#and it's not going to be call Daiya no A anymore

[giogama08]

Soooo.... I finished reading Daiya no A act II...

I don't know what to do with my life 🫠

[aquamine-amarine]

I've got a lot of thoughts.

And it ended up being way too long again. Spoilers, analyzing, half assed translations, rants... Has anyone translated this or summarized it yet? Did I just waste my time? It took hours.

The title page is an obvious throwback to the very first chapter. It's nice I guess, I would have liked something a little more original and unique to this new series though. This new character still bothers me so I'm not sold on him just yet...

The official X account for the series is killing me though, cropping out that middle part to use as a header... Also this:

Where will Amu-chan's love go...!?

I'm telling you're the Nakayoshi editorial department is full of Amuto shippers.

The armband is on the wrong arm...

This is a huge red flag and a major regression in character development, because Amu should NOT be acting like this anymore. It's a huge problem.

Her crush on Tadase pretty much died after volume 7. During volumes 8-12 she isn't fangirling over him anymore and doesn't have any fangirl fantasies involving him like she used to. She started acting normal around him, like close friends, and it was nice. It was a positive development. WHY is all that development being thrown out the window? Just to cater to new fans?

I fully expected Tadase to continue trying to whoo her because he pretty much said he would continue to do so in volume 12. So I'm not annoyed about that. Amu's reaction to him is what annoys me, because she's not supposed to be acting like this anymore. You can keep trolling us with the love triangle WITHOUT regressing Amu's behavior to how she was in volume 1. They proved they could do this in volume 12. So this is bad.

As for the reason they're still in their elementary school uniforms, it's because the new school term hasn't started yet. This scene takes place during spring break in the Royal Garden, and there's a scene where Rima is asking if the middle school uniforms have arrived yet. I was wondering why they were still in their elementary school uniforms, when we know middle school uniforms DO exist. So the transfer happens before they even start middle school, it makes sense now.

The school they're transferring to (because Tadase is going with her) is called Arcana Academy. It's Seiyo's sister school.

A Japanese fan I follow on X noticed something very interesting about the kanji in the school's name. 聖或奏学園 translates to "Saint Arcana Academy". The 或 kanji is present in Aruto's name (it's the "aru" part), and the 奏 is present in Souko's name. Although in Souko's case it's a different reading. For her name, it takes the on'yomi reading of "sou", and when it's used in the school's name it uses the kun'yomi reading of "kana". From volume 10:

That's pretty interesting, I wonder if it ends up having any significance later? Or maybe it's just a coincidence? They do like being funny with the kanji they use in names, like all the celestial references they used here.

Tsukasa tells them they're transferring because there's an outbreak (he actually uses the word plague) of X-Eggs at Arcana Academy. He also says that Amu has a "secret mission".

Fast forward to the new school...

Amu's thought bubble says he's the Principal. He looks so familiar... He kinda looks like P from Kugiko-san (another Peach-Pit manga, from the Kugiko-chan series). And I feel like I've seen a character similiar to him in some other manga...

Someone said something they weren't supposed to during introductions in the auditorium... don't traumatize your new classmates already!

This little psycho is going on a joyride on this chandelier...

It did not want to be cleansed.

He's telling the entire auditorium that what they just witnessed were a "character change" and a "character transformation". The students are all amazed.

In a later page Tadase says that everyone in this school has a guardian egg. He said "egg" and not "character", so maybe most of them haven't actually hatched yet?

Daiya is a fucking airhead and slept through the entire fiasco in the auditorium. Because of that, everyone thinks Amu only has 3 guardian characters and not 4!

But Tadase thinks that's fine, they should keep Daiya a secret and use the fact that everyone thinks Amu only has 3 guardian characters to their advantage. Daiya can be their trump card.

She introduces herself as Erito Rose, a guide. Is that a name or a position? But if it was supposed to be "Elite Rose" instead, the whole thing should have been written in katakana... The guardian character's name is Rosetta.

Amu's dorm room is haunted... so the rumors say.

Phone call with Rima! And oh boy is this juicy...

Rima: By the way, did you contact Ikuto and Nagihiko who are overseas? Amu: Ah, not yet… Rima: Is that okay? Rima: Isn't Ikuto your boyfriend? Amu: Boy…!? Amu: There's no way!!

Rima!!! I love you, you angry little midget. That last text bubble was giving me trouble, so I gave up trying to translate it...

Amu: We've been apart this whole time. The replies to my messages vary.

I knew they were going to hurt me by bringing out my repressed long distance relationship memories... you stop that!

She was also saying how he's actually studying music overseas right now... no mention of looking for his father.

Also they forgot to draw the belt/strap things on his pants.

Amu: Even though you said something like that! Amu: Jeez! I'm an idiot! It's the same pattern. Rima: Amu? Amu: I won't be swayed by him anymore!! Definitely! Rima: Hey Amu, I just had a thought.

Rima: Do you live with someone in the dorms? Rima: If you say something like "I'm sharing a room with a boy", it'll make him jealous. Amu: Ha?! Amu: No no, this is a single room!? Amu: That's just a lie!! Rima: Amu, you're a kid. Rima: Boys like it when you tease them sometimes. All the servants say that it's a reward. Amu: This girl is scary...

Rima!!! Now I know why the Chinese Amuto fans were rolling around in their feels all over the place. Girl is giving Amu advice on how to flirt with Ikuto. I'm dying. How did I miss this page the other day...

Exactly what has Amu been telling Rima? Did she tell Rima they've shared a bed together already? I was not expecting Rima to be pro-Amuto! I always assumed Rima would hate Ikuto - for one, he's fucking tall and she's smol. Second, it's another man that's way too close to Amu (the other one being Nagihiko) and I thought that would make her angry. Although she mellowed out around Nagihiko in volume 12... and she's gotten REALLY attached to Amu in this chapter.

As fun as these pages were, time for some more ranting...

Amu: I won't be swayed by him anymore!! Definitely!

What the fuck are you talking about?! Did you forgot ALL OF THIS:

What the fuck happened to all this character development?! Why is she regressing?! Her reaction to him should NOT have been that hostile. Not after all these scenes. Which only happened months (some of them only weeks) before the graduation and wedding. The fact that 14 years has passed is definitely showing, and not in a good way… It feels like they're going backwards and I don't like it.

This bullshit right here is why I didn't want a sequel, I just knew they would fuck something up. They're either senile and completely forgot the events of volumes 8-12 (how, when they clearly took that quote from volume 12…) or their editor is braindead and giving them horrible advice, like how erasing 5 volumes worth of character development is a great fucking idea by setting Amu's relationships with Tadase and Ikuto back to pre-volume 8 levels. It's fucking stupid. It shouldn't be happening. It's bad writing to just erase all the good stuff that happened near the end of the first series. For what, to cater to new fans and drag the love triangle out some more? That's so stupid.

Should I make her my girlfriend?

I see someone has a death wish. I'd pay to see that cat fight.

There's a LOT of things that were left out. No mention of Easter, Hikaru wasn't in the Royal Garden with everyone, no mention of Nagihiko actually being Nadeshiko, no mention of Yoru being gone... hopefully these are all addressed soon. Maybe I'm being too critical, since it's still just the first chapter... I just have high expectations. I don't want them to ruin this.

As for the art... miles better than what they drew for that stupid ad (NOT a "short story", that was a lie). I hate the way Ikuto looked there, he looks a lot better now. The eyes look a lot better too, more detailed like they used to be. So that's a plus. The way they drew eyes were always one of my favorite parts about their shoujo artstyle, and it was sad that for their other manga they got lazy with it.

As for the story... everyone in this new school is aware that guardian eggs exist. Like I said earlier though, they were always using the word "egg" and not "character", so perhaps only a few people have actually had their eggs hatch.

Near the end of Amu and Rima's phone call, Amu talks more about her "secret mission", and how purifying X-Eggs isn't the only reason she's there. She also has to look for something. So I wonder what that's about...

[hodari-pavels-good-boy]

Espresso Chapter 2:

Heat Stroke

Ch1 Ch2 Ch3

Pairing: Hodari Pavel x Reader Word Count: 5.6k Chapter: 2/? Rating: E

Tags: Angst, Angst with a happy ending, miscommunication, fluff, eventual smut

A/N: This is a multi chapter Hodari x y/n story! Gender is not specified so everyone can enjoy it (though I did originally start writing it with the intention of it being a male reader lol). Tags will be updated as the fic goes. Cross-posted Here on Ao3. Fic below the cut! Enjoy :)

Hodari POV

The sun beats heavily off the stones, heat rising from the ground and into his boots as Hodari makes his way down the well-traveled path that connects the bay to the village. Raising his hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the brutal light, he debates going to the inn first before ultimately deciding to finish his work as quickly as possible to get it done and over with. 

His first stop is, as always, to the town's resident blacksmith. “Hodari!” she calls from inside, raising her hand in greeting when she sees him approach. She lays her hammer down and wipes the sweat from her face as he enters the forge with her order of iron in tow. “It’s a scorcher out here today isn’t it?” she laughs as she takes the metal from him and he hums his assent. He watches as she takes it to her backroom and out of the way before turning back to him. “Oh! I’m not going to be needing my order tomorrow, so don’t worry about making the trip into town for me.” 

He nods in acknowledgement, ‘saves me a trip tomorrow then’ he thinks before Sifuu starts speaking again. “That human that's decided to stick around, y/n, brought me some extra this morning and I won’t be able to fit anymore back there between their drop off and your delivery today. I’m all full up!” She laughs, reaching for her hammer to continue working. 

“It’s no problem then. Frees up a mornin’ for me. Maybe I’ll sleep in for once.” and they both share a chuckle at how unlikely they both know that to be before Hodari says his good-byes. 

Just as he’s about to head out Sifuu calls from behind her anvil, “You still coming to the inn this weekend? We are all planning on grabbing some lunch and taking a much needed break. It’s supposed to be even hotter, but that ain’t nothing a little ale and some good company can’t beat!” She laughs. “You can bring your girl to the tailor’s. Word down the vine is Jel’s been working on something for her as a little surprise since the last time she came into town to visit him and Tish, it’ll be good for the two of you to get out and socialize a bit. The mine’s can stay empty for half a day.” She says the last half just a little more serious and Hodari wonders how long she’s been holding it in as she’s not exactly known for her subtlety. 

Hodari thinks about it seriously for a moment before nodding his head. She’s right, it’ll be good for Najuma to get away from the shop and have some actual social interaction every once in a while. “I’ll be there, don’t worry. It’ll be good catchin’ up while we all complain about how old we’re gettin’.” he chuckles before finally taking his leave to the sound of Sifuu’s booming laughter behind him. 

His next stop is the Daiya’s farm to drop off a bit of iron Badruu had requested from him for some ‘repairs I can’t put off any more.’ Heading over the bridge and down the path a ways, he waves as the farmer comes into sight. 

“Well howdy!” Badruu greets him as he walks up to the gate. “Got something for little ol’ me there?” He asks as he removes his hat to fan himself with it. 

“Hot out here today, huh?” he comments, taking the metal Hodari hands over to him. 

“That seems to be the general consensus.” Hodari agrees. “Crops are lookin’ good. See ya got some new ones sewn out the back there. Zeki finally lower his prices?” the miner huffs.

“Oh no,” the farmer rolls his eyes, “sky high as ever. But y/n brought some late last week as a thank you for the jam Delaila sent them home with. Awfully nice of ‘em don’t you think? They seem to be settling in here quite well. Have you had a chance to really talk with them yet?”

Hodari just hums but shakes his head, he hasn’t spoken to you at all since that night in the mines. You never stop to talk while he’s in town so he’s a little surprised at this new information. “Nah. ‘m not one for chattin’ much anyways. See 'em comin’ and goin’ from the mines at all kinds of unholy hours though. Sometimes they're still down there when I get there the next mornin’”  ‘At least they’re making an effort to fit in’ he thinks as he remembers your little conversation about feeling out of place before he decides to change the topic. “How is Delaila doin’ anyways? Haven’t seen her or your boys recently, we’ve all been so busy.”

The famer laughs, “Tell me about it.” Before launching into what his family has been up to. He’s a family man at heart and Hodari has always respected that about him, it’s no secret the man gave up his dream path to settle down here to create what he has now. While he always knew he was going to be a miner, he understands the hard choices and sometimes sacrifices one makes for their loved ones. Looking at the farmer beam as he talks about how proud he is of his boys though, Hodari finds it hard to believe the man would have it any other way if given another chance. It makes his chest ache a bit as his friend talks about how he plans to surprise his wife with a nice date he’s been setting money aside for. She’ll love it he's sure, Delaila’s a hardworking woman and a spitfire in her own right, always keeping them on their toes. She deserves something nice. 

After a few more minutes of catching up, the two men say their good-byes as they head off to continue their respective work, Hodari is sure to pass on that he’ll be at the inn this weekend so they can catch up a bit later before he starts heading back into the village. With no more orders to make, he heads straight for the inn for some lunch and to get out of the heat. He almost crashes into Auni as the kid rushes past, giant backpack too big for his small frame bouncing behind him, eager to get to his daily game of cards with Hassian behind the building. “Sorry Mr. Pavel!” he calls over his shoulder, not slowing down in the slightest and Hodari huffs out an amused breath. Najuma always seems to be in a rush too, no time to slow down for these kids. 

Entering the inn has Hodari internally sighing as he gets out of the searing heat. Reth is behind the kitchen counter, already prepping his usual. He gives the kid a nod in greeting before walking over to greet Ashura who seems to be engrossed by something behind his own counter. As he gets closer, he can see the slice of pie the innkeeper is holding. 

“Got yourself somethin’ sweet there?” Hodari asks as he watches the larger man go to take a bite. Ashura turns around laughing to greet the man as he sets the plate down. 

“Can’t say no to a good slice of pie.” the older man rumbled. “Y/n baked it and dropped a fresh slice in for me and Reth. They really seem to be finding their place here after all these months. Can’t say I’m too upset with all the baked goods they’ve been dropping off in various attempts at cooking, especially recently. They’ve been catching on to how things work around here pretty quick.”

“So I've heard. Both Sifuu and Badruu were singing their praise when I stopped by. I’m-” Hodari stops when he hears Reth set his food out on the counter. He grabs his food and both men go take a seat, conversation about the new local human set aside. 

Hodari starts eating his lunch and after awhile of enjoying one another's company in silence, Ashura asks how Najuma is doing. He sighs as he sets his fork down, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t know. She seems madder’n not these days and I don’t know what to do.” Ashura nods sympathetically as he talks. “It’s been harder to talk to her lately and you know I ain't exactly a beacon of open conversation myself. Just tryin’ to figure it out as I go along, I guess.” 

Ashura shares in his worries over lunch and offers some advice from one father to another about angry teengers and the frustrations of parenting in general. By the time he’s leaving to head home, he feels a little lighter. He stayed longer than usual to avoid the sun's brutal attack at the peak of the day but as he faces the long trek home, he realizes that just means another long night in the mines and he has to bite back a groan. At least he doest have to make the trip out here for Sifuu tomorrow. 

As he walks through town, he plays the conversations he’s had today over in his mind. So many things have changed since he first moved here, young and leaving behind his family to start his own. He passes the Daiya’s eldest son and raises his hand in greeting, ‘That kid has grown up so fast.’ he thinks. ‘They all have.’ When he moved out here with Leta all those years ago, he never quite pictured this would be his life now and wonders how she would feel about all the changes that have happened, especially recently with humans appearing out of thin air. Probably handle it a whole lot better than him, he’s never been one for change if he can help it. He wonders how she’d feel about the human that’s stuck around, everyone else seems to enjoy your company. She’d probably tell him to be nice and welcome you like everyone else has and he smiles at the thought of her standing there arms crossed calling him a grump and telling him to get over himself. A bit of a reminder that even as the world changes, some things would absolutely stay the same.

Soon enough, his wandering thoughts have led him to the gate that connects to the bay. The sun still shines bright and he figures he should probably make sure his daughter is staying cool and drinking water. He makes his way towards the pond, getting ready to call her over but stops when he realizes she isn’t there. A look up the hill shows that she’s not in the workshop either. Taking a sigh, he turns and heads towards the house. ‘She better not be in those damn mines again’ he thinks as he's pushing open the door to grab what he’ll need to go after her. 

As soon as he opens the door though, he spots his daughter sitting on the couch with a whole blueberry pie in hand, getting ready to dig into it. 

“Najuma, just what in the hell are you doing?” He asks, fumbling in his thoughts. He was sure she was causing trouble and trying to put him in an early grave with worry. Now he’s just confused where she got a pie. He knows he didn't pick one up and she hasn't shown any interest in baking, much less ventured all the way into town to get any of what she’d need for it.

Najuma freezes, caught red handed as she holds the forkfull of pie halfway to her mouth. “I wasn't gonna eat it all at once!” She immediately tries to defend herself. 

“No. I-” He stops, collecting his thoughts, “One, where’d you get that? And two, why did you not put it on a plate?” He says grabbing the pie from her and walking into the kitchen to cut it. She follows behind him, eager for the treat before she gets back to work and she answers him as he reaches into the cupboard for a plate. 

“Oh y/n brought it by! They said that I’ve been working so hard I deserve a snack!” She smiles as she takes the plate from him and sits down at the table this time, already taking a bite.

He shakes his head, leaning against the counter as he watches how she devours the slice of pie in front of him and feels a little pang as he realizes how much bigger she's gotten. Despite her small size, she's growing up so fast and he wishes he could freeze time for just a little bit. She’s already in her teens now and his back aches more at the thought. Soon she’ll be all grown up. For now, they're just a bit of a mess as they try to figure it out. He finds himself wishing again that Leta were here to help him and resigns himself to the fact it’s just going to be one of those days full of wanting and nostalgia. ‘Want in one hand’ and all that..

Pushing off from the counter he walks over and ruffles his daughter's hair, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her fiery head as he goes. “Daaaad.” She complains as he walks towards the door, chuckling. He reminds her only the one piece before dinner so she doesn't spoil her appetite before he’s out the door and heading towards the mines. During his walk he thinks about Najuma telling him you had been the one to bring the pie by. He’s confused why you would be coming all the way out here to talk to his daughter when he hardly sees you himself, much less have any sort of regular conversation with you. It makes a flare of protectiveness rise in his gut, he’s not sure he wants Najuma around a stranger. He decides he should think it over a bit more before deciding anything right now, you seem nice enough and while your only real conversation had been a bit awkward, no harm was done. Wanting to clear his mind of it for now, he heads into the mines, determined to make up for the bit of lost time today.

The next morning while making breakfast, he realizes he forgot to stop by the general store yesterday before coming home. ‘So much for not headin’ into town.’ he thinks bitterly as he sets the food between him and his daughter, letting her know he forgot some things yesterday and asking if she needed anything while he was there. He writes down what she needs and lets her know he won’t be staying in town today. After they finish breakfast he heads right out, itching to get there and get home.

Wasting no time, he heads straight to Zeki’s as soon as he enters the village. He grabs the things he needs for the house and Najuma before he heads over to the register, greeting the owner of the shop. After a bit of small talk, Hodari decides he should ask the other man what he thinks about the human. 

“Ain’t too close to them, to be honest but they seem decent enough.” he shrugs. “Rest of the town seems to like them, even Eshe seems to be warming up to them, albeit begrudgingly” he laughs. Hodari nods along as he is given the information to process. “You know me though,” the other continues, “I don’t make it a habit of trustin’ people, especially people I don’t know. It’s a crazy world out there. Their gold spends as good as anyone else’s though!” he finishes with a wink and Hodari just shakes his head as he pays for his goods. They say their good-byes and Hodari promises to pass along a hello to Najuma for him before he takes his leave. 

As he’s walking out of the store he spots you leaving the inn and waving a good-bye to the cook from the doorway. He watches for a moment as you smile and greet the youngest Daiya boy and Elouisa on your way back to your home plot. He wonders briefly what it looks like now since he’s last seen it the first day you appeared here. As you round the corner and out of his sight, he starts on his own way home.

He takes the opportunity on the walk back to mull over the things Zeki told him while the conversation is still fresh in his mind. He thinks the grimilkin may be right, you’re basically a stranger and he doesn't know you very well. You seem nice enough, and clearly your presence is enjoyed and welcomed by many in the village, but he's gotta keep his family in mind and Najuma’s wellbeing takes precedence. It doesn’t help that he’s still uncomfortable with the idea that a human has been around his daughter alone and presumably in his house and he’s been none the wiser to it. Friendly or not, the two of you haven’t even spoken since the night he stayed late in the mines so it would probably be best if he put a stop to whatever is going on, at least while he’s not around. Just for now. It wouldn’t hurt Najuma to socialize more, but he’s not sure this is how he wants that to happen. 

After getting home he puts away the items and goes to hunt Najuma down in the workshop, letting her know the things she wanted were waiting for her on the kitchen table whenever she needed them.

“It’s gonna be a late night for me t’night. Don’t wait for me for dinner, there’s leftovers in the icebox for ya. Don’t forget to eat, ya hear me?” He calls from outside the shop. Once he hears a quiet muttering of ‘yeah yeah’ in acknowledgement he turns and starts his walk to the mines. He figures tonight is as good a night as any to talk to you when you make your way down. ‘Doesn’t need to be a big deal’, he reasons with himself, ‘place a few boundaries. No harm no foul.’  

Without Hodari realizing it, hours have passed since he’s been down here and he picks up his things to head closer to the entrance of the mines to wait for you. A brief look outside tells him that the sun has long since finished its march across the sky, Luna and Ignis have risen, and he can hear the crickets begin their nightly songs. As he watches the lantern bugs flit about amongst the grass and trees he starts to worry you won’t actually show tonight and he’s stayed out this late for no reason. But like clockwork, the tell tale sound of the crunching gravel beneath shoes moves towards the mine entrance and he knows it can’t possibly be anyone else but you coming down here so late.

You wave to him, offering a quick ‘hello!’ as soon as you see him standing at the entrance. He raises his hand in greeting back, taking a deep breath. You’re already smiling in front of him and he finds himself inexplicably worried he might hurt your feelings. You don’t look like you mean any harm but he can’t trust you, not yet. 

“Another late night? You’re not usually down here still at this time, shouldn’t you be home having dinner with Najuma?” You ask, curious. He watches as you pull your pack off to get your own supplies out.

“Yeah about that. Got something I wanna talk t’ya about.”  He begins. You hum in acknowledgement of the statement while you continue to sort through your pack.

“Yeah? What’s up?” You ask and Hodari finds himself fumbling a bit at the relaxed ease in your tone, talking to him as though you were friends or at the very least friendly acquaintances and not practically strangers. 

“It’s about Najuma. I-” 

“Is she okay?” you cut him off, sounding concerned and he feels a flare of annoyance. It’s not your job to be concerned. 

“Well if ya let me finish,” he starts again a bit more gruff, “She’s fine. What I want to talk about is how much you’ve been hangin’ around her. I know ya don’t mean any harm, but I don’t see much of a reason for you to be headin’ all the way out here just to talk to her. Especially when I’m not around, it just don’t sit right with me.” He watches as the words sink in, and your face changes from concerned to confused, and finally to hurt. 

“I-” you begin but he holds out his hand to stop you. 

“It’s nothing personal. But we- I don’t know you and if anything happened to her… well it doesn't bear thinkin’ about. I just can’t take that chance, ya understand?” He waits until you nod in agreement before continuing, “Good. Glad we’re on the same page then.” He reaches down and grabs his pick off the ground before resting his hand on your shoulder. “Okay then, you have a good rest of your night.” 

He hears a quiet ‘you too’ as he starts to walk away, a lighter step in his gait. That went surprisingly well all things considered. He faltered at the thought of the hurt in your eyes but you’ll get over it, it's for the best to leave things as they are for now. As he walks away he doesn’t notice the sounds of mining dont carry up the hills as they normally do.  

A few days have passed and the weekend draws near. At breakfast Najuma is quietly picking at her food and Hodari lets her know they'll both be going into town tomorrow. Instead of the incoming complaints he was expecting she seemed to perk up at the news. 

“Do you think we’ll see y/n in town?” she rushes out, her eyes wide as she looks at him. It takes him aback at her intensity. 

“I.. don’t know.” he answers slowly. “Why?” 

She sits back in her chair a little dejected. “I haven’t seen them around lately. It’s been a few days and..” her voice drops down to almost a whisper. “..I miss them.” She looks back up at him, “Have you seen them around?”

“No, I haven't.” He answers honestly, but carefully. He doesn’t plan on telling her he spoke to you about not coming around if he’s not here too. But truth be told, he hasn’t seen you at all. Not in town this week or down by the mines.

Najuma resumes poking at her breakfast and Hodari has to bite back the comment of not playing with her food, recognizing that if he says anything now it would most likely spawn another argument and he’d much rather have a tension free day when he can help it. Not looking up from her plate she mumbles “What if they left too? Like all the other humans? What if they didn't say goodbye?” his daughter looks almost on the verge of tears at the thought and his chest tightens. He hadn't realized she felt so attached to the human already. 

He thinks for a moment wondering if that may have happened but no, you couldn’t have moved on. He had just heard both Sifuu and Reth talking about how helpful you’ve been just yesterday while he was in town. He tells Najuma as such and it seems like some of the weight has been lifted from her tiny shoulders. “I hope so.. Y/n is the only one who talks to me like an actual person! They even started to bring me iron from the mine for my projects after they found out you won't let me in there!” She huffs a tad indignant at the self reminder that he won’t let her in the mines with him. 

Hodari feels a bit of guilt listening to Najuma talk about missing you. He hadn’t realized that his daughter had apparently grown so fond of you so quickly. Taking an appeasing route, “Maybe they’re just busy. Remember y/n had to start everythin’ from scratch and that takes time.” Najuma just hums, unsatisfied in the answer. “When did you two start becomin’ close anyway Juma? I didn’t even know they were visiting until a few days ago.” He says finally taking a bite of his own food hoping to encourage his daughter to do the same.

His daughter looks at him like he just sprouted another head. Not raising to the bait, he raises an eyebrow waiting for her to answer. Still looking at him confused she begins, “A few months ago, Dad. Y/n got lost looking for Hassian’s grove and ended up here. They saw me and asked for directions, remember? You were in the workshop.” Hodari sets his fork down to focus on what his daughter is saying because, in fact, he doesn’t remember that. She continues without missing a beat, speaking a mile a minute now as she recounts the day she first met you. “I gave them the directions so they wouldn’t bother you and went back to working on my sketch as I waited for them to leave but they didn’t. They asked me what I was working on and said it looked cool! None of the humans had said that to me before!” She was smiling and excited now as she talks. “Then they told me I must be ‘One hell of an inventor’ because I ‘sure have a knack for it’ because they couldn't understand any of it but said it looked ‘awesome’! I told them I couldn't finish it because you wouldn’t let me in the mines and-”

“I would have brought you some iron if you had just asked me Juma..” Hodari interrupts her, already tired from knowing where this road could lead.

“It’s not the same! Anyway you were really busy with that huge order for Bahari City so I couldn’t ask you even if I wanted to, I knew you didn’t have the time. But you’ll never believe it! They said you were right! And that the mines are dangerous and I shouldn’t go in them!” She throws her hands up dramatically and Hodari has to fight down the smile at the action. “Then later in the afternoon when we were both in the workshop they dropped off some iron for both of us, remember? Y/n told me they couldn’t wait to see it all finished and were happy to be a “patron of the arts” whatever that means.”

Najuma is looking at him expectantly and he wracks his brain trying to remember any of that. He remembers the Bahari City order, took him days to complete. Honestly he doesn’t remember much else, he wasn't sleepin’ too much during it. Eventually he nods his head, “yeah yeah I kinda remember that.” Najuma looks at him skeptically, like she doesn't believe a word of it but he ignores it as he takes another bite of his food.

“Yeah well, that’s pretty much it. Y/n would come into the bay to forage and mine and when they started home they would ask me if you or I needed anything they had picked up. Which was a little awkward at first, and kinda overwhelming but they were just trying to be nice! Eventually y/n just started stopping by the house to ask what we needed and would go out and get it while they got the things they needed, it was super helpful!”

Hodari sits there and listens as Najuma goes on to tell him how cool it was to have an adult think that she was cool and smart. He wanted to interrupt her and tell her he thinks she's cool and smart but the words catch in his throat as she continues filling him in on all he’s missed. How annoying it was that you had agreed with him but then told her she was so smart that she’ll invent a way to make mining safer in no time and that you believed in her. He feels his stomach drop the longer she talks, you had been keeping his daughter safe and giving her all the confidence in herself he’d been trying so hard to instill in her. He’s still a little concerned he didn’t know it was happening and tries to find a way to say it without coming across as the bad guy. ‘A little late for that’ his mind unhelpfully supplies.

But Najuma always has been smart as a whip and catches on quick. “I’m not surprised you didn’t notice, Dad. You’re always so busy you don’t notice a lot of things even when they’re happening right in front of you. We didn't want to bug you so we just tried to stay out of your way when we were all in the shop.” Hodari almost wants to feel insulted as goes to say he isn’t that oblivious while he’s working when she suddenly goes very serious across the table from him.

“Wait.. If you didn’t notice how often y/n was here, even when you were in the same room with us, have you not thanked them for all the gifts they’ve been bringing us since the beginning? Not even the ones they’ve brought just for you?” She asks, horrified. The sinking feeling in his stomach turns to solid lead at the question. “Really Dad? None of the extra ores? Or all the fresh meat? Not even the ugly antlers you’d been wanting? I didn’t even mean to tell them about those but as soon as I mentioned them, they brought them with the meat that evening!” She says exasperated. 

Truth be told he didn't notice the extra ores were a gift, he thought he was the one who placed them there and forgot or assumed Najuma had been messing with them late at night and really hadn't thought too much of it past that. The meat and antlers though.. “I thought Sifuu’s boy had been bringing them by.” He answered honestly, a little rattled.

Najuma shakes her head unaware of her father's internal struggle, finally shoveling another bite in her mouth and opens her mouth to start talking again. This time Hodari did interrupt her to tell her to not speak with her mouth full. She swallows before starting again. “Nope!” She says popping the ‘P’ at the end. “Y/n has been dropping off fresh meat and even whole meals for us sometimes. They said something about how they know you're always busy in the mines and I'm a growing girl. They also told me they always make too much and have extra and giving it to us is a win-win for all of us because it won't go bad and that it's one less thing we have to worry about too.” She says it very matter of factly but Hodari knows that's not how it works. You don't just make “extra” enough to feed 3 people a whole meal. You had been going out of your way to cook for them so Najuma had lunch he didn’t have to make for her and he never even noticed.

“But dad, don't tell them I said this” she whispers conspiratorially, grabbing his attention again. “I think they go hunting just to bring us fresh meat when they're out here.” She stops to eat her breakfast before it gets completely cold while Hodari thinks about just how bad he’s just fucked up. 

