#Imagine Yumi hearing their conversation in the other room

[gazkamurocho]

Tattoo Healing 2: Kiryu and Nishiki

[just-a-normal-regretter]

I'm really interested in hearing more about 'New Kid' and 'Odd is Alone' AUs from your Odd-shots.

The concepts sounds really fun

Thanks for the ask! o7

Recapping the AUs I'll talk about below:

New Kid - "William falls for Odd in S2" AU

Odd is Alone - "Canon!Odd gets thrown into the William/Odd roleswap world" AU

Let's talk about New Kid first:

New Order gets turned on its head just a bit. William is the new kid and he's going through the motions of learning just about everything that Kadic has to offer.

He's not gonna figure out everything from day 1, though Yumi is pretty chill with him from the get-go. She's the one who tries to show him around before classes get going. Then there's Odd butting his nose in, curious about the new student in town.

William gets a brief time to spend with both Odd and Yumi. Then things shift when it's time for the class trip for Mrs Hertz project.

Odd pities Ulrich floundering in his "will they won't they" relationship with Yumi. That and he pretty much knows that Ulrich will likely brood if he catches William and Yumi together.

So he nips that right in the bud and pairs up with William, Kiwi secret be damned. This leaves Yumi and Ulrich to pair up, while Aelita and Jeremie are set to pair as well.

At first Odd is just a neat friend. William is awed in how much Odd goes against the rules too given he's instantly exposed to Kiwi. Kiwi's pretty much an open secret to the student body, so Odd's not too worried showing him to William.

Odd's chatter makes the assignment go by pretty quickly. William didn't mind hearing more about the school at all, nor did he mind the constant topic shifts. Honestly, it was nice just to relax for once after all this change.

At one point, it isn't just Odd's chatter filling the air. William joins in as well, talking about his previous expulsion, how Delmas was pretty forgiving in letting him attend a new school, etc.

Things have a way of diverging from here. In one timeline, Odd has to take off to help find Aelita. Ulrich and Yumi get trapped and nearly boiled alive. William's interest flounders given Odd up and leaves without warning while he was talking.

Another timeline plays out given a return to the past. William's heart soars at the time spent with Odd. He wants to get to know him more. He thinks he's in love all over again.

Meanwhile Odd's just trying to settle back into this rewind. It doesn't really register how much he's bonded with William given the RTTP shot him back mid-conversation.

Thus post-New Order the hijinks will begin to ensue. William's case is interesting because I treat this affection towards Odd initially as puppy love. Throughout S2 he'll get to know Odd better than just from the first day and will constantly insist that it has to be love.

I imagine that A Bad Turn is where Odd's part of the crush starts to kick in. Although William getting out of "puppy love" stage -> actual potential relationship type of love would likely be around Ultimatum given the whole conflict in that episode.

In the meantime, it's mainly William being a dork trying to profess his love. Odd's oblivious here and just thinks William is being a good friend. It doesn't really register that the time spent together allowed the boy to crush on him so fast haha

Ulrich and Yumi are reading the room differently. Yumi understands that William is crushing on Odd, but given she's also heard about why William got expelled from his last school she worries that him getting involved with Odd would lead to a ton of issues (especially when it comes to XANA).

Meanwhile Ulrich isn't getting the memo much either, he accidentally comes to the conclusion that the boy is crushing on Yumi. It takes til Marabounta to clear this up by William having to flat out spell it out for Ulrich. After that Ulrich is still incredibly snarky but doesn't get on William's case. In fact, he teases the other about Odd's obliviousness.

Aelita and Jeremie are the only sane people here lmao, at first Jeremie was in a similar boat with Yumi re: William (i.e. nothing but trouble, could be bad for the group) but Aelita convinces him to give it a chance and see if it even works out compared to flat out disagreeing with it.

"New Kid" probably wraps up in Revelation rather than The Key.

Alright as for the "Odd is Alone" AU:

This guy I have planned out wayyy too much compared to some of the other Odd-shots. I think Cherrybird and Trio are AI AUs are the only ones that have a ton to them that can compare to this one besides like Drain/Adaptation which are akin to true one-shots.

This story takes the concept of "Triple Trouble" and just fucking books it into the complete other direction haha

Also headcanon's galore re: Odd's family. This fic in particular (and technically Cherrybird too) consider Odd's family as rich folk. They're happy with their jobs given they can provide for their kids, but sometimes their too in love with it. Practically to the point where they neglect their kids.

Hence Odd getting raised mostly by his sisters rather than parents, etc etc

So "Odd is Alone" runs with the idea that Odd is peeved for more reasons than just feeling useless on Lyoko. His parents forget his birthday, sending their well wishes way too late.

This rubs off on his Lyoko performance and well, this just makes him feel worse. The kill counts are joked about and Odd doesn't want to bring up why he felt terrible heading into Lyoko, so he instead blames his lack of power.

Next day things still aren't going his way and then Jeremie obviously comes in with the solution of a new power.

Off to their last sector, the Mountain Sector, Odd and Aelita await the all clear by Jeremie. Once it's explained a bit more to Odd he cheerfully tells Aelita he'll see her around. Then he activates Teleportation and it all falls apart from here.

Odd opens his eyes and he can instantly tell something's wrong. The place he envisioned himself landing at has completely shifted. It was supposed to be a rocky mesa with a simple tree.

It should not have been a large plateau instead decorated in specks of sand and snow. The tree that he saw before his teleport had grown tremendously, its roots ripping through the ground enough to truly highlight just how much the ground had changed.

...and yeah, if I keep going I'd just flat out try to drabble this haha

Just imagine a sector that is all four in one. That's only one of the major shifts in this AU because reasons I don't want to reveal yet if I ever do write about this properly.

"Odd is Alone" kicks off from there. There's some instant conflict that he gets exposed to between his copycat self, the crazy ability his other self exhibits to create and control new monsters at whim, and of course his friends are not exactly his friends right now. Although some things seem to stay the same, given he does save Aelita from the Scyphozoa as per usual. Then Ulrich devirtualizes him and it sinks in that this is very much not the world he lived in.

Odd integrates himself in this new world given he can't help his curiosity one bit. He looks at a life where he arrived way later at Kadic than what he did in his world.

He gets to interact with a William who joined the group from the get-go, a more closed off Ulrich (him and William don't hit off their friendship compared to canon Odd and Ulrich... plus, the love triangle did its damage), a very paranoid Jim, dealing with this version's Sam, etc.

Yumi is also interesting here given Cruel Dilemma didn't happen. Although with what occurs in this version's Just in Time... well... there's certainly some shifts.

I mentioned this the first time I chatted about this AU but the other Odd got to keep Kiwi on Kadic grounds without him being illegal. His parents are much more involved in his life after Louise sold out just what he planned to do earlier (hence why he didn't go to Kadic that day). William's parents didn't really accept his rebellious nature and sent him off to Kadic from the get-go on the day Odd should've attended.

Oh and don't get me started on how the polymorphic Odd clone is. Triple Trouble forma de three Odds existing at the same time in one world haha

It's funny at first but then it gets a bit depressing when the world is very much against that given the conflict to send Odd back to his world is a) his body is disappearing and b) getting devirtualized rewrote his programs to try to match his other self. He uh, lost Teleportation for Future Flash all over again. Whoops!

Rest goes from there if I keep going I'll just spill the entire plot at this point lmao

Thanks for the ask and uh sorry for the very long post (it was even longer than this before I trimmed down how much I talked about Odd is Alone ;-;)

Also thanks for reading everyone o7

[furikakyo]

a return to roots | 2

pairing: kita shinsuke x f!reader

summary: y/n is a rising star in the music industry, having almost everything you could have ever hoped for as a small-town country girl. now after releasing two triple platinum albums in consecutive years, you face the dreaded artist’s burnout… in order to recover, your manager suggests, you should return to your hometown in hyōgo for a long-deserved break.

genre: socmed/smau, slice of life

warnings/tags: timeskip!, mutual pining, slow burn? more like rekindling, slight canon divergence

masterpost 

The hardest part is over, then. Suna was wrong. 

Kita rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands harshly before sighing and setting his phone aside. Y/N was returning to Hyōgo. Not only that, but she was planning on returning to her hometown. Their hometown.

Kita stirred the miso paste into the pot of water, deep in thought. The last 24 hours had been spent in a daze. Really, he was supposed to have been sleeping at 12 in the morning, but the notifications on his phone had woken him up. Granny’d said he’d always been a light sleeper. And any interest in sleeping had been completely dispelled when the group chat with some of his high school buddies blew up. Contrary to the others’ belief, he had been up, scanning the back and forth conversation happening in the group chat, read the encouraging texts. How was he supposed to go back to sleep when Osamu had dropped that knowledge on all of them so suddenly? Kita had slept poorly last night, tossing and turning in his futon, his mind only occupied with thoughts of Y/N. Even counting sheep or focusing on breathing evenly had failed to calm his racing heart, to his dismay. 

Y/N was coming back home.

The smell of something burning caught his attention, and he suddenly remembered the mackerel he had been baking. If the gods were truly watching Kita, they would be laughing; enjoying his currently sporadic behavior the way Granny guiltily enjoys watching what she dubbed “trashy shows”.

He ducked and pulled out the pan from the oven, sighing in relief when he saw that the fish weren’t too burnt. Perhaps the gods were feeling generous today, Kita mused, setting aside the miso soup and then ladling out portions for him and Granny. 

“Shin-chan?” Granny shuffled out into the kitchen in her house slippers, peering over her reading glasses at him. 

Kita looked up, a soft smile settling over his features. “Dinner’s almost ready, obaa-san. You can sit at the table; I’ll set it.” Granny Yumie nodded and then smiled sweetly before hobbling into the next room to wait for him.

Kita exhaled softly. If Y/N was coming home and there were going to be hangouts, then he would just have to make time. Yeah, that was it. He’d just have to work hard to prep the fields and sprout the rice this week, so he would have more free time when she came. He would work extra hard, Kita promised, diligently serving two scoops of rice into each bowl. There was nothing to worry about; no need to think any further on it.

Hard work always felt the best, anyways. It made him feel safe. 

“Kuroo?” You wrinkle your nose, remembering how he had left you on read for basically the entire day.

“Y/N?” he mimicked back, making you roll her eyes. After a beat he kept talking. “I thought I should probably call since you were in peril,” Kuroo teased. You could imagine the smirk on his face.

“What, you’re done facetiming Kenma?” You sat back on your couch, in your Tokyo apartment. The living room was simply furnished but had an elegant and tasteful selection of furniture. When you had first bought them, the small voice in the back of your mind had cried over the price alone.

“I am, actually,” Kuroo replied. You could imagine him lounging too, probably changed out of his business suit by now. Life had been kind to Kuroo, as it had been to you. He was living comfortably in Tokyo as one of the higher-ups in the JVA’s promotion division, with a spiffy apartment which was a twenty minute walk from your own.

You rearranged the stiff pillows that were poking your back uncomfortably, and lied back on the couch instead. This was probably the most downtime you’d had in a long time. “I don’t understand why you can’t just hang out in person like normal people,” you muttered, putting your phone on speaker and then closing your eyes to rest them.

