#and thanks for attempting to save your sensei

[tsukimefuku]

CHAPTER THREE PT. II: DIMINISHED CAPACITY ❀ HIGURUMA SENSEI SERIES

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❀ diminished capacity.

Diminished capacity refers to an individual’s impossibility to form the intent necessary for committing any criminal act, because their capacity to fully comprehend the nature of their actions is impaired. It doesn’t, however, completely exclude their responsibility, and they may be held accountable to a lesser offense.

wc: 5.5K ❀ pairing for the series: professor!higuruma x student!reader

❀ tags and c/w.

non-curse au. college au. slow-burn romcom. professor and college student pre-relationship. internship interviews suck. nobara likes to steal food from people. mentions of hypothetical violent crime. nanami gets pestered by gojo even here. higuruma likes sunflowers. nanami has a sixth sense.

❀ notes etc.

Apologies to any colleagues reading the word “evidence” in place of “proof” and feeling like tackling me with a broom, lol. Also, a huge thanks to everyone who came around for part one, I hope you guys get to enjoy reading this just as much I enjoyed writing it.

Argh… Monday.

Internship hunt was hell. There was no other way to spin that wheel. You knew it’d be incredibly hard, but not this hard.

Mondays were cursed days, but to know that not only cursed, they’d also start with terrible interviews — plural — was not in your bingo card for this week. Between  oh, you just started criminal law I this semester? and we will let you know laid the crumbling sounds of your utmost despair of knowing full well you were in for a ride for those next few days.

Well, if only daydreaming about him could save you.

It didn’t, though.

Unfortunately.

You arrived at the campus cafeteria where you were supposed to meet Nobara. Even on a fairly uncomfortable chair, she slouched nearly enough to slide down onto the ground like a rag doll, and it didn’t take you much to realize these past few days were throwing her through the wringer too.

“You look like death,” you joked as you pulled your chair to sit with her, putting your tuna sandwich and can of soda over the table.

“And you look like… like… hmph,” she scoffed while rolling her eyes and propping herself back up again.

“No snarky comeback? Are you that tired?” 

“Leave me alone,” she replied, and apparently, she really wasn’t in the mood for playful banter. You took a bite out of your sandwich, pondering if you should ask her about it, but she beat you to it. “Why is getting internships this early in college is so damn hard?”

“Apparently, places don’t trust complete newbies or youngsters,” you noted, “and they want someone who has already studied all the necessary subjects prior to hiring. Also, people with prior experience are preferred.” 

“Yet these are internship opportunities! Aren’t interns supposed to be newbies who are going to learn from the experience they’ll get through the internship?” Nobara irritatedly inquired, her implied commentary more a complaint than a question. You nodded.

“Absolutely. It makes no sense, it’s like they’re just trying to hire a junior lawyer with less rights and a lower pay rate,” you churned out through your mouthful of tuna and mayonnaise, “now that I think about it, it’s probably that, actually.” 

“I can’t go back home! I mean, I made it all the way here. If I had to go back I would never get over this. I need some money, and I need some money soon, otherwise this will all just have been a waste of my time. I should just get a part time job already instead of insisting in starting my internship as fast as possible.” 

Nobara covered her face, and she sounded genuinely upset. You paused your munching for a bit, and after washing it all down with a few gulps of soda, you leaned towards her, pulling her hands from her face.

“Hey, Nobara, we’re not letting that happen, okay? Neither me, Maki, Yuuji or Megumi.” you offered in an attempt to comfort her. She let you peel her palms away, and gazed at you in a mixture of frustration and anger, which softly subsided after your comment. You decided to push your luck, just a bit. “We can refugee you in Megumi’s car. We’ll get you a hammer so you can hit passerbies for shits and giggles to let some collegiate steam out.” 

Consternated, she shook your hands off of her while you chuckled. She made her best effort to still look pissed, but you noticed a tiny smile forming on the edges of her mouth.

