#I don’t know if “Hikaru” healed EVERYTHING but if he didn’t then getting a head wound can slightly change a person as well

[beeslippers]

Thinking about how Yoshiki would have never known Hikaru had been replaced if he hadn’t stumbled across his body

Like I’ve seen people say that Yoshiki was the only one who could tell something was wrong because he knew Hikaru so well but even he admitted that while he found little things off with “Hikaru” he would’ve never guessed they were different people

[book-of-yanderes]

Hi! I just found your account (and I love that you made it clear that there is a difference between fiction and reality, didn't saw it often enough till now) and saw that you even write for OHHS? Is this a dream come true?? ✨ Could I request a yandere Hikaru with a rather introverted reader who (not only doesn't gets hints) keeps to themselves most of the times, but just have problems expressing that they care for others? You know, the type that say "you should take more care of yourself" when you are ill in a not very empathizing way, but then put a little 'eat and drink this, the medicine is on the bottom, get well soon, dont overwork yourself' note with a little bag of grocery stuff inside his locker? I kinda wanna see him going yandere, just completely madness ✨🥺 You don't have to ofc! Have a great night anyways!

Oblivious, Yet Caring (Yandere Hikaru x Reader)

Word Count: 1129

Warnings: obsession, jealousy, possessiveness

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It was the same thing, again.

Hikaru and Kaoru had pulled out a shenanigan that ended up with Hikaru hurting himself.

He didn’t care though. 

As a host, it helped him with the princesses and princes that love him. They worried about him and he would feign pain to have them fawn over him even more.

The one thing he didn’t expect was his classmate Y/N to help him out.

“Seriously, you need to be more careful, Hikaru.” they spoke as they helped him organize his shelf in his bedroom.

They were good enough friends that Hikaru invited Y/N over quite a bit. Although he found he was starting to fall for them with how much they tended to him and cared for him. And sure, they came to support him at the Host Club, but it was moments like this where he found himself growing more and more fond of his friend.

But he didn’t expect to get sick just a few weeks after his injury healed.

“Hey, maybe don’t be at the club if you’re not feeling well, Hikaru,” Kaoru commented as he saw Hikaru trying to hide yet another cough during their lunch.

Hikaru looked at Kaoru with a blank expression for a moment before smiling wide. “Hey! I’m completely fine with hosting! Anyways, you and I are a pair…” a cough cut him off and Hikaru was quick to grab his napkin to cover his mouth.

“Seriously… you should go home and rest.” Kaoru only seemed displeased with his brother’s actions.

Kaoru wasn’t the only one.

Y/N was still in the classroom, organizing their wallet/purse before going out to buy themself a lunch. It was easy to note Hikaru wasn’t feeling well, and that was enough for them to feel sorry for him.

An idea was quick to form in Y/N’s head as they left the room, enough for them to hurry off to the local convenience store instead of the restaurant they first had planned to go to.

By the time lunch was almost over, Y/N was back. In their hand was a delicate and pretty package, something fancier than the commoner’s brown sack for a lunch. Before sneaking over to the locker designated to Hikaru, they checked the contents one last time before slipping in a written note. They opened the door to Hikaru’s locker and shut it. 

Thank goodness the classroom trusted each other enough to keep the lockers unlocked in the back of the room.

Soon, it was time to resume lessons, helping to pass time along.

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“Just go home, I’ll tell boss that you’re not feeling well.” Kaoru was done with it. He knew Hikaru wasn’t feeling well.

Fed up with how much lecturing came from his brother, Hikaru caved in. “Fine… I’ll go home.”

It was enough for Kaoru. He ended up heading off fast to the music room, leaving Hikaru alone in the classroom. Everyone was gone, except for him.

Hikaru walked over to his designated locker and opened it, grabbing his bag automatically before noticing the foreign object placed on the shelf in the locker. It was an orange and blue bag, decorated in a blue ribbon and a fake blue flower. It wasn’t something he was expecting, but he was curious all the same.

He grabbed it and began to open it, finding the folded note first.

   “Hikaru, I overheard that you were sick and saw how bad it’s been affecting you today in class. I made this little goody bag for you with some items to hopefully help you recover quickly.                                                 Get well soon!                                                              Y/N”

Hikaru set the note down on the desk and went to start pulling out the items. There in the bag was herbal tea, some freshly ground ginger in a small glass jar, and a few cans of his favorite chicken flavored soup.

Y/N did all of this for him?

They really did care about him.

But what Hikaru didn’t expect was for this to make him snap.

If Y/N was this caring for him, then they had to be that special somebody.

He had to be with them.

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Over the next few weeks after Hikaru had recovered, he did everything to grab Y/N’s attention. Subtle hints of how he loved them, how he was overjoyed to see them, spending time with them also increased.

But Y/N didn’t seem to notice the love Hikaru was pouring out to them.

He was getting frustrated.

Any time he saw them talking to the other hosts when they came to hang out at the club visibly upset him.

When Tamaki went to do his usual approach on a guest, it was the last straw.

“Y/N, come with me!” Hikaru shouted across the room when he saw Tamaki dip them.

The shout startled both parties, making Tamaki and Y/N look over at Hikaru. Tamaki was quick to bring them back up, but they were sdnatched quickly by a pissed off Hikaru.

“Hikaru, what’s wrong?” Y/N asked as he dragged them out of the room and into a quiet and more hidden hallway in the school.

Hikaru didn’t respond off the bat and instead went to corner Y/N, trapping them between his arms. Their faces were only a few inches apart, both locking eyes with one another.

“How stupid are you?” he nearly shouted it.

Y/N only kept silent, mouth agape with no answer coming out. Their eyes were wide, not understanding why their friend was so upset.

“I love you and you don’t even see it! And to allow Tamaki to romance you like that? When I’m obviously showing you my feelings for you?”

The confession mixed with anger was making Hikaru red in the face, although Y/N also now had a face dusted with the pink of the blood rushing into their cheeks. Never did they think Hikaru was in love with them.

“Hikaru… I didn’t know you liked me in that way.”

“Well, I do!” 

After that statement, he pulled Y/N into his arms and hugged them tightly. He nuzzled into their upper neck before having his lips close to their ear.

“You always worry about my wellbeing, how can I not fall in love with that? I want you to be mine and mine alone. No one else’s.”

His breathing was shaky as he continued to hold onto Y/N tightly. He was still a bit angry, but now he was calming down as he held them. This felt right, to have them in his arms. And when they began to raise their own arms around him, he felt joy begin to surge throughout him.

“Y/N, be my love. Be with me forever.”

[hailbop1701]

Curing a Rainy Day

A sort of five times Star Trek gen fic for your viewing pleasure. I mentioned I would write it but please be aware that I wrote this on my phone late at night and I has no beta. Typos and mistakes will be found. 🤣

-H❤🖖

Word Count: 2,166

Sulu:

Leonard McCoy wasn’t a huge touchy-feely type of man. Well, that’s what he really wants folks to think anyway. He was a doctor and that meant it was his oath-bound duty to cure what ails his patients. Whether it was from a physical malady or an emotional one. The first time he initiated his “Rainy Day Cure” --title courtesy of his daughter-- to one of the command crew he was surprised that it was Sulu of all people. If Len were being honest he thought it would have been Jim. Sure he had hugged the kid in the past but he always let Jim be the one to initiate contact. The reason why is complicated and a story for another time. 

When he found him the young pilot was huddled alone in Observation Room Five, his shoulders hunched, his down so his eyes were hidden and mind lightyears away. Leonard had a feeling he knew where. The chaos after Khan and Marcus had caused a lot of damage, and not all of it was physical. They were all still healing even a year later. They had left Kronos not three hours ago and according to the mission report, Sulu’s younger sister was…

Not who she claimed to be. ‘Yuki,’ McCoy recalled her name lamely as he made his way loudly over to the depressed man.

She revealed that she worked for Section 31 and was determined to fix the Federation the right way. Though the term “Right way” is skewed for many folks. War was almost started, again and the Enterprise had to stop it, again. Section 31 now had the last little pebble of Red Matter and was holding it like a…” Nuclear deterrent” as the old saying goes. 

Shaking his head Leonard pushed recent events to the back of his mind and continued on his own mission. Plopping down on the couch that faced the giant window of stars, McCoy leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees. 

He didn’t offer his apologies or sympathies, he knew Sulu didn’t want them. So they sat in silence. Sulu just shook his head and looked up at the doctor with confusion and betrayal in his eyes. “I don’t - I” he stopped swallowing and the helmsman looked so young Leonard didn’t even think about it until after he had already done it. 

He wrapped an arm over Hikaru’s shoulder and squeezed. Sulu stilled for a moment before relaxing and saying what needed to be said, a weight slowly lifting off his shoulders and his chest. 

Scotty:

Leonard and Scotty were both having a terrible terrible time. The cold sucked in Leonard’s opinion and being trapped on an ice ball of a planet only confirmed his feelings. Looking over at the Enterprises Chief Engineer, Leonard had a feeling that he wasn’t alone in his thoughts and feelings. 

The Scot was curled into a tight ball up against the last running console the entire ‘Fleet base had. He was shivering and muttering to himself, glaring at the distress signal he had rigged up. There was nothing they could do but wait. Rubbing his hands together to warm them Leonard moved toward the console and slid down to the floor next to Scotty. Touching shoulders with Scotty, McCoy tucked his hands under his arms and sighed. There was nothing he could really say to ease the engineer’s anxiety -- which stemmed from Delta Vega no doubt --  so he simply let his presence be enough. 

Scotty glanced at Leonard to see that he was looking back at him with calm understanding. Grunting Scotty curled himself closer to the CMO and let the man wrap an arm around his shoulders. They didn’t speak a word and only moved when they heard the sounds of the rescue party on the other side of the sealed doors. 

Chekov:

Pavel Chekov was the youngest of the command crew, so he was automatically protected and treated like the youngest sibling of a giant family. The navigator understood that his friends didn’t mean to and that it was just sometimes a reflex but he was getting damn tired of it. Today was his birthday, he had finally turned twenty! Chekov was so pleased to find that after the incident with Khan he was being treated like he should. There was one person who always treated him like he was young and precious. 

Pavel found that he didn’t mind so much. Doctor McCoy treated almost everyone that way -- even though he wasn’t that much older than the rest of them --  in an almost fatherly manner. A true caretaker. Chekov allowed the behavior from no one but McCoy. 

Leonard walked into “Rec Room Two” taking in the crowd with a softening scowl. A small wrapped parcel gripped in his hand. He looked down at the present, weighing it in his hands carefully.  With a sigh, McCoy strode through the room looking for the birthday boy. Jim waved at him wildly from the other side of the room a huge grin on his face. Narrowing his eyes, Leonard saw that his captain wasn’t in fact drunk at all. Grunting in approval he smiled at Chekov who was hurrying over to greet him. 

“Happy Birthday Pavel,” 

Chekov grinned and his eyes widened at the present presented to him. Leonard gestured for him to open it and the young man did excitedly. The wrapping paper littered the floor a long black box in its place. Slowly opening the box the navigator knocked a silver antique pocket knife into his hands. Examining it closely he looked up at McCoy in confusion. 

Leonard shifted nervously on his feet. Clearing his throat he pulled out a similar from his belt. “My daddy gave me this one to match his when I turned twenty. I know your pa wasn’t around as you grew up and so I thought…” his sentence fell into silence. For once Leonard McCoy was at a loss for words. Pavel quickly wiped a stray tear from his eye and grinned at his friend holding onto the gift tightly. 

“Thank you doctor!” he said gratefully and Leonard understood that it was for more than just a knife. A small smile graced the CMO’s lips and pulled the kid in for a hug. 

With anyone else, Pavel would have been annoyed. This was an exception. 

Uhura:

Leonard was tired. He longed for his bed but as he looked around at all of the injured crew he pushed the longing away. There was no time for it. Rubbing the blurry fatigue from his eyes he pushed on. Triage, surgery, aftercare. He really didn’t truly stop to breathe until the middle of gamma shift when the ship was sleepy and quiet. The only noise was the soft beeps and whistles of monitors. His nurses quietly whispering and working. 

Christine hours ago told him to stop worrying and to go to bed already but something in him just couldn’t. Blinking dumbly down at the PADD in his hands he sighed and signed off on the next round of Spock’s antibiotics. During the Enterprises most recent scuffle the bridge took a hit and the science station exploded sending the first officer flying, earning him a ticket to medical. 

After the fight was over and things had only calmed down to a trickle of wounded instead of a flash flood, Nyota Uhura breezed through sickbay’s doors. She waited patiently and even helped where she could. When Spock came out of surgery and was placed in a private room she immediately went to his side and hasn’t moved an inch since. Jim would have been right beside her if he could afford to. But it appears the admiralty wanted words and had kept him busy since. McCoy had barely just convinced him to get some sleep saying that he would call if anything changes. 

That was three hours ago. 

Leonard walked -- though Nyota would say shuffled -- into Spock’s room, his eyes going straight to the monitors above the bed. The half Vulcan was resting peacefully. McCoy knew it was only a matter of time before he woke and would go into a healing trance. Something that should be monitored anyway. Leonard quietly wondered who he would grant the opportunity to slap Spock awake this time…

“Leonard!” 

The sound of his name made the CMO snap his head in Uhura’s direction. Her eyes were fire, filled with frustration, exhaustion, and worry. McCoy winced, “Sorry Nyota, guess my mind wandered a bit,” he said somewhat sheepishly. Her expression softened a flash of guilt passing through her features. 

“You need more rest. You’re going to run yourself into the ground at this rate,” she scolded half-heartedly. McCoy gave her a small smile and a shrug, 

"I'll rest when I'm not needed." He whispered and badly covered up a yawn. The hidden meaning behind his words wasn't lost on the linguist though. She pressed her lips into a tight line deciding not to comment. Instead, she rested her gaze on Spock once more her hand inches away from his. 

So deep in thought, Nyota hadn't even realized that McCoy had left and come back, a tray with a couple of hypos in his always unwavering hands. Catching her eyes he gave her another encouraging smile. He took care to tell her everything he was doing and how it would help keep infection away. Leonard knew he didn't have to explain but he felt it necessary to fill the quiet with "Illogical chatter" as Spock would surely call it. 

Uhura was so tired and so frazzled that she was startled to find the CMO crouching in front of her with concern all over his face. "You need to get some rest Nyota. I can have a cot brought in if you'd like…" 

Uhura, let a few tears fall before she bottled it up again. She shook her head wiping her face, "I'm alright Leo. Everything is just catching up to me…" she mumbled with a watery chuckle. Leonard snorted at the nickname she had given him, 

"Just let me know darlin' " 

And without truly thinking about it he pulled her into a hug. It only took Uhura a second to process what was happening before she wrapped her arms around him tightly. A genuine smile breaking across her face. The first time in hours she felt content, safe, and able to truly breathe. 

Jim: 

James T. Kirk was a touchy-feely type of man. Leonard supposed it may be from a less than stellar childhood. So whenever Jim would pull him into a one-armed hug or slapped his back or even leaned up against him, McCoy would let him. He would definitely bitch but only half-heartedly, Leonard needed to keep up appearances after all. 

So when they found Jim partially dead, hanging from his wrists in a cave all smirks and charm…

Well, no one batted an eye when -- after he made sure that the man would live -- Leonard pulled his best friend in for a hug. Jim just laughed, laid an arm over McCoy's shoulder, and leaned into the hug. 

"I only had to get tortured and offered to an alien God for you to hug me. Good to know," 

"Shut up Kid," 

Spock:

No one ever thought the words McCoy, Spock, and hug would ever be uttered but stranger things have happened on the Enterprise. 

No stranger than an alien device that turned back time. In a physical sense anyway. Leonard looked down at his adolescent hands and sighed with a heavy eye roll. "Not this again," he grumbled with a shudder. 

Looking around the room he saw Jim shouting at Mudd who had bought the alien weapon and decided to point it at him and Spock. McCoy tilted his head, his eyes going comically wide. 

Spock! 

Where was the green-blooded rugrat? Leonard looked around and sighed in relief at the sight of the first officer. He was hidden under a rickety wooden table. Crouching down Leonard gave Spock a small smile, he waved and gestured for the Vulcan to come closer. Apparently the younger you go the further your mind goes with it. Spock had a mentality of a...of well, a toddler. He couldn't have been more than two. 

Spock stared at Leonard intensely before darting out and crashing into his legs. McCoy stumbled a little before he got his footing. Spock looked up at him with wide scared eyes, tears threatening to fall. 'Must have gotten all Vucan-y at four or five,' Leonard thought as he picked up his friend. 

Leonard pulled Spock close, hugging him to his chest whispering softly. Spock seemed confused for only a moment before he buried his head into the young CMO's neck. 

Jim of course saw it all and later under the threat of meeting his end via an airlock kept his mouth firmly shut. The only thing the Starship Captain said -- which everyone agreed-- Doctor Leonard McCoy could absolutely cure a rainy day. 

Tags:

@lauraaan182, @chickadee-djarin, @cowenby2, @bluesclues-1234, @sayuri9908,

[falling-pages]

Losing Game: Hikaru x Reader

Inspired by Arcade by Duncan Laurence (please listen to it it’s so sad and really good)

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“All I know, loving you is a losing game.”

College/Young Professional Hikaru x female reader

Angst

Warnings: I’m not exactly sure what to write. It’s not NSFW, it’s not smut, but there are mentions of sleeping around. No details, nothing explicit, only some mentions of it for context. No description or anything like that. Basically Hikaru being a deadbeat. Lots of angst. One or two instances of language.

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Hikaru Hitachiin was an asshole.

You knew this before you started dating. His reputation had preceded him on your college campus, his bedroom the holy grail of frat houses. Seems like every time you walked through the academic lawn you could hear another story from another drooling student about another escapade he had put them through, another quest he had conquered. Rumor had it he collected rings from his lovers and wore them like notches in his belt, walking around in his sunglasses and leather jacket, hands out and swinging like an advertisement of his deeds. 

It was disgusting, how he considered it all a game. A game he would always win, and they would always lose.

You couldn’t judge those wide-eyed students. Despite your anger, you understood the fascination with him: a man set to inherit millions, a confident attitude, enough bad boy swagger to dominate every frat you knew. And he was gorgeous--that red hair flaming in the wind, cocky smile reaching up to hazel eyes even made you feel weak in the knees.