She shovels the last of her food in her mouth before turning her gaze to her dad, “Y/n’s really nice, you should probably thank them when you see them next so they don't get the wrong idea and think we don’t want them here.” And wasn't that just salt in a wound that’s already festering. Meanwhile Najuma carries on, no idea what her father had told you a few days ago. “Maybe that's why they stopped coming by, it's really rude to not say thank you and they'd been doing it for months.”  She looks out the window and sighs, “I don't want them to think we don't like them and not come back, Dad. I want to show them my new ideas!” 

She turns back to her father, “I know you haven’t seen them but if you do when we are in town tomorrow can you tell them I want to show them my newest idea if they have time to come by. Oh! And you can ask if they want to have dinner with us! They haven't tasted your cooking yet, we can have corn! Please?”

His throat is dry as he tells her “Sure, Juma.” before sending her to go wash up before she inevitably finds her way outside to dirty herself up all over again. As soon as she’s out of sight he puts his head in his hands. He didn’t know any of that was happening and that his daughter had grown so close to you. Much less that you had been going so far out of your way to be so kind to his little family. The look of hurt in your eyes flashes through his mind as he called you a stranger and said he couldn't trust you around Najuma and he drags a hand down his face in hopes to wipe the image out of his mind’s eye. 

How in the hell was he gonna fix this?

[Dividers by the-aesthetic-shop]

[gogomeaty]

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals!

Thank you for the tag my sweet @twigg96!! (∩´∀｀)∩

Were you named after anyone?

Not precisely with my first name, is the same name as my aunt, who is also my godmother; but my mom says she didn't call me that after her BUT I know that my second name was after a character in a telenovela

When was the last time you cried?

I don't remember, but probably not too long ago, and most likely was because of a red dead edit I saw

Do you have kids?

No, and I don't plan on having kids anymore

Do you use sarcasm?

Yeah? I guess, most of the times I don't realize what I use when I'm talking, I just talk...

What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their facial expressions and what kind of vibe they give off

What's your eye color?

Brown

Scary Movies or Happy Endings?

Happy endings, i don't watch scary movies often and they definitely aren't my go-to when I want to watch something

Any special talents?

Uh, I can do a few voice imitations, Shakira is my favorite

Where were you born?

México

What are your hobbies?

Doing art, videogames, writing, singing, dancing n reading

Have any pets?

Yep, five cats; Jazz, Oliver, Bruno, Daiya and Sin Cola(Tailless)

What sports do you/have you played?

Ballet and tap dance when I was little, then belly dance and a little bit of swimming classes a few years ago

How tall are you?

1.70 / 5' 7" - Decently tall, I guess

Favorite subject in school?

Biology and for the semester I was in graphic design, the art history subject was my most favorite one

Dream Job?

Daycare teacher or barista

Tagging (no pressure): @nsfwitchy2 @ir0n-moon @impsynia @robinsnest2111 @skylightdistraction @zonkutonshorrifyingpeenie @a-dope-fiend @basu-shokikita

[darshanoftheories]

Third Final Part, Secret Summer Paradise Event

I know this is a bit late, but I decided to completely play it through before I make this, and I had a bit of stuff to do the last two weeks.

So let’s start.

We are finishing the main story with Zosimos, who is a director. He makes props using real things and puts them into the preprint world to tell a story in it. It’s exactly the opposite of what you’re supposed to do, and kinda ironic considering the entire domain is made of a gigantic blueprint. So the entire chain is you use a real object to transform it using a preprint into the objects and space in the domain and then you use the objects in the domain to make a preprint again.

It makes sense with Zosimos character to make his probs in real, as he was a props designer in the real world and never actually made it to a director.

The play he puts up correlates with Idyia‘s story in parts. As she is an oceanid, she had to flee Fontaine. At some point she then met Alice, in the play played by Klee, who gave her a bottle that can grant one wish on the outside and more inside. She wished to go somewhere where no one could find her again, which is why she’s in the desert now. I think the bandit is supposed to be anyone who has come to the domain.

They all had big wishes coming to the desert, many were searching for the bottle, and their wishes were strong enough to let them find the bottle when no one was supposed to find Idyia again. And while they all probably were sad that the bottle couldn’t fulfil their wishes in the real world, the possibilities they had found in the domain, their light, will accompany them into the outside world. And with everything they have learned there, they can go on with new energy and accomplish their dreams, while Idyia stays in the domain, to help everyone else that comes through the bottle.

I find it a bit sad that we don’t get to find out how Zosimos got to the domain. We know that he always dreamed of being a director, and that he never managed to get a higher position than a set and props designer, but I am wondering why he would go to the desert. The most possible one is that he heard from the bottle that can make wishes come true and sought it out when he found himself stuck with his carrier chances, but I could also imagine him going to the desert to find inspiration.

Anyway, now with the reveal that Idyia is an Oceanid and all the humans are just waterdroplet copies of humans, I feel like it casts some of the story in another light. Beides Zosimos, who I can’t really place in a timeline besides that he has to have been gone for a long time because Idyia didn’t remember how one could get to his treehouse, we know that they aren’t recent history. (The brothers before the invention of the camera, Maymunah before Cyno became known) That means whatever happens in the domain to their water counterparts doesn’t have any impact on them anymore cause they probably have died already. (after living a fulfilling life hopefully)

And still the waterdroplets, while mimicking how the humans operated, seem to be capable of growth. Klee helped the brothers mend their relationship, Collei helped Maymunah with her fear and we all inspired Zosimos to finish his masterpiece. (and if they weren’t capable of growth, it would be wild for Idyia to criticise water Zosimos, though maybe that was just a relict of long gone times, a routine they kept up for the sake of it)

But I do believe that the waterdroplets can grow, because Zosimos established that they are intelligent. While he was still here physically he wrote short stories that he helped the waterdroplets perform on their own. He gave them the lines and extra phrases so they could communicate with the visitors, and they have continued to perform and operate them in a joint effort called Daiya. It’s the working together of machines and waterdroplets, and they even have some who will listen to the stories of visitors to be inspired to write more stories. It’s also really cool how the droplets have different personalities, (some were more enthusiastic about the theatre than others) meaning that while they all look the same, each one of them is still an individual.

I am wondering where that line came from where Daiya said something about the experiment being a success and not having to worry about food and funds anymore after we played through the city in the sky, cause Zosimos doesn’t seem to be an academia person, and wouldn’t have gave them such phrases, but I didn’t pay close attention to the captions under the speaker that hinted at the sound of the voice, so I can’t be sure if it might’ve been a different voice, or maybe a hiccup in the control centre from another story. (We don’t get to hear voices cause it’s a world quest, hoyoverse be stingy with its money, but it also makes sense story wise, as we probably would’ve recognised Zosimos voice) It also bares the question if Zosimos recorded all his lines with different voices because oof, to make it possible the droplets can communicate well in all voices (and as such not be limited in the stories they might make) he would’ve had to record so many phrases.

More proof of this is the quest of the artist. Not only have they become friends, but even after the artist has been long gone, the droplets work hard to ensure that the mural is restored. It also shows that Idyia is capable of helping the visitors. The artist came to this domain arrogant, but she provided a stable environment where the artist could grow, mature in time and make friends.

In the stargazing quest we visit Jeronimo, who’s on a platform in the dessert to watch the stars. It’s revealed that he does that every night and that human Jeronimo already loved the stars and would’ve loved to know of the camera. The way Paimon asked if that was a human Jeronimo or water Jeronimo thing, opens up the implications though that while the waterdroplet humans are copies, they do have own agendas, so I’m questioning if, as we established that waterdroplets are intelligent, how much of the humans is true to the original and how much do they deviate from them, one of the brothers was said to not be that smart, his strength lies in his strength, so I hope the waterdroplet doesn’t feel bored. But I guess if they don’t like it, they would’ve changed something already, as they are capable of growth. The gap they and the ones they portray have might be interesting to explore, but maybe the waterdroplets created for those copies don’t have that complicated feelings towards this topic.

While the waterdroplets certainly keep the memories of the ones passing through this domain alive, there are other ways to do it, too. Idyia gives every visitor a box, where they can put something personal in, to leave behind for future generations, along with a little riddle to help them find it. The stories told are really cool, you should check them out, the dreams of each admirable, and it gives a kind of hope. Many had passed through the very same space you are passing right now, each with their own story, and yet Idyia will take care of all of you.

I don’t know if the place where that first mora watch was buried had something to do with what place (near the entrance) I chose to bury my box in, but I still find it poetic in a way.

The treasure that had inspired generations of treasure hunting and leaving a bit of your story for the ones after to find, is not on a legendary place in an unreachable place. No. It’s directly at the entrance of the domain. Maybe you find it in the beginning, when you not yet know the significance of this piece. The letter written, speaks from a worthless watch, not made out of mora, but only painted gold, and yet for that adventurer it was a most precious possession, accompanying them throughout their adventures, to now land in your hands. Maybe you take it with you for your journey through the domain giving you comfort in this world, to learn of its significance later on, maybe to bury it again when you leave, having given you the comfort you needed, now ready to leave it for the next person requiring such.

Or you find it on your way out of the domain, wiser than you were before, your ambitions rekindled, ready to take on the world and accomplish your dreams. You take the watch with you back out into the real world, a place it hadn’t seen in ages, completely changed after all that time. It gives you comfort as you take on new challenges, inspires you. Maybe you read about it’s previous owner in books about famous adventurers, knowing that adventurer accomplished their dreams too, without even knowing it’s them, but the watch will know, and maybe you go back to the domain to show what you had accomplished, and let the watch change hands, or it becomes a precious family heirloom and one of your ancestors finds the domain, too, with that watch as a good luck charm.

Anyways, that’s the end of my rambles about the event, I hope you liked what I wrote, maybe I’ll link the parts together at some point (don’t count on it) or just check the tags to find the rest. This was a fun experience and I plan to continue this about future stuff.

[akukuyo]

surprise hugs  —  daiya no ace !  

feat. miyuki, kuramochi

warnings  —  none! just straight fluff! 

note  —  i feel like a lot aren’t into the daiya fandom but i totally recommend it 100% plus i want to meet moots who are also in to daiya ! ♡

✧˖° miyuki kazuya 

“ten more pitches and then you switch with sawamura! hey don’t ignore me...” miyuki sighed as he repositioned himself to catch a splitter from furuya.

“haha furuya! cap doesn’t have time to catch for you anymore!” sawamura snickered. 

you looked at the boys in the bullpen and felt the corners of your lips tug into a small smile. in the distance, you can make out furuya’s blue fiery aura coming out of him as you watched sawamura frantically fanning away his aura. 

“hey senpai, i’ve always been wondering, but how is it like dating miyuki-senpai?” a light voice asked. 

you pulled your gaze away from the boys and glanced up at the owner of the voice. you had almost forgotten that haruno decided to come along with you to refill the water for the boys. 

“how’s it like dating kazuya?” you repeated and momentarily pondered a bit at her question. if you’re honest, it was a normal relationship? sure there was PDA, here and there, but other than that, you thought your relationship had been fairly normal. 

“i-it’s just that, i can’t imagine him being all sweet and kind! sure he has his moments, but he’s just very... egotistical. no offense though, senpai!” she explained. 

you smiled at the girl and finished refilling the water, “he has his moments for sure, and as weird as it sounds, i like his personality as he is, even if he teases me a lot.”

“ah... that makes sense, you two really balance each other out then!” 

“it’s more like i’m acting as if i’m his babysitter,” you playfully rolled your eyes as you lifted the water container, making sure to not drop the heavy item. 

“ah senpai, i can help with that!” haruno rushed to try to help you lift the container. “nah, it’s fine haruno! plus i don’t want you... to uh trip by accident!” you smiled as you lifted the container. “let’s go, the guys are probably looking for a drink by now.” 

as you were passing by the bullpen, miyuki noticed the both of you walking towards the dugout. he shook his head slightly as he watched you trudge the heavy water container and called out, “oi y/n, i’ll help you in a second! your back could hurt from that, you know?” 

you looked at miyuki through the metal fence, “aren’t you supposed to be helping sawamura with his pitching?” 

“it’s tiring to keep airheads and idiots in check though, especially when their heads are in the clouds~.” he responded while showing his signature grin towards you, not caring that furuya and sawamura were arguing back at the captain. 

“plus, you’ll be standing like a hunched-over grandma if you keep carrying heavy stuff like that,” he teased, laughing when he watched a small scowl form on your face. 

“oi cap! you said you would catch for me at least 20 times! where are you going? you should be acting like a real captain and let me practice my number 11!” sawamura yelled. 

miyuki placed his hand by his ear, “what? what did you say? you can finally throw number 11 with full control? is that what it is? go ask okumura to catch for you, since i have things to do~.” he snickered, raising his glove towards his mouth. just as he finished laughing, he immediately started to remove his protective gear and jogged over to where you were. 

“eh? how cute y/n-chan, waiting for me to help you out that badly?” he snickered. you opened your mouth to retort but were once cut off by him, “i know, i know, you want me to carry it because i’m so strong!” the grin on his face never left, as haruno watched the small interaction you had with miyuki. 

“you know, i can just ask kuramochi or maezono-san to just help me out right?” you deadpanned as you watch miyuki’s grin start to falter slightly. stifling a laugh, you watched miyuki shuffle around before taking the water container out of your hands and start to walk towards the dugout without another jest. 

as the three of you arrived at the dugout, miyuki placed the water container on the bench and clapped his hands together to remove any dust on his hands.

“thank you so much miyuki-senpai!” haruno grinned as she glanced towards you before speaking, “oh right, y/n-senpai, do you mind if you help us make some onigiri for the team? we need still need to teach the new managers around the kitchen.” 

“oh yeah, of course, i’ll be there in a bit so you could go on ahead without me.” 

haruno nodded and bowed slightly to the two of you before making her way to the dining area, leaving the two of you alone by the dugout. 

“alright then kazuya, i’ll see you later since i have to help the other managers out,” you say as you turned around to leave before feeling a hand on your wrist, stopping you from moving any further. 

“you’re just gonna leave like that? how cruel y/n-chan. you didn’t even thank me for helping you.” miyuki smirked while peering at your face to see your reaction. with rolling eyes, you brushed his hand away, “yeah yeah, thank you soo much kazuya, such a helpful prince you are.” 

once again, you moved away and tried to walk towards the dining area but was once stopped again with a firm hand on your wrist. “oi kazuya, i need to go you kno-,” before you could finish your sentence, you were quickly interrupted with the pull of your wrist. 

you felt your body lean into miyuki’s chest, as he gently wraps his arms around your waist. his face slowly settled into the crook of your neck, and you both stayed there momentarily, showing no signs of moving. 

the warmth on your cheeks had significantly spread, yet you had hesitated to speak as you felt like the words in your throat had died out. before you could even let out a word, you felt miyuki’s head lift away from the crook of your neck before planting a light kiss on your cheek. 

the warmth on your back had started to disappear as miyuki had pulled away from you. with a genuine smile, he glanced at your flushed face, “i’ll see you later. go help out the rest of the managers since i know the team will be pretty hungr-” 

“miyuki-senpai. please catch for me again.” furuya’s voice abruptly cut off miyuki before he could finish his sentence. to top it off, he was practically only two centimeters away from miyuki’s face. 

“you guys really have the worst timing. also, you’re too close!”

✧˖° kuramochi youichi

walking to room five every friday night had become a routine for you. it was the day when you could relax and hang out with your boyfriend, kuramochi, during the weekdays. 

of course, being a manager at seido meant that you could see him even during practice, but the two of you decided to set a time where you both could spend quality time with each other. 

with a plastic bag full of snacks in hand, you made your way to the small dorm room, room five. what you didn’t expect was to hear the murmurs and a familiar shrill laugh behind the door. 

as you opened the door, you were greeted with the sight of all the first-string members sitting around the tv, playing video games and mingling. 

“ah! it’s y/n-chan!” maezono shouted in a loud voice, gaining the attention of all the boys. 

the boys looked at you and greeted you with casual nods and waves. you spotted your boyfriend, kuramochi, waving to you and motioning you to sit by him near the tv. 

“y/n-senpai! you’re here! let's play some games against haruchii and kuramochi-senpai!” sawamura beamed when you sat down. 

“ah no no! it’s fine, i’m not too great at fighter games anyways! it’d be best if i just watched!” you waved your hands, rejecting the idea. 

“hya ha~! are you being nice to sawamura because he sucks at the game! you’re already a better player than him y/n!” kuramochi laughed while ruffling your hair. 

“hah?! what did you say?!” sawamura shouted as he pointed towards kuramochi, who instead just grinned before placing him into a headlock while his shrill laugh filled the room. 

“ill-mannered attack!” 

as you watched the two boys wrestle around, miyuki whispered your name to gain your attention and motioned you to sit by him and masashi, who was currently in a game of shogi. 

“y/n-chan, you know how to play shogi right? hey masashi, tetsu-san could never beat her by the way! she’s way better than me!” miyuki pleaded before snickering, “plus he’s weak.”

“furuya, we’re out of drinks, go get some more,” kuramochi said while glancing at the said boy, who happened to be asleep on asada’s bed. 

noticing that this was your chance to slip away from the captain and the persistent power hitter, “i can go get the drinks!” you raised your hand as you grabbed furuya’s notepad and pen to write down the drinks of the boys. 

“ah, y/n-senpai you don’t need to do that, i can get the drinks,” yui spoke up as he felt bad to make his senpai do errands. however, you shook your head, “nah, it’s fine yui! plus i’m sure the third-years would like to get to know you guys anyways.” 

as you jotted down the drinks all the boys had wanted, you had prepared to leave the room until you heard kuramochi shout behind you, “hold up y/n, i’ll come with you!” 

kuramochi slipped on his slides before grabbing the empty plastic bag that once held snacks. “come on, let’s get the drinks, i’ll help you out.” kuramochi grinned while opening the door for you. 

the two of you made your way towards the vending machine, you spoke up, “youichi, i didn’t know you guys were gonna gather in the room today. should’ve given me a heads up so i don’t intrude, you know?” 

“eh? intrude? you intruding y/n? no way! all the guys don’t mind you being there at all.” kuramochi thought for a moment before continuing with a scowl on his face, “if i’m honest, they were more excited to see you than anything.”

“jealous youichi?” you snickered, watching his eyebrows furrow deeper at your jest. 

“tsk, shut up. so what if i’m jealous?” he pouted as he crouched down in front of the vending machine, before pulling out coins of yen to place in the slot of the machine. 

a grin on your face began to spread as you watched youichi, still crouched on the ground, placing the drinks into the plastic bag. you decided to crouch behind him and wrap your arms around his waist, before letting your head rest on his back. 

“h-ha? y/n what are you doing?” kuramochi spouted frantically, feeling a heat on his cheeks begin to spread. 

“what? i can’t give affection to my boyfriend? is that what it is yoh?” you sighed as you pretend to let your hold on him slightly falter before his hand stopped you from moving further. 

“you know that’s not what i’m saying, stupid.” 

you laughed at your boyfriend’s small retort and you adjusted your arms around his waist. noticing how he kept on placing drinks into the plastic bag, you leaned your face in the crook of his neck and placed a small kiss behind his ear. watching as the tips of his ears became a light red shade. “o-oi!”

you smiled before getting up and looked down at the crouched kuramochi, “come on youichi, let’s go. i bet sawamura is crying right now since he sucks at smash!” 

walking off without him, he quickly placed all the drinks into the bag before running to catch up. “wait for me babe!” 

[cookiesnt]

Chihiro, Mondo, Taka and Nagito with a sibling who dies in their place during the killing game.

(Note: They/Them pronouns used for Chihiro) OOOOO THE ANGST

Chihiro:

They had a bad feeling.

You weren't at breakfast that morning.

They pretty much forced the rest of the class to have a search party.

They were searching with Hina and Sakura when the announcement went off.

"No... Please no..."

They ran upstairs and slammed the door to the girl's locker room wide open.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

In an instant, their world came crashing down.

It was so cruel... So gruesome...

And your face was so scared...

"Y/n, wake up! Please you have to wake up! Y/N!"

The rest of the class was completely silent as Chihiro sobbed in front of your corpse.

No one had the guts to pull them away.

They just did the investigation with them sobbing hysterically.

Eventually, everyone was called to the class trial.

Chihiro spent the entire time staring at your portrait.

Eventually, the culprit was caught.

"Mondo... Why?"

He looked down in shame.

"Y/n... Y/n wanted to get stronger... That kid was braver than I could ever be... I guess my anger didn't like that."

He looked up at Chihiro.

"There's nothing I could ever say to make this better, Chihiro... Monokuma, just get it over with."

The next thing Chihiro knew was they were in their dorm, sobbing.

"I'm sorry Y/n... I'm so sorry..."

Mondo:

"HE'S NOT THE KILLER! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

You were screaming. Taka was screaming.

Mondo just sat there, staring at the ground.

"HE DIDN'T DO IT! TELL THEM YOU DIDN'T DO IT!"

"Y/n, if I said that I would be lying..."

Sure, enough, the votes came in and he was found guilty.

"WHY MONDO?! WHY?!"

"First Daiya... Not you too, Mondo...."

He pulled you into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, kid... I really am..."

"I-I don't wanna be a-alone..."

Monokuma laughed evilly.

"Ah, sweet despair... If only there was more of it..."

That's when you got an idea...

It was an awful idea, but you had to try.

"IF YOU WANT DESPAIR, KILL ME INSTEAD!"

Mondo sighed.

"Y/n, don't be an-"

"Wonderful idea, Y/n! Well then, IIIIIIIIIIT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

"WAIT WHAT?!"

It all happened so fast.

Before you had time to react, there was a chain around your neck...

And a few minutes later, there was nothing at all.

Mondo screamed at the top of his lungs in grief.

"I killed them... I killed both of them..."

He never left his dorm after that.

Only for trials.

What was the point of living anymore?

Kiyotaka:

It had been a very hard couple of days for him.

Losing Mondo had hit him hard, and what the heck was up with the whole Kiyondo thing?!

It was confusing, to say the least.

And today didn't make that confusion go away.

First, there was the whole thing with Celeste, and then Hifumi was found...

It was too much for both of you.

'Kiyondo' was wandering the halls, no clear destination in mind.

He ended up in the physics lab and then decided to check the storage room.

The moment he opened the door, Taka came back, only for his world to come crashing down for a second time.

"W...Wha... No... It can't..."

There you were, in a pool of your own blood.

"Y/n... Y/N!"

He ran beside you, shaking your corpse.

"WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

It didn't take long for Makoto and Byakuya to arrive at the scene.

Everything else was a blur to Taka.

The two most important people in his life were gone and never coming back.

Even when justice was brought down and Celestia was executed, he felt empty.

He didn't even know if your father was safe.

That was the only reason he had to live.

Nagito:

You overheard his plan.

"Dammit, Nagito!"

You couldn't let this go through. It was too dangerous.

So you broke into his cottage and stole his supplies, asking Monomi to hide them.

However, you still needed to set up a trap for the traitor...

...So you decided to sacrifice yourself.

You explained the plan to Monomi and got her to help you.

Your plan ended up being identical to Nagito's, but you made it easier for the class to determine who killed you.

You kept your eyes closed, deep in thought until your thoughts were cut off permanently.

When the smoke cleared and the other investigated, Nagito moved a curtain and froze.

"What... Impossible..."

In an instant, the cunning, dangerous man was replaced with a terrified, overprotective big brother.

"Y/N!"

He ran to your side, shaking.

The announcement went off. He didn't care.

He glared at his 'classmates', furious.

"Whoever took them from me... Be prepared to pay with your life...""

[dangan-tiki-bar]

Hi mod tsumiki! I saw the taka and fuyuhiko post and wondered if you could do chihiro and Mondo. and as someone who has 5 sibling (3 sisters 2 brothers) you did really good 👍 also have an amazing day!

chihiro and mondo with a younger sibling in the killing game

trigger warning: he/him pronouns for chihiro.

Oh wow, thank you! I really appreciate it! Really thought it sucked but apparently not! Thank you so much! Also, my Mondo kinnie came out mid writing this and now I'm sobbing, which means it's hopefully good??

- Mod Tsumiki

CHIHIRO FUJISAKI.

• You would expect Chihiro to be the one being protected, but no. He's the one protecting you. He cares about you a lot, and understands how you feel. He doesn't want you hurting, and he'll do anything to stop it! You deserve only the best in his eyes, so he's going to make sure you get it!

• Once the killing game is announced, Chihiro is ... more than upset, to be honest. Fear of you and him dying during this gives him more anxiety than he can deal with. So, he carefully asks if you guys could go back to his room and relax a little bit. He just wants to know that your safe. It makes his nerves a little less horrible. The thought of you dying continuously flashes in his mind, and you can tell when he shivers.

• If anyone picks on you during the killing game, he'll nervously call them out. He's trying, genuinely, but it's hard. He has a silent grudge against them from afar, and he will hide you from people. He's not going to let you in harm's way, and if he sees a situation as dangerous, he's going to take your hand and pull you to a different room.

• If he sees you being friendly with anyone, he's really skeptical of them at first, and will learn as much as he can about them. If he evaluates them as a good person, he won't be as on your back about it, but he'll still watch them closely. If they seem like a terrible person, he'll take you away almost immediately.

• If you were a victim, Chihiro would break. His heart would be shattered, staring at your dead body. He'd stammer for a few moments, looking around for any sign that this was a dream, then he would blow a fuse. He would start looking around, tears in his eyes, demanding to know who did this. He's a calm and collected person, but when it comes to his sibling ... he's not so calm anymore. The entire trial, he's on his toes, collecting as much evidence as possible. He has to do this for you.

• If you were a blackened, Chihiro wouldn't even know how to handle this. He would be relatively silent, crying. Eventually, he'd croak out a soft "why?" He can't handle losing you, why did you risk it? Watching your execution, he just completely breaks down, dropping to his knees. He can't be mad. You did this to yourself, but ... he can barely handle your death.

• Overall, Chihiro is an amazing sibling. He's relatively soft spoken, unless it's a situation where you need him to be anything different. He cares about you more than anyone else here, and he would be by your side no matter what.

MONDO OWADA.

• Mondo is a very loud and protective individual in general, do this does not change with his sibling. The people that he loves are extremely dear to him, and he's already lost one sibling. The thought of losing another kills him inside. He's insanely overprotective of you, and will shield you from any type of danger.

• Sometimes, you have to look after him as well, though. His anger showed almost immediately after picking up Monokuma and almost getting blown to pieces. You had to drag him out of the room and to his room and calm him down, which was a difficult feat itself. He slowly ends up breaking down to you, hugging you close. He's terrified of death. He's terrified of losing you.

• If anyone were to pick on you, they'd be in for it. You would have to literally hold him back, which was pretty hard. You didn't want him accidentally killing someone who couldn't take his punch. Then, after he gave up, he'd scowl and make some asshole remark.

• After he gets close to Taka, he still makes sure to include you. He loves his sibling, he also loves his bro, so he wants you to get along! However, he'll keep a really close watch on Taka around you. Even if it's his bro, he doesn't want to risk anyone hurting you. Taka treats you like his bro/sis/sib (?? im reaching but you get what i mean). He wants you to feel welcomed to hang out with them!

• If you were a victim, Mondo wouldn't be able to face it. He's be touching your dead body, begging you to wake up. Someone would have to peal him from your body, to which he'd be sobbing by then. He'd be screaming at anyone who even came close to your body, just sitting in front of it for a while. Eventually, he'd get up and investigate, but it'd be through tears.

• If you were a blackened, he'd not be able to believe it. You, his dear sibling, killing someone? No. He would be very persistent on you not being the culprit, yelling at anyone who thought differently. As soon as you were the only possible culprit, he broke. Yelling, screaming, anything that he could do to keep you from dying. Not you. You ending up like Daiya ... During your execution ... he can't take it anymore. He tries to run and save you, but he's held back by everyone. He's crumbling and sobbing. He can't lose you.

• Mondo is an amazing sibling, who loves you more than anything. He's constantly watching out for you, but you have to watch after him as well. However, it's worth it, with the bond you two have.

[dracothedeatheatingcupcake-ao3]

Random IshiMondo Story Prompt Response

Hi guys!!! So! This!!! Uh… the short of it is that a few months ago, I got an ask about an AU where Taka (who in this AU is the son of a police chief) gets kidnapped by the Crazy Diamonds as a present for Mondo’s 21st birthday. Taka was taken a month before and has been beaten, bound, and starved, and is all around unhappy and in a bad place. He feels that he deserves it. When Mondo is presented with Taka, however, he gets freaked and goes to “interrogate” Taka and they talk, it’s cute, and all ends well.

When I first got the request, I was very uncertain if I could fulfill this request, since I’m not a big fan of torture fics and this was just… it had big torture feels to me. However, I got an idea for it and I posted about it. The person who originally sent me the ask asked to see my idea, and I began writing it out. I thought it would be short, just a quick detail of the idea, but… well. Y’all know me. I don’t know what the word “short” means. So… uh, here’s a 25k word write up of the idea. It’s not quite a fic, since there’s very little actual dialogue in quotes, but it goes entirely through the story, with details and things like that, so… I guess it’s kind of a fic in its own right??? I legit don’t know, ha. I just wrote it and I feel so bad for taking so long without replying to that anon. So, if you’re still here anon, this one’s for you! And if not, then I hope other people like it too. I made a few changes to the initial request that I mention in the story, such as it being Mondo’s 20th birthday, not his 21st, and Taka only being taken for a couple of days, not a month.

Anyway! I hope y’all enjoy! :-D I’m excited to finally post this! It was collecting dust in my notes for AGES before I got around to finishing it. And I like how it turned out! It’s not perfect, but it’s something. And it’s prolly the fluffiest thing I’ve written, which is ironic considering the prompt, ha.

(Also, the anon asked for the fic to not be super mature, so I censored Mondo's curses. I couldn't NOT have Mondo curse, but I could censor them. So that's why it's like that, ha.)