Kuroo only snarked back and then began speaking of his recent work projects and his excitement towards them. You only half-listened, slowly falling asleep. Your head jerked back up and you regained a sense of clarity, catching the last bit of your friend’s sentence. “…Kenma and I’s friend, the little redhead with the Black Jackals… uh, number 21, yeah, I’m having him and Kenma do a video collab for a promo.” After a moment of silence and lack of reaction on your part, Kuroo asked “Y/N?”

You struggled to keep your eyelids from drooping down. “…Kuroo?” Your head nodded off, trying to fight falling asleep.

“Yeah?” He seemed to have picked up on the change in your attitude. You could hear soft rustling on the other side, and imagined him sitting up or standing. “What’s up, Y/N? Is anything wrong?”

Your voice was a lot smaller than usual. “…what should I do about Kita? I don’t know if I wanna see him,” you mumbled. “It’ll hurt a lot.”

“Well, Y/N…” Kuroo hesitated. “Maybe you need to confront the past. You’ve never really told me what happened, but it sounds like you haven’t had time to think about it…” He trailed off and said something else, but you hadn’t caught it. You were too busy, already fast asleep.

a/n: the next part will probably have less words idk-

some ~fun facts~

- granny’s “trashy shows” are reality tv like kuwtk or the bachelorette… she gets together with her girlfriends once a week to watch it

- in japan you ALWAYS do two scoops of rice for each person. it doesn’t matter if you don’t want a lot; just do two little scoops. (according to my mom, who is japanese, born and raised)

- kuroo fuckin LOVES his job

- JVA stands for japan volleyball association

- miss rona, like in the haikyuu universe, does not exist here either ❤️

[touyasdoll]

It only took like 15 days about, but here’s part two for ya! 😅😅😐

Here’s a quick link to Part 1, for refreshers sake.

 

 

[NSFW - Todoroki Sibs x Reader - Smut]

 

—————

Todo-Orgy Snow Bunny Family Meeting 2

You briefly glanced at the nearest window and must not of been too subtle about it, because immediately Natsuo easily lifted you up and into his arms, holding you close and securely. You weren’t going to escape unless you fought your mate and you didn’t want to do that, to hurt him, no matter how something inside you screamed to “run”. Besides, the comfort his touch held was really needed right now, even if something bad was to soon follow it.

…you really hoped nothing bad was about to happen. Please, nothing bad!

“You’re shaking!” Natsuo stated in surprise as you trembled in his form. “What’s wrong? Are you feelin—“

“Did I mess up?” You couldn’t help but blurt out in an interruption, fidgeting in the hold of your largest mate (in some ways, at least). You worried your bottom lip, biting it as you wildly looked around from face to face.

Shock and concern. Everyone looked and smelt strongly of their surprise at your question and worry as their eyes assessed you. It was Fuyumi who spoke up, moving from the loveseat to on the couch next to Natsu. She began to run her hand through your hair, trying to calm you.

“What do you mean, Bunny? Talk to us, please.”

And you did, gripping ahold of the arm of Natsuo’s jacket as you spoke. You told them the whys behind your question and explained a little. Everyone let out a little exhale and their scents turned to reliefguiltprotect.

“No, babe, you’re not in trouble. C’mere,”Touya spoke, making a slight grabbing motion towards you that had you wiggling out of Natsuo’s loosening arms and into his. He settled you down, pressing a light kiss to your lips and another to your head as he made sure you were comfortable, laying against him, chin resting to his chest. He also ignored the little looks that you didn’t even see him receive for stealing you away. “We have something important to talk about, kinda serious but not anything bad.”

“Serious, but not bad,” you tasted the words as you spoke them, brow furrowing in confusion. Usually the two words went together. You had no idea what would cause them not to, but soon your other mate fixed that without even realizing.

“Yes. Are you okay with being impregnated by us?” Shōto, blunt as usual, got to the heart of the matter.

“…children?”, you asked in surprise and wonder, ignoring the punch Natsuo gave to his little brother’s arm — There was a reason that Shōto wasn’t often asked to start off important, delicate conversations. But, children! Kits! You turned over the words around and around in your head in quiet awe.

Touya inhaled deep and sighed with the exasperation only an elder sibling can produce. “You’re ours, we don’t want—“

“Can’t imagine,”Fuyumi quietly added, to Touya’s nod as he kept talking.

“—having anyone else in our lives. Not now, not later on, not when Shōto finally learns social graces. You’re it. You’re our girlfriend, mate, partner, whatever. For life.”

“And, well, we know you’ve talked about how you always wanted kids someday,” Natsuo took over, scratching the back of his head as he spoke. He smiled reassuringly, hopefully. “We do, too. All of us, actually, want kids. And we want them with you, which would be a lot on you and s—“

“Yes!”

You couldn’t help it. You had started to wiggle so much you were practically vibrating in Touya’s lap, causing him to tighten his grip on you, just a bit, eyes sparkling and the tail tip of your succubus traits hitting the cushion behind you in a happy wagging motion. Your mates! They wanted kits with you! They wanted you to have their kits!

“Whoa!” Touya gave a quick, surprised laugh at how suddenly you became excited to such a degree — he made a mental note to find a way to recreate you moving like this in the bedroom — and reluctantly loosens his grip so you could move more. Which you did by surging up to kiss him deeply before bouncing over to do the same to Shōto, who was nearest, then over to Natsuo and finally spinning around in nearly a full circle to slip into Fuyumi’s lap, straddling her in glee.

Fuyumi. Your girlfriend, your mate, partner, Mistress… and the only one who’s kids you couldn’t have. You stopped bouncing in her lap and drew back. Looking up into her eyes, you could tell she hadn’t seen a problem and that- that hurt a bit, but was something she probably never thought about so she wouldn’t feel the same. Probably.

She didn’t have the biological instincts and desires that your inherited quirks did. Succubus and Rabbit, both effecting your sexual desires, modestly (which there was a lack thereof) and socially, the relationship aspects. Natsuo had said that everyone wanted kids, but did she ever think of having them herself? A partner who could give her that one way or another?

Her eyes searched your frame, tone as concerned as the others looked at your excitement that had quickly waned. “Bunny?”

You smiled weakly, a sadly wistful look in your eyes and yearning tone in your voice. “…I wanna have your kits, too, Fuyumi. I wish I could. I wish I was good enough to be able to give you that.”

The sole Todoroki daughter (officially, so far (much to Mama Rei’s chagrin)) widened her eyes at the statement. It squeezed at her heart tightly, her heart that was already fit to burst with the love she felt for their Snow Bunny. Their Snow Bunny that was so excited by the question and happily included all her mates equally like she always did, with the thought of doing otherwise never even entering her mind, despite that her brothers would be the only ones providing her what she needed to become pregnant. She would be okay with being the cool Aunt to them instead of another mom because it might be too confusing for the babies, toddlers to separate everyone like that. But… what if…

Hmm. She had the beginnings of an idea stirring.

…but it could wait. Her little Snow Bunny needed reassurances and quickly getting to her feet, she set the other down to walk in front of her, pushing her ahead gently yet firmly, in a way that spoke that if she could teleport the two would already be there so.

“Wha—“

“Hey!”

“‘Yumi, we weren’t done!”

Fuyumi threw a look over her shoulder. “Details later. I’ve got a girlfriend in need of reassurance — or do you have a problem with that?”, she asked. Not that she stopped moving long enough to hear an answer, but the implied threat in her words has the others waving her off. Well, Touya and Natsuo waving her off, while keeping ahold of Shōto’s shirt so they could explain why going against Fuyumi when she was using that tone was not something he wanted to do. Ever.

“Yumi, I—“

“—am perfect as you are, which I’m going to prove to you.”

“Bu—“

“Shush!”

You both reached her room in little time and before you could even say another thing, Fuyumi was on you, kissing you deeply as she multitasked by unbuttoning your shirt and stepping out of her own skirt. It took even less time than the walk over for her to strip you completely, hands cupping your breasts, thumbs brushing over your nipples, helping to draw out a moan that allowed her tongue to slip into your mouth, easily dominating. You’re not sure when you reached the bed nor when you both climbed into it or when she took her rightful place her atop you, but you certainly felt such a hand reached lower and fingers played with you, pinching your clit and making you buck your hips in response.

You both came up for air as you gasped from the sensation. “F-fuyumiiIIIII!”,you moaned as she gave your clit another pinch and then leaned forward, pressing you into the mattress, demeanor switching. You moaned again as you felt her breasts rub and press against yours. The stimulation from that alone could of sent you over the edge if things in the air hadn’t just changed.

 

—————

Gotta work on the third part now, yeah? Oy…

 

- InvisibleRibbitch

I see you’ve fed us Fuyumi simps 👀

[angstyaches]

Alone (Hitori de)

So I feel like I’ve been teasing this OC’s introduction for... a long time?! So finally, here’s your invitation to Ryan Aldridge’s 200th birthday party! 

CW: nausea, emeto, loneliness, jetlag, character overwhelmed by language

He was swaying a little – hopefully not noticeably – as he passed countless faces. Countless strangers who, no matter their differences, were all dressed in black and white attire; monochromatic dresses and stiff-looking suits were the order of the evening. All blending in, all the same.

However, most other people at the party weren’t hiding sweat patches under their suit jackets, or struggling to stand upright because of stomach cramps and dizzy spells.

Conversations blew past, the onslaught of the known, yet vaguely unfamiliar, language making everything worse. His hands were shaking, and the loneliness felt like an alien thing attached to his stomach lining, niggling away with the possibility that he wouldn’t find who he was looking for.

He lingered by the refreshments table, resigning to just grabbing a cup of water. There was a selection of food – as well as goblets of blood and various entrails for the strictly carnivorous guests – on display in giant, elaborate glass bowls, anyone’s for the taking. He averted his eyes from all of this; the thought of putting anything in his stomach right then made him want to retch, despite the fact that his last meal had been on a plane ten hours ago.

It could have been the three plane rides that were making him feel so horrible, or maybe it was the fact that his eating and sleeping schedule had been shaken around relentlessly over the past three days. Or was it two days? He couldn’t even get it straight in his head.

The cold water settled in his belly for all of a couple of seconds before he felt it gush back towards his throat. He hiccupped deeply, pressing a hand to his mouth just in case anything had made it all the way up. He glanced around, noting that none of the nearby guests had turned to look at him.

Feet swirled in and out of his vision as he stared at the floor and shuffled away from the table. Arms brushed against his and made his clammy skin crawl. His agoraphobia didn’t usually affect him as badly as his claustrophobia, but right now it felt like the two were ganging up on him.

He needed to get out of there.

He weaved through to the other end of the hall, mumbling “sumimasen, excuse me, I’m sorryyyy” all the while. He began to feel off-balance, like he’d accidentally put his tight dress shoes on the wrong feet. He somehow made it out of the function room and through the foyer, stumbling out into the night.

At the top of the glossy marble staircase that overlooked the mansion’s car park, he loosened his tie and undid his top button. His shirt felt soaked with sweat under his jacket, his hair curled and sticking to the back of his neck. Now that he was away from the party, he could hear his own stomach groaning in discomfort.

He sat down at the side of the top stair, leaning his head against a cool marble column. He was tempted to close his eyes for a bit, but he was afraid his jetlagged brain would put him straight to sleep if he did. He couldn’t imagine any of the Elder and elitists would be too pleased to find an unconscious Japanese boy slumped at the top of the stairs of this very fancy mansion. He could just imagine the scolding phone call he would get from Yumi if she caught wind of it all.