“That’s a shit plan, but I’ll take you up on that hammer offer,” she said, and you smiled at her, a gesture she finally reciprocated.

“I’d expect no less from you. So, tell me, in which area are you looking for internships? Fashion law?” 

“Nope, entertainment.” Nobara picked your half eaten sandwich in her hands and took a bite before you could protest. “Maki had told me it was easier to get internships in entertainment law to garner some experience for a future in fashion law, but honestly? I’m skeptical now.” 

“There might be some openings soon. Have you tried Professor Gojo’s firm? It’s the same as Professor Nanami’s, isn’t it? I mean, that giant firm with dozens of departments and that nearly every teacher at our college seems to work for.” You stretched your hand to get your sandwich back, but she slapped you away. “Hey!” 

“I need it more than you, I’m sad!” 

“I’m sad too! I had four terrible internship interviews today, give it back!” 

You both entered a silly slapping match, and the few people walking past the table would look away nervously in fear of getting dragged into the middle of whatever war was going on over a cheap cafeteria tuna sandwich.

“You were having interviews today too?! How come you never told me?! I’m gonna eat your food for not telling me stuff, you’ve been weird ever since that party that you went off for a smoke and dipped!” She took another humongous bite and you jumped over the table, finally snatching whatever remained of your food out of her hands.

“I haven’t been weird!” you had, “and yes, I did. I am interviewing for internship openings in criminal law, but… well, you’ve been through that these days yourself. You know the drill.” 

She grunted with tuna smeared around her mouth, trying to reach for the rest of your sandwich, and it was your turn to slap her.

“Stop it, Nobara. Quit being so stingy and buy one for yourself!” 

“Not when I can eat your food for free,” she joked while taking a big gulp from your soda can, and you sighed, which only gave her a shit eating grin. “Did you interview for that spot they announced today?” 

“What? What opening?”

“I just saw it, there was a new flyer on the main hall board. It’s an internship for criminal law, apparently under the guidance of Professor Geto,” Nobara said while shrugging. “Apparently the huge firm now has a criminal law department too. It was announced last week or so.” 

“Did it say up until when they were taking applications?” 

***

Each and every tendon in your body tensed as you sat with the perfect lady-like crossed ankles at the 45º angle under your second-hand suit. The meeting room was, for the lack of a better word, mighty, having an entire glass wall peering into the rest of the office, and towered over you high enough to have you feeling like a tiny speck of dust humbly drifting its way over the clearly expensive brown, leather couch. A few people walked by as you waited, and the mahogany table seemed big enough to fit three people. It was probably worth your entire year’s tuition, and you wondered if the ceiling height really needed to be tailored for elves. Or ents. Tree people, perhaps.

The firm’s name hung high right in front of you, the logo and letters made out of stainless steel illuminated by LEDs behind it. Opulence wasn’t a big enough word to describe that pompous display of corporate wealth.

You were fished out of your rags to riches daydreams by the pivoting door opening, figuring it was your interviewer for the position. 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the already well-known foxy-eyed, long haired Professor to come in, but a much more stoic individual with the polar opposite for a hair, not only in length but in color too. You already knew him from afar, as your commercial law Professor. He carried himself in a dignified manner, and upon further inspection, not only was his navy blue suit absolutely pristine, he also didn’t have a single hair strand out of place. You got up to greet him, bowing respectfully, and he returned the gesture.

“Good afternoon, Mrs.,” he said as he sat down on his chair across from you, “my name is Nanami Kento and I’ll be responsible for your interview today.”

You introduced yourself, and remarked, “apologies, but I thought Prof- I mean, Mr. Geto would be the one responsible for this interview today.”

 “As it stands currently, the criminal law department is my responsibility,” Nanami clarified, “so I decided I’d be the one responsible for interviewing our future team. I currently work in our corporate law department.”

You acquiesced with a professional smile. Something about how every tiny detail in him was on point gave you enough leads to conclude that of course this man took it upon himself to be the one responsible for the interviews.

