#(( but meanwhile miri's just sitting here Confused

[royalreef]

" ...... Why would you ever wish to cut back upon the fried crickets?"

[kenjikutie]

Back to the Future [Tamaki Amajiki]

summary: when your future child with your boyfriend arrives on the doorstep of the 3-a dorms, fluff, chaos and general panic is bound to ensue word count: 2k pairing: tamaki amajiki x fem!reader warnings: none!

most days, tamaki would thank whatever being there was above him for the mere fact that he was able to hold your hand anytime he wanted to, not that he did, of course. he was constantly overwhelmed by any little affectionate action send his way, whether it was a peck on the temple or a steamy makeout session in one of your dorm rooms. it truly didn’t matter what it was, if it involved your lips, he was sure to be a blushing puddle on the floor

however, this didn’t mean that tamaki wouldn’t cuddle with you of his own volition. the last thing he ever wanted to do was make you feel like you were carrying the weight of the entire relationship. tamaki loved you and he had to make sure you knew, even if he couldn’t untie the knot in his throat anytime he wanted to say it out loud

so, instead of that, he would let his love be expressed through how tight of a hold he had on you during the night. his arms would wrap around your waist while his face was buried in your chest, the adorable indigo tips of his hair settling on your collarbone. you swore that even if something tried to take you from his grasp, they wouldn’t be able to move you more than an inch without him waking up with a whine

but, this clingy nature only existed in the confines of your dorm rooms, due to tamaki’s shyness. because of this, the two of you were sitting next to one another on the common room's sofa, shoulders touching as the rest of the class paid close attention to the famous pixar film, up, playing on the tv. your eyes were also glued to the screen due to your childhood love of the movie, but tamaki was focused on playing with your fingers, trying to distract himself from how many people were gathered in the room

every time a joke was told, you giggled, turning to nejire to laugh some more at her comments on the scene. tamaki, however, would be too concentrated on the small crinkles on your eyes when you laughed and how beautiful your smile was. sometimes, he would overwhelm himself and turn bright red, despite you not even doing anything

a knock on the large front doors of the dorm building caused tamaki to let go of your hand and look up at you, silently wishing that you wouldn’t go answer it, just because he didn’t want you to move. his wish was granted when mirio happily ran to the doors and the rest of the class turned around to see who had paid them a visit. when mirio opened the door, his bright smile fell as he looked around before something tugged on his pant leg

when you heard the sniffling of a child, you immediately jumped off the couch, followed closely by nejire, who cut in front of you to coo at the young visitor. you stood behind your blue-haired friend, not being able to see over both her and mirio. tamaki was beginning to slowly lift himself from the couch to walk over to you, quickly realizing that none of his friends were around him anymore

“u-uncle miri! w-w-where’s m-mommy?”, every jaw in the dorm dropped and no one moved a muscle, besides your happy blonde friend

mirio awkwardly knelt down to look at the young boy, “uncle miri? have we met before? im sorry if i forgot; im not the best at remembering things!”

despite his laughter, you could tell that mirio was just as confused as everyone else. tamaki had taken his spot behind your back, resting his forehead on your shoulder to distract himself from how loud the child was crying. mirio placed a hand on the boy’s back and led him into the room while you, nejire and tamaki backed up to let them inside, still hidden behind the periwinkle of her hair

you could tell that the boy was overwhelmed but before you could say anything, he had closed his eyes and darted for the wall, burying his face into the hard surface, whispering something to himself. tamaki’s eyes widened at the familiar sight of indigo hair tucked into the corner of the room and you did the same. mirio took a step forward to comfort him, as he usually did with tamaki himself, but you beat him to the punch

resting a hand on the little boy’s back, you began to stroke his hair, “hey, i know it’s kinda scary being in here with so many older, taller strangers, but you don’t have to worry. we’re heroes in training; we’ll help you in any way you need!”

the boy tensed under your hands and for a second, you panicked, afraid you might have made the whole thing worse. but, before you could move, he had turned around and buried his head in your stomach, gripping onto your shirt so tightly you thought he might rip it. you gasped, connecting your gaze with tamaki, who looked just as shocked as you did