But you ignored it, storming past him in the halls and never responding to his advances. Despite being born into wealth and power, he was the kind of man who always wanted what he couldn’t have--you, especially. You knew that to him you were just another notch on his belt, a ring on his finger. You’d die before you gave him that satisfaction.

Eventually, though, human nature had its way. You don’t remember how it happened, but one day he smiled at you, a real, genuine, lovely smile, and your stomach dropped. All you knew was that you were in big, big trouble.

You were in love.

Suddenly, the hatred had turned into a desire for him to be better, the disgust into wanting. You weren’t proud of it, but you couldn’t stop it. The curling of your toes became involuntary, the fleeting glances more stable. You couldn’t deny that the way he smiled at you made you dream of more. As you two became friends, even finding somethings in common, enjoying time spent together, you thought that maybe this wasn’t a game to him.

And then, one night, the barrier was broken.

It wasn’t a mistake, per se, but it did upend your life--out of that night your child was conceived, and you felt your heart dissolve into a thousand pieces. Suddenly you were yanked from your small town into the spotlight of Tokyo, the woman bearing Hikaru Hitachiin’s love child. 

His first instinct was to run. Fresh out of college with a steady career path was in line for both of you, but now there was something else to account for, a little heartbeat intertwining both of yours. When he saw the positive stick, he experienced true fear for the first time. Fear that he would now have to give up his selfish ways, give up those games, give up his own reckless plans. 

Neither of you wanted that. 

And you--you were angry. Angry at him for doing this to you, despite being so careful. Angry for letting yourself fall for him into his chess board. Angry that you, and now your child, would be forever attached to him. You had done everything right so far, gotten into college, nabbed a great job, finally made something of yourself. And to have a child with him, of all people.

No matter how hard you tried, you would always lose his game.

The two of you broke up four months in, after tense weeks of disagreements and expectations. You wanted to keep the baby, but you had just gotten hired, and you couldn’t afford to waste all your college-earned credits in your first year of professional adulthood. So he pulled some strings and made your boss keep you, with generous maternity leave. For that you were the least bit thankful, but still hurting. 

Something you hadn’t expected was him publicly claiming the child as his. Rumors spread, and he still loved you enough to keep you away and hidden from the paparazzi. But when asked if he did have a baby on the way, he couldn’t lie--that earned him a shred of respect from you.

Claiming the baby as his guaranteed comfort and financial support for the rest of its life, and yours, as well. You hated touching his money, but what else could you do? It was part of the rules.

When it came time to give birth, you didn’t know if Hikaru would show. You didn’t know if you wanted him to. He had accompanied you on all prenatal visits and regularly checked in on you during the pregnancy, but actually seeing the baby was a barrier you didn’t know he would be willing to break.

And yet, he did. You crushed his hand throughout labor, until the nurse handed you your wailing son. Your first impression of him was that he was beautiful, a mirror image of his father. That was a fact you didn’t even hate--and when you placed him in Hikaru’s arms, seeing this intriguing man become selfless for the first time in his life, you felt some shred of love return. 

He stayed in your apartment for the first six weeks. It was lavished with everything a celebrity baby would need, but having him sleep beside you again was the real treat. You didn’t want to admit it, but feeling his arms and hearing him breathe in his sleep made you feel that heady, heart swelling way again. 

Maybe you could all be a little family after all. Maybe he did, in fact, love you in return.

You two were able to laugh again, mosey about doing chores and enjoy spending time together. You had forgotten how easy it was to talk to him. He had forgotten how quickly you could roast him. Somehow, you both were able to patch up the brokenness and feel love again. Perhaps having a baby had matured him, made him lose focus of his games.

Another barrier broken: he kissed you.

You had just finished nursing your son and were pumping when Hikaru came into the bedroom. He sat on the armchair in the corner, resting after deep cleaning the bathroom, but when he looked at you, he smiled. Too exhausted to say a word, you smiled back. 

He approached you, bent down to brush away your hair, and kissed you.

Surprised was a mild way to put it. Here you were, in the least attractive position possible, receiving a kiss from the man you weren’t sure you loved or hated. But the feeling of his lips was comforting, it was home, it was everything you needed to get through the night, no strings attached. It reawakened feelings you thought you killed. And the way he kissed--gently, with no sultry motivation, just to express his love--made you realize exactly what you were feeling.

I love you, you gasped when he pulled away. 

The declaration shocked you, but he only smiled. I love you, too, came the hushed whisper as he leaned back in.

And for the rest of the night, there was only your son, your noisy pump machine, and him.

But, as with everything with him, it was too good to be true. 

Just when everything had been going well, just when you felt your heart mend, he ripped it to shreds.

I think it’s best I leave, he had told you. You were nearly healed, and the baby wasn’t quite as fussy. He missed his family, he said. His real family.

Blindsided as you were, you felt it coming. The last two weeks had been too sweet to really be from his heart. You miss your family, you said, when your family was right in front of him?

He stood there and stared at the ground, coat already on and the collar already popped. You don’t miss your family, you spat. Tears burned behind your eyes, and your son felt heavy in your arms. You miss the old you.

I do love you, he said. I do. But we’re not a good match. I can’t be a good father--he deserves so much better than me.

You don’t want him to have a father who drinks and parties and doesn’t take responsibility for his actions? You said. You don’t want him to be like you when he grows up?

The venom was tattooed on your tongue as you felt the love wash away. It was wrong. He was wronging you and your child. That precious baby with his eyes, his hair, and his last name.

He just walked away, like he always did. 

You took the ring off your finger and threw it at him, watching as it bounced off the wall near his head and down to the floor. Here, you said. Another ring for your stupid collection. You win your little game yet again.

You should have known. Loving him was a losing game.

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If you enjoy what I write, please consider buying me a coffee :)

[otomefoxystar]

The One - Chapter 4

Fandom: Kissed by the Baddest Bidder

Pairing: Eisuke X Charolette

Written by: @otomefoxystar

“You were attacked, and nearly raped. I got there before that could happen though.” 

Ota touched her shoulder 

“ I’m sorry Charolette this is my fault I should have followed you when you stormed off. Listen, if you need someone to talk to you can still call me while I’m away.” She smiled softly 

“ Thank you” 

He smiled back at her “ I’ve got to go Koro, be a good girl okay?” 

He went to leave but looked back at her, seemingly reluctant to leave. Finally, he left but Eisuke could see the emotion swimming in her eyes. That was one thing that would never change. Her eyes couldn’t tell a lie, she was scared it was obvious.

“ You need to eat Charolette, I’ll order you some room service.” He got the menu out and handed it to her. 

Mamoru and Eisuke walked out of the room 

“She looks worse than she did last night.” Eisuke nodded in agreement as they walked to the living room.

“ I have a list of people that were at the bar last night, but honestly if Ota hadn’t even seen her then I doubt anyone else had either. She’s going to have to remember.” Eisuke crossed his arms. 

“Just keep doing what you’re doing and let her heal. We can do all the heavy lifting, she doesn’t need to know. Not yet.” 

“ Okay. I’ll update ya later.” Mamoru walked out of the suite

Eisuke looked back at Charolette who was looking over the menu He walked in the bedroom. She kept flipping the menu over again and again. 

“ I can’t decide on what to eat” He cocked an eyebrow.

“ You’ve ordered the blueberry pancakes before and liked them.” He stood at the side of the bed. 

“ Okay then, I’ll have that” She smiled weakly at him.

He took the menu from her and nodded

“ I’ll let you know when breakfast is here. I’ll leave you be for now.” He shut the door as he left.

She sat in bed feeling conflicted, she just wanted to go home to her parents. Somewhere she remembered somewhere she’d feel comfortable. She got up and went into the bathroom and took a good long look at herself. She saw her blackened eye that was swollen almost completely shut. She ran her fingers along the bruises on her neck from being choked.

She took a quick shower and found more bruises and cuts as she washed herself. Not feeling up to doing her hair in her state. She pulled her wet hair up in a messy bun and put the clothes back on that she was wearing before. Not long after she was dressed was there a knock.

“ Charolette food is here” 

She came out, not sure if she was hungry or not. Eisuke was sitting at the table and stood up as soon as he saw her helping her to the chair. They ate in silence, she must have been more hungry than she thought. 

Once she was done she looked at Eisuke and cleared her throat.

“ uh, Eisuke?” He looked up at her 

“ Hmm?” She bit her lip

“ I want to go stay with my parents. It’s nice here and all, but I want to be somewhere I remember.” Eisuke put down his fork

“ I understand, it’ll be easier to find your assailant if we know you are safe.” She nodded her head. “ one condition, you need to check in with me weekly I need to know you are okay.” She grinned.

“ I can do that” She perked up 

“ good. I’ll have a cab take you there as soon as we get you proper clothes. I’ll have Baba go to your room for some clothes.”

Soon there was a cab waiting for her and everyone was in the lounge ready to say goodbye to Charolette. She smiled and waved goodbye to everyone. As soon as she shut the door Soryu turned towards Eisuke.

“ Are you okay with this?” 

“ Yeah, she won’t get in the way if she’s gone. At least we know she’ll be safe.”

Charlotte was happy when she arrived home and her parents welcomed her with open arms. Promising to help her get better and regain her memories but at her own pace. She settled in easily to her old room. She texted Eisuke to let him know that she had arrived safely. She easily formed a routine with her parents. As her injuries started to heal small flashes of memory would come back. Moments of her laughing with Baba, talking with Soryu, goofing off with Ota, teasing Mamoru, and Eisuke was out of reach she couldn’t remember anything except the few flashes of them looking at each other. If she didn’t know better she had feelings for Eisuke.

She called him every week as she promised, and he was content to hear her voice sounding cheerful. There were no leads on who attacked her. Nobody even saw her except the bartender. Eisuke was frustrated, but Mamoru kept investigating night and day. He would do anything to ensure that Charolette’s attacker was found.

Charolette wanted to remember her life, and as great as it was being with her parents she knew she had to spend some time with the guys if she was to remember anything. She texted Eisuke and told him she was coming over. She was nervous to see them, she knew it had only been a couple of weeks. She didn’t want them to think she was blowing them off she was just going through the motions trying to make sense of things. Nothing made sense though, so she knew she had to see the guys.

She knocked on the door of the penthouse and Soryu answered the door.

“ You don’t have to knock, just come in” he turned as fast as he spoke.

“ I didn’t know” Soryu knitted his eyebrows together at her words.

She walked in the lounge and everyone was gathered together. Ota brightened up when he saw her. He walked over to her but cautiously kept his distance. He grinned and held out his hand towards her and she reluctantly took it. He led her to a chair.

“ Sit, tell us what you’ve been up to” 

Eisuke walked into the room and looked her over, sensing something was off. He sat in a chair across from her, and saw the bags under her eyes and noticed how pale she looked.

“ I haven’t done much really, I’ve been sleeping a lot. I’ve been going shopping with my mom. It’s taken a while for me to feel better.”

“ That understandable” Luke said as he played on his phone.

Baba brought in an assortment of snacks and alcohol and soda.

“ Have something to eat and drink.” Charlotte turned her head, the smell of the tuna turned her stomach.

“Charlotte are you sick?” Hikaru asked 

She shook her head “ No no I just have a stomach bug.” Luke looked up 

“ What other symptoms do you have sexy bones?” Luke went into doctor mode

“ are you vomiting?” Charlotte shook her head “ are you nauseous?” 

“ yes” she cocked her head to the side

“why? It’s just a stomach bug” Luke smiled 

“ Just entertain me for a bit would you, come with me to my office.” He took her hand and dragged her off. 

Once they arrived at his office she stood in the room confused. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a small jar. 

“ Please pee in this.” her eyes widened 

“ what?” He chuckled 

“ just do it” 

Once she was finished she handed him the jar containing her urine. He took the jar and left the room. He returned about five minutes later pushing a machine.

“ Lie down” he pushed the machine next to her and plugged it in. 

Eisuke burst in “ Luke what is going ....on?” He looked at the machine

“ what are you doing?” Luke ignored Eisuke.

“ I’m going to lift your shirt up a bit.” Charlotte nodded her head. 

He took a tube of gel and twisted the cap off and squirted it on some sort of device.

“ This will be cold” She nodded her head 

Eisuke walked up next to Luke so he could see the monitor. Luke moved the device over her stomach. He stopped on a certain spot.

“ See this?” He pointed to the screen on the monitor. 

Both Eisuke and Charlotte looked at what he was pointing at. 

Luke looked at her “ Sexy bones that is your baby. You’re pregnant” 

“What?!” Both Charlotte and Eisuke said at the same time

Luke took the device off of her stomach and wiped off the gel with a tissue and pulled her shirt back down. He helped her sit up, and handed her the pregnancy test that had two bold lines on it. She looked down at the test.

“ How is this possible? I don’t remember being with anyone. It’s not like me to sleep around! Did I have a boyfriend?” She looked over at Eisuke frantically.

“ Calm down sexy bones. I know you don’t remember but there are options. If you don’t want the baby you don’t have to have it. There’s abortion and adoption.

Eisuke’s head was swimming he felt like he was about to faint. 

“I don’t have the means to take care of a baby I don’t have a job, but I can’t kill it either.” Luke shook his head 

“ You don’t have to make a decision right now. I’ll give you some pamphlets with information, and I’m going to give you some prenatal vitamins. Do you want to go see everyone?” She shook her head 

“ I don’t, but I don’t want to go home either.” Eisuke touched her shoulder 

“ You still have a room in my suite.” She nodded her head and got off the table.

When they got back to the penthouse Luke explained that she had the stomach flu and Eisuke was going to make sure she was settled in.

Eisuke made some calls to get her some pajamas and clothes for tomorrow. She was sitting in the living room just staring out the window.

“ Did you have dinner?” She looked over at him and shook her head.

“ I’m not hungry” Eisuke grimaced 

“ It’s not just about you anymore, at least eat some crackers.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. 

“ Yeah okay.” She started to get up, but Eisuke put his hand out to stop her 

“ Do you want crackers? What about cheese?” She shook her head 

“ I’m vegan Eisuke, didn’t you know?” he pressed his lips together 

“ I must have forgotten, you need to talk to Luke about nutrition you might not be able to eat like that anymore. You need protein, I have peanut butter.” She nodded her head 

“ Yes, crackers and peanut butter that sounds good.” 

Eisuke spread some peanut butter on the crackers and brought them to her. He knew he needed to tell her everything. It was time she knew about them sleeping together, now was not that time. Tonight she needed to reflect on the news she received, and sleep it off. In the morning he could tell her that the baby is his and hope that she doesn’t decide not to keep it because for whatever reason he wants her to keep it and he wants to be part of it.

Previous Chapters: Chapter One  Chapter Two  Chapter Three

[ohshcscenerios]

You’re drunk again with Hikaru and Tamaki? Thank you!

The idea for this prompt was too delicious to ignore. I hope you enjoy my little twist.

"You're drunk again."

Hikaru huffed a chuckle as he swirled his half empty beer bottle between his finger tips. The words echoed throughout his mind, trapped within the drunken haze he was under, but he could still understand their judgemental undertone.

He listened to the liquid splash against the glass and brought the cold bottle to his lips for another swig. The bitter drink that once stung his mouth now flowed onto his tongue like water.

Tamaki knelt down to where Hikaru was sitting, on a carpeted floor with his back against a wooden trunk, and for a moment watched his intoxicated friend take another drink.

"You need to stop." Tamaki said gently. Although he was angry with his friend for abusing his limit once again he knew better than to unleash that anger onto him, especially when he was in this state.

It wouldn't do any good to yell at a drunk man.

Hikaru scoffed and waved his index finger at his blonde friend, "You don't get to tell me what to do."

Tamaki tried to calmly snatch the beer bottle from his hand but Hikaru jerked his hand back, accidentally splashing a little beer onto his shirt.

"No!" Hikaru barked, "Why are you even here? Why are you always here? Whenever I drink you're somehow always here!"

"Your brother tells me when you drink. He doesn't know how to handle you so he calls me for help." Tamaki explained honestly.

*I don't need any help." Hikaru growled between a hiccup. He felt the bottle's neck with his thumb to feel the cold condensation and took another sip.

"You do need help. You can't keep drinking like this." Tamaki warned, feeling his composure slowly slipping.

This wasn't the first time he had to watch Hikaru drink himself to sleep and he feared it wouldn't be his last. Several executive nights now, Kaoru has called Tamaki with the same terrible news; Hikaru was drinking and rambling again.

It hurt Kaoru to know he couldn't soothe his brother's pain. He couldn't lift the burdensome weight off his shoulders. He couldn't fix his troubles. He was essentially useless...

But for some reason Tamaki managed to get Hikaru into bed and sober by the next morning.

Tamaki never revealed how, only promised that one day the truth would be exposed.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with her?" Hikaru slurred angrily, trying to poke Tamaki in the chest but missing by several inches.

Tamaki shook his head, "Let's not discuss that now."

"No let's do!" Hikaru shouted, dramatically waving his bottle above his head. "Let's talk about her! How is she doing? Is she doing alright?"

"She's fine, but please let's not talk about her." Tamaki said quietly. He could see where the conversation was going and he didn't want to travel down that road, especially while Hikaru wasn't in his right mind.

"So if you don't want to talk about her how about we talk about how you stabbed me in the back! You're a back stabbing friend milord!" Hikaru sneered, locking his angry eyes onto Tamaki's.

Tamaki felt his patience slipping beneath him and he knew he couldn't stay here any longer. He needed to leave, even if it meant forcing Hikaru to fall asleep drunk and alone.

"Or should we talk about how I fucked her first? Cause I did. A lot of times. She'd scream my name over and over like a horny little slu-"

Tamaki wouldn't allow him to utter another word. He slapped Hikaru hard across the face, forcing his beer to fly out of his loose hand and spill into the carpet.

Tamaki wouldn't let him speak another damn word, drunk or not, if he wanted to slander his woman's precious name. He remembered when he first found her after the painful break up. Her heart was shattered and barely kept together by her own will power. She had cried on his shoulder more times than they shared a laugh. She bore into him every inch of her heartbreak until she could begin to heal.

He was there, beside her, through one of the most difficult moments of her life. He was there and she saw that.

She finally saw that he was there, right in front of her, all this time.

Tamaki crouched into Hikaru's face and grabbed his collar, pinning him against the stiff wood behind him.