(Read more added to not completely break your dashboard, ha.)

~~~~~

The fic starts with Mondo’s POV. It’s late afternoon slash early evening the day of his birthday. Mondo is in a bit of a funk, since he is turning 20 (not 21, since in Japan the 21st birthday isn’t really anything special. 20, however, is super important as it is the day they come of age and are allowed to legally drink) and is now legally an adult, and yet he is still leading his gang. Many of the original members have left, including Michi, and many others are getting too old to really stay in a biker gang for too much longer, and he doesn’t quite know where he fits anymore. However, he doesn’t know what else he could do. He’s a biker, so it’s not like he has much of an education or job experience other than being a biker… not to mention that Daiya’s dying wish was for him to keep the gang together and running, and he’s not sure when it’s “okay” for him to stop doing that. It all is eating at him, and he is very anxious over the idea of his future. He’s drinking a bit but isn’t quite drunk. He knows his gang is planning a party for him in an hour, though, which he is looking forward to. His gang is the closest thing to a family he has, so he is glad they care enough about him to want to throw him a party. He also knows that they have a surprise for him, which they said would help cure him of his blues, which of course they’ve noticed since Mondo is the least subtle person outside of Taka.

Eventually Mondo gets a call from his gang to head to their main hideout, so he heads out on his motorcycle, kind of excited to see what they have in store for him.

~

The POV then switches to Taka. Taka is bound, blindfolded (bag over his head), and gagged in a small, cold, smelly room. He is dehydrated and is very hungry and has no idea what time it is. It gets revealed that Taka was jumped two days prior (not a month, since I just… could not do that to Taka, sorry. Also, I’m fairly certain Takaaki would move heaven and earth to find his missing son, so… yeah) and was beaten pretty badly as he was walking home. He has a broken nose, bruised, possibly broken ribs, a black eye, and a small cut along his throat (from when he was kidnapped and he tried to escape, so the gang put a knife under his throat). He also has rope burns on his wrists from where the rope has dug into them. All in all, not fun, but nothing permanent and nothing that won’t heal. He has a small mat to sleep on, which he is thankful for, but he doesn’t know much about what is in his room, since he can’t see it.

Taka had not gotten a good look at his assailants when he was taken, so he has no idea they are The Crazy Diamonds, or even that they are a motorcycle gang (I imagine they’d use a van when kidnapping someone? I don’t know, ha), and he figures it’s probably someone who objects to his grandfather and thinks that he probably deserves what is happening to him. He has hope that he will be let go, but part of him fears that he will not.

Taka’s thoughts get interrupted when some gangsters enter his small room, grabbing him and manhandling him. This is not unusual, since they have been allowing him to use the toilet every so often, so he’s not super confused at first. However, he gets concerned when they don’t take him out of the room and instead start stripping him. Taka gets super freaked out and tries to fight them off, but he’s so weak and beaten down that he barely budges them at all. They laugh at him and tell him that they’re just changing him out of his dirty clothes, since he’s hardly presentable as is. Taka reluctantly stops fighting— partially since he doesn’t like how disgusting he currently is, partially because he realizes how futile it is— and is a bit surprised to find they do exactly as they say. They don’t change his underwear, to his private relief, but they put him into some other outfit that is very different from his usual white suit and tie. It’s a soft t-shirt that dips low on his chest and a pair of tight jeans. It isn’t really comfortable, but it is better than being in his ruined suit, he guesses. The gangsters leave then, laughing and joking about the party, but Taka doesn’t understand what they mean. As Taka is left alone, he is again left to wonder if he’ll be allowed to leave soon. Or ever…

~

The POV switches back to Mondo. He is sitting in his hideout, drinking a beer, smirking as his gang tells stories about Mondo’s greatest achievements. It feels bittersweet to him, though, with the doubts and everything he’s been having. He tries to get into it, but he knows that the gang knows he’s not really feeling it. After a little while, the stories trail off and Mondo’s new second in command (a young upstart OC who Mondo has been personally training, kind of like how Daiya trained him) brings up the surprise they have for Mondo, the gang getting excited about it. Mondo finds his curiosity piqued and tells them to get on with it. Excited, a few gangsters leave to grab their ‘surprise,’ while Mondo stays behind, wondering about it.

~

Taka gets jolted out of a light doze when the door bursts open and the gang members burst in, grabbing him roughly. Taka goes along placidly, thinking they are probably taking him to the bathroom again, or something like that. However, he notices that they are taking him down a different path than they usually do, which makes his fear spike, wondering what they are going to do to him now. His ribs and other injuries are hurting a lot, but he does his best to not make a sound, not wanting to get hurt anymore.

Eventually he is led through a door and is assaulted by noise, loud voices jeering at him and boisterous laughter, which freaks him out even more. He begins to struggle then, unable to help it, but it is useless as the gangsters are so much stronger, especially with how weak Taka currently is. They just laugh at him and keep pulling him along.

Eventually they reach wherever it is they are taking him, as they throw him down onto the ground, his knees hitting the concrete harshly, jarring his ribs enough to make him let out his first noise of pain. It shames him, but he gets distracted when he hears a loud inhale of breath, followed by a loud and brash voice asking, “what the absolute f*ck is this sh*t?!”

This leads to a bit of stammering from the gangsters, one of them explaining that it’s supposed to be a present for him, but the person gets cut off by a dangerous sounding growl. The room goes silent, then, for a few moments. Then the same voice from earlier— the loud and brash one— demands they remove the bag over his head. Taka barely has a moment to comprehend what is going on before he is being assaulted by light, his eyes unable to handle it as he blinks, trying to get used to the abrupt change in light.

Once the spots in his vision clear, he is able to look ahead of him, where he had heard a quick inhale of breath a few moments before. He sees legs, dressed in loose black pants with white loafers on the person’s feet. He lifts his eyes a bit more and can make out a black leather duster with designs on it and a white tank top overtop a highly muscular chest. His eyes linger for a moment, before he looks up the rest of the way, eyes intent as they meet what Taka assumes must be the instigator of his capture, his heart racing with fear. And when his eyes meet wide lavender, the most beautiful color he has ever seen, well…

But such feelings are highly inappropriate and improper, given the circumstances, so he hastily pushes them away. For the most part…

Though he can’t escape the feeling that something about this man is oddly familiar to him...

~

Mondo looks down at the kid before him, his blood frozen and his mind completely blank. He can’t really comprehend what he is seeing. He knows that most members of his gang aren’t that bothered by violence, knows that he himself certainly isn’t, but something about seeing this young boy (whom he assumes can’t be older than 16, he looks so youthful even despite the dark bruises upon his face) so roughed up makes his insides squirm and anger rise within him. He does his best to curb it, though, knowing it would just make his gang doubt his ability to lead them if he gets uppity about things like this, but it’s hard. The boy’s face is so messed up he can’t quite tell who he is, but he has the niggling feeling that he is familiar, though he can’t quite put his finger on it.

Throughout his musing, Mondo has been staring at the boy, absently taking in his busted features. The boy’s eyes, however, hold his attention the most, though he tries to avoid them the best he can, hating how resigned and afraid they look. But he can’t quite help it, and when he looks back at the boy unbidden, he is shocked to see the kid looking directly at him, making him feel very strange inside. They continue to stare at one another for several long moments, until his second in command clears his throat awkwardly, forcing Mondo to look over at him, his anger rising again, though he fights against it. Again.

Mondo demands once more to know the meaning of this, and the second in command (SIC) explains quickly that it was a present, explaining that they had wanted to help Mondo feel ‘like himself again,’ so they had gotten him someone to help him remember what it’s like to be a big, bad, biker gang leader. The SIC pauses for a minute, clearly wanting to drive up the drama, before dramatically revealing that the boy is none other than Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the son of Chief Takaaki Ishimaru, the bothersome chief of police who has been on their tail for months now. The SIC explains hesitantly that Mondo had mentioned a couple weeks prior how he wanted to beat the punk up after seeing a picture of him and his father in the news, explaining that the gang had come up with the plan not long after, wanting to give their leader what he truly wanted.

It’s around then that Mondo realizes why the kid is so familiar looking, dread filling his stomach. He had come across a picture of the boy and his father in the paper a few weeks before, after the police chief had been given an honor or something for his bravery.

His eyes had lingered on the kid, though, tracing over his features in a way he knows means he was feeling interested. Mondo has known he was bi for years at that point, and though he rarely pursues men romantically or sexually, he has done it a couple times and he knows he definitely has interest in both men and women. His gang knows this and is fine with it, but it still sometimes embarrasses him to talk about it, especially when his eye is caught by someone who is decidedly not the type of person that a biker gang leader should ever look twice at, like that kid. So, when his gang had caught him staring at the picture for a bit too long, he had panicked and aggressively said that he was infuriated by the “goody-toe-shoe’s” pretentious look, saying he wanted nothing more than to beat the ever-loving sh*t out of the dude.

He hadn’t thought they’d actually do anything about it, though. He certainly hadn’t thought that they would, you know… kidnapthe dude. Who, he realizes, is actually older than he’d first thought, since he had recalled reading that the was home on break from university, the article saying he was 19. It makes him feel weird inside to think about, knowing that they aren’t that far off in age from one another.

However… however, as he sees the expectant looks on his gang’s faces, all of them expecting him to be happy about what they’ve done, he realizes that he’s kind of trapped. If he rejects their ‘gift’ and yells at them, then they will know he was lying when he said he wanted to beat up the kid. He also realizes that they’ve not really done anything against his rules. Well... kind of. Technically, given his position as son of the police chief, the boy is fair game for them to brutalize. After all, he’s not really an ‘innocent,’ now, is he? Mondo shouldn’t feel any problem about beating the kid, honestly, it’s not like he really knows him. And while he definitely doesn’twant to do that, for reasons he doesn’t understand, he knows that he probably should. The gang expects that he will and if he doesn’t... well.

So... he pushes down the vague nausea rising within him and forces a smirk on his face. He knows he isn’t the best liar, but he knows that the members of his gang aren’t exactly the smartest or most observant dudes, so he figures it’s fine. He then laughs and nods, saying how he recalls that now, thanking his gang for their thoughtfulness. He doesn’t (can’t) look at the kid as he says it, fearing what look he would have on his face.

Then... then Mondo asks if he could have some privacy to “talk with” the kid, smirking the whole while. Despite how he’s still not looking at him, he can see the kid shrink down in fear in the corner of his eye, making the twisting in his gut even worse. But he can’t stop, so he just keeps smirking as the gang cheers, happy that their ‘gift’ was well received.

Mondo has the same gangsters as before grab the boy and drag him to his private quarters at the hideout. They put the bag back on, to prevent him from being able to see their hideout, and while it makes Mondo distinctly uncomfortable— hating how it makes the boy thrash weakly, soft mewls of fear being released from his lips— he says nothing as he trails after them, fighting hard to keep the lazy smirk on his face. It’s hard, but he somehow manages.

As they all reach Mondo’s private quarters, Mondo has a moment to wonder what the f*ck is going to happen next.

~

Taka is terrified. Taka has been scared this entire time, but now the fear has reached its paramount, his heart racing so fast and angry in his chest. Something about the lavender eyed man has made him feel very afraid, especially once he realizes why, exactly, he knows him.

He is Mondo Owada, leader of the biggest biker gang in Japan, and he is definitely a man to be feared. He’s heard everything about him from his father, who has been very annoyed and angry at the biker gang for the vandalism and crime they get up to, and he knows that the man has a fearsome temper and a notorious desire for violence. And now he knows that he had been kidnapped by the gang to be a ‘present’ for their leader, which is a terrifying thought to Taka. He knows all about the kind of things cruel criminals will do to other people, having heard many horrific tales from his father. And while he does his best to not let his fear consume him, it’s hard not to. Especially considering how he is apparently being led to the leader’s private chambers, which he knows never means anything good. Best case, he will just be beaten harshly again. Worst case... well. Taka may be naïve, but even he isn’t thatnaïve. Unfortunately…

Eventually they come to a halt, though, and he hears the sound of a door opening. Taka somehow gets even more afraid, then, and begins thrashing again, more desperate than the last time, finally letting go of his pride enough to beg the gangsters to let him go. He can feel tears falling down his face, knows that his voice is wavering horribly, but he cannot stop it. He wants to go home. He misses his father, and his small room in his father’s run down but nicer than when he’d been a child apartment, and his nice clean suits, and... and all of it. He doesn’t know if he’s even intelligible or not, but he can do nothing to stop the words and the thrashing, even as his arms gets twisted painfully behind him.

Taka only stops when he hears a low growl before him, followed quickly by the feel of something brushing his side. He lets out a yelp of fear, terrified the leader will harm him, but... but the hand on his side doesn’t do anything other than rest there, softer than he expected, almost gentle. He can feel the tension in the hand, though, and something about it makes his heart race. From fear, of course...

The leader begins to talk then, warning him lowly to behave or things would get worse for him, and while it sounds angry and cruel on the surface, Taka... Taka can detect a hint of something else beneath the words. Something... worried. It confuses Taka, especially since he usually doesn’t pick up on things like that, but he decides to accept it at face value, too tried and weak to keep fighting anyway. With a defeated nod, he hunches his shoulders as he gets marched into the room without a word more, hating the snickers he hears sound behind him.

Taka gets thrown to the ground again, then, his knees really starting to hurt from the rough treatment, not to mention how awful his ribs feel. He doesn’t think his ribs are broken, but he can tell that they are at least badly bruised. And he knows worse is yet to come when he hears the leader tell his gang members to leave them alone and not hang around to listen, claiming he wants complete privacy. It makes him shake uncontrollably to hear, a soft keen escaping his lips without his consent. More snickers rise, but then he hears footsteps retreating from him, letting him know that at least there won’t be an audience for what is about to happen to him. He honestly doesn’t know if that is better or not.

The tears fall harder when he hears the door click shut, his body shaking with silent sobs. After a moment of silence, he hears more footsteps, these ones quieter than he would have expected, considering who he knows they belong to. He wants to start begging again, pleading that he just wants to go home, but his throat is so thick that he can’t seem to manage it. All he can do is cringe back to make himself as small as possible and hope to any god who is listening that he somehow makes it out of this somewhat intact. Please...

He flinches when he hears someone kneel down beside him, his breath growing shakier and more ragged, the tears streaming down his face uncomfortably under the bag that is still over his head. There is a beat of silence between them, and then-

“Hey. Uh... know y’ain’t got any reason ta believe me, but, uh... I ain’t gonna hurt ya, okay? Just... sh*t. F*ck... I’m gonna take the bag off yer head now, okay? Don’t f*ckin’ try an’ head butt me or anythin’... sh*t.”

The words are far softer than he had ever expected, causing some dissonance to rise within him as his expectation wars with reality. Part of him wants to believe the man before him, but... well. Taka is no fool.

Before he can try and rationalize anything, he feels the bag get tugged off his head, gentler this time than the last. He can feel his anxiety and fear spike when he feels cool air hit his face, but when he opens his eyes and looks ahead of him at the man before him, he feels his heart freeze when his eyes meet lavender.

He thinks about how they are still so incredibly beautiful, more so now that they are looking at him softly, concern and a simmering anger roiling within them. The anger makes him feel afraid, but part of him thinks that perhaps the anger isn’t directed at him. He knows the thought is foolish, but perhaps...

The man before him starts talking then, making a comment about how messed up his face looks. Taka flushes and looks away, feeling oddly ashamed, but he feels gentle fingers turn his face back, his eyes immediately landing on soft lavender again. He has no idea how to read the eyes before him, he’s never been good at reading other people’s emotions, but he... he doesn’t think it’s bad. Or... he hopes not...

After a beat of time, the man looks away, down towards his body. It makes him feel nervous again, but before it has a chance to turn into fear, the man is talking, saying that he’s going to cut the rope around his wrists, but that Taka has to promise him that he won’t try and fight him if he does. He says that he doesn’t want to hurt him, but that he can’t just let him cause a scene, and if Taka fights, he will be forced to fight back.

After a long moment of internal debate, Taka nods and promises that he won’t, his voice shaking and weak, but loud enough for the man to hear him. The man nods tersely, before reaching for a switch blade from his pocket, which makes Taka panic despite himself, his body automatically cringing away in fear. He doesn’t mean to, it’s just an automatic fight or flight response.

The man shushes him, his hands gentle on him again as he does his best to soothe. He then repeats that he isn’t going to harm him, he promises. He goes on and explains that it’s a man’s promise and that his brother always taught him that promises between men are the most important promises a man can make, and that you can’t ever break something like that. While Taka has no reason to believe the man, he... he is surprised to realize that he does. And so, he nods again, shifting into a seated position, angling his body to allow the man access to his wrists. He mutters an absent apology, to which the man snorts, replying that he gets it, don’t worry about it.

The man cuts the rope carefully, then, Taka super tense the entire time, waiting for the punchline and for the man to abruptly change temperament and start hurting him, laughing at his naivety for believing him. He is expecting this so much that when the man pulls back and puts his knife carefully away into his pocket, studying him closely, Taka doesn’t realize it for a few seconds. And when he does... he can’t help but blink, his eyebrows furrowing and his lips frowning.

Not liking the way that the man is staring at him— uncomfortable more for the gentleness and concern he sees than out of fear— he lifts his arms from behind his back and looks at the red and raw wounds around his wrists, dried blood mingling with fresh blood, making him wince. It hurts quite a lot, but considering how much pain he is in overall, it barely registers, honestly.

His breath leaves him entirely a second later, though, when he feels strong yet still so utterly gentle hands grab his, cradling them oh so tenderly within their warm and tender embrace. It makes his cheeks flush bright red, the sensation making him a little lightheaded and dizzy, even more so when his eyes automatically seek out lavender, shivering when their eyes meet. The man smiles at him, then, a small and crooked thing, but Taka privately believes it may be the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. The thought concerns him, but not enough to make him berate himself. As confused as he feels, he finds he prefers this than being beaten, thanks ever so.

The man begins talking again, then, saying how he sure has been hurt a lot, his voice low and rumbling, full of concern. It makes Taka flush with embarrassment, oddly ashamed at his state, like it was his fault or something. He apologizes softly, unsure what the man expects from him.

The man hums in discontent, though, shaking his head, before explaining that he’s not blaming him, don’t worry. He then goes on to ask if Taka would want him to dress the wounds, saying he has some first aid supplies and things like that. That makes Taka blush again, but he realizes that that might be for the best. He nods his head slowly, still afraid, but growing more used to this as time passes. He’s still waiting for the shoe to drop, for the man to suddenly decide to hurt him, fearing that the biker is just lulling him into a false sense of security before harming him worse than ever before, but... well. Taka has always been a trusting person by nature, so he can’t help his body’s natural inclination to trust the man.

The man leaves then for a little while, though Taka can hear him shuffling around in a small room attached to the one he’s in, which he assumes must be a bathroom. He takes the time to observe his surroundings, realizing that he’s in a fairly nice and spacious bedroom. It has a queen size bed along the back wall near the center, with a couple nightstands on either side. There is a large banner for the Crazy Diamonds that takes up half of the back wall, with other smaller decorations littering the other walls. There is a table and a small TV set, a couch and armchair, things like that. Taka thinks it looks kind of nice, maybe even a little cozy, even with the harsh and cold concrete floor and walls. The lighting is kept low, too, which Taka appreciates as he realizes his head is aching softly, the dehydration and hunger getting to him. Not to mention the blood loss...

He doesn’t get to dwell on this long before the man is back, carrying a large kit of first aid supplies. Taka realizes he must have a look of surprise on his face when the man smirks at him, snickering softly. The man then explains that he’s a biker, of course he has an extensive first aid kit in his room, duh. The words are oddly teasing, which makes Taka blush again, averting his eyes shyly.

He jolts a little when he feels gentle fingers touch him again, but he settles a lot quicker than before, offering the man a shaky smile when he sees the concern in the lavender eyes again. The man clears his throat awkwardly then and says that he’s going to start dressing the wounds, warning Taka that it’s going to hurt. Taka knows this, has dressed enough of his own wounds during his lifetime, and nods his head tightly as he grits his teeth in anticipation.

Despite the sting that comes from the antiseptic that the man uses, Taka doesn’t actually feel the pain all that much as the man gently cleans off his wrists first, not with how gentle the man is going. The man works in silence for a moment, before he begins talking, introducing himself formally at last. While Taka had obviously known his name, he finds himself able to think of the man by his first name for the first time.

Mondo asks for his name, then, even though Taka knows he must know it, considering that his gang had said it earlier. But the conversation helps distract from the stinging of the antiseptic, so he hesitantly replies, saying his name. He then, for reasons he doesn’t know, says that Mondo could call him ‘Taka,’ if he’d like. Taka does not get called that often by people, even if he privately calls himself it, but something about hearing Mondo say the nickname his mother gave him is oddly alluring to him, his stomach clenching with knots as a pleasant heat rises within him.

Despite what people often say about him, Taka knows that he is no fool. And as such, he dimly understands what it is he is currently feeling for the man before him. He does his best to rationalize it away, telling himself that it’s just a reaction to the stressful situation, that he’s just responding to the biker’s apparent kindness after so much cruelty, that it’s nothing more than that. Taka knows that he is gay, has known this for some time, but he knows that what he currently is feeling is not real, that it is manufactured based on the situation. Stockholm Syndrome, he tells himself. Nothing more.

Still, it’s hard to ignore how his stomach churns as Mondo gently tends to his wounds, the biker letting out soft comments here and there, asking him questions every so often when the pain gets really bad. Questions about his life, what he’s studying in uni, what career he wants, if he has a girlfriend... things like that. The personal questions make him blush, and while he knows he probably shouldn’t be telling these things to a biker gang leader, he can’t help how he replies honestly. He’s always been an open person, after all. He says that he’s studying political science, since he wants to become Prime Minister one day. He blushes when he says that he has no girlfriend, blushes harder when he accidentally lets slip that he has no friends in general, either.

That makes Mondo pause, the biker staring at him with wide eyes, asking him why not. The question embarrasses Taka, but he again answers truthfully, stammering about how he’s always been very bad at conversation, that he can’t ever manage to hold one for longer than a few minutes without boring or annoying his conversation partner. He also explains a little about his grandfather, embarrassed yet again.

Mondo doesn’t get mad at him, though, like he fears. He just hums thoughtfully, eyes glazed as he thinks about something, before he blurts out that he thinks Taka is pretty good at conversation, mumbling that he likes talking to him. It makes Taka blush bright red again, but he feels some comfort in the fact that Mondo is blushing just as bright too. Taka stammers out a shaky thanks, the words hanging in the air as they both stare awkwardly at the ground, the dorks unable to handle the Emotion.

After an awkward moment passes, Mondo clears his throat and continues dressing the wounds, having just finished wrapping Taka’s torso with a lot of gauze to help with the bruising. Mondo had mentioned that he didn’t think the ribs were broken, just sprained, but that the gauze should help the bruising feel a little better. With that done, Mondo moves onto Taka’s face, wincing a little as he sees the dark bruising and the broken nose.

Apologizing softly, Mondo asks if he can set his nose so it will heal straight. It’s been a couple days since the injury, so doing so might risk breaking it again, he explains. Taka thinks about that for a second, biting his lip gently, before nodding, not looking forward to the pain but knowing that it will likely be better in the long run. Mondo apologizes again, soft and awkward, before gently grabbing his nose and setting it as quick as he can.

It still hurts quite a lot, and Taka cannot help the whimper of pain he gives, tears rising to his eyes and falling quick, stinging the small cuts all along his cheeks. To his intense surprise, he feels a warm hand cup his cheek, a soothing thumb coming up to gently wipe the tears away. He hears Mondo shush him softly again, muttering quietly that it’s okay. That Taka is okay.

Taka feels his heart beat fast again at the action, his cheeks flushed uncomfortably, but also very pleasantly. He has never felt like this for anyone before, and it concerns him a little. It concerns him more for how little it concerns him, though, to be honest.

Mondo seems to realize what he’s doing then, pulling back abruptly with bright red cheeks and an awkward grimace on his face. He doesn’t storm off, though, and instead goes back to setting his nose, putting a nose splint on it to keep it in place. He apologizes for not having any ice, saying that it’s in the kitchen area but that he can’t head out to grab it just then. He promises that he will soon, though. Taka finds it sweet and smiles shakily at him, thanking him once more. His thanks seems to embarrass Mondo more, and Taka is coming to find that he really adores the shade of pink Mondo’s cheeks turn when he’s embarrassed. But that line of thinking is very dangerous, so he curbs it immediately. Or he tries to...

They continue chatting awkwardly after that, Mondo asking questions and Taka answering. It becomes easier as time goes on, and soon Mondo is chuckling at some of the things Taka says, much to Taka’s professed annoyance. Truthfully, Taka couldn’t care less, since the sound of Mondo’s laughter is very alluring to him. Not that he allows himself to think that, of course.

Before long, all of Taka’s wounds are dressed and cared for, his body bruised and aching, but no longer in intense pain. Mondo helps him get back into the shirt but pauses as he watches him struggle to get back into the jeans (which Mondo had removed with bright red cheeks to get a couple wounds on Taka’s thighs), confused when Taka absently mentions how much he hates jeans and things like that. Mondo asks why he’s wearing them if he hates them, and Taka confusedly explains that Mondo’s gang had dressed him in the outfit earlier, to make him look more presentable. The words seem to anger Mondo, and Taka is shocked to realize that he doesn’t really feel afraid. Not when he recognizes that Mondo isn’t angry at him, per se. That gives him pause, but he pushes it aside again, realizing it’s futile to think about.

Mondo stands up and strides away from him, then, much to Taka’s confusion. Unable to stop himself, he asks where the biker is going, blinking when he sees him stop in front of a dresser. Mondo doesn’t reply as he shifts through it, seeming to be looking for something. The biker lets out a soft noise of triumph after a moment and pulls something out, something Taka cannot see from his distance. As Mondo gets closer, however, he notices that he is holding a pair of old, worn sweatpants, which makes Taka blink.

Mondo explains that they are an old pair from when he’d been younger that he’d never gotten around to tossing even though they no longer fit, handing them to Taka with a soft blush. He explains quickly that he thought they’d be more comfortable than the jeans, and that they should fit him since they’re so old. The explanation oddly makes Taka blush, too, before looking away shyly again even as he takes the sweatpants with another soft thanks.

It’s hard for him to put the pants on with the multitude of injuries he has, so Mondo offers to help, which Taka agrees to with great embarrassment. Now that his wounds are all dressed and the pain has gone down, he is starting to register the feel of Mondo’s hands on his body and it is making him feel some very inappropriate things, he will tell you that! He tries to push it down, but he can’t stop how his body reacts, much to his intense mortification.

Luckily, Mondo doesn’t seem to notice and together they are able to get the pants on. Taka notes that they feel very, very soft, softer than anything he has ever worn before. They are slightly too big and slightly too long on him, but he kind of likes them even more for it.

It’s as he absently petting the soft material that he hears Mondo mutter at him, the words so quiet that it takes Taka a moment to register them. And, when he does, he blushes bright red again, since he realizes that Mondo had said— very awkwardly— that Taka could keep the pants if he wanted after this. Since, you know. It’s not like Mondo can wear them.

Taka tries to stammer out a rejection, saying that he couldn’t possibly accept such a nice gift, to which Mondo gives him a weird look. The look makes Taka anxious that he said something wrong, the feeling growing when Mondo states that it’s not really anything big, they’re just a pair of old sweatpants, it’s really not a big deal?

Taka feels awkward again, but again can’t help how he explains that he’s just never been given a gift before, not from anyone other than his father. It makes his insides squirm when he sees Mondo staring at him with wide eyes, but before it can get too uncomfortable, Mondo looks away, blushing softly again as he says again that it’s really nothing.

Before Taka can begin to compartmentalize the words, Mondo continues, his voice so low and mumbling Taka has to fight to understand him, but Taka... Taka swears he hears Mondo say that he deserves all the gifts in the world, really. Which just... makes everything worse for him, in all honesty.

The awkwardness rises between them, both men blushing brightly and looking anywhere but at the other for several long moments, nearing a full minute. Taka doesn’t like the awkwardness, wants to say something to break it, but he has no idea what, given how bad he always has been at conversing. Not to mention how utterly strange the circumstances are, really...

The silence gets broken finally by the sound of Taka’s stomach growling, to his intense mortification. He is glad that it seems to have broken the tension, at least, as Mondo is looking at him again, wry amusement dancing in his eyes as his lips smirk gently. He teases Taka about his growling stomach, which Taka realizes he doesn’t mind as much as he usually does when he gets taunted by someone. In fact... he almost likes the gentle teasing, finding the soft amusement dancing within Mondo’s eyes to be quite amazing.

Taka accidentally ruins the moment, though, when he absently mentions that it’s been days since he last ate, so he supposes it makes sense that his stomach was growling. He’d meant the words almost like a joke, but it of course fell flat, as Mondo stares at him with wide eyed horror, asking him bluntly what he means.

Nervous (and upset that he ruined the beautiful smile upon Mondo’s lips), Taka stammers about how he has not been given any food and very little water since he was taken a couple nights before, leaving him kind of hungry. He’s actually starving, but he does his best to downplay his plight, not wanting to be too much of a burden.

The reminder of why Taka is there seems to upset Mondo greatly, he notes with dismay, watching as any amusement dies immediately at his words, the simmering anger and upset rising in the lavender eyes as his hands clench into tight fists at his sides. Taka doesn’t feel afraid, though, as he realizes once more that the look isn’t directed at him, but instead... instead is at his gang. Taka almost doesn’t believe this, thinking that he must be deluding himself, but his assumption gets confirmed when he hears Mondo mutter that he’s going to “f*ckin’ kill those godd*mn b*st*rds.”

The words concern Taka greatly, and he is unable to stop himself from chastising Mondo, saying that violence is not ever the answer. Mondo gives him a strange look for that but doesn’t reply back. He just keeps scowling, his eyes averting immediately in what Taka thinks might be shame.

Mondo mutters out yet another apology, then, this one more emotive than the last few. Mondo continues and says that it’s his fault Taka is stuck here, his fault that he was harmed this way. If he had just never said anything about Taka in the first place, then none of this would ever have happened, making him the one to blame for this entire situation. Taka watches, his heart aching softly, as Mondo curls in on himself, looking miserable before him.

Before he can stop himself, he finds himself reaching out, touching Mondo’s shoulder gently, doing his best not to flinch back when Mondo jolts at the touch. He gets tongue tied when Mondo looks up at him with wide, unhappy eyes, but he quickly presses on, realizing then that he doesn’t want Mondo to beat himself up over what had happened. While some part of him is still afraid that this is all some very elaborate hoax to harm him even more in the end, the majority of him is starting to get used to the idea that this might be real. That Mondo might truly mean what he says.

The thought creates some cognitive dissonance inside him, since he has spent years listening to his father rant about biker gangs, the Crazy Diamonds and Mondo in particular, and it’s very strange to think that maybe Mondo isn’t all bad. But he decides to shove the thoughts away for now, knowing it’s unhelpful considering his current situation. Especially since he knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that he doesn’t like seeing Mondo look so miserable and that he would probably do just about anything to make the look go away...

He then awkwardly, but with as much enthusiasm as he can muster (which isn’t much by his standards but is a heck of a lot by anyone else’s), tells Mondo that he doesn’t blame him for what has happened. Not at all, really. He cannot say that it hasn’t been a very terrifying experience, one that he definitely cannot say he has enjoyed, but he assures Mondo that he doesn’t blame him in any way, shape, or form. It was just a tragic misunderstanding, Taka claims, thinking that he almost believes it himself with how confidently he says it. And when Mondo looks up at him, his eyes wide and searching, he does his best to keep his face as open and honest as possible, which isn’t very hard for him to do, honestly.

After a few moments, Mondo asks absently, dazedly, if he truly means that. In response, Taka nods enthusiastically, doing his best to hide the wince of pain the action causes within him. He then verbalizes his answer, saying that of course he means it, he always means everything he says. He even goes on to say how he is very grateful he has met Mondo, his cheeks blushing with his embarrassment as he praises the biker, saying how kind and caring he has been.

Mondo is also blushing, the soft pink he is coming to adore bright on his cheeks, his eyes soft as silk as they look at him steadily. Taka feels his heart beat fast as he stares at Mondo, part of him wondering what is currently going on. He has never felt this way, ever, and while he knows what it means, logically, he has no idea what it means, personally. Emotionally.

He has no idea what exactly it is he wants from this encounter, knowing that what he is feeling is impossible, especially considering who Mondo currently is and who Taka wishes so desperately to be. And yet, as the moments drag on and their eyes do not part, the charged energy around them growing more and more overbearing as the seconds pass, he starts to wonder if any of that truly matters. Mondo’s past and present, his own present and future. Does any of that truly matter when he feels as strongly as this? Or is this a lie, brought on by desperation and relief at having someone be kind to him after such horrible abuse? Can he trust what he is feeling at all? Does it matter? He doesn’t know, he has never felt more lost. All he knows is that when he’s looking at Mondo, he feels calmer and more in control than he ever has... ever, really. Which is ridiculous considering he has never been less in control in his life, but... but...

Before Taka can come to any form of conclusion, he both hears and feels his stomach rumble, his embarrassment rising as he finally breaks the eye contact, his heart pounding, and his breath shaky with all of the weird thoughts and emotions swirling around him. He hears Mondo stumble to his feet, and while his eyes want so desperately to look, he forces himself not to, keeping his eyes on the concrete floor. He is still sitting on the cold ground, but he finds he doesn’t mind it too much, as it is stabilizing in some ways. He sits in the awkward silence that has arisen for a very charged second, before Mondo breaks it soon after.

Mondo mumbles about how he should probably get Taka something to eat, and also some ice, asking him if he has any allergies or preferences or things like that. Taka shakes his head slowly, answering shakily that he doesn’t, and that he is fine with pretty much anything, thanks. Mondo stares at him for a second, before nodding and moving to head to the door. He pauses before he gets too far, his body swaying as he contemplates something. Before Taka can ask if he is alright, Mondo is turning back and muttering that Taka probably shouldn’t be sitting on the floor, asking haltingly if he’d like help moving to the couch before he leaves. Taka blushes, again, and thinks it likely would be wiser to say no, to not allow Mondo to get so close to him again. Besides, it’s not like the floor is that uncomfortable...

But, despite himself entirely, he finds himself nodding as quickly as he can, shaky smile rising on his lips as he stammers that that he would appreciate that, thanks. It makes his stomach clench to see the soft, decidedly pleased smile that rises on Mondo’s face as the biker nods and heads over to him slowly.

Once he’s standing tall over him, he pauses for a moment, seeming to be collecting himself. Taka appreciates this, as it allows him to also collect his own very scattered thoughts. Before he is able to though, Mondo is bending down slowly and is carefully reaching out for Taka, his voice low and muttering as he asks if it’s okay to touch him. Taka blushes yet again at the words (if he ever stopped blushing, of course) and nods once, quickly, smile brighter on his face as he verbally agrees. Mondo smiles brightly back, cheeks also flushed, as he gently moves forward, his hands reaching out to grab Taka. There’s an awkward moment when Taka wonders what Mondo is planning, but Mondo verbalizes his plan before implementing it, mumbling that he’s going to pick Taka up and carry him to the couch, to prevent any of the injuries from getting jolted too badly. This embarrasses Taka, and he stammers that he is pretty heavy, he’s sure he can walk himself, it’s fine.

This makes Mondo smirk, his eyes dancing with humor as the biker claims that he could lift Taka easily, since he routinely deadlifts 90 kilos (roughly 200 pounds), easy. This gives Taka some very inappropriate thoughts, which he forcefully shakes off as he smiles shakily, nodding his agreement with only mild hesitation. Mondo smiles warmly back, before returning to the task at hand, transcribing what he is doing to prevent Taka from freaking out. Taka appreciates it more than he can say, and as such he doesn’t even tense up at all when he feels warm, strong arms wrap around him and lift him gently bridal style, his body pressing wondrously to a warm and highly muscular chest. Taka has some more ~~inappropriate thoughts~~ that he has to firmly stow away as Mondo begins to walk to the couch, the biker so gentle and careful that he doesn’t feel any hint of pain whatsoever.

Being put down also doesn’t hurt, but he finds himself strangely not wanting the biker to let go of him, his heart racing as he feels oddly at home in Mondo’s arms. He reluctantly does let go, though, but he swears that Mondo, too, is letting his hands linger just a touch longer than they should as they slide out from under his body... but surely, he must be imagining things...

Right?

He doesn’t get any time to try and rationalize anything before Mondo is standing again, body angling to turn away. Before he leaves, though, he hesitates, and then... then he darts his hand out to trail gently across Taka’s forehead, tenderly brushing back the hair that has fallen messily into his eyes. Cheeks permanently stained red, he watches as Mondo stammers out a quick goodbye, promising that he’ll be right back and that no one else will dare enter the room, indicating that he will be safe here. His hand is still lingering along his cheek, though, which makes it very challenging for Taka to think.

But then the hand is gone, and Mondo is hastily exiting the room, gait awkward. Taka finds it strange that such a fearsome biker gang leader would ever act so awkward and fumbling, but he finds it strangely... cute. Which is definitely a word he’d never have thought to apply to a biker, but there they are!

As Taka sits alone by himself in the room, he wonders yet again what will happen next. Where this all will lead. If it will lead anywhere good, or if his trusting nature will be taken advantage of yet again.

He supposes only time will tell...

~

Mondo is freaking out. Like, full on internal panic, worse even than when he first realized he likes dudes as well as chicks. And it’s all that godd*mn kid’s fault.