“I’ve read in your resume that you are currently undertaking criminal law I and criminal procedure law I,” Nanami said as he held your resume in his hand, glancing at you and then at the paper, “which isn’t ideal for an intern entering a newly built department.”

Harsh enough?

You readjusted yourself on your chair before speaking.

“Yes, I am.”

He hummed quietly and pulled another paper sheet from his briefcase, and even if his facial expression was perfectly collected, something about how the edges of his lips curled gave away that he was less than happy about whatever was written on it.

“Our HR insisted I should bring this questionnaire with me today, so that I could ask you this list of questions as part of our interview,” he stated, his words followed by a quiet sigh. Nanami then proceeded to tilt the paper towards him and took a moment before proceeding. “Tell me more about yourself in three… captivating anecdotes.”

His voice sounded robotic, as if he was feigning not to loathe the question at hand, and deep down, you did find it amusing. Not enough to distract yourself from the fact that you were usually horrible at interviews altogether, though.

“I’m currently in my late twenties. I started law school last year, and worked during my early twenties to save money for tuition. I’m really passionate about criminal law, that is why I applied.”

Oh, God. What was that?

Well, you sounded robotic too, listing off obvious factualities as if providing a recipe’s ingredients. Both of you stared at each other in silence, wondering if that was what this question was supposed to infer, and it took the two of you so long to speak up again that it became uncomfortable.

Clearing his throat, Nanami unconsciously loosened his tie — barely — before continuing.

Well, at least I’m not the only one who’s uncomfortable.

“What…” he paused for a moment, and seemed to be biting down a discontented sigh, “animal would you be?” His gaze quickly darted down the sheet of paper, and his displeasure was palpable. For someone with such a straight face, his eyes were very telling.

What are these questions? Are we a hip tech company? Nanami thought to himself, wondering if he should make a new list to leave at HR. He was quick to discard the thought once he realized that meant he’d be telling other people how to do their jobs, something he did enough of already.

You didn’t quite know what the hell to answer.

“I… don’t know? I haven’t really thought about that in my life? A cat, perhaps?”

“I haven’t thought about that either, don’t worry, that’s unimportant. Let’s move on to the next question. How…” Nanami lifted an eyebrow, and that alone was enough to tell he was absolutely consternated, “many basketballs can fit inside a bus?”

“… Huh?”

Is this serious?

“I apologize, I believe there must have been some sort of mix-up at the HR, let me…”

Nanami was interrupted by three knocks on the glass wall. You both turned your heads to see Professor Gojo pointing at something — the paper Nanami held in his hands — while subsequently making a thumbs up, a wide grin smeared all over his face.

Without uttering a word nor missing a beat, Nanami got up, walked towards the glass and pulled on something you hadn’t yet noticed. Immediately, blinds slowly descended in front of the glass wall, and Nanami calmly walked his way back to his chair as Gojo’s face tried to keep peering inside the meeting room, descending alongside the rim of the blinds. He kept plastering his hands over the glass like a mimic.

A faint pained moan and a thud echoed once the blinds were about a foot away from reaching the floor.

“Is everything okay?” you inquired, pointing at Gojo’s direction.

“Ignore that.”

That wasn’t a request. You nodded. 

“Yes, sir.”

“Perfect. Let’s also ignore this for a while,” Nanami remarked while putting the sheet of questions aside with his fingertips as if it was radioactive. “Let’s try something else.”

Nanami had this feeling — a familiar one — that he’d be able to pry from you what he needed to know if he went about this interview in a more practical fashion. It reminded him of someone, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“I’m going to describe a hypothetical scenario, and I want you to debate it with me,” he stated.

“Okay.”