“mommy! i-im so sorry! i didn’t mean to touch i-it! im so sorry!”, he was sobbing now and you could feel his tears stain your shirt

“m-mommy?”, tamaki mumbled, slowly approaching the two of you, setting a shaky hand on your shoulder

you shrugged at him and lowered yourself down to the boy’s height, doing your best to lift his face from your abdomen to get a good look at him. he was a near mirror image of your boyfriend. with his indigo hair and facial structure, you were convinced the two of them could be twins in another life. meanwhile, tamaki was marveling at the child’s eyes, the same ones he loved to admire every day when you looked at him

“amajiki! y/n! you two never told me you had an adorable baby!”, nejire bounded over to the three of you, taking the boy into her arms, squeezing him close to her cheek and you resisted the urge to laugh at the shocked face he pulled

“w-we do not. i-i-i-”, tamaki’s words were stuck in his throat again and you quickly pulled his head into your shoulder, letting him breathe in the scent of your shampoo to calm down

“im gonna go get mr.aizawa. but for now, i think you two better look after him, doesn’t look like he’s gonna leave y/n’s side for a long time.”, mirio pulled nejire out of the dorm, despite her pouting and whining about how she wanted to take care of the cute baby too

within a second of being let go, the boy was attached to your leg, burying his face in it. suddenly, you were very aware of the two amajiki’s resting on your body. the rest of the class had gone back to the film, seeming unfazed by the recent occurrence

gently, you lifted tamaki’s head from your shoulder and pet the boy’s head, “what’s your name, honey?”

“a-a-akihito. akihito ama-jiki.”

                                                          ---

after mr.aziawa had informed you that it was a side effect of a quirk, you were somewhat relieved. this meant that akihito would probably be back to his own time period in a few days, but, you couldn’t help feel a little disappointed. akihito was attached to your hip, not even able to go into a different room without you by his side

tamaki understood completely. the little boy had given him a hug as well when he recognized him as his father, apologizing to him as well, before immediately falling back into his mother’s arms. apparently, his son thought the same thing about you as he did. you were a safe space to him, just as you were to tamaki

but, whenever he saw his son begin to panic, he felt guilty. he was the reason why his son was so easily overwhelmed and frightened. why couldn’t he have been just like you? you were brave, passionate, and outgoing, almost shining as brightly as mirio in his mind. however, his son, just like him, was cursed to live out his days as the moon

the three of you were currently in your dorm room, all of you silently eating takoyaki that you had ordered earlier. akihito suddenly gasped, causing both heads to turn to him with concern. tamaki felt tears reach his eyes as the boy held up his hand, each finger having a small tentacle appearing out of them. you grinned. this was exactly what tamaki needed to see

the rest of the night was filled with akihito cheering at how cool his quirk was and his eyes shining at the sight of his father perfectly using his to perform all sorts of tasks. tamaki was beginning to feel better about their similarities and knew that, like himself, his son also had a sun to watch out for him. this sun, however, took the form of his mother

you went to bed that night with akihito attached to you like a leech and you laughed at the pout at your boyfriend’s face, “aww, tama, did he take your spot?”

tamaki’s face went bright red at your teasing and he quickly glanced away from you, “n-no! i, i was just thinking about h-how sad it’ll be when h-he goes back.”

you smiled and sat up, careful not to disturb akihito as you rested your head against your boyfriend’s chest, feeling his heartbeat speed up, “yeah, but just think how happy the future us’s are gonna be!”

future. that word knocked the air out of tamaki’s chest. the two of you were married. he was a pro-hero and you were currently pregnant with your second child. you two were perfect in the future. did he really deserve that? would you have been happier with someone else? someone who wasn’t as withdrawn as he was

his question was answered when you hid your face in his stomach, resting on your side while he laid on his back, akihito still on top of you. tamaki didn’t need to think about all of that anymore. because, if he kept going like this, then everything would be just fine. he turned off his bedside lamp, and pulled the blanket over the three of you, resting his hand on his son’s back, placing a gentle kiss to the top of your head

akihito was gone the next morning and were sure you’d never felt worse, but, tamaki smiled and pulled something out from his bed. you furrowed your brows then beamed at the handwritten letter from akihito, who wrote about how much he loved you and how he would miss you so much. you gave tamaki a kiss, trying not to notice his squeal of surprise but smiling when he relaxed and kissed you back