"You lost her because you were unfaithful. You broke her heart because you are a fool. Everything you're feeling right now, all the anger and resentment, is all directed towards yourself so don't you dare drag her name like that! You drink yourself stupid because you can't live with yourself after what you've done to her!"

Tamaki released his collar and stood up directly above him, looking down in a very intimidating way.

"I loved her..." Hikaru drunkenly whined, "I loved her so much. I don't know what happened."

Tamaki frowned and shook his head, "You messed up, that's what happened."

Hikaru choked back a sob and slumped against the trunk, seeming to finally let Tamaki's words soak through his drunken haze.

"Don't hurt Haruhi the same way I did." He said quietly, lazily shrugging his shoulders.

Tamaki scoffed and turned to take his leave, "You of all people should know I'd never hurt my wife like that."

[writingpaperghost]

Sometimes Tears Can Turn to Dreams (Chapter 3)

Chapter 3: On We Go, Into a Place We Don’t Know

It’s been a while, but Hikaru still remembers Oliver and the other world, but he’s had his mind on other things. Now business returns to usual... Until things suddenly change and he and Shou find themselves somewhere Hikaru can recognize, to some extent.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906968/chapters/65946910

It was a usual day at the UPG, calm and kinda nice. As much as HIkaru was bored when nothing was happening, it also meant that everything was safe and fine. While the occasional monster appeared, it was mostly calm. Really, the most excitement they had was the... incident, briefly, that Orb dealt with. But regardless, that brought Hikaru to now, where he was kinda... bored.

If anyone else felt that way, they weren’t doing anything to make it seem such. Of course, Hikaru was trying his best not to let his boredom show himself, so that wasn’t too surprising. Or maybe he really was the only one who was bored. Generally, it didn’t matter much, he kept himself entertained when he didn’t have anything else to do. But he finished what work he had early today, and now he didn’t really know what to do.

It was times like these when his mind would wonder, oftentimes returning that strange day in Motorville. To Oliver, the polite and kind boy who - by some means that Hikaru didn’t really understand - had magic. Magic that could heal an indescribable pain, pain that the boy had called a broken heart. Oliver and the magical world he’d become a part of, those memories never really left Hikaru, even close to four years later.

Though he’d hear from Oliver occasionally, oftentimes just to talk (”How have you been?”, “Danny made it to the State track meet!”, “You’ve met another Ultraman? That’s cool!”, and other similar such topics), sometimes, it was hard for him to believe that Oliver’s magic and that other world truly existed. But he never stopped believing in it, because he’d seen enough from Ultras and such to know that those sort of things can’t be ruled out. He hadn’t heard from Oliver in a while, but he assumed Oliver was just busy, being a kid or running around the other world.

Then again... Oliver had said he was fourteen when they met... Hmm. So maybe Oliver wasn’t really a kid anymore, he’d be about eighteen now, wouldn’t he? Hikaru did recall Oliver mentioning that he was graduating high school last time he called. Still, Hikaru knew that Oliver always tried to spend time in the other world, to help out however he could. Hikaru could easily understand that, in a way he’d done the same when he traveled around the world.

Maybe he should call Oliver himself, soon. Just to talk, like they usually did. Usually, Oliver called, but it could be a nice change of pace for Hikaru to do so. He usually waited for Oliver to call, simply because he had no way of knowing if Oliver was even in their world or if he was in the other world. So it made more sense to let Oliver call first. But maybe this time Hikaru would try to call himself.

“Hikaru?” Blinking, Hikaru sees Sakuya looking at him, a small, but confused smile on her face, “You were staring off into space.”

He returns the smile, shaking his head, “I’m fine, I was just thinking.” He adjusts his sitting position and turns to be able to see her better, “Did you need something?”

She eyes him for a moment before smiling and shaking her head, “No, you were just so lost in thought I wanted to make sure everything was okay.” She pauses a moment before continuing, “What were you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about talking to a friend I made on my travels,” He responded, “It’s been a while since we talked.”

Sakuya nods, “You should!” She grinned, “I bet your friend would probably want to talk.”

He probably should make that call.

---

Hikaru never got around to calling Oliver, not that day, at least. He was going to do it today, a couple days later, but he certainly couldn’t do it right now. He and Shou were searching around a forest, there had been reports of some strange goings on. No one wanted to risk it being something like an Alien, especially if it could result in a monster attack.

As they searched the forest, they continued to find nothing strange at all. Everything was, as far as they could tell, the way it should be, seeming like not even a stone was out of place. Hikaru was beginning to think it was all a false alarm, that there was nothing in the forest to worry about.

But, since when had they ever had that good of luck? Just when Hikaru was about to suggest that they turn back, he noticed something. At first, he thought he was just imagining things. Sometimes the wind just oddly picked up and sometimes you just got odd feelings. He didn’t think that for long though, because he’d felt this before, even if it had been a few years. He could forget it, that day had a lot going on.

Still, he wasn’t positive about what he was feeling. Or more like he really didn’t want to be right. So he called to Shou, “Hey, uh, Shou?” Glancing over in the direction he thinks the strange feeling and wind might be coming from, he continues, “Do you... do you feel that?”

Shou looked over in the direction Hikaru was looking, contemplative. He furrows his brow before responding, “I’m not sure...” He looks to Hikaru, “We should investigate.”

With a nod, Hikaru joins Shou in moving closer. Before they get there, the wind dies down and the feeling.... not quite disappears, not entirely, but it lessens, far less noticeable. Still, the two continued to move, finally coming to a small clearing. In the clearing they could see the form of a person - or something close enough to a person, it was hard to tell from where they were - who wore a cloak, obscuring much of their appearance. The person had their back to them.

“Do you think that person has something to do with the odd reports?” Hikaru asked in a whisper. For some reason or other, this situation was giving him deja vu of increasing strength. He thought he knew why, but he really didn’t want that to be the case.

There was a moment of silence before Shou responded, “Possibly,” He said, “But there’s only one way to find out.”

He stands, prompting Hikaru to follow him. Shou calls to the person, “Hey, you!”

The person’s shoulders stiffened, though barely perceivable, then they shifted slightly. They turned so that they’re side was now facing the two of them, their face still mostly obscured by the hood of the cloak. Still, some of it was visible, mainly what seemed almost like a scaly sort of snout.

They seemed vaguely familiar, though since Hikaru could see only a little of the person, it was hard to say. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions (he didn’t want the conclusion he was so close to having turned out to be correct), but he couldn’t deny that what little of the person he could see seemed familiar. The whole situation seemed familiar to him, something that only seemed to fill him with increasingly more dread.

Finally, the person spoke, “You wish for my attention?” His tone was even, almost casual, as if two people weren’t confronting him in the middle of a forest. HIkaru stiffened slightly, though he tried to hide it. He recognized that voice. That recognition flipped a switch in his head, it was a confirmation of what he had feared. He’d hoped that his assumptions were wrong, but that wasn’t the case. “Well, now, you have it, don’t you?”

Hikaru quickly contemplated if he should say anything, if he should dare to grab Pictor’s attention. He didn’t seem to recognize HIkaru, if he even remembered him. Regardless, Shou didn’t seem to notice Hikaru hesitance, or if he did he simply chose to ignore it.

“Who are you?” Came Shou, eyeing Pictor, “What are you doing?”

There’s a moment of silence, Pictor seemingly eyeing them. Then, he turns to face them, his cloak moving and revealing more of him. Yes, that was definitely Pictor. His shoulders are shaking and a laugh becomes audible, “Ha! You think I owe you that?” The attitude he had seemed a bit different than the one he had when Hikaru had first encountered him, though maybe he was imagining it. “Just know, I am working towards my vision.”

His staff appeared in one of his hands and he began to draw a symbol in the air. Hikaru didn’t recall what the symbols for any of the spells he’d seen looked like, but he didn’t doubt that whatever Pictor was trying to cast, it wasn’t good. Hoping that he’d be quick enough, Hikaru wasted no time in doing the first thing that he thought of.

Tackle.

Pictor was knocked to the ground, his staff landing on the ground a foot or so away. With a grunt, he scrambled away from Hikaru, eyeing him. Hikaru quickly got back on his feet, standing. Pictor squinted at him, “You’re familiar,” He said, “Yes, we’ve met before.”

Then, quicker than Hikaru could react, Pictor grabbed his staff, stood, and hit Hikaru with it. Hikaru stumbled back into Shou who had moved closer. Pictor grumbled, “Gah, who cares!” He began to draw a symbol in the air, a different one this time, “I just need to get rid of you.”

Though he tried to tell Shou to stop him, as Hikaru was still too winded to do so again himself, Shou didn’t hear him. Not before the spell finished and a light grew around them. Hikaru had felt this feeling before, this spell. Though he couldn’t remember the symbol, the feeling was unique.

Gateway.

---

The next thing Hikaru and Shou knew, they were in some grassy fields, a few trees here and there. The next thing Hikaru noticed were the creatures, which ambled around, in no hurry. He’d seen ones like them before, though not the same, when he, Oliver, and Swaine, were traveling through the Tombstone Trail.

Which brought him to his next realization, though he wasn’t terribly surprised at that point. “I know where we are.”

Shou, still a bit shaken, looks over to him confused, “You know where we are?” He echoed, confused.

“Well not exactly,” Hikaru clarified, “Like not the specific place but... We’re in another world.”

Taking a moment, Shou responds, “Like with X and the Judas? Or Mulnau?”

With a shrug, Hikaru did his best to look around, “I guess,” Though they hadn’t caught the attention of the creatures around them yet, he didn’t doubt that they would soon. There was no guarantee that the creatures would leave them be. Were they strong enough to dissuade attacks? Hard to say, since he and Shou had limited abilities to fight when they weren't as Ginga and Victory. “We should... we should probably get out of this field.”

Glancing over at him, Shou frowns, “How come?” His eyes finally fall onto one of the creatures, who was looking at him from behind a tree. “Is it because of that small monster?”

Hikaru snaps his head up, eyes meeting with the creature. They stand there, staring at each other, Hikaru hoping that it would go away. The creature moves closer, making a small sound, sounding slightly aggressive. Then, it ran at the two of them, it’s tusks suddenly seeming very sharp.

“Yeah... I don’t think it’s very friendly.” As the creature got close to them, the two jumped out of the way. The creature ultimately ran past them, unable to adjust it’s direction. “We uh, we should probably just run from that.”

Shou nodded, and the two ran from the creature. Hikaru looked over his shoulder, seeing that the monster was charging at them again. Hikaru tried to move again, but his foot caught on a root as they were beginning to go down the hill.Normally, had they not been on a hill, Hikaru would probably have been able to recover from catching his foot. But, the hill provided a different result.

Hikaru tumbled down the hill, simply thankful that he seemed to be avoiding anything hard. When he finally tumbled to a stop, mostly because the hill had flattened, he had to take a moment to right himself. That and he was kinda dizzy from the tumble.

“Hikaru!” Shou was making his way down the hill, no longer being chased by the creature, “Are you okay?”

With a deep breath, Hikaru calls back, “Yeah, just a bit... dizzy.” He looks around, trying to orient himself. He notices something on a hill not too far from him. A city, surrounded by walls, most likely to keep the creatures out. “Hey, Shou! Look, a city!”

Now standing next to where Hikaru sat on the ground, Shou followed Hikaru’s finger. He squints then says, “It is,” He looks down at Hikaru, “We should go there.”

Nodding in response, Hikaru stands, “Yeah, hopefully we won’t draw too much attention.”

“What do you mean?” Shou frowned and the two began to walk towards the city. They were doing what they could to avoid catching the attention of any of the creatures.

Recalling when he had been brought to this world before, having the horrible luck to land in the middle of a city, HIkaru answered, “If I remember right, people in this world dress a bit differently than in ours.” A bit might be something of an understatement. “Our clothing is probably going to grab attention.”

Shou takes a moment to look at their clothing, their UPG uniforms, his brow furrowed in thought. The clothing that Victorians wore was different than what those above ground wore, but not so much so it drew attention. Unfortunately, even if Shou had been wearing that, he would probably have drawn attention too. There wasn’t much to do about that, they’d catch the attention of the citizens of the city no matter what.

Soon enough they walked into the city, well aware of all the attention they were garnering. They chose to ignore that, now that they were out of the hills, they had a safe place to try to discuss their next course of action. They had to find a way back to their world, at the very least.

Hikaru sighed, “So now we need to figure out what we do next.”

“We need to get back to our world,” Shou thinks for a moment, then seems to realize something. He gives Hikaru a look, “Wait, that person, he recognized you.”

Thinking back on it, Pictor had recognized him, maybe that was why he used Gateway instead of trying to do what he’d done before. While it was only a small surprise to Hikaru, Shou had every reason to be confused about it. “Before,” Hikaru began to explain, “When I first ended up in this world, he was the reason why.”

After mulling over his words for a few moments, Shou responds, “Well then, how did you get back to our world that time?”

“A boy sent me back,” Hikaru said, “He could probably get us back, actually.”

“Except he’d have to be here to do that.”

Looking around, Hikaru saw the various citizens in the city. There were normal humans, of course there were, but there were others. People who looked more like bipedal cats than anything else. He tried not to stare, not to make them think he was staring. “Oliver.... I know Oliver spends a lot of time in this world,” Even if he also knew that the time Oliver spent was decreasing as the boy grew older. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows of him in this world, so if we ask around, we’ll probably find him. Eventually.”

Shou lifts an eyebrow, giving Hikaru a curious look, “How can everyone in a world know of a boy?”

Chuckling slightly, Hikaru thinks about that. The most knowledge he had of that was... What? It was sort of just an impression he’d gotten, it seemed like, from what he’d seen and what he’d heard from Oliver. He might recall Oliver mentioning something about that before, but it hadn’t seemed to stuck with him. “I’m not... I’m not sure.” He said, “It just seems that way. And I guess he’s not a boy anymore.”

With a sigh, Shou responded, “Alright, let’s start asking around.”

---

It had been an average day for Oliver, he’d just finished running around doing some small bounties. He needed to restock on some supplies - he was running dreadfully low on Cappuccinos - so he made his way to the nearest town. Thus, he was in Ding Dong Dell, picking up supplies from the Couple’s shop. He was glad that their shop was still going strong, even five or so years later.

As he was paying the wife, she said something off hand, as she was counting the Guilders he’d given her, “You know, Oliver,” She placed the money in the cash register, “These two strange men were asking around about you.”

“Strange men?” He inquired, placing his supplies into his bag, “What do you mean?”

“They showed up earlier today,” She explained, “They dressed so oddly. And they’ve been asking if anyone has seen you.”

That was certainly strange but... Dressed oddly? Could it be someone from his world? But they’d have to be someone who knew him, or at least one of them would have to. And at least one of them would have to know that he came to this world. That certainly narrowed the list.

He had his suspicions as to who at least one of those people were, but the best way to find out would be to find them. “Do you know where they are now?”

She gives him something of a concerned look before answering, “I’m not entirely sure,” She said, “But the last person who mentioned them said they were over by the grave. They didn’t seem like they’d be moving anytime soon.”

Oliver gives her a smile, “Thanks!” He left, and soon was running down the streets of Ding Dong Dell, making his way to the grave. It would be a good place to have privacy, especially if you didn’t want to grab attention.

He was almost certain as to the identity of one of those oddly dressed people. Mostly because there was only one person from his world that knew about this world. So when he turned the corner into the garden the grave was situated in, he was not surprised at one of the faces he saw there.

“Mr. Hikaru!” He called, catching the attention of the taller of the two. He looked much like he did when they first met, though his clothing was much different. Since the man beside him wore the same, Oliver assumed it was the uniform on the group Mr. Hikaru had said he worked with.

Mr. Hikaru’s face lights up, a smile on his face, “Oliver!” He waves.

The man beside Hikaru tilts his head, “So this is the person you were talking about?” It feels like he’s examining Oliver so closely, Oliver almost thought that he might be looking through him.

Looking at his friend, Mr. Hikaru responds, “Right, Shou, this is Oliver. Oliver, this is Shou.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Shou,” Oliver greets, then turns to face Mr. Hikaru again, “I heard that you were looking for me. Did something happen? How did you end up here?”

The question seemed to cause him to remember something, as he looked to Mr. Shou and frowned. Then he looked back over to Oliver, “It was Pictor,” Oliver took in the few words, the tone making up for the brevity. Not that such a statement needed more words, the point was easy to convey.

“Pictor?” He echoed, “But there hasn’t been a sign of him since you first came here!”

“The person certainly recognized Hikaru,” Mr. Shou notes, glancing at Mr. Hikaru.

There’s a determined look on Mr. Hikaru’s face when he responds, “I saw him well enough to know. That was Pictor. It sounded like him, it looked like him, and he had magic.”

Truly, Oliver didn’t doubt Mr. Hikaru, but it was still unsettling. It had seemed like Pictor had just disappeared for years, but now, by chance, they knew he was still poking about. And he was in their world to boot, not this one. Though maybe that shouldn’t surprise Oliver, Pictor had been in their world when Mr. Hikaru and Oliver first encountered him. But the question still remained, what was he doing in their world? What was he trying to achieve? Should they look for him over in their world, or in this world? Both?

He frowned, “That’s not good,” He said, almost absentmindedly, “We really need to figure out what he’s trying to do.”

“Do we know if he’s dangerous?” Mr. Shou inquired, “Does he need to be stopped?”

“Maybe?” Oliver offered, “We don’t know much about what he’s doing, so it’s hard to say...”

As Oliver tried to grasp at what Pictor’s plans might be, Mr. Hikaru speaks up, “Did he want you wand, before?”

That was right, he’d try to grab Astra, not realizing that he’d misidentified it as Mornstar, “He was trying to get Mornstar, which I do have, though it’s not the wand I use. I use Astra, it’s twin. Still, they’re similar enough that he probably didn’t realize the difference.” But why did he need Mornstar? For a spell he was trying to cast? Was it simply he needed a stronger wand than the staff he already had? “It’s probably for a spell, some spells need stronger wands in order to be cast.”

The response prompted Mr. Hikaru to wonder aloud, “But what spell? What could he be trying to do?”

“Is there anyone who might have some idea?” Mr. Shou asked.

