I was saying, Ivan was quite clever with his resolution to deal subdural damage to the player who was very much ruining the storyline by insisting his character was immune to magical sleep…”

“Oooooo! I love tabletops!” Charly squealed, bouncing in her seat. “What setting are you playing in right now?  My favorite was always Exalted…”

“Miss Harper, I think we are discussing different activities.” Jokul sounded supremely confused, but my heart broke a bit.

Arthur shook his head. “Maybe not Exalted, but what about Ebberron? Swordhaven, maybe?  Just tell me it isn’t Ravenloft… I know you haven’t been fucking around in a Dark Sun, but I beg you to tell me you aren’t playing Ravenloft.”

“I’m not sure what those are… Ivan introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons. There is only one setting.”

“So… Greyhawk or homebrew,” Arthur nodded. “Best place to start, get the basics down.”

Jokul’s head pivoted toward me and Tyche, squinting in annoyance. “You knew, didn’t you? And you let me prattle on…”

“You were so… happy….” I explained plaintively. “We didn’t want to ruin that for you.”

Tyche nodded. “We both remember how fun that first campaign is. And honestly? We’ve been having a kind of crappy day.  It was nice to hear someone be excited about something that isn’t work related.”

“But I came to you to discuss making it a ship activity…”

“Originally, yeah,” I shrugged. “That was maybe the first thirty seconds.  After that, you were doing what literally every tabletop roleplaying person has done since the beginning of time… telling stories about the fun, dramatic, and frankly stupid shit the people in your party are doing.”

“Says the two-foot eight halfling rogue,” Arthur scowled.

“I rolled it at random, it was fifteen years ago, get over it!” I threw my hands up dramatically. “At least I wasn’t mated to a frickin’ deity.”

Charly giggled uncontrollably while Jokul goggled at us. “Exalted is broken in all the fun ways.”

“You literally sacrificed, and I quote ‘all of your fucks to give’, for necromancy.”

“That was your idea!”

Jokul turned toward Tyche, waiting for her to say something. She just held up her hands defensively. “I was a murder monk-bunny.”

Arthur snorted. “You were the Black Rabbit of Inle….”

“Well if my wife would have just stopped dying…!”

“At least none of us were the Platinum Knight who pissed his pants every time he confronted his favored enemy,” I laughed. “He never did live that one down. Every. Single. Dragon. He would crit fail his roles.”

“Oh, please,” Arthur intoned drily. “Did I ever tell you about the time one of my players managed to make ‘Notice me, Senpai’ into the most terrifying in-universe warcry imaginable?”

Charly choked before swatting his shoulder. “Not in front of my pasta. Please.”

Jokul, however, looked both horrified and intrigued, egging Arthur on. “Barbarian whose entire clan worshipped a god named The Senpai…. Just imagine, a barbarian in a rage, bellowing ‘NOTICE ME, SENPAI!!!’ before just scything down thirty men with a broadsword.”

At this point, I was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down my face. “Please, please tell me there was a kilt and pigtails involved….”

Jokul touched his own hair, before straightening as seriously as possible. “They are warrior’s braids, Councillor.”

That was it, I couldn’t take it anymore. I just put my head down on my folded arms and waiting to either pass out from laughing so hard or from exhaustion.  A few deep breaths and a spinning head later, I managed to wipe my face on my sleeve and realized the conversation was continuing without me.  Just as I was clearing my throat to let Jokul know he should be fine to start organizing something and to send me a rough outline, Arthur dealt the final blow.

Leaning over, he whispered over my shoulder. “By the way, the barbarian’s name was Drystan of the Doki-doki tribe.”

I was proud that I managed to get up and dash into the hallway before collapsing against the wall in maniacal laughter.  I barely registered Hannah’s voice behind me asking everyone at the table if I needed medical assistance, and that did not help.

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[fictionliv-ing]

Walk With You [Akaashi Keiji X Reader]

In which you’re an assistant manager for Fukurodani’s volleyball team and their vice-captain can’t help the things he feels for you.

view this on wattpad!

god he looks so good

Word count: 6.1k words

Genre: fluff, fluff, and more fluff

-

“Y/N-san.”

You look up from packing your bag, meeting the gaze of the Fukurodani volleyball team’s vice captain. “Hm?”

“Do you mind throwing us some balls for practice?” Akaashi asks, voice coming out smooth and collected, despite the fact that the team had just finished a particularly exhausting training session. You can’t help but notice the shyness in his voice, even though this isn’t the first time he’d made such a request.

“Aren’t you guys tired?” You ask, rising to your feet. He shrugs in response.

“Bokuto wants to spike more, and you know how he gets…”

You deadpan. “Yeah…I do.”

Leaving your bag to the side, you follow the dark-haired athlete to the ball basket positioned near the net.

“Hey hey hey, Y/N-chan! You’re helping us practice again?” Bokuto asks loudly. Your captain pops up out of nowhere, scaring the hell out of you as he restlessly flits around the court. “You’re so nice!”

You spend the rest of your evening helping Akaashi and Bokuto with their free practice. Even after the other team members have left, the two friends keep going at it, only stopping when it’s time to close up the gym.

Ever since you joined the volleyball club as a manager-in-training a couple of weeks ago, you’ve occasionally been asked by Akaashi to help with their post-training practice sessions. Because of this, you’ve gotten quite close to the duo and have grown familiar with Bokuto’s many mood swings. The three of you have all gotten to know each other, but despite the fact that Akaashi is your classmate, you don’t really interact with him outside of club activities. That’s probably because he’s the type to keep to himself and you find yourself hanging out with a couple of your other friends instead.

Of course, there are times when Akaashi is spending time with Bokuto in between classes, and the captain excitedly greets you in the hallways with that ridiculous energy of his. While Bokuto is always the first to approach and strike up a conversation with you, your classmate follows quietly behind his best friend and joins the conversation when he feels like it.

“Thanks for helping us again.” Akaashi says, picking up his bag after we finish cleaning up.

“It’s no problem.” you reply, shouldering your backpack.

“Say, Y/N-chan!” Bokuto pipes up. “What did you think of my spikes? Pretty good, huh?”

“Amazing as always!” You let out a laugh at his never-ending liveliness. “Do you ever run out of energy?”

-

“Hey, ‘Kaashi.”

“What is it?”

“You’re classmates with Y/N, right?” Bokuto wonders out loud, looking up at the sky as they walk home together.

“Yeah, why?”

“She still shows up to practice alone, why don’t you walk with her?”

The dark-haired boy shrugs. “What difference would it make? We’d both still make it to the gym.”

Bokuto’s shoulders drop at his best friend’s aloofness. “That’s not the point, Akaashi! Don’t you want to get to know her? Don’t you think she’s cute?”

An image of Y/N laughing pops into his mind. Akaashi pauses, but it’s a second too long.

“HA! I knew it! I knew you found her attractive!” His best friend exclaims triumphantly, a scheming grin appearing on his face.

“Where are you going with this, Bokuto-san?” He sighs. No use in denying it.

“I’m saying you should make a move!” The owl-haired captain says giddily. “Walk her to practice, talk to her in between classes, become a close friend, ask her out!”

“Okay, you’re getting ahead of yourself.” Akaashi states. “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate? Dating the team manager?”

“Manager-in-training.” Bokuto corrects. “And no, it wouldn’t be. I guess, not as long as you manage to keep it strictly professional during training. Besides, this is high school, not some big-league team! I say go for it.”

Akaashi returns home that night and falls into bed thinking about Bokuto’s words. Could he do it? He’d never been the type to approach girls out of his own accord, preferring to keep to himself and admire them from afar. He simply hadn’t encountered someone he liked enough to pursue a relationship with.

But then images of you handing him a water bottle after practice, smiling brightly as you commend his hard work overtake his thoughts, and he find his chest swelling at the thought of being able to hold your hand --

Shaking his head, Akaashi lays on his back and stares up at the ceiling. What was he doing, already thinking about starting a relationship? He should start with forming a solid friendship first. The smaller things. Baby steps.

-

“See you tomorrow, Y/N!” Your friend calls as she exits the classroom.

“See you!” You reply, taking your time in packing your things and disposing your leftover scratch papers from the previous class’ math exercise. You still have some time before practice starts, anyways, there’s no hurry in getting to the gym.

“Y/N-san.” Comes a voice behind you.

When you look up, you’re surprised to see Akaashi standing there, bag packed and slung over his shoulder. “Akaashi-san, hello! Is there anything you needed?” That’s weird, he never talks to me outside of practice…

“Would you, um-“ He clears his throat. You raise an eyebrow. He’s never been one to stutter, either…did something happen after practice last night? “Would you like to walk with me to the gym?”

Oh.

“Sure, Akaashi-san.” You reply smiling, moving to quickly pack your bag. You walk out the door with Akaashi following close behind you, the both of you falling into step beside each other as you make your way down the stairs and out of the building.

“You don’t have to add -san, you know.” He says. You turn to him with a questioning look on your face, prompting him to explain further. “You can just call me Akaashi.”

You grin playfully. “Only when you start calling me Y/N too. Without the -san.”

Chuckling softly, Akaashi watches you with intrigued eyes before looking away eventually. “Alright.”

Soon enough, the two of you split up to change in your respective club rooms. You expect to next see him in the gym, practicing with Bokuto or someone else, but when you exit the girls’ changing room, he’s standing there, leaning on the railing, waiting for you still.

“Shall we?” he says, pushing off the metal bars that keep him from falling to the ground. “Y/N?”

Growing warm at the gentle way he looks at you, you avoid eye-contact as you mentally curse his composure. “Let’s go.” And stop looking at me like that.

The pair of you arrive at the gym ten minutes before practice starts, and unsurprisingly, a loud greeting is the first to welcome you.

“Akaashi! You didn’t wait for me after cla-” Bokuto whines, running to his best friend’s side. Realizing that his vice-captain hadn’t arrived to practice alone, the team captain grins knowingly at his friend before flashing you a bright smile. “Y/N-chan!”

Offering a smile of your own, you return his greeting sans all the extra energy. “Good afternoon, Bokuto-san!”

When Bokuto begins to drag his best friend away to practice and you’re being called by Kaori to help with setting up the equipment, you exchange one last wave with Akaashi before heading off to tend to your duties.

-

“So, you took my advice, huh?” Akaashi doesn’t even need to look to know that his best friend’s snickers are accompanied by a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Shut up, Bokuto-san.”

-

“Y/N, watch out!”

At the sound of your name, you turn—but not quickly enough. You only have time to bring a hand up to your defense before a volleyball hits your arm harshly, leaving behind a bright red patch of pain.

“Ow!” you hiss, falling on your rear from the impact and leaning against the wall behind you.

“Y/N-channn!”

Unsurprisingly, the captain is the first to run to your side to check on you. “Does it hurt a lot? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hit it your way…”

As Bokuto rambles on and on about how he didn’t mean to hit you, the other team members come to gather around, growing noisier by the second.

“Y/N-san. Does it hurt much?”

“Konoha! Get some ice!”

“We’re all out! Wataru finished the last of it earlier.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Don’t die, senpai!”

“I’m okay, guys, really.” You cradle your throbbing arm as you smile sheepishly at the group of boys, their captain on his knees, begging for forgiveness. “It’s fine, Bokuto-san. It doesn’t hurt that much! I’ll probably just need some ice.”

Doing your best to calm the captain down proves to be futile as everyone can sense him spiraling into one of his moods. “I’ll visit the nurse, just to make sure!”

“I’ll go with you.”

Everyone turns to the source of the unexpected voice. Akaashi stares right back with his usual stoic expression, not understanding the looks of surprise his teammates are wearing. “What? She’ll need someone to go with her.”

“Right.” You say, beginning to pull yourself up to your feet. Akaashi is quick to help you up, resting a supportive hand on your back when you fully stand. You try to ignore the warmness of the gesture, his fingertips soft, gentle, and burning hot against the small of your back—or maybe it’s just your imagination. Inwardly shaking your head, you mentally scold yourself. You shouldn’t be focusing on the heat of his palm or the fact that he’s standing so close to you. Your arm is injured after all. “I’ll be back as soon as I- Bokuto-san, please stand up. It was an accident, I’m completely fine!”

“Y/N-chan! I’m so sorry I hurt you!” Completely ignoring your words, the team captain continues to cry out his despair at the accident he’d caused. You’re about to reassure him one more time that you were just fine when Akaashi speaks up.

“You guys know what to do. We’ll be back soon.” He tells the rest of his teammates, leading you to the gym exit. The two of you walk to the clinic in silence, not really saying much. Akaashi speaks up first.

“How’s your arm?” It’s a simple question, but his voice always makes anything he says sound so smooth and alluring.