                                                           ---

meanwhile, future you and tamaki were both panicking. tamaki was trying to console you but he was just as scared as you were. where had your precious son gone? was he in trouble? did he need the both of you to hold and comfort him? what if you never saw him again? it was too much for the both of you to handle

suddenly, there was a harsh pop and blindingly bright flash, tamaki quickly jumping to cover your eyes with his hand. you lowered your husband’s arm and shrieked at the sight of your son, standing perfectly safe in your living room

you raced forward and scooped him into your arms, nearly crying when you buried his face in your neck for a second then pulled back to rest his chubby hands on your cheeks. tamaki joined you shortly, placing a light kiss to his son’s head, then putting a matching one on yours

akihito began to ramble on about how he saw you, daddy, uncle miri and aunt nejire, discussing the food you ate, the note he gave you, and how cool his dad’s quirk was. you listened intently with a grin while tamaki glanced over to the framed piece of notebook paper above your mantle

the same note your son had given you seven years ago

[sabababa]

Can you do a headcanon of Mirio and the reader going on a picnic date please 😔🥺

Going on a picnic date with Mirio headcanon

Mirio Togata x GenderNeutral!Reader

You made the best mistake of your life telling Mirio that you had never been on a picnic before

This man is gonna go all out and be as cliche as POSSIBLE

“WHAT?! You’ve never been on a picnic??”

“It’s true, I am the only human being in the universe who has never been on a picnic,” you’d tease at his over-reaction

“Well, that’s gonna change, Sunshine!”

He immediately leaves right after, but not before giving you a kiss on the cheek and a quick little “I’ll see you later!” as he walked out the door

You stared at the door confused, but still had a smile on your face because you knew whatever he had planned would be amazing

You never really did ‘see him later’ like he said, you saw him the next day at school, but as you walked up to him he was on his phone typing away with a smile on his face

“Whatcha’ doin’?” You’d ask

“Nothing~” He’d say with a sly grin; letting you know he was planning something, as he continued to type on his phone

You peered over to try and look at his screen, but he would just hold it up higher each time you’d try and sneak a peek

“No lookie-loos, Sunshine~” He said in a playful tone as he continued to type

The bell rang to signal that class was starting and he started to turn away toward his class

“Wait! Do you wanna hang out later at my dorm?” You asked hurriedly, grabbing his arm to make sure he’d answer you

“I’ve got a big day to plan for us, Sunshine, I have to go shopping after school!” He said as he finally looked you in the eyes to give you attention, his phone now in his pocket

“Can I go with you then?” You asked hopefully

“Nope!” He booped your nose. “It’s a surprise, but I promise when this weekend comes we can hangout ALL DAY!” He picked you up in his arms and squeeze you into a bear hug

“Okay!” You’d squeak out with a laugh from his tight embrace

The weekend came and you were still snuggled underneath the warm embrace of your blanket

“Sunshine~” You heard him say in a hushed sing-song voice, then felt him move your shoulder lightly

You grunted in response, you’re usual way of greeting him whenever he made a surprise visit to your dorm

“Go get ready, I’ll pick out your clothes!” He pulled you up from the bed and pushed you towards the bathroom in your room

When you were ready for the day, you met Mirio downstairs by the door, a big grin on his face as he caught sight of you

“Beautiful as always!” He complimented and held his hand out to you which you gladly took

(Art belongs to me, please do not repost, if you wish to use it for your own fic please give me credit with a link)

You chatted more as he pulled you along, you didn’t know where he was taking you

“Mirio, where are we going?” 