Oliver ran through his mental list of who was knowledgeable about magic. Obviously the ones who came to mind first were the Great Sages. Given how it went last time Pictor showed up, it would probably be best to go straight to Perdida and ask Khulan. Just hope that she would be able to have better luck than last time.

He nods his head, “Yeah, I think Khulan could probably help. At least, I hope she can.”

“That’s the person we went to last time, right?”

“Yep!” Oliver brought out his wand and looked to the other two, “If you’re ready, we can head to Perdida.”

Mr. Shou tilts his head, “Is it close?”

In response, Mr. Hikaru looked at him and smiled, “Nope! But Oliver has magic.”

“Travel shouldn’t feel too odd,” Oliver assured, “At least, no one has ever told me it does.”

And with that, Oliver cast Travel and they were off to Perdida.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Eyestealer 9 - ao3 link

Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Senju Hashirama & Senju Tobirama (mostly gen, hints of other relationships)

Summary: Hashirama really doesn’t approve of the thoughtful way his father looks at his younger brother’s bright red eyes. He’s sure it doesn’t mean anything good for anyone.

He’s right.

——————————————————————————————

“I can’t believe you only gave us two weeks to finish redrafting this peace treaty,” Tobirama says. “I enjoy sleep.”

“You don’t actually enjoy sleep,” Hashirama points out, quite practically. “You always have nightmares.”

“Fine. I require sleep.”

“Well –”

“You’ve already mentioned the sleep jutsu they’re throwing into the bargain three times, anija, and that’s just since this morning. I notice you didn’t actually learn it before you let Madara scamper off.”

“Tobiramaaaaa –”

Tobirama had taken the news of the (hopefully) impending peace about as well as Hashirama could have hoped, which is something of a miracle given how Hashirama'd botched telling him about it.

See, unfortunately, when Hashirama is excited, really truly excited, he tries to say everything that's in his head at once, his tongue tripping over words that flow out disconnected and piecemeal and confused. And he was very excited by his conversation with Madara, very excited indeed, and he simply had to tell Tobirama all about it at once.

"Anija," Tobirama had said quite calmly when Hashirama finished sobbing happy tears into his shoulder - sometimes Hashirama thinks that Tobirama started wearing that beloved fur ruff of his just to have something to sop up his older brother's emotions, which, if true, Hashirama sincerely appreciates because it does the job very well. "Let me be clear: I have no idea what you just said, unless you really did somehow poison Madara with my eyes after he was unfaithful to you and then convince his clan to make peace by offering to heal them from a terrible disease that somehow involves strangling imprudent scientists like me, and also possibly that you think everyone should kill their parents as a bonding exercise."

"Uh. Not - quite?"

"That's what I thought," Tobirama said dryly. "How about you stop trying to tell me about it and give me a mission report about it instead. Chronologically, please."

Hashirama complied.

Somewhere in the first few minutes, Tobirama put his head in his hands and didn't raise his head for the entire remainder of Hashirama's rendition of that day's events.

At the end, he'd said only, "I see why people like you turn into a tree at the end: it means we can finally keep an eye on you."

Then he went into the other room to scream into a pillow for about two minutes solid before coming back out, having composed himself again, and informed Hashirama that neither of them was going to be sleeping until they fixed up the last version of the treaty terms‎ to account for these newest changes.

Also that Tobirama would be taking responsibility for breaking the news of the treaty to the rest of the clan, that Hashirama was very much not invited to the meeting in which he planned to do it, and finally if Hashirama so much as thought about telling anyone anything important ever again, Tobirama was going to kick him somewhere painful.

So, really, not all that bad a reaction at all, if you think about it. And if Hashirama had ended up having to make an example of one of his father's most vicious and unforgiving allies to show how seriously he was taking this promise of potential peace, well, it's not like the rest hadn't had several years to prepare themselves for that inevitable result.

(Also, Hashirama has been spending a good chunk of time since his meeting with Madara daydreaming about the fiasco that would undoubtedly result from Madara telling his clan about the new plan. Given how tactfully Madara had handled bringing up Tobirama’s Sharingan, Hashirama likes to imagine that Madara started with something incredibly smooth like “Hey, guys, guess what, we’re not rapists but we are going to get fucked if we don’t make peace right now” or maybe “I’ve decided that we should embrace eyestealing with open arms if it means we don’t all go blind” or – the most likely option – just going with “Izuna, we’re making peace with the Senju now, please gather the clan, I’ll explain later, really, I swear” followed almost immediately by Izuna attempting to blow him up.  

Tobirama has informed Hashirama that staring in the direction of the Uchiha compound, giggling maniacally, and asking people if they think the wisps of cloud hanging in the sky were the signs of a very large explosion, were not conductive to setting up his supposedly much-desired peace talks, but actually people have started doing the “Whatever you say, Hashirama-sama” thing that they do when they want him to go away quickly and if anything that’s made more people fall into line with the idea faster than they probably would have otherwise. So what does Tobirama know?)

“Stop whining and let me focus,” Tobirama tells him, interrupting Hashirama's slow drift back into that very enjoyable daydream. “One of us has to.”

“But –”

“Go walk. Try the north-east corner of the grounds; I’ve heard it’s nice.”

Not wanting to get dragged into revising the treaty yet another time, Hashirama decides to take Tobirama’s advice and goes to mope at the north-east corner of the Nara summer compounds, where they stay during their beloved deer’s fawning season. It’s an ideal place for a meeting when it’s not being used – the Nara are on generally good terms with both Senju and Uchiha without actually committing to either, and by permitting them to use this place, they aren’t risking their home compound.

The whole place still stinks of deer, though.

He sighs.

Then he jumps a foot into the air when the trees shout a warning to him. He’s no sensor, certainly not like Tobirama is, but the trees help make sure he’s not totally taken by surprise.

Sometimes, it’s even a nice surprise.

Beaming, Hashirama dashes over in the relevant direction.

“You’re early,” he says to the Uchiha delegation: Madara, Izuna, another frontliner (Hikaru?) and three elders. “It’s only been ten days.”

“Yeah, it has. So what are you doing here?” Madara demands, crossing his arms.

“You’re joking, right?” Tobirama drawls from one of trees. Of course he’s there – a sensor of his caliber, he sent Hashirama that way on purpose. Without telling him the real reason, the brat. “He was at the Nara’s doorstep approximately ten seconds after you agreed to talks.”

All the Uchiha stiffen at the sound of Tobirama’s voice, eyes narrowing; they’ve clearly all been read in on his – particular situation.

Great.

Hashirama hopes the information about Tobirama’s Sharingan hasn’t gotten too widely spread out among the Uchiha: he’s told certain relevant people in his own clan, particularly the elders who have come along to help with negotiations, but it’s certainly not common knowledge.

(Hashirama’s hoping to quietly spread rumors about it until it’s just generally common knowledge without him ever having to actually explain it to anyone. Maybe they can make out like it was some sort of last-minute deathbed gift from an ally or a friend devoted to peace or something, given in adulthood? That would be far more palatable to everyone than the truth, as much as he'd love to rub it in some of his clan's elder's faces.)

“Why don’t we all take this back to the compound?” Hashirama suggests. “The Nara are making tea for all of us.”

The next few hours are…mildly agonizing, with lots of sneaky pointed comments despite a general request by the Nara that they wait before starting actual negotiations and also lots of staring at Tobirama while he pretends to ignore them all.

“Perhaps a small break,” the Nara elder tasked (probably against her will) with hosting this meeting suggests, looking a little desperate to get out of the room herself. “To review the initial proposed drafts of the treaty.”

Tobirama reaches for a copy of the Uchiha treaty. Hashirama, deciding death by boredom is a bad way to go and dignity is fundamentally overrated, uses the moment to escape out the window.

A few minutes later, Madara appears on the roof beside him. He’s looking grumpy and standoffish, but luckily Hashirama knows him well enough to understand that he’s just embarrassed about how rude his clan representatives are being.

“It’s fine,” Hashirama says before Madara says anything that might taste like chewing glass. “We knew it’d be a tough sell.”

Madara struggles for himself for a moment, then sighs and sits down next to Hashirama. “Yes, we did. Even with all the incentives in the world, they’re not happy. Not to mention that I’m still not sure they believe me about – well, anything. They may ask to, um, see it. Your brother’s…you know.”

“We figured as much,” Hashirama says with a shrug. “It’s not actually a problem – they are his eyes, whatever the original origin – but at this point Tobirama wants to see how long it’ll take them to come out and actually say they want to see it.”

He’d signed as much under the table about fifteen minutes into the negotiations.

Madara snorts. “Of course he does. Well, they deserve it.”

They sit in companionable silence for a long moment, then Madara sighs a second time.

“Izuna’s still not in favor,” he warns. “I managed to get him to come to the meeting, but if you can’t get him on board before negotiations break for good, we’re going to have problems.”

Hashirama knows enough of Uchiha clan politics to understand Madara’s meaning.

At that moment, Tobirama’s chakra flares a little – not a warning, not in panic, but certainly defensive – so Hashirama rolls over to the edge of the roof to see what’s going on.

Both Izuna and Tobirama seem to have retreated to the same courtyard – no, Tobirama retreated, and Izuna followed, if Hashirama has to guess. They’re standing several feet away from each other, each one in the characteristic ready-but-not-actively-aggressive pose of their respective clans: Tobirama with his hands limp by his sides, Izuna with his arms crossed over his chest.

“- not sure where you got that idea,” Tobirama is saying, rather scornfully. Apparently Madara was right about Izuna being pissed off at the idea that Tobirama wasn’t using his full arsenal against him. “Even if I did use the Sharingan against you, it would only be effective with the element of surprise, which is now gone. You’re the experts, after all.”

“Experts or not, the Mangekyo is a weapon like none other,” Izuna says, clearly not appeased. “Can you perform Amaterasu?”

Tobirama inclines his head.

“Then why haven’t you used that?” Izuna demands. “I used mine on you once, though you dodged.”

He sounds resentful about that.

“A technique that requires a significant amount of chakra and makes your eyes bleed isn’t an effective attack on the frontline anyway,” Tobirama says crisply. “You were all but useless after that point in the battle; if I hadn’t been forced to retreat, I could have killed you easily, followed by significant portion of your clan’s warriors. Not emulating your mistake seems like a point in my favor, if anything.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. A one-shot kill strike on me would have been well worth being forced to immediately retreat afterwards and you know it. What’s the real reason? Don’t say it was because of your brother’s peace, because I’ll know you’re lying; you’re as suspicious of that whole nonsense as I am.”

Tobirama arches his eyebrows but doesn’t deny it.

“Well?” Izuna says challengingly. “What’s the real reason?”

Tobirama shrugs. “I assumed you’d block it.”

Madara makes a slightly strangled noise from where he’s lying on the roof next to Hashirama. Hashirama elbows him pointedly; they’ll be caught for sure if he doesn’t shut up.

Luckily, Izuna seems to be taking the news about as well as Madara is, which is to say not well at all. He’s hissing like a tea pot on the boil.

“Are you stupid, or do you think I am?” he snarls. “The whole point of Amaterasu is that it can’t be blocked, only dodged, and even then only the fastest shinobi can manage it.”

Hashirama wonders if Izuna realizes he’s paid Tobirama a back-handed compliment. Probably not.

“Normally, yes,” Tobirama says with a slight frown. “But if I escalated the conflict to such a degree, you would presumably escalate similarly. And as we’ve learned from our conflict over the years, water and fire neutralize each other.”

Izuna frowns. “Water? Amaterasu is a katon jutsu.”

“For you, maybe. Mine manifests as water.”

“Are you serious? I’ve never seen that before.”

“Your clan is full of katon users,” Tobirama points out. “Have you ever had someone who wasn’t one achieve the Mangekyo?”

Hashirama looks questioningly at Madara, who thinks about it, then silently shakes his head. Then, because he knows as much about subtlety as Hashirama does, he whispers, “I don’t think it’d be called Amaterasu if it’s not fire. Maybe Ryūjin, or Ōyamatsumi…?”

Hashirama punches him in a vain attempt to keep him quiet.

“I’d have to check the clan records to be sure about it, but I don’t think we have, no,” Izuna says, frowning thoughtfully, luckily ignorant of the (mostly mute) scuffle currently happening on the rooftops above his head because apparently Uchiha honor can't handle a stupid little punch like that without some retaliation. “I’d never thought about that. Traditionally, eye-stealing only happens among adults, and in those cases the qualities of the original dojutsu wielder pass along without accounting for the affinity of the new bearer.”

“Really? Hn. I wonder at what point it stops being flexible.” Tobirama looks contemplative. “And why it does, for that matter. Maybe something about when the chakra coils stabilize?”

Izuna shrugs, casual, but he’s sneaking glimpses at Tobirama when Tobirama isn’t looking at him.

“...how old were you?” he asks in a way that might come off as casual if one didn’t see how tense his body was, which they can, because both Hashirama and Madara immediately freeze with their hands around each other’s throats and simultaneously turn to stare at the scene happening below them instead of continuing to fight. “Madara said young, but he didn’t specify.”

“Somewhere between my first birthday and my second,” Tobirama says with a shrug of his own. “I’ve never bothered to count the days, and my memories from that period are impaired by my contemporaneous lack of understanding of the concept of linear time.”

“That’s awful,” Madara murmurs.

Izuna’s face below indicates that he agrees with the sentiment.

“Sometimes he has nightmares about being three years old again,” Hashirama murmurs back, because finally, finally other people get to suffer-by-proxy the way he’s suffered. Everything about Tobirama's eyes is patently awful and everyone in the world should feel bad about it, in Hashirama's humble opinion. “Apparently it’s very frustrating and confusing, and also involves some rather interesting views on omniscience. Apparently children don’t develop a proper theory of the mind until fairly late in their development –”

“Stop talking. Please.”

“Though, on the subject of the original wielder of the dojutsu,” Tobirama says, and now it’s his turn to look awkward. “I doubt there will ever be a convenient time to bring it up, but I’d be interested in knowing his identity.”

Hashirama grimaces. It really should have occurred to Hashirama that he might need to run some interference to keep Tobirama from asking about who his donor was. Of all the things he doesn’t want the Uchiha to be thinking too hard about – or counting dead bodies on – that’s pretty high up there, especially if his suspicions regarding the timing of the death of Madara’s one older brother are correct…

Izuna luckily doesn’t know the answer, and in fact looks surprised to even be asked. “Why would it matter?” he asks. “I mean, I assume he’s dead now. And anyway, I’m not sure we know; it’s been a long time, if it happened when you say it did.”

“If?” Hashirama hisses indignantly, only to get one of Madara’s very pointy elbows in his side.

“Understood,” Tobirama says. “If it helps, I can provide some measure of identifying information.”

“…how, exactly? You were a baby.”

“Oh, you’re not going to like this,” Hashirama whispers, and judging by Madara’s incredulous glare he might have said that a little too gleefully. But it’s high past time that someone else should feel bad about the whole thing; he and Tobirama have had their fill of it.

“– appears that the Sharingan retains all the memories it records,” Tobirama is explaining, and Izuna’s eyes are going wide the way Hashirama’s sure his own had when he’d first heard the horrible truth. “I only have the activation and the moment of, um, removal, but –”

“You remember your eyes being ripped out.”

“Rather viscerally, yes,” Tobirama says dryly. “But given that I didn’t grow up with a phobia of it the way the Uchiha do, it was probably less traumatic for me than it would have been for you.”

“You’ve remembered having your eyes ripped out since before you were two.”

“…yes? Though I didn’t understand the content of the memory until I was older.”

“I hate so much about what you’ve just said,” Izuna says, and he’s got a similar expression to the one Madara developed when he heard some of the gory details.

Do all Uchiha start worrying about people they shouldn’t at a moment’s notice? Is this something Hashirama has just never known about them?

He should’ve written out and sent a copy of Tobirama’s sob story to them earlier; they could have had peace ages ago.

 “Hashirama.”

Hashirama looks over at Madara, who has his forehead pressed down against the roof.

“How do you feel about using that raise-the-dead jutsu your brother developed to raise and murder your father all over again?”

Hashirama grins. “Necromancy is a bad habit,” he reminds his friend solicitously. “Even when one’s motives are pure. As fun as that would be.”

Madara groans and inches back along the roof, which Hashirama supposes is fair given that they’ve determined their brothers aren’t about to kill each other. He follows suit.

“The elders still aren’t going to like having a Senju with the Mangekyo, even if we do form a village,” Madara says once they’re back at their original locations. “Much less teaching him clan jutsu on how to deal with it, since he’s not under our control and could teach them further. But…”

“But?”

“I’m going to teach him that sleep jutsu anyway,” Madara says, and he’s got that adorable righteous fury look on his face. “I don’t care what they say; no one innocent should bear the weight of our dojutsu without any support at all.”

Hashirama smiles.

And then, because he can, he says, “That’s very romantic of you. We’ll have a betrothal contract to seal the peace treaty any minute.”

Madara chokes. “Betroth- I – what?!”

“I really only objected to that solution because I couldn’t trust Tobirama would be safe living in your compound,” Hashirama muses. “But I suppose if we’re all in the same village you two could just live in the middle ground.”

Madara’s flailing so hard that he can’t even speak, and his face is color of a ripe tomato. It’s amazing.

“I’m sure your elders would agree, too,” Hashirama adds solemnly. “After all, that would mean bringing the Sharingan back under Uchiha clan control, which is what they want, isn’t it?”

“Hashirama!”

Hashirama starts laughing.

“You’re a terrible person,” Madara says, but his voice is almost admiring. “Truly terrible.”

“Don’t worry,” Hashirama assures him between giggles. “It would be clearly unequitable to marry a clan head to a mere heir. Maybe we should pair our brothers together instead.”

“First off, your white demon is far too pretty to be wasted on my playboy little brother,” Madara says, but he’s starting to snigger as well. “Perhaps more relevantly, they’d kill each other first.”

“Probably.”

Almost as if waiting for the right moment, from somewhere behind them, Izuna’s voice suddenly rings out, nearly as loud and screechy as his older brother’s, “What do you mean your Susanoo isn’t a tengu?! If it’s not, what is it?!”

Hashirama and Madara look at each other.

“What do you mean it’s a kitsune?!”

[winterverses]

Walking Wounded - Chapter Eighty-Four

They still hadn’t talked. Anne had tried not to think about it, but it had been bothering her ever since Jim had mentioned it after her surgery. There was a distance there, something that she hadn’t noticed before, as if part of him was standing back and watching them with a critical eye. She didn’t really want to talk about it. She just wanted it to go away.