“A client comes to this office being investigated of homicide and he wants to hire the firm to represent them in Court. They intend to plead not guilty.” you nodded, and Nanami continued, “The victim was shot, but there was no gun to be found in the crime scene. However, the client was the only person in the vicinity apart from the victim’s body. The client’s clothes — a long sleeved shirt and jeans — are evidence that has been collected at the crime scene, but no forensics were requested for it by the prosecution. When questioned in their first meeting, the client is adamant that they did not commit the crime. The attorney needs to decide which path to take regarding evidence they’ll request or submit. Now, I ask you, which type of evidence would the attorney request if the client is truly innocent?”

You took a deep breath while mentally going over the hypothetical scenario Nanami had just relayed, and considering all he mentioned, there was only one possibility.

“If my client was truly innocent, I’d ask for forensic evidence on their clothes. Guns leave gunpowder vestiges on things like clothes, so if this person didn’t actually pull the trigger, there should be no gunpowder on their sleeves.”

Nanami acquiesced, but remained silent. 

Ok, this is not the only thing he wants to know.

“Also… I’d tell exactly that to the client.”

Nanami’s face remained completely expressionless, but something about how he tilted his head less than an inch gave you the feeling that he seemed pleased with your answer.

“And why would you do that?”

“We need to work with accurate information. If the client was lying, and we submitted a request for that evidence — forensics on their clothes — we’d be tanking their defense. They need to know what we’ll be submitting as evidence and why. I believe telling that to our client would be enough to sway them into telling us the truth,” you sighed, before concluding, “people lie. Even when they shouldn’t.”

Nanami silently picked your resume back into his hands, and seemed to scan it quickly with his eyes. You knew your chances were slim, considering you had just started Criminal Law that very semester, something he didn’t fail to notice.

After a minute, he spoke again.

“Would you be willing to use some of your spare time to study topics you might not have seen yet in criminal law?”

“Yes.”

Your heart was thumping in your chest. This was it.

Here goes nothing.

“Then, it’s settled. Can you start on Monday?”

***

This wasn’t Higuruma’s usual go-to wish when he found himself behind the Passo’s wheel, but truth of the matter was, he hoped more than anything for his car to breakdown before he got to his destination. It wasn’t something completely out of the question considering his car’s track record, but as if some destiny’s mockery had been bestowed upon him that morning, even the clack-clack-clacks he was already used to hear for the past three months were gone. As Murphy’s Law would have it, the Passo glided over the asphalt like butter. 

“Of course you won’t fail me when I need you to, you unreliable piece of-”he muttered to himself under a discontented huff.

Put upon wasn’t strong enough to convey how Higuruma was feeling, his knuckle-white grip around the steering wheel being enough to give him a sharp pain in his palms that would surely follow him for the next few hours. In a sense, he had been knuckle-white tense ever since that morning, thinking about this endeavor he was kicking himself to push through. It was the nth time he’d tried to make that visit over the past year, one that he dreaded with each and every fiber of his being. 

The Professor eyed his passenger’s seat for a second, his gaze lingering on the plastic bag he carried with him that day. Inside, there were a bottle of Kirin, an incense, and a single sunflower. The flower was definitely too long to fit properly inside the bag, and it’s head peeped though the opening, yellow petals flickering while the car moved, every ridge on the road seemingly making it jump further and further out of its container.

With one hand on the wheel, and the other reaching out, he tried shoving the sunflower back into the bag, and in between eyeing the bag, then the road, picking the flower, pushing it, the bag sliding off the seat, loud news coming on the radio, Higuruma getting startled, his glasses slipping down his nose bridge, him pushing them back in place with his shoulder, tires screeching, a car horn, his heart pounding and his ears ringing, Higuruma came to the sensible conclusion that he should, as any responsible adult would, take a break.

I need a smoke.

Who he was visiting was definitely not going anywhere.

Checking where he was, Higuruma noticed a cafe nearby, and as fate would have it, there was a single parking spot right in front of it. He maneuvered the Passo, and the car fit neatly in between the white lines. Higuruma pulled his sunflower shawl — this time, not caught under any death trap, but laid over his back seat  alongside your scarf —, threw it around his neck and got out. He took a moment to stretch his fingers in the cold air, his breath clouding in front of his mouth, and tapped around his coat to take his wallet, finally inserting some coins into the park meter and crossing the guardrail by the sidewalk. 