“You’ll see, Sunshine!” He said cheerily as he swung your joined hands

Eventually, you made it to the entrance of a park, you knew he had the picnic planned and expected him to keep walking, but instead, he pulled you to the side of an ice cream stand and bought your’s and his favorite flavors 

You two finished the sweet treat as he kept guiding you down a path, which you assumed would lead to the picnic area, but you were wrong

He pulled you over to a different area in front of a large pond where a flock of ducks gathered

He sat you down on a bench and pulled out a bag of corn from nowhere

“Where did you get that?” You chuckled

“Don’t ask questions you don’t wanna know the answers to~” He jested and both of you laughed

Both of you then started tossing corn to the ducks on land and water

Then suddenly a chinese goose waddled over toward Mirio’s side (y’know, the white ones with the big foreheads)

Mirio grinned at it as he held his hand out with a pile of corn

“Hey, little fell- AH!” It bit his finger and caused him to drop the corn, but the goose did not care for the food

It jabbed at his leg next as it flared out it’s wings

“OW!” He yelped and scrambled onto the bench to get away from it

Meanwhile, you were laughing your butt off at how Mirio seemed so frightened of a goose

It hissed at him once and extended it’s wings to appear bigger before it waddled away, satisfied with how small Mirio looked on the bench

Mirio whimpered as he rubbed his calf

“Aww, you okay, pretty boy?” You said in a baby tone and rubbed his head

He pouted. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” He grumbled under his breath

“What?” You let out a light laugh

“Nothing! Let’s go do the next activity!” He was back to his usual self and hauled you up from the bench

The next activity he led you to was on an open hill

A box laid there and when he picked it up you noticed it was a kite

He pulled it out and assembled it, got it to fly up in the air, then sat down motioning you to sit between his legs

You sat down and pressed your back against his chest as you both held onto the kite

He kissed your cheek and you giggled, but couldn’t help but think back to the picnic

“Mirio, do you have a picnic planned?” You leaned your head back to look at him

“Don’t worry, Sunshine, I told you you get to have me for the whole day!” He wrapped his arms around your waist and brought you closer to him as he nuzzled your neck

The rest of the day kept going by as he showed you a new activity to do, such as hiking through a trail, looking at the local wildlife, and taking a ride in a swan-shaped pedal boat that Mirio insisted that he do all the pedaling

Finally, he brought you to a nice hill in front of a shady tree

And there sat the picnic set up, in all its cliche glory

A red and white checkered blanket with a wicker basket

“Let’s eat, Sunshine!” Mirio guided you to sit on the blanket as he pulled out the plates and all the food

He brought ingredients to make every type of sandwich, but he of course already knew your favorite and made it before his own

You both ate as you looked at the pretty scenery before you

The set up was on a nice big hill that over-looked the pond, the sun’s rays dancing on the ripples of water

Mirio noticed you finished your sandwich and took your plate as he asked; “Want another one?”

You turn to look at him, a warm smile on your face with love in your eyes. “Today was the best, Miri.”

He couldn’t stop the grin that appeared on his face as he saw how much you enjoyed the day. “I’m glad you had fun! I planned the whole day for you! I wanted it to be special!”

“You planned the whole day?” You asked shocked

“Of course! Anything for you, Sunshine!” He pulled you in for a hug and rested his chin atop your head

You leaned into his touch with a smile on your face

“Even the goose attack?” You teased

“Except that…” You could hear him pout. “But you enjoyed seeing me getting attacked, so maybe I should get into turf wars with the geese from now on!”

“No! Don’t fight the local wildlife!” You laughed as you pulled away, shaking his shoulders

“I’ll do it for you! This will all be yours someday!” He said dramatically as he waved as hand in the air to gesture to the scenery

You giggled and tackled him in a hug to which you both laughed

“I already have everything I want.”

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

If you want to request some headcanons please go here for the rules!

Masterlist

[kumorp]

Rescue Missions and Malboro Steaks

Bhudi was the last to enter the free company estate. As she entered the main lobby, she was struck by a grim tension in the air as the assembled group was quiet. When she had last seen the primal research group, they had been assembled at Kai’s house and the ignoble scholar, Kumo, was in his undergarments and trying to dig his way out of another pit. Bhudi had left early last week to attend to other business ventures, but she left the group in the capable hands of Miri and she expected a profitable return on their sting operation at the Quicksand in U’ldah. 