If he had felt interested when he first saw the boy’s photo, he is full on infatuated now. He doesn’t even really know why, since Taka (as the boy had earnestly told him he could call him, good god) is definitely not his usual type. Not to mention it’s been less than an hour. But he’s just so... good. Kind. Nice. Things like that. Like... sh*t. Even after being beaten to an inch of his life and starved for almost two days, he still tried to console Mondo for feeling bad about it. Like... what the f*ck?! Who the hell does that?!

He’s also cute as all hell... the blush that seems permanently on his face is slowly driving Mondo insane, he swears to Christ. And his smile... d*mn, it’s so adorable! It should be a crime to be that adorable, Mondo swears.

The worst part of it all is that there is no universe in which Mondo would ever have a chance with the kid. Even discounting the fact that it’s entirely his fault the kid is in this situation, no matter what Taka may say, there’s also the fact that Mondo is literally a criminal. One that the kid’s father has made it his life’s mission to see rot in jail. A worse match could not possibly exist, dear god.

And yet... as he walks silently through his hideout— not quite hiding from his gang, but definitely not wanting to deal with them at the moment— he can’t help the way his heart races at the thought of the boy. Nor can he help how he wishes that- that they could... could...

But it’s stupid. And ridiculous. It would never work. And even if the kid feels anything similar to him at the moment— which is so doubtful, Jesus Christ— it would only be because of sh*t like... Stockholm Syndrome, or whatever it’s called. He’d just be latching onto the first kindness he’s been given after a traumatic event. It’s not real. It... it wouldn’t ever be real.

Mondo could never have something so nice.

Tired of the useless thoughts, Mondo pushes it all aside and enters the kitchen carefully, watchful to see if anyone is inside. When he sees that no one is, he enters easily and heads to the fridge, which is stocked with some party food that was put away after the official party ended earlier. He grabs some small sandwiches and some sushi and rice balls, uncertain what the kid would like. After a couple days without food, Mondo figures he probably should eat light, yeah? There isn’t any soup, but he does make sure to grab some seaweed salad and plain white rice, since that should be light enough if he can’t eat anything heavier. He also grabs some water and some juice, for the dehydration.

Finally, he opens the freezer and grabs a bunch of ice packs, knowing the kid has a ton of places that are injured. It’s too much for him to carry, so he grabs a plastic bag to put it all in, which makes it all easier to handle. As he’s looking in the freezer, he notices some frozen mochi in various flavors, which gives him pause. Before he can talk himself out of it, he’s grabbing it, rationalizing it by saying it can be a peace offering, a better apology than the absolute sh*t ones he’s been giving thus far. And if the kid can’t eat it, well, then he can. He f*cking loves mochi of all kinds, alright? Frozen mochi the best, even if it’s not traditional. It’s why the gang got so much of it.

Shaking off the weirdness inside him, he heads back to his room, still looking out for gang members. He almost gets caught once when some newer members pass by the hallway he is in, but luckily, they don’t see him, so he’s able to get back to his room (and Taka) without any incident.

He does pause for an extended moment outside the room, his heart racing strangely in his chest, in a way it never has before. Mondo has had crushes on people before, on both dudes and chicks, but somehow this feels different. Maybe it’s the situation, maybe it’s something else entirely, but something about the kid makes Mondo feel so much inside. He doesn’t think he’s blushed so much around a single person since he was fourteen and his bro caught him jacking off and refused to stop teasing him about it for weeks. But this feels so very different from then, it’s laughable to compare the two.

But he can’t loiter outside his own room forever, so he takes a deep breath and knocks softly, not wanting to startle the kid without warning, before he enters. As he does, he realizes that he hadn’t bothered to tie the kid up before he left, so he has a moment to panic that the kid had escaped while he’d been out. It would honestly be the most logical thing to do, godd*mn. And... and while he can’t deny the rush of absolute disappointmentat the thought, he realizes he wouldn’t be able to blame the kid if he did use the time to make his escape. After all, it’s not like he owes Mondo anything, dear god. The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that this makes the most sense and— while it does hurt something deep inside him— he resolves to not let it break him when the door fully opens and he doesn’t see the kid.

He is expecting this so much that once the door is fully open and his eyes carelessly dart across the familiar room, he almost doesn’t register that Taka is still sitting on the couch where he’d left him, still as a statue. He blinks owlishly at the kid as Taka turns to face him, his own eyes wide. Heat flares within him when he sees the startled, almost afraidlook on the youthful face morph quickly into a bright and happy smile, the kid greeting him happily. Like... like they’re old friends or something...

It’s only when the kid tilts his head and gives him a questioning look that he realizes he’s been staring for a little too long. His cheeks bright red (like a f*cking schoolgirl, dear god), he hastily enters the room and places the bag down on the coffee table before the couch. He pauses when he hears the kid absently mutter about how plastic bags are bad for the environment, and how Mondo shouldn’t use them. He can’t stop the incredulous look he gives the boy, but Taka doesn’t seem to even notice it, as focused as he is on the contents of the bag.

That jolts Mondo into action as he begins to remove the various foods from the bag, as well as the ice. He leaves the mochi, though. Just... for now, he tells himself.

He explains to the kid that he wasn’t sure what he would like or what he could handle, so he got a bit of everything, to be safe. Taka doesn’t seem upset as he beams at Mondo, thanking him wholeheartedly, saying that while he doesn’t get it often, he loves sushi and that he can stomach sandwiches, though he prefers traditional Japanese food. Mondo awkwardly mentions that he feels the same, but that his brother used to make them sandwiches when they were little, since he wasn’t very good at cooking much else. That leads to Taka to curiously ask why his brother was the one to feed him, which causes Mondo to freeze up.

Taka doesn’t notice, thankfully, since he’s so focused on grabbing the ice and placing it upon the worst of his bruises, before hungrily grabbing some of the rice balls and eating a few, slowly but clearly hungrily. The enthusiastic noises the kid lets out does not help his nerves at all, but it does help calm down the rising panic. He has never liked explaining his family situation to people, but somehow... somehow, he thinks it won’t be so bad to explain it to Taka.

Haltingly, Mondo explains that his ma and da weren’t exactly the best. That his ma was a horrible, neglectful alcoholic and his da was an abusive a**hole. Daiya— his brother, he explains— had been the one to always make sure that Mondo was kept safe and healthy, protecting him from everything, including his own parents. His da left them when he was five and his ma died when he was ten, but Daiya was always there for him, feeding him and ensuring he was kept alive. He even helped with his schoolwork, allowing Mondo to not fail out before middle school. He can feel Taka staring at him, the boy pausing in his eating to watch him with his wide, bright red eyes.

Mondo can sense the question the kid wants to ask, can tell from the intense way he is staring that he wants to ask about Daiya, about what happened to him. Mondo is anticipating it, even if he dreads it, knowing that lying to this boy is going to be hard, but also knowing he has to do it. No one can know the truth about what happened to Daiya, after all. Absolutely no one...

However... despite the fact he knows the kid is thinking about it, Taka just... moves on. He says he’s sorry such a thing happened, voice soft and sympathetic, and then he... he begins talking about himself. His voice is as halting at Mondo’s had been, the boy clearly unsure if he should be sharing this, but he does it anyway. Talking about how his mother had died of pneumonia when he’d been eight, leaving him alone with his grieving father and the endless debt his grandfather had foisted upon them. How things had gotten very hard for them after they lost one working adult, the debt nearly forcing them to lose their minuscule apartment. His voice is soft as he talks about it, his eyes sad with grief plain within them, but there is strength there, too.

It makes Mondo feel sympathy for the boy, knowing sort of what that is like. He also, for the first time, begins to feel some sympathy for Takaaki, realizing that the harsh and driven police chief had gone through more sh*t than he had expected the overbearing man to have. He doesn’t likethe chief, definitely not, but he realizes he can sympathize with him. Just a little.

But that is very much Not something he wants to feel for the man trying to send him to jail for the rest of his life, truthfully. As such, Mondo decides to steer the conversation away from death and past tragedy then, realizing that it’s making him Feel Things he doesn’t really want to, thanks.

Feeling a touch awkward, Mondo strikes up a conversation about some popular movie that literally everyone in Japan has seen. Or... so he thought. Because, apparently, Taka doesn’t watch movies. Or television. Ever.

This gets Mondo started on a long, impassioned rant, questioning how Taka could be almost an adult but hadn’t ever seen a single Disney movie. Or Ghibli! Mondo himself can’t say he’s a huge movie or TV fan, preferring to ride his hog and be outside, but even he will waste time watching a film or show or something.

It’s after about five minutes that Mondo realizes he’s been ranting nonstop, Taka not saying a word. As soon as he realizes this, he stops talking, his face on fire, feeling like a complete and utter moron. Part of him is afraid to look at Taka, but when he hears the boy let out a sound of disappointment, he can’t help how his eyes dart over, his heart freezing at the interested and invested look he finds there. His heart then begins to race when Taka earnestly asks about the movies Mondo was talking about, apparently wanting to know more. He confesses that the reason he never watched TV or movies was that he had thought that they were a waste of time, but that he’s always privately been curious about such things, wondering what makes them so important to so many people.

At Taka’s insistence, Mondo keeps going, talking about the films that he and Daiya would watch when he’d been young, Taka listening intently and even asking questions here and there. The conversation lasts for a while, and Mondo is shocked to realize that almost half an hour has passed while they had talked, Taka having finished eating and drinking a while before. Mondo had even eaten a little, too, since Taka had confessed that he felt weird being the only one to eat.

It’s then that Mondo has the thought that ‘this feels like a f*cking date,’ though he immediately dismisses said thought, knowing how moronic it is. The feeling still lingers, though, getting worse when he watches Taka throw his head back and laugh at something absent Mondo had muttered in his distraction, Taka so emotive it’s not even funny. It makes Mondo want to do everything he can to hear his laugh again, the desire so strong he doesn’t know how to handle it.

It’s as the conversation is winding to a close that he remembers the mochi, his cheeks flushing as he thinks about the dessert he’d brought, doing everything he can to force down the feeling that this is date because it very much is not, good god. Part of him is worried the mochi would have melted, but the room itself is kept fairly cold and the mochi had been frozen solid almost, so he has hope that it will still be somewhat frozen.

With fumbling words, Mondo mentions the dessert as casually as possible, though he knows he fails miserably. But it doesn’t matter at all, not when he sees Taka’s eyes literally light up, excitement bright within them. The boy explains with so much enthusiasm about how much he used to adore mochi, before his grandfather was kicked out of office, and they fell into debt. He says that he rarely gets the treat anymore, not with how expensive and frivolous it is, but that he has never forgotten how much he adored it once upon a time. He also says that his stomach is feeling better, so he thinks he should be able to eat some, if Mondo doesn’t mind.

Mondo just about self-destructs at the adorableness and mutely holds out the bag, offering Taka the ability to pick out whatever flavor he wants. There are a bunch of different ones, mostly traditional flavors like strawberry, mango, green tea and jasmine, but a couple of them are less common, like dragon fruit and kumquat.

He watches— heart beating fast and off tempo— as Taka deliberates carefully for a full-on minute, eyes darting between the choices like if he chooses wrong, the world will end or something. It’s so cute that it takes him that minute to untie his tongue enough to grunt that Taka can have more than one, so he doesn’t have to worry about choosing wrong or anything. His words make Taka blush again (for the hundredth time, Mondo thinks faintly), the kid stammering out his thanks, saying that Mondo is too kind again. Which is utterly hilarious, especially considering why Taka is even here, but by then, Mondo figures it’s best to just... go along with it, really. If it makes Taka feel better...

Taka quickly makes his choice then, grabbing a green tea mochi ice cream, biting into it soon after, letting out a particularly obscenesound as he very vocally enjoys the treat. Mondo is flushed bright red, and his boxers are significantly tighter than they should be by Taka’s second bite, which is almost just as bad as the first, dear god. By the time Taka finishes the relatively small dessert, Mondo is very flustered and regretting every single life choice he has ever made, truly.

Taka unfortunately notices Mondo’s situation and gets concerned, asking if he is alright. As embarrassed as he is, Mondo can’t help how he yells, not wanting to but being unable to stop it. He immediately berates himself when he sees Taka flinch back, his red eyes wide and terrified, the upset clear within him. That, more than anything, reminds Mondo how futile his ridiculous ‘crush’ is. Taka could never see him in any positive light. He just... can’t.

Softening his voice forcefully, he hesitantly explains about how he always yells when he gets nervous, but that he hadn’t meant to sound angry, he isn’t, he swears. He apologizes too, feeling awful that he’d ruined things with his usual nonsense. But, to his complete shock, Taka gets over his fear quickly and is smiling again before he knows it. It’s less enthusiastic than before, but no less beautiful for it.

Taka then says that he understands and doesn’t fault Mondo for it, saying that it’s okay. A slightly awkward silence rises between them before Mondo manages to break it by awkwardly offering Taka another mochi, which Taka takes happily with another bright smile. Mondo does his best to not let it get to him as badly, and only partially fails.

Taka insists that Mondo eat some of the mochi, too, claiming again that he feels awkward being the only one eating, and soon they both are going through the sweet treats Mondo had packed, the ice cream inside the gummy exterior soft and almost melted, but not quite. It is honestly the perfect texture and Mondo can’t help the soft sound of appreciation he lets out as he eats his dessert. He gets distracted when he hears a strangled noise come from the boy across from him. Concerned, Mondo looks up at Taka, worried that he’d have to somehow give the kid the Heimlich, but all he sees is Taka looking bright red, his eyes wide and his mouth partially open. There’s a glazed quality to his eyes, and it takes a moment to understand why the kid is looking at him like that, before it hits him in a wave of embarrassed pleasure.

The kid had been turned on by the noise he’d made while eating the mochi. Holy sh*t!

Face bright red and stomach in twisted knots, Mondo looks at the ground, breathing deeply to try and stop the heat flooding him. His pants are even tighter now, his junk straining against his boxer shorts, and he has to forcibly think of every unsexy thing he can to force it down. It works, but only barely, since Taka is still staring at him with a sort of hungerhe doubts the kid even realizes. Eventually Taka looks away, face red, as he shakily grabs another mochi to eat. Figuring that moving the f*ck on is the best course of action, Mondo does the same, though he’s careful to keep his noises to himself. For… both of their sakes, really.

Soon all the mochi he packed is gone, Taka looking very satisfied as he smiles gently at Mondo, looking for all the world like they are old friends who are just meeting up again, not a captor and captive. The thought makes Mondo feel so incredibly awful and he knows that it’s time for this whole charade to end. He has dressed Taka’s wounds and has fed him and given him water. There is only one thing left for him to do to try and rectify this whole situation. To make up for the pain and suffering Taka has faced at the hands of him and his gang.

He has to let Taka go free.

The thought is far more painful than he can possibly imagine. The idea of letting Taka go and never seeing him again, never speaking to him again, it’s… it’s awful and it hurts so f*cking badly. He has no clue what is going on between him and the kid, but he finds that he strangely likes it. Their dynamic. Their rapport. And he… he finds he doesn’t want to lose that.

But it’s stupid. So utterly, completely stupid. This isn’t real, he tells himself harshly, the mochi in his gut roiling angrily with his emotions. This isn’t real and Taka isn’t here because he wants to be. He’s here because he has to be. Because his gang forced him to be. If it was up to Taka, he’d never have come to this place at all, would never have willingly spent time with a criminal biker gang leader. This isn’t Taka’s world. He doesn’t belong here. He’s a good kid, the kind with hopes and dreams that Mondo will never have. Yeah, he’s sometimes has the thought of going into carpentry, but it’s not like he could ever f*cking do that sh*t. He’s a biker. A criminal. The only future he has is to spend the rest of his life rotting in jail, honestly. There is no retirement for him. He doesn’t get to retire.

This is his life. Biker gangs and violence and anger. He doesn’t deserve anything else. Not after all he has done. Not after all the people he’s hurt. He doesn’t deserve someone like Taka, who is sunshine and brightness, so g*dd*mn beautiful it hurts his eyes. Someone who is forgiving to an absolute fault, willing to let go of his own anger and fear if it just means helping someone else. Even if that someone else hurt them or is responsible for them being hurt. Taka… Taka is good, so incredibly good, and Mondo… Mondo never will be. Good. Not even a little. Not at all.

And so, his heart aching fiercely, he looks at Taka from the corner of his eyes, not strong enough to face him head on for this conversation. And he… he begins to speak.

Voice halting and way too f*cking weak, Mondo mumbles that it’s probably time to get Taka back to his home. He can see Taka whip his head to face him, eyes wide. Mondo can almost pretend he sees disappointmentand pain in those brilliant scarlet eyes, but he forces himself to ignore it. It’s just a trick of the light. Nothing else.

And yet… he can’t quite ignore the disappointment he hears so plainly in Taka’s voice, the kid dejectedly saying that perhaps that is a good idea. Saying that his father might be wondering where he is by now. From the corner of his eyes, he can still see the reluctance on Taka’s face, and it makes Mondo feel so very, very strange inside. Like his insides are rebelling against him or something. He tries to push it down, standing and making his way over to his dresser to grab his keys, but… but he can’t quite manage it.

When he returns to Taka, he asks softly if the kid thinks he’d be able to handle riding on his hog, or if he should try and grab the van that they use for various events out. He says it will be harder to grab the van unnoticed— since it’s parked in the lot where the rest of the gang stores their rides, while Mondo keeps his baby in a private garage— but that he will do that if it makes Taka feel safer.

Taka is just staring at him with wide eyes, his hands shaking a little, and it concerns Mondo greatly. He’s about to stammer something out, maybe even offering to call Taka a cab, but then… then the kid is nodding slowly, saying that he thinks he’d be able to handle a ride on a motorcycle. Mondo finds the way Taka says ‘motorcycle’ unreasonably adorable and has to squash down his rising emotions to nod slowly in return. But then Taka is continuing, asking anxiously if Mondo has a helmet and safety gear that Taka can borrow, since he knows how unsafe motorcycles are and he wouldn’t want to get hurt in case of a crash.

It makes Mondo snort, a smirk on his face that he hopes disguises the roiling in his gut at such a thought, and mutters how he wouldn’t crash, he’s been doing this since he was practically in diapers, he knows how to ride a hog, sh*t. The look Taka gives him is mildly disapproving as the kid reprimands him, saying that even still, it’s always good to be prepared. Past good experiences don’t preclude a future bad one, Taka explains seriously. It’s so cute that Mondo has to physically hide his face to prevent the kid from seeing the almost smitten look he knows is currently rising on his face. He doesn’t know why he’s so smitten with Taka after such a short amount of time, but dear god, he is.

But he moves on and considers the kid’s request. He furrows his brow as he thinks about it, wondering if they do have any protective gear in the hideout. None of his gang really bothers with that sh*t, but… well. He thinks that maybe… if he looks…

Mondo moves absently over to an old storage box he keeps in the corner of the room, knowing that he used to have an old helmet he used when he first started out, Daiya insisting on it despite Mondo’s displeasure. He thinks he shoved it in the storage box after Daiya- y-you know. He doesn’t know if it’ll fit the kid, but it may. Taka is smaller than him, so maybe the helmet he wore as a kid would fit. If he can f*cking find it, that is…

He can feel Taka’s curious eyes on him as he looks, but he ignores it as he pretty much tears the storage container apart without any care. Finally, as he reaches the bottom, he finds the old thing, letting out a noise of triumph as he holds it up like a prize, grinning back at Taka happily. Taka has a dazed look on his face, but he quickly snaps out of it, looking at the mess Mondo made with disapproval.

To Mondo’s complete and total shock, Taka stands then and heads to the mess, tutting as he claims it’s not a good idea to leave such a mess lying around. Mondo is stunned silent for a second as Taka approaches, but he finds his tongue when he watches the kid kneel down and begin putting Mondo’s things away, a lot more organized and careful than Mondo ever has been.

Confused, Mondo says that it’s fine, that he can just shove the things back into the box later once he gets back, to Taka’s obvious disgust. With an adorably haughty and almost pretentious look on his face, Taka explains that shoving things away in a box is not cleaning, thank you very much. Cleaning is a subtle and soothing task, the kid continues to explain, so ridiculously serious.

Unable to help it, Mondo lets out a huge laugh, so loud and boisterous his stomach aches with it, his heart fluttering awkwardly in his chest. He doesn’t usually laugh this hard, not since Daiya- well. He watches with his churning insides as Taka halts in his organized cleaning, his eyes wide and his cheeks flushed again as he looks at him, his mouth opening on a silent gasp. He looks dazed, but not in a bad way, and it’s doing some seriously funny things to his insides, Jesus Christ.

Taka eventually looks away, face now red, and goes back to cleaning. He winced a little, though, reminding Mondo of Taka’s injuries. Feeling guilty but knowing Taka won’t give up, Mondo kneels down beside him and begins to help with the cleaning. He even folds the clothes the way Taka does, though a lot clumsier and less neat. It still makes Taka beam at him, his eyes practically sparkling, so he supposes he’s doing something right.

They finish cleaning after about ten minutes, Taka looking highly satisfied with the newly organized box. He explains to Mondo shyly that he has always found comfort in cleaning, saying that it gave him control as a child that he often didn’t have. Mondo can understand that to some extent since he feels the same way about riding his hog. Mondo accidentally says that aloud, his cheeks flushing again with his unintended confession.

Taka doesn’t judge him, though. He just hums softly, a thoughtful look on his face as he leans back from his kneeling position to sit on his knees. And then… then he’s looking at Mondo curiously, an oddly nervous look on his face. Mondo wonders why he looks nervous, but learns a moment later, his body freezing as he hears Taka ask hesitantly why Mondo chose to join a gang in the first place. Why he decided to go down this path.

The question makes Mondo feel defensive, his anger rising with his discomfort. He’s had people ask him that before, mainly cops when he’d get caught as a kid, and he’s always hated being asked it. It reminds him, though, that Taka is the son of the police chief, and his chest goes cold as he wonders if Taka will be telling his father all about this conversation. He wouldn’t blame him, god he wouldn’t, but it makes him feel cold and aching and f*cking sad, and he doesn’t know how to handle that, he really doesn’t.

Luckily, before he can say anything that he’ll regret, Taka begins talking again, his words fast and frantic, his eyes wide as he takes in Mondo’s mounting anger and upset. Taka explains that he didn’t mean it negatively, but that he was just curious as to what made him choose this lifestyle. He says that his father has always been disparaging of such choices, but that he, himself, has always been curious about it. What makes someone go down such a path. Taka also shyly says that he doesn’t really see how Mondo could be that bad, since he’s been so kind to him since he got here. It makes Mondo feel like utter sh*t.

Looking away from Taka, Mondo considers the question more rationally, his stomach still clenching, but not angrily. While he hates talking about himself in such a way, he again finds that it… it’s not so bad. Not when it’s Taka he’s telling. Plus, he… he’s gotta clear up the clear misconceptions the kid is having about him. Because he is ‘that bad’. He most definitely is.

Faltering again, Mondo explains that Daiya had started the gang up when he’d been about nine and Daiya had been fifteen, as a way to make money and to give them independence. Daiya had been working in a different gang for several years before that, ever since their father left and they were pretty much on their own money wise, but it wasn’t until Daiya started The Crazy Diamonds that Mondo joined, too. He’d always loved riding with his brother on his hog, he explains fondly, but the gang stuff didn’t come until later.

Joining the gang had felt right to him, he continues, voice slower and less confident. He’d always had trouble controlling his anger, so being in a gang helped since he could get his anger out in some way. He admits sheepishly that he knows it’s not the best way he can handle the rage inside him, but that he doesn’t know what else to do. Besides. He’s the leader of his gang now and he can’t stop that. He just… can’t.

Part of him expects Taka to question him about that, but to his relief Taka doesn’t. Instead, Taka just hums softly, nodding with understanding. And then… then he asks softly if Mondo had ever considered leaving the gang. If he ever had any plans that didn’t relate to being a gangster.

Again, Mondo feels himself stiffen up, his discomfort and anger rising. It’s easier to push down this time, though, more so since he can see the earnestness on Taka’s face and he knows the kid doesn’t mean to be accusatory or judging, but that he’s honestly just… curious. Like he truly wants to know. It’s… refreshing, quite honestly.

And so… even though he knows he shouldn’t, knows it’s wrong, he… he confesses that yeah. Yeah, he has. A lot recently, if he’s being fully honest. The honesty makes him squirm, and before he can stop himself, he’s mentioning his absent and stupid as f*ck ideas of becoming a carpenter, of all things. He hurriedly says that he knows he never could, that he barely knows anything about woodworking and that he’d never actually get a job as a carpenter, not with his record. Despite himself, his throat gets thick while saying it and he has to swallow forcefully to try and get the emotion down. He jolts harshly when he feels a tentative hand touch his, his eyes wide as he meets wide red ones.

Quietly, Taka says that he doesn’t think that. That, with hard work and effort, anything is possible. He claims that if Mondo wants to… if he truly wants to become a carpenter and leave his life as a gangster behind… well. Then Taka is positive that he could do it. That Taka believes in him fully. And the strangest thing is… Mondo actually believes that he’s telling the truth.

It’s immediately overwhelming and Mondo has to force down the rush of emotion, breathing deeply to push it all aside. Taka is still looking at him with kindness and it’s too much. Standing abruptly, Mondo grunts that they should get out of there, that they’ve wasted enough time, Taka scrambling to stand soon after. Mondo hands the kid the helmet that started this whole mess and tells him to try it on, which Taka does without a word. The fit is a bit snug, but it should keep Taka safe should anything happen, Mondo thinks.

Taka removes the helmet once he’s done trying it on, his hair sticking straight up adorably once it’s off. It makes Mondo smile, but he quickly looks away before Taka can see. Clearing his throat, he tells Taka to follow close behind him and do as he said, privately hoping that they won’t get caught by anyone, but knowing that the risk is there. It’s been hours since he was left alone with Taka, and he has a feeling his gang is going to be curious about how their ‘meeting’ went. He has no illusions as to what his gang will be assuming they’ve been doing in here so long, though the thought of it disgusts him greatly. Despite all his faults and failings, he is proud to say he would never, ever force himself on someone else. The one time he slept with a woman was consensual, thank you very much, as have been the various other times he’s fooled around with people.

Besides… Taka is such a straight lace looking dude that he doubts he’d ever sleep with someone without knowing them very well first, maybe not even until marriage, even if he clearly feels some measure of attraction towards dudes, and—

Mondo cuts those thoughts off quickly, knowing that it’s useless to dwell on it. Fact is, he’s just a captor to Taka, even if the kid seems to think higher of him than he should. Once he sets Taka free, he probably won’t ever see him again. And that… is that.

Taka agrees to Mondo’s terms, reminding him that they are supposed to be leaving now. With a soft sigh, he gestures for Taka to follow him, heading to the door, reluctance stupidly high within him. It’s as he’s reaching for the door handle that he hears Taka call out to him, his voice confused. When Mondo turns back to face the kid with a raised eyebrow, he sees a confused frown (pout, really, but Mondo doesn’t think about that, not at all) on Taka’s face, which is kind of concerning…

Mondo then freezes when Taka speaks, the kid asking hesitantly if he should have the blindfold put back on if they’re going to be wandering through the hideout. Because, to be perfectly honest… he’d forgotten the kid is the son of the police chief. Again. Despite being reminded of it only a handful of minutes before. Jesus Christ…

However… as he looks at Taka and sees the small frown he’s still wearing, clearly not happy at the idea of wearing the blindfold but willing to do it if Mondo asks, he… he realizes he doesn’t want to force the kid to wear it again. Yeah, it’s stupid. This has been one of his favorite hideouts over the years, the one he’s kept most of his personal items in, and letting an outsider see the interior, let alone the son of a police chief is… reckless. Stupid, honestly.

But as he looks at Taka… painfully honest and open Taka… he thinks that maybe he can trust the kid. And that’s stupid too, since for all he knows maybe Taka is just a ridiculously good actor and has been playing him this entire g*dd*mn time, but… he doesn’t think so. He’s got a pretty good bullsh*t detector and it’s not gone off once around Taka. So maybe… maybe…

And even if Taka does rat them out and tells his father all about their hideout and where it’s located… maybe they’d deserve it. For what they all collectively did to the poor kid… the torture and starvation and terror they put him through… maybe it would only be right.

Regardless of how ridiculous it is, Mondo just shrugs tightly and tells Taka that it’s fine. That it doesn’t matter. He can see shock on the kid’s face, as well as a small measure of pleasure, which he does his hardest to not think on, god. Taka nods hesitantly, the small smile widening as he realizes Mondo is being serious. Since that just about shorts Mondo’s brain out again, he turns back to the door and focuses on finally getting Taka out of this dump.

Silent as mice, Mondo leads Taka through the catacomb of hallways and rooms, footsteps silent as he peeks around corners for signs of his gang before leading them down those paths. It feels hella weird to be sneaking around his own g*dd*mn place, but he doesn’t focus on it. He does notice that the kid is fairly silent too, even his footsteps barely making a sound on the concrete. It’s then that Mondo realizes that Taka isn’t wearing shoes, but by that point it’s not like he can fix that, so he puts it out of his mind and focuses on sneaking again.

Luckily, they manage to make it to Mondo’s private garage without any problems, Mondo letting out a sigh of relief as they enter the relatively large space. The only people allowed in this garage are him and his elite guard, but the guard isn’t allowed to enter without his permission. If someone were to enter now and see them, he’d have grounds to pretty much kick them out of the gang. After all, it’s not like he’s doing anything bad. He’s the g*dd*mn leader, for Christ’s sake. If he wants to take his captive around on his hog after leading them through the hideout without a blindfold, he’s f*cking allowed. It’s just… easier if they didn’t have to deal with all that at the moment, is all.

As he approaches his pride and joy, he sees Taka shuffling awkwardly by the entrance of the garage, fiddling with the helmet he’s still holding. He has a look of discomfort on his face and Mondo finds himself concerned despite himself. Forcing his voice to go as soft as it’s able, he asks the kid if he’s alright. If he needs anything first. Taka looks up at him with wide eyes at that, before shaking his head slowly.

Taka replies haltingly that no, he’s fine, he’s just nervous at the thought of riding on the ‘bike,’ as he calls it. He then mentions that he rarely, if ever, does anything risky, and that riding a ‘bike’ is very risky.

While normally Mondo would be pissed at hearing someone say such a thing about riding a hog, let alone calling his baby a ‘bike’ like a f*cking nerd, he finds Taka’s nerves kind of endearing. Trying to force down his smile, Mondo shrugs and mentions how he gets it, but reiterates that Taka has nothing to worry about. He’s been riding a hog alone since he was ten, after all, long before he had his official license, and he is an expert at driving it. He makes a joke about being the Ultimate at the action, which makes Taka smile faintly.

Taka goes quiet then, clearly thinking things over. After a minute, Taka nods decisively and says that he trusts Mondo, and that he will ride the ‘bike,’ putting the helmet on clumsily. The unexpected trust floors Mondo, and he finds himself unable to make the snarky comment about it being called a ‘hog,’ not a ‘bike,’ like he had planned on.

Instead, he just awkwardly clears his throat and heads for his baby, getting on fluidly. He gestures for Taka to get on too, which he does after a moment’s hesitation. It takes a couple false starts, but soon they both are mounted on the hog, Mondo instructing Taka to hold on as tight as he can, which Taka immediately does without question. Mondo is once again floored by how much trust Taka is putting into him, but he tries not to focus on it, knowing that he needs to focus.

Before leaving, he asks Taka where to drop him off, knowing a location would probably be good. And then, to his absolute shock, Taka tells him his home address. And Mondo knows that the kid understands how stupid this is, since Taka even jokingly says that he knows he probably shouldn’t be telling Mondo his address, but that he knows Mondo won’t do anything with it. His trust is once again overwhelming to Mondo, and he decides then and there to never break it. He may be a monster and a criminal, but somehow, he feels that breaking Taka’s trust would be the absolute worst thing he could ever, ever do.

Pushing down the swell of emotions, he sets off to the address given, warning Taka before he does. The kid still screams, though it is thankfully muffled by the helmet somewhat. But Mondo doesn’t care if his gang realizes what he’s doing now. They’d learn eventually and Mondo will handle it later. Later, when Taka is safely at home and Mondo can convince his gang to never, ever go after the kid again. And maybe… maybe provide a detail for him to ensure his continued safety once he gets home… after all, if he’s so foolish as to actually trust a monster like Mondo despite everything that was done to him, and despite having a police officer as a dad… well. Clearly, this kid needs protecting.

He pushes that all down yet again as he drives on, figuring the drive will take roughly twenty minutes given city traffic. He distantly allows himself to enjoy the feel of Taka’s arms around him, reveling in the sensation, but he doesn’t allow his mind to focus on it too long, for obvious reasons. It’s still nice, though. Very, very nice.

But it’s not meant to last. And before long, they are in front of a worn-down old apartment, one that even Mondo eyes critically. Taka doesn’t seem to notice his disdain and just smiles brightly at Mondo, saying that he is very grateful to him for his assistance, even going so far as to call Mondo a ‘good friend.’ Mondo can only stare with wide eyes at Taka, which clearly makes the kid nervous, as he begins to stammer that he hopes he isn’t overstepping his bounds and that he’s sorry if he had offended. Making it sound like Mondo is the one who should be offended at having Takaas a friend.

Which is… so wrong Mondo doesn’t have enough hours in a day to point it all out, so he just shakes his head quickly and states that he’d be f*cking honored to have Taka as a friend, if the kid wants him. The words make Taka beam, so bright it takes his breath away, his nod frantic once more. He also says he would like that very much, so earnest Mondo wonders if he died and this is some strange version of heaven. But like hell would he ever get into heaven after all the sh*t he’s done, so he curbs that thought. Still… it is very nice…

And still not real. That thought douses Mondo into ice cold reality, knowing that once Taka has some time to think things through and work through the trauma, he’ll want nothing to do with Mondo. Ever. Yes, he may think them friends now, but… it won’t last. Mondo has to remember that. He truly does, or else this is going to hurt so much worse than it already does…

Still. Despite that. Despite what he knows will happen and that he should avoid Taka and all thoughts about him. Despite it all. Mondo… Mondo can’t help but pull out a scrap of paper from his pocket, grabbing a pen he keeps in his side storage of his hog, and writing down his number shakily on the stained and frayed paper. Stomach alive with butterflies, he thrusts the paper towards Taka, muttering that if he ever has need of help, or if he just needs someone to talk to, he can call Mondo. And while Mondo doesn’t say it, he privately knows that he just gave Taka his personal, private number, not the number he uses for ‘business.’ Only the elite guard have his personal number. And now Taka. And now… Taka.

He feels a shot of pain shoot through him when he sees Taka’s reluctant look as he stares at the messy scrawl, thinking he f*cked this up and now Taka is mad, but then… then Taka mutters awkwardly that he doesn’t have a phone, cheeks bright red. At Mondo’s incredulous stare, he hastily explains that while his apartment does have a landline, since his father likes having a backup in case his cellphone breaks, Taka wouldn’t be able to call Mondo using it since his father checks the phone history as a precaution. And he doesn’t have a cell phone since he’s never really needed one, he’s felt. What gets Mondo the most, though, is how regretful Taka sounds while saying it, like he… like he truly is unhappy that he doesn’t have a reliable way of contacting Mondo. And while he makes sure to tell himself that this isn’t real a thousand more times, he truly wishes that it could be. That Taka truly does feel regret at not being able to talk to him again.

Perhaps it’s that that has him say it, perhaps it something else entirely, but he finds himself blurting out that Taka should still keep the number so he could call if there is an emergency, and he desperately needs someone. Mondo promises, solemn and full of grave intensity, that if Taka ever needs him, he will drop everything and be there. No matter what the need is, he stresses, needing Taka to know how serious he is. And… judging by the bright blush and the dazed look that has returned to Taka’s face… Mondo thinks the kid does.

After that, Mondo knows it’s time to go, knowing that hanging around outside the home of the police chief— chatting with the man’s clearly beaten son— is a recipe for disaster. Still, Mondo doesn’t want to leave, doesn’t want to go back to a world that Taka isn’t a part of. He knows how stupid the thought is, but as he looks into Taka’s bright red, comforting eyes… he knows that if he leaves here, he’ll be leaving behind something truly special. Something he’s been missing for years. Something… something good. Truly and fully good.

But he can’t stay. He doesn’t deserve someone like Taka, and none of this is real, besides. Taka will come out of his shock eventually and realize the error of his ways. And Mondo… Mondo deserves that. He truly, truly does.

And so… despite how much it hurts… despite the fact that he wants so desperately to never leave this perfect and stupidly trusting kid’s side… Mondo forces himself away.

With a tight smile that absolutely does not hide the pain he’s feeling, Mondo absently raises his hand in goodbye and makes his way back to his baby, claiming that he’ll see Taka around sometime, though he absolutely does not believe it. Not unless Taka is there when his father comes to arrest Mondo and his gang, that is. He doesn’t expect Taka to reply anything more than a shaky goodbye in return, maybe sounding a bit regretful like earlier, but nothing special.

That’s why he’s absolutely shocked when he feels a cool hand wrap around his wrist, not tight but firm. Mondo wheels around in shock, eyes wide as he meets Taka’s wide and yet determined ones. He listens with a distracted ear as Taka says that this entire experience has been terrifying and frightening in many, many ways, but that he does not regret meeting Mondo, as meeting him has probably been one of the best experiences of his life. He sounds so earnest and truthful that— for a moment— Mondo almost forgets that it’s not real and almost believes that he could deserve this. And then he… he can only watch, heart pounding out of his chest, when… when Taka leans forward and… a-and…

Kisses his cheek…

Cheeks on fire, Mondo dumbly watches Taka hastily back away, feeling bereft as the kid’s hand leaves his wrist, absolutely dumbfounded and maybe a little turned on. It doesn’t help that Taka’s face is bright red again, and that there’s a small, somewhat pleased looking smile as Taka says lowly that he hopes they will meet again one day, as he would truly hate to never see Mondo again. And Mondo— brain offline and mouth moving without his consent— says that if Taka uses that number, he will.

With that exchange said, Mondo knows it’s time to leave before he spontaneously combusts. He knows that he is well and truly f*cked, so gone for Taka that it’s kind of pathetic, like a grade schooler with his first crush. It should embarrass the hell out of him that he’s acting so foolish for someone he’s known less than half a day.

But as he finally mounts his hog and looks over his shoulder at Taka, seeing the sad smile on his lips and his hand raised in a final goodbye… he realizes it doesn’t. Embarrass him. Like hell would anything have ever worked out between them, their worlds are much too different, but… it was nice, for one evening, to pretend.

He raises his hand in a final farewell, grinning widely at the enchanting kid he had the absolute fortune to meet, and then he’s gone. Driving a bit faster than the speed limit, Mondo peels out of the small parking lot and onto the city streets, heart aching as he leaves the kid behind.

And as he heads back to his hideout, knowing he’ll have to explain to the guys what happened… he has a small hope that he can’t crush, no matter what, that maybe… maybe Taka will call someday. That this— whatever this is— was real. That it wasn’t only him who felt the connection.

It’s ridiculous. And stupid. And absurd.

And yet…

And yet.