He’d have exactly thirty minutes to get his shit together.

The cafe was warm, inviting, and strangely familiar, its orange light almost emanating the smell of coffee beans, croissants and decadent redemption for weary travelers. The store front had a glass display through which he saw an assortment of sweet and salty baked goods. Higuruma would probably pick one of those to eat — the greasiest one, if possible —, had he not been carrying a rock in place of his stomach for the past few hours.

With his resolution waning, he mindlessly took a step back while peeping, and sighed, his tired sigh weighing on his body deciding for him that an espresso was probably the way to go.

Stepping inside, Higuruma paid no mind to whatever was around him, and waited for his turn in line to order his drink. Across from him, you nearly choked, half a donut shoved into your powdered-sugar smeared mouth, nearly spilling your own coffee over your second-hand suit.

After your interview, you thought it’d be a good idea to have a snack, and made your way inside the closest, warmest, coziest cafe you found, which was across the firm. 

At that moment, you found yourself in a cliché adult life predicament — you just saw someone you knew, but they didn’t see you. Should you go over to greet them? Should you not? Would simply leaving be rude? Should you go actually talk to the man you definitely had — and shouldn’t have — a crush on?

You clutched your coffee harder as the thoughts flew around in your mind, as second nature at this point to avoid giving him another beverage shower.

After some quick consideration, you decided you would at least say hello, after all, it was the polite thing to do. You shoved the rest of your food into your mouth, washed it all down with the rest of your coffee, haphazardly cleaned around your mouth with a napkin and slowly walked towards him, stopping a few feet away. Somehow, he still hadn’t seen you, apparently too immersed in thought.

That was when you noticed a shawl around his neck.

It was pretty damn ugly.

“Professor, hi!” you greeted, and Higuruma got yanked out of whatever daydreams — or waking nightmares — he had been simmering in while waiting in line.

“Oh, hello. I didn’t expect to meet anyone here,” Higuruma replied, “I just stopped by for a snack.”

“Oh, nice. Their coffee is pretty good,” you said, “I got the espresso.”

“And… I hope that you’re finished already? With your coffee, I mean.” he asked while checking your hands, his usually unaffected tone slightly playful, earning him a chuckle from you.

“Rest assured, I’m not assaulting you nor your ugly shawl with my coffee,” you quipped, but his eyes only widened. His owlish eyes blinked once, and then twice, in absolute silence.

That was when you realized.

Oh. I said that out loud.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Awfully hypocritical of both of us, huh?” he noted, with a discreet smile pulling on his lips. 

Relieved, realizing he hadn’t taken offense, you sheepishly returned his smile, “I guess so. I don’t think I’ll get to keep being hypocritical about our ugly scarfs, though. I can’t seem to find mine, it’s been gone ever since that party.”

It was like a light bulb went on in Higuruma’s mind, and he cleared his throat before saying, “well, I may just prove you wrong. Follow me.”

Not fully understanding what he meant by that, you stood by him while he paid for his coffee, got it and walked outside. The cold winter breeze prickled your cheeks and your uncovered neck like hair-thin razor blades, and you followed Higuruma towards a car that wasn’t all that strange to you. Upon further inspection, you noticed that it was indeed his car, the old navy blue beat up thing you used as a shield for the wind during that night when you tried and failed at least half a dozen times to light a cigarette.

And then met him, and gave him a vodka scare.

And helped patting him dry with your-

“Here,” he called out, opening the door to the back seat. Sure enough, you saw that red, frizzly old thing tangled up in a ball.

“My scarf!” you reached inside and took it out, instantly throwing it around your neck. Higuruma noticed how you were genuinely pleased to have finally found it, and thought to himself that he’d most likely feel the same way if he ever lost and found his beat up, old shawl. 

It was just one of those things imbued with a sense of history and familiarity that only beat up, old tokens from days past had.