You shrug. “Not that bad. I’ve seen worse, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“I take it back, I don’t know why I said that.” You smile sheepishly, chuckling under your breath, embarrassed at your nervous blunder. “I’m fine, really, I am. I just I don’t want Bokuto worrying too much over this…”

“Oh, he will. You know him well-enough to know that he will.” Akaashi lets out a chuckle of his own, the sound escaping his lips sounding far too elegant to be casual. You’re caught off-guard; for a while, you watch at him curiously, wondering what it is about him that makes him so…so…ugh. Cursing inwardly, you feel stumped, unable to find the word to describe the man in front of you.

“What is it?” Akaashi asks, raising an eyebrow.

Flustered at having been caught staring, you straighten and look ahead, cheeks warming. “Nothing. Just thinking.”

“About what?”

At that exact moment, the two of you arrive at the clinic, and you give him a thankful smile before slipping inside.

Phew. That was a close call.

-

Practice had let out earlier than usual, and by the time the two of you make it back to the gym with an ice pack pressed against your arm, the other team members are lightly playing around, waiting for the return of their assistant manager and their vice-captain. Akaashi isn’t surprised at all when he sees his best friend lazily practicing his serves, seemingly still dejected over the fact that he had hit you with one of his spikes. Once again, Bokuto is the first one to run up to the pair of you, bombarding with you with questions and apologies. The rest of the team follows closely behind, making sure you’re okay before proceeding to clean up the gym and make their way home.

“Bokuto-san.” Akaashi addresses, walking up to his best friend who is picking up stray volleyballs. “Do you mind if I go ahead? I want to walk her home.”

Having picked himself up from his mood swing after you confirmed that the nurse had said there was nothing to worry about, the captain sidles up to Akaashi, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and teasing his vice-captain. “Ooooo ‘Kaashi you’re smooth, huh? Taking advantage of the situation-“

“I’m not taking advantage of anything or anyone.” The vice-captain interrupts. “I just want to make sure she’s completely alright and that she gets home safe.”

“Mhmm. Okay, Akaashi~” Bokuto smirks, returning to his task. “Whatever you say!”

Ignoring the knowing smile that his best friend gives him, Akaashi walks away, heading to the club room to change out of his practice clothes and to fetch his things. Leaning against the railing, he waits until you step out of the girls’ club room. Seeing you hold the ice pack to your arm and struggle to keep your backpack on one shoulder at the same time, he steps forward, taking hold of the strap of your bag. “Allow me.”

“Oh, that’s fine, I can carry it-“

“You’re struggling, there’s no point in trying to hide it.” Akaashi cuts you off, taking the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He turns and gestures for you to follow him. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.”

“Are you sure you want to walk me home? Is it out of your way?” You ask, falling into step beside him. When you tell him the name of the district where you live, Akaashi raises an eyebrow.

“I live there too.” He says.

You straighten. “Oh.”

On the way home, the two of you naturally fall into casual conversation, sharing stories and interests.

Keep her talking. Akaashi thinks to himself, enjoying your company. Her voice is a beautiful sound, and there’s so much to learn about her.

Whenever Akaashi says something that makes you laugh, the sound echoes in his ears like it’s the only thing he can hear. The sight of your face in joyous laughter is enough to render him speechless. Admiring the way the moonlight washes over your face and illuminates your features as you talk excitedly about this new book you’d started reading, he finds himself wanting to freeze this moment in time, maybe even take a picture to preserve the memory.

Not that he needs a visual aid to remember it, of course. The image of you laughing is now permanently etched into his brain. And he wants more. Thinking about the different ways he could get you to laugh and smile, Akaashi doesn’t even realize that he’s now just watching you with soft eyes and a small smile on his lips.

“But in the next chapter, she starts learning how to use magic, and it’s the coolest thing ever—" You stop mid-sentence. “Akaashi?”

Snapping out of his trance, he raises his eyebrows at you. “Hm?”

“Why were you looking at me like that?”

Putting on his best innocent face, Akaashi avoids your gaze and looks away. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, it was almost like you were in love with me or somethi-- oh! This is me.”

Almost choking at her words, he clears his throat nervously. Looking around, Akaashi takes in his surroundings. The two of you have come to a stop in front of your house. “You live here?”

Nodding, you turn to face him. “Yeah, why?”

“Well,” He pauses, glancing over his shoulder. “I live back there. Just a couple streets down.”

“Oh? I didn’t know that.”

“How come I’ve never seen you in this area before?”

You tilt your head, Akaashi’s heart leaping at the action. God, you look so cute. “What do you mean?”

Trying to ignore the way his stomach flutters as he meets your gaze, Akaashi continues. “I mean, you head home after practice more or less the same time I do, yet I never see you around. Which is weird, because technically, I should’ve bumped into you at least once by now.”

“Oh. That’s probably because I practically speed-walk home every day.” You say, smiling sheepishly. Akaashi simply raises an eyebrow, prompting you to expound. “With how late practice ends, it’s pretty dark by the time I have to walk home. And, well…it’s not the smartest idea for me to be taking my time, I mean, who knows what could happen to me?

“It’s a scary world for women.” You mumble, growing quiet and shifting your gaze down to your feet. Akaashi’s heart drops at the tone of your voice, disliking the disappearance of your usual brightness. You’d tried to hide it, but he could tell that the simple act of walking home alone terrified you. He tries not to think about what you could have possibly experienced to make you feel so unsafe, instead choosing to bring a finger to your chin and tilt your head upwards so he can meet your eyes again (where he got the courage to do such a thing is a mystery).

“You won’t have to feel that way anymore.” He tells you sincerely, voice laced with unwavering confidence. “I’ll walk you home every day.”

Taken aback by the sudden offer, your eyes widen by a fraction.

“Really? Are you sure?” You ask, looking up at him with questioning eyes. “I’m assuming you walk home with Bokuto, won’t he be bothered if you suddenly stop?”

“You can join us. We split up halfway, anyways.” Akaashi answers, hand falling back to his side. “I don’t want you to always feel the need to look over your shoulder and watch your back. So, I’ll watch it for you.”

When you say nothing and continue to stare at him, he rethinks his diction. “I mean that in the most innocent way possible, I promise—”

You let out a soft laugh, effectively stopping him from finishing his sentence. “I know. Don’t worry, I know.”

Taking your bag from him, you give him a thankful smile for the second time that day. “Thanks, Akaashi. It means a lot.”

After you’ve both said your goodbyes, Akaashi turns and walks back to his house with a grin painting his lips, wondering what else he could do to keep you smiling the way you do.

-

You do your best to fall asleep quickly that night. You really do.

It becomes apparent that sheer willpower is not enough for you to forget about the events of the night. Your thoughts are preoccupied with the dark-haired boy that you had somehow befriended, images of him swimming around in your head as your attention flits from one moment to another.

The way he’d glowed under the soft light of the moon, the way he had watched you quietly and listened to every word that left your mouth, the way he’d made you laugh, even the feeling of his fingers on your chin and back still lingered. You remember the way Akaashi had walked you home, his presence beside you the most comforting thing you’d felt in a while. The mere thought of him brings a smile to your lips. It was the first time you’d felt that safe with someone.

When you leave your house the next morning, a couple of packed sandwiches in your hand to eat on the way to school, you’re surprised to see that leaning against a streetlamp, is the same boy that had occupied your thoughts the night before.

“Akaashi?” At the sound of his name, he looks up and greets you a good morning.

“What are you doing?” You ask, walking up to him. He falls into step beside you as naturally as he had the night before, causing you to raise an eyebrow at his actions.

“Accompanying you to school.” Akaashi answers simply. “Might as well just walk together, right? Seeing as how we’re practically neighbors.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I haven’t even seen where you live yet.” You chuckle, then pause. “Were you waiting for long?”

“Not really, no.” When you give him a disbelieving look, he responds with a shake of his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

You decide to let it go and instead, offer him a sandwich. “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

He shakes his head and takes one for himself, thanking you before biting into it. “This is good.”

“You think so?” You ask brightly, smiling down at your handiwork. “I made them last night before going to bed. I’m always craving something to eat in the morning.”

“You did a great job.” Akaashi commends, taking another bite.

Your walk to school is filled with light conversation and comfortable silences, the both of you enjoying each other’s company.

-

Over the next couple of months, Akaashi makes more of an effort to grow closer to you. He sticks to his word and walks you home after practice every day, even waiting for you in the morning on your way to school, and sticking around after class to accompany you to the gym. He does his best to help you in the smallest ways, helping you carry the things you have to bring around, assisting you with your manager duties during his break times, and even helping you understand the lessons in confusing classes. 

He’d been a complete angel. That, he was sure of.

Which is why he could not, for the life of him, understand why it was so easy for you to be dragged away by Nekoma’s team captain the minute you guys had arrived at Shinzen High for the summer training camp.

Akaashi could only watch as Kuroo waltzed up to you, introduced himself, and smoothly started a conversation. Slinging an arm around your shoulders, the tall boy leads you towards the other teams who had just arrived, not wasting any time in getting you acquainted with the Karasuno and Nekoma team members.

“Akaashi, you’re staring.”

Jumping at the sudden voice in his ear, Akaashi side-eyes his best friend. “No, I’m not.” He denies, pretending to busy himself with his duffel bags.

“You’re not as slick as you think you are, you know? Have you confessed to her yet?” Bokuto says, walking with his vice-captain to the dorms.

At the captain’s words, Akaashi turns to his best friend immediately, a nervous look crossing his face. “Seriously? Am I really that obvious?” He hadn’t even told--

Letting out a boisterous cackle, Bokuto grins teasingly at him. “I’m only joking. You’re good.

“Though it wouldn’t take much for someone to be able to tell that you like her.”

The rest of the day doesn’t get much better. You quickly befriend the other boys, and every time Akaashi tries approaching you to help you carry the towels or water bottles you prepare for the Fukurodani team, someone else from Nekoma or Karasuno beat him to it. If you’re not hanging out with the other athletes during their break times, you’re enjoying the company of the Karasuno managers.

Other than that, Akaashi’s luck is going great. They had yet to lose a match, successfully keeping up a winning streak. The only thing missing from the entire equation is you celebrating alongside them.

-

“You guys,” You say, holding back a laugh. “are incredibly uneven.”

On one side of the net stands your new friends, Kuroo and Lev, with the tall blonde from the Karasuno team—Tsukishima, you think? The opposing team is composed of Bokuto, Akaashi, and the bright first year from Karasuno, Hinata. The longer you look at them and their height difference, the harder it is for you to keep your laughter in. “You sure you don’t want to switch around?”

“She’s right.” Akaashi adds. While Bokuto and Hinata look positively unbothered, it seems you’re not the only one who thinks this is an unbalanced match. In terms of height, that is. “This is unfair.”

“Eh, it’s fine. We should do things we can’t do in official matches.” Kuroo’s eyes glint mischievously, smiling challengingly at his opponents. Sparing one last look at them, you chuckle to yourself and walk back to your position at the scoreboard. You spend the next hour keeping track of the scores for both teams, cheering for both sides enthusiastically.

“You guys~” a sing-song voice comes from the gym entrance. There stand your fellow managers, the two of them leering teasingly at the rest of you. “If you don’t hurry, the cafeteria will close soon and you won’t have dinner~”

In a flash, the boys panic and run out the door, Tsukishima and Akaashi being the calmer ones of the bunch. After bidding your senpais a goodbye, you follow them out and make your way to the dining hall as well.

Standing alone outside the gym, Akaashi had stayed behind and is waiting to accompany you on the way.

Dinner is eventful, and you sit in the corner of the table beside Lev. Akaashi takes the seat in front of you, quietly eating his meal as Bokuto engages in a loud conversation with Kuroo and the first years. Neither of you say much, you focusing on savoring your food and admiring the gorgeous boy in front of you and Akaashi occasionally pitching in to the conversation with witty comments at his best friend and the Nekoma captain.

-

Akaashi takes a deep breath.

He’s going to do it. Tonight.

All week, he’s had great luck. They had barely lost any of the practice matches and had improved greatly in their time here. His tosses were much better as well, his teammates having noticed and complimenting him on them. He hadn’t forgotten anything at home either, and nothing bad had happened to him so far. With only one day left before the camp ends, he was willing to bet that he has nothing but good fortune ahead.

His best friend’s words echo in his head. Have you confessed to her yet?

Come tomorrow morning, the answer to that question would be yes.

Doing his best to appear inconspicuous, Akaashi stands outside the dining hall, nervously fidgeting as he waits for you to finish with your post-meal manager duties. After what seems like decades, the double doors finally open and he straightens automatically, expecting to see you. Kaori and Yukie walk out instead, conversing with each other and stopping when they notice their setter’s presence.

“Akaashi-san! Did you need something?” Kaori greets.

“Oh, it’s no problem—”

“Y/N-chan! Akaashi’s here for you!” Yukie calls out cheekily.

Akaashi’s eyes widen. How’d they know? “No, it’s fine, I can wait—”

“Akaashi!” You come to the door with a skip in your step and a smile on your face, still wearing an apron and cleaning gloves. As the other two managers excuse themselves and walk away with knowing smiles, he can’t help but notice how good the black and white apron looks on you. “What is it?”