Now, Miri seemed suddenly distant and had a growing collection of alcohol in front of her. Her wife Vic was noticeably absent from her side as was Reil. Hikari and Kai sat together on the other side of the room quietly discussing last week’s events and the new recruit Anya was sitting nearby still dressed in her interview attire and still seemed tense. Kumo was by himself at a desk, poring over a messy heap of notes and open tomes. His hair and clothes were a mess but at least was not wearing the stuffy robes representing his previous employer. 

Kumo was the first to acknowledge Bhudi and quietly asked, “B...B-Bhudi? Errrr how are you? Did you hear about what happened last week?” Kumo seemed to wince as he expected her response. 

“No, I had other business to attend to, what happened?” 

Kumo took a deep breath and seemed to blurt everything out in one long stream of confession, “I might have accidentally gotten Reil kidnapped and gotten Vic brainwashed by Garleans and made Miri really mad at me and now everyone hates me and I have a plan to fix it!” 

Bhudi blinked at this sudden outburst and could only reply with, “Seems simple enough…” 

At the sound of Kumo’s voice, Miri looked up from her most recent drink to look at Kumo and let out a long sigh. Kumo frowned at her disapproval and continued, “I haven’t slept a wink since last week trying to figure out where Vic took Reil, but all we have to go on is Reil mentioning a Dr. Ansel and Garlean rumors about prisoners being somewhere with awful malboro steaks.” 

The group collectively rolled their eyes at such a flimsy lead, and Kai was the first to respond with, “Do people EAT malboro?” Showing clear disgust at the thought of such slimy rations. 

“In desperate times, people will resort to what is available,” Hikari interjected. “But there are lots of malboro in the fogfens swamp near Castrum Centri.” 

Kumo looked up at the mention of Castrum Centri. “What did you just say?” Kumo asked. 

“There are plenty of malboro in the fogfens. Castrum Centri dumps its waste into the swamp.” 

Kumo excitedly leapt out of his seat shouting, “That’s where they must be!” 

Miri shook her head and sighed, “And if they aren't?” 

“They have to be, I also heard rumors of a high value asset moving through Mor Dhona,” Kumo responded. 

Hikari smirked at the excited scholar and offered, “Kai and I could at least scout the area and see if we find any signs of them.” 

Kai nodded her support and immediately vanished in a cloud of smoke. “Sneak!” Could be heard from the space that Kai previously occupied. 

Kumo again interrupted the discussion, “I also want to come! I got them into the mess and I have a plan to get them out!” 

 Kumo was cut off by a weary Miri. “I hope this plan is better than last week’s.” 

Embarrassed and caught off guard, Kumo explained, “Kai has been helping me develop a potion to help cure Vic! We assume that she has fallen victim to primal tempering and we have made a crystal distillation that should nullify the tempering effects temporarily.” 

There was a shocked silence as this may have been the most intelligent thing Kumo had ever said to anyone, maybe ever. 

Kai excitedly chimed in, “It should fix Vic, but we haven’t had time to test it on any Hyur.” 

Still shocked by Kumo’s display of intelligence, the group sat in silence until Anya quietly stood up and offered, “I am still new here, but I would also like to help.” 

Bhudi nodded her approval and suggested “I  have a business contact that knows of a sewer entrance we could use to enter Castrum undetected.” 

With a confused look on his face, Kumo raised his hand and asked, “Bhudi, what kind of business requires secret sewer entrances?” Bhudi’s steely gaze was answer enough. 

Hikari rallied everyone to meet in Mor Dhona and head to Castrum Centri. 

The rescue party all convened at the Revenant’s toll and quietly approached the swamp surrounding Castrum Centri. As the party silently approached the sewer pipe leading into Castrum, Kumo trampled through the brush atop a large flying whale shouting “Stealth whale!” 

Hikari quickly grabbed Kumo and covered his mouth while the group collectively shushed him. As the now quieted group progressed through the swamp, Hikari and Anya easily dispatched any encroaching malboro and found the sewer grate Bhudi mentioned. Hikari scaled the pipe easily and scouted ahead for the group as Kai climbed the inside quietly humming “sneak sneak sneak”. When Kai reached the top, she let down a rope for the rest to follow. 

Kumo proudly stepped out from his hiding place behind Anya and took a deep breath and entered the pipe. Within moments a piercing shriek could be heard over Linkshell followed by the high pitched squeals of Kumo proclaiming, “ewwww I touched something slimy.” 