“Thank you,” you whispered, while sliding your fingers through the worn out cotton. “It was a gift. I might complain about it more often than not, but-”

“But it’s an important part of your life,” he replied, and you both glanced at each other while you nodded.

“Yes. Something like that. It’s my favorite curse to carry around while complaining about it, you know?” you mused, adjusting it around your neck and gratefully welcoming the warmth it brought around your neck. 

“I think I do,” he answered finally, taking a sip from his coffee.

“Let me repay you,” you offered. “Can I offer you a snack, or anything? Perhaps a smoke?”

“I’ll take you up on that cigarette offer,” he replied, and you pulled your pack out of your coat. Giving it a few taps, a cigarette popped up, and you took it in your lips, pulling another one and handing it to him.

Against his better judgement, Higuruma was slightly disappointed, and for a second, felt like kicking himself over it.

Idiot, you can’t seriously be expecting her to light a cigarette for me every time she offers you a smoke. Actually, I shouldn’t expect that at all.

 Against his will, Higuruma felt his cheeks warming up, and he tried his best to dive his face into his shawl while politely took the cigarette off your hands. You didn’t notice his moves and offered him your lighter — the same yellow, disposable one he had given you days ago. He picked it up, lit his cigarette and returned it.

“I see you still have it,” Higuruma noted, smiling gently, and you acquiesced.

“It has been my faithful companion for these past few weeks. I’m just glad I haven’t lost it like I lost my scarf,” you said before chuckling.

Higuruma leaned over the guardrail with his elbows, finally relaxing after… God knows how long. Slowly, he seemed to be getting lost in thought, and you seized the opportunity to better look at his shawl.  It had a sunflower pattern that went in a straight line right in front of it.

Still looking around as he stewed in his silent contemplations, you noticed there was a bag laying on top of his passenger’s seat. Peeping through it, stood a single sunflower, and what seemed to be the top of a Kirin bottle.

A sunflower man, hm?

The thought amused you as the corners of your mouth perked up in a gleeful smile, but you were quickly pulled out from it.

“Do you work nearby?” he asked, while taking a drag from his cigarette. “This is far from campus.”

“No. I mean, not yet. I was just… chasing my dreams,” you remarked, puffing some smoke. “What about you, Professor?”

Higuruma chuckled softly.

“I was being haunted by mine.”

You must’ve looked puzzled, because he quickly amended, “I was just on my way to visit someone and took a break for some coffee, that’s all.”

“Oh, I see,” you replied, realizing you were probably getting in his way. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you from your appointment. I-”

“It’s okay, there’s no one waiting for me. Or so I like to think.”

That comment left you with more questions than answers.

“Apologies. I don’t mean to keep you from going about the rest of your day too,” he bid behind a curtain of smoke, “and thank you for the cigarette. I really needed it.”

With your final puffs, you put your cigarette out and smiled at Higuruma.

“It’s okay, Professor. I should really get going, though. We are, indeed, far from campus and I’d like to get to my dorm before it’s dark.”

With a bow, you walked away, leaving Higuruma to his own devices. He sighed, alone with himself and his thoughts once again, turning his attention once more to the bag he had inside his car.

“Hiromi,” a familiar voice called out. Higuruma turned around, only to be met by Nanami, who had a indecipherable expression on his face.

Minutes before, Nanami decided to visit the nearby cafe and check if they had his favorite casse croûte that day. He wouldn’t mind getting a croissant, though.

 Upon stepping outside his building with dreams of pastries swirling around his overworked mind, he noticed you and Higuruma outside the cafe, and figured that was the perfect opportunity to approach you both and introduce you as the new intern for the criminal law department. It was just a matter of time before Higuruma accepted his offer, as Nanami thought, and you’d be both working together. However, before he could, Nanami noticed you and Higuruma were chatting, and not only that, but you approached Higuruma’s car and got something — apparently belonging to you — from his back seat. The ugliest red scarf Nanami had ever seen.