On the outside, things had gone back to normal. Jim was still participating in the trials, leaving every morning, coming back in the late afternoon, going to the gym, spending his evenings entertaining himself, whether that was with friends or with her alone. She was using her days to help Ben and Hikaru. The process of adopting Lilla was starting to move ahead; Ben and Hikaru had finally argued Ethics to a standstill, saying that Lilla’s history would have to be disclosed to any potential adoptive parents and that they wouldn’t be able to guarantee that it didn’t impact her treatment, or her personal safety if any of her father’s associates hadn’t been caught. Ben and Hikaru could guarantee no prejudice against Lilla, and an understanding of the tactics Loche’s men had used.

Anne was particularly proud of Ben for that argument; he had seen that angle before either Hikaru or Anne had, and hammered on it mercilessly. By this point, there were even visits. Anne made herself scarce for these. She didn’t want to intrude. Also, she didn’t think she’d ever really be comfortable with kids… although Demora had started to grow on her a bit after Anne had caught her trying to copy a ballet holo. She’d taught Demora some basic steps. Ben and Hikaru had found it immensely funny, but encouraged it all the same.

Jim had taken to picking her up from their place as he came home, and it was drawing near to that time when Ben started to seem uneasy. They were doing the prep for Ben and Hikaru’s dinner-- a habit Anne had gotten into, even though she wasn’t staying. She liked to be busy. Today, he had decided he was going to make a lasagna so they could have leftovers for a while, and Anne was mixing ricotta and egg when Ben finally said what was on his mind.

“Hikaru and I decided a son wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Ben said, glancing nervously at Anne. “It’s a bit of an embarrassment of riches-- I wasn’t even sure we’d be able to have Demora, let alone one or maybe even two more. Adoption really isn’t that common anymore. But either way, whether we get Lilla or not, Demora would like a brother and we’d love to have a son. We always wanted a big family.”

Anne had frozen, listening to him. Even if she’d offered, it was still a bit of a shock to think she might know this kid, maybe for years. She had the feeling that Ben wasn’t one of the friends that would slip away; he was too gentle and had too much empathy. That was too rare to lose. When he had finished talking, she’d looked up from the ricotta and given him a half smile. “You’re good parents. Kid deserves that after the shit start he got in life.” She started to stir again, her smile spreading a little. “Congratulations, you’re gonna be a dad. Again.”

Hikaru walked into the room just in time to hear that. “You told her, huh?” he asked, and Ben nodded. “It’s a bit late in the game, but still, are you sure you’re okay with it?”

“Yeah,” Anne said, shrugging. “It’s not like I was going to raise him. And anyway, I suppose I should keep an eye on him. It’ll be easier this way.” A sudden thought made her laugh, the first time she could recall laughing about the final round with Loche. It wasn’t unadulterated humor… but it wasn’t bitter, and that was enough. “I can’t think of anything more suitable, really. A marshmallow dad like you.”

Hikaru pretended disgust. “I am not a marshmallow.”

“When’s the last time you made Demora do anything she didn’t want?” Anne teased.

“She’s right,” Ben said. “You let her get away with everything.”

Scoffing, Hikaru sat down at the kitchen table, watching them work. “Okay, fine, but it’s not because I’m a marshmallow. I’m the fun dad. It’s my job to let her get away with things.”

Ben rolled his eyes and continued to paint a layer of sauce onto the noodles he’d laid down. “When you get back for a vacation, it’s my turn to be the fun dad,” he said. “Better practice up.”

“It’s all right. I’ve got the authoritative voice down. If I can-- well, that was classified, but it backed off someone who could have killed us. Demora can’t be that bad.”

“Oh yes she can,” Ben started.

The door chimed. “Come in,” Sulu called. They didn’t even bother to meet Jim at the door anymore.

“Hey, whoa,” Jim said over Demora’s squeals. “I was just here yesterday, why the big fuss?” It was the same every day-- Demora flipped her lid the moment he walked in the door. Anne couldn’t help but be amused by it. She’d teased him over it, saying that it proved he was too charming for any woman to resist.

Demora was babbling something, and Jim said, “No, not today. I can’t stick around too long. I’ll give you ten minutes, and after that I have to go.”

“Fine,” Demora said. Immediately afterward there were shrieks of delight. Anne looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Jim throwing Demora up into the air and then crashlanding her onto the couch.

Hikaru and Ben just looked at each other, and then Hikaru stood. “I’ll go keep an eye on things,” he said, grinning.

Anne just tried to stifle her amusement.

By the time the ten minutes were up, the lasagna was assembled and in the oven, and Anne was washing her hands at the sink. Jim came into the kitchen, holding Demora at his side, then set her down. “Your dad’s done there. Looks like it’s time to wash up for dinner.”

“You’d better say goodbye,” Ben said before Demora got too far.

The kid turned back and looked at Jim, putting her hands on her hips. “Next time we’re playing football,” she said.

“Demora, manners,” cautioned Ben.

“We’ll see,” Jim said, amused. “Be good, okay?”

“We’ll see,” Demora mimicked. “Goodbye.” She turned to Anne, without being prompted this time, and frowned at her. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Demora,” Anne said, trying not to laugh. She walked over to Jim, ready to leave. She hadn’t brought anything there besides a loaf of bread they’d used for sandwiches at lunch.

“Okay, go wash up. I’m going to check, so you better do it right,” Ben said, shooing Demora from the room. Hikaru watched him fondly, pretending to smirk when Ben looked back at him. Ben just rolled his eyes again.

“We’ll see you guys later, okay? We’ve got to get going.” Jim rested an arm on her shoulders.

“Yeah, no problem. Sounds like you’re staying longer tomorrow anyway,” Hikaru said.

“Actually, I can’t come tomorrow,” Jim said, glancing down at Anne and then back to Hikaru. “I had to change the skeleton crew shifts, and it’s my turn for the next couple days.” Anne felt herself stiffen and tried to hide it.

“That’s life,” Hikaru said, shrugging.

“So we’ll see you at the party, then?” Ben asked.

“Yeah. Dinner at 1900 hours. Don’t forget,” Jim joked. They couldn’t possibly forget it; it had been mentioned nearly every day.

“Already got the babysitter,” Hikaru said. “See you later, Anne.”

Ben smiled. “You let me know if you need kitchen help, okay?”

Anne smiled briefly. “I will. Have a good night, guys.”

They left the apartment with little fuss, and Anne climbed up behind Jim on the motorcycle, riding sidesaddle the way she preferred, her shoulder leaning against his back and her arm braced on the back of the seat. She loved riding them-- it was sort of like riding a horse, with the wind all around, but the feel of mechanical power instead of animal muscle. It made her a little glad of the feeling of Jim’s back against her shoulder. Something this powerful felt like it should be warm and alive.

They usually took a bit of a detour before they got home if he had taken the bike-- they both liked to just ride around. This time, there was no detour. Jim headed straight home. Anne wondered if it had anything to do with the talk they hadn’t had yet. It was making her nervous.

Once the bike was safely in its stall and they were in the apartment, Jim said, “I can’t stay here tonight or tomorrow. Because of the change to the skeleton crews, I’m spending the night on the ship.”

“Oh,” Anne said, crestfallen and trying to hide it. Pulling herself into neutrality, she said, “I can’t come. I have the party to get ready for.” Nyota was coming early in the morning to help her with the shopping and whatever preparation could be done that far ahead. She had said she knew nothing about cooking, but an extra pair of hands was always useful. Especially if Jim wasn’t going to be there to help.

“Yeah, I… I figured you’d have to stay,” Jim said. “Running back and forth like that would be too much, especially now. You’re still not quite healed.” He took a step toward her, reaching out to touch her arm. “If you’re worried about being alone--”

Anne laughed, and tried to let herself melt into his touch the way she usually did. It wasn’t quite working. “I’ll be fine. This place is very well-protected, and I’ll be with someone whenever I leave.”

Whether it was visible or not, she knew Jim could feel her tension. “Look, I know this isn’t what you wanted. I’m not too happy about it myself, but it was either this or skip my turn entirely to finish up with the women’s trials.”

So that was why. Those trials had been scheduled for a couple of days before the Enterprise was supposed to go back out. It would have been silly to ask him why he hadn’t just skipped. He would never leave the ship hanging like that. Not even if it meant leaving her hanging instead.

She’d known that. Why hadn’t she believed it, or believed it would matter? He’d willingly give up his life for her, but when it came to the ship… Anne made herself relax. “When should I expect you back?” she asked evenly.

“The day after tomorrow. First thing. I should be back here by 0730.” He could see that she wasn’t happy, but he didn’t seem to know how to address it, or if it should be addressed at all. Truthfully, Anne had no idea either. “I could call--”

“Better not,” Anne said swiftly, then smiled, trying to take the sting out of it. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll be busy. Nyota will be here during the day, and Claudia’s coming in the evening.” She paused, looking skeptically at him. “And you’re not going to skip the trials tomorrow, are you?”

“Well, we did choose Saturday to have the party because there wouldn’t be any,” he said awkwardly.

“But you’re going to take a twelve hour shift on board, then immediately into eight hours of trials, then another twelve hour shift?” Anne asked, aghast. “No wonder you rushed us home. Go to bed, get some sleep, what’s wrong with you?” She caught his arm, tugging in the direction of the bedroom.

“It’s not that big a deal. At least let me grab something to eat first,” he protested.

“I’ll bring you something,” Anne said. “Go. I’ll be there in a few moments.” Gently propelling him toward the bedroom, she then turned and left for the kitchen. Only once she was there did she allow herself a sigh, her hands curling and uncurling restlessly. She had known eventually she’d take a back seat to the Enterprise. Why was it a problem now that it had happened? It wasn’t even like it was a big thing. Why was it so upsetting?

“Because you’re an idiot,” Anne whispered to herself. “It’s just a couple of nights.” She was, probably not unpredictably, feeling some intense wanderlust right then. Could probably be characterized as a desire to flee. Probably wasn’t a great sign as to how things were going if the thought of a night or two alone because of the ship made her want to run.

Probably better to shelve it for now. Anne rummaged around in the refrigeration unit and brought out some odds and ends that went together, a little mushroom tartlet and salad and such, bringing them to the right temperatures, and then shortcut through the garden for some fresh tomatoes before she brought everything to Jim. He was just stepping out of the washroom, his towel slung low around his hips in a way that would have been inviting if her head hadn’t been so unsettled. 

He looked over, still drying his hair, when he heard the door slide shut. “You didn’t have to do that, you know,” he said, his smile crooked, his eyes both tender and apologetic.

“Don’t be ridiculous, cher. You’ll barely get any sleep as it is.” Anne brought the tray over to his side of the bed, setting it down on the nightstand. Immediately, she went to the closet and the chest of drawers, starting to lay out his uniform for when he got up, gathering his formal uniform together so he could bring it easily.

“It’s all right, you don’t need to fuss over me,” he said, and this time he sounded embarrassed. “I can do all that on my own.”

“Eat your dinner, cher. The sooner this is done, the sooner you can sleep,” Anne said smoothly, grabbing one of the smaller cases and placing the formal uniform in it, hat carefully packed so that it wouldn’t get crushed. That done, she closed the case and set it beside his toothbrush. She thought about reminding him to take it, but that would be too… motherly. 

“Anne, come sit down,” he said, patting the bed beside him.

She didn’t really want to. She would rather have left until he was gone. That way when she came back, she wouldn’t have come in with him, and maybe there would be a way to pretend that he’d never been there.

She went and sat down beside him, looking down at his half-empty plate.

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean it to happen like this, but… I have to be there, at the women’s trials. We both have to be there. I had the choice of crewing during the party to avoid the trials, or crewing during the women’s trials and not being there with you. I counteroffered. This is the best arrangement I could make.”

“I get it,” Anne said, giving him a smile that felt a little unnatural. “It’s just nerves, that’s all. I understand.”

She saw him grimace a little. “Maybe Mason could stay here. I may not like him, but he’s definitely got your best interests in mind.”

“No. I don’t want someone hovering over me like I’m about to break in half and they’re waiting to catch the pieces.” She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. It’s just… I’m just a bit unsettled, that’s all.” She looked up at him, smiling briefly. “I guess it’s good that you’ll be away. I have some things to sort out.”

He didn’t question it, knowing there was a lot more going on than just nerves. “Yeah. I think we both do.”

At that, she relaxed. At least she wasn’t the only one feeling awkward and uneasy. “Let’s get some rest, cher. You’ll need it.”

Maybe it was a response to her tension dissipating somewhat; he relaxed too, picking at the remnants of his food and then setting the tray aside. Once they were settled in bed, he threw an arm over her, pulling her close. Aside from when they’d had no choice, she hadn’t spent a night apart from him since they’d first slept together, not even when she hadn’t remembered him. It would be strange to be in bed alone again. She didn’t like her reaction to the thought of it, but she set it aside for now. She’d have time to think on her own. That was something.

When he left, it was very carefully treated like any other time he’d left. She kissed him goodbye at the door, and then she was alone, surrounded by flowers, in an apartment that suddenly felt strange and empty.

He didn’t belong here, not really. They’d been playing at it, but truthfully, the Enterprise was his home. And she didn’t belong here either, surrounded by all this luxury. She’d never have bothered with it before. That huge lump of royalties that had accrued while she was gone was starting to dwindle noticeably, and that was something she’d never have done on her own. She didn’t care much about the credits, but it was uncharacteristic of her.

Mason hadn’t liked the way she was acting. If she was being honest with herself, she didn’t like some of how she’d been acting. She’d never thought of herself as the type who needed rescuing, and suddenly that was all she’d done and been, to the point where the thought of not being Jim’s first priority made her nervous.

It wasn’t right to need him that much. McCoy and Hayes had been right. Of course. Anne paced restlessly around the apartment, looking at it as if she’d never seen it before. The walls, the flowers, the furniture, all of it suddenly felt like it belonged to someone else.

Her head was a jumble of self-accusation and uneasy doubts. It wasn’t even as if this was a big thing. It was just a couple of nights.

But it was a couple of nights where she’d expected him to be there, and he wasn’t, and it was because of the Enterprise. It wasn’t the fact that it had happened, it was that she knew it would be a pattern, that the ship came first in his mind and always would.

And if it didn’t, he wouldn’t be himself. And if he wasn’t himself, she wouldn’t have fallen so hard for him.

“What an impossible situation,” Anne murmured to herself. It was like her mind was caught in a mobius strip, endlessly covering the same territory, never getting anywhere in particular.

Well, there was only one cure for that.

[thesoftdumbass]

Hold My Hand

Montgomery “Scotty” Scott X Reader

Requested by Anon: May I request a Scotty fic where he really loves holding the reader’s hand and finds any excuse to do so?

Word Count: 3.5K

Characters: Scotty, Leonard McCoy, Nyota Uhura, Jim Kirk. Mentioned: Keenser, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, Ben Sulu, Spock

A/N: Just a warning, I know absolutely nothing about engineering, so any time it is mentioned in one of my fics it is basically just the same thing. 

I love this request so much, thank you Anon who sent it to me, and also I’m sorry that it took so long! I am working on other ones, I just want them to be good for you guys, and I have real-world problems and such, bleh. I really hope you like it!

masterlist 

“Make sure you’re more careful next time, Ensign Y/L/N. I don’t wanna have to patch you up again,” Bones says with a cheeky smile as you walk out of an exam room, having just repaired the hand that you managed to burn in engineering. Shorting circuits can really smart.

“Don’t worry Doc, I don’t feel like dealing with your grumpy self. Have fun with those Andorian measles, though,” you snark back at him, winking as you walk backward out of medbay. You and Leonard see a lot of each other, you being a red shirt and all. Engineers tend to get a lot of injuries, and you decided long ago to make your time around the doctor at least mildly entertaining.

As you make your way back to the control room that you were working in before your unplanned break, you run into your supervising officer and friend, Montgomery Scott. He stops you when you move to pass him in the corridor.

“Y/N, I thought I told you to take the rest of the day off. You just burned your hand, you need to let it heal!”

“It is healed, Scotty, thank Heavens for dermal regenerators. The burn is gone and I have new skin to scar up however I please,” you smirk.

“Dinnae joke, Lassie. Injuries are no laughing matter,” Scotty reached for your hand anyways, gently cradling it in his own calloused one, fingers running along the patch of pink skin, causing a small wince to cross your features. You quickly school your face back to normal but Scotty doesn’t miss the movement, giving you a pointed look.

“I’m fine Scotty, I promise, I just need to finish stripping the wires on panel B and replace the fuses,” you insist and go to pull your hand back to your side and Scotty just lets you, a tight smile pulling on his features.

“Keenser will finish it, now go get some rest. Ye’ve got a full day of irritating your coworkers tomorrow.”

You look into Scotty’s eyes and find determination there, knowing that you won’t win a stand-off with the stubborn Scot. “Alright then. I’ll be back in the morning to get on your nerves,” you say with a smirk as you walk away, heading to your quarterdeck to change into some pajamas and watch old holos.

“Well this is just spectacular,” you mutter to yourself as you traipse through the streets of the planet you’re on. The ground mission that you were a part of ran into some trouble. The planet was inhabited by natives, but you didn’t know until too late that Klingons also took up residence there.

Your landing party had to break up and find your way back to the beam-down point in pairs, as a group of six would be too conspicuous. The disguise you are currently wearing is itchy, making you fidget, and your companion just chuckles as you scratch at your shoulder once again.

“What are you laughing at, Scotty?”

“Quit squirmin’, lass. You’re acting suspicious, you could get us caught.”

“I can’t help it, I’m nervous and this stupid dress is so itchy. What is it, made of straw?” you ask rhetorically, reaching up once again to relieve the discomfort.

“Here, give me,” Scotty grasps your wrist mid-air, moving his hand down to intertwine your fingers. “Maybe we’ll be more low-profile if we just walk slowly, look like a couple browsing the stalls.”

You nod your head, a thoughtful look crossing your face. “I think that’ll work.”

And so you make your way through the market, holding hands and talking normally the whole time, making sure you don’t draw attention to yourselves. You finally reach the edge of the city and continue on, reaching the rendezvous point within minutes of clearing the populous area.