The cold air relaxed him for a few minutes, before he heard footsteps coming up from the car park of the mansion, as well as low voices speaking to each other. He lowered his head a little further, curling an arm around the side of his face to hide from whoever was coming, waiting with the other hand pressed into his gut for his moment of solitude to be restored.

Not that he wanted to be alone, exactly.

“- hear what she said?”

“I heard her, boo, but I still don’t think she meant it the way you’re taking it.”

“Yeah, well, I think you give them too much slack, honestly.”

He lifted his head to see the two figures who had just walked past him towards the entrance to the mansion. One of them was a tall, dark guy whose suit jacket was slung over his shoulder, revealing suspenders worn over a grey-and-white pinstripe shirt.

The other was a lot shorter, paler, and had vibrant blue-green hair. His suit jacket was nowhere to be seen, and his shirt was silky and patterned like a chessboard.

His heart grew lighter in his chest and tears sprang to his eyes. A brand-new wave of energy struck his bloodstream and his nervous system, and if he’d been in fox form at that moment, he’d have wagged his fluffy white tail.

His legs carried him back inside without much input from his thoughts, and he couldn’t stop smiling to himself. Even the pain in his belly faded to the back of his mind; even the unsteadiness left him alone. The crowd didn’t freak him out as much as he joined it this time; because in the sea of black and white attire, he could see that mint-coloured hair.

It had been a silvery shade of lilac when he had last seen it, and it was about thirty feet away, buried in the crowd.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

“Fee-kun!”

Heads shot up from drinks and conversations, but none of them were the right heads. Kazu began to giggle as more and more attention was drawn towards him, and it only made him more and more excited, more and more eager to –

“FEE-KUN!”

He looked this time, blinking in disbelief.

“Kaz?” Felix asked, eyes widening as started to push his way back through the crowd.

Kazu allowed himself a shaky smile.

“Kaz?” Felix squeaked, starting to run a bit now.

Kazu managed to brace himself in time for Felix to throw his weight towards him. He scooped the smaller boy into a hug; there was so much adrenaline in his blood that he mustered the strength to lift Felix up off the ground and spin him slightly before setting him back down.

Just like he used to.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it’s really you,” Felix gushed, clinging to Kazu for dear life. Kazu was a little wary of the pressure this was putting on his stomach, but he still laughed and continued to squeeze his friend back.

He also noticed the disgruntled looks that some of the older guests were throwing their way, but if Felix didn’t care, then Kazu certainly didn’t.

“Hisashiburi, ne?”

“Hisashiburi.” Felix’s voice cracked a bit as he nodded violently, his chin knocking against Kazu’s collarbone. It certainly had been a long time. Six years, to be exact. Felix still looked like the same twenty-three year old Kazu had known back then, whereas Kazu had gone from nineteen to twenty-five in that time.

“Genki?” Felix demanded to know, his voice warm beside Kazu’s ear. Are you well? His Japanese was nowhere near the level of Kazu’s English, but Kazu appreciated the effort. The rushed little greetings were making him feel a little less overwhelmed.

“Genki,” Kazu muttered, though now that he thought about it, he felt far, far from genki, and he didn’t feel good about lying to his friend. “Ah – I – I’m tired.”

“You look it, buddy,” Felix said as he pulled back, frowning as he scanned his friend’s face. “When was your flight in? Today?”

“Ah, uh, yes,” Kazu said shakily. “For me, yesterday.”

“Right, right.” Felix turned his head, beckoning for his taller, darker companion to join them. So far, he had been hovering a few steps below, but he silently came back up, letting Felix take his hand. The rest of the party had gone about their business by now, Kazu noted.

“Elli, you remember me telling you about Kazuhito, right?”

The guy nodded quietly.

“Kaz, this is Elliott,” Felix smiled.

Kazu glanced down, gulping back a mouthful of sour spit as he saw how the two of them were holding hands. He’d never felt anything romantic towards Felix, but he’d also never had to share him with anyone; when he’d come to Japan, Felix had been alone and completely helpless until Kazuhito had offered him somewhere to stay.

Now Kazu was the one in a foreign land. Now he was the one who was alone.

He was working himself up to repeating the name Felix had given, briefly panicking that he was going to mess up the L-sound. He wondered if he should just lean into a funny mispronunciation, to try to break the ice.

“Ni-nice to mee–”

Kazu swallowed mid-speech and clamped a hand to his mouth. The crashing waves in his stomach were even more unsettled after the jumping and hugging and spinning. The excitement and relief he’d felt upon seeing Felix was already ebbing away, leaving just nausea and exhaustion. He really didn’t feel like talking, not with how horrible his body felt, and not while there were so many people around. What he wanted was a bed, preferably his futon back home, but he’d have settled for anything.

“Hey, are you okay?” Felix asked, his eyes widening again.

“Ore – kibun –  I…” Kazu mumbled into his hand, too dizzy to try to explain in English. He gently placed his other hand on his stomach for emphasis. “Onaka ga itai.”

“What, really? Your stomach hurts?” Felix glanced around, stepping closer again so he could put a hand to Kazu’s elbow.

Kazu moaned. He felt like the world was tilting on its side. He wanted to warn Felix of just how bad he felt, of the very real danger of –

Before he could make up his mind what to do or say, his body made a decision of its own, and his head shot forward with incredible force. His hand flew away and his jaw fell open, and he emptied out the scarce remains of his in-flight meal and all of the water he’d drank.

A beat of silence rang through his head after the splash.

His mouth was still hanging open wide as saliva and vomit dripped from his lips to the polished white floor. He slowly looked up to see that he’d puked all over Felix and his boyfriend, coating their shoes and the fronts of their clothes with thick white chunks and yellow liquid. The nearby guests had leaped back, shuffling about and looking at their feet and exclaiming things that Kazu couldn’t focus enough to hear.

With his stomach feeling somewhat relieved, Kazu felt his shoulders begin to tremble with a weak roll of laughter.

“Fucking hell, Felix,” the boyfriend growled, as though Kazu’s vomit was somehow Felix’s responsibility. His hands were hovering out from his body as he looked down at his destroyed shirt, his spattered suspenders.

Felix just gave a shaky smile and put his hand on Kazu’s shoulder.

“Fee-kun, gomen,” Kazu giggled, sorry, covering his mouth in response to both the laughter and the nausea that was rolling around for a second appearance. He gulped loudly, making Felix jump. “Go-gomen, ne…”

“Don’t – don’t be sorry, okay? Let’s just get you out of here. Excuse us, sorry, can we just –?”

Kazu let himself be directed back out through the doors and towards the top of those outdoor marble stairs again. His vision was fuzzy, but Kazu broke away and threw himself against a wall, doubling forward and ejected another stream of sick, this time into an elaborate flowerbed about ten feet below.

“Oh, gosh, the hydrangeas.”

Kazu tensed as he felt Felix come up beside him.

“Sorry, it’s – don’t worry, just get everything up. You poor thing,” Felix sighed, rubbing his back firmly despite the fact his dress shirt and jacket were now soaked through with sweat. With his free hand, Felix reached around and laid a cool palm against Kazu’s forehead. “I think you might have picked up a bug, maybe on one of your flights. You’re a tad hot. Atsui.”

“Atsui,” Kazu agreed, spitting away some of the sour fluid still pooling around his tongue and teeth. He lifted his head back from over the wall. He scoffed with nervous laughter as he looked at that first wave of sick again, soaking into the laces of Felix’s shoes. “Yabai. Sorry, Felix.”

“Daichi Kazuhito?”

A woman’s deep voice made Kazu turn his head. His guts felt even wobblier under her pale yellow gaze. She had frosty-white hair, almost as white as the streak that ran through Kazu’s, breaking up the silky black. He didn’t have to wonder who she was.

“Ka-Kazuhito desu,” he muttered. “Ryan-sama, hajimemashite. Tanjoubi omedetou…”

Felix cleared his throat. “He – he said it’s nice to meet you, and happy birthday –”

“Yes, thank you, Felix,” Ryan said evenly. Without any change in her expression, she began to address Kazu, in Japanese, explaining that she was good friends with Yumi, which he’d already been aware of. He had to really focus on what she was saying, not just because of her accent, but also because his belly was still churning, despite its contents now being spread out across Felix, Elliott, and the mansion’s hydrangeas. His ears pricked up at certain words, especially when he realised she was asking him a question. “Hitori de?”

Kazu nodded miserably as his fever- and jetlag-induced fear was pounded into his chest. He began to press a hand against his belly again, as the nausea began to melt into a dull, twisting ache.

“Hi-hitori de,” he said in a quiet voice. He had come here alone. One person. Just Kazuhito. He mumbled softly that Yumi sent her apologies, but work had been too hectic for her to take time off to travel.

As he spoke, he felt Felix reach up to brush his hair back from his sticky forehead. Kazu felt goosebumps breaking out all down his back and his arms.

“He can stay with us, can’t he, Ryan?” Felix asked softly. “Seeing as he’s sick. He helped me out a lot, back when – well, when I was in a much worse state than this.”

Ryan pursed her lips. “Elliott’s already headed for the car.”

A warm glow spread through Kazu’s chest as Felix linked an arm through his elbow and pulled him close. “Thank you, Ryan. So, we’ll see you at home tomorrow?”

“You will, indeed.” Ryan looked Felix up and down swiftly, eyeing the vomit stains on his pants and shirt. “Wash those trousers immediately. You can burn the shirt. It’s an insult to good taste.”

Felix laughed to himself as she stalked off, and Kazu finally eased the last of his weight up from his elbows, up from the edge of the wall. He felt his stomach gurgle, the sound traveling right up in his throat. He burped uneasily into his fist and smiled awkwardly at Felix.

“Come on,” the bright-haired boy coaxed. “Let’s get you out of here, before you puke all over these lovely steps.”

[tired-imagination]

“Rain” - OC x Shigaraki

Written for a friend of mine! This is his oc x Tomura Shigaraki! 

Reminder that you can request a one shot if you would like 

Genre - Fluff 

“Hello? Earth to Yumie! Busy thinking about your boyfriend, Yuyu?” Toga pushed my shoulder, her smile wide and her fangs showing. I looked up at her, holding on to my glass. Suddenly, I’m very thankful that Kurogiri keeps orange juice on standby. 

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Himiko. I’m just nice to-” 

“Hey beautiful, wanna come hang out with me in my room tonight? Get some drinks, get-” Tomura came up to me, tapping my shoulder as he spoke. Kurogiri interrupted him, blocking his mouth so he wouldn’t continue. 

“Hold on what the fuck?” Dabi glared at Tomura, his usually calm face surprisingly filled with rage. I gently held on to Toga’s arm, tugging on her sleeve. Big brother Dabi gets scary when he’s angry, and it looks like he’s angry at Tomura, of all people. His hands begin to crackle, while Spinner starts to hold on to him so he doesn’t attack. 

“Dabi you told me this was how to confess my feelings, you said... you...” Tomura began to trail off, his eyes darting around the room. With the top half of his hair tied up, it was easy to see pink dusting across his cheeks and his eyes going manic when Himiko began to giggle. Dropping the glass in his hand as his fingers scratched at his neck, he began to step backwards towards the dark hallway. The shattering of the glass began his run to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Toga’s subtle giggles turned into laughter, her sparkling eyes landing on Dabi’s. 