… What?

Nanami then remembered that you were a student on the very same university he tended to.

The same one in which Higuruma was a teacher too.

Why does Hiromi have things belonging to a student in the backseat of his car, of all places?  

Nanami was at a loss for words, and faltered for a few moments, wondering how he should ask Hiromi about this. That is, if he even should ask Hiromi about anything at all. Nanami decided to watch from afar, and something about the way Higuruma was carrying himself bothered Nanami.

He had only seen his best friend behaving like that in very specific scenarios, ones in which Hiromi definitely shouldn’t be interacting with a student of his.

After you left, Kento finally walked towards Hiromi, still uncertain if he should question his friend about the nature of your relationship with him. He could be imagining things.

But something was definitely disturbing him, he was sure of it. Something he couldn’t quite put a finger on.

“Kento, hi! Oh… I had forgotten, your firm is nearby, isn’t it?” Hiromi asked while looking around. “Sorry, I always seem to forget where it is. That explains why this cafe felt so familiar. Care for a smoke?”

“No.”

“You haven’t smoked with me in a long time,” Higuruma offered, pulling his own cigarette pack from his coat’s inner pocket. 

“I quit years ago,” Nanami reminded him, trying to put an end to this conversation detour.

“You still smoke on special occasions,” Higuruma offered, “eh, I wish I had your resolve.”

“You do, you just fail to direct it at things that will benefit you in the long run.”

“Just my little human shortcoming, I guess,” Higuruma finally replied, sparing Nanami a soft smile. He walked towards his car while unlocking it, “Let’s have something to eat, the coffee opened up my appetite. I just need to get more coins in case I end up going over the meter’s time limit, hold on.”

“Hiromi,” Nanami said once again, his tone graver than usual. That caught Higuruma’s attention.

“Hm, is everything okay?” Higuruma asked while leaning into his car.

Before Nanami could go on with his planned line of inquiry, he noticed what was over passenger’s seat. Especially the sunflower.

“Are you at it again?” Nanami asked, gesturing with his head towards it.

“Ah, you saw it…” Higuruma commented, as if he was a child being caught red handed while making a mess out of the house. “Well, yes. I’m trying to, and failing at it once again.”

“You know you don’t have to go, right?” Kento offered, while pulling some change from his pocket. “I have coins, we’ll be fine. Let me get you a snack, this cafe has the best casse croute around.”

“I do have to go, though,” Higuruma closed the door and stepped back onto the sidewalk. “I should, at least.”

Higuruma’s earlier energy seemed to wane ever so slightly, his shoulders falling while he slouched, unconsciously making himself smaller. 

“I don’t think I’ll manage to do it today, either,” he finally said, his eyes low on his feet, and his voice barely above a whisper.

Assessing the situation, it was clear that Higuruma was in no way in the right mindset to have that conversation regarding you, so Nanami put a mental note on it to ask about it at a later time. He stepped beside Hiromi and put a hand gently on his shoulder, sighing.

“Is it low tar?” Nanami questioned, clearing his throat to disguise his displeasure.

“Hm, what?”

“Your cigarette. Is it low tar?”

Higuruma huffed, a tiny smile forming on his lips as he said, “yes, yes it is.”

In a smooth motion, Higuruma pulled his pack back out of his coat and took two cigarettes out of it, handing one to Nanami along with a lighter. With the disposition of a man ready to face the electric chair, Kento pursed his lips around the cigarette, and lit it, only to be thrown in a coughing fit moments later.

“How the mighty do fall,” Higuruma noted with a discreet smirk on his lips, “you used to smoke more than me.”

“Shut up,” Nanami managed to churn out in between coughs, “this brand is awful.”

His friend chuckled while taking one long drag from his cigarette.

“Hey, Kento.”

“What?” Nanami considered tossing the cigarette as far as he could, but tried his best to survive it, even if just for Hiromi’s benefit.

“Is that offer still on the table? To…” Hiromi paused for a moment