Imagining how you would look wearing his jacket and jersey, Akaashi brings his eyes up to meet your gaze. “I was wondering if you’d like to join me on a walk? After you’re done.”

You nod rather enthusiastically, and Akaashi notices how your smile only grows bigger at his request. “Of course. I just have to finish up in here, I’m almost done! I’ll be out as soon as I can.”

True to your word, Akaashi has to wait onl a couple of minutes before you come rushing out the door again, giving him a sweet smile as you smooth down your hair and clothes. He returns your smile with a small grin, the two of you walking side by side under the night sky. The both of you find yourselves wandering around the open field, the conversation centering around the past week and how you found your first training camp with them.

Being reminded of just how little time you spent together in the past week, Akaashi can’t help the question that falls out of his lips. “So, you’ve gotten close to Kuroo, huh?”

You give him a teasing smirk. “Jealous, are we?”

“No, no. Just observing.” He lies, trying his best to sound convincing. “He seems to be especially fond of you.”

You shrug. “The other managers don’t really give other teams any attention, and he told me about how they don’t have a manager for Nekoma at all. Besides, he’s a nice guy. He does get a little flirty at times, but that’s just who he is.

“What about you?” You ask, turning to look at the boy beside you. “Made any new friends?”

“Other than Tsukishima, Hinata, and Lev? Not really.” Akaashi answers. “It’s been a great camp though. Luckily, we only lost a handful of our matches. This week was really good.”

He swallows nervously. Here goes.

“Speaking of luck,” he starts, voice extra timid. “I have something to tell you.”

“Hm?” You pause when he stops in his tracks, turning to face him properly. “Something on your mind?”

“Yeah.” Akaashi says, mustering all the confidence that hadn’t left him yet and looking you straight in the eyes. “You.”

You blink, confused. “Me?”

Heart racing with nervousness, he takes another deep breath, willing himself to maintain eye contact. “I like you, Y/N.”

There it is. No backing out now,

Your eyes widen, breath hitching in your throat. “Oh.”

“And I just,” Uncharacteristically stumbling over the words that fall out of his mouth, Akaashi lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m not the best at talking, but I didn’t want to do it over the phone, or with a letter, or anything other than a verbal confession, because you deserve better than that. For the past few months, I’ve been doing my best to show you that I care, but I wasn’t sure if you actually noticed. I didn’t get to do that this past week, though, which I regret, but every time I tried approaching you, you were already talking to someone else, and I didn’t want to interrupt. I admit, I lied earlier when I said I wasn’t jealous, but—”

Realizing that you aren’t saying anything, he stops mid-speech to gauge your reaction. You’re still staring at him with wide eyes and silent lips, an expression he sees as anything but positive. “Shit, sorry. Was it something I said? I should stop talking, shouldn’t I?”

At your lack of response, Akaashi assumes rejection. As his heart falls and his last sliver of confidence disappears, he looks down at the ground, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Guess my luck ran out.

“It’s late. We should probably get back to the dorms.” He mumbles dejectedly, turning away.

“Wait, no, Akaashi—” Your hand grabs at his arm, successfully stopping his movement and keeping him facing you. “I’m sorry. I was just processing everything.”

At the tone in your voice, Akashi raises his head to look up at you, daring to entertain the tiny bubble of hope in his chest.

“I do notice.” You say gently, giving him a soft smile. “You walk with me every single day, morning and night, even though you don’t have to. That alone speaks volumes, ‘Kaashi.”

He allows himself a small smile at the affirmation.

“And you don’t have to be jealous about anyone.” You say, stepping closer. Akaashi allows his hand to be pulled from where it nestled in his pocket, your hand trailing down his arm to lace your fingers together. “I like you too.”

The bubble of hope in his chest bursts into an explosion of joy, eyes widening and chest growing warm at your words. “Really?”

“Really.” You confirm, laughing softly. “At the risk of sounding all kinds of cheesy right now, I really do feel the safest when I’m walking with you, you know.”

His gaze turns soft as he pulls you closer for a warm hug. Nuzzling the side of your head, he breathes in your scent, relishing the feel of you in his arms. His skin burns where you touch it, his brain unable to process anything else.

Akaashi pulls back a little to look you in the eyes, marveling at how mesmerizing they look under the stars. “Do you, um,” Dammit, what is wrong with me? Just say it, Keiji, say it! “Do you want to—”

“Yes.” You answer without waiting for him to finish, eyes glittering and lips smiling. It’s brighter than any other smile Akaashi has seen you wear, and his heart leaps at the realization that it’s because of him that you’re this happy. “Yes, of course, I want to date you.”

Smiling widely, Akaashi leans his forehead against yours. The two of you walk back to the dorms, sides pressed up against each other. Even after he kisses your cheek goodnight and crawls into his futon, the smile on his face and the giddy feeling in his chest don’t fade.

-

“You’re in a good mood today.”

At his best friend’s comment, Akaashi looks up from his stretching position on the ground. It’s the last day of the training camp, and everyone is getting their fill of last-minute practice before they all have to depart at sunset. “What do you mean? I’m feeling…normal.”

“Really?” Bokuto pries, crouching down by his vice-captain’s side. “Because around this time of day, you’d be glaring over at that.”

Following his friend’s outstretched finger, Akaashi’s eyes come to rest on a small group at the opposite side of the gym, where Kuroo stands with an arm resting on your shoulder as he and Yaku converse with you.

“Glaring’s not really something you schedule.” Akaashi shrugs. “What about them?”

Bokuto’s brow furrows in confusion. “Dude. This entire week, you’ve been radiating jealousy at how close Kuroo and Y/N-chan have gotten. Where’d all that go?”

“Why should I be jealous?” Thinking back to what you had told him the previous night, Akaashi calmly proceeds with his stretching. “Kuroo’s really friendly. That’s just who he is.”

The owl-haired captain stares at his best friend disbelievingly. Akaashi may have been able to fool everyone else, but he couldn’t fool his best friend. Bokuto may be dumb, but he knows Akaashi, and he knows that his best friend had been extremely jealous of Nekoma’s captain this past week. “Did something happen between the two of you or--?”

Before finishing his question, Bokuto gasps loudly. “Hang on. Kaori told me that you were with Y/N last night. What did you do?”

Akaashi opens his mouth to answer honestly, but at that same moment, Yukie calls them over for their last practice match against Karasuno.

Later. The vice-captain says with his eyes.

-

“Sit with me later?”

“Of course.”

-

“Can I hold your hand?” You ask shyly, feeling a blush creep onto your cheeks. “Keiji-kun?”

Not a lot of people choose to call Akaashi by his first name. He stares down at the girl occupying the seat next to him on the bus home, admiring the way the late afternoon sun bathes you in a warm glow. At the way his name sounds when it rolls off your tongue like that, his eyes brighten, flashing a vibrant color of blue. The small grin on his lips turns into full-fledged smile as he forgoes a verbal response and takes your hand in his. Leaning in close, Keiji rests his forehead against yours, chuckling at the pink tinge of your cheeks.

“Okay.” He finally says. “My turn.

“Can I kiss you?”

Something flashes in your eyes as he all but closes the distance between you, waiting patiently for your consent like the true gentleman he always has been. It’s your turn to act instead of speaking, and you press your lips against his in a chaste kiss. You start to pull away, but Keiji follows after you, leaning forward to keep your lips together. You find yourself latching onto his arm and hugging it tightly as a giddy feeling threatens to throw your body into overdrive, your chest swelling at the foreign sensation.

Keiji’s kiss is exactly like him; gentle and sweet. Slowly, he coaxes you into it, sticking to what he knows you’re comfortable with. He brings his other hand up to trace your jaw, his fingertips leaving wildfires in their wake. When you finally part, he looks down at you with tender eyes as you nuzzle his jaw affectionately.

“Walk me home tonight?” You mumble in a daze.

You feel him lean his chin on top of your head, prompting you to rest against his shoulder. And even though you already know his answer, Keiji still surprises you with his response.

“I’d walk with you anywhere.”

-

Bonus:

“Ohhh, they’re so cute!”

“Yukie, take a picture, quick!”

“Take lots!”

“Komi, stop pouting! It’s not their fault you’re single!”

“Group selfie with the sleeping couple!”

Bokuto peers at his friends from his seat, smiling at the way they’d fallen asleep cuddled together.

Something had happened last night, indeed.

~

masterlist

[codename-bewareofthefangirl]

Can you please write a scenario where karasuno first year are in poly relationship and being possessive of yachi ? If it makes you uncomfortable then don't write anything ~

Hi dear!

Why should I ignore this ask? This is the best. Do you know what I love but I’ve never had the chance to write about? Karasuno First Years as Third Years. And guess what I did here? Exactly.  I’ve so many headcanons about them, I could do a PowerPoint presentation. THEY ARE GOING TO BE THE BEST.

I’m still learning how to describe a polyamorous relationship properly, so I hope you’ll be satisfied. Especially because maybe I focused too much on them as a whole than their possessiveness 😖

Let me know and enjoy!

Have a nice day!

TsukkiYamaYachiKageHina, Karasuno’ First Years as Third Years, Fluff, Protective Boyfriends, Polyamorous Relationship, Aged-Up Characters

 A Long Way

 It’d passed sixth months, but Yachi still couldn’t believe it.

Timid, shy, always freaking out, Townpersn B Yachi getting not one, but four boyfriends? Yeah, it sounded incredible to her too.

Sometimes she would look at the boys and think, “Ah, I’d love to be with them so much!”, before remembering that now she was, she was with them in every sense.

It had taken them three years, but now they were riding their last year of high school full force and filled with confidence and happiness.

Hinata had become the Captain of Karasuno, the bubbling Small Giant who led his team to the victory with endless energy; Tsukishima, smart, cool and observant Tsukishima, was the Vice-Captain who kept on the leash the most troublesome teammates and came up with the most brilliant strategies to crush their opponents. Kind Yamaguchi had found his self-confidence and was the unshakable pillar of the team, unanimously nicknamed “Momguchi” by all the younger boys, who always searched for him when something was wrong. Kageyama had gained the warmth and love he had always searched for, giving an all different meaning to the title “King of The Court”; his only presence reassured his teammates and frightened the adversaries.

And Yachi?

She still had an over-active fantasy and got flustered more easily than ever, but, now, when the team playing glanced at the side of the court, they would find their small, anxious fairy cheering for them with a flaming passion. She would rush to them if they got injured, with a determined look and a first-aid kit ready in the hands; she would always have what they needed before they could even ask for it. The Big Sister of Karasuno.

It was strange being sort-of responsible third years, they’d come a long way. Well, at least they were for the new team. Their old senpais and friends still liked to call them “Troublesome First Years”.

And troublesome they had remained, but now it was for the others team.

“We’ve arrived!” Coach Takeda cheered, glad to be on time, as he opened the doors of the gym of the school where they’d come to play. Coach Ukai grunted and followed after him, taking in the place and immediately studying the other team, already stretching.

The Crows strolled confidently into the gym, wearing their black tracksuits. Many of the adversaries blushed as they glanced at the newcomers, whispering between themselves.

Yachi walked in first, with a shy, but dazzling smile; her blond hair had grown, and she kept them in a lateral pony-tail, her traits had gotten more refined, but still held an innocent, soft light.

She was a sight to see, the type of girl you’d love to introduce to your parents, and half of the third-years swore they’d have gone to ask her number, if not for her…intimidating entourage.

“HERE WE GO!” Hinata yelled as he bounced behind her, pumping his fists in the air. He had grown slightly taller and the undercut made him look less childish and more boyish; he’d also gained quite the physique.

“Calm down, dumbass,” Kageyama growled, behind him, but there was no bite in his voice. He’d grown too, slender and refined; the aura around him was quieter than when he was younger, but he was still enough intimidating.

“The first-years will follow your bad example,” Yamaguchi chuckled between them as he looked around, humming. His green hair was tied in a pony-tail, and his face was free from worry or anxiety. Some juniors walked nervously behind him like ducklings, bashing in his refreshing aura to calm down their nerves.

“They need some good enthusiasm before a match!” Hinata laughed, wrapping his arms behind their necks and pulling them down at his height. Kageyama swore, frowning, but did nothing to free himself, while Yamaguchi rolled his eyes.

“No, that’s not what they need, for Heaven’ sake,” Tsukishima deadpanned, joining them, after having regrouped the rest of team, “Especially not them,” he added dryly as three of the more “problematic” first years rushed past them, yelling loudly as, if not more than their Captain.

Yachi chuckled, covering her mouth, “Yeah, I believe they have already enough.”

As expected, the three, caught in their excitement, risked crashing against some players warming up on the floor and, to avoid the collision, they ended up again the benches with a loud racket.

The coaches groaned and facepalmed.

Hinata flinched at the sight, muttering an “Ooops.”

Tsukishima’s face went even blanker.

“I’ll kill them,” he hissed flatly, and moved as to reach the boys to skin them alive, but Kageyama tapped his arm.

“It’s fine, I’ll go,” he reassured him, with a meaningful glance.