“You really messed up this time, didn’t you Dabi?” Toga went up to Dabi, the two of them seeming to have a heated conversation in whispers. I looked away, sipping on my orange juice. When I finished it, I went to the sink, putting my glass down inside of it. 

Kurogiri gently grabbed my arm, pulling me to the side. He pulled me in close to them, a faint scent of fresh linens lingering on his vest and shirt. “I apologize for the stupidity of the others. I know they can be a bit much at times. Are you alright?” 

“I don’t know what just happened.” I wrapped my arms around him, closing my eyes and imagining... 

Alcohol instead of linens. 

A faint heartbeat. 

Head resting on mine, light blue hair dangling in front of my eyes. 

I opened my eyes hearing Kurogiri speak again. 

“Perhaps it’s better off that you do not know. The minds of these people, they can go to odd places, none good for one as innocent as yourself.” His hands pat my head gently, his voice dropping to a gentle whisper. “I know how you feel about him, Yumie. It’s okay. Don’t listen to their taunting.” 

As he spoke, taps began to ring along the walls and windows. I held on to him, whimpering into his warm chest. “Are they coming to get me? Why are people trying to break the walls down?” 

“Hm?” He looked down at me, a low chuckle coming from his lips. “Ah, sweet child. That isn’t someone knocking on the walls, that’s rain.” 

“What’s rain?” 

“Rain is when water drops down from the clouds in tiny little drops.” 

“So... Rain is like if the sky was crying?” 

Another low chuckle, his hand pulling my head closer to his chest. “Yes, sweet child. I suppose you could say that it was as if the sky was crying.” 

I pouted slightly, looking up at him. “But why is the sky crying? Did we make the sky sad? Is the sky sad because Tomura is sad?” 

He bent down to my level, his hands resting on my shoulders. His bright eyes peered deep into mine, and if I could see his face, I was sure he was smiling. “Well, sweet child, sometimes the sky doesn’t need a reason to cry. Sometimes the sky is just feeling sad, and the sky needs to cry a little bit. It’s okay to cry without a reason, sometimes. You deserve that much, sweet child.” I buried my face into his chest once more, calming my breath to the sound of the rain outside. Listening to the rain made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, making me imagine a night outside with Tomura, with me in his arms, his voice humming songs- 

A flash of light, and then... 

CRASH! 

I jumped out of Kurogiri’s arms, holding my arms close to my chest as I looked around. Kurogiri stepped close to me, his arms outstretched. I shook my head, feeling the tears coming to my eyes, stepping back from him. My feet took control, carrying me to the safest place in this hideout. He’s coming to get me. I need to hide so that Toga, big brother Dabi, Kurogiri... so that Tomura doesn’t get hurt. 

I always forget how messy Tomura’s room is. There are clothes and dust everywhere, the hands he keeps laid across a desk. He is sitting at his chair, his leg draped over the armrest. His hair is no longer in the hairstyle it was in before, instead falling in front of his face, which I couldn’t see. 

I crawled onto him, pulling his arms around me, wanting him to hold me so tightly that I disappear in his arms. I bury my face into his chest, the faint scent of alcohol lingering in his clothes. I whimpered into his chest, fighting back tears. 

“Yumie? Yumie what’s wrong?” He pressed his wrists against the sides of my head, his red eyes staring into mine. 

“Th-the sky is crying outside and then he banged on the door and it was loud and and and-” I choked on my own sobs, burying my face into his chest. “I had to hide, and your room is the safest place to hide.” 

“Why?” 

“What?” 

“Why is it the safest place you thought of? Dabi is like your older brother, and Toga would probably stab a lot of people for you. Kurogiri really likes your company. Why me?”

I pulled away from him slightly, looking at his gentle and kind face. His hair was hanging over his eyes, as it usually is, the only visible part of his eyes being his read irises. His eyes were soft, as if he was looking at me with pity instead of anger. 

“You are just... safe. It doesn’t matter to me how angry or aggressive you are, you’ve always been kind to me.” Another flash of light, and the loud noise came again. I buried myself into his body, my arms wrapped tight around him. I felt my tears soaking his shirt, while his arms wrapped around me and held me close. 

“Sometimes when it rains, there’s lightning and the loud sound is thunder. It’s completely natural. Nobody is coming to get you, it’s completely safe.” I felt his lips against the top of my head for a few moments, but then he pulled away from me. 

“Tomura? What’s wrong?” 

“Look, the truth is that I really like you, okay? You always make me happy and I can barely control how much I want to smile when I’m around you. You make me want to sit back and just be with you for a day, a week, maybe even... forever. I just want to do everything I can to make you happy. I want to protect you. You’re the only thing in this world that I don’t hate.” As he spoke, his cheeks dusted with pink, a lively colour next to his regular skin tone. His hands went to scratch at his neck, his eyes darting around the room. 

Holding on to his wrists, I nuzzled my face against the cuts on his neck. Beyond all of the alcohol, there’s a faint scent of laundry detergent in his shirt, probably from the last time that Kurogiri was able to wash his clothes. 

“I really like you too. You make me happy and feel safe. I want to say here forever. You’ll protect me right?” I looked into his eyes, his crimson red eyes, and lifted my hand to his face. His skin is soft, softer than I would imagine, with all of the scars there. I pushed the hair out from his eyes, tucking some behind his ear, smiling at him. 

He pressed his forehead against mine, his breath on my lips, his eyes closing as the rain poured outside. I rested my head onto his shoulder, closing my eyes as I heard his fingers click onto his controller once more. Every time there was thunder, he would put his head on mine, and lay there until he heard my breathing calm down again. 

People can say that he’s a heartless monster, but every time it rains I can always go to his arms and stay there until everything feels better. 

I love my beautiful dusty boy. 

[luciimarii]

i find you in sad songs and sad children (ch. 1)

Shouto goes missing when he is four years old. Touya becomes a pro hero.

Ten years later, there's an attack on the USJ, and Touya is hired to bodyguard class 1-A. He doesn't expect to find his brother while he's at it.

(or: todobros roleswap.)

words: 2,784

ao3 link here

At first, Touya doesn't notice Shouto is missing.

It's not like Shouto is a very loud presence in the house, not like Natsuo or Dad or Touya himself. Shouto sticks to the shadows. He is every bit quiet and reserved a four year old should not be, but Touya tries not to think too hard about that, lest he start smoking in his rage.

So when he comes homes for the first time in a few days from one of his usual sneak outs, he doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. It's just as silent as it always is, just as tense and suffocating. Sometimes in this house Touya has to struggle to breathe just because the air is so thick with his father's dumbassery.

He pads as silently as he can down the hall. His throat is dry from nights on the streets, and he needs water. But he stops short outside the kitchen when his ears catch on a too familiar sound - Fuyumi's muffled sobs.

"Yumi?" Touya asks quietly as he steps into the room, flinching at the state his twin is in. She's hunched over the kitchen table, head in her hands. The landline behind her is dangling from it's cable, nearly touching the floor, and she's still in her pajamas at three in the afternoon. She jolts when he enters, looking up at him with big, terrified eyes.

"Where the hell have you been? " She asks, just as quietly as him, because in this home children speak quietly.

Touya doesn't quite understand the question. It's been a long time since she asked him that, long since used to his periodic disappearances. "Around," he says, sitting down next to her but not touching her. "What's going on?"

"Mom," she starts, then breaks off into a choked sob, "Mom took Sho. They're gone. "

----------

Ten years later, Touya stands frozen in the middle of his living room.

The screen shows yesterday's attack on UA. His phone dangles in his limp hand. Nezu's words ring in his ears.

We need another low profile hero to stay with Class 1-A at all times. Will you do it?  

Touya's mouth had opened, the word no had been poised on his tongue. But he'd caught Keigo's raised eyebrows, and his little brother's face had flashed in his mind, and somehow, inexplicably, he found himself saying yes.

Excellent! You start Monday.  

"Holy shit," Touya says quietly. He closes his eyes, bringing one scarred hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I don't know how to deal with children."

He hears Keigo snort from the couch, and the channel change from the USJ Attack to some reality show. Touya fucking hates the shitty reality shows Keigo watches, but at least he doesn't have to hear about the USJ again. It's all he's heard about for the last twenty four hours.

"They're teenagers," Keigo says, "They can't be that hard."

----------

They were, in fact, that hard.

Within minutes, Touya finds himself bombarded by what he can only assume are toddlers disguised as teenagers - he reminds himself that he is not that much older than them, nor is he truthfully that much more mature. He also reminds himself of his own boyfriend, who is most likely also a toddler disguised as a pro hero.

His own former teacher, Aizawa, raises a hand as he activates his quirk. Even through the bandages, the man is terrifying. It's been a few years since Touya was on the recieving end of that red eyed glare, but he still has to fight the urge to shout Sorry, Sensei! and scramble back to his seat. The students react in much the same way, the ones that had been shouting excited questions at him now plopped back down in their seats. The pink skinned girl gives him an apologetic smile, and he nods back at her solemnly.

"Now," Aizawa says, "As I was saying. This is Hephaestus, an underground hero, and for extra security he will be joining us on our day to day. You can call him Todoroki-san-"

"Todoroki-san?!" The aforementioned very loud, very excited pink skinned girl shouts, half-standing from her seat, "Like, Endeavor Todoroki?!"

"No," Touya cuts in, lip curling, "Like Hephaestus Todoroki. No one else."

And he must say it a little too harshly, because silence ripples across the room for the first time since he stepped in. Except for the scratching of a pen on paper and quiet muttering - a green haired boy is frantically scribbling something in a notebook. Touya spares him a sideways glance. The blonde boy behind him smacks him upside the head and hisses Shut up!, and Touya figures the problem is dealt with for now.

"As Aizawa-Se - Aizawa said, I'll be accompanying you all from now on. Our goal is to keep a disaster like the USJ from happening again. Any questions?" He crosses his arms, sweeping his gaze across the room. Besides the purple haired boy in the back who seems half asleep, the green haired boy still scribbling in his notebook, and the blonde boy who is glaring at him so furiously Touya thinks he must have done something horrible to him in his past life, the class seems more than a little scared shitless. They stay eerily silent.

"I guess not. Well, then, I look forward to working with you all."

----------

Eighty percent of the time, chaperoning a gaggle of hero wannabes is not nearly as exciting or interesting as Touya expected it to be.

Instead, it's more comparable to having an office job. Touya used to imagine having an office job, just because he knew it would piss off his father, and he supposes now he basically has that. It's a lot of sitting in the back of the classroom while teachers drone on and on and on about things he either already knows or that he forgot as soon as he left school and has no interest in relearning. He spends a lot of time having hushed conversations with Shinsou and Tokoyami, who are both subdued and not-annoying enough that Touya can actually stand to be around them.

Shinsou's an interesting kid. He's the opposite of Touya, in that he was always told he could never be a hero. All Touya was ever told was that he was made to be one. But Shinsou is maybe one of the most heroic kids in the class, if you can get past his offstandish demeanor. Touya can see the heart of gold beneath the glares and eye bags.