~~~ (time skip!)

More than two months have passed since that day in the gang hideout, and yet Taka has forgotten nothing of the encounter. He hasn’t forgotten the pain or the fear, and his nose only just stopped hurting a few weeks ago, but he… he definitely hasn’t forgotten the rest, either. Meeting Mondo. Talking to him. The weird fluttering in his chest whenever they spoke. The desire he’d felt when Mondo had looked at him. The yearning inside that only grew brighter and brighter as the minutes passed. No… no, he’s not forgotten anything.

Nor does he want to. While he can concede that the kidnapping and the torture were not at all something he enjoyed or would ever want to do again, he can’t deny that he doesn’t regret meeting Mondo. Doesn’t regret their conversations, or the gentleness and trust Mondo showed towards him. He doesn’t regret it one bit.

After Mondo had left him outside his apartment, Taka had stood there in a daze for what felt like hours, his lips tingling with the phantom sensation of rough stubble underneath them, mind racing with thoughts and feelings. He’d been exhausted, since he’d not had a good night’s rest in days, but he’d not been able to force himself from that spot for a very long time.

Eventually he had shaken himself out of it and had climbed the stairs to his and his father’s shared apartment, stopping at the front door abruptly when he realized that he didn’t have his keys anymore. One of his kidnappers had taken it with his clothes earlier that day, so he’d been stuck standing outside his apartment, the night air a bit chilly around him.

His father had eventually arrived home from work, his eyes widening immediately upon seeing Taka’s ragged state. He’d started to ask Taka a million questions about what happened, but Taka had tiredly asked if they could just enter the apartment and he could tell his father later, as he was very tired. His father had stared at him with intense concern for a minute, before hurrying him inside, saying that they would be talking about this once Taka woke. Taka had absently agreed and headed straight for his small bedroom, passing out the second his head hit the pillow, despite all the aches and pains he had been feeling.

Morning was better, thankfully, and he’d stumbled out of bed with a tentative plan of action. His father was still home despite how he usually would have been gone by the time Taka awoke. When he asked, the man said that he called out that day, since he needed to ensure that Taka was okay. It made him feel a swell of affection for his father, but he knew he couldn’t tell the man the truth. While part of him wondered why, since he barely knew the man, he knew he couldn’t betray Mondo. Not after all he’d done for him.

And so, he’d told his father that he’d fallen down some stairs, which had led to his disheveled state. He inferred from the way his father spoke the night before that the man hadn’t noticed his three-day absence, which Taka understood. With his busy work schedule, it wouldn’t have surprised him if his father hadn’t even come home at all during those days, maybe even sleeping in his office at the precinct like he’s done numerous times before. So, all he had to do was come up with an explanation for the injuries and not the missing time.

He could tell that his father didn’t believe him, as the man kept asking more and more questions, but while Taka is usually a horrid liar, he’d been adamant this time. He fell down some stairs, causing him to break his nose and bruise his ribs. It was a plausible story, a simple one, and eventually his father begrudgingly accepted it. He knows his father still didn’t believe him, but Taka can be very stubborn when he wants to be, so he figures his father just accepted it for both of their peace of mind.

He had been very anxious about having to explain to his father how he’d lost not only his clothes and shoes, but his keys, bag, wallet, and all of his other daily possessions, knowing that saying such a thing would only immediately bring the suspicion back, though he knew he’d have to eventually. However, he’d not had to worry about that long, as that problem had been solved the very next day.

Taka had been on his way back from the library— where he had a part time job for the break— wearing an old pair of dress shoes since his boots were MIA, when he’d seen a fairly large package sitting on his welcome mat that was addressed to him. Confused, he’d brought the thing inside and entered his room, where he immediately set about opening the box curiously. He’d never had a package addressed to him before, so it was honestly a little exciting.

And then he’d felt his heart stutter in his chest when he’d seen all of his things neatly placed inside, even his wallet (with more yen inside than he’d left it, he later realized), keys, and clothes. The clothes had even been freshly laundered— the stains and tears mended too— and his boots had been shined. It had overwhelmed him for a minute, tears falling down his cheeks as he touched the things he’d thought were lost forever, the few personal items he had to his name.

It was then that he’d noticed the note tucked in the bottom of the box, almost like whoever placed it there didn’t want it to be found. But it had been, and the words written inside…

‘Thought you’d like your things back. Take care.’

That was it. No signature, nothing. But Taka had immediately recognized the writing as the same as the one on the piece of paper he had stored inside the box that he keeps his most treasured possessions. And he knew exactly who had brought him his belongings back. It had been a bit more overwhelming than he’d care to admit.

With that crisis solved, Taka had focused on getting back into the swing of his everyday life. While his father may not have noticed his absence, his boss and coworkers had, and to his surprise they were all worried about him when they saw his bruises and broken nose.

He’d quickly told them the same thing he told his father, claiming to his boss that he was sorry he’d not called and informed her of his absence, but that he’d been doing his best to heal and hadn’t thought to make the call. The elderly woman had immediately told him it was fine and that he didn’t have to worry about it, even offering to give him the rest of the week off— paid— so he can take care of himself and heal properly. That had also been overwhelming, and he’d had to fight back tears as he explained that he wanted to work, since he hates inactivity. It had taken a little convincing, but she’d agreed to let him work, though she kept a close eye on him for weeks after, still watching even after the worst of his wounds healed.

The days had been hard, though, and the nights even harder. Even after his body stopped aching so badly, he couldn’t help but prod at the pain in his mind. And he doesn’t even mean the pain of having pretty much been tortured and starved for two days. But… the pain of being away from Mondo.

Taka isn’t stupid. Right? Even while it had all been occurring, Taka had wondered if what he was feeling was real. If he actually cared so much about this ragged biker that he’d met under the worst of circumstances mere hours before. It had all seemed so farfetched and fantastical to him that part of him had been waiting the entire time for the other shoe to drop. For Mondo to suddenly yell ‘ha! Gotcha!’ and change on a dime. He doesn’t know why he’d told the biker his home address knowing how stupid it was, but he’d felt so tired and so alone at that moment that he hadn’t even seriously considered the danger involved in telling Mondo his home. Where he and his father— the chief of police— lived.

He’d realized it later, though. The next day, his heart and mind racing with every that had happened. And despite the buoyancy he still felt when he thought of the biker gang leader, he’d also felt trepidation and a hint of fear at the thought of Mondo using the information against him, spending the entire first day panicking silently to himself. And part of the next day.

But then he’d gotten the package. And then a week passed. And then two. And then a month. And then a second month. And at no point at all did Taka face any possible retaliation from Mondo. No hint of gangs loitering around his apartment or harassing his father. Nothing.

Well… not nothing, actually. Because sometimes… sometimes, on odd days, there would be a package left at his front door addressed to him, with no return label. He’d bring the box to his room with a racing heart and open it, finding a random assortment of goods each time. Sometimes they were sweets, like fine chocolate or assorted traditional mochi with sweet and savory fillings. Other times they’d be practical items, such as a fancy notebook or a nice fountain pen. And sometimes… sometimes, there would be DVDs in the box, for movies he’d always heard about but never seen. Receipts would accompany each box, proving the items were paid for Taka assumes, though there would never be a note, no matter how hard Taka looked. And oh, how he looked.

He knows who sends the boxes, though. Of course he does. He’s never had anyone who would send him things, and given that there’s no return address or stamps, he knows the boxes were delivered in person. Plus, they always mysteriously arrived on days he would get home from work before his father, though that’s a little less impressive considering how often such a thing is the case. And finally… the writing on the box is the same as from the note and from the phone number. Which is the most damning evidence, really.

Part of him thinks that he should find it creepy that a criminal biker is sending him gifts, but strangely, he doesn’t. Especially not when he remembers Mondo’s muttered comment after Taka had remarked that he had never been given a gift before. Instead it just makes him feel… warm. And remembered. And appreciated.

It also reminds him of the number Mondo had given him, which he has long since memorized. It makes his heart pound to think of, recalling the moment he’d been given the number with complete clarity. Part of him longs to call just to hear Mondo’s voice and talk to him again, but part of him is afraid to do that. What if… what if Mondo doesn’t want that? Or if he gets annoyed at Taka calling for a non-emergency, even if Mondo had told him he could? Or if it turns out it has all been a big hoax and Mondo doesn’t actually want to be friends with him? While the gifts say otherwise, his lifelong rejection from every possible friend says yes.

So, he hasn’t. Called. Every time he’s headed to the pay phone at the end of the street, intent on calling, he’d get nervous and chicken out. This has happened no less than twenty times, with it once happening twice in one day. Taka wants to call, truly he does! He’s just… scared.

But today. Today, he has decided that no matter what… he will call. Even if Mondo doesn’t pick up, or if he doesn’t respond, or if he rejects him… he has to call today.

It’s his 20th birthday, after all. And while his father had planned on doing something special today, taking Taka out to a restaurant they could only barely afford, the man had unfortunately been called into work for an emergency. Leaving Taka alone in his room, his chest aching fiercely with loneliness. He doesn’t blame his father for leaving, no! But… it hurts sitting in this room alone, thinking so desperately of one person, fearing rejection but thinking that just this once… the potential reward would be worth the risk.

It’s still hard for him to force his legs to move. To stand up, hold his weight, and make the trip to the nearest pay phone. His heart races at just the thought of it, but he knows he’s being ridiculous. He is not a quitter and he’s never run from anything in his life. Yes, perhaps Mondo will reject him, but… he has to at least try.

After about half an hour of useless deliberation, Taka is finally able to force himself to stand and march out of his apartment. His legs are shaking horribly, the shaking getting worse and worse the closer he gets to the pay phone, but he refuses to stop.

Finally, he reaches the pay phone and hesitates only a second before he’s putting his yen in and dialing the number he’s long since memorized. His heart is racing fast as he hears the phone ring, his mind blank. Part of him wishes that Mondo won’t answer, so that he can just leave a message and leave it at that.

But that hope is dashed when he hears someone pick up the phone, and then a familiar voice is sounding, though Taka is far too tense to comprehend the words said to him. It takes him a moment to realize he’s not taken a breath since he arrived at the pay phone and his lungs are screaming at him in protest. He manages to take a huge inhale of breath, though he’s still feeling very nervous and almost afraid. Not of Mondo, no, no. But… of himself. That he’ll ruin this like he’s always ruined everything. That Mondo will realize how uninteresting and worthless he is and won’t want to talk to him. That… that what happened two months ago was just a fluke, that it wasn’t real, and that Mondo wouldn’t want to get that back.

Finally, after another moment passes, he hears the voice call again, worry thick within it. And Taka is finally able to comprehend what the voice is saying.

“Taka…? Is, uh… is that you? Not many people have this number, so, uh… sh*t. Are ya alright, man? D’ya… d’ya need me ta come get ya or somethin’? ‘Cuz I can if ya want… uh… sh*t, is this Taka? Uh… if ya could say somethin’, that would be, ya know… appreciated…”

That jolts Taka out of his daze and he finds himself stammering out a greeting, his cheeks red again. He hears Mondo let out a small laugh, greeting him with so much unbridled affection that it makes Taka’s chest ache. Before he can force the lump in his throat down, Mondo continues, his voice a lot more serious and concerned as he asks him again if he needs help, if he’s hurt, if he needs Mondo to drive out to him. The questions almost overwhelm Taka, making him feel terrible for worrying the biker for something so simple, so stupid. But he can’t just hang up now, not without worrying Mondo more.

And so, voice trembling, he assures Mondo that no, nothing is wrong, he’s okay and doesn’t need assistance. His throat gets thick again before he can explain his actual reason for calling, forcing him to peter out awkwardly, his heart racing painfully in his chest. He then hears Mondo speak again, his voice soft and soothing as he reassures Taka that it’s okay, he doesn’t have to be nervous, it’s all fine, and Taka can tell him why he called if he wants, but if his reason is that he just wanted to talk, that’s fine too. That almost makes Taka more nervous, but he swallows it down and pushes forward.

Voice still trembling, Taka explains haltingly that it’s his 20th birthday and he has found himself unfortunately alone. His father is working, and he never has had any friends, and he was wondering if Mondo wanted to… to hang out. Or something. Taka gets nervous around then and begins babbling that Mondo doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to, that he’s okay being alone, he’s been alone most his life so it’s fine. He would hate to impose upon Mondo and if he’s busy he understands completely and he isn’t entirely sure why he called, he hates being a bother, he’s sorry, he-

Mondo cuts him off around then, his voice soft with something almost fond deep in the tone, mixed with something that sounds sad. Mondo says that he’d be honored to spend Taka’s birthday with him, since Taka had helped make his birthday one of the best he’s ever had, and he could only hope to return the favor. The honest words make Taka’s face flush even hotter, his breath shaky and his heart clenched.

Taka shakily agrees and makes plans for Mondo to meet him outside his apartment, since his father isn’t there anyway. Mondo promises that he’ll be there in twenty before hanging up with a warm ‘see ya soon, Taka.’

Taka walks back to his apartment in a daze, and once he gets there, he takes a heavy seat on the front stoop, wringing his hands anxiously. He’s incidentally dressed in the same outfit he’d worn the day he’d been kidnapped, his usual white suit and red tie that he always wears when at university and his internship and doesn’t bother to change out of during break. This suit has numerous stitches in it, and it doesn’t look very professional anymore, but he can’t help but like it regardless. He hadn’t consciously put it on this morning, but… well.

It feels like both a second and a millennium have passed when he hears the unfamiliar roar of a motorcycle pull up before him. His head whips up instantly, heart racing, a gasp escaping his lips when he sees a now familiar person straddling the powerful vehicle.

Scrambling up and over to the bike (he knows Mondo doesn’t like him calling it that, but he dislikes calling it a ‘hog,’ so they’ll just have to agree to disagree), he tries to think of what to say, what to do, but finds himself coming up blank.

Luckily, Mondo breaks the silence by clearing his throat and awkwardly asking what Taka wants to do. Unluckily, Taka has no idea whatsoever. He hadn’t really expected Mondo to actually show up, to be honest, so he isn’t sure what to do now that he’s here. He feels very awkward and regretful as he tells Mondo this, and then he apologizes softly for wasting the biker’s time, sure that Mondo will be mad at him for making him come all this way for nothing.

However… to his absolute shock, Mondo doesn’t get upset. Or even slightly unhappy. Instead, all he does is hum, tilt his head, and ask Taka if he likes going to the park. When Taka stammers that yes, he loves the park, Mondo grins and tilts his head towards his bike, clearly indicating that Taka should get on. Which he then verbalizes, telling Taka that he knows the perfect place for them to go.

Taka is only a little reluctant, not wanting to ride without a helmet (while he’d surprisingly enjoyed the last ride with Mondo, he would never have wanted to do it sans helmet), but to his surprise yet again, Mondo unclips something from his bike and hands it to Taka. It takes him a second to realize it’s a helmet. But he can tell immediately that it’s not the same helmet as the last time. This one is bright red, for one thing, and looks to be a bit bigger. When Taka looks at Mondo in question, the biker sheepishly mentions that he’d gotten Taka a new helmet on the offside chance they ever met up again, this one being a size bigger, which Mondo guessed would fit better.

The idea that Mondo cared enough to get him his own helmet, just for his own comfort flusters Taka greatly, and he feels the stirring in his heart he’d first felt two months ago and hasn’t stopped since. He’s never felt so much for another person before and it’s making him feel very flushed. Especially when he catches sight of the gentle smile Mondo has on his lips, his eyes like liquid silver as he looks at him. It… it’s very nice, though…

After a moment of stunned silence, Taka shakily puts the helmet on, noticing immediately that it fits much, much better. He then carefully gets on the bike behind Mondo, the process a lot easier now that he knows sort of what he’s doing. And now that his ribs aren’t aching fiercely, of course.

Once he’s mounted, Mondo waits a moment while Taka gets comfortable, before telling Taka he’s going to move, Taka nodding his consent. He still feels a bit terrified when the bike begins moving, but at least this time he doesn’t scream like a child. He just holds tight to Mondo, moving his body with the biker’s, both enjoying the ride and also kind of hating it. It does wonders to help calm his nerves about inviting Mondo over to ‘hang out’, though.

They arrive at Mondo’s mystery location about half an hour later, Taka looking eagerly at the decent sized park he’s never been to before. As Mondo parks, Taka looks at the green fields and the groups of families and friends that walk around, enjoying the last day before the school semester starts up again. Taka has never really celebrated his birthday, considering his father’s busy schedule and his perpetual lack of friends. Not to mention how it always occurs the day before the first day of the fall quarter, leaving it a bit forgettable. But as he stands here with Mondo, looking at the busy park before him… for the first time, he almost feels happy it’s his birthday. If only because it gives him the excuse to enjoy Mondo’s highly pleasing company again.

Mondo gently touches Taka’s hand to draw him back to reality, which Taka does with a smile. Mondo begins to chat about random things as they start to move through the park, like he had the previous time, and the conversation feels as easy to Taka now as it did back then, putting him immediately at ease. During the drive, the anxiety and fear Taka had been feeling had waned, and now all he can feel is happiness and brightness, excitement filling him at whatever it is Mondo has planned for them.