Tsukishima seemed to debate it for a second, before he nodded.

“Thanks, King,” he muttered, and Kageyama stomped towards their rowdy first-years, who paled and scrambled to their knees.

“Is it everything alright, Kei?” Yachi asked softly with a pink dust on her cheeks, squeezing his hand. He looked down at her and his features softened.

“Yeah, those idiots made a ruckus on the bus; they gave me a headache,” he grumbled, as Yamaguchi chuckled, patting his back.

“We know that you love them,” he taunted with a wink, aware of his boyfriend’ soft spot for all the first years.

He grimaced but didn’t try to deny it.

“It doesn’t mean they’re not annoying, little shits.”

“Tsukki, language!” Hinata and Yamaguchi exclaimed at the same time, pinching his sides, as Yachi laughed.

In the meanwhile, Kageyama was scolding the troublemakers with his arms crossed; well, “scold” wasn’t the right term since Kageyama was even softer than Tsukishima towards them, but for certain he was making sure they would behave for the rest of the day. The three actually worshipped the ground where he walked, much to his embarrassment; especially the young, boisterous setter who seemed to have elected him as his role model.

“Who could have ever thought Bakeyama could be this good at taming?” Hinata whistled, brimming with pride.

“He’s used to dealing with you,” the blond replied with a smirk, “Who’s been annoying and troublesome from the very first day.”

“Hey!” Hinata pouted, glaring, “He was as bad as me!”

“Nothing to say against that,” the other agreed, amused, and Hinata groaned, “But at least he’s calmed down, while you always seem high on caffeine.”

“That’s not true!”

“It is,” Yamaguchi piped in, chuckling.

“But we still love you like you are,” Yachi added to prevent a further banter, tugging the hem of his uniform.

“A lot,” the other assured.

At their words, Hinata immediately beamed as the sun itself, radiating happiness. He turned to Tsukishima with a hopeful look.

The boy rolled his eyes, faking to not fall for it even if everyone knew they were all weak for The Special Hinata’ Shining  Smile.

“…yeah, love you lots and cheesy shit like that…” he mumbled, trying to hide his blush by turning the face.

“I LOVE YOU TOO!” Hinata yelled, jumping in the air and attracting the entire gym’s attention, at the same time as Yamaguchi jabbed Tsukishima’ side with a “Language, Tsukki!”

“You’re so embarrassing…” Tsukishima hissed, fixing his glasses, while Yachi hid her face between the hands with a strangled “Shou!”

“Ah, sorry!” he laughed, looking everything but sorry.

“Dumbass! We need our Captain!” Kageyama shouted to them, from the benches. He was surrounded by the rest of the team, who looked at them expectantly, some exasperated by their antics. Yeah, some of their second years took no shit.

Yachi grinned, “Mother hen and his hatchlings,” she commented fondly, staring at the scene. Kageyama stood out ridiculously between the shorter players.

“Sometimes I’d like to hand him my title,” Yamaguchi sighed happily as they reached the team.

Tsukishima snorted, “The first years could cry, you’re officially The Mom.”

“Yeah, Kags is not enough sensible!” Hinata chirped, bouncing on his heels.

“Who’s not enough sensible?” Kageyama growled, grabbing his head with a scowl.

“It hurts!” Hinata faked to cry as he wiggled out of his grip, even though everybody knew that Kageyama’d have never put enough strength to actually harm him. It was just their way of playing around.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough for today,” Coach Ukai interrupted them, “We’ve to start warming up. Are you ready, Karasuno?”

They exchanged heated, knowing glances, before screaming in unison, “AYE!”

Tsukushima’s first duty was analyzing the opposite team and taking note of every detail; he’s learned through the various camps from Kenma, and he rarely missed something now.

That’s how, as they played, he noticed.

Kenma would always say to follow the eyes of a player when they thought you were not paying attention to know where their mind was. Apparently, the mind of that third-year middle blocker was not on volleyball.

He took his place beside Kageyama, as Yamaguchi prepared to serve, and raised the hands over the head. If there was someone enough observant to have noticed, it was the setter.

“Have you seen?” He murmured quietly to the raven, who gave him a quick glance.

“The middle-blocker?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“He’s looking at our benches.”

“He’s looking at Yachi,” Tsukishima corrected dryly.

“Ah?” Kageyama growled, frowning, “What the hell?” A dark aura surrounded the two.

“Yeah, what the hell,” the blond clicked his tongue and squared his shoulders, “Toss it higher.”

“Slam it down.”

And in less then half a minute, the ball bounced with a loud thud against the ground and the crowd cheered. Tsukishima landed gracefully and towered over the fallen middle-blocker with a smirk.

“I don’t think you’ve got the time appreciate the view, don’t you think?” he slyly alluded, as his opponent swore under his breath.

“I’ll make you eat it back, lanky asshole!”

“Try,” Kageyama challenged in all seriousness, “We won’t let you the time to breath.” A cold threat vibrated in his words as he fixed the blue eyes on the blocker, who swallowed shivering.

Tsukishima’ smirk widened a bit and, as he passed behind him, he patted lightly Kageyama’s back.

“Let’s crash them.”

“With pleasure.”

A minute hasn’t passed when Hinata smashed the ball over their walls with a loud cheer.

The Captain immediately turned to Yachi and held his thumbs up.

The girl smiled widely and jumped with a fist in the air.

“Another point, Shou!” She yelled proudly, signaling to the other on the benches to cheer louder. Their team needed all the encouragement possible!

“I’m on a roll!” The boy replied excitedly, going back to his position; he winked at Kageyama, who rolled his eyes, but muttered a “Nice kill.”

Tsukishima just nodded in acknowledgment, but that was all Hinata needed to play at his best. They were there with him, he felt invincible.

Yamaguchi chuckled from behind them, ready to receive, and gave the opponents a calm smile, “We’re going to break you.”

Karasuno crushed them, they steadily, mercilessly crushed them. Point by point. Every time they seemed to gain the upper hand, the crows would stand up again and claw their way to the victory.

It had been a scary match, like being circled by a murder of predators, ready to devour their prey. It didn’t matter that now they were cheering loudly, making stupid jokes with a child-like Captain…they’ve seen what Karasuno was on the court. They feared the next face-off.

The boys were changing in the lockers, while Yachi tidied up their benches and collected the scattered water bottles and towels. The first-year manager that was under her protective wing had remained home due to a sudden fever, so she’d been left alone to her duties. Like the old times, after Kiyoko and the other senpais had graduated.

It was nice, from time to time; it made her feel like nothing had changed.

“Hey sweetheart,” a low, purring voice called, and Yachi jumped, letting the bottle fall from her hands. Embarrassed, she glanced at the guy who had approached her. “Do you need help?”

Ah, the middle-blocker who had openly challenged Tsukishima and Kageyama.

“Thank you, but I’m fine,” she replied politely as she fixed a strand of hair behind the ear, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. She’d grown more confident and calmed down her fervent imagination, but still, she wasn’t very comfortable around strangers, especially tall, flirty guys.

“Are you sure?” He asked with a grin, leaning to pick up the bottle, “I don’t bite, little angel,” he added, stretching it to her.

She stiffened and took it slowly, eyeing carefully his movements.

“Yes, I’m sure,” she replied sterner. His boyfriends had always repeated her to not be intimidated, to not let them see she was afraid. She didn’t have to: guys couldn’t touch her, and they would come to her aid as soon as they could.

He blinked, sensing the change in her tone, but soon smiled again, taking another step forward.

“So, how’s being the manager?” he asked friendly, leaning a bit into her personal space.

Fantastic, a stubborn one. At least he wasn’t being vulgar, menacing or intrusive. She could tell, he wasn’t a bad guy, just an insistent flirt. Yet, she’d have preferred to be left alone. Even because she was taken.

“Fine,” she replied gently, with a stiff smile, “I love my team.”

He didn’t hear, of faked not to, the polite coldness in her voice, and his smile widened.

“Ah, yeah, they’re good! You know we-”

“YACHI!”

Thank goodness.

Yachi relaxed immediately, melting in a real, fond smile, as Hinata passed the guy and jumped onto her.

“We’ve won!” he repeated hugging her tightly, “We’ve won!”

“I know Shou, I was there!” she chuckled, squeezing him back.

Still high on adrenaline, he laughed and picked her up from the waist, spinning her around in circles. He’d started doing that as soon as he’d grown taller than her.

“S-S-SHOU!” She shrilled, trying to calm him down.

“HINATA!”

Under the confused stare of the middle-blocker, the freckled guy, the one with the kind smile able to freeze hell, rushed to them and took away the girl by force.

“She’s going to throw up again!” He scolded the other boy, who stopped horrified, as he put down Yachi and fretted over her to make sure she was okay.

“Shit, sorry Yachi! I was just too happy!”

“Are you okay?” Yamaguchi asked, combing her hair and pulling up her chin to check her face.

“Don’t worry, Tadashi,” she replied sweetly, gesturing to Hinata to relax, “He spun me only a little, I’m fine.”

“See?” Hinata gloated at Yamaguchi, who rolled his eyes.

“Yes, yes, she’s fine,” he flicked softy his forehead, “But please, try to remember she gets nauseous when you do it.” Momguchi never wavered.

Hinata pouted, but nodded, “Yessir.”

Satisfied, Yamaguchi left a butterfly kiss both on Yachi’s and Hinata’s forehead, who smiled dreamily, giggling.

Only at that moment, they seemed to notice the guy from the other team was still there.

“Uh?” Hinata tilted his head as he interlaced his fingers with Yachi’s, “Sorry, were you two having a conversation?”

Ah, innocent, sweet Hinata.

“About what, exactly?” Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, staring at the boy with an amiable smile as he waited for an answer.

The guy swallowed, a bad feeling creeping up his back.

Before Yachi, sensing the tension, could intervene, a cold voice came from behind.

“He was just praising our team, I bet,” Tsukishima smirked, looking down at him with a feral light in his golden eyes. Next to him, Kageyama was scowling darkly, clearly unnerved that the guy’d had the guts to go for Yachi after the crushing defeat.

However, Tsukishima didn’t want to start a fight with him, he wasn’t the type; he preferred to torture coldly and slyly his opponents.

Under his glare, the blond walked to Yachi and bent enough to leave a chaste kiss on her lips.

“Thank you for the cheering,” he muttered softly, gazing satisfied at her cheeks, red like strawberries. And his girlfriend had that way of looking up at him, with glassy eyes and a wishful, hidden fire in her eyes as she bit her bottom lips, that drove him crazy.

However, Tsukishima wasn’t one for excessive pda if it wasn’t necessary, so he restrained himself and just ruffled Hinata’s hair and patted Yamuguchi’s head, before sneaking an arm around his waist.

Kageyama smirked at the dumbstruck expression on the guy’s face and happily reached his partners; following Tsukishima’s example, he patted the heads of the three and then wrapped a protective arm around Yachi’ shoulders.

The girl, at this point, had her head in cloud nine.

“Can we go?” the raven asked, absentmindedly resting his chin over the girl’s head. Hinata used that moment to lean his head against his partner’s arm.

“The others are already on the bus, I’m afraid they’ll break something else during our absence,” Tsukishima sighed, resting his elbow on Hinata’s shoulder.

“They’re too tired, they’re probably already sleeping,” Yamaguchi laughed, tucked by his side, “But yes, we can go. We’re done, right?” he added, looking at the forgotten guy.

He swallowed dryly, under three sets of glares, one innocent stare, and an embarrassed one.

The blondie was an angel, but she wasn’t worth fighting Hell’s demons.

He stretched a smile and waved, “Yes, I was just complimenting your team. Good match,” he managed to say, taking a step back.

The taller boys had to hide a scoff.

“Ah, thank you!” Hinata smiled, shining, to him, “Let’s play again another time!”

“Yeah, it’d be a pleasure, Yamaguchi insisted sweetly, and the boy nodded.

On his dead body.

“Have a nice trip back…” he stuttered, before turning on the heels and rushing away.

Hinata tilted his head, perplexed.

“Wow, he probably had to go to the bathroom.”

Yachi sighed, giving him a fond glance.

“Sure Shou,” Yamaguchi whistled, “Sure.”

Tsukishima just shrugged his shoulders and started dragging all his lovers outside, moving like one creature.

“Well, who cares,” Hinata bounced between the blondes, “Pizza and movie tonight?”

“We had it yesterday, dumbass!”

“We’ve to celebrate, Kags!”

“I could prepare something…”

“YES PLEASE! Tadashi, your cooking is the best!”

“I agree.”

“I second that.”

“Thank you, Tadashi! I’ll help you too!”

Yeah, they’ve come a long way.

[jestdrabbles]

Every Hurdle, Every Chasm - Chapter 05

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia

Warnings: canon-typical violence Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya, Uraraka Ochako, Asui Tsuyu, Todoroki Shouto Relationships: Dekusquad friendship | Pining Tododeku & Tsuchako Other info: Dekusquad Roadtrip AU ; Fun times ahead but also some emotional times so I should definitely warn about that!; MAJOR MANGA SPOILERS.