He also ends up spending a lot of time analyzing the rest of the class. Like Iida Tenya - Touya swears he met him and his big brothers at all those Pro Hero balls his father dragged him to as a kid. Or Aoyama Yuuga and Midoriya Izuku, with their self destructive quirks that Touya can one hundred percent relate to. He takes special note of them even before Aizawa pulls him aside to specifically tell him about them. Maybe he can teach them a thing or too. He takes note of Bakugou Katsuki, too - with his destructive quirk and quick temper, he reminds Touya too much of what he himself was like at that age. Touya had gotten far too close to going down a very dangerous path because of his temper, and he doesn't want to watch Bakugou go down that same route.

The job isn't always boring, though. The other twenty percent of the time, Touya gets to deal with shenanigans.

Like one morning about a week into his job. For once, he gets to UA early, and he's not sure whether or not that's a good thing. Because Aizawa isn't here yet - nor is half the class - and there is a boy tied up in the middle of the room. Or rather, taped.

Touya stops in the doorway. He doesn't say much at first, instead just watching. A few slightly-singed desks have been shoved aside to leave a rough circle in the middle of the room, where a blonde boy (Touya thinks he recognizes him from the other hero class) is struggling on the floor and restrained with tape. A glance around the room reveals Bakugou has also been taped securely to the wall. Sero stands in between the two, panting and red faced. Midoriya is stood frozen and wide eyed next to Bakugou - a lock of his bangs is black and the rancid smell of burnt hair fills the room. The rest of the present students, who Touya knows as the remainder of the self proclaimed Bakusquad along with Shinsou, are spectating from the other side of the classroom. They all hold varying degrees of "What The Fuck" expressions.

Finally, Touya gives a long sigh. "What the hell? " And about ten different voices start shouting at him all at once.

He holds up a blue hand. "One at a time!" He snaps, and they go quiet. Pointing to the blonde boy, he asks. "Who is that?" Midoriya seems like the most unbiased source in all this, so Touya casts his gaze to him.

Midoriya squeaks at the attention. "Monoma Neito, sir," he says, "From 1-B. Sir."

Ah, one of those kids from the gaggle that had come to interrogate 1-A the other day. They'd all crowded around the door and, truly, been annoying - not that 1-A had reacted much better. Touya hums. "Why the tape? And drop the sir, kid."

"He and Kacchan got in a fight," Midoriya says, which prompts Bakugou to start screaming something so full of profanity that Touya can't keep up.

"Woah, okay, calm the fuck down," Touya says, "Why?"

From the other side of the room, Shinsou gives a tired sigh. "It's Monoma," he says, "And Bakugou. That's the explanation." Touya doesn't know Monoma very well, but he figures that tracks.

"Monoma started it, honestly," Midoriya elaborates. "He called Kacchan a villain, and made fun of some of our quirks..." He doesn't say who, which Touya figures is probably to save the kids' dignity. Touya can respect that, but he still notices the glances Midoriya sends Kaminari and Kirishima.

Touya shrugs. "Well, if that's the case, y'all better clean this place up before Aizawa gets here."

The room erupts into anarchy as the kids scramble to shove the desks back into place. Touya watches, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. A few more students enter and get roped into helping despite not even knowing what happened. Ashido leaves and comes back with a 1-B girl who drags Monoma off to his own class.

"The desks! " Kaminari wails, "They're burnt! "

There is a collective glare at Bakugou.

"So's my hair," Midoriya says very quietly, and Kirishima smacks Bakugou upside the head.

As Uraraka, who'd arrived in the midst of the chaos, works with Midoriya to coax his hair into some short of weird braid/ponytail to hide the burnt locks, Yaoyorozu makes the mistake of arriving to class. All eyes turn to her.

"Uhm," Yaoyorozu says, "Why are the desks burnt?"

"That's not important!" Kaminari says very quickly, "But can you make new ones? "

Yaoyorozu looks to Touya, who sighs. She sighs, too, which is very common in this classroom, then opens her lunchbox and downs three Capri-Suns. "I can try."

So, Touya won't lie. His job isn't the most exciting ever - but it's not boring. These kids are...

Alright, he'll admit it, these kids are growing on him. Like a fungus.

----------

"Admit it," Keigo says one night when he's laying on top of and suffocating Touya on the couch, "You love them." In the background, a woman in one of his reality shows throws a bottle at her sister in law.

"I don't, "  Touya snaps. Despite his harsh tone he runs his hands gently over Keigo's feathers. Keigo hums and tucks his face against his neck.

"You so do. You're a total softie and you love them. Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying," Touya yawns, "They're just... some stupid kids." The conversation lulls there as the two of them doze off, curled together on the couch.

The next day, Touya does not realize there is a feather in his hair when he comes into work. This is the first in a series of unfortunate events that lead to Touya's doom.

----------

In fact, Touya comes to work with feathers on his person on more than one occasion. Then there's a picture taken of underground hero Hephaestus walking with number three hero Hawks. Then Midnight sneaks a glance over Touya's shoulder in the teacher's lounge and spots "Bird Brain" with a black heart emoji next to it, and her and Mic's two brain cells clink together just enough to figure it out.

Which is how Touya ends up with the entire UA staff knowing he's dating Keigo. And is also how he ends up immediately vacating the teacher's lounge to eat with the students.

He seats himself at the self-titled Dekusquad's table with no preamble, because they seem the least likely to A) interrogate him or B) yell at him. Plus, Shinsou's there, and Shinsou's a pretty chill kid.

Still, when he sits down the kids go eerily silent for a moment before Iida gathers himself and says, "Hephaestus-san! Why are you eating with the students and not the teachers, sir? Has there been an emergency?" He swings his arms about in that sharp way he always does as he talks, and his classmates, long used to it, dodge effortlessly.

"The emergency is that your teachers are idiots," Touya says after a long sip of Coca-Cola, "And that I am not allowed to have alcohol on campus."

Iida splutters over that statement for a long time before he cuts off at a startled squeak from Midoriya. The boy looks wide eyed down at his phone, and Touya watches with dread as tears form. He doesn't even chide the boy for having his phone out at school.

"Is everything okay, Deku?" Uraraka asks softly, placing a gentle hand on his upper arm. He flinches away, hiding his phone screen against his chest.

"It's fine," Midoriya says, and Touya takes note of the sudden speed to his breath. "I just - I need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." Shinsou glares after him as he rushes away. Then, he turns to Touya.

"You gonna talk to him?" Shinsou asks, as though that's the obvious solution.

Eloquently, Touya says, "What?"

"You are the responsible adult."

"Shit," Touya realizes, "You're right." And he rushes to follow after Midoriya.

He finds the kid sitting in the corner of an accessible stall, his grip on his phone white-knuckled and head tucked against his knees. Touya doesn't enter the stall, instead seating himself in the entrance. Midoriya turns his head a little and winces when he spots him, pushing himself closer to the wall. There are so many sirens going off in Touya's head.

"Talk to me, kid," Touya says, "I know I ain't the nicest, but I can try to help."

Midoriya turns his head back to his knees. Touya doesn't judge him - the kid cries a lot, but that doesn't mean he wants anyone to see, and Touya gets that. He doesn't answer for a long time. But Touya doesn't press. He's comforted his siblings enough to sort of understand how to properly talk to a distressed child.

Finally, Midoriya whispers, "Mom said Dad's coming home."

Touya goes very, very still. Then, he asks, "What's your dad like, kid?"

"He's a Pro Hero."

Touya closes his eyes. "Kid..." he starts, then pauses to consider. Fuck it, he thinks, Someone shoulda done this for us. Then he says, "Do you want my number?"

"Huh?" Midoriya asks incredulously, and Touya realizes that's not something you ask your student. He sighs.

" Don't text me for stupid shit," he says, holding out his hand for the phone. "Just - if you need help. I'll come."

Maybe Keigo was right about him going soft. Midoriya holds the phone out and Touya leans forward to take it, not commenting on the way the boy's hands tremble, and he plugs in his number. He's going to keep an eye on Midoriya from now on, that's for sure. And maybe have a word with Aizawa.

Touya watches his phone like a hawk for days after. The Sports Festival comes and goes, and he receives no messages. But on days he knows Midoriya's father is home (he works mostly in America, he discovers), he barely breathes when Midoriya isn't in his sight. He waits for a message, and isn't sure whether or not he ever wants it to come.

Then, when Hosu is on fire, the message comes.

[two-in-one-skele]

Walking on Eggshells

Prev || Next

A few days has passed since G has started living in Yumi’s home. He usually always wakes up before her and, due to her lack of cooking skills, he has put on himself the task of making their meals, including breakfast. Today was no exception. He hears the dragged footsteps of Yumi sleepily entering the kitchen, yawning. 

“G’morning...” she finally says, her voice cracking from tiredness. *Mor--

Immediately as he turns around towards her he regrets that decision. For some strange reason, she was freely walking around with a long shirt that, unfortunately, still showed a bit of her underwear. I mean, sure, she can be comfortable in her own home but this is a bit... and this wasn’t the first time, it’s been like this since day one. Either way, she was very clearly confused by his sudden embarrassment.

*S-sorry I... really tried to ignore it but... Could you please... put on some pants? he asks awkwardly stroking his face downward.

She was even more confused for a fraction of a second, but that immediately changed into a BURST of flashy red throughout her entire face. She had completely forgotten to cease this habit, especially since there was a stranger currently living in her house. FUCK! She runs to her room, yelling with her mouth close. She frantically puts some pajama pants and accidentally stumbles on the floor as she puts in on too quickly, making her trip. She comes back yelling the same way, running back towards G and yanks him.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME SOONER!?” she yells, VERY embarrassed. *I-I dunno! I didn’t want to judge...

She makes incomprehensible noises, completely distraught about this entire situation. I mean, if it was obviously uncomfortable for him, even if she was okay with it, she wouldn’t mind if he just stated his feelings about it. Well, she couldn’t completely blame him for this. After all, she was the stupider in this situation, it’s not like he would know better. She sighs, calming herself.

“A-anyway... what are we eating today, Gordon Ramsey?” *... E-eggs? he asks, a bit confused.

It seemed like a recurring theme that he was occasionally called random names that started with “G”. However, he never gets it, even though he knows it’s some sort of joke or funny reference that he is, unfortunately, missing. He’d probably laugh if he knew who these people were.

“Aw, man... again? It’s been three days, dude. Can we maybe slow down with the eggs??”  *Not really... It’s gonna expire soon. Plus, this is the last batch. he replies, going back to cooking breakfast.

There was a short pause.

*Besides... they’re EGG-celent. he continues, turning towards her with a big grin on his face.

That caught her so off guard that she snorted, covering her mouth with her hand to keep her from laughing. However, she was about to burst.

*Pffheheh, sorry... I really had to.

There was no response, however, she was dying on the inside. She really really didn’t want to explode in laughter, but she was clearly on the verge to, laughing silently.

*Yumi, are you--?

Suddenly unable to hold it in, she burst into laughter. It was probably one of the weirdest, craziest and worst laughs even known to man. Although she was clearly resisting the urge to laugh, it only made it worse with the decreasing or increasing volume of her screeching, wheezing and something I can barely describe as a normal laugh. All of these mixes together made for a spectacular view of someone trying to stop laughing, but her own laughter made her laugh, taking breaks by painting and rethinking about the joke and laughing again, which made the cycle almost neverending, even though it only lasted a couple of minutes. The pun wasn’t even that great and yet... Holy shit.