They meander through the park for a bit, and at one point Mondo mentions that Daiya used to take him here when he was little, the pair playing and rough housing whilst on the fields. They even brought their late dog— Chuck, an incredibly smart Maltese that Mondo is still adorably fond of, Taka learns— here all the time for his walks.

After a while their wandering takes them past an ice cream stand and Mondo asks Taka if he’d like one. Taka declines with a stammer, insisting that he couldn’t possibly impose on Mondo like that, though he greatly appreciates the offer.

Mondo, though, just snorts and deadpans that it’s really not an issue to buy a ‘f*ckin’ ice cream.’ Taka wrinkles his nose at the vulgarity, but after a bit of back and forth, Mondo finally pointing out it’s literally his birthday, Taka finally concedes and asks for a vanilla ice cream, since it’s his favorite flavor. Something about that makes Mondo laugh, and Taka is afraid at first that he’s laugh at him, a measure of hurt rising within him at the thought. But then he sees the softness in Mondo’s eyes when he looks at him, the gentle tilt to his lips, and Taka realizes that no. Mondo isn’t making fun of him. He just… finds it funny, he supposes.

They reach the front of the line before Mondo can say anything, and Taka just listens as the biker orders himself a chocolate soft serve ice cream with sprinkles, mini gummy bears, and a cherry on top, before he orders Taka the exact same but in vanilla. Seeing Taka’s displeased pout at the biker ordering more than a simple ice cream for him, Mondo smirks and gently nudges Taka’s shoulder with his, saying that Taka should learn to take it easy sometime. Live a little. Enjoy the small things.

“Like vanilla ice cream with sprinkles, mini gummy bears, and a cherry on top?” Taka questions skeptically.

Mondo smiles, bright and happy and clear, taking Taka’s breath away.

“Hell yeah man! Exactly like vanilla ice cream with sprinkles, mini gummy bears, an’ a f*ckin’ cherry on the g*dd*mn top. Now enjoy yer g*dd*mn ice cream, ya g*dd*mn nerd.”

The vender gives them their respective ice creams before Taka can reply back with a witty rejoinder. Though perhaps that’s for the better, because Taka’s brain is currently offline as butterflies erupt in his stomach. During their last encounter, Taka hadn’t been able to escape the nagging thought that— despite the unfortunate circumstances they’d found themselves meeting under— parts of it had felt almost like… well… a date. And it had been ridiculous at the time, they’d barely known one another, and they did have the unfortunate circumstances surrounding their meeting. But still… he’d not been able to push it away no matter how hard he tried.

But now? Right now, holding onto a quickly melting ice cream as Mondo begins talking about his childhood with his brother, detailing how much they always enjoyed getting ice cream and wandering about on a hot summer day like this one? The feeling of this feels like a dateincreases by a tenfold and Taka is left reeling on how to continue on without making a complete fool of himself.

Because… well. He can’t lie to himself. He likes Mondo. A lot. It’s not quite infatuation and definitely not love, but it… it’s the start of something. Something he thinks could be very nice if they let it.

However, he tells himself forcefully, he doesn’t even know if Mondo is into guys that way. And even if he is, there is no guarantee he’d be into Taka specifically. Taka isn’t exactly the easiest person to get along with, he knows. He’s very opinionated and likes things to go his way exactly. And while he’s been trying to not do it with Mondo, he knows that once he gets started, he can talk for hours nonstop about certain topics that interest him, like politics or ethics or morality. And he’s been told so many times that it’s annoying and aggravating, so he just… he knows he’s not an easy person to get close to. Even if the thought hurts. And oh… does it hurt…

During Taka’s distraction, the pair had still been walking, and it isn’t until they arrive that Taka realizes Mondo had had a destination in mind. But as they reach the mid-sized pond that is bracketed by trees with a bridge that goes over it, with koi fish in the water and ducks floating leisurely atop it, Taka is forced to stop his restless worries and focus solely on the beauty before him.

After a minute of awed staring, Taka hears Mondo chuckle warmly, before a warm hand brushes the back of the hand not holding the small amount of ice cream that he still had left. Taka turns to face Mondo then and sees a warm and tender look on the biker’s face, making him look much younger than he usually does. It makes Taka’s heart squeeze to see, the baffling affection nearly overwhelming him. He can only hope his face isn’t completely betraying him, but knowing his luck…

Either way, Mondo doesn’t mention it and instead just places his hand on Taka’s mid-back to direct him towards an empty bench before the pond so they can watch the koi and ducks swim together for a bit. Taka ignores the racing of his heart and smiles shakily as he follows Mondo, his back tingling not unpleasantly.

They sit beside one another on the relatively small bench, so close they’re almost touching, but not quite. It drives Taka up the wall, his skin prickling with goose flesh and shivers each time either of them moves. It’s quiet between them, Mondo happily finishing his ice cream cone as he watches the ducks swim lazily by, and Taka has to admit that it’s nice. Very nice. Nicer than anything else has ever been in his life, save for every limited interaction he’s had with the biker.

It feels too good to be true, honestly. All of it. That someone like Mondo would willingly want to spend time with someone like him. Even discounting his unfortunate habit of being overly blunt and borderline rude at times, he is probably the textbook definition of a ‘goody two-shoes,’ while Mondo is the textbook definition of a ‘bad boy.’ Not that he thinks Mondo is bad! Not at all! Just… his demeanor and profession. The two don’t really seem to have much in common. Even their special interests are divergent, though Taka finds himself strangely captivated by how enthusiastic Mondo is about all of the things he enjoys. But just… why, he has to wonder? Why did he give him his number back then, and why… why did he show up to meet him today? Just… why?

Unable to hold the question in any longer, Taka blurts it out, no decorum at all, and he feels his cheeks flood with his mortification at his lack of social grace. However, Mondo still doesn’t seem to mind. He just hums thoughtfully, clearly mulling it over seriously. That’s another thing Taka really likes about Mondo, he thinks pensively to himself. The biker always seems to take the things Taka says seriously, not dismissing them out of hand as something irrelevant, like so many other people do. It feels… nice. Like he’s actually being seen and heard for once. It’s strange but… but nice.

But then Mondo is talking, his voice musing and contemplative. And Taka… he isn’t really sure what to make of it.

“Huh. Why did I show up? I mean… I dunno, man. Ya called. An’ I said I’d come if ya called, didn’t I? An’ ‘sides. Yer, uh… sh*t, I dunno. Nice ta talk ta or somethin’ like that. Let me f*ckin’ ramble ‘bout random *ss bullsh*t, not seemin’ ta mind. An’…” Mondo pauses here, seeming to collect his thoughts. After a few moments, he continues. “I dunno. You, uh… ya were the first person ta really say ya believed I could actu’ly be a f*ckin’ carpenter… ya know? Never got ‘round ta tellin’ Dai ‘bout that ‘fore he, uh… y-ya know. An’ like hell could I tell that sh*t ta the gang. They’d think I’d gotten weak or somethin’. In fact, think yer the first person I ever told I even was interested in woodwork ta begin with. So… sh*t. I really don’t know, man. Just… s’easy ta talk ta ya, I guess. Kinda f*cked up when ya think ‘bout it, considerin’ how we met an’ all, so I try not ta. Think ‘bout it. An’… an’ if ya like talkin’ ta me, too, then… heh. I dunno. Works out. I guess. ‘Less ya don’t like talkin’ ta me… uh… in which case I can always stop… heh…”

The mumbled words make Taka’s chest ache even more then, and tears start to fill his eyes despite himself. This worries Mondo a lot and the biker immediately starts back tracking and trying to rectify things. Taka cuts him off before he can get too impassioned, though, and explains that he’s not crying because he’d upset, but that he’s just a little overwhelmed. Because… because he likes talking to Mondo, too. And he’s just not used to people actually enjoying his company.

That seems to upset Mondo, as the biker is now frowning at him, eyebrows furrowed and eyes full of an emotion Taka can’t begin to explain. And then Mondo says that it’s their loss, as he finds talking to Taka to be quite enjoyable, and his company is more than appreciated too. It overwhelms Taka again and this time a couple tears slip out, to his intense mortification. Thankfully Mondo doesn’t mention it. He just smiles at him gently before looking away over the pond, the silence between them strangely not awkward or tense, but instead soothing and peaceful. Tranquil. It’s honestly so, so nice…

Minutes pass in their silent reveries, their ice creams long finished but still remaining in place.

Finally, after what Taka estimates is about five minutes pass, he hears Mondo talk again. And this time, his voice is very soft. Softer than before, even. So soft it takes Taka a second to decipher the fact that Mondo had just mentioned quietly that he’s been thinking more and more about quitting the gang recently. About retiring and moving on with his life. He isn’t entirely sure what he’ll do next, as he knows he doesn’t have the skills needed to go directly into carpentry— even if he didn’t have a criminal record— and all of his contacts and connections are related to the gang in some way or another. For over a decade, all he’s known has been his gang. What is he without it, Mondo wonders aloud, his tone wistful and a little scared.

It makes Taka feel deeply for Mondo, and while he’s never been the best at comfort, he knows roughly the mechanics of it. And he knows he wants to try. So, despite his misgivings as to his comfort abilities, he hesitantly rests a hand on Mondo’s shoulder and states that if Mondo really wants to do something new with his life and is willing to put in the effort, then Taka knows he will be able to do it. And… Taka hesitates here for a second, before plowing on and saying that if Mondo needs help, that Taka will be more than willing to provide assistance. While Taka doesn’t really know much about carpentry either, he knows that his father has a lot of connections thanks to being the police chief, and that he may be able to help Mondo find cheap courses that teach woodworking and carpentry, if Mondo would like.

Mondo stares at Taka for several seconds in stunned silence, before muttering that he doesn’t have to do that, that Mondo doesn’t want to inconvenience Taka more than he has. Taka just smiles in response, shaking his head firmly. Then he says that he likes helping people, and that if he could help Mondo out in any way, then he would be honored.

Taka then pauses again, before blushing brightly. He visibly debates what he wants to say, but ultimately decides on saying it. Hesitantly and very awkwardly, Taka then offers to allow Mondo to stay with him in his apartment he rents using his scholarship and internship money near his university, about an hour away from their hometown, if he needs a place to stay that isn’t with his gang. He hastily says that it’s only a one bedroom, but that the couch is a pullout, and that Taka wouldn’t mind if he wanted to stay. While he tries to disguise it, Taka can’t quite force down the hope and eagerness of his offer. He doesn’t even know why he is so keen on the idea, he barely knows Mondo besides, but… something about it seems right to Taka. Plus… he does always love to help people…

At first, Taka is sure that Mondo will reject him out of hand. He can see the hesitation on Mondo’s face, so clear that even Taka has no problem recognizing it. But before Taka has a chance to take back the offer and stammer out something to make things less awkward, he hears Mondo softly ask if Taka truly means that, saying that he barely knows Mondo and what little he does know can’t be good.

Taka rejects that idea, though, shaking his head firmly again. He ignores all his uncertainties for the moment and says that the things he has heard about Mondo don’t matter, as hearsay is very rarely accurate. After all, there are many people who claim that Taka is a fraud and a sham, that his efforts in morality and ethics are lies, when Taka knows for certain they are not. And besides. While they’ve only known one another for two partial days, Taka likes to think himself a good judge of character. And he… he thinks Mondo is a good person who deserves to have a second chance. A fresh start if you will. A way to get away from his old life if he so chooses.

Taka then says that it doesn’t have to be a permanent solution, that Mondo can stay with him temporarily until he finds something better. And that the offer is always there if Mondo wants it.

Mondo seems a bit overwhelmed at the kind offer, as he spends a full minute staring out at the pond, hands twitching slightly at his sides. Taka jumps a little when he feels Mondo grab his hand, but he doesn’t pull away. He just turns to face Mondo with wide eyes, and watches in stunned silence as Mondo leans closer and closer slowly. His eyes seem to be telling Taka something, but Taka has no idea what, as frozen as his brain feels. He still doesn’t pull back, though, as a strange sort of anticipation rises within him. And then… then…

Mondo stops about a millimeter from his face, eyes bright and captivating. Taka has one second to realize what is about to happen when… when…

Mondo kisses him.

It’s sweet. And gentle. And is barely a kiss at all, just a brush of lips, but it’s far more than Taka has ever had, and he’s fairly certain he’s forgotten how to breathe, honestly.

After a moment, Mondo pulls back, Taka’s eyes opening back up (he doesn’t recall closing them, but clearly, he must have, he thinks in a daze) and seeing the hesitant look on Mondo’s face.

“That change yer mind?” Mondo asks him breathily, his words shaking and weak. And Taka… his brain is still very sluggish, but he knows what his answer will be.

“No, Mondo… n-not at all…”

Mondo begins to smile brightly then. It starts off small before consuming his entire face, his eyes shining with it. It makes Taka feel bolder than he ever has before, and before he can talk himself out of it, he’s leaning forward and pressing a soft— if a bit clumsy— kiss to Mondo’s lips in return. Pulling back a hair, Taka shyly confesses that he’s been dreaming about doing that for a while now. Just as shy, Mondo laughs and confesses that he has, too.

But then Mondo is sighing, pulling away from Taka completely and looking back out over the pond, a pensive look on his face. The expression makes Taka nervous, but he says nothing as he also looks out over the pond, fidgeting with his hands.

After a while, Mondo starts to talk again, his voice soft and shaky as he claims this whole situation is ‘kinda f*cked, ain’t it?’ They met while Taka was kidnapped all because of Mondo and his lifestyle. How on earth could they ever have anything more than that, after how they first met? Is such a thing even possible?

Taka contemplates the question, biting his lip anxiously. After a few moments of thought, Taka hesitantly replies that he doesn’t think the way they met should matter. No, he can’t say it was a particularly good time for him, but he knows himself well enough. If what he was feeling was just manufactured due to that situation, he doesn’t think it would feel so real. But honestly, he doesn’t know. Maybe he’s wrong. Maybe this is all manufactured emotion due to a bad situation. But… wouldn’t it be worth it to at least try? To see if something could work out between them?

Mondo contemplates that for a while, the pair staring out at the pond in shared silence. Taka is nervous about Mondo’s reply, he has no idea what any of this even means, but he… he’s willing to find out. If Mondo wants to as well… he’s more than willing to find out.

Finally, long minutes later, Mondo speaks. He gives one firm nod of his head and claims that, you know what? Why not. Why not try. It will take him a little while to get all of his affairs in order, but that if Taka wants to try and is willing to help… then why not? Mondo doesn’t have any active warrants out for his arrest, and he’s been training his new second in command for a couple years now, and he thinks the kid is ready to take over fully. He… he could get out, Mondo says softly, his expression a bit lost, but also a bit excited. Taka hesitantly grabs his hand, and Mondo twines their fingers together, smiling at him hopefully.

Taka doesn’t know where this all is going to lead. If there will be a happy ending for the two of them or not. He doesn’t know if they will work out, or if their emotions are false after all. He has no clue whatsoever what is going to happen next.

What he does know, though, he thinks as he looks at Mondo— who is smiling softly back at him, his lavender eyes liquid soft, his expression so tender it makes him ache… what he does know is that he is more than willing to try. To try this thing out. To help Mondo get away from his past and help him move towards the future. There are no guarantees in life, and their situation is a very unique and shaky one. But… but god, is he willing to try.

And at the end of the day…

He supposes that’s all that matters.