Words: ~8,300 | Chapter: 05/? | Language: English

This was a busy month, so sorry for the delay! Because it’s been so hectic, my editing may have suffered a bit so I’m sorry for any confusion. If anything needs clarification, I’ll gladly go back and tweak it!

Also on AO3!

Day 05: Glass  [December 28]

They rise well-rested enough to only nudge Shouto’s blanket bundle a couple times before he stretches and follows their lead to get ready. Tenya opens the window with relief when a clear sky greets them as opposed to yesterday’s overcast. The day’s plans consist mostly of indoor activity with evening reserved for Otaru’s Snow Story display, and Tsuyu decides to lessen her layers accordingly. Ochako stuffs an extra jacket of her own into Izuku’s bag under the guise of just-in-case, but he sees right through her strategy despite playing along.

He isn’t entirely without some attention to himself, however. Shouto packs up his medical kit to leave in the car because he knows some of them have a tendency to get injured without intention, and Tsuyu laughs when he forfeits defending himself and accepts the truth. With all precautions accounted for, they begin the day after a quick breakfast and hit the road toward the university for a morning with the indoor botanical garden.

“I’d love to see all of it someday,” Tsuyu says as they bypass the leafless trees, traversing across the snowy path on their way to the greenhouse. She glances around at others still enjoying the gardens in their most dead season, and she taps her finger to her cheek. “Have any of you ever thought about university after graduation?”

“I’ve considered it, but at this point, I would have to wait until next year to begin the application process,” Tenya answers, hand at his chin. “I want to work and see if I’d be able to balance both heroics and academics, since I wouldn’t ever want to risk falling short on either.”

“That’s true! I never really thought about it since I want to start working as soon as I can.” Ochako folds her arms behind her head, lacing her fingers at her neck as she walks. Her lips purse as she side-eyes the rest of them. “Besides, I’m not the studious type like the rest of you.”

“I don’t really consider myself studious either,” Shouto says with his hands in his pockets.

“You say that, but you’re still in the top five,” she pouts.

“That’s because I pay attention in class.”

“Hey! Are you implying I don’t?”

“Ochako’s notes are cute,” Tsuyu interjects, and her arms abandon their relaxed position as she straightens out in her fluster. “Besides, I don’t think grades have much to do with your capabilities as a hero so long as you know how to apply it.”

“I agree with that.” Izuku points with his face turned back slightly toward them. “Togata-senpai was at the bottom of his class, but he was still in the top three. And as Lemillion, he’s considered one of the best out there right now!” He almost mentions how he wishes Lemillion had been a hero when he was young; maybe then he could have had more confidence in his abilities as a quirkless kid with heroic aspirations. The secret settles in the back of his mind, alongside the memories. “But going back to what we were talking about… I didn’t think I’d get into U.A., so I thought I’d have to consider other occupations. So who knows, maybe I would have been a university student.”

“True, your quirk wasn’t… polished at that point,” Tenya speaks on the exam as politely as he can, “but I’m sure you would have been able to get into General Studies with your grades.” Shouto casts his eyes down, checks his phone, and walks ahead at his own pace. Tsuyu notices his avoidance of the conversation, and she decides to catch up with him to ask about it underneath a whisper.

“Maybe, but I didn’t consider that an option,” he says in earnest. “For me, it was heroics or nothing, you know?”

“Thank goodness for that! Can you imagine Deku as a pencil-pusher with a quirk like that?” Ochako jokes and pats his back, his own chuckle mingling with hers. She looks up and notices how Shouto and Tsuyu have created more distance, and she calls out to the two of them, dragging both Izuku and Tenya by their arms. “Hey, you two! Wait up!”

It’s then that Izuku notices the residue of Shouto’s solemn expression, already working itself away from distaste. Whatever nerve they’d struck, he tries his best to avoid any possible repetitions as they approach the greenhouse. He holds the door open for the rest to shuffle inside, pleased with the scarce crowd scattered about. Tsuyu exhales with her arms out, warm air cradling her face as she nuzzles into it. Ochako readies her camera for a shot, quietly cursing for it to load quicker so she won’t miss her chance, and Tsuyu catches on just as she zooms in a bit closer.

“Are you filming this?”

“Maybe,” she snickers, and Tsuyu aims her tongue at the camera’s lense to blacken the screen as Ochako declares a louder-than-intended holy shit. She clamps her mouth shut behind her gloved hands, and Tenya gestures profusely in apology to anyone disturbed by their antics. While Ochako’s focus is consumed entirely by her clear favoritism, the others take in the lavish greenery within its glass cage as they adjust to the seasonal change. Vines hatch through the lattice fences leading them through the west wall of the garden, and Tsuyu notes how it used to be far less intricate.

They bypass various plants, some far more interesting than others, but Izuku catches the girls snickering to themselves over by the shrubs. Ochako waves him over, and they extend their hands as if framing the hedge to inspire something within him. Clearly confused, he thinks of something to say.

“It’s… a nice bush?”

“No, look! It’s totally you!” she points to the dark coloration of the mock-orange’s leaves to its lighter underside, then to Izuku’s own bushy hair. He steps back at the comparison unsure how to feel about it. “Small and durable, like you! Plus it’s salt tolerant.”

“Wait, what does that have to do with anything?”

“You were friends with Bakugou,” Tsuyu explains, “so you’re pretty tolerant of salt.”

Shouto turns to look at the maple with his hand masking his own amusement, and Izuku pulls back his hair as he laughs. How can he argue with that? Part of him worries about the name in his contacts shooting across his screen in scorn at them talking about him, but he knows it’s impossible. Tenya attempts to correct them on speaking ill about those who cannot be present to defend themselves, but his case closes soon as they shrug and claim it as less insulting and more speaking the obvious.

“Iida’s gotta be a tree,” Ochako looks around the garden trying to pinpoint him, “but you’re the type that’s too big to be in an indoor garden like this. One with a sturdy trunk and totally upright!”

“I can’t say I disagree, but why?” he asks, and she smiles wide.

“I mean, obviously because you’re an upstanding citizen!” She places her hands on her hips proudly in her proclamation, and he is visibly moved by her compliment with his hand at his heart. “But also! You’re reliable and protective, so you have to be big enough to give people shelter.”

“When they cut you down, I bet they’ll print a rulebook,” Shouto comments, and Tenya waves his hand down, passionately at the ready to defend his tree’s legacy.

“One that I hope you’ll read thoroughly!”

“Oh, oh! Let’s see, what would Todoroki be,” Ochako says and taps her finger to her chin as she devises appropriate revenge for Tenya’s sake, but he speaks up before she has a chance.

“I’ve already been through this. I’m the fertilizer.” Shouto provides the answer himself, and she spits in her laughter because she would have never thought of that on her own.

“Wouldn’t you rather be mulch in that case?” Izuku leans over and asks, nose scrunched in amused disgust at the comparison. “At least be plant still!”

“Technically, I could still be a plant even as--”

“Please, I’m begging you not to elaborate on this.” Tenya pinches his eyes beneath his glasses, and Ochako agrees for different reasons: she prefers all of this without context. Still, she offers up her own sentiment to his new floral identity alongside the others by saying they have a greater chance at survival thanks to his help, and he distracts himself elsewhere without knowing how to react.

While they could easily circle the whole garden twice over with the amount of time they have, they decide to take it at a leisurely pace and allow Tsuyu to soak up as much of the warm, pocketed spring as she can. For a moment, they forget about the bitter cold waiting for them beyond the windows. Izuku and Ochako shed themselves of their coats and tie them around their waists with the latter at an absolute loss how the others aren’t sweating in their sleeves.

They stare down the entrance, confrontational as a final boss, and brace themselves for the cold by huddling together and moving as a single unit. They shuffle back to the car with muffled yelling toward the harsh breezes, some truly combatting the cold, others for the sake of playing along.

Locals listening in steer clear of the ten-legged monster screaming at snow.

A little over an hour on the road has them arriving in Otaru past noon, and with all the outdoor exhibits closed for the winter, the interior remains fairly empty thanks to most tourists favoring a full experience over partial. The group appreciate the elbow-room to venture around the aquarium as they please, and Izuku marvels at a fish passing overhead while they walk through the glass tunnel toward the darker room.

“This is making me miss the beach back home.”

“The beach or the morning jogs?”

“A little bit of both,” he says and stretches. “I’m not used to slacking like this. Maybe tonight we should use the gym back at the hotel before bed.”

“That’s not a bad idea. I doubt we could get away with more impromptu sparring,” Tenya recounts the previous occurrence. “In that case, should we try to head back earlier so we still get plenty of rest?”

“I say we just take our time,” Ochako recommends with her hands raised. “If we finish early, then I’m down, but we can always squeeze it into our morning routine if we want.”

“That’s true. I wonder if they have an indoor pool, too.” Tsuyu watches the fish swim about, and they can tell part of her looks ready to hop into the waters and join them. Izuku imagines for a moment that she’ll dive headfirst into the hotsprings once they reach them, but he quickly shoves it aside since he would rather not spend his thoughts on the girls’ half.

They carry on in conversation while looking through the various tanks at all the different types of fish and creatures they don’t have back at their own aquarium. Ochako tries to quiz herself on a few that she recognizes, and she cheers for herself triumphantly when she guesses correctly, crediting all her success to spending the car ride on her phone with Animal Crossing.

Tsuyu had been looking forward to all the aquatic life, but she finds it hard to tear her eyes away from Ochako’s enthusiastic chestnut gaze as she smiles brightly toward the back-lit glass. Tsuyu watches as her mouth moves over her words, how she can hear heart in each sound, and how nicely cool colors compliment her despite the fact that she usually dresses in warmer tones.

She must have been staring a little too intently because the usual petals of Ochako’s cheeks bloom broader, spreading up to her ears.

“A-Am I being too loud?” she asks bashfully, and Tsuyu hurriedly shakes her head.

“I was just thinking that…” you looked cute, but she can’t bring herself to finish it this time as opposed to other times she’s offered the same compliment. Without a means of finishing her thought, she turns to the others for possible back up only to find that they’ve journeyed further along to discreetly give the girls some time to themselves. She ribbits and lowers her face on her finger, hoping the dimly lit room hides her own blush. “I was thinking that I’m lucky.”

“Huh? Why’s that?” She smiles, hoping that Tsuyu isn’t dwelling on a worrisome mindset given the tone, but she’s grateful for the space apart from the others in case.

“Ochako, do you like fish?”

“I like eating them, yeah!”

Tsuyu snorts and loses herself in her own laughter, shaking loose the previous embarrassment. The other doesn’t understand what’s so funny, but she tries to figure it out with escalating scenarios: I wouldn’t eat a pet fish or anything! And I’m not getting hungry being here! Do you think I’m seeing them all cut up on a board? Her own imagination tumbles out her mouth with rising distress, and Tsuyu quells her easily with her hand on her arm.

“Even if you’re not all that interested in coming to a place like this, you still enjoy yourself. That’s why I’m lucky,” Tsuyu explains, and Ochako’s lips freeze in a smile as she listens to the compliment. “I guess I got a little lost in thought watching you, Ochako. Sorry for making you think you did anything weird.”

Ochako giggles, shaking her head. “I guess it’s like this… if I took you to a planetarium, rambled about constellations and all that, would you still have fun?”

“Well, yeah. With you, even boring classes are fun.”

She smiles wide, teeth shining sweetly. “See? It’s the same for me.”

“Hey, we’re going on ahead to the next room,” Shouto stays behind Tenya and Izuku to call out to them, and they quickly catch up without paying the last few tanks much mind. He looks to Tsuyu for a brief moment as silent apology, having only wanted to tell them where they went, but she shakes her head.

Tsuyu knows that if she wants to spend time alone with Ochako, everyone will respect that; however, she doesn’t want either of them to miss out on enjoying time as a group. That’s something she values in her balanced affection, and she’s comfortable knowing that Ochako never seems disappointed when their time together comes to close. It gives her hope that together, they have stability in each other and those around them.

Of course, Shouto cannot read her mind, and he walks on ahead with the other two in case. Both girls share a glance and smile, bumping arms and catching up quickly to cluster together again since they’re the only ones in this area of the aquarium. Without having to worry about disturbing anyone else, they resume sharing their observations with each other in excited bursts. After a few exclamations, Tenya has to shout his own concerns about disturbing the fish or employees, but they tease that he’s being louder than both Izuku and Ochako together.

He offers his sincerest apologies to the sectioned seas and their inhabitants.

Tenya parks a few blocks away from the Music Box Museum, and he jots down the street sign and obvious landmarks in a note on his phone so they could find it easier past sundown. With temperatures dropping again, Shouto offers his arm to Tsuyu, and she takes the opportunity to chain both herself and Ochako to him. While the others don’t necessarily need the extra warmth, they can’t help but envy how comfortable she looks pressed against his sleeve.