Relieved smiles greet you as you rejoin the group, it seems you were the last two to arrive. “Oh good, you guys are back! We were afraid you’d been caught and we would have to send a team to scout,” Uhura rushed up to you, reaching for your arm only to find it still tucked into Scotty’s side. Her eyebrow raises and she gets a mischievous look in her eyes, pointedly looking down at your joined hands. You clear your throat and let go, not having noticed that you were still holding his hand.

“Yeah, we’re fine. We were trying not to draw attention to ourselves, so we just walked slowly.” Uhura accepts your answer.

“So everyone else made it back safely?” Scotty speaks up, making sure to check everybody for any apparent damage, and seeming satisfied at not finding anything wrong.

“Let’s get back to the ship, then.” Nyota pulls out her comm, calling up the Enterprise for a beam out.

Once you are safely back onboard and in your room you pull off the itchy disguise and let it fall to the floor, not wanting it to ever touch your skin again. Getting comfortable in lounge clothes, you replicate yourself a cup of tea to get settled and while you’re waiting for your drink to get done you start to wonder. Is there a reason that you kept your hand in Scotty’s once you were safe? I mean, sure, it’s nice to have that reassurance when you’re in a dangerous situation, but you can’t help but think that it’s more than that. Abandoning your train of thought for now, you grab your mug from the replicator and sit yourself down on your couch, resolving to figure it out on another day.

You dance along to the music, only swaying a little bit in your inebriated state. It’s a celebration night, Chekov’s birthday, and you feel justified in letting loose after dealing with the stresses of working for Starfleet. The song ends and you stop, becoming aware of how dry your throat is.

You make your way through the crowd to the bar, stumbling a little bit in your heeled ankle boots that certainly are not regulation issue. Ordering a cocktail for yourself, you look around and let out a loud squeal when you spot some friends. Scotty and Uhura are standing a few feet away, watching as Keenser and Pavel are having a drinking competition, it’s unclear who’s winning. You walk over to the group, joining in and cheering for whoever drank a shot quicker that round.

The little group is broken up when Keenser pounds his fist on the table twice, signaling his surrender. Everybody around you cheers and you laugh as Chekov stands up in his seat, raising his hands in victory and stumbling, almost hitting the floor. Chekov will have a killer hangover in the morning, but for now, he is happy to have won.

The group around you disperse, and you’re left standing with Montgomery, a large smile on his face and a tumbler of scotch in his hand. The two of you are talking about everything and nothing when your favorite song come over the speakers. Gasping and putting your drink down on a nearby table, you grab Scotty’s hand in yours.

“Dance with me?” you ask excitedly and Scotty can’t resist, the twinkle in your eye too bright for him to disappoint you.

“Aye, of course, Y/N. I have te warn ya though, I can’t dance worth a lick,” Scotty says and you just laugh.

“Come on,” you giggle, grabbing one of his hands in yours. You make your way to the crowd at the edge of the dance floor, but that’s not enough for you. Pushing your way through the throng of people and pulling Scotty along with you, you make it to the center of the dance floor excitedly.

By now your favorite song is almost over but you don’t let that bother you, dancing to it as well as a few songs that come on after it. You’re not exactly a skillful dancer, but you don’t let that stop you from having fun, doing whatever moves pop into your head. Scotty watches with a grin on his face, copying your moves as best he can and spinning you around a couple times.

When the heat from being surrounded by dancing bodies starts to get to you, you pull Scotty close to you, having to yell to be heard over the speakers. “Can we take a break?”

The two of you start to make your way back to the bar, finally getting a chance to cool down. It’s not a surprise that you almost fall, your feet tired from dancing and the alcohol still running through your system, though not as strongly now. Scotty catches you before you can hit the ground, holding you steady by the arms and bringing you closer to his body so he can support you.

“Are you alright? I can find you a seat if you’d like to sit down,” he offers.

“I’m good, I think I’m just gonna go to bed. I didn’t realize how tired I am.”

“I’ll walk you then.” With a smile, Monty puts his arm through yours and leads you out the doors of the recreation deck and you make your way to the turbo lift together. You walk in comfortable silence, leaning your head against his shoulder while waiting for the turbo lift to make its way to your floor.

You reach your quarters after a few minutes and just stand outside for a moment, enjoying Scotty’s presence. Eventually, though, you feel the long day and even longer night hitting you and you have to go in.

“Thank you for walking me back to my quarters, Scotty, and for putting up with my drunk self.” He chuckles, the sound warm and inviting.

“It’s no’ a problem, lass. Get some sleep, and drink plenty of water. I’ll see you on shift tomorrow?”

You just nod, your brain too tired and aching to form words. You smile when Scotty places a kiss on your hairline and make your way inside your room, taking off your dress and laying down, but not before drinking a glass of water and setting another on your bedside table along with a couple aspirin. And even though the after-effects of drinking are hitting you already, you are looking forward to work tomorrow.

You reach out a hand to steady yourself on the nearest object, leaning heavily on the rail of the walkway you are currently on. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” you mutter.

Your day had started out normally. That is until a Cardassian warship started following the Enterprise closely. Captain Kirk tried hailing them, but they jammed the signals before firing disruptor blasts, barely making a dent in the shields.

The ship shudders once again as you make your way through engineering, your destination the torpedo bay with a malfunctioning trigger mechanism. Everybody else was busy with other tasks, keeping the warp core functioning properly and making sure that the fires started from erupting sparks are extinguished quickly.

Almost to the torpedo bay, you stumble when the ship lurches. You’re getting tired of these Cardassians attacking you out of nowhere, just wanting to fix the torpedo so you can get out of this star system. Right as you’re about to open up the panel to fix the problem, you are interrupted by the door swishing open.

“Lassie, what are you still doin’ here?” Scotty asks, breathing hard from exertion and face red.

“I’m doing my job, Scotty, what’s the problem,” you ask, almost nonchalantly.

“There are Cardassians on the ship, Y/N! You cannae stay down here. You need to get to a safe location.”

“Well they’re not in here, I can still do my job,” you say flatly.

“But your job isn’t security officer, so we’re going to my office. You will be safe in there,” he pressed.

But Monty, what about the proton torpedo? We need it to disable their ship.”

“Please, Y/N. Come with me.”

You finally comply with his pleas, and after letting out a relieved sigh Scotty grabs your hand. Leading you out of the torpedo bay, you take a left turn out the door and head toward his office.

Scotty notices the Cardassians before you do. As soon as he sees the man and woman with light grey skin, the ridges on their faces standing out, he pulls you into an alcove and makes sure that you are both hidden from their wolf-like eyes. Pulling you into his side he brings his arm up to his chest, your hand still in his, resting just over his heart.

You revel in his embrace, his warmth keeping you grounded. Not that you feel like a damsel in need of rescuing, but you feel better knowing that Scotty is here with you. After a few minutes, you leave Scotty’s side to peer out of the small alcove you are in, finding the way clear to seek shelter.

Silently moving through the bowels of the ship, you make it to Scotty’s office without further incident and collapse onto the small couch in the room as Scotty locks the door behind you. He sinks into the seat right beside you and pulls you into his chest, content to sit with his chin resting comfortably on your head, waiting for the security officers to deal with the ship’s invaders.

It’s not until the alarms stop sounding and the red lights stop flashing that you remove yourself from his arms, thanking him for keeping you safe from the Cardassians and excusing yourself to check the ship for damages.

As you’re walking through the corridors after leaving his office, you can’t help but think about how willing you were to just sit and let Scotty hold you. Oh my God... you think to yourself. I have feelings for Scotty!

It’s finally Saturday and you have a night off after so long of trying to keep up with your crazy work schedule. So after a long day in engineering, your only plans are to eat a homey meal and curl up with a good book for a few hours before going to bed early. You’re already longing for the fuzzy blanket currently laying across your bed, the warm fabric-

“Y/N, do you want to come to movie night with me?”

You hear Scotty’s voice behind you and spin around, coming face to face with the man, the corners of his mouth turned up.

“Huh?” You ask, your head tilted in confusion.

“The bridge crew is gathering to watch old holos in the Captain’s quarters tonight. I thought you might want to join me,” he shrugs, looking around the hallway.

“That sounds fun,” you answer enthusiastically. After all, plans could be changed.

“Excellent!” Scotty exclaims but then lowers his voice to normal levels. “I’ll, uh, I’ll let you get changed out of your uniform and meet you on the senior officer’s deck at 20:00.”

“Later,” you say as you continue on your way to your quarters. You’re not sure what to wear, so you change into a pair of leggings and a cozy sweater with sleeves too long for your hands, a bralette underneath and a pair of converse on your feet. When in doubt, wear what’s comfortable.

You just leave your hair natural and head out, making it to where you’re supposed to meet Scotty just in time, him arriving just a moment after you. Scotty is also dressed down, a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants in place of his uniform. He greets you and then you’re off, walking to Jim’s quarters and making small talk. You stand in front of the door just a few moments later, and suddenly your nerves flare up.

You’ve heard about these movie nights but you’ve never been before and you don’t know what to expect. You fidget with your hands trying not to freak out, before Scotty reaches over, grasping your hand assuredly before pressing the button to open the door and walking in with you following reluctantly behind him. Several voices greet you once you’ve fully entered the room and the door closes behind you and you wave shyly.

“Y/N! I’m glad you could come.” Jim comes over to give you a friendly hug. “The movie starts in a few minutes and there’s food and drinks in the kitchen, make yourself at home.”

You nod your head in thanks and make your way to the kitchen with Scotty, making a plate of food before walking over to the drinks table. Leonard is there with a glass of bourbon in his hand, and he smirks when you walk over to him. “Hot date?” with a quirk of an eyebrow.

You roll your eyes at his good-natured teasing, looking back at Scotty who is a few feet away talking with Nyota. “Aww, I guess someone’s jealous,” you rib back, poking him in the cheek. Len swats your hand away and laughs, his dimples showing up. You chuckle along and continue to talk and soon you’re joined by Uhura, who jokes about when Leonard and Jim will get together and get married.

By the time everybody is finished with their food and getting a refill on drinks, it’s time for the movie to start and Jim is turning out the lights and asking the computer to play the holo, a classic called “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Scotty settles in the corner of the couch and you sit next to him, perfectly contented to be pulled into his side as the music starts.

About halfway through the holo, you stretch your back which has gotten stiff from sitting for so long, looking around at the gathered company. On the other end of the large couch is Leonard and Jim, you’re not surprised to find them cuddled close together. Next to them is Pavel, who has fallen asleep, drooling on Hikaru’s shoulder, who is messaging Ben on his PADD. Spock and Uhura are sitting next to each other on the floor in front of the couch, watching the film with mild interest.

As you’re observing the others, you feel a hand fall over your own laying on your leg and turn to your side, seeing Scotty looking back at you. There’s a softness in his eyes that you’ve grown used to from him and it warms your heart to see it now. You smile at Scotty, but then there’s a slight frown on his face but before you can ask him about it he’s speaking.

“Your hands are cold,” he says quietly, trying not to distract the others from the movie.

“They just get a little chilly sometimes,” you shrug. When you say this Scotty takes both of your hands in his, holding them and rubbing circles over the backs with his thumbs. You lean into the warmth he is providing, laying your head on Scotty’s shoulder and going back to watching the movie.

You don’t notice when you’re falling asleep, you just wake up later to the feeling of a chaste kiss being placed on your forehead. You open your eyes slowly to find yourself in Jim’s quarters still, the room dark except for the holo-screen, which is rolling the credits. Scotty is looking over at you, an amused look in his eyes.

“What time is it,” you ask groggily.

“About time for you to go to bed. Come on, I’ll help you back to your room.”

You nod and stand to your feet with Scotty’s help, stretching your arms above your head. You say goodnight to everyone, hugging Uhura before walking out the door, headed to your own quarters. You trail a finger along the titanium wall of the corridor as you walk and your shoulder bumps with Monty’s with every other step you take.

“Lass,” Scotty says softly to get your attention, gently grabbing the hand closest to him to pause your movement. You look to him, eyebrows quirked in interest. He reaches a hand up, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear, you lean into his touch and he lingers, a warm hand on your cheek. “I’d really like to kiss you now, if you’ll let me.”

Instead of responding, you reach up on your tiptoes, feeling Scotty’s breath on your face. You press your lips against his in a tender kiss, pulling back after a moment to see his reaction. Scotty’s eyes are closed, a slight blush on his cheeks as he smiles softly. You take that as a good sign, leaning back in for more.

You and Scotty stand in the middle of the hallway kissing like that for a few minutes and you know that somebody could walk by at any time and see, but you can’t find it in you to care. Eventually, you have to pull away to breathe, resting your forehead against Scotty’s and taking a few gulps of air.

“Would you go to dinner with me, Y/N?”

You giggle as if the answer should be obvious, reaching up and pecking Scotty’s lips once again. “I would love to, Scotty.”

You touch a hand to his cheek reverently before pulling away, reaching out a hand for him to take. And as he continues to walk you to your quarters, kissing you goodnight at the door, you wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else.

Permanent Tags: @deanxfuckingadorablexwinchester  @mad-girl-without-a-box  @cd1242  @space-helen

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[hsj-scenarios]

HSJ as Courtesans (AU)

( Note: May seem a little random, I know. But, I LOVE otome games and I remembered this mobile game I sometimes play; D3 Publisher’s Gyakuten Yoshiwara. It’s a game where the player visits one of several male courtesans nearly every night and she ends up falling in love with the one she picks -- now, she has to buy his freedom or the courtesan must pay off his own debt in order for them to get married. Anyway, enjoy the headcanons! -- Mod L )

Ryosuke:

The number one ranking courtesan the red light district has to offer. Due to his extreme popularity, he’s a terribly hard courtesan to schedule and his price is the highest they come for just one night. He takes it all in stride, however, never complaining even once about his line of work or the clients. In first impressions, he’s more than cordial, respectful, and even somewhat shy -- although, to the people that he’s comfortable with, he’s known to have a sailor’s mouth and be bullishly dominating. Even to his close friends.

Voluntarily became a courtesan in order to support his large family, and many speak of the wonders that Ryosuke has bought for them. A house in the mainland, comfortable living, all on top of the debt that many believe he’s close to paying off any day now. As a result, the district manager has him training new hires to someday pick his successor.

Yuto:

The second most popular courtesan in the district, although that popularity noticeably wained after a recent scandal; in which others thought he planned to run away with a married, much older, woman. He adamantly denies the accusations, although admits that he did see the woman outside of the district. Still, he hopes to gain back double what he lost and once again become a suitable rival for Ryosuke. Ever happy and smiling, that smile won’t be wiped off with false rumors.

His family sold him off to the district in order to become debt free -- placing a new debt on Yuto’s shoulders instead. He came in the same time as Ryosuke and has become what many would call a jack of all trades. Word has it that his always smiling face hides someone completely opposite of what he shows himself to be.

Chinen:

The favored protege of Ryosuke, always somewhere near the man and not yet debuted in the district. Though he’s already a young man in his early twenties, twenty the normal age of debut, the district is in awe at his quick ability to learn and believe he should take on clients soon. Some believe he is a courtesan from another district, sold away to make ends meet in hard times, but the district manager swears that Chinen is simply a natural. Two years into his stay, he has grown to be loved by the customers and other courtesans alike; spoiled rotten by the gifts many give him in exchange for not being able to rent him for a night. He certainly doesn’t complain. In fact, he doesn’t talk much at all if there’s no money or gifts involved.

Voluntarily sold himself in order to help pay for his older sister’s medical bills. He attempted working odd jobs around the island, but many just told him he would bring in more finance working for a brothel. So, he did.

Keito:

Often the subject of teasing from other courtesans, as this man is prone to his awkward moments. Also known to be quite clueless in some areas, despite his years of being part of the district. It’s a running joke that Keito has the most stamina of the bunch, though one would have to put up with all of the previously stated. Despite his shortcomings, the young man still manages to carry in his fair share of customers and most -- if not all -- come out happy in some way or the other. He’s also seen around Ryosuke often, though not for tips but because the two are close friends.

Has little recollection of what exactly brought him to the district, but he knows that he came there alone, deathly ill, and was nursed back to health. The doctor told him that he was orphaned and that the district manager would take him in, in return for becoming a courtesan. Although, Keito has a few memories of his father left and he knows the man didn’t just abandon him. Hopes to find and reunite with him once his debt is paid.

Daiki:

The delight of the whole district. There’s no moodmaker quite like Daiki and his high popularity is a testament to that. Many don’t truly take the man seriously, due to his playful features and youthful attitude. How can one believe such a man is going to seduce them by the end of the night when he has them laughing all the while? Still, the numbers don’t lie and Daiki ranks just under Yuto in the top three courtesans of the district. He swears that he’ll show clients his manly side in the end. Just have fun during the ride, alright?

He is yet another courtesan who was sold in order to pay off a family debt, although rumor has it that he has an older brother who was supposed to be sold but ended up falling in love. People speculate that, in order for his brother not to suffer, Daiki offered himself instead.

Inoo:

Renown for his ‘cuteness’, Inoo recently rose to being a top seller in the district -- though, not quite as high as the top three. Upon first coming in, no one thought Inoo would last long in such a life; as he valued love and someday beginning his own family far too much for the average prostitute. Such dreams were far and often considered stupid, since no one would want ‘used goods’ to start a family with. Let alone marry. Scold him they may, Inoo still holds those same values today and patiently waits to pay off his debt and start a whole new life with a chance at love.

Sold off by his unmarried mother purely for extra money. Such was and is the life for many bastard children, like Inoo was, and his story isn’t uncommon in the red light district.

Hikaru:

Not the biggest money maker, but with a comfortable and steady clientele, Hikaru is another moodmaker among the bunch. He’s like a wake up call, a vitamin to take for needed energy. A night with him is never a night wasted and there’s always a smile on his clients’ faces. He’s healing, many would say. It is often that the courtesan gets those who are in rough places of their lives and seek to be cheered up, which Hikaru is good at doing. In his spare time, however, he’s often noted for being withdrawn and reserved. Such a flamboyant life for an honestly timid soul can be draining.

Initially sold to pay off his father’s gambling debt, though sends money to his newly widowed sister and her children in order for them to live comfortably. Recently, she’s stopped taking the money in order for him to finally pay off his debt.