He started laughing a bit as well, I mean, who wouldn’t. However, she quickly managed to calm herself and was clearly embarrassed by the whole thing.

“U-um, sorry... I have a really horrible laugh...”  *Heh, it’s fine. I actually--

Suddenly, he was cut off by the loud sounds of beeping. It was the smoke detector, the eggs have burnt in their distraction.

*“THE EGGS!” they both shout, frantically trying to save it.

Later in the evening, Yumi had returned from work. As she opens the door, she immediately smells a strange sent that mildly resembles... cigarettes. She rushes inside and heads to the living room. As expected, G was smoking, sitting casually on the sofa-bed.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” she shouts to him. *Ah, sorry... I should’ve asked. he says, clearly regretting it. “You can smoke, but not IN the house!” *Sorry, sorry... “Just- go to the balcony while i remove the smell...” she orders pointing the direction to the balcony.

After frantically opening every other window and spraying the house with Frebreeze(tm), Yumi headed outside to the balcony to join him, a few minutes later.

“Hey.” *...? I thought you didn’t like the smell. he says, a bit confused. “I mean... the smell is not the best but...” *But...? “I don’t personally mind all that much?” *... w h a t ? he asks, even more confused. “Hold on- let me explain... It’s... because of my brother.” *...? “He’s kind of... allergic to it. He gets migraines from just the smell.” *... Does he live with you or...? he asks, puffing in his cigarette. “No... He just visits often.”  *... Oh. he says, puffing out some smoke.

There was a small pause before she continued the conversation.

“Actually, we’re twins!” she says enthusiastically. *Seriously? ... Hard to picture. “H-what? Why?” she asks, almost chuckling. *I dunno... it’s a bit weird to imagine someone that looks exactly like you, I guess. he shrugs. “Well, I guess... but we don’t look THAT alike.” *Oh, really? he questions jokingly. “Yeah, like... he’s paler than me, he has green eyes, his hair USED to be blond but... Ah, I forget the term, it’s--” *Pffheheh, I was joking. I believe you. he cuts her, chuckling. “... Oh.” she says, a bit embarrassed that she didn’t get it.

There was another pause as she was trying to dissipate her embarrassment.

“A-anyway, G...” she continues. *Hm? he puffs in his cigarette again. “Do you... have any siblings?” she asks a bit carefully.

There was a long pause as he silently slowly exhales out all of the smoke he was keeping in his non-existent lungs. Clearly, it was a difficult question, weirdly so or not, as his previous mocking yet still serious expression slowly changed into a more almost melancholic expression. She almost regrets asking that question, as confused as she is as to why he reacted that way.

No matter how much he believed the opposite, it wasn’t just “them” that knew that hat he was about to say was a complete lie. It was the first and, hopefully, only lie he’d ever tell someone and himself. 

*No.

[piyokosworldproblems]

It was Her.

This is just another roleplay post of my OCs. Again, this features Lance. It is the present time/age him instead of a flashback. Enjoy if you care~ OwO

~~~

Lance The King snorted at the events or Arnold and the girl. He clapped his hands his the excitement, "Well!" He said aloud. Lance averted his attention back to the King, "I will speak with Sir Endroc on the manner and from there we will speak with Princess Yumi on the matter of who will obtain custody of the wyverns."

Queen Katherine rolled her eyes, "You are dismissed. I must talk with my husband in private." She grumbled as she shooed them out.

Lance peered down the hallway where Naomi and Arnold disappeared to. He glanced down at Clink with a frustrated sigh, "You can't go into the shadows." He repeated as a reminder to himself. He began down the path, hoping that he would bump into them. 'I don't know her scent anyway.' Lance thought to himself. It was simple to find Yumi's shadow. It knew exactly how to track her. He was able to find the Kings too when he was alive, but finding shadows of others unfamiliar to him was difficult and sometimes nearly impossible without a scent. These abilities could only be performed in his shade state. Lance looked at Clink again, which he was not able to do.

Lance curiously continued to follow. He could only rely on hearing Arnold's overbearing voice somewhere near. He had to get back to Yumi soon. He became a little anxious to confirm his suspicions. Arnold called her Naomi also, he had to have been right. Was it the same Naomi? She looked much older now, though some things never changed. Her hair was still the same auburn color, though her curls seemed to have loosened into gentle waves through the years. The glimpse of her eyes back in the room still looked like the same green as they were before and the pattern of her freckles under her cheeks didn't seem to have changed.

"She wouldn't listen to me." The girl's voice whined out.

"All you had to do was escort her home. Did you tell her the castle was no longer deemed safe for visitors?" Arnold demanded.

Lance walked closer and within earshot to listen to their conversation.

"Well yes," Naomi muttered.

Arnold growled, "Not well yes, Naomi! Yes or no?" "I told her the castle was no longer safe, yes. But I also may have mentioned that we are harboring two wyverns-"

"You what?!" Arnold interrupted in sheer anger.

Naomi cringed, "I said it was hurt and wouldn't be able to attack anyone. She said she needed to use the washroom and when I went to check in on her and she was gone."

"You lost Lady Beatrice?!" Anger flowed with Arnold's blood. He threw up his hand and got ready to swing.

Lance rushed himself in front of the blow, blocking the hit with his arm. Arnold quickly yanked his hand back and held it close to him,

"What the hell!" Arnold groaned.

Lance looked back at Naomi who stood still behind him. He looked back to Arnold, "My bad." Lance spoke unapologetically.

Arnold clutched his other hand in a fist, "Sir Lance, for the sake of all that is holy, remove yourself from this situation before I knock you back to Mythicana." It was clear to Lance that he had lost his patience with the visiting kingdom awhile ago. 

"How I choose to punish my Knights are none of your concern."

Lance seemed to have blatantly ignored Arnold. Instead, Lance's attention was fixed on Clink. He caught the last bit of Arnold's word, "Knight or not, Sir Arnold, a lady should be respected." He glanced back. Naomi still seemed to be peering up at him with a doe-eyed gaze.

"Not when she can't do her job," Arnold glared past Lance and at Naomi, "I warned you, Naomi. The next time you messed up would be your last!" Arnold began to walk away after realizing that Naomi had not been listening, "Find her or else!" Arnold yelled out. Lance figured he didn't have much more to say. 

Lance felt a jolt from behind him that caused him to be unsteady, "Uh." Lance scowled as he regained his footing. He glanced down to see arms attempting to wrap around him, but both of their bulky armor made it difficult.

"I knew it!" Naomi squealed, "It was you!"

Lance removed her arms from his waist, "Watch it." He adjusted Clink. He turned to face her. Her eyes were fixated on him with a ridiculous smile,

"I passed the room and I saw you! I told myself it was you and it was!" Naomi rambled, "I didn't think Id ever see you again but now that I have, I have so much to tell you!"

Lance scanned her. 'I knew it.' He thought to himself. He turned around and began walking back to the wyverns room.

"W-wait!" Naomi stumbled over her armor, "Where are you going?"

Lance looked back over his shoulder, "I have to return to my duties. I only wanted to confirm you were who I thought and now that I have, I must head back."

Naomi scowled, "You're so formal." She pouted, "Are you not curious?" She said referring back to her armor.

Lance faced her. He was a little curious how a girl like her obtained the title of a knight. It was far too unusual for an Aelian woman to join their army. He stayed as she walked closer, "I suppose."

"It was because of you!" She grinned wide with the same smile that made it hard to take her seriously. Lance furrowed his brows,

"Me?"

"Yes!" Naomi shuffled her feet, "When you saved me in the forest-"

"Saved is an overstatement." Lance looked away from her. He didn't really remember that day. He could remember arguing with Endroc before taking a walk then finding a girl dressed in rags crying in the forest. He gave her some food and sent her off on one of Mythicana's palace horses. From there his memory was vague.

"Nevertheless, you did. If it wasn't for your kindness I probably would have ended up in Mythicana's prison. For all I know, I could have been Princess Yumi's slave!" Naomi shuddered. Lance snorted. He was thinking of telling her that wasn't how Mythicana worked, but he would let her imagination run wild for the time being. 

"I came right home and I told my father that I wished to become a knight. You see, I wanted to be just like you! I wanted to be kind and humble. I wanted to save others while encouraging them to be what they want to be." Naomi spoke with passion, "It took a lot and I got picked on often. I was told a woman couldn't be a knight and I almost gave up. But every time I thought about it, I remembered the boy who sacrificed losing his title to help a scared little Aelian girl." Lance smirked. He didn't remember everything, but he knew her young mind must've recalled the day differently. He had been carrying extra food in his knapsack that he planned on throwing out for the dogs. The horses weren't hard to sneak off since their primary mode of transportation was dragons or griffins. Did she see him as a sort of hero? 

Her cheeks were a rosy red, "As you might have seen, I'm still new."

Lance nodded, "It is a lot of responsibility."

"It sure is!" Naomi giggled. She perked up, "I have an idea!" Her squeak caused Lance's brow to raise, "You can help me find Lady Beatrice!" 

Lance shook his head, "I'm afraid not. I told you I must get back." He started towards the direction of the room. Naomi's armor clinked against one piece and another to catch up to him,

"Where are you headed?"

Lance continued, "The room where the wyvern lays. The Princess is waiting,"

"Perfect!" Naomi skipped alongside him, "I think Lady Beatrice might be there!" She interrupted him before all his words registered in her mind, "Princess Yumi? She isn't with the wyvern." Lance paused and immediately caused Naomi to trip over herself,

"What do you mean she isn't with the wyvern?" His voice shook as he demanded an answer.

Naomi tilted her head, "Sir Kotano of Mythicana took Prince Alaric and Princess Yumi out to spend more time together. I was supposed to be in charge of keeping Prince Alaric and Lady Beatrice separated."

"Damn you Endroc!" Lance held Clink tight as he began running down the halls, "You’ll pay for this, Bastard!"

~~~

I’m still not sure how much I’ll post. I enjoy Lance’s character and arc a lot. I’m happy to put these major events up for everyone. I’ll make note to give a thorough character description for him or anyone who plays an important role.

Thanks for reading :3

<3 Piyoko

[lydiatate94-blog]

AU fanfic

Multiple Chapters

Pairing: Taehyung x OC

Genre: Romance, angst, horror

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkneoR3noxA

Can You Feel My Heart

Chapter One

The sound of light footsteps scurrying was what caught my attention. Not the glistening silverware on the table, or the crystal chandeliers that sent rainbow colored lights across the beige colored walls. The house was nice, from what I remembered. Nicer than the mansion I lived in across the street.

I'd let go of my mother's hand, while she was busy conversing with the couple that owned the property, and lifted the long, heavy table cloth that touched the wood flooring. There was nothing under there other than some chairs though so, unsatisfied, I dropped the tablecloth and headed over to the kitchen.

The black marble floor tiles were shiny enough to see my own reflection, with white matte counters that seemed to contrast the darkness beneath. It was there that I could hear it. The soft sound of crunching. For a five year old, I was certain the sound was going to come from some animal, like our cat, Mochi, but when I rounded the corner, I froze.

There was a boy, around my age. He was dressed in a shirt that was just slightly too big, covered in holes and hanging off one shoulder. He had his back to me, only showing a full head of raven hair, brown only were clumps of dirt had stuck to him. And he hovered something, munching on it with his entire face stuffed in the food.