Wooden floorboards creak beneath their feet when the bell chimes to welcome them inside the old, brick building. Dangling ornaments decorate the spacious interior, various trinkets lining shelves on display amidst the vast collection of music boxes attracting them further inside. Had they come just a few days sooner, they wouldn’t be surprised to find gingerbread houses accompanying other decorations atop the tables.

“It’s so cozy in here,” Tsuyu says as she rubs her gloves together. An employee brings their attention to the complimentary hot cocoa, and she takes it upon herself to pass the paper cups down to her friends for them all to enjoy. Now that they have a better view of the place, they notice it more akin to a specialty shop than a museum, but some antique items still qualify well enough. “So… do you think any of them are haunted?”

“Why would you even say that?” Ochako shudders, and Tsuyu pats her.

“With this many, I suppose at least one has to have that sort of history linked to it.” Tenya entertains the idea with his own speculation, and Ochako shifts her pouting toward him. “Can you not handle ghost stories, Uraraka?”

“I mean, I’ve gotten better,” she grumbles, “but only because Tooru found out and started pulling pranks on me.”

“Hagakure can be pretty dangerous like that. Hang in there, Uraraka.” Izuku offers her his condolences while she nods her head in feigned hurt. They keep in a line the best they can as to not crowd the aisles while they work their way around each display. With so many music boxes chiming together, they have to hold up one to their ears to really listen in on the melody, but recognizable songs have them humming along in nostalgia.

They wrap up the first floor quick enough without much interest to the duplicated displays, but the second floor shows them a new perspective with antiques from across the world. Phonographs and photographs call back to times before quirks, and Izuku’s namesake tugs him toward faces he’s never known, time he’s never seen, but can relate to. He holds one by its metal frame, peering into the grainy texture toward a familiar landmark until he nearly drops it from the sound of an old record filtering in.

“Incredible,” Tenya interjects as an employee tests the phonograph from his request, but they shut it off soon enough as to not disturb the others listening to quieter tunes. Out of the three stationed, only one still operates consistently while the others either need a bit of extra love or have long since died. Izuku can see in his eyes how he’d love to tinker with the mechanics, but Tenya knows how to keep his curiosity in check.

They wander further and find the other three admiring some antique music boxes with an employee seated nearby to make sure they’re handled with the utmost care. He has to practically sit on his hands when he watches Ochako raise one of them to her ear, but he breathes a sigh of relief when she holds it still without shaking it. Izuku can tell he’s seen some shit.

“Is it just me, or do music boxes seem melancholic?” Ochako sets one down after listening to it closely, careful of her fingertips.

“I always thought they were creepy, especially when one starts playing in an empty room.”

“Maybe you’ve seen too many horror movies.”

“Hey! I thought we moved on from that topic!” Ochako shushes them before they can conjure up the ghosts listening in, and they make sure to filter their thoughts better. “But really… listening to music box versions of songs can make me cry. I wonder why that is.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Izuku finishes off his cocoa, and she answers him in a sardonic grin.

“That’s because you cry over everything.”

“That’s not true!”

“It’s pretty true,” Shouto adds without turning around from where he’s listening to other boxes, his empty cup atop the counter. Izuku’s face descends in its dramatics, his soul mimicking et tu Brute?, but even he can’t deny that they’re right. Rather than linger on teasing Izuku, he returns the toy to the table and rotates around to face them. “Do you really think they’re sad and creepy?”

Something about the way he asks has them searching for a way to reconsider their initial reactions, but Tsuyu speaks up first. “What do you think about them?”

“I like them.” He takes another from the shelf, this one a wooden jewelry box with a glass cover. He opens the lid and closes it soon after hearing the first few notes, setting it down again as if it already failed some sort of test he’s given it. “I think we used to have one, but I don’t know what happened to it.”

“And you think you’ll be able to find a similar model here?” Tenya asks, and Shouto shakes his head.

“I can’t even remember what it looked or sounded like. I didn’t even really remember it until we got here, so I doubt that I’d even recognize it.”

“Well, maybe you don’t have to visualize it! If hearing other boxes reminded you that you had one, then there’s still a chance something else can jog more of your memory. Why don’t we try looking around?” Izuku offers as a suggestion, and Ochako pumps her fist at the mission plan.

“If it’s here, then we’ll definitely find it!”

“You really don’t have to do that.”

“What else are we going to do here, Shouto?” Tsuyu sticks out her tongue. “Besides, the longer we’re in here, the longer I get to avoid the cold. Let us know if you remember anything else about it.” She smiles and takes his empty cup, then accepts anyone else’s as she takes the opportunity to toss them into a small trash can and returns with both her hands ready to work through other boxes.

Over the course of their travels through the second floor, Shouto surmises that the box they had was an actual box and not a wind-up music statue, so they narrow their search further. Tenya offers his advice that judging by Shouto’s room and what he’s shared about his house, the style was most likely eastern rather than western. They continue trying to narrow their searches down until he stops at a dark, cloisonne case with simple flowers decorating the walls and a more intricate tree adorning the top. He lifts it with his fingers searching for a dent-- no, a scratch along its side-- but he only feels a smooth surface. Judging by how long he’s held it compared to the others before it, Izuku leans over.

“Closer?”

“This one,” he begins, inspecting the back for its wind-up key, “might be the same kind. Or at least close, yeah.” He turns the key and opens the top, and they shuffle closer to listen in on its melody, gentle and calming. Shouto closes his eyes to try and recall the sound filling his and his mother’s room, but no matter how hard he concentrates, nothing solid arises. That may be the nature of it, he supposes. It isn’t like metal box could float anyway.

“So what do you think?” Tenya asks a moment after the song finishes, and he closes the lid.

“Even if it isn’t the same exact one, she might still like it.” Shouto lifts the tag accompanying it and taps his finger against the edge as he contemplates his funds. Ochako glances at the price and keeps her worry to herself, but she takes it upon herself to grab the attention of an employee once he’s made the final decision to purchase it.

Once he’s taken care of the packaging, he tucks it safely into his bag, adjusts his strap, and looks to the rest of them with a word at the tip of his tongue. He lets himself soften at the hypothetical look on his mother’s face when he tells her about the team effort, all for something that may or may not resemble a piece of their past. She knows their names, their faces for the most part, but he knows the day he can introduce them all at once is still far beyond.

“Thanks. I’m sure she’ll appreciate that you all helped me find it.”

With the cold, nightly winds slapping them sharp in their departure, Ochako promptly reaches her entire arm down into Izuku’s bag to retrieve her extra hoodie and passes it to Tsuyu with little fuss. She tugs it over her sweater and tugs the sleeves over her palms as she keeps her hands huddled to her chest. Thankfully, they adapt to the cold after its initial greeting and find themselves amongst the foot traffic leading over toward the canal.

Deciding that they would rather have less crowding on the way, they slip into a side street and gravitate toward a quieter path even if it takes longer to reach their destination. Tsuyu takes to Tenya’s side rather than Shouto’s, perhaps to give the latter a break, but Tenya takes his responsibility very seriously as he offers to encase her in his arms should she need their protection. She laughs it off with gratitude, and she presses her sleeved palms to her cheeks as she lets him know that she’s warm enough like this.

Tenya can’t help but smile down at her. They carry on until Ochako joins at her other side with her phone ready for pictures with street lights offering just enough lighting to take passable shots, even if they don’t hold the same quality. Tsuyu and Tenya pose accordingly for the frontal camera, and once she’s content with one, she thanks them and slips back.

Ochako sidles up beside Shouto’s right and sneaks a photo of herself pointing toward him, then she slips behind again to remain inconspicuous. So far so good; she captions the picture and prepares herself for round two, much to Tsuyu’s gentle knock against her forearm to play nice when she passes her. She lifts her finger to her grin and waits a moment until she’s ready to catch his left, and as she snaps the picture, he glances back at her and finally speaks up.

“Can I help you?”

“Busted,” Tsuyu ribbits, and Ochako adds the caption and considers her mission successful. She shows the set to him, and he cracks a fleeting grin: He can be your angle… or yuor devil. He snatches her phone and sends both to his own.

“You actually want to keep those?” Ochako snorts, and he shrugs.

“My mom asked for pictures of me.” he pockets his phone and keeps his hands snug inside. She shakes his arm in exaggerated panic, Tenya and Izuku chuckling behind.

“Do not!” she gasps. “Don’t you dare show those to your mother! Let me take real pictures!”

“Things like this are fine. Besides, she’d agree.”

“Todoroki, that’s,” Izuku stammers on how to address the comment when he says it so casually, but the guiding blue lights bordering the canal summon their attention forward. Quickening their pace, they reach the border of the canal to see how the surface glows under gentle brightness, reflecting off their eyes and skin. The lights stretch down the canal, decorating posts and boats, even glittering across the Asakusa bridge.

“It’s beautiful.” Tenya follows the path upstream, wistful in its whisper. Groups and couples pass them, chattering on their way through private conversations and shared smiles. He can see why the simple serenity would attract this sort of crowd when he adjusts the bracelet on his wrist. “Shall we?”

“Wait, I want to get a real picture of us all on the bridge!” Ochako smiles excitedly, flitting around each of them until they surrender to her whims. She drags them further south the canal to the bridge and takes it upon herself to set them all in place. However, when she tests it out and adds herself, she notices how Izuku loses himself behind her and Tsuyu.

“I can stand off to the side in front of Iida?” he offers while she compromises her initial vision. It hits her suddenly, and she snaps with a wink.

“How ‘bout this? I can make you float so you fit perfectly between us!”

“Oh, yeah that works!”

She raises her hand, and he meets her in a high-five, immediately weightless and grabbing onto her shoulder for anchorage. They let Tsuyu grab the attention of passerby to take it for them, and Tenya keeps Izuku upright by placing a hand on the small of his back. Once everyone’s in place with Ochako wrapping her arm around Tsuyu, they all attempt to smile perfect on the first try as to not take up more of this stranger’s time.

Even so, when she retrieves her phone to see the results, she finds four versions. One catches her attention in particular, and she quickly swipes past it when Izuku looks over her shoulder to see for himself. As much as she would love to uncover him, she doesn’t think Shouto would appreciate how they managed to catch him eyeing Izuku on camera. She shares her favorite with everyone and allows them to actually start the walk now that her very important task has been checked off the list.

They cross the bridge to the other side of the canal and carry on toward the center plaza. Tsuyu twitches when a breeze blows past their legs, sending the chill up her spine and bringing her hands to her arms. Izuku starts to offer his jacket for yet another layer, but she takes both his and Ochako’s arms and keeps herself linked in the toasty center.

“Don’t they set up candles at some point?” Izuku asks, keeping his attention toward the canal after accidentally locking eyes with a couple passing them.

“I’ve heard about that,” Tenya adds as he tries to recall when exactly, “but unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll be able to see it.”

“Sounds romantic.” Ochako sways in her steps, and Shouto lifts his finger to set a tiny flame at its tip. While she understands his gesture after the fact, she squawks at the imagery of a canal decorated in finger-flesh candles and fans the flame until its out. “Nevermind! Not romantic at all!” He slips his hand back into his pocket and turns his head toward the canal where Izuku’s study still lingers. Either there’s something on his mind, or he’s fixated on the twinkling over the water; Shouto drifts closer to the stone fencing lining the canal and peeks over the edge.

Thanks to the lights, his reflection vaguely stares back at him in the dark water, obscured by the blues and golds from the lamps. He sweeps some of the piled snow aside, pieces toppling over into the water and rippling him out of watery existence. Shouto readies to catch up with the others, but when he looks back, Izuku is standing just a lamp post away with the others having gone ahead. He thinks back to the aquarium and worries about separating from the others.

“Sorry, I got distracted,” he carries on, but Izuku doesn’t try to rush them.

“That’s okay! I was getting caught up in it, too.” He takes Shouto’s idea of brushing the snow aside and uses the exposed stone to rest his arms. “I told them that we could meet up later.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well no, but I kind of wanted to talk to you,” he confesses, and Shouto’s chest tightens. “I never got a chance to ask you about what you wanted to say last night. I thought maybe you forgot or didn’t want to say it in front of everyone.” Izuku watches as he confirms it with the puzzled face Shouto wears in return, and he chuckles. “Did you really forget?”

“I just didn’t expect it to come up again.” He sets himself beside Izuku against the stone, thankful to tune out the other people walking onward behind them.

“You know me,” Izuku speaks with a mocking tone at his own habits, “I can’t just ignore stuff like that.”

“That’s true.” His lips crack a natural semi-smile, and Izuku worries about it shattering if he’s prolonging the talk like this. He finds it unusual given how the past two years haven’t left Shouto as a mysterious person to him; the only thing he hasn’t touched on again is detail in his upbringing, and Izuku knows better than to force it out of him. “But to be honest, this might be better than what I had in mind.”

“What do you mean?”