There were concerned glances exchanged between Anya and Miri and Miri asked, “Is there a way to mute his linkshell?” As the last member exited the pipe, everyone was startled to see Bhudi already waiting for them in a nearby clearing. 

“Bhudi! How did you get up here so fast?” asked a confused Kai. 

“I have friends in high places and I didn’t feel like getting smelly today,” Bhudi responded. 

“Couldn’t your friends have been our friends too?” Kumo pleaded. 

Again Bhudi turned her steely gaze upon the strange man and replied, “You wouldn’t want these friends.” 

Kumo fell silent and rejoined the rest of the group to plan their next step. Nearby, a captured Reil was incessantly asking questions of her captors. The rescue party could hear Reil ask, “Is Aymeric de Borel as handsome as everyone says he is?”  

The group had stumbled across the holding area Vic was keeping Reil. The group planned to surprise Vic; Miri, and Anya would help restrain Vic; Kumo and Kai would help administer the antidote. Meanwhile Hikari would jump in to rescue Reil and abscond with her before meeting any resistance. The plan was to go on three, but before they even got to one, Kumo was charging ahead shrieking like a banshee. 

This surprise assault was a shock to both Vic and the rest of the rescue team, but they quickly mobilized in response. Kumo charged straight for Vic with his glowing bottle and threw the potion into Vic’s face with all his might. Vic did not expect to be attacked so directly and took the glass bottle directly in the face. As the bottle shattered, Vic was splashed with a faintly glowing liquid that harmlessly soaked her face and hair. It was at this point that Kumo considered that either his potion needed more testing, or maybe Vic wasn’t ACTUALLY the victim of primal tempering. 

Realizing that he was within katana slicing range, Kumo did an immediate about face and fled in the other direction screaming, “It didn’t work!” 

Even in Vic’s enthralled and soggy state she recognized the traitorous Kumo and immediately pursued him with a murderous intent in her eyes. She easily caught up to the fleeing scholar and slashed him across the back and laid him out on the stone in a bloody heap. 

Before Vic could finish off the cowardly man, Kai leapt in front of Kumo and shielded him from Vic’s katana. Miri was not far behind and quickly grabbed Vic in an attempt to restrain her from murdering the injured traitor. 

Meanwhile, Hikari had already carried Reil to safety and was removing her bonds with Anya’s help. Bhudi was off to the side casually observing the events unfold before her and seemed to exude an aura of calm and cool. At this moment Reil thanked her rescuers and they all gathered to watch the stand off between Kai, Miri, Vic, and the remains of Kumo. 

Kai drew her sword and shield and quietly ordered her carbuncle to mend Kumo’s wounds as she tried to reach out to Vic. “Vic!” She yelled, choking back tears, “It’s Kai! Remember? You taught me that girls can be strong too, and promised to protect me so I could grow up to be strong like you!” 

Vic seemed unfazed by Kai’s pleas and tightened her grip on her blade. 

Just as Miri tried to reconnect with her wife, she was elbowed as Vic broke free of her grasp and raised her sword to threaten the small Miqo’te in front of her. Before any blows fell Kumo meekly whispered, “Ala Mhigo…… remember Ala Mhigo.” 

The mention of Ala Mhigo suddenly struck Vic as if it were a heavy cudgel and she wavered for a moment. Seeing this, Miri immediately leapt to Vic’s side and shouted, “Vic! Remember Ala Mhigo! Remember your childhood!” 

Vic grabbed her head in pain as the memories of her traumatic past flooded back into her mind. As Vic battled with her inner demons, Miri and Kai embraced her tightly trying to help calm their suffering friend. In a fit of rage, Vic shrugged off her former allies and let out a guttural scream before running from the group. 

Hikari quickly gave chase and as they rounded the corner, they saw the bodies of several Garleans and destroyed magitek armor. It appeared that Vic had regained herself and decided to repay the Garleans for her torment. Hikari and Miri approached the enraged samurai and helped soothe her nerves promising to take her home and finally get some rest. 