I remember not understanding what I was looking at in that moment, but instinctively I'd backed at the smell of something worse than vomit and garbage. My leg had knocked against the chair, creating a soft squeak on the floor.

He stopped, straightening from his prior position. Slowly, he turned around so I could see his face. Streaks of red came down his mouth, and bloody white meat hung over his cheeks and lips. His eyes were big and dark, his expression brightened in a way I couldn't understand. That's when he raised his hand, palm up, offering a piece of meat to me from the dog he'd just been eating.

I screamed. Someone ran in, I don't remember who, but the boy was suddenly gone. My mother arrived a few seconds later, cradling me in her arms, while the lady of the house screamed at the sight of her own pet half eaten on the kitchen floor.

The memories after that moment were fuzzy. I'm sure my mother took me back home, reassuring me everything was okay. Of course, today was a different story. My mother would scoff whenever I brought it up, saying I had an overactive imagination. My father would pat my shoulder and reassure me it was just a bad dream, but even so, I can't remember the last time I'd been inside that house across the street. And not only that, the Kims didn't have a son. Maybe I had made the whole thing up, but that doesn't explain why I'd been seeing a therapist all these years to get over these weird thoughts floating around in my head.

"You look nice," my mother said from behind me, smoothing out the back of my sweetheart dress. It was black, down to the knee, and tight against my figure; not my style at all, but at least I'd convinced the maids to buy me a pair of flats to wear with. "If only you dressed like this more often."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "How long is this dinner supposed to be?"

"You know this is an important dinner for your father," my mother avoided the question the same way I'd avoided answering hers. "So we'll be there for as long as he needs us." She licked the tip of her middle finger to straighten out some hair sticking out of my bun, and I recoiled in a very childish way.

I sighed, staring longingly at the canvases piled beside my bed. I had to order about ten brand new ones as the horrible failures sat in the corner of  shame in my closet. I'd been going through an art block lately, and the more I messed up, the more desperate I felt the need to create something worth while. At least, that's what the lady had said to me during my portfolio review.

My mother grabbed my chin in her hand, squeezing my cheeks as she turned my head to face her. "Let's go," she stated, before letting go of my face and heading downstairs. I gave my bedroom one last glance before following her out.

My father was already by the door, wearing a long black coat with a blue scarf that matched his blue tie. The maids handed my mother and I our coats and gloves and shoes. We put on our outerwear and my father smiled under his short beard and mustache; a new look he was trying out. "Ready?" he asked as we walked out onto the porch. My breath let out an immediate white cloud as I buried my face in my scarf.

I'd almost made it our to our black Lexus when my mother grabbed my arm. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"The car?"

She grabbed my other arm and pulled me away from the vehicle. "We're not taking the car today," she explained, turning me in the direction of the house across the street.

I stood frozen for a few seconds until my mother prompted me to walk forward. Now I understood why she had both arms around me, as if I was going to bolt in the opposite direction. To be honest, as much as that image of the boy eating a dog had scared me, some strange part of me felt a twinge of excitement, like I was finally going to unravel the secret of that house. Of course, both nausea and anxiety were winning over any sort of thrill I was experiencing. No wonder my mother asked me twice today if I'd taken my medication.

We made it to their marble porch, which was even more grand than our own house. The bricks and columns and railings were all white to match the blanket of snow surrounding the house. A stark black door stared back at us, as if it were the only part of the house willing to swallow you hole.

My father rang the doorbell and two new maids appeared, ushering us in. They were very different from our own. The two ladies appeared to be in their thirties, and neither one of them spared us a welcoming smile. They silently took our belongings and disappeared just as quietly.

"Junsu!" A surprisingly loud, friendly voice called my father's name from the bland white coloring of the home.

"Chiwon," my father gave the man a respectful bow before being pulled into a friendly hug. I stared, shocked. Usually my father's business meetings were more stiff and formal, but Kim-ssi was acting as though they'd been friends forever.

My father turned to my mother and I. "This is my wife, Eunhee, and my daughter, Yumi."

Kim-ssi politely bowed to my mother and smiled at me. "Wow, what beautiful young ladies. How old is your daughter now?"

"Nineteen. She'll be twenty in the spring."

"She's growing up so fast," my mother pitched in, talking about me as if I weren't standing right there. I felt the need to tune them out, when I suddenly heard footsteps as something moved in my peripheral vision.

Unknowingly, I'd moved in the direction of the sound. The dining room looked similar to how it was before, but with a few alterations. Instead of the long table this one was changed to a slightly shorter one. The silverware looked new with a few more trays and tea sets. The chandeliers remained the same as last time, still high above the ceiling and throwing rainbows on the light colored walls.

I kept going until I was in that kitchen again. My feet froze at the entryway. The marble floor remained the same, but the cabinets and counters had gone from a bright white to a dull grey. And standing to his back to me was someone my age, wearing baggy black pants, a long white button down with straight dark brown hair.

Instead of hitting a chair, my breath hitched, and he turned to the sound. I half expected that same blood covered face to greet me, but there was nothing unusual about him. Clean shaven face, clear skin, dark eyes. In fact, the only unusual thing about him was how unusually good looking he was.

Kim-ssi came into the kitchen, walking over to the boy. "Ah, so you've met my nephew, Taehyung. He's twenty-two years old now, not much older than yourself."

Until this moment, Taehyung had stared at me with blank eyes, before one corner of his mouth pulled into a smile. "Hello." His voice sounded deep and stiff, and something about that smile made me cringe a bit. This wasn't that boy from before...was it?

A hand touched my shoulder, and I turned to my father. "Everything alright?" he asked, an uneasy smile on his face.

I glanced back at Taehyung, who stared at nothing in particular, and turned back to my dad. "Yeah, I'm fine."

(A/N: Sorry chapter one is a little slow. Please tell me what you think ^^ I may combine chapter one and chapter two in the future, depending on how long it is :)

[carterthornton]

The Third Wave | Chapter Four: Catching Up With Northstar

       “And this IMOP officer just... gave you his number?" Aiko's father could help but be suspicious about her whole story.

       "Yeah! Here," Aiko set the slip of paper with Officer Bhang's number on the kitchen table, sliding it over to her father. "This is it; he told me to ask you for permission before calling, so..."

       "Aiko, I-..." Her father let out an exasperated sigh, running his hand through his dark locks as he sat back in his seat to think it over. He grabbed a photo from his pocket, the one he kept of Yumi; she was dressed in full IMOP gear next to him as they sat together on their living room couch. The picture was taken before her first day on the job. "Okay, Aiko... okay..." He said with much reluctance. "I know it's different this time. I know you have a Mark and all that, but-..." He sighed again, dialling the number on his cellphone. "It's ringing." He unconsciously began tapping his index finger on the armrest of his chair. "Hello?"

       "Fuck, why do I push him all the damn time...?" Aiko thought to herself as she stood in front of Yuko by the kitchen island, seeing past her father's blank face, feeling his tidal wave of emotions. "I feel like a piece of shit." She had gotten so caught up in her own excitement, that she failed to recognize her father's discomfort with the whole situation. It was all bringing him back to her mother, over and over again.

       "Hey, who's this?" Aiko could hear Officer Bhang on the other end.

       "Roger Schmitt. I'm Aiko Schmitt's father. The one requesting a recommendation for the academy?" He answered, glaring down at his half-full cup of coffee set out on the table.

       "Heh, nice to hear your voice after all these years, Smitty..." Officer Bhang laughed.

       "Johnny?!" He gasped, nearly bumping his knee on the table as he got up out of his seat. "Oh my god, how long has it been?" He then held a hand over his phone to muffle his voice as he turned to Aiko. "Koko, you never told me you met Johnny Bhang!"

       "Wait, you know this guy-? Wait, that's a dumb question..." Aiko slapped herself on the forehead, realizing she had forgotten all about the minor details of her conversation with Officer Bhang in the alleyway regarding her mother.

       "Geez, where've you been, pal? It's been a long time." He seemed less tense than before, leaning up against the fridge as countless memories flooded back to him.

       "I've been workin', same as always." Officer Bhang replied. "So, your girl's a Mark-user, huh?"

       "Yeah, I'm... still trying to get used to it..." He glanced over at Yuko, who waved absentmindedly at him. "So she helped you out in the alleyway, huh...?" Officer Bhang's reply became somewhat muddled as Aiko's father turned away. "Yeah... she's always been sort of a rowdy one. Yeah, just like Yumi." He sat back down at the table, getting down to the brass tacks of the situation. "Anyways, you offered her your recommendation for the IMOP academy, right?"

       "Yeah. Based on what I've seen, she can join for the second semester, and luckily that's only two days away."

       "It wasn't like that when Yumi joined... what's the rush?" He wondered.

       "If you haven't noticed, it's getting tense out there. The Third Wave is larger than we thought. Marcusologists predict an increase of three million at the very least. And Vancouver Island is special, Smitty. This whole area has been marked off as an anomaly. Thousands of new Mark-users have been comin' out of the woodwork as of late around the southern regions of the island, and that includes your daughter."

       "Yeah, it doesn't look too good." He shook his head worrisomely as he took a sip of his coffee.

       "With the mettle she's already shown to me, I'd be willing to fast track her into a group. The girl has spunk. She just needs the right training with Sarge." Officer Bhang paused for a moment, remembering Yumi. "Roger... it'll be different this time. The academy knows what it's doing now."

       "I know, John... I just want to be sure..." He took a deep breath, taking note of the concern on her daughter's face. "I need you to guarantee her safety, Johnny. Can you do that for me?"

       "Yeah, Smitty, don't worry. None of us will make the same mistake again. I promise." Officer Bhang's words were reassuring for Aiko's father, but Aiko's mind became an overflowing mess of chaos filled new questions about her mother. Though, reluctantly, she bit her tongue; dropping questions like that on her father would only make it difficult. "So how about it, Roger? You want to sign her up? I can do that for you right away. You won't have to lift a finger."

       He thought for a moment, staring over at Aiko, who he could see was teeming with determination. Out of all people, he understood such determination more than anyone. It was the same kind that Yumi expressed every day during her years as on officer. If he said no, Aiko would surely resent him. He knew it was what she wanted more than ever. He knew it was time to stop thinking with his mind— so riddled with paranoia. It was time to decide with his heart instead.

       "Yeah, Johnny. Sign her u-!" He was immediately embraced by Aiko, her warmth spreading through him. "C'mon, Koko, I'm still on the phone..." He grinned, returning the hug with his free hand.

       "Dynamite! Aiko can text me for the rest of the details. I'll give her the lowdown on everything Monday." Officer Bhang instructed.

       "Will she need books, Johnny? Binders? Loose-leaf?" He began to pace around the table, worried what it might cost.

       "You need only pay the fee, Smitty. Don't lose your hat. Everything is provided at the school." Officer Bhang insisted in a calm and collected tone. "Besides... it's still a hands-on course anyways."

       "What about residence, Johnny? Is there residence?"

       "Ah, shit, sorry. Yeah, there is, Smitty. Should I check with the academy and get back to you if they have availability?" Officer Bhang asked.

       "No, no... I have relatives nearby." He insisted.

       "Oh, dad, no. C'mon! I'll take residence! Officer Bhang!" Aiko objected, trying desperately to take the phone from her father's hand.

       A ruckus in the background hastened Officer Bhang's need to end the call. "Alright, Smitty. I'm a little pressed for time here. Get back to me if you have any more questions. But preferably later! See ya!"

       "Okay, Aiko. He hung up." Her father said as he held the phone up high in the air, out of her reach.

       "Damn you and your German height!" Aiko groaned as she launched herself into the couch face first.

       "Koko?" Yuko tapped Aiko on the shoulder, who was breathing heavily into the couch pillow.

       "Aiko, I'm not going to pay for residence. It's too much! IST may pay for the courses but I am not paying for the rest, okay?" Sitting down beside her on the couch, he tickled her foot, rousing her from hibernation.

       "Dammit, dad! I'm ticklish there!" Aiko crossed her arms as she sat upright, trying her best to hide the grin on her face with a scowl.

       "It's just Náanaa and Opa. Besides, you can stay upstairs in that spare bedroom." Reassuring her, he reached across her shoulder and held her close. Aiko still remained unwavering in her stance on the whole situation, keeping the scowl on her face. "Yeah, I know they can be a little too much for a woman your age."

       "'Oh, you look so skinny, Koko! Eat some táana!'" Aiko imitated her grandmother as she imagined herself getting smoked salmon shoved down her throat. "I'm not exactly a bottomless pit like you, dad! I'm gonna weigh ten trillion pounds with you not there to eat the food they throw in my face. Nutritionally speaking, German and Haida food isn't the best for the arteries!"

       "Oh, you like táana, Koko. That's just a grandparent thing, trust me. It'll pass once you live with them for a little while." He assured her, patting Aiko on the head. "And you'll burn it all off at the academy, won't you?"

       "Yeah, yeah..." Aiko couldn't help but laugh. "I haven't played Opa in a game of crib for a while."

       "That's the spirit!" He chuckled along with her as he turned on the television. "Now, I'll phone Náanaa and Opa. We might leave at around noon or so, so that leaves you with about an hour to pack. I think you should hop to it now."

       "Alright, alright..." Aiko gave her father a kiss on the cheek before she raced up the spiral staircase to her room. "Don't let Yuko watch anything scary!"

       Listening carefully, he turned on the television as soon as Aiko's door shut completely, tuning into the action movie channel. "Oh, hell yeah." He stared up at Yuko, who was still standing behind the couch. "Ya like Diehard...?"

       Upstairs, Aiko messily stuffed her clothes into a duffel bag she set out on her bed, then packed her makeup into an organized plastic bag and placed it in a side pocket. Then, with no one looking, she packed the old teddy bear her mother had given her on her fifth birthday, Sunny. Sunny had seen much use in its day. It had an eye missing, a partially torn ear, even a coffee stain from when Aiko was seven; she had spilled her father's full mug on Sunny's chest. Aside from its scrapes and scratches, Sunny was your rudimentary teddy bear. However, for Aiko, Sunny was a piece of her mother's soul, and she kept Sunny next to her pillow at night wherever she went to dispel the nightmares. She knew it was childish and that she had outgrown Sunny, but she kept Sunny anyways, hiding him from even her father. Aiko kept Sunny, though, not just as a plush toy. She kept Sunny as a friend.

       Packing Sunny away in the front pouch of the bag, Aiko moved on to her toiletries, grabbing her face wash, sponge, toothbrush, any item she could fit into her two remaining Ziploc bags. She tucked the stuffed pouches into the last empty side pocket of her duffel bag, doing each zipper up one by one in a methodical fashion. With a sigh, she backed up, sitting down at the rolling chair by her desk. Her whole life she had lived there, away from all her troubles, free from worry or doubt. In her room, she felt at peace, confident and composed. Everything seemed to make sense inside. Yet, beyond her door was a whole world ahead. And although Aiko was so very fond of the room, she couldn't deny all that was behind her. With one last deep breath, Aiko slung her duffel bag over her shoulder, then stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her.

       "See ya..." Aiko gave her bedroom door a casual salute as she began down the staircase, taking one last look before she left it for good.

****

       Collapsing his umbrella, Officer Bhang entered the retro diner on Main Street. It was a typical 50's nostalgia establishment; space age chrome and red neon adorned the outside of the shoebox-shaped diner. It was the kind of dive Bhang often enjoyed— all flashy and bright, loud and proud. He had called a friend earlier after subduing his captive thief a second time when he tried escaping. He handed criminal over to the local IMOP detachment in Port Renfrew where he would be shipped off to the IMOP Nanaimo Penitentiary.

       His friend sat at the furthest table down a long line of booths, taking a sip from her usual coffee; a double-shot of espresso and a shot of cream. Her deep brown hair wasn't in a ponytail like it usually was, but Bhang could recognize her long, wavy locks from a mile away. Her caramel complexion was the same as ever; a mixture of Ukrainian and Inuit. To conceal her identity, she wore a long red scarf around er neck, covering her chin and mouth. And she sported a pair of aviator shades with blue tinted lenses to cover her bright, emerald eyes. Over her well-built, easily recognizable body, she wore a dark brown trench coat. She was looking over a menu absentmindedly, perusing through what few pages she was given.

       "Well, well... haven't I seen you before, gorgeous?" Bhang asked as he leaned up against the woman's seat, his eye wandering down towards her long legs.

       "Oh, cut it out, Johnny. This isn't a date."She scoffed at Bhang as she directed him over to the adjacent seat. "Sit down. I already know what I'm having."

       "Let me guess, Ila... a Reuben?" Bhang chuckled as he took a seat, placing his coat and cap on the hook between their booth and the neighbouring one.

       "Ah, I'm switching it up this time!" Ila insisted, turning her menu around to show Bhang her order. "A bacon cheeseburger!"

       "Okay, okay! You win, you're cultured!" Bhang joked as he sipped his glass of water through a straw, browsing the menu. "I can see it now... 'Northstar: Connoisseur of Fine Foods!'"

       "Screw off, Johnny. Everyone's got to shovel shit in their body once in a while." Ila scoffed as she turned her menu over to signal the waitress. "Are you done?"

       "Yeah..." Bhang replied as he set his menu down as well, removing his glasses to reveal dark brown eyes.

       It took only a few seconds for the waitress to take notice, and once she did, she immediately sprung into action. She grabbed their menus, taking out a notepad and pen. "Hello, may I take your order?"

       "Yeah, I'll have a poutine please," Bhang ordered. "Nothing on the side, though. I'll stick with water."

       "I'll have a bacon cheeseburger. Replace the fries with a Caesar salad." Ila chimed in, adjusting her glasses to remain hidden. "Oh, and I'll have an iced tea as well."

       "Alright, you two. Your orders shall arrive-..." The waitress trailed off as she took a long look at Ila. "Um... sorry, don't I know you from somewhere?"

       "Uh, no, ma'am... you must be mistaken," Ila kept her cool on the surface, but inside she was practically screaming. "My apologies."

       "Huh, alrighty then..." She nodded, running off behind a back door into the kitchen.

       "Yikes... close call." Bhang snickered, leaning back in his seat, sipping down what remained of his glass of water. "And a Caesar salad? That's the equivalent to deep-fried fruit, Star."

       "Johnny, not so loud! I told you not to use my codename in public!" Ila said in a muted shout.

       "Oh, relax, Ila... Port Renfrew is far from a bustling city. It's not like you'll get tackled the second they all realize you're Northstar, 'Canada's Shining Star of Justice!'" Bhang couldn't help but put a sort of heroic emphasis on the title.

       "Do you really need the hero voice?" Ila huffed, resting her right leg over her knee, unintentionally slamming her ankle into the bottom of the table. "Ah, shit... ouch..."

       "Oh, so you can survive getting hit by a train, but you say 'ouch' when you get a boo-boo on your ankle?" Bhang chuckled at Ila's mundane injury.

       "Hey, I said I can take extreme impacts. This is just... an annoying impact." Ila sighed as she rubbed her ankle. "This is all besides the point, Johnny. Why the hell did you call me here? Did you just want an excuse to go out for dinner with me?"

       "As much as I'd like to say yes to that... no. Sadly, this meeting of ours is business related. I've got some information regarding The Kin's whereabouts." Bhang leaned to the side and reached into the inside of his coat, drawing a large file from the pocket and passing it over to Ila. "Looks like we were wrong. Based on a contact of mine, they're layin' low in Victoria— around the Saanich area."

       "Saanich? I thought they were in Vancouver..." Ila shook her head as she looked over the various criminal records and photographs of The Kin members. However, no picture of the gang leader was included in the document. "Are there any pictures of The Father?"

       "No. Only Camila Pistola and Varg Klo have turned up so far, as expected. The Sister and The Brother do most of the grunt work for The Kin. We've yet to catch a glimpse of The Father. The closest thing we've gotten to a lead on him is his first name... 'Damian'." Bhang explained as he too scoured through the photographs. "It's not a stretch to assume that The Brother and The Sister are here to stay; they only operate where The Father goes. That assumption rings true for the rest of The Kin as well."

       "Have there been task forces sent?" Ila wondered, scowling at a picture of the feral beast named Varg— his sharp teeth on display in a sickening grin.

       "No, not yet. We've yet to find their new base of operations thanks to whatever power The Uncle has. But the fact remains clear... they're Victoria's problem now. They've already killed ten members of The Paladins gang in the Saanich area. From the looks of things, they won't be slowing down anytime soon." Bhang groaned as he laid out the rest of the photos. "God, we just need to capture Varg or Camila at the very least! Maybe then we could get one good lead!"

       "Perhaps that's why they've moved?" Ila suggested. "Maybe they recognize Victoria as an in-crisis city; the handful of IMOP detachments in Victoria are stretched thin in terms of numbers. They're blending in amidst the chaos."

       "Yeah, I thought that too..." Bhang nodded, fiddling with the hair on his chin. "Looks like we've just got to wait for their next move."

       "Damn... I hate sitting idly by while they just tear cities apart! To Ottawa, I'm not even an IMOP officer anymore! I'm just some figurehead!" Ila growled, failing to recognize the waitress carrying her food nearby. "Oh, sorry..."

       "It'll be fine, Ila. I can handle the job with the Saanich detachment. Port Renfrew can be left alone for now. Arresting The Kin is our top priority." Bhang said as he gathered up the contents of his case file to leave room for the meal. "Don't lift a finger until you absolutely have to, okay?"

       "Alright..." Ila breathed in deeply, regaining her composure. "I just want to do my job is all."

       "We all want to, Ila. And right now, the whole island needs a shoulder to lean on. That shoulder is you. Remember that." Bhang reminded her.

       "I know, Johnny, I know..." Ila rested her chin on the table, poking at her burger. "I'm just becoming more and more indispensable every day."

       "Relax, Ila... at least for now." Bhang tried soothing her nerves as he stuck a fork in his poutine. "Enjoy the delectable ethnic food laid before you, my dear!"

       "This isn't a date, Bhang..." Ila persisted with her stance on the dinner situation. "But... it is good to see you..."

       "The feeling's mutual, Star..." Bhang grinned as he lifted a forkful of gravy and cheese covered fries to his mouth. "Fuck, I haven't had a poutine in weeks!" He was shaking with anticipation for but a moment before realizing he had unknowingly perpetuated a stereotype. "Jesus, how Canadian was that sentence?"

       "Very..." Ila giggled as she grabbed her burger.