Shouto’s hands find one another, draped over the stone, and he tears his eyes away from Izuku beside him to watch down into the water below, stilled since dropping the snow earlier. He thinks back to his conversation with Tenya, how he knows what his words and actions weigh. “I wanted to ask if we could do something,” Shouto says as he focuses all his excess energy on cooling his face to hide how it heats, “apart from everyone else. Maybe go looking for souvenirs for All Might and your mom. Something like that.”

Oh. Relief washes over Izuku as his nerves loosen from having to worry. That’s all. From the way he’s been keeping on his phone, how he knows who the majority of the news is following, he’d assumed there was something more to the story. He relaxes and readies himself to respond, but it suddenly slams into him like a swinging hammer.

Oh.

He should be grateful he’d never inherited his father’s quirk or else Shouto may have to deal with a face full of flames caught up in his own fluster. Izuku winds himself down the best he can, but when he looks back to Shouto, his face is turned away and his shoulders bounce. The puffs of foggy breath give away his snickering, and Izuku drags his hand down the back of his head.

“Listen, I thought you were about to unload something serious!” His voice wavers as he speaks, embarrassed but recovering.

“I am serious.”

“You know, I really can’t tell what you’re thinking sometimes.” He leans back from the barrier, balancing on the heels of his sneakers. “But I guess if you ever need to talk to me or ask about something like that, you can text me, and we can make up some excuse to break off. I don’t think anyone would notice since I’m on my phone a lot anyway.” And so are you, he thinks but holds his tongue.

“You’ve been keeping in touch with All Might?”

“As much as I can without bothering him,” Izuku says and brushes his nose with the back of his glove, “but I’ve also had to text my mom since she worries if I don’t. I actually called her when we were on the ferry, but otherwise just in the morning or at night. I made sure not to tell her about Yutapa though.” He knocks lightly on Shouto’s arm, content with friendly exchanges despite how his heart buzzes in his chest. “I don’t know if you’d get off without a scolding.”

Shouto doesn’t mirror his grin; if anything, his lips tug taut between his teeth. He wonders if he’s said something wrong, reminded him of a shortcoming he’d rather move past, and he thinks to reassure him that his mother is overprotective and wouldn’t hate him or anything, but Shouto places his hand on his shoulder. Izuku really should know better than to trust himself to the silence, and he apologizes.

Shouto hates that he has to take his hand back, hates that he’s waiting for any natural chance to touch in the first place. He can see Inko Midoriya’s worried eyes reflected in the way Izuku stares back at him, something at the tip of his tongue but unable to say, even after one of his muttering spells. If he were anyone else, Shouto would shrug it off and take the opportunity to start walking back toward the others. Instead, he finds himself at the cliff of his resolve, another reflection over the canal just waiting to be seen. He parts his lips, name waiting in his mouth, but the noise falls victim to flashes and roars ahead.

Shrieks resound as the night sky bursts in smoke and violet flame.

The calm atmosphere surrenders itself to the frantic rush of civilians evacuating the area, running past the two frozen in their feet. Both Shouto and Izuku abandon their conversation without remorse, eye one another, and sprint toward the plaza. Where they’d promise to gather at the ukidama tree, the glass shines and shatters across the pavement in the chaos. Izuku’s gaze darts across the fleeing crowd, searching for anyone responsible for the destruction, but Tenya tugs him by the shoulder before he can act on impulse with Shouto having gone through.

“We’re getting to the van. Now.” Ochako and Tsuyu are at his sides, unable to ignore their rescue instinct to search for anyone in need even with Tenya’s tone harsh in their ears.

“But--”

Another explosion bursts from the bridge, wind skidding their lighter bodies as arms shield them from possible debris. Tenya raises his voice to repeat himself above the screaming, but Tsuyu acts quicker than any of them when she spots a civilian caught between one of the brick warehouses and blazing fire, blood soaking his knee where he lay.

Without restraint, she darts toward him and slips through the crowd, low to the ground in her movements as she braves the heat and extends her tongue to capture the young man  paralyzed in his fear before further wreckage can reach him. Just as she pulls him back, another surge of fire strikes and threatens to blast through where he’s tugged, and she quickly leaps to finish closing the space between them.

Her smaller frame wraps around him and protects him from the oncoming blow, sacrificing her left side to the flames’ touch before they tumble out of its terrain. Beneath her, his breath hitches on its gratitude, even as he writhes in pain from burns and blood. She pulls back swiftly, still shielding him the best she can.

“You’re going to be all right,” she reassures, “was there anyone else with you?”

“N-No, they never showed up,” he strains in his speech, and she nods.

“Tsuyu!” Tenya calls out, rushing to her side in an effort to remove them both from the crossfire. She raises her head, cheek red from the concrete’s scuff, and props the young man up with a hand on his back. He clutches his leg in her hold, teeth dry in his hiss.

“I don’t think he can walk,” she tells him, fast and on the lookout for another array of the villain’s quirk. No sign of him, especially through the dark smog he’s created. “Tenya, we can’t leave him.” He grits his teeth and turns toward the others, only spotting Izuku and Ochako through the smoke with their backs against one another on alert while they wait for their plan. “Tenya!”

“I know.” He struggles to mask his frustration as he contemplates his actions and repeats, “I know! But we can’t get involved any more than we are.” Tenya whips around to Izuku and Ochako, voice louder as he yells over the noise. “You two! Where is Todoroki?”

“I’m right here!” he shouts when he comes barreling out the smoke and lowers himself to both Tsuyu and the injured civilian. “I can create a barrier so we can--”

“No! We’re getting out of here, now,” he snaps back with everyone now near enough to hear. He reaches into his pocket and tosses the keys to Shouto. “You four, head back toward the van. I’ll rendezvous once I’ve brought him to the hospital.” Tsuyu assists in easing him onto Tenya’s back, and she does her best to reassure him that he’ll be safe soon with the engine hero-to-be. They instruct him to hold on as tight, and Tenya takes off without threat of immediate acceleration. Even with his usual running, he would be faster than the rest of them.

A whistle splits through their ears, another bout of purple embers scattering the cracks in the cement. Izuku’s eyes glare off in its direction, rage building in his blood where he has to fight himself more than the villain to stick to the plan. “Let’s go. Now!” he roars over the embers’ howl, and Tsuyu staggers as she returns to her feet, left leg limp. She winces, ready to force her leap, but Shouto quickly bends before her.

“Get on! We gotta go,” he states without giving her a choice, and she obeys as the three sprint from the plaza and back down the canal, passing a team of pros on their way to handle the turmoil. She squeezes her eyes shut at the sounds still booming in her ears, arms tightening around his neck while her body tenses. It isn’t that the attacks frighten or even surprise her; the opposite spits a truth they all know by now:

There is no such thing as a day off.

“Uraraka! Are you all right?” Izuku calls after her, noticing her distance from the two of them still running on ahead.

“I’m not as fast as you two!” she yells, trying her best to keep up with them. Izuku turns on his heel and darts back toward her, concentrating on his Full Cowl to make lifting her and sprinting far easier than without. She yelps from his sudden grasp, but she thanks him while clutching on close.

They always say the journey back is quicker than the arrival, but Shouto and Izuku cut it down by half. Charging past the newly lifted blockades, they ease off the urgent speed so Izuku can set Ochako back down, and they continue through the streets until finally reaching the museum landmark. Just another block, and they spot the van alone and parked right where they’d left it. They could be grateful for that, at least. Had they taken the train into Otaru, this would have been even more of a nightmare.

Shouto unlocks the car and prioritizes Tsuyu by setting her down in the back seat with her legs facing out, getting a better look at her leg under the car’s light. “I don’t think it’s that bad,” she says and starts to pull at the fabric where the flames had burnt through to free more of her skin, but he grabs her wrist to stop her.

The sky still carries with it thick clouds of smoke and a thunderous echo of eruption.

“Uraraka or Midoriya, can you get my bag?” he asks without facing either of them, still concentrating on the problem at hand by releasing hers. “You’re right, it’s not as bad as it could have been, but we still need to treat this,” he insists and notes her shivering, “fast. Sorry. It’s best if you don’t try to pull the fabric from it.”

“Here.” Ochako holds his bag for him, carrying it in a way that he could open it without worrying about anything spilling out. From it, he fumbles his hand around, feeling for a specific item until he pulls out a plain wash cloth.

“Hold this for a second,” he places it in Tsuyu’s hand, then goes back to his bag for a small set of scissors from his medical kit. She has to will her eyes away from the process while he carefully cuts the fabric loose from her burn, catching Ochako’s worry as she visibly fidgets in her footing. Izuku offers to take the bag-holding duty, but she shakes her head.

Shouto steps back from her for a moment to ice the towel, then holds it away from himself as his fire melts the ice without evaporating all its moisture. Once it’s doused, he wrings it damp and brings it back to her, cool without the intensity of ice. “We can rinse it when we get back. Does it hurt anywhere else?”

“No,” she croaks, holding the damp cloth to her leg and resisting the chattering in her teeth, “this is the worst of it. I should have been more careful.”

“You did the right thing.” He blinks up to her face, earnest despite his frozen expression. She can see how he takes a longer look at her cheek, and he retrieves a cotton swab and disinfectant from the bag to dab at her scrape, just to be safe.

“Here, Deku,” Ochako finally takes him up on his offer and passes Shouto’s bag to him while she carries herself to the other side of the car and lets herself inside. Scooting down the seats, she sets herself in the middle, “We should have her raise her leg, right?” She looks across to Shouto for approval, and he nods. “Okay, then here, Tsu. Go ahead and prop it over mine.” She crosses her legs, grabs a pillow from the back, and creates more elevation.

“Are you done with this?” Izuku asks, and Shouto answers by zipping it shut and taking it from him. “Iida should be back any second. Let’s start the car so we can leave as soon as he gets here.” Otherwise, I might not be able to stop myself from running back. He doesn’t want to imagine any possible casualties caught up in the crossfire.

“Yeah.” He tosses his bag in the trunk and shuts it, walking around the right toward the front seat where he finds Izuku already occupying the passenger. They shut all the doors to keep the wind away, start the car, and soon enough, Tenya comes into sight. Hurriedly, he shifts out of park, and Tenya swings the door open to hop into the back seat, slamming the door shut and prompting Shouto to start heading back toward Sapporo.

Instinctually, Shouto switches on the radio to fill the silence, but all local stations prioritize the outbreak at Otaru Canal. The only immediate knowledge he holds onto is that the roads toward Sapporo are closing in order to deter any villain activity from spreading to the major city. He leaves it be as he asks Izuku to reroute his mobile map, halfway listening and eyes tunneling down the road as he squints through the layer of fog on the windshield. He eventually has to lean forward in his seat to rub at the glass with his sleeve, and Izuku takes it upon himself to set the heater on the front window and shut off the radio.

As much as he wants to know what’s happening, to hear that the pros have it under control, the reporters’ voices continuously add layers to the air until it crowds his lungs.

The road expands as Izuku swallows back the rush of words threatening to lunge from his throat, and he turns around to face his friends silent in the back seat. Ochako has her hands pressed against Tsuyu’s thigh as she holds the damp towel in place and whispers apologies to the other girl’s shivering reassurances. Izuku’s eyes trail to the other end of the backseat to Tenya staring out the window with his glances darting behind them and an obvious unrest pestering him in his jittering leg.

A conversation no one wants to confront, not yet.

Green eyes linger on them a moment more, wanting so badly to upturn his tightened lip and offer them peace of mind. Be their Symbol of Peace. Yet here he is, trapped in quiet with his fingers digging into the seat until he turns to face the front of the road again.

Shouto’s silence doesn’t warrant his concern, not initially. Mismatched eyes blink to snatch glances from the rearview mirror, ears keen on the shivering and knowing full well he should focus on warming the car. Instead, nothing leaves the vents, nothing breaks the domain of shuddering breath and sighs until Izuku’s attention finally surrenders to the thin layer of ice dusting over their driver’s right hand. Following up his arm slowly, Izuku watches the chill form on his neck and bring his breath visible in a light display of shivery smoke.

His voice finally finds him.

“Pull over.”

“We can’t,” he answers, tone level and low as always, but there’s a distance to it that summons the others’ eyes. Tenya’s hand reaches for the seat in front of him, and he leans over to inspect their driver.

“Are you all right?” he asks.

“I’m not the one who got hurt.” He glances back through the mirror to their injured companion, reminding everyone of the urgency of their situation. His grip on the wheel tightens as he tries to keep collected and focus on putting more distance between them and the danger possibly following suit.

“You’re shaking, Todoroki,” Izuku whispers despite the fact that everyone can hear, and he can see Shouto’s jaw clench down as another puff of smoke leaves his nose. Visible frustration, but he doesn’t let it sway his resolve when he repeats himself with steadiness, this time stern. “I’m not asking. Pull over.”

“He’s right, Todoroki,” Ochako echoes softly with her hands loosening her hold on Tsuyu before they could potentially argue. “We’re all shaken up and need to take a break. What about the next exit?”