Yuya:

Known for his womanly tendencies, but don’t get get mistaken; any courtesan will tell you that Yuya is truly masculine and carnivorous. He knows his way around a woman and the years that he’s spent in the red light district haven’t gone over his head. He’s experienced and has one of the best rates of clients who come back for more. Some don’t know why. To them, he seems aloof and uncaring. Certainly a courtesan for the masochists out there. But, that’s simply his persona. A rouse. To everyone else, he’s kind and that shows with time. Recurring clients know the truth, and people who actually know Yuya know even more.

Born to a female courtesan and taken from her arms at birth. He was raised in an orphanage until it came time for his training. This life is all that he knows.

Yabu:

The man who serves as the second in command to the district manager. Yabu is being groomed for the very position once his predecessor decides to retire and, because of that, had long ago decided to stay, even when his debt is paid off. He watches over everyone and makes sure that everything is running smoothly. Honestly, he doesn’t even take clients anymore and, if he does, it’s for mutual pleasure. Many envy him, wondering how he can bring himself to stay in such a lifestyle and also of his debt free obligations. Although, none can hate him, as Yabu is reliable and always quick to turn a soft gaze where the manager turns a hard glare.

Used to be no more than an urchin, running with a small gang and living off whatever they could find. One day, he stole from a high ranking courtesan and ended up caught, faced with either being placed in an orphanage or put in the courtesan’s debt as a servant. Eventually, he became their protege.

[aldreaoakley]

Kissed by the Baddest Trainer! [KBTBB Pokemon!AU]

(Based off a lot of @maidofstars’ and @catchthespade’s posts. MC is making her way through the towns and getting badges and ribbons, like Nando from the anime, while meeting different people and their Pokémon. Will she run into the eight men from before? What happens to them after they meet her?)

Adventure Log 1

___ smiles as she slips her third badge into its place. The Tropica Badge was hard to get and she nearly lost had Togepi not jump in and use Metronome. That move summons a Giga Impact, rendering Whimsicott unable to battle. After shaking hands with the Gym Leader and being a good sport, ___ goes to a PokéCenter for her team to heal. She was lucky to survive with the four she has on hand. While she waits, she makes her team’s favorite foods: Togepi's favorite Poffins, Minccino's berry tart, Deino's Honey Milk and Gyarados' kibble. When the bell sounds, ___ gets her Pokémon and lets them out in a hotel room so they can eat. "You all deserve it," ___ smiles. "Great job." They all cheer with happiness then return to their meals. ___ still smiles over how her Deino loves mixing Combee honey and Miltank milk together. To her, it's the cutest thing ever. A fierce Pokémon with a weak spot for sweets. ~*~ "Excellent Snorunt," Soryu grins while scooping up the Poké Ball. "You have a new teammate." "Sno Snorunt," he agrees. "Now to get Dragonair familiar with the others," Soryu sighs. He knows it's not easy to get it to be familiar with everyone as it is actually the Dratini he was forced to release as a child. Soryu was happy to see his childhood friend but neither had a happy reunion as it was still bitter about being left behind. He needs to find Mei Ling or Chisato for their help in getting Dragonair comfortable with him again. ~*~ Ota smiles at the crowd with a wave after opening the competition with a beautiful performance with Furfrou. /Just another few seconds,/ Ota grimaces behind his sweet facade. /I'm sick of these displays already.../ When the announcer mentions that the show will be starting, Ota leaves the stage on an elegant bow. The second he was backstage, he lets out a ginormous breath of relief. Ever since that day, he never really had a chance to stop being so fake. While training and teaching ___ Ota feels his old spark coming back. It wasn't easy but it was sure something that gives him a great sense of purpose again. En route to his room, he gets a huge surprise. "What are you guys doing here," he whines. "This isn't a good time for a meeting..." "We have another problem on our plates," Eisuke complains. "Since our last meeting there's another group that flourished under our nose." "I'm still not able to get their main base of operations," Baba adds. "There is no way of knowing where these Magikarp sellers are." "What?! Why are they selling Magikarp," Ota shrieks. Shuichi shrugs at that. "I have also seen the sad decrease in Farfecth'd too," the Connoisseur mourns. "The poachers obviously know where their breeding grounds are." "Even traveling I run into those goons and they are a pain," Hikaru's voice crackles over the Holo Caster. "There is almost no end to them. Even Team Suzumushi is struggling to keep hunters from getting their Pokémon," Soryu groans from his Holo Caster. "And the rescued Pokémon are in terrible shape," Mamoru frowns behind his pipe. "E'en the doc ain't able to keep up with 'em. Same with other Poké Centers." "I thought you were able to reach him," Eisuke snarls at the detective. "I did but he hung up. Whinin' over how there's too many injured Pokémon that he needs to get himself and his own healing crew to sleep," Mamoru whines. "I've never seen Doc's office that full... that recent raid was bad." The last word leaves an unsettling feeling in the air. The hunters and their black market crews use old or long abandoned warehouses as their bases. Ota can sense from all of them gathered, physically present and not, can tell that the one that stuffed Luke's Center and several others to almost maximum capacity the raid had one too many in bad shape or not well cared for. This is going to be a multi-region project that can only span so far. They need someone who can help where their fame can't reach. Ota holds press conferences for the awareness and Eisuke makes advertisements. But it's still not enough. Baba's information network is still digging and Ota knows there are some things that Baba can't steal or get. He glances at Hikaru's flickering image and knows that he can only do so much as well when pushed to his limits. He studies Shuichi and notices that he's frowning over something on his Pokégear. Then it hits him. "How about ___? She can relay some information regarding whatever city she's in," Ota brings up. "We will need her permission," Eisuke points out. "I'll contact her and we'll meet in two days to discuss what she does and doesn't need to know." Ota nods with the others then watches the rest of the show from the monitor as the rest leave or end their call. ~*~ "Luke... Luke..." Luke opens his eyes to slits then realizes that Iris is in his office. He bolts upright. "Who," he starts. "Dusknoir told Gothitelle," she replies while hugging her doll, looking scared. "How many more Pokémon need to be healed?" Luke shrugs at that. He can't be too sure and there's only so much he can do on a short time crunch of treating many Pokémon at once. Including rehabilitating them and releasing them into their appropriate areas. He's also taking care some of the Pokémon ___ captures while on her journey. He can tell the difference yes though he won't admit that it is getting frustrating that his Center is getting filled with so many Pokémon that he's been switching Chansey and Audino so one can rest and the other heals. "Luke... is it really that bad," he hears Iris whisper and turns to look at her from the notebook he had been writing in. "These hunters and poachers..." Luke bobs his head with a grin face. He didn't need Iris's ability to see Auras to know how bad their conditions are. If only... "Hey what's this Aura over there," Iris quizzes and Luke turns to see his Key Stone trinket box. "Of course," he grumps in irritation. "Why didn't I think of it?!" "Think of what," she puzzles as he picks up the item. "I almost forgot that Audino can Mega Evolve," he grumbles. "When mine and Audino's heart are as one, he can turn into Mega Audino." "Does it make things worse," she frets. He turns to his sister with a big smile. "His powers and attacks are stronger. Healing Pulse is more effective too," he laughs. Luke feels like he can finally sleep now. Thanks to his sister. ~*~ Eisuke nods at the end of his Pokégear at ___ then hangs up. He didn't tell her everything but was unhappy at how she already knows a bit about the poachers and hunters already. Worse is that the hunters have been trying to get her Minccino. He's actually angry about that. No one can pick on her Minccino except for his Persian alone. He makes a few calls then hangs up again. Juggling his business while funding Team KōriRyu and scouting areas is hard work. Eisuke glances around then lets his team out. His shiny Vespiquen hovers near Emploeon while Houndoom plays with Persian. Serperior and Kingdra are both talking but the scene didn't ease Eisuke's mind. Not even Ninetails could. All seven look at him and he shakes his head. Persian and Ninetails both nudge him with soft head butts. Vespiquen darts to a small door and pulls out a small jar of honey. A coffee cake rests on a hot plate and Eisuke nods. He recalls Ninetales the same second a knock echoes. A coffee cup is set and the employee leaves. "What to do," Eisuke murmurs. "We aren't getting anywhere with these groups and Pokémon Hunter F is still out there..." He calls Mamoru who tells him that he's working on Pokémon Hunter F and will bring information to their next meeting. Eisuke chuckles at that. He'd never meet the hunter but for a person at their profession and letting a detective get wind of their actions is a professional slip up. "Some people," Eisuke chuckles under his breath. ~*~ A worried man runs down the hallways of a large air carrier to a grand door. He pounds on it and a cold "Enter" is his answer. The man slams it open and pants. "Sir, we have a problem," he gasps. "We can't find the Growlithe who can use Thunder Fang!" "Keep looking or it's your head," the figure from the desk snarls. The man pales, nods then runs away while banging the door shut. F slips their visor off and sneers a smirk. So far they don't know who she really is yet. Save a small handful. They look at a small picture frame with a sad sigh. It is a picture of them with ___, Chisato and a few Sakiko sisters as children. ___ doesn't know and same with Chisato. But a few of the Sakiko siblings do. What are they to do?...

Author’s Note: Now this is the tricky bit on making the Gym and Badge names with the various Contests. I’m going to use anime for Gyms and games for Contests. Who is Pokémon Hunter F? We’ll just have to wait and see. I got the idea from Vocaloid songs Phantom Thief F and Pirate F. F means fantastic for both songs and I’ll do the same. But I will give a clue: F knows MC, Chisato and Sakiko.

And I got the idea of the Sakiko siblings from the Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny families in the franchise. I realized that there is no way that one Sakiko can manage a chain and meet MC each time so I made it a last name instead of a first. The restaurant idea is from @catchthespade and @maidofstars regarding Sakiko that I couldn't resist taking it a bit further and making a restaurant chain. ... I’ll think of a name at one point but for now... can anyone guess who F really is?

[thunder0-0sage]

Summerbolt (manga script) - chapter 11

CHAPTER 11: THINGS TURN

 We see Tokura on the cover, wearing goggles and a white robe, pouring the contents of a test tube into a flask filled with something else and the result of the reaction is lots of smoke and sparks amidst which his maniacal smile is seen.

‘Tokura: ‘-It’ll definitely work this time!! Knowledge is the most important element in the formula for a successful life, don’t you think?’’

  A view towards the crater in which the fight between the two classes is progressing is seen, focusing on Hikaru who clashes with the enemy forces first, transforming into a lightning drill, piercing many of the clones of the Martian with a cloning deva.

‘Hikaru has thought of a way to deal with the enemy forces with minimal casualties and now goes on to execute his plan along with his friends!! Does the ‘summer bolt’’s strategy guarantee victory for his team, though?!’

The mad genius lands nearby, back in his usual form, smiling decisively and getting ready to go ahead when Seiren passes by him, flying on a surf of red fireworks.

Hikaru: ‘-Come on, people!!! It’s now or never if we want to win!!!’

Seiren: ‘-Don’t start acting all high and mighty, ‘Mr. Leader’!! I’m here, too!!!’ (Yuki smiles while observing the two from the device held by Iziya)

Yuki: ‘-Yep, those two are absolutely hopeless. They’re surrounded by enemies and yet can’t help fighting against the other one.’

The pervert envelopes his fists in his deva and starts smashing the clones jumping at him from all directions in the ground, followed by Vega, seeing a wave of sharp rocks emerging from the ground and heading right for him, slamming his foot in the ground very hard and creating a dull green energy explosion.

As the rocks are destroyed, a lizard-like creature jumps to him, both of them clashing their foreheads and the drunken bastard overwhelms his opponent, pushing him back and piercing him with his energy elbow in the chest, shooting a dull green energetic beam through his body.

King starts spinning around very fast, launching all the girls that are on his body in different directions and goes ahead with his superspeed a second later when meteors start falling from the sky and start crushing amidst the battlefield, shocking all the Earthlings. The giant jumps to the falling meteors and starts destroying them with his fists and a most wild expression, finding the deviant that’s summoning them on the ground soon enough, breaking many of his bones with a kick, crushing him tens of meters away.

‘Earth class” №1’s Big battle ram looks at his hands and sees the burns on them with an angry face when he realizes that he’s surrounded by enemies, shooting all kinds of elemental attacks towards him, destroyed by lots of lightning bolts, one of which lands on the maniac’s back, turning out to be Hikaru.

King: ‘-Punctual as ever, Suru!!!’ (they smile decisively at each other)

Hikaru: ‘-Well, you know me!!!’

Annabel: ‘-Come on, girls! Let’s get to work as well!!’

Ten of the girls gather, putting their palms on the ground as many enemies converge around them when a circle of light and a few other elements forms around them, exploding and smashing all Martians nearby in the ground.

They get up and now a wave of the same elements forms around them, shooting ahead, soon encountering a wall of jelly behind which jump out four boys.

The enemy quartet creates a combined attack of their own devas when Exo stands in front of the girls, looking more decisive and serious than ever, slamming both of his feet in the ground and a huge metal blade appears in front of him, cutting the bastards’ attack in two.

Exo: ‘-Even if I can’t fight, I can still protect my friends!!!’ (cracks start appearing beneath everyone’s feet and seconds later one of the boys rises from them, covered in lava, smashing an uppercut in the techno-genius’s chin and launching him aside)

Martian 1: ‘-You sure you can protect them with just that?!’ (Exo is crushed nearby, his face enveloped in metal to protect him from the lava while the Martian quartet gathers, launching a new, even bigger combined attack against the girls)

Martian 2: ‘-Let’s see how you’re gonna deal with this!!!’

Aria: ‘-OK, now we’re dead!!!’ (Hikaru lands nearby when Zallan jumps in front of him and starts hitting him with his rocky fists, countered by the mad genius’s bolts who overpowers and burns the freak soon enough while Vega appears behind the girls’ ten, placing his hands on the shoulders of two of them)

Vega: ‘-We ought to do it now, girls!!!’

The girls crush their fists in the ground while all of them are enveloped in dull green energy, combined with their elements and creating a multi-plastered shield around the group, hit by the enemy’s combined attack seconds later.

The focus goes to Tokura afterwards, running around lots of explosions and dodging tens of blue flame balls when Lara Jade teleports in front of him with a smoke bomb and a villainous smile.

Lara: ‘-Stop running for a change, fuckin’ weakling!!!’ (Tokura smiles decisively)

Tokura: ‘-Who says I’m running?!’

The Nelaz twins strike him from both sides in the form of a double fire drill but then he shoots himself up with his invisible shield, due to which his opponents crush each other. He lands nearby and launches to them, shooting all of their attacks back at them, dodged by the trio, smiling at him.

Kira: ‘-Do you think you can take us out with something so lowly?!’

Mara: ‘-We’re way beyond you, boy!!!’

Tokura: ‘-Well, I’m not so sure about that, darling!!’ (his body is enveloped in blue light, disappearing a second later and shocking them, appearing behind the trio where their fire shots and smoke bullets are shot at earlier, blasting them back with his shield)

Lara: ‘-WHAT?!!’ (the smoke bullets pierce the twins while the fire shots burn Lara, crushed in the ground and Tokura lands behind them, his shield disappearing)

Tokura: ‘-Just so you know, I can do more than push everything back. One of my other abilities is to teleport extremely fast.’

From there we go to the Summerbolts and Yuki, observing the development of the fights in both places at the same time when a few green lasers are shot at them from behind. The baby doll senses the attack first, pushing the four aside and spinning around, perfectly dodging all the lasers, turning around and screwing her eyes with anger.

What she sees is the villainously smiling Ulura, coming from the other end of the field, followed by hundreds of villains, dressed the same way as the ones that have attacked her, Hikaru and Seiren in Chapter 1 and carrying the same weapons, shocking her.

Yuki: ‘-Those weapons … and uniforms … was she behind all that?! But why?!!’

Ulura: ‘-Hello there! We came to make sure no one will learn the truth!!’ (Saya steps forward with a most destructive angry face)

Saya: ‘-What truth would that be exactly?!’

Afterwards, the view is focused on the crater where the main fight continues and a few of the girls of the class get up amidst the smoke, soon seeing Vega who’s standing in front of them, having taken lots of damage and falling on the ground seconds later. The girls gather and go to him as Aria starts healing him right away.

Aria: ‘-You idiot!! You took the damage from the whole attack yourself, didn’t you?’ (Vega nods barely with a smile)

King continues crushing all the opponents around him, using the body of the original Martian with a cloning deva as a bat while Seiren faces Jart, blowing him up in lots of waves of red fireworks when everyone sees the new figure that has appeared on the battlefield, equally shocked.

Nepalo: ‘-Man, things around here sure are very boring. Looks like I’ll have to join the fray to lighten up the atmosphere.’

Exo: ‘-He … what the hell is he doing here?!’

Hikaru: ‘-Shit!!! That damn son of a …’ (Zallan appears in front of him amidst the smoke, crushing his rocky fist in his stomach with a dreadful expression)

Zallan: ‘-You don’t have the luxury of looking somewhere else, boy!!!!’

‘The bluish-green heroes’ situation suddenly becomes most difficult while the mystery around Ulura and her family becomes even more confusing!!!’

 THE END

[thunder0-0sage]

Summerbolt (manga script) - Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20: MOTHER VS. MOTHER

 We see Tokura on the cover, standing on a street light and looking up high towards the whole eastern part of Deckstoru, seeing all the way to the coast, putting his hand above his eyes to see better, having a most adventuristic look and smile.

‘Tokura: ‘-A great view, don’t you think?! I never wanna get down from here!!’’

  The Summerbolt trio is seen, hiding behind the rocky ice-covered shield and waiting, seeing that more and more cracks are appearing on its inside, Rose suddenly falling on her knees and blinking from pain and fatigue as Graid and Iziya go to help her.

‘All our heroes are under attack!! Whatever hope of victory there was has now vanished as Ukris lays waste to the hot-heads with incredible ruthlessness!!!’

Rose: ‘-I’m already … at my limit …’ (Iziya waves with her hands and an aerial hemisphere is created under the rocky one in order to protect everyone)

Iziya: ‘-Then just sit your ass down and take a break, old hag!!! We’ll handle this!!!’ (Graid is standing next to her, folding his arms and looking around with zero emotion)

Graid: ‘-My deva will be of no use here, so I’ll just sit this one out.’ (Iziya becomes comically angry, roaring at her brother)

Iziya: ‘-Shut your mouth and get your ass over here, boy!!!!’