THE END.

~~~

(Okay, so I'd been working on a kind of epilogue for this, but I never got around to finishing it before things got really busy for me. But I want this out in the world, so... here you all go! A mini epilogue.)

Mondo’s POV:

It’s several years later and it is made clear that Mondo and Taka have been together for a while. Taka is hurrying around their room trying to get dressed in a fancy suit and tie, frazzled over something, while Mondo watches on fondly. After a minute of this, Mondo saunters over to Taka and wraps his arms around him tightly, muttering that it’s okay. They have over an hour until the party. It’s okay.

Taka sighs heavily, tension still within him, but fading as he holds Mondo in return, resting his head on Mondo’s broad chest. The pair stay like that for several minutes, just existing together.

Mondo muses about their relationship, about how it has progressed over the years. How it wasn’t easy at first and how living together made their tentative relationship a lot more complicated. But eventually they made it work. Taka was able to find Mondo some relatively inexpensive carpentry classes, and Mondo found he truly adored the art. He’d always figured he would, as he secretly loved watching those house building shows on TV, but he hadn’t realized just how much he would love working with wood. He was also good at it, to his extreme shock, and within a year he’d been able to find work at a small carpentry shop not too far from where Taka was staying.

Taka was always very supportive of his dream and spent many nights listening patiently as Mondo would ramble on and on about the things that he learned that day, or the things he made. The apartment they shared (Mondo insisting he pay for half after he stayed there for free for a month) was soon full of Mondo’s projects, Taka so proud of Mondo and all he achieved. Mondo is even currently building them a house to live in together, the pair having bought the land earlier that year.

Mondo was supportive with Taka, too, always willing to listen when Taka would express frustration at his internship with the local city council. Taka was often unhappy with how slow the system worked, wishing he could do more to help people and that he didn’t have to worry about bureaucracy all the time. Mondo would mostly listen and hum in commiseration whenever Taka would get on one of his rants, but a couple times he’d distract Taka from his troubles by kissing him sweetly, something he learned early on was a very effective distraction. As the years passed, Taka moved up in the city government and now has a fairly high position where he can do a lot more good for the general populace, though it was still very taxing on Taka. And as such, Mondo’s means of distraction got a lot less chaste, he thinks with a smirk.

Their relationship, Mondo contemplates, has always been a strange one, honestly. Especially at first. They never really spoke about it or their growing feelings those first several months. They just… kept going and learned as they went. There had been some bumps and hiccups here and there, some fights that seemed inevitable at the time but that probably could have been prevented in retrospect, but for the most part… they just worked. It would often baffle Mondo, the idea that they could work so seamlessly despite being so different on the surface, but he never really questioned it. Why look a gift horse in the mouth, right? As the years passed, they grew closer and closer, and at one point they started calling one another ‘kareshi,’ never really talking about it but knowing that it felt right. They moved into a bigger apartment together, began making financial and life decisions together, and throughout it all, they remained happy together.

All in all, things aren’t perfect for them. They have their problems like any couple does. For one, Taka’s father is still not exactly pleased at their relationship, but he’d given up trying to break them up years ago, to both Taka and Mondo’s relief. For another, their personalities are honestly very similar despite the differences on the surface, and that sometimes leads to some epic bumping of heads. But that doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, does it? Not when— more often than not— they are very, very happy together. Happier than either of them ever expected they’d be. Mondo has even been contemplating buying Taka a ring, though it still is not legal for two men to marry in Japan. Just… as a promise. To show Taka he wants that. That even though their relationship progressed unconventionally… he still wants it.

Mondo pulls back from his embrace with Taka, smiling when Taka lets out a soft whine of displeasure. To placate him, Mondo kisses Taka gently, even though they need to get going soon.

[hawklanthebard]

Fractured Diamond Chapter 4

(TW: Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault)

Mondo didn't know how long he sat there. He could see no indication of light anywhere in the room, although the cloth tied around his eyes didn't help either. The gang figured a blindfold would provoke more fear, thus better reactions, better screams. Not that it would even matter, Mondo couldn't even see if he wanted to. His left eye was swollen shut, and his right was sealed under a thick line of blood from his forehead. He figured the gang preferred it anyway for twisted aesthetic purposes. The cement chamber had proven to be soundproof, so it wasn't like he could call for help anyway, his throat felt like sandpaper. Every breath he was forced to take was agonizing, even shallow ones were labor. Every time his chest expanded was as if his ribs were stabbing him through his lungs and sides, fractures creaking against each other like an old wooden door. Breathing through his mouth would result in him gagging blood from where his rear teeth used to be, only furthering his burning chest. Breathing through his nose was his only choice, forcing him to take in the horrid stench of blood, sweat, and urine that lingered in the air. He remembered their jeers before leaving him in his "pigsty". He should've been humiliated, but breathing was taking up all the energy he had left. 

No one was coming for him. And why would they? What samaritan would wanna fought off one of the most dangerous gangs in Japan to save some lowly biker who probably screwed them over somehow? Was this the price for being in a gang? For being a Diamond? No, he wasn't a Diamond. Not anymore. Or maybe he never was. 

'Just a shiny piece of glass, shiny piece of glass, shiny piece of glass...'

Intrusive thoughts were nothing new to Mondo they were his only company at this time. Every taunting word stuck to his brain like a hair on honey. Not once did he try to shake them out. At first, he did, but eventually learned to like it. Like a dog learning his name, Mondo learned his place in the world. 

A faint but alerting metal clashing against a concrete wall crawled its way through Mondo's intrusive thoughts, he was too familiar with it by now. His body instinctively curled in on itself as much as his bindings and injuries would allow, which wasn't much, prepared to take whatever beating he was about to receive.

'...notadiamondnotadiamonddnotadiamondnotadiamondnotadiamond...'

Mondo wheezed in a small whimper as inside and outside voices blended in his skull. "..Okay...I...I get it..!" he slurred in a half-sob "I...I'm not a Diamond..! Okay..?! I get it...! You were right..!"

'notadiaMondnotadiamOndnotadiamoNdnotadiamonDnotadiamOnd..'

He jumped as something or someone grazed his bruised face. He cried out as loud as his broken ribs would let him. "S-stop...! I'm sorry, okay?! Jus...just lemme...lemme...d..!"

"--MONDO!"

He felt something touch his cheek again, but something felt different. Familiar. He hadn't realized his blindfold had been removed when he forced his swollen eye to open. He almost believed what he saw was real. 

Daiya, his brother, standing before him at eye level. His figure was silhouetted from the illuminated doorway, but there was no doubt it was him, Mondo recognized those sunset-orange eyes anywhere, glistening like dim but burning embers. But something was off about his face. It seemed to be stretched in an expression Mondo wasn't familiar with. Panic? That wasn't a face Daiya was known for. He always kept a cool front, no matter how fucked the situation was. His thick, black eyebrows were always furrowed, and his lips in a permanent half-smile to assure anyone he's ready to take on anything. So why does he look so scared? Mondo could see his lips moving, and it only took a moment to finally snap out of his daze and hear his brother.

"--ondo! Can you hear me?" he moved Mondo's crimson-caked bangs from over his eye, and Mondo was finally able to open it. 

"Gnhh...D-Daiya..?" he said in a hoarse whisper

Daiya rested his chin on his chest as he heaved a brief sigh of relief. "Thank god, thought I lost ya there, Lil bro." he half-chuckled, "It's okay, you're safe. We're gonna get you out."

'We?', Mondo thought.

As if hearing his thoughts, Daiya turned behind him and called out. "Michi, guys, he's over here! Come help me out with this!" 

"Got it!"

Another voice. Mondo recognized it; Takemichi, their youngest brother. Mondo was still trying to fathom it all, but there wasn't any room for doubt. This was all real, happening right before him, and he could not be more ashamed. 

Takemichi's darkened figure appeared through the doorway and froze where he stood, eyes fixed on Mondo. "Holy shit..." he breathed. Michi hasn't been in the gang for very long, probably less than a year now. He was still a middle schooler, still had some childlike innocence in him that was reignited after he ran away from his abusive household and found a new home with the Diamonds. Daiya wanted to preserve that innocence as much as possible, keeping Michi away from the action when things got bloody. So much, he wanted the boy to stay at the base while they rescued Mondo, but his stubbornness was like that of an ox. He was a Diamond, after all. Most times, Mondo believed him to be more so than himself.

An orchestra of boots stomping grew heavier and heavier until the room was flooded with Diamonds, all exchanging looks of shock and even concern when they saw the room and Mondo's fragile form. It was overwhelming, for them to see Mondo so pathetically mounted like this, like a prisoner, the fact that this image of him will be burned into their brains forever, Mondo felt as though he could just die right then and there if the universe showed him a glimmer of mercy. 

"Woah, stand back, guys." Takemichi directed the other gang members, "Give him some air. We only need a few men in here."

Daiya peeked over his shoulder to meet eyes with the gang. "You heard 'im. Clear out," he said in a stern tone, firm enough to command his team but soft enough not to frighten Mondo. Understanding the order, most of the members left while only a select few remained. Michi turned to Mondo and have him a reassuring smile before going to help Daiya. 

Mondo felt the two crouched on each side under his arms as the other Diamonds cut through the rope binding his wrists. Losing the support of the rope, he fell and would've crashed onto the concrete if Daiya and Michi weren't ready to catch him. He wished it was comforting as it was, but their support reignited his bodily pain. Crouching forward brought agony to his ribs, but straightening up burned the cuts on his back. He let out a dry painful groan. As if remembering, Daiya quickly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a water bottle, offering it to Mondo's lips. Mondo winced at the sight of the object, visions of past events screamed in his head, but his thirst screamed louder as he chugged the bottle. 

"Woah, hey. Easy, bro, easy." Daiya cooed softly, as he directed Mondo to drink slower. He didn't blame him one bit but knew Mondo would only feel worse if he chugged it. Taking his time savoring the liquid, Mondo had finished the bottle, sighing a relaxed breath as best as his burning lungs would allow. 

Daiya returned the empty bottle to his pocket. He gazed at the rope still loosely binding Mondo's wrists and gently removed them. He winced at the raw ligature wounds, old and new blood alike, coating Mondo's skin. He heard Mondo weakly hiss in pain. He only dared to look at the rest of his body. That didn't matter now, the only thing that did was getting his brother out of this hellhole. "I'm sorry, bro..." he breathed softly. 

Letting Mondo's head rest wearily on his shoulder, Daiya scooped him up in his arms as if he were carrying him to bed when Mondo was a little kid. As they left the room, Mondo felt Daiya nonchalantly step over something, probably some fallen furniture, though judging by the disgruntled expression plastered on Daiya's face and the faint groan under his feet, Mondo figured it was more like someone. The hallway was littered with limp beaten figures of Reapers, only Diamonds standing above them, pinning them down under their feet, giving them a boot to the face if they so much as twitch. Mondo glanced at Daiya's bruised and bloodied knuckles. Of course, his brother wouldn't go on without caving in a few faces of his own. Daiya stopped in his tracks when heard a wet cough behind him, his scowl grown deeper.

"Hey, Owada..!" Several feet away from the Diamond leader lay the grey-clad Reaper leader, beaten and broken. One of the larger Diamonds stood above him with his foot on his neck, although judging by the man's unnaturally bent knee, it was apparent he couldn't return to his feet even if he wanted to, the stance was more for physical empowerment than provided security. The grey man spat out a few bloodied teeth before continuing. "How does it feel...when you lose a brother..?" he wheezed painfully but sternly. "Bet it makes ya feel...fuckin' powerless, knowin' you... coulda done some'in ta prevent it..! My brother...is gone...and so's...yer's. Tell me...how does it feel..?"

Daiya stood strong and firm as a diamond, his expression hadn't faltered. Barely even breathed.

The grey man growled, face contorted in hatred. "What? Ya don't remember me..?" his scowl turned into a sinister smirk. "He does."  

Daiya glanced down at Mondo's body curling up in reminiscent fear. He could only pray those words had an empty meaning. Still, he couldn't help but recall how fragile and painfully Mondo fell to his knees as if he were suffering from a terrible stomach ache. Bile crept up Daiya's throat. 

The man noticed the reaction and his grimace twisted further, showing bloodied teeth. "He knows my name. I...made sure...he never forgets it. He was...beggin' me ta stop, y'know. Beggin' for you...ta save 'im. His whimpers were so...beautifully pathetic. I wish...I recorded it for ya. But I figured it'd be better if ya...imagined it yerself. If ya didn't...drag ya feet, maybe...he'd still be your brother. But now...he's my pet." he let out a wet chuckle as he saw Mondo tremble like a leaf in Daiya's tensed arms. "Go on, boy...tell 'im..! Jog 'is memory..! Say my--" 

"Sasaki!"

Came a deep voice. Mondo would've thought he said that if his throat wasn't already so torn up from screaming that cursed name, his lips couldn't even form the word. He looked up at his brother's discontented face. Surely, he didn't. Another wet laugh from behind. A sharp pain shot through Mondo's heart. 

"So, you do know! Good boy!" the grey man cackled. "Try an' remember that now...! Remember the name...of the man who destroyed you and your brother..! I would say we're even...but there's no reason I can't still have fun with your gang..!" Daiya could feel Sasaki's eyes shift over to Takemichi. "Like him. He's fresh. Doesn't matter if 'e's...just a kid...He's in a gang...an' is better to...learn the hard way. Are you broken yet, Daiya Owada? Or do I...have--"

"Just shut the fuck up and listen, Reaper," Daiya growled, making it clear he wasn't finished talking. The grey man listened on, slightly disappointed at the white-clad man's retaliation. Daiya turned to gaze down at the man with eyes burning like the sun.

"I killed your brother Chisaki." his words flew from his mouth as if it were the most natural thing ever to be said. No hesitation, no remorse, not even a hint of regret. Mondo blinked and looked up at his brother. He couldn't remember the last time Daiya said something so cold, or if he ever heard him speak that way at all. Still, Daiya's eyes hadn't left his target. 

"He didn't seem to get my last message about staying out of our turf. He knew what he was risking when he crossed our path. And he paid for it. I pulled the alarms, I alerted the cops, and I left you all to die. I trust you and your colleagues have enough pattern recognition not to follow in his footsteps. Do what your brother couldn't do, and stay out of our way. If I ever see you or any Reapers on the streets again, it's kill on sight. Consider this business and personal." 

The grey man shuddered but let out a low, blood-curdling growl. "Do it, then!" he coughed and wheezed. "I ain't goin' nowhere, so...ya might wanna finish the job now! Kill me, an' there'll be no more Reapers, no one ta take my place..! So, do it! Kill me!" 

Daiya didn't turn back, nor did he respond. He just walked away, his gang followed, leaving the grey man broken on the ground. 

"Come back an' finish this like a man, Daiya Owada!" Sasaki cried, struggling to pry himself from the floor but to no avail. He heaved in one shaky breath after another as something wet splashed on his hand. 

Daiya heard one last pathetic scream as the door slammed behind him.

"OWADA!" 

[arsenic-posts-shit]

~+Petrichor+~

Petrichor (n): a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.

Hi everyone! I’m back in business!! I won’t be posting frequently because I’m trying not to have another huge burnout like last time, and I haven’t had many ideas lately... I’m working on the 3rd part of Golden Hours right now! I have to rewrite it entirely. But until then, I’m going to post this, which was inspired by “Umbrella” by Ember Island. Also tell me if I made any mistakes with pronouns. Enjoy!

f/e: favorite tea, f/d: favorite donut, e/c: eye color, h/c: hair color

-+The rain poured down on the roof of the coffee shop that the two were in. The pair was outside, enjoying their respected drinks and snacks, but once it started to sprinkle they quickly retreated to the indoor seating. Y/N shook the water droplets out of their hair as the the two stepped inside.

“Christ that came fast!” Y/N sighed loudly. “I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain, I would’ve brought a coat!” Their body shuddered as they clutched their arms. Of course, Y/N had decided to pick a very light outfit that day. Mondo frowned, sighing as he rang out his hair the best he could without ruining it too much. Though it was already falling apart, so there was hardly a point anymore.

“I did tell you it was going to rain.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t believe you! You’re not a weatherman.” Y/N pouted. “You’re normally the wrong one. Plus it was super nice out, minus the clouds.” They usually liked it cloudier anyway, and a little rain, but this was a little excessive. If it wasn’t summer you’d think it was hail. Y/N sauntered up to the side of the counter where you’d return your tea cups. Dumping out the rest of the now ruined cup of f/t, they placed it next to all the other empty cups. Y/N somberly returned to Mondo’s side. “Did you save the donuts?” Mondo held out his empty hand. A defeated groan escaped Y/N’s lips.

“Hey, at least we got a couple in our system.” Mondo smiled half heartedly. Y/N nodded, somber about the lost donuts.

“Yeah, at least.” The two sat down at an empty booth, attempting to wait out the rain. Mondo had actually come prepared, wearing a brown jacket and jeans, so he was doing much better than Y/N. Y/N turned their head out to the window, watching the aggressive rain hit the ground and roofs. Mondo turned his head to watch as well.

“It’s not supposed to end for a couple hours.” Y/N stayed silent for a few minutes. The smell of coffee and sweet filled the pair’s nostrils, along with the very faint scent of the rain that remained absorbed into them. The male stood up and retreated. Y/N did not look where.

…

A couple minutes later, he returned with a second cup and 2 donuts wrapped in a napkin. One f/d and one with chocolate glaze on top. Y/N gave a soft smile and gently took the f/d one from Mondo, careful to not touch the donut itself. The two ate and watched the rain for a few minutes in silence. Y/N slowly began to zone out, wondering if this would be considered a date. Not like it mattered, they had thought. This is fun. But even so they felt a bit curious, and a part of them wished it was. Once they finished their donuts, Y/N slipped out of the booth.

“Race you back to the dorms?” Mondo looked up from his seat, his eyes widening.

“Are you serious? You’re gonna slip and die out there, or catch a cold.” Y/N shrugged, smiling. A small, mischievous glimmer was eminent in their eyes.

“At least I had fun before I died.” His eyebrows furrowed angrily, glaring daggers into them. Y/N laughed, mustering out a quiet ‘what??’. Mondo sighed. He slipped out of the deep brown seat and stood next to them at the glass doors. The streets were empty, not even any cars around. It was around 4pm, so people wouldn’t really be out until 5-6ish, making their ways home if they weren’t already there. The two began to count in unison.

3…

2…

1!

The two glass doors were shoved open, Y/N quickly getting ahead of Mondo, her boots slamming against the cold, wet ground. Water kicked up everywhere around them. Mondo, however, caught up quick and, carefully, shoved Y/N to the side. They laughed and shoved him back. They ducked under his next swing and slid down the sidewalk, picking up speed with the water. But their laughter died fast as they tripped on the drop of the sidewalk into the road, falling thankfully, palms first. Y/N released a loud curse, hands scraping across the ground as they flopped sadly onto their stomach, face landing in a puddle. Mondo slowed to a stop behind them.

“Hey, you okay?” He held out his palm, holding in laughter. Y/N looked up at him, and smirked.

“You jerk, this isn’t funny!”

“It totally is.” They both laughed, their boisterous sounds echoing through the empty, dim lit streets. Mondo helped them out of the soaked road, checking their palms.

“Christ, Dad-” Y/N exaggerated, rolling their eyes, “I’m fine, seriously.” Mondo snickered.

“Sorry, just thought I’d check. You do get hurt easy.” Y/N’s jaw dropped, clearly mocking offense. They smacked his chest, mumbling about how he was a jerk, which obviously made him crack up laughing. The two continued to walk across the street and back onto the sidewalk, where they slowly began to notice their gorgeous surroundings. It was gradually getting dark now, both from the fog and the time passing. Water droplets fell down the foggy store windows and there was dew on the flowers and plants they’d occasionally pass by. It also smelt amazing, since it hadn’t rained in a while. It was so fresh...calming, and beautiful. The petrichor made the moment that much better. Though, it was absolutely freezing. The two students were both absolutely drenched. The rain had slowed down by now, but it definitely wasn’t stopping anytime soon. They agreed that they could call the race a tie, after a few minutes of back and forth arguing about it, and decided to just admire their surroundings. Mondo’s eyes glanced over at his best friend. Their eyes shined in the rain, their hair a strewn and soaked mess. Thankfully they didn’t look injured from the fall, but...they were clearly shivering pretty bad. He rolled his eyes, internally groaning. If only Y/N had listened…

Even so, he removed his jacket and gently placed it over them. It was also soaked, but still gave a bit of warmth compared to their hardly covered form. Y/N looked over and gave him a small smile.

“Thank you.” Mondo grinned back, ruffling Y/N’s already destroyed hair. His pompadour had finally fallen out and blocked most of his sight. He slicked it back, blowing a stray strand out of his eyes.

“Fuckin’ hair. Sucks being this long.” Y/N shook their head.

“It sucks to take care of, but you look good,” Their arm rose to wipe their own face with his jacket sleeve. “Plus I don’t think you’d look very good with short hair. Maybe if you slicked it back.”

“Yeah, but then I’d be a carbon copy of Daiya.” Y/N laughed, nodding.

“Very true.”

The rain pitter pattering around them slowly absorbed their words. Y/N focused on their feet and the reflections in the puddles on the ground, but Mondo focused on them. God did she look like a mess. But a really, really good looking mess. Their e/c and hair blended nicely with the cool colors of their surroundings. His eyes twinkled as he took in their features. Even what they thought were flaws, like their small bit of acne or their rolls or their skin. They all were so… them. He couldn’t really explain it, but he really liked them for who they were. He was sure of that.

“Thank you.” Y/N looked up at him, confused.

“For what?” Their smile was awkward as Y/N slightly tilted their head, the clumped wet hair on their head falling to the right side of their face with a quiet splat. Mondo held in a laugh.

“For coming out here with me. Going on a date with me.” Y/N’s eyes widened, looking shocked. He quickly realized his mistake. “Shit, sorry, I never really asked you out, huh? I dunno this just really felt like a date to me and I-”

“It’s okay,” They interrupted. Mondo stopped, his mouth shutting. He probably looked like an idiot deer in the headlights. Y/N snickered, a small smile shining on their shadowed face, the rain rolling off her. “You can call this a date. I sort of thought the same thing.” Y/N paused.

“...I had a lot of fun too. I always have fun when I’m with you, Mondo.” Mondo huffed, smirking. Of course they do, he thought. I’m super cool.

…

He was really glad they had fun. And a thought crossed his mind… Did he finally get somewhere with them? He quickly snapped out of it when Y/N spoke.

“Sorry...say that again?” Y/N looked up at him, stopping walking. He did as well, anticipation sending more chills through his already cool body. Y/N smiled.

“Would you want to do something like this again?”

…

“That was supposed to be my line.”

“Should’ve said it sooner, dork.”

“.....” He sighed, but slowly smiled, the corner of his eyes creasing. He felt warmth in his chest. It helped him fight the cold, even for just a minute. “Yeah, obviously.”

They both discovered they had a cold by the time they had gotten home. But oh well, it was worth it. Since now, they’d be going out again soon. ...Right after they recovered. Gross.+-

[empty-dream]

So I read 86 LN vol 1

S1 anime covers the entire Vol 1 except for the latter's epilogue, so full anime spoiler here.

And as of this writing, I'm still on Vol 2 so the things I mention here are solely those that happen in Vol 1. Idk if a thing happens in the latter volume, gotta dodge spoiler so I don't browse about it.

There was an interview with a person inside the anime industry that basically said "The point of an anime adaptation is not to be an exact replica of the original material, but to shine as its own medium for a story." I forgot who it was and I can't find the interview anywhere for the life of me, but that statement opened my eyes. I agree with it, that's why I can appreciate the differences between LN/manga and anime, especially if they turn out good and/or interesting.

And that's exactly what happens in 86. I'll start with this: I watched the anime first, and after I read the Vol1 novel, I actually like the anime more. Because there are a lot of meaningful original scenes in it

And because the Vol1 novel turns out exactly what I fear when I first watched the anime: that I won't care much about the squadron aside from the main 5. (Look, the anime promotional materials mostly only have Lena and those 5 only. As shocked as I was in the anime, I did have an idea where the story would go from those alone). The rest are barely mentioned. Not even the girls are named in the novel, even though they do talk and Lecca is even prominent in anime.

For example, the second half of the first episode, the one that shows Spearhead squadron's daily life right before Lena contacts them, is anime original scenes. Kujo already dies the moment the novel starts focusing on the squadron. Simply put, a lot of the squadron members that aren't the main 5 or Kaie get a *lot* more focus in the anime, like Daiya, Haruto (For characters who appear on the introduction page, their novel screen time is less than I'd expect), Kujo and Lecca. While the other members often appear in the background and actually behave like equal members instead of glue-them-on figurines.

(Idk if those other members are named and/or designed in the light novel before the anime is a thing or when the anime becomes a thing.)

The anime also adds relevant information in the Raiden's talk with Lena in EP7, like Kaie receiving racial abuse from 86 (in fact in both versions, she is the first one to get highlighted about this) and Haruto also having prominent Giadian Empire blood like Anju and Shin. These weren't in the novel.

I might be just nitpicking here because I love Kaie and Haruto, but see, this scene is amazing on its own. This is where Raiden and the squad reveal the weight of their motivation all along, that they *each* have different backgrounds and different kinds of sufferings, yet they are all sentenced to die, and they all choose to fight because they know no side is saintly but some things are still worth fighting for.

The prominent characters' deaths (besides Kaie's) are often mentioned with only one or two dry lines. I expected at least Daiya's to be detailed more, but it's just that so matter-of-fact-ly. Well I came from the anime, so I guess it's normal if I expected something as heartbreaking.

I broke down HARD at the last half of EP10 and that is nowhere in the Vol 1 novel. (Having Hands Up to the Sky playing in the background is also an advantage for being an anime. Fuck that song, I now play it 24/7 in despair)

Having a lot of original anime scenes really complement the story's nature. That there are two different sides of life here, it's not just Lena's or 86's only. And those couldn't have intertwined if not for their willingness to listen and communicate.

I know I mentioned this some days ago but really, I can't get over how many of the merch are Lena (and Annette) being cute doing cute stuff while the story itself is actually depressing. Merch staffs know the market lol.

- Novel side -

That said, the novel does have an advantage that the anime/visual media doesn't: Internal explorations and explanations.

It's obvious from the get-go, but Asato confirms that the inspiration of Republic of San Magnolia and its racial discrimination and genocide is taken from Nazi Germany in WW2. The Republic who favors the white/silver haired-eyed Alba drives Colorata out of the 85 sectors, overtakes their properties, and forcibly sends the now-called-86 to either fight their war and die, or work on the wall and die.

The life inside the Republic is also elaborated on. Class always exists, even inside one race only. The center of the republic is for the elites, Lena and Annette's families included. The farther a sector is from the center, the lower the education and economy there is. Most of the military come from these areas, which explains why Lena herself is in difficult situation. Since no one in the military is either capable or willing to bring change.

It's *insane* how easily the Republic could create such vile lies, and how easily the majority of the citizens go along with it.

Gotta admit, Asato does a good job at foreshadowing the fate of the 86, the truth that we can only see after Ep7 of anime. It is mentioned that supposedly, 86 soldiers will be welcomed back once their 5-years term is up. Lena once wonders about it, but ultimately she buys it thinking that surely they must have come back to another sector. She only realizes it's utter bullshit after Annette points out how, 9 years later, they have never seen even one Colorata inside the Republic when they should have seen at least some. This also shows that Lena has never ventured to the other sectors to find out more, probably due to work or maybe she's still a sheltered noblewoman in the end.

And the mentality of the majority of Alba is shown differently. Whereas the anime uses the academy classroom to show how deeply rooted the racism against 86 is, the novel uses Lena's mother who a) more or less does the same as the classroom, and b) presses Lena to get married and preserve their pure noble bloodline. This, when the nobility doesn't actually mean anything anymore. This version shows not only Alba's racism but also Lena's strained family life.

There is a scene of an Alba high school valedictorian who, during his graduating speech, says “My friends died fighting the Legion.” I’m not sure this will make it to the anime, and it’s just a minor scene in the novel, but the weight of that scene is heavy.

The science of Para-Raid is explained, which has something to do with tapping the collective consciousness of humanity and connecting it to one another. A bit far-etched but I guess that works, science fiction and all. But I like the part where despite (or maybe because?) of connecting via hearing only, the other senses are faintly receptive as well. For example, one can sense that the other side is biting their lips in frustration, something like that. Of course, actual real life things like sensing the hidden bitterness or elation in a talking partner's words are present, this being a story where listening matters.

The novel elaborates on Raiden's stay with the Alba old woman. He calls her Old Hag, but it's clear he greatly respects her. The part where she screams and curses in the middle of the road at the Republic soldiers who take Raiden and the other children away stays in Raiden's mind forever, and so it does to me. Ngl it is quite a chilling scene.

Same with the story of the previous Laughing Fox, Theo's Alba commander. It turns out, the entirety of Theo's first squadron didn't like him at all and bet on how fast he'd tuck tail and run back to the Republic. When he faced his death the way Theo explained, he sent a message to Theo revealing he knew about it and knew his place to not ask for acknowledgment or forgiveness. This made Theo regret why he didn't try to talk more with his commander and he keeps thinking about it forever. Now it makes even more sense why Theo, blunt as he is, is willing to listen to Lena and when he snaps, he wonders if his late commander would do the same.

What actually happens in Kurena's backstory is also touched upon. While in the anime some viewers could think "Man, I get where you're coming from but chill out." The novel graphically shows her parents being toyed on by the Alba soldiers while her sister protected her, the two could only watch, and then the same sister got sent to the battlefield to die. Now at that, anyone would think "Man, no wonder she can't chill out. Not with all that trauma."

I also like the addition that Lena can sense Kurena is the one who dislikes her the most.

The novel describes greatly that it isn't just Alba and Non-Alba. Essentially speaking, Non-Alba is called Colorata, and they consist of different race groups as well. Just as Alba is associated with the color silver/white, the other race have their associated colors as well. Asato assigns races to the named members in Vol1 and what their distinguished color features are. This also explains why Anju is exiled despite looking like an Alba.

It's a question that I pondered on when I first saw Shin's armor plates, and that I pondered harder on when Chise died: What happens if there is no armor plate to carve its processor's name's on? So it turns out Shin would substitute it with anything; piece of wood or some random piece of metal. For Chise's case, Raiden, Chise's leader, suggested using the wing of Chise's in-progress airplane model. Which did my heart so bad because I'm strangely fond of Chise and finding out that in his spare time in his limited lifespan, he was working on an airplane model made me sob.

I'm not particularly into mecha, and could care less about how it moves. But Asato did a good job describing the fight between a glorified suicide car and a line of brand-new solid A-grade tanks. Special mention to I-IV because wow the concept arts for all the mechas are so cool, even though I don't really understand. (Asato even said to I-IV "Go draw a tank so horrible it's stupid for the Juggernaut" and I-IV came up with the current Juggernaut)

You know how the Republic greeting is "Glory to San Magnolia and the five-colored flag"? I won't disclose who says this in what situation, but there is someone of Colorata saying "If you hate colors so much, you should have just colored your flag white" AND OOOH THE BURN SO HOT HOT HOT

Tl;dr: Bottom line is, I personally enjoy Vol 1 because I already watched the anime and got attached to it. If I were to read the vol 1 first, most likely I wouldn't fall this hard for the series. Hell, maybe I wouldn't even pick it up in the first place because I knew it'd be depressing. But this is not to say that the LN is bad. It’s very good, it just does not really touch the lives of other soldiers whereas that’s the very thing that I love from the anime.

[shinsousbedroom]

Stars and their Distance

Daiya no Ace misawa FWB AU, 1/10 chapters

Miyuki Kazuya, a depressed, workaholic catcher in the NPB, and Sawamura Eijun, a frustrated influencer who just got dumped, are both looking for temporary distraction. The casual, no-strings-attached friends with benefits thing they stumble into is exactly that.

Well, it would be if either of them knew how to do casual.

[Read on AO3.]

Chapter 1: Spinning

Excerpt from “Ace of Hearts: a blog about when love comes outta left field!; Q&A: Bad Break-Up Blues”

“[…] Think of relationships like this. You’re a pitcher on the mound and there’s a line up of batters waiting to knock your ball outta the park. These are your dating prospects. When you’ve gotten hurt pitching before—tore a tendon, drilled the batter, balked, whatever it was—you might not wanna pitch again, right? But the only surefire way to lose the game is to not throw the ball at all. 

“You might be thinking, ‘But Eijun, if the batter hits a home run off your pitch, aren’t you losing the game?’ Well, if you think the point of the game is to win, sure. But to me, the point of baseball isn’t victory. It’s playing the best game you can with the best players you can. The same can be said for love. Some batters will foul out early, and some runners will never make it all the way home. But when you make that connection, when that bat slams the ball out of the park and the whole field feels the electric rush of a phenomenal play that you helped make—isn’t that a beautiful moment to chase after? Isn’t that feeling worth the risk that comes with love?

“So no matter how unlikely a batter steps up to your plate—and there will be batters you didn’t anticipate—throw the pitch! I promise, every strikeout and home run just makes you a better pitcher and brings you a step closer to a beautiful game. […]”

***

“Did you have to move right after the end of the season?” Kuramochi wiped off the sweat from his face with the bottom of his blue shirt. The whole thing was already drenched dark, consistently doused with water the whole day through as Kuramochi drained bottles over his head to beat back the unseasonably hot September day. “Take a fucking break first, Miyuki.”

Kazuya spat out a handful of screws. The bitter, metallic aftertaste clung to his mouth. “Why delay?” he said, tossing the instruction manual for his shelf to the side in frustration. It skittered across the hardwood floor and into Chris’ calf. 

Chris plucked the booklet up and thumbed through the pages of mildly helpful pictograms, eyeing them warily against Kazuya’s clear lack of progress. “Yeah, Miyuki. Why delay?”

Kazuya shot Chris a sour look and flopped back onto the ground with a groan, defeated. “Not like we’re busy during postseason this year.” 

They sighed in unison, united in the bitterness of loss. 

At least Chris’ team had been only one out from the Climax Series. The Swallows hadn’t come close, and even though it was expected from a rebuild year, the loss still rankled. Small mercies, though: Kazuya could rub in the fact that the Swallows hadn’t been last place in their league unlike the Mariners. 

Suck it, Kuramochi. He’d take his victories where he could.

Kazuya stuck his hand into the air, spreading his fingers wide as the overhead lights filtered between them. “Anyway. Moving is work, and you all banned me from working for the next four months. So really, I’m being responsible here.” His hand flopped down next to him with a hard thunk. 

Kuramochi trudged over, heavy steps echoing through the empty apartment, until his head popped into Kazuya’s vision, arms crossed and scowl fierce. “If you wanna try to fight this again, just give me a fucking reason to pin you into a headlock until you’re crying for mercy.”

Kazuya grabbed at his ankle, rolling onto his stomach for a second swipe as Kuramochi danced out of reach. 

“You can’t pull a fast one on the cheet—AH!” 

His ankles caught the edge of the shelf boards, knocking Kuramochi onto his ass. The wooden slats scraped across each other as they slid out of their neat stacks, thumping and scratching the floor until they were criss-crossed between Kazuya cackling into the floor on his stomach and Kuramochi, shocked and sprawled across the debris.

“Fucking build your furniture, Miyuki!” He cradled his foot in his hands, holding it up to inspect as he twisted it every which way. “We’re not doing the same thing as last time, when it took you a full year to finally put all your shit together.”

The weight of apathy slid back into Kazuya’s limbs, edging out the laughter that had given him a moment of relief. “What if I just didn’t?”

“Is that what you want?” Chris replied evenly.

He lolled his head towards Chris. Despite the heat, Chris had spent all day in a black turtleneck, never once hinting he was even mildly uncomfortable even at the peak of the day’s heat, lugging in heavy boxes from the sun-warmed streets. Now sitting on the floor among bubble wrap and crumpled paper, legs kicked out in front of him and waves of brown bangs framing his face, he still looked as wholly put together as ever. 

Even when Kazuya knew beyond a doubt Chris was the epitome of keeping a stone face even when he was going through the worst of it, he still couldn’t help but be jealous. 

Kazuya went back to staring at the unfamiliar gray tiles on his new ceiling. “It would be pretty funny to leave my apartment unfurnished to spite Kuramochi.”

“Finish the shelf.” Chris tossed the manual back. 

“Kominato’s the one who left the task half-done,” Kazuya said, closing his eyes, overwhelmed in a sudden wash of fury and helplessness. 

He opened his eyes to see Kuramochi and Chris hovering above him again. Both their brows were furrowed, Kuramochi’s fist clenched at his collar, Chris frowning mildly. 

“I’m fine,” Kazuya said brusquely.

They glanced at each other, then back at Kazuya. 

He sat up, forcing the other two to reel back to avoid knocking their heads together. “I’m 27, not 7,” he said, testily. “I don’t need to be put under a watch, I’m a grown ass adult.”

“We aren’t gonna—we can’t sit to the side and watch you nearly kill yourself from overwork again this off-season.” 

“Don’t exaggerate—“

“You said you had it together last year, but you didn’t. So you’re getting strict rules this year,” Kuramochi tugged at his hair, a frustrated sneer on his face. “The Swallows and your agent both know not to let you pile on more than your bare minimum until preseason. And the rest of us are going to check on you regularly because we care about your health, even when you don’t. Got it?”

“It’s not overwork,” he said, falling into the same argument that had been chipping away at him for a year now. 

“Then what is it?”

The only coping mechanism that works. The only way I can pretend to feel anything off the diamond. The only thing that makes me tired enough to sleep at night without baseball 24/7.

He settled on: “It’s just work. Making a living, some might say.”

“Hard to do that when you’re stuck in a hospital bed.”

“That won’t happen again. I was just stressed and tired and a bad day caught me off guard.”

“Yeah, it won’t again because we’re gonna help make sure the off-season doesn’t wreck you again after a long history of hiding your fucking problems until they explode.”