Shouto knows better than to try and cling to stubbornness with multiple people ready to dispute, so he bites without another word and keeps his eyes out for the next available lodging while trying to balance his nerves. He knows he’s only worsening the cold in the car the longer he drives even with the heater running, and he chooses to ignore the stare accompanying his left.

Even with this much distance between them, Shouto sees the smoke in his peripheral.

It almost clouds the exit, but he catches it in time to merge off the highway, toward the mountains.

[hdawg1995]

Chapter two, this time with the P4 cast!

The Cognitive net; a Persona 4 and Persona 5 cross over fanfic with OCs. Summary:

When a string of missing persons cases all seem to be linked by a far too familiar rumor, detective shirogane tries to enlist the help of her old investigation team. Unfortunately, not all of the original members are able to make it to shibuya-the sight of the latest case- but she finds help from an unexpected hacker and her friends. Elsewhere, a small team of brand new persona users have already figured out the “cognitive web” and it’s strange search engine. Will detective Shirogane and the hacker Alibaba discover the new group of heroes in time to realize this case is not city wide, but WORLD wide?

Chapter 2: one new message/a run down for the newbie

1/2/3/4/5

If the walls of Detective Shirogane’s office could speak, they would have very little to say but those words would be astonishing. 45 cases- murders, kidnappings, petty crimes and robberies- in the two years she returned to the force alone. The bluenette was diligently looking over the latest case files; missing persons cases that were handed to her not because they were another case to solve, but because SHE could possibly be the only one to solve them.

“5 people have gone missing in the past three weeks. The first went missing at 8am while in their own home. His mother reported him missing after she came to check on him. He had been playing video games…” she flipped to the other file. “This one went missing in the middle of school, the only thing the police were able to find was her cell phone…” Naoto stared at the file and made a note to make a request to look at the phone. She shifted though the other files and saw a pattern with those who went missing and leaving their phones behind. The 3 phones that were not locked led to a website and all apps aside from the web browser were locked.

There was something about these cases she couldn’t shake. They felt familiar and it sent a rock like weight down to her stomach.

“I need a second opinion… maybe a third.” She fiddled with the brim of her hat and reached for her cell phone. It has been a long time, least to her.

Opening the phone, she found the old text chat she had been added to the day it seemed everyone became adults and parted ways.

<Thisll b how we stay in toch!

<Yosuke please type like a normal person.

<yu, plz stp txtin lk a old man.

She laughed at the interaction between the two partners. Scrolling though the old chat she felt a wave of nostalgia. It was bitter sweet- she missed the old times and the silly things they would do, but all that changed a year and a few months ago. That was the last she talked to any of her old friends from Inaba.

>Hello Everyone. It Has Been A Long Time. I Wish I Was Contacting You All With Happy News Or Questions About Your Lives But I Have Been Given A Case And I Request Your Opinions On It.

She stared at her phone for a few moments. She did not expect the almost instant “many people are typing” notification and gasped when her phone buzzed with text messages.

<Naoto kun! I will be happy to help you! I’m taking a break from performing, so I’m all ears!

<Holy shit shes not texting in all caps!

>My Word Yosuke, You’re Texting In Full Words!

The chat grew abuzz with laughter and the nostalgia was fading. The truth was she didn’t have to stay in the past; her friends were right here, even if they were miles away.

<Naoto, I’m happy you remembered this chat but out of all the cases “The Returning Prince of justice” has solved, what makes this one special enough to ask for our assistance?

Senpai. Even in text form she was able to hear that suspicious tone he had when he knew she was avoiding something.

<oh man I’m not dreaming! This chat IS active again!

<whoa, Kanji! You’re not getting long distance charges are you?

<oh my that’s right! you’re in America!

<nah, don’t worry yukiko, i get free texts from japan since ma checks in with me. wait, Yosuke how did you know I would have been getting long distance charges?? What about you? Weren’t you in America as well?

The detective blinked down at her phone with shock. So much has happened she was almost floored. She made a note to speak with her friends more often.

<haha yeah. About that…

<guys! I love you all but I don’t have long for my break! Naoto still needs to explain why she is coming to us for this case!

>Yes, My Apologies. It Would Seem There Has Been A String Of Missing Persons Cases, Three Of Which I Have Noticed A Trend That My Gut Is Telling Me The Other Two Cases Will Also Exhibit Once I Investigate The Crime Scene Of One Case.

<I heard of this. Nanako mentioned it to me the other day. one of her class mates’s older siblings knew the 3rd victim.

<How is nana-chan, Yu san?

<focus yukiko! I heard about these too. My teacher at the training camp is working on the case with you Naoto!

>Does That Mean You Are In Shibuya, Chie?

The detective sat up strait in her chair. She reached for a note pad and pen when her phone buzzed, Chie confirming her location and adding she would be visiting the district her office is in with said teacher (he had planned to surprise her she guessed, but the cat is out of the bag now).

<hey I know! Lets all meet up!

<yukiko, what about the Inn? And Kanji is in America. Plus Rise is on tour!

<my Tour is ending soon Yosuke kun!

<WHAT? But I didn’t get to see you on stage yet!

<I’m sorry, the last 3 stops had to cancel due to

>Rise?

<I just realized! The last 3 stops had to cancel because the kids of the venue owners went missing! oh no Naoto kun I think I know why you want our opinions! Is it because they went missing like people from the midnight channel went missing?

Naoto smiled grimly at her phone. Rise may have been a bubbly idol but she wasn’t dumb like morooka had implied she was (least that’s what one of Yoskue’s stories about the former home room teacher suggested).

>Yes. I Am Afraid There Seems To Be A Connection To The Victims That Feels Far Too Familiar To That Of The Midnight Channle.

<Holy shit.

<Naoto you said you were in Shibuya?

>Yes, That Is Where My Office Has Been For Two Years Now, Yu San.

<I can be there in a few days to discuss things face to face.

<I will not be joining. Yosuke kun is right, I can not leave the Inn. Not yet at least. If the case hasn’t been solved in a month I will be joining you! But I certainly hope you will be able to solve this soon. Those poor parents must me worried sick.

<I can swing by in two weeks, Naoto kun! And my break is over, love you everyone! Tty real soon!

<Count me out. Unfortunately I’m in America for the next year. I havn’t told you guys this, but I got invited to do a run way show a few months back and one of the companies loved my designs so much they offered me an internship.

<Kanji that’s amazing! You HAVE to make me an outfit some time!

<Rise go, you’re going to be late. As for me you know I will be there!

<sorry, I can’t swing the train ticket or plane ticket or… anything like that right now.

>Do You Need Me To Send You The Money? This Counts As Case Related So I Can Use The Funds The Department Has Granted Me.

<its not just that Naoto. I actually have to get going anyway, customer needs me. I Will explain another time.

<wow. Since when has yosuke been responsible?

<Chie have you never noticed his dedication?

<OF COURSE I HAVE! Its just. I don’t remember him putting anything before us. Shoot, he even let me buy teddie’s outfit with his money!

<hes an adult now. As we all have noticed we can’t put our friends first all the time anymore. As sad as that is, I am proud to see he is still dedicated to his work.

Naoto nodded at Yu’s words. She felt better about not speaking to anyone in such a long time and decided to make the notes she was beginning to make. First, to make arrangements for three of her friends to be a part of the case, and second… to visit the first victim’s home and investigate his computer.

“I certainly believe you are right Yukiko. Lets both hope we are able to solve this case before the Calvary is needed.”

--------------------------------------

meanwhile, in the world wide cognitive web, The Admins stood around, waiting on their leader. 

With a wave of her hand a blue room appeared. It was a box and it fit with the other random structures in the cognitive web. A door appeared with the number 5 on it. as everyone filed in Alpha paused and looked out at the ninja that was watching them a moment ago. Sure enough, he was still there, still watching, however now he looked ready to spring away into the artificial night the web was simulating.

“Alpha? [what are you doing?]” the rabbit poked its head out of the litteral chat room to become it’s partner inside.

She didn’t respond, she simply walked inside. Once the door was closed the 5 glowed for a moment before shifting to a 6. On the inside two couches and a coffee table appeared. J4k3 and Skitty took the one to the left while Click sat at the one at the back of the table. Alpha stood at the front and opened a text chat.

“whats with that? Were all here.” Skitty leaned forward and clawed at the table, testing the cutesy paws that appeared when she wasn’t thinking.

“that sillouete we all saw is Hero. He is a unofficial member of the Admins.” The toy rabbit leaped onto Alpha’s sholder as she moved the chat box to be at her right. “Alpha is allowing him to listen in if he wishes.”

“we figure hes mute since he doesn’t talk to us, but he has messaged us once. Is that what the chat is for? Incase he has something to say?” J4k3 gently took Skitty’s…paw? Hand? Into his to keep her from clawing the table any further.

With a nod their leader presented the group with the IP address she was able to trace.

“okay everyone! Since this is Skitty’s first meeting lets give a run down!” the rabbit hopped down onto the table and pulled up various floating documents. “our first rescue was ClickClickBoom, Alpha’s right hand man! He was support until I entered the web!” the star arcana explained as they puffed out their chest. “now I am support. I scan shadows and tell you their weaknesses.”

“shadows, Nyan?” Skitty tilted her head and click rolled his eyes.

“I’ll explain what shadows are if you agree to stop with the nyan stuff.”

“aww you’re no fun… but fine.” She purred as she leaned back in her seat and gave the youngest her full attention.

“Shadows are the manifestations of human hearts. There like personas, but bad. Your shadow can be your suppressed emotions, your over inflated ego, or even your inner darkness. They are always exaggerated tho.”

Skitty nodded “you explained that when I got Leomund. So all shadows are like that? Not just the ones that drag their other halves here?” the Magician turned from The Lovers and regarded the Fool, who simply nodded.

“Yup! They all have weaknesses, which means you also have weaknesses! We’ll figure those out later. Anyway, back to the meeting!” the rabbit sprang up and landed on a floating document.

“we have discovered that we have about a week to rescue someone. When you are dragged here you become data. Your shadow however starts to corrupt your data; if you become corrupted, your body can’t return to reality.” The air became somber as J4k3 leaned back.

“but even then we don’t know why some people can return and others can’t.” the Emperor reached out and tapped a floating file. The image of a chibi girl appeared. She smiled at the Admins and waved.

“This is Hallie. She was the team’s first rescue after me-“

“Rescue mission five!”

“-but like Gerade she became a data card instead of returning to reality.”

Hallie frowned and bowed her head. The robot reached out and hesitantly gave her a pat on the head. it wasn’t anyone’s fault she was like this.

“wait, so even if we save people they just become those cute tamagchi things? then whats the point!”

“its better then them becoming corrupted data.” Side Kick jumped up and flipped Hallie’s data card. “see? All of Hallie is right here. She is healthy and stable. She can return to reality once we figure out how to open her data card!”

The room felt warmer as click stood. “that’s our second job as Admins. We HAVE to figure out how to open the data cards and safely return the victims to reality.”

Alpha nodded and glanced at the text chat. there was a notification that a 6th persona had joined the chat room. She turned to the rest of her team. “Normally we have to trace the IP address that was used to access Cogntive.net, and then find a entry point. This takes a few days. At most 3. After that we track down the dungeon.” Alpha reached out and a map appeared. “These are the 9 dungeons we have found.” she grew silent to let Skitty look over the map when a block of pixels shifted to reveal a 11th dungeon. There was a ping and the Admins looked to the text chat to find a message.

Hero> I found a dungeon while you all were out. It was the “false alarm” you dismissed. I did not know dealing with the situation myself would affect the algorithm.

“Dude… you found a dungeon, took down a shadow, AND rescued someone in the span of a few minutes? That’s crazy!” J4k3 stood up to get a better view of the map.

“Hero, was the person… are they a data card?” Skitty also stood to look at the map better. There was another ping.

Hero> no, they will be assisting me. They insisted on it. You have two people on your side now.

Alpha nodded and went back to the map. “Any dungeon we encounter will become part of this map. However this is not a map of the cognitive web. The web is constantly changing. But when a new dungeon appears it rarely takes a day to travel to.”

Skitty blinked and her cat ears twitched. “you said “normally”. Does that mean this case is different? Is it going to be easier to find the dungeon?”

“yup!” click stood up and slammed his foot on the table, a wall of binary coming up. “since the victim used a public wi-fi we can just enter the IP address into the search engine and we’ll be teleported there! Public wi-fi isn’t password protected, that’s why you always gatta be careful when you’re using it, ya dig?” the motioned at the binary as it formed the cognitive net search engine, the IP already in the search bar.

“If we are ready, we can head out right now to save yuki mishima!” Side kick stated as the other gave their own affirmatives.

“one more thing!” Alpha stated as the chat room became barren again. “time is different here, Skitty. Don’t worry about things taking a week. Once we are in the dungeon it will feel like we’ve been in there for days, but in reality it had only been a few minutes.” She placed a hand on the cat themed idol’s shoulder. “are you ready to put your talents to good use?”

With a chestier grin she gave her leader a firm nod and The Admins were teleported away.