He steps forward in terror as the focus turns to Yuki, her ice armor taking severe damage from the laser-lightning shots falling from the sky, a part of the armor around the calf of her leg breaking and a few lasers hitting her there, making her roll around the ground, falling down a downhill, taking cover there as much as she can.

Yuki: ‘-Damn it!! I can’t stop now!! I’ve got to find those three at all costs!!!’

The focus turns to King, Seiren and Hikaru, the first two dragging Hock and Gorudora after them, deeper within the rocks and then dragging Summerbolt to them, dropping on the ground with heavy breathing after that.

Hikaru: ‘-Damn it all. I never thought it would end this way.’

King: ‘-I don’t think any of us has. And all of this cuz that tyrannical bitch couldn’t accept defeat!’ (Seiren screws his eyes with a very serious look)

Seiren: ‘-No. That’s not it. All of this can’t be happening just because of Ulura. Someone way stronger is pulling the strings and I suppose it is exactly that someone that’s behind this current situation we’re in.’

Hikaru: ‘-You’re probably right but who?’

The villainously smiling Ukris Nightsong is seen, floating amidst the dark clouds and looking at the field, the remains of which are being destroyed by her technique, after which the focus turns to Saya, sitting nearby and having created a shield of solar flames around her and Ulura and Tenji.

Ukris: ‘-You still alive, Summerbolt?!!!?! Just so you know, I can keep this up all day!!!! You aren’t getting away from here anytime soon!!! (Saya screws her eyes in anger, looking at her new wounds, some of which are still not healed) Do you hear me, insect?!!!?! Or are you already dead?!!!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!’

Saya: ‘-If only I could heal fast enough, I would beat the shit out of you!!!’ (everything around her then turns white and when she gets up, she realizes in shock she’s standing in an endless terrain made of whiteness, Hikaru appearing next to her)

Hikaru: (vision) ‘-Come on, mom!!! Don’t tell me you’re giving up so soon!! If you die, who’s gonna take care of Yuki, auntie Izi, uncly Grai and granny Rose? I can’t do that all by myself, you know!!! Show her what you’re really made of!!!!’

Saya: ‘-There’s nothing I can do anymore. Right now I don’t have the strength to both fight her and protect the people in the area of her attack. I’ve beaten her before but things are different now. She’s different and so am I. I don’t stand a chance against her.’ (Hikaru hits her on the head with a comical angry expression)

Hikaru: (vision) ‘-SHUT THE HELL UP!!!! YOU’RE SAYA SUMMERBOLT!!!! MY MOTHER AND THE HEAD OF OUR FAMILY!!!!! (he calms down a little) That woman that was talking to me just now … that wasn’t my mother!!! She’s just a cowardly weakling and not the person I look up to the most!!!’ (Saya looks aside sadly)

Saya: ‘-Even I’ve got limits, Saru. You know that.’ (Hikaru puts his hand on her shoulder, looking her seriously in the eyes)

Hikaru: (vision) ‘-Don’t forget what you’ve promised dad. That you’ll never give up. You can’t fail him, can you? If you do, you won’t be my mother, after all.’ (Saya is extremely shocked hearing this, grabbing her son’s hand, now very decisive)

Saya: ‘-You’re right, kid!! I promised him!!! So I just can’t fail, no matter what!!!’

Hikaru: (vision) ‘-Than go kick her ass the way only a Summerbolt can!!!!’

Saya nods as the action returns to the real world and she jumps up, running forward with a mighty roar, drawing Ukris’s attention, smiling even more widely.

Ukris: ‘-Hu-huuuuu!!!! So you’re still alive!!! It’s time to finish you off, then!!!!’ (she waves with her hand and the rain around her focuses on Hikaru’s mother, appearing on the field and flying up, enveloped in solar flames)

Saya: ‘-You don’t deserve to be a mother, Ukris!!! (Ukris is very shocked) That’s exactly why I’m going to defeat you!!! Because you lack the one most important thing that I have!!!’ (Ukris flies to her opponent as the dark clouds filled with purple lighting bolts follow her swiftly)

Ukris: ‘-And what’s that, Summerbolt?!!!’

Saya: ‘-The love and support of your child!!!! (the fiery mom teleports in zigzag, dodging all the lightning bolts hurled at her and reaching Nightsong with tremendous speed, hitting her in the stomach and then creating a solar flame storm which destroys the dark clouds) SOLARIS FLAME DEVA: STARRY SKIES’ WRATH!!!!!’

After the flames destroy the dark clouds, a rain of light falls from the sky along with small solar flame spheres which resemble little suns as Summerbolt slams Nightsong back on the ground with a double kick, spinning down and crushing in her like a fire drill, blown up in black lasers and purple lightning.

Ukris: ‘-You dispelled my technique?!!?! How?!!!’ (the little suns falling around her start exploding in solar flame explosions which she dodges constantly, trying to destroy the rest that keep on falling as Saya reaches her once again, clashing her forehead with hers and exhaling lots of smoke with a destructive expression)

Saya: ‘-I’m the ‘summer bolt’ that’s gonna take you down!!!’

They start exchanging punches with great speed, each one enveloped in her element, smacking the other one and crushing her all over the place, getting up almost instantly and launching towards their opponent once again, angrier than ever. Ukris manages to blow all the spheres that have fallen from the sky with thousands of lasers, then shooting one ray from her eyes, clashed with Saya’s fire wave, moving forward.

Ukris: ‘-If we keep this up, the only thing that’s gonna happen is that you’re gonna end up dead, Summerbolt!!! Don’t push your luck any further against me!!!’(the wave is destroyed just before it reaches Nightsong as Mrs. Summerbolt emerges from it, smashing her burning fist in Ulura’s mother’s face and crushing her in the end of the destroyed field)

Saya: ‘-My family is everything to me and I’ll sacrifice anything to save them!!! Just shut up and keep coming cuz you’ve never known that feeling and have no right to judge a Summerbolt’s decision!!!’

Ukris spreads her bat wings and Saya – her angel wings, the two of them flying to the other one, creating storms of their elements that decimate the whole area, finally reaching each other – the laser claws facing the fire blade, both roaring to the max.

Ukris: ‘-This is going to finish it!!!’

Saya: ‘-Damn right!!!’ (Saya slashes Ukris’s stomach while she pierces her with all five of her claws in the chest, shooting her aside and destroying the blade that’s still in her body, launching to Summerbolt crazier and more destructive than ever)

Ukris: ‘-You little … YOU THINK YOU’LL GET AWAY WITH JUST THAT AFTER ACTUALLY MANAGING TO WOUND ME?!!! I DIDN’T KILL YOU ONCE BUT I WON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN!!!!’ (her claws become even longer and sharper as she prepares to rip Saya’s head off, a few icy-aerial shots crushing her aside and a silhouette jumping to where Mrs. Summerbolt is)

Nighsong manages to get up, screwing her eyes in anger as her and Saya’s elemental storms disappear completely and amidst the smoke Yuki, Graid, Iziya, Rose, Seiren, King and all the other members of the two groups are seen and in front of everyone now stands Hikaru, holding his mother in his arms. Tokura then drops on the ground, covered in sweat and smiling slightly while blinking from exhaustion.

Tokura: ‘-I somehow … made it in time …’

Seiren: ‘-The team’s all together!! Let’s see how tough you’re now, bitch!!!’

Hikaru: ‘-You’ll pay for everything you’ve done till this moment, Ukris Nightsong!!! Get ready for the beating of your life!!!’ (Ukris smiles villainously as she steps forward and spreads out her arms in anticipation)

Ukris: ‘-Come on then, unsightly bastards!!!’

‘All the heroes unite against the greatest of evils!! Saya’s sacrifice has given them the opening they need and all that’s left now is for them to take advantage of it and finish this!!!’

 THE END

[thunder0-0sage]

Summerbolt (manga script) - chapter 6

CHAPTER 6: IN ORDER TO WIN!

 We see Ulura on the cover, wearing a seductive black dress, folding her hands with a villainous and proud smile while green lasers are exploding behind and around her.

‘Never underestimate the power of this dark queen!! It may just be the last thing you’ll ever do in this life, pathetic insects!!!’

  An icy-laser explosion erupts when the two ladies’ fists clash, enveloping everything in light as only the outlines of their faces can be seen, gritting their teeth against the other one.

‘Their clash continues!! Will the despotic empress overwhelm the kind princess or will things go the other way around, now that the fury of both of them is burning more than ever?!!?!’

They throw their opponent back and as the smoke starts disappearing, Ulura launches to Yuki first, hitting her in the back when many ice spikes emerge from there, cutting the black-haired tyrant’s hand multiple times, shocking her and making Yuki smile.

Yuki: ‘-I bet you didn’t see that coming, did you?!’ (turns around, kicking her in the stomach, rolling her aside and destroying the ground around them)

The baby doll envelopes her entire body in an armor of ice shards, jumping to Ulura and preparing for a next attack when hundreds of lasers are shot at her, destroying some of the ice and her opponent teleports in front of her with a laser blast, enveloped in her element as well.

Ulura: ‘-You’re gonna pay for that, dolly!!’

Nightsong slams a small laser sphere in Yuki’s chest, kicking her up and even though Iceflame blocks her attack, as she starts to fall down she sees with shock that the sphere explodes in lots of laser shots, hitting her many times over and crushing her in a tree, burning it.

When the smoke there disappears, the baby doll jumps ahead, having completely lost her armor but holding two samurai swords in her hands, clashing them with the wave of laser disks, sent to her by Ulura.

In a few seconds, Yuki envelopes herself in ice blades and starts spinning very fast, creating an ice-blade tornado, destroying all the disks, reaching her opponent before she can act and crushing her very hard in the ground for tens of meters.

Yuki: ‘-Ice deva: Frozen samurai blade typhoon!!!’ (what’s left of the yard is destroyed with that attack as Yuki lands nearby, receiving everyone’s ovations)

Hikaru, Seiren: ‘-That’s our girl!!!!’ (Ulura appears amidst the smoke with a terrifying mad expression, lots of lasers spinning around her)

Ulura: ‘-If that’s how we’re gonna play, I’m gonna get serious, too!!! (launches ahead, transforming into a large laser drill in the shape of a dragon’s head, hitting Yuki’s huge ice wall and destroying it completely, enveloping everything in light once again) LASER DEVA: PIERCING DRAGON DRILL!!!!’

Vega: ‘-What the hell happened?!!’

King: ‘-I don’t know!! I can’t see either!!!’

When the light disappears, everyone sees how Yuki’s on her knees with multiple wounds and Ulura is gripping her head, pulling out her hair with a dreadful pleased smile, shocking everyone.

Ulura: ‘-Do you get it now, kid? I’m the strongest and greatest one around here!!! Get it through that thick skull of yours!!! (screws her eyes, now even more villainous)

I think I’ll have to maim you some more to ensure you’ll never dear to oppose me again, though.’

Seiren: ‘-Stop it already, Ulura!!!’

Hikaru: ‘-The fight is over!! Leave her alone!!!’ (Ulura turns to them for a moment, her gaze filled with killing intent)

Ulura: ‘-Shut the fuck up, you bastards!! I’ll deal with you soon enough. (hears a noise, turning aside and seeing how Yuki is trying to release herself from her grip, making her laugh in a most hideous way once again) Well, well, well! Looks like you’ve still got some fighting spirit left in you! Now I definitely can’t let you leave with just a disgrace!’

Yuki: ‘-Don’t you dare … (she lifts her head, monstrous hate and decisiveness burning in her eyes) … touch them!!!’ (Ulura looks at her with confusion and then grins villainously)

Ulura: ‘-So you care about those two, huh? And what exactly are you gonna do to me if I hurt them? Pathetic half-dead insect!!! (starts pulling her hair even more) You’re nothing, do you hear me?! NOTHING!!!!’ (lets her go, slapping her and letting her fall on the ground)

Yuki: ‘-Okay … I’m sorry for bumping in you earlier. It wasn’t on purpose.’ (Ulura looks at her with confusion)

Ulura: ‘-Why are you saying that now? Your apology won’t change anything, don’t you get it?!’ (Yuki manages to stand on her feet once again, throwing what’s left of her uniform aside, dressed in nothing but her underwear, making all the boys in the crowd lose it totally, shouting as much as they can and looking at her with love)

Seiren: ‘-There can hardly be a more beautiful sight than this in the whole universe!!!’ Tokura: ‘-Well done, princess!! You’re looking great!!’

Hikaru: ‘-Complete idiots!!!’ (hits both of them in the head with a comical angry face while only then does Yuki notice how she looks, blushing a lot and covering the most beautiful parts of her body with her hands as best as she can)

Yuki: ‘-No, please! Don’t stare at me like that!!’ (laser typhoons start forming nearby and then we see the mad Ulura, ripping what’s left of her clothes, now also in her underwear, exploding in huge amounts of her deva from all sides)

Ulura: ‘-You’ve crossed the line now!!! I was maddened by your insult earlier but to try and compete with me on sex appeal is beyond words!!!! (the boys start shouting and whistling even louder, more comically in love than ever)

The boys: ‘-Ulura-samaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! We love you!!!! Take her down!!!’

Hikaru: ‘-Yuki! (Yuki turns to him) Don’t be afraid and don’t be ashamed of yourself!! You’re the strongest and cutest girl for me and always will be!!! SEND THE FUCKIN’ BITCH TO HELL!!!!’

Seiren: ‘-WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK, SO NAIL HER HARD!!!!’ (Yuki smiles decisively while Ulura becomes angrier by the second)

Yuki: ‘-You’ve got it, boys!!!’

Ulura: ‘-Time to die, baby doll!!!’

Vega: ‘-This fight must continue for an eternity!!! The sexiest girls ever are fighting half-naked, after all!!!’

Ulura: ‘-Laser deva …’ (an explosion of ice spikes and blades erupts in front of Ulura and Yuki jumps from there, shocking her opponent and the whole crowd)

Yuki: ‘-I’ll beat you up later, Vega!!’

Smacks a triumphant fist in Ulura’s chin, sending her tens of meters up, appearing above her from another icy explosion, falling down and covering both her hands in ice to the elbows.

A long ice blade emerges above her left hand’s wrist and her right fist is covered in lots of super-sharp ice needles, cutting the bitch with the blade and hitting her with her needle-fist in the chest, launching her back on the ground, creating an incredible explosion and a crater in the remains of the yard. Then we see the defeated Ulura’s shocked face.

Ulura: ‘-I … I lost … it can’t be!!!’ (Yuki lands nearby with a decisive smile as everyone starts cheering more happily than ever)

Yuki: ‘-This one was for you, boys.’

Hikaru, Seiren, Vega, King, Exo, Tokura: ‘-YOU WERE AWESOME, YUKIIIIIIIII!!!!!!’

Everyone from the crowd goes to the victor except for the members of Ulura’s class who go to take care of their broken dark queen, already crying from desperation and shame.

Student 1: ‘-Ul, are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?’ (lasers explode from Ulura’s eyes, launching her classmate many meters away with a huge laser shot)

Ulura: ‘-Shut the hell up, fuckin’ bastard!!!’

Student 1: ‘-But whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!!?’

Student 2: ‘-Come on. Let’s take her and get out of here. The battle’s over and she was made fun of, as was our class.’

Student 3: ‘-I doubt Nepalo will forgive her for this.’ (one of the boys takes her in his arms, walking aside with the rest of the class)

Ulura: ‘-Shut up … all of you … just shut up!! She … and her whole class … they’ll pay for this … !!’

As all the other students are about to reach Yuki, she blinks tiredly and falls, caught by Hikaru in the last moment, as their eyes meet, both of them smiling to each other.

Hikaru: ‘-You were great, Yu. I’m so proud of you.’

Yuki: ‘-Thanks.’ (Seiren lands next to the two, hugging both of them over the shoulder)

Seiren: ‘-Looks like our champion is a little too tired, huh?’ (Yuki nods barely, still smiling)

Yuki: ‘-Yeah. It was a tough battle.’

King: ‘-That was one hell of a fight, Yuki! I was totally blasted! You’re great, girl!!’ (Hikaru and Seiren help Yuki to get up again, leaning on both of them while the girls from their class gather around them)

Annabel: ‘-Don’t worry, Yuki. I’ll take care of you in no time! It’s the least I can do to thank you.’ (she holds both of Yuki’s hands and bluish-green energy goes from her body into the baby doll’s, confusing her while most of her wounds heal completely)

Yuki: ‘-Thank me? For what? I’m the one who should be thanking you.’

Annabel: ‘-Ulura was terrorizing everyone in school, including the people from her own class. Everyone hated her but till today no one had managed to beat her.’

Seiren: ‘-You changed everything today, Yu!! You stunned everyone!! That bitch will think twice before trying to lay her hands on someone from our school!!’

Exo: ‘-After all, her reputation crumbled completely. To be beaten by the new girl is the greatest shame ever for someone like her.’ (Tokura moves closer to Yuki with a perverted smile)

Tokura: ‘-And besides, you showed everyone you’re sexier than her, on all levels!!’ (Yuki blushes and covers her body once again while the boys start beating up Tokura before he can react, dragging him back)

Yuki: ‘-Are you ever gonna stop staring at me like that?!!’

Seiren: ‘-Breasts, ass, legs, hands, belly … there’s a lot of potential in you, alright.’ (Yuki screams, most ashamed and all red)

Yuki: ‘-Stop discussing my body!!!!’

The boys catch up to the girl’s group as King drags the beaten up Tokura behind him while some of the girls give Yuki their clothes to cover herself up and then everyone else from the school jumps to her. They’re all congratulating or thanking her while she scratches her head with a shy smile, turning to different people asking her different things at the time.

Yuki: ‘-No, I haven’t done anything so special, really. I just … (an orb of light appears above the yard, exploding in flames and a phoenix comes out of it, spreading its wings with a loud noise, terrifying everyone, running in different directions from panic)

Huh?! What is that?!! Is that a phoenix?!’

Exo: ‘-It’s the headmasteeeeer!!! I told you guys we’re all gonna die and it’s definitely gonna be today!!!’ (everyone looks at each other with desperation while the creature lands on the ground, screwing its eyes in a threatening way)

‘The students’ greatest nightmare has appeared!! What will the punishment for the wild bunch lead by Yuki be?!!’

 THE END