Meanwhile, Reil, Kai, and Anya crowded around the body of Kumo. Bhudi continued to watch the entire scene off to the side seemingly unimpressed with the scholar’s rescue plan but was entertained nonetheless. Kumo had stopped bleeding and his wounds were mended, but he still lay face down. Kai gently poked the man and with a concerned face asked “Kumo?” Reil approached and considered trying to apply more healing magic when she was startled by the sudden snores of the face down man. Kumo was completely fine and was snoring quietly. Gentle pokes turned into vigorous kicks as the group tried to wake Kumo. 

Kumo angrily brushed them off sleepily before Kai shouted into his ear “CIANA SAID YOU ARE A SPY”. Kumo’s eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet shouting “I AM NOT A SOY!” 

Kai clapped in glee and Reil threw up her arms in exasperation. Anya looked quizzically at the mention of soy and Bhudi shook her head in belief. The group left Kumo behind to rejoin Vic and Miri and everyone embraced Vic to celebrate her return. 

Before the group could truly reconnect, Magictek armor approached from the interior of the Castrum and Hikari quickly cleaved the armor in twain. “We can hug when we get back home, It’s time to go.” 

Hikari grabbed Kumo by the waist and threw him on the back of his chocobo and led the party out of Castrum Centri slaying any Garleans who dared cross their path. Before the company could finally escape, Kumo wriggled free and shouted, “I forgot something!” He ran off to the side grabbing a piece of a box before hopping back onto Hikari’s chocobo. 

The party dispatched the last of the Garlean defenders and quickly fled back to Shirogane to regroup at home. Kumo was the first to enter the Free Company house and fell over onto a couch spreading blood, grease, and marlboro spit everywhere. 

���Ugh I just got these clothes and they are already ruined!” Kumo lamented. 

Reil was second to follow and glared at Kumo. “I was captive for a whole week without a shower or change of clothes, I think you will be okay.” 

Kumo looked at the ground to hide his shame and Reil followed up with, “I am going to take a bath and change.” 

Kumo was inspecting the scar on his back when Miri passed by carrying Vic to her room to recuperate. Kai approached Kumo and the scholar asked, “Do you think it’ll leave a mark?” 

Kai inspected the healed scar that crossed from shoulder to waist and smiled “It means your battle hardened!” As the two smiled at each other, Anya rolled her eyes and quietly awaited Miri’s return while smoothing out her interview clothes. 

Miri quietly entered the room looking more weary than ever but with an improved mood. Kai rushed over to Miri and quickly embraced her while asking “Is Vic going to be okay?” 

Miri patted Kai on the head and soothed her saying “She is going to be alright, it will take some time but she needs rest now.” 

The tension seemed to lift and the impossibly clean and kempt Bhudi said “Well that’s enough adventure for me today, I am heading out to check on my other businesses, Miri please make sure you lock up.” 

Miri nodded farewell to the company leader and Bhudi retired to her room, but not before making an unapproving glance at the filth Kumo had tracked into the free company house. Kumo shifted uncomfortably but looked at Anya and said “Anya! You were great! I think you deserve to join us.” He looked to Miri and asked “Do you know the results of her interview?” 

Miri broke away from Kai and approached Kumo and Anya. Miri smiled at Anya and held out a small bag of coins to Anya saying “You did great, welcome to the free company, Anya.” 

Anya accepted the payment and shook Miri’s hand. “Thank you very much Miri, I appreciate it”. Kumo’s eyes bulged at the modest payment that Anya had received. 

“They are paying you in gil?!” kumo blurted out. Anya looked at Kumo, confused, “What do they pay you in?”

Kumo looked at Miri and said “ever since I quit my last job, they let me sleep downstairs under the bar.” 

Miri smirked and responded to Kumo “Well we pay the people who actually do a good job.” 

Kumo turned a beet red and looked down at the floor. Anya laughed quietly to herself and approached the exit. She thanked her new employer and friend and quietly exited the free company house. 

As she walked away, Anya could hear Miri berating a downtrodden Kumo with “REALLY?! A potion to the face?! What kind of plan was tha-”.... This continued for another two hours, but Kumo was happy that Miri was talking to him again and in some way, he might have finally saved the day.