“At least you can’t take conditioning away from me.”

“Follow the plan your trainers set for you.” Chris’ voice cut into Kazuya’s stubbornness. “Please don’t joke about this with me.”

After a moment, Kazuya nodded his head, brusque.

Kuramochi rubbed the back of his neck, trying to break the awkward air that had sprung up between them. “Isn’t exercise supposed to help depressed people? Boost your serotonin up or some shit like that?”

“Just my luck it doesn’t,” Kazuya muttered. He cleared his throat. “Can we go back to harassing me about how bad I am at unpacking?”

“We wouldn’t harass you if you just did it.” Kuramochi stood back up and kicked at a box as he went back to sweeping the floors. “Unpack before the season starts up again. You have nearly five months. If you’re feeling feisty, try decorating your apartment, too.”

“My entire personality is baseball. I don’t care about interior design. Or anything else, for that matter.”

“You used to. Pick up your old hobbies. Bring out that telescope you had at back at Waseda. Read a memoir. All the shit you can’t do during the season, drag ‘em out into the open again.”

The wrong answer, he knew, was to reiterate that he didn’t care about any of that anymore. Seriously. “You two are busy-bodies.”

Chris handed him the power drill then returned to the pile of securely wrapped glass kitchenware. “It’s called friendship,” he said, bubble wrap crinkling.

“This is ridiculous.”

“Just try, Miyuki. Please.”

“Sure,” he said, flippantly, knowing the lie didn’t pass unnoticed from the sag in Kuramochi’s shoulders. He thumbed through the instructions, pushing aside the guilt welling into his throat. Kazuya needed this conversation to be over. “Chris-senpai, where’d you put the drill bits?”

***

“Hjnhbgfgvbhnjmknjbhgvfdbghnjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj” wasn’t the most eloquent start to Eijun’s next blog post. Of course, Eijun normally didn’t start his articles by rolling his face across the keyboard in frustration, but considering how little he’d written in the past week, this was as good a draft as any.

Eijun’s eyes flung open as the laptop shifted from under his face, tipping his head off to thunk into the table. He rubbed at his forehead, and blinked up to find Harucchi tapping delicately at the keyboard while the other hand balanced the device in the air. “Eijun-kun,” said Harucchi, peering from around the screen, “not your finest work.”

Eijun sat up and scowled, the lines of his face scrunching against the keyboard indents on his skin. “What would you know about it?” 

“I’ve been editing your posts for years,” Harucchi said. He settled the laptop in front of Eijun, then settled into the chair across from him. “If you’d like me to stop now, I can happily use that time in other ways.”

The dishes rattled when Eijun slammed his palm onto the table. “You’re not allowed to ditch me like that!” 

Harucchi raised his eyebrows. “Says the man who’s been avoiding me.”

A double blow of panic and then confusion struck him. He frowned and swiveled his head around. Snaking line at the counter, coffee scenting the air, a low hum of incomprehensible chatter: this was definitely the coffee shop he’d just discovered this morning and came to by himself and didn’t tell Harucchi about. “How’d you find me?”

“You should stop posting your location on Instagram if you don’t want to be found,” he offered with a gentle smile.

“You don’t live anywhere near here.”

“A teammate just moved to the neighborhood. It was pure luck I happened to be there while you happened to be here.” He ran his fingers against the edge of a plate by Eijun’s elbow, empty of all but crumbs. “It’s a cute shop. New haunt for you?” he asked, a touch too casual.

Eijun averted his eyes, lips pinching. He knew what Harucchi was really asking. “I’m fine.”

“I didn’t ask that.”

“I’m doing fine,” Eijun insisted. “Really.”

“I’m glad you stopped feeling obligated to go to the other cafe.” His voice was barely loud enough to reach Eijun, covered by the clatter and call of employees, and a particularly rowdy group of seven students packed at a four person table next to his little corner.

“The old place got too many baristas who sucked,” Eijun lied. As if Harucchi didn’t already know that he’d only just shoved his pride aside enough to accept he’d lost his favorite coffee shop to the break-up. “Had to find a new one.”

Harucchi pried open the plastic lid to his coffee, blowing at the steam rising from the cup. He drew in a long, slow slip of his drink. “Maybe a fresh start here means a fresh start with the blog. Talk about grinding new beans, or something…?” Eijun blanched, well aware that Harucchi’s innocent reputation was a front. 

“If you think I am going to subject my loyal followers to love advice using bean grinding as the topic—”

“You’ll have to excuse me if you had an idea in mind already. I’d thought from the keysmashing that you hadn’t.” Eijun aimed a kick at his shin under the table. Without looking, Harucchi crossed his legs, as if he’d planned on it for that exact moment all along instead of the attempt to dodge Eijun’s ire that it really was. “Is there a reason you can’t find an appropriate topic for your next post?”

Eijun cheeks puffed out, determined for two whole seconds not to tell Harucchi the truth, before blurting out, “I promised Wakana we’d wait a few months before officially announcing we broke up.” And yep—there it was, that classic Kominato passively skeptical look that circled past nonjudgmental so thoroughly that it ended up aggressively intimidating. The one that meant Harucchi was seconds away from bulldozing through all the nonsense he was seeing ahead of him. Eijun lived in terror of it. “She wanted to give us a chance to recuperate in private first,” he muttered, defensive. 

“Eijun-kun.”

“I know, I know! A smart idea for people like Wakana, but I don’t…like wallowing like this. I can’t keep sitting here thinking about how much she doesn’t want me, and it’s all I want to write about. But I can’t post any of it. It’s been nearly two months, and I haven’t moved on. I’ve just gotten madder.”

“You two didn’t consider posting a small announcement saying you were over but you needed time? Space?”

“I couldn’t ask her.” Eijun subsided, spinning his teacup in its saucer with a single finger hooked through its tiny handle. “I owe her, Harucchi. The only reason I started lifestyle and romance blogging was because Wakana got me into it. I made my start on her profiles with her followers. Talking about her now? Why we broke up? Even if I want to, it sounds like betraying her. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m trying to talk shit about her, when we’re both in the same influencer circles.”

Harucchi tilted his head, and when Eijun didn't continue on after several seconds, he prompted, “There’s more.”

So much for the dumb jock stereotype.

“If I write it, then I feel like I’m giving up on her. On us ever being something together, again.” He crossed his arms onto the table, elbows shoving the dishes and laptop uncomfortably close to the edge of the small table, and laid his head on his forearms. He closed his eyes, and said quietly into his chest, “I still love her, Harucchi.”

“I know, Eijun-kun.” A warm hand squeezed his elbow. Between their silence, the monstrous table of college students packed up and left, and suddenly the shop settled into a calm Eijun needed. 

He poked his head up from the comfort of his arms to stare at Harucchi. He was steadily sipping his coffee, one hand resting on Eijun’s elbow. His pink hair had pulled out of the bun at his nape and fell into windswept wisps framing his face and neck. He’d long since stopped wearing Ryou-san’s hand-me-downs in favor of softer, luxe sweaters and slacks, the only true expense he indulged in despite his lucrative status as a rising star for the Swallows.

Altogether, he looked gentle, dangerously so. On the diamond or off, it was easy to be lulled into a sense of security right before he whacked an unpleasant truth out of the park. 

Harucchi pulled his hand back and apologized with a glance. Eijun wasn’t sure why…until he started speaking. “You make a living off of posting about your life—and romance, in particular. You’ve never hidden your past relationship troubles from your followers, however difficult it was to express. It’s part of your brand at this point.”

Eijun’s mouth twisted as he sat up. “Wakana isn’t a branding tool.”

“No one is saying that,” Harucchi said patiently. “What I am saying: you underestimate how much of your own work goes into your success. Aotsuki was certainly helpful—but your personality and your words are why people stay. People trust you.

“You’re good at what you do, Eijun-kun. You’re honest and kind in your observations, to yourself, to your partners, to strangers, despite how difficult and personal love is. When the time comes, whatever you post about Aotsuki will be the same.” Harucchi shrugged. “Also, I’ll edit out anything that makes you sound insensitive.”

Eijun let out a heavy sigh, stretching his arms into the air and shaking off the melancholy. “Thanks for not letting me fall on my own sword.”

“What are friends for?”

For all that he felt better, though, Eijun was still stuck staring at a blinking cursor at the end of a line of drivel. “That still doesn’t solve my problem. I don’t have a clue what to post next. The schedule I followed is trash now without personal updates of me and Wakana. I haven’t been able to binge any of the manga or shows I wanted to review, either. All I got left is the advice column, but if I keep that up with nothing else, I might as well change the blog name to Dear Eijun instead of Ace of Hearts.”

Harucchi stared at him, calculating out something as he took in Sawamura’s restlessness. “You don’t have to keep writing about romance.”

“That’s what I started the blog for.”

“But that’s not why you started writing and recording back at Seidou. You’ve had success with your baseball analysis and tutorials on YouTube and Instagram. You could even say you’ve been neglecting them to chase after romance.”

Eijun groaned, loud and theatrical enough to make the meek businessman behind him jump in shock. “Maybe if I got as much engagement talking about how stupid the idea of celebrity athletes are when it’s a team sport—”

“See?” he cut in, tilting his cup toward Eijun. “You already have a topic to post about.”

“Baseball is my hobby, not my job,” he said mulishly, jaw jutting out. “My dad wrecked his love of music that way! I’m not gonna risk hating baseball after he spent my whole life yelling at me not to ‘monetize my interests’ while holding me in a headlock. That’s asking for the biggest lecture of my life!”

“You can always stop if it’s not the direction you want to go. You’re not getting married to the idea.”

“Don’t bring up marriage, I just got dumped!”

Harucchi pressed his lips together in a thin line. “Fine, don’t think of it as a marriage,” he said. From Harucchi, the sliver of impatience he let free was the equivalent of hauling Eijun by the collar and shaking him down. “Flirt with baseball. Go on a few dates. Get a benefit or two out of it. Does the metaphor suffice now?”

Eijun gasped. “Harucchi! You’re too innocent for that sort of talk!”

“My brother is Kominato Ryousuke, and my best friend writes a blog about romance and sex that I edit,” he said, even as his quiet voice went squeaky and his face mottled bright red from embarrassment. 

“Maybe I should change my blog to save you the embarrassment.”

“I also admit I have a request of you,” Harucchi said sheepishly, pressing a hand to his cheek. “The Swallows want me to get more heavily involved in PR this offseason, and I could use your help figuring out what I’d actually like to do instead of going along with every idea they propose. I’ve seen what they make the other players do, and I’m not interested in doing the exact type of promo they’ve done the past few seasons.”

Eijun crossed his arms and leaned back, chin tilting up defensively. “If you’re trying to convince me by pretending you need help—”

Harucchi shook his head, bangs bouncing across his forehead. “I hope you’ll find value or inspiration in it, too, but I was going to ask, regardless.” He grimaced into his cup. “The players who carry most of the strain of Swallows marketing are…otherwise occupied this offseason. I was volunteered to step in; management’s been wanting me to raise my profile for a while. I can’t really say no, so I may as well make the most of it.”

“I don’t want a pity job.”

“Please, be reasonable.” Harucchi smiled the shy, dreamy, polished smile the Swallows had been trying to splash across their advertising since he joined the team. “It’s a pity favor.”

Eijun snorted, relaxing into his chair again. “Fine,” he said, pulling open a clean document on his laptop. “Let’s brainstorm.”

[amazingmb1226]

(sorry the formatting is screwed up, )

It was just another day at the Oowada household. The sun was shining through blinds in the smallish bedroom, birds chirping their usual song outside. It was an amazing day outside and anyone would be happy just looking out there. Everyone except one person.

It was the one year anniversary of Daiya’s death. The gang leader had died from a terrible accident. He’d been driving one day when a car, a self driving car, had hit him going 60 miles per hour. Even thinking about it made Mondo want to break down sobbing. Even all this time later. But especially that day.

The man tried to go back to sleep from a nightmare, even though it was nearly noon. Mondo heard the door to his room open, even more light flooding into his room. He grumbled something under his breath and remained under his comforter. A moment later, a hand gently gripped his shoulder, shaking him a bit.

“It is currently 11:49 am. It is time to get ready for today Oowada-kun.” a familiar voice said. Mondo sighed and sat up, rubbing his temples. He already just wanted to go back to sleep.

“Yeah, whatever tin man. Can you at least leave so I can change?” the biker said in a groggy, aggravated voice. He looked over at his android, Ishimaru.

“Yes, of course.” the android said with a small bow, leaving the room. He closed the door behind him and headed for the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Ishimaru had been Mondo’s android for a while. Daiya had brought him home one day and said he could help out around the house and such. That was Taka’s main purpose of course. Mondo seemed a bit skeptical, but he trusted his brother. The android had actually been a big help. Their apartment didn’t look like a pigsty anymore at least.

Ishimaru stayed and did his job, even after Daiya was gone. Things were definitely different though. He noticed how Mondo would come back even later than before, usually either hurt or drunk. Everytime Ishimaru offered to help Mondo though, the biker would just yell at him and say he was fine. Taka’s coding prevented him from doing anything more though, so he just had to watch all this happen.

There were some times though, usually when Mondo was drunk, when he would talk to the android about his pain. About how much not having Daiya hurt. And each time, Ishimaru couldn’t do much but comfort Mondo to the best of his ability. It usually didn’t go well though. ‘How can a piece of plastic help me?! You can’t even feel anything! You don’t know what it’s like!’ Mondo would say. Still, Ishimaru was always there.

After getting dressed, Mondo walked out of his room, seeing Ishimaru cooking in the kitchen. He didn’t pay much attention to the android though. The biker made his way into the living room, sitting down on the old sofa. When anyone sat down, you could hear the springs being pressed down with a “squeak!”

Mondo turned the TV on, watching the first thing that came on. The news reporter, seemingly a middle aged man with some grey hairs, started talking about the latest new story.

“More and more androids have been wreaking havoc in our cities. Many homicides and other shocking cases have been caused by cyberlife’s technology.” the man said in a serious voice. The screen cut to an interview with one of the cyberlife engineers, a reporter asking the employee a ton of questions. Ishimaru watched the television from the kitchen. His LED light flashed yellow for a moment before he focused on the food again. He put the pancakes, eggs and fruit he prepared on a plate, walking over to the living room.

“Your food is ready Oowada.” the android announced, setting the plate on the table. “I will bring your coffee over in a moment.” Ishimaru added, walking back over to the kitchen. Mondo didn’t say a word to the android, continuing to focus on the TV.

Ishimaru took the pot out of the coffee maker and poured it into a plain white mug. He also grabbed a fork and knife from the silverware drawer. The android grabbed a few napkins on his way back to the living room and carefully placed everything by the plate of food. Mondo gave him a quick “thanks.”

“Is there any other way I can assist you Oowada?” Ishimaru asked, his gaze set on the biker.

“No, that’s all. Now fuckin’ leave me alone.” Mondo said grumpily, glaring up at the android. Ishimaru simply nodded and started to clean up around the apartment.

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

Ishimaru had just got done washing the dishes from dinner. The sun was nearly gone, but it was just as loud outside, cars honking at each other and such. It was almost 10pm and Mondo was still sitting on the couch, looking at the TV. He seemed so much more empty and angry than usual. That was understandable though.

To Taka’s surprise, Mondo got up from the couch and stretched with a sigh. “Are you going out again tonight?” Ishimaru asked the tall man as he walked out of the living area.

“Yeah. I am.” Mondo responded bluntly. He stopped at the kitchen area, looking back at the android. Mondo thought for a moment and then sighed, crossing his arms.

“Wanna come with me or somethin’?” Mondo asked the android. Oowada thought it would be best to bring Ishimaru with him. Just in case he got too drunk to call a taxi for himself. Plus he didn’t quite want to be alone, even if Ishimaru wasn’t a “real person”.

“I am not programmed to make my own choices. I only follow and obey orders.” Ishimaru replied. Mondo rolled his eyes and started walking away. “Come with me then.” he muttered, disappearing into his room. The android stood for a moment, then went back to finishing up the dishes.

A little bit later, Mondo walked back into the kitchen area, his hair made up in a pompadour. Ishimaru stood still, waiting for Mondo to speak, but he just grabbed his keys and walked over to the door. Oowada opened it and stood in the doorway, looking back at Ishimaru.

“Well, are you coming?” Mondo asked in an irritated tone, his voice a bit louder than normal. The android then quickly made his way over to the biker, following him out of the apartment.

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

They arrived at a parking garage not too far from their destination, parking the vehicle in a free space. It was surprisingly busy that day. Mondo and Ishimaru got out of the vehicle and started walking. Ishimaru looked straight in front of him, not saying a word. Mondo thought the lack of conversation was getting a little awkward.

“Isn’t there anything you want to talk about? Or do you only ever follow orders?” Oowada asked, looking down at the android.

“That is correct. Androids don’t typically have much to talk about. We are not programmed to have interests.” Ishimaru responded, not looking at the larger man. Mondo nodded, and looked down at the sidewalk, crossing his arms. “That sounds pretty shitty.” the biker mumbled.

Ishimaru looked at Mondo curiously, his red eyes focused on him. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Mondo shrugged and looked back at Ishimaru. “Cyberlife or whatever brags about how human-like their androids are but they really only look like humans. You don’t act or sound like people. You’re just cool looking robots.” he explained. Taka’s LED light flashed yellow once again, looking back in front of him.

“My model at least is only made to serve people. There is no reason to include things like emotions. It’s considered a virus if an android like myself feels things.” Ishimaru tells Mondo.

For a moment, Oowada felt bad for Ishimaru. Of course he knew that machines feeling things could end up badly, but something about it still felt wrong. He shouldn’t feel bad for an android though. There was no point in doing so, right?

Soon enough, the two found themselves at the bar, the bright sign glowing on them. Ishimaru could see a sign on the door that read “NO ANDROIDS,” and stood outside the building as Mondo walked in.

The android didn’t really know what to do. For whatever reason, Mondo hadn’t taken him to an android station, and the man wasn’t giving him any orders. And so Ishimaru just stood there, looking around at his surroundings. Some people found him just sitting there a bit creepy.

After a half hour of sitting outside, Ishimaru saw Mondo walk out of the building with another man. They walked to the back of the building where they couldn’t be seen, raising Ishimaru’s curiosity.

Ishimaru walked around to the side of the building, looking at the two from the corner of the brick wall. He heard them both yelling profanities at each other, both their words slurred. Taka’s light turned yellow, continuing to watch the two men.

It was mostly just pointless insults and empty threats until they both started fighting. Ishimaru immediately came and walked over to the area in the back. “Gentleman, please calm down.” the android said in a serious voice. “Awe yer wittle android is here ta save ya huh?” the stranger snickered. Mondo looked over at Ishimaru and furrowed his brows. “Don’t fuckin’ move dumbass!” He yelled. The other man punched Mondo in the face, a sick grin present on his features. Oowada growled and fought back, punches being exchanged between the two. Taka wanted to do something, but he had to listen to Mondo, right?

Right?

Not even five minutes later, the stranger pulled out a handgun, pointing it at Mondo. “Don’t you dare fucking move or i’ll shoot’cha!” The man stated, looking Oowada dead in the eyes. “Does it look like I’m scared a ya?!” the biker said, glaring at the stranger.

‘What is he doing?!’ Ishimaru thought. Thought?

The android gulped and took a step closer. This made the man point his weapon at Ishimaru, making Taka stop. “Ya better not move either!” he yelled. Ishimaru looked over at Mondo, trying to seem calm.

“Mondo! Go! Run!” Ishimaru shouted over at Oowada. “No! I’m gonna give this guy the beatin’ he deserves dammit!” He replied angrily. “And you better not do shit!” he added.

Ishimaru had to obey his owner’s commands. It was in his code. So why did he feel the need to save him? Why did he feel the need to defy his orders? This wasn’t right, Ishimaru knew it. But he needed to keep Oowada safe.

The stranger had pointed his weapon over at Mondo, not wanting him to do anything. Ishimaru took this opportunity to act. He kicked the unknown man in the shins as hard as he could, making the stranger fall to the ground and drop his weapon. Taka quickly ran over to Mondo and put his arm around him, dragging him out of the area. “Come on, we have to go!” Ishimaru exclaimed as Mondo protested.

“I told ya not ta do anythin’, asshole! I could’ve handled myself ya know!” Mondo shouted at Taka, trying to shake out of his grasp.

“You were going to get yourself hurt. You already are hurt from fighting.” Ishimaru retorted, furrowing his brows.

“Still! Aren’t ya supposed to follow orders or whatever anyways?!” Oowada continued, looking at Ishimaru. Taka tried to ignore him, knowing this was not normal nor permitted.

Ishimaru heard the stranger start yelling at them again and quickened his pace, still holding onto Mondo. There was a bus stop just a bit away and he could see the bus approaching. Taka tried to go into a sprint with Mondo pushing and yelling at him at the same time. Right as soon as the stranger from before started getting close, Ishimaru got Mondo and himself on the bus. The doors closed and Taka turned to put Mondo in a seat.

“Ya shoulda let me at em’!” Oowada kept saying, still pretty drunk. Ishimaru sighed and sat in the seat next to Mondo, folding his hands on his lap. “No, I shouldn’t have. You would have gotten even more injured.” Taka repeated, looking over at Mondo. Oowada just grumbled and continued to complain.

Not even five minutes later, Mondo was passed out, his head leaning on Ishimaru’s shoulder. For some odd reason, it gave Taka a warm feeling. He smiled softly and looked out the window. He’d always enjoyed Mondo’s company, even if he was difficult at times, but this was...different. Ishimaru figured that he shouldn’t worry about it too much. His main priority at the moment was making sure Mondo would be okay.

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

After having to deal with Mondo’s complaining and such again, Ishimaru got him back to the apartment. Taka unlocked the door and opened it, guiding Oowada to the bathroom. Once he got to set the biker in the bathtub, he went back and closed the door, locking it. He made his way back to the washroom and found Mondo starting to fall asleep again, mumbling incoherently. Ishimaru turned the shower on, cold water soaking Mondo’s clothes and ruining his hair. Oowada stuttered, processing everything.

“What the- why’d ya do that?!” Mondo stammered, looking at Ishimaru. “I figured it was a quick way to sober you up.” Ishimaru replied bluntly.

Oowada sat up a bit more and sighed, turning off the water. “Well you were definitely right,” Mondo mumbled, crossing his arms.

A moment passed, neither of them making a sound. Taka took it upon himself to fill the silence. “Do you remember anything that happened?” Ishimaru asked Mondo, sitting on the side of the tub. Oowada thought for a minute, looking down.

“Not really. I remember have a few more drinks than usual, getting in a fight and-” Mondo paused, his eyes going wide. He quickly skittered out of the bathtub. “You-you...I told you to…” the biker tried to continue, but nothing came out. Ishimaru knew what he was thinking about though.

“...Yes. I went against your orders. But I...I’m very sorry.” Ishimaru responded quietly, looking down. “I needed to protect you. You have fought so, so hard and I wasn’t going to let you die there because of some stranger!” Taka continued, his voice getting louder. “I care about you probably more than I should, and I needed you to be safe! I-” he cut himself off, tightly grabbing the cloth of his white pants.

“I know what happens after this. I know what happens to...to deviants.” Ishimaru stated, trying to remain strong. He felt scared though. About what his inevitable fate was. About feeling anything. “Before you return me, I want to say something though. It’s been-” Mondo cut the deviant off, grabbing the collar of his shirt. Tears were in the bikers eyes, rolling down his cheeks.

“I’m not just going to throw you away! You-you saved me dammit!” Oowada shouted shakily, sniffiling. Ishimaru looked at Mondo, shocked by his words. “Wh...what?” Taka stuttered, looking back at Mondo. His ruby red eyes were wide in surprise.

“But...I went against your orders. I went against my code. I'm defective. Why would you want a defective android?” Ishimaru asked, frowning a bit. Mondo growled, pulling Ishimaru closer.

“Because! You’ve been the only-only thing here for me! The only thing who seems to care about me anymore! You risked your life to save me from getting fucking shot!” Oowada replied, tears continuing to fall from his cheeks. Ishimaru was still silent, dumbfounded by the man in front of him.

“Are you still intoxicated?” Taka asked, not knowing what else to say. Mondo was quiet for a moment before laughing a bit. It had been the first time Ishimaru saw Oowada smile in a year. It made the same warm feeling as before return.

“No, I’m not drunk. Well, at least not as drunk as before.” the biker responded, letting go of Ishimaru. Taka’s feet connected with the ground once again, his gaze still focused on Mondo.

“So...you aren’t going to get rid of me?” Ishimaru asked, making sure he was hearing things right. There had to be something wrong with his audio processor. Oowada shook his head, slightly smiling at Taka.

“Nah, I couldn’t trash ya now. I’m too attached or whatever,” Mondo said with a small laugh. Ishimaru couldn’t help but smile a bit as well, starting to tear up. The deviant laughed lightly, wiping his eyes. He didn’t know what these new feelings were. It was all very confusing.

Mondo noticed Ishimaru’s teary eyes and panicked a little, giving Ishimaru a bit of a concerned look.

“Are you alright? Oh god did I say something fucked up?” Oowada asked worriedly. Ishimaru shook his head, a smile still on his face. “No, it is actually the opposite!” Taka said, looking up at Mondo. They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments, just lost in the moment.

“I do hope you don’t think of me in a negative light now. I promise I do not have bad intentions.” Ishimaru said, looking to the side. “I know recently other deviants have been doing quite awful things.” he added with a small frown. Mondo shook his head, his gaze still on Ishimaru.

“It’s fine. I thought the old emotionless machine you was kind fuckin’ creepy anyways,” Oowada said with a small laugh, crossing his arms once again. Ishimaru opened his mouth to respond, but sighed. “I suppose you are right to a degree.” Taka admitted. Mondo chuckled a little bit.

“What do you think about emotions and shit?” Oowada asked Ishimaru curiously. Taka hummed and thought for a moment, looking back at Mondo. “It’s...confusing,” he started. “But I am sure I can figure it all out with you!” Ishimaru said enthusiastucally. For whatever reason, Oowada blushed ever so slightly and smiled.

“I still don’t know to handle me emotions if i’m being honest. I’ve had them for my whole life and it’s still confusing as hell,” Mondo responded with a chuckle. Ishimaru put a hand on Mondo’s shoulder and grinned up at him. Oowada didn’t think he’d ever see such a bright smile from an android. Before Mondo would think any further, Taka spoke up.

“Well, then we could figure it out together!” Ishimaru said cheerfully. Mondo felt his cheeks heat up a little more, looking into Taka’s rose colored eyes.

For the first time in a year, Mondo felt as if he wasn’t as alone. It was a bit weird to him, being this close to an android, but it didn’t really matter. He finally had someone to talk to. And Ishimaru had someone to figure out his newfound emotions with.

Oowada nodded, smiling even wider. “Yeah, I guess we could.”

[queennicoleinboots]

Foraging with Count Vanilla, part 2

Count Vanilla, Mr. Williamson, and I were hungry again. Mr. Williamson and I went to the store and bought:

Simple organic truth brocolli cuts

Simple organic truth butternut squash

Simple organic truth cut corn, no sugar or salt added (Eat your heart out Wynona Parmello-Grant, FreeLee the Banana Girl (if you're still relevant), and Count Macrula. We found the corn.)

Simple organic truth sweet potatoes

Dr. Praegar's Californication burger

Red hot chili peppers

Lemon cayenne Kavana probiotic elixir

Honey

A seeded watermelon

Skinny popcorn

Lily's dark chocolate bar

Hershey paydays

French Nutpods' Creamer

Good Karma Flaxseed milk

Unsweetened Blue Diamond Almond Milk

Half and Half

Comforts Baby Water with minerals added, no fluoride

Non-alcoholic Budweiser, canned 12-pack

Sliced Jarred Peaches

Diced Jarred Pineapple

Amy's vegan Maculoni Pasta and Cheeze

Dried blackeyed Peas, featuring sliced fingers of Nelly Fertardo

Non-binary Rice

Rudy's white rice bread

Amy's green tamale

Daiya Tex-Mex Burritos

Earth Balance soy-free margarine

Safe Catch Elitist Tuna

Safe Catch salmon

Safe Catch Garlic and Herb Tuna

Red onion

Simple organic truth red potatoes

Coconut Thai Portabella Mushroom Mix

Simply Garden Ragu Sauce

Organic English Cucumber

Distilled water

Hydrogen peroxide

Rubbing alcohol, 73 percent alcohol, 27 percent tears of plebians

Count Vanilla and I were then debating about what kind of butter we would buy for my continuing saga of cooking. He rolled his eyes and tried to tune out my speech of trying to dissect the ingredients of sweet cream and salt. I even had questions about what the cows ate and what type of grass they consumed. I even wanted to know what fertilizer the farmers used to enrich the soil the grass was grown in.

Count Vanilla's attitude was that we would die from the flu, diabetes, 5G radiation, high blood pressure, a heart attack, a government agent shooting you from a tree if the government wants you off the face of the Earth, starvation, or the jab, so he didn't care about what the cows ate or what were the ingredients of food products.

I am vain as fuck, so I care about my looks, health, diet, immune system, and lately, my smile. I have questions about food integrity. Mr. Williamson and I had that in common, and we were both scorpios born in October. We foraged for similar food.

Joebear, my black bear sexy husband, ate very similarly to us. He was a Taurus who grazed on mostly healthy food. His favorite food was vanilla ice cream with red grapes and cinnamon. He ate normally and was no longer a vegan. He used to be a vegan cub, but he questioned himself after a while and started to eat fish again.

Count Vanilla was an Air Bear who ate almost everything in sight. He hated coffee or hot drinks. He was usually drinking Southern sweet tea. He also smoked on occasion, but usually not during important meetings because he was afraid that he was going to be judged by the other members. Hardly anyone else in the series smoked except Peter W. Parker very occasionally.

As a matter of fact, Count Vanilla needed to go outside and smoke after we shopped. He lit a Oldport cigarette and puffed it. A female panda bear sat outside with him and smoked an Alpaca cigarette. They growled back and forth. I assumed they were talking about food.

"Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy. Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy. Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy. Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy. Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy. Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy. Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy. Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy. Joileen, this is Xara, my mommy," Count Vanilla said.

"Nice to meet you, Joileen," I said.

Joileen looked at me and then looked at him. "She's a goat. Who's your father?" she asked.

Count Vanilla stared at her, blinked nine times before he growled. "Joileen, she's my nanny. Joileen, she's my nanny. Joileen, she's my nanny. Joileen, she's my nanny. Joileen, she's my nanny. Joileen, she's my nanny. Joileen, she's my nanny. Joileen, she's my nanny. Joileen, she's my nanny," he said. "She's not my birth mother."

"Just wanted to make sure," Joileen said.

Count Vanilla stared at her and blinked nine times. "You pandas are literal. You pandas are literal. You pandas are literal. You pandas are literal. You pandas are literal. You pandas are literal. You pandas are literal. You pandas are literal. You pandas are literal," he said.

"And? White cubs have a compulsion to repeat themselves up to nine times depending on their age appearance," Joileen said as she stared at him.

Count Vanilla giggled nine times. "Yes. You are correct. Yes. You are correct. Yes. You are correct. Yes. You are correct. Yes. You are correct. Yes. You are correct. Yes. You are correct. Yes. You are correct. Yes. You are correct."

"I take it you are not used to panda bears," Joileen said.

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope," Count Vanilla said.

"There aren't many panda bears that come to our meetings," I said.

"You haven't been in the right areas. On this planet, it's on the other side of the world. Like, that part of the Green Planet is overrun with panda bears. There are a few pockets of panda bears in the forests here. I'm a member of Erudite Bears of Laatharah, Glorgia," Joileen said.

"There were literally two pandas that were in our organization on Earth," Count Vanilla said.

Joileen burst out laughing. "Earth? You're from Earth? Oh God, the panda bears from Earth are the laughing stock of the panda bears of the galaxies. Sort of like the United Emirates of Chinta being the laughing stock of the nations of this planet. Jeez. And I thought that I was kind of retarded. Uuuuuugggggghhhhh. You can't use that word anymore. Political correctness has affected every multiverse. I want to find the multiverse that remained in the 1990s, a time when political correctness didn't exist."

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes," Count Vanilla said. "That's one of the six or seven words you can't say. Are you questioning my intelligence?"

"Not directly. Indirectly," Joileen said.

"I had to take an IQ test before getting on the ship to get here. Those that scored less than 85 had to ride the short spaceship. That spaceship landed in Watuna, Glorgia. That city is five miles west of Athenia. I scored 103. I rode on the bigass space ship. You probably saw on it on the news," Count Vanilla said.

"You have an average IQ. Mine is 155. And yes, that spaceship is legendary. It takes up a good seventh of all of Athenia. I'm sure bears live on that ship," Joileen said.

I'm dumbtarded compared to her. On a good day, I have 144 IQ, but I usually my IQ is 120. My IQ is still average compared to most people but pretty good for a female.

"Whoopedydo! Whoopedydo! Whoopedydo! Whoopedydo! Whoopedydo! Whoopedydo! Whoopedydo! Whoopedydo! Whoopedydo! Yes, a lot of bears live on that ship because it was a cruise ship for the three days it took us to get here," Count Vanilla said.

"Do you live on that ship?" Joileen asked.

"No. I live in a freezer. No. I live in a freezer. No. I live in a freezer. No. I live in a freezer. No. I live in a freezer. No. I live in a freezer. No. I live in a freezer. No. I live in a freezer. No. I live in a freezer," Count Vanilla said.

Joileen chuckled. "You're hilarious. You're an actual polar bear."

Count Vanilla discarded his cigarette before smoking another. "Polar cub. Polar cub. Polar cub. Polar cub. Polar cub. Polar cub. Polar cub. Polar cub. Polar cub," he corrected her.

"You're literal AND compulsive. That's incredible. What's your number?" Joileen asked with a smile. She had smoking stains on her otherwise well-formed bear teeth

"Nine," Count Vanilla said. "Nine. Nine. Nine. Nine. Nine. Nine. Nine. Nine."

"I meant telephone number," Joileen said as she stared at him with her green eyes and giggled.

"Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh," Count Vanilla said. "It is 786-423-1905."

"Great," Joileen said as she plugged the number into her smart computer phone. "My number is 110-110-0110."

"Binary?" I asked.

"Very. And my telephone number. It means 'I don't give a fuck. I'm rich bitch.'," Joileen said.

"Young Jeezy?" I asked.

"Yes. Not Xara Si's 'I'm Broke,'" Joileen said.

"I'm Xara Si," I said.

"I'm aware. But my telephone number was created before I heard your song. Your song is humorous and true at the same time," Joileen said.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome. Count Vanilla, I plan to call you soon. I must continue my forage. It was lovely chatting with you both," Joileen said as she started to walk away.

"Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay," Count Vanilla said. "I look forward to my phone ringing."

"Nice to meet you, Joileen," I called before I spoke to Count Vanilla. "Should we continue our forage?"

"You can. I already found what I was looking for. The only things that would make this moment better would be Mommy Cream and Mommy Chocolate," Count Vanilla said.

[fauzhee10069]

JoJolion: How does Joshu-Yasuho-Tooru work?

The X-Files theme intensifies...

Many readers doubt Tooru's status as a major villain, their main complaint was that he appeared too late in the story and the lack of foreshadowing about his existence. However, what if his existence had been hinted from the beginning of the story? As we all know that he is:

After that we do see that Tooru and Yasuho have memories in the past as lovers:

Although some readers suspect that those memories are just fabrication made by Tooru, that he put a false memory on Yasuho as the Qing dynasty’s hairclip did in chapter 71.

Then I remembered that at the beginning of JoJolion, in Yasuho's first debut, she mentioned that she had kissed someone. This made me wonder that, was the person Yasuho kissed was Tooru?

However, the man's appearance looked more like Joshu.

And the problem is that Yasuho doesn't like Joshu, then how did they ever kiss?

Joshu himself admitted that he had kissed Yasuho. I thought that maybe Joshu was just making it up at the time. The odd thing about their relationship is: Yasuho never showed that she liked Joshu or at least had a romantic memory with him. The closest relationship between Yasuho and Joshu that have ever hinted is that they were childhood friends.

Perhaps they were once close, Norisuke IV and Jobin themselves even thought that Yasuho was Joshu's girlfriend.

And Yasuho's relationship with the Higashikata family seems pretty good as they welcomed her (Yasuho surely knows them well enough if she knows what Daiya likes).

But Yasuho has absolutely no romantic memories of Joshu or a reaction that suggest it, unlike when she was with Tooru.

Yasuho never blushed like that when she was with Joshu, the closest thing was during the 「Paper Moon King」 arc aka Tsurugi’s prank:

But that happened when Yasuho came under the deception of the PMK, where she couldn't recognize anyone because everyone's faces were the same. She thought that Joshu at that time was Josuke, then misunderstandings ensued.

Even so, I still think that the person Yasuho meant when they had kissed (back in chapter 1) was Joshu, not Tooru. How did they ever kiss even though she never liked Joshu? This makes me uneasy but I think it was possible that Yasuho was forced, or at least been reluctant to do so.

This was implied in her first debut in chapter 1, she was hiding from the man she has ever kissed once, Joshu. She wanted Joshu to go somewhere else, far away from her spot.

It’s still weird though, because as long as Yasuho met Joshu again after that incident, she no longer had any reaction to him (either embarrassed, reluctance or hostility).

Though there was a moment when Yasuho rejected Joshu's calls several times, showing that she was reluctant to face him (something easy enough for me to sympathize).

Numerous questions popped into my head:

When and where did the kissing take place?

Why would Yasuho be willing to kiss Joshu? Was there an ulterior motive from her or was she purely forced? (she was quite close to the Higashikata family)

Has she ever really liked Joshu in the past? (of course I can understand that she doesn't like him anymore :P)

How can Norisuke IV and Jobin think that Yasuho is Joshu's girlfriend? Did they kiss at Joshu's house (and they happened to watch them)? Or does Joshu often talk about Yasuho to them and claims that he is dating her? (I believe more in the later)

But, my biggest questions are:

Does Joshu know that Yasuho was dating Tooru during high school?

Why doesn't Yasuho have any reaction to Joshu but react to the memories she had with Tooru?

Yasuho was playing to Joshu's house quite often as a kid to the point that she knows what his younger sister Daiya likes,but it seems that she only recently became acquainted with Mitsuba.

It makes sense because Mitsuba only joined the Higashikata family through marriage since around ten years ago… which meant that Yasuho might have rarely been in contact with the family during those ten years.

So it might have also been possible if the news that Yasuho was dating Tooru did not reach Joshu. I'm sure that Yasuho just has been in contact with Joshu again because they went to the same university, which means that Yasuho has (probably) broken up with Tooru, so it didn't matter anymore for Joshu to know that Yasuho was dating Tooru.

I hope we will back to the Higashikata’s house soon to see what will happen between Joshu, Yasuho, and Tooru, the continuation of chapter 98 which will answer about what is happening to them and also how the flashforward scene in chapter 83 can happen.

This post is indeed confusing, but at least I’m not roasting the hypes for a grannie who hasn't done anything at all during this climax event.

And f*ck Joshu and Tooru! Leave Yasuho alone! Only Josuke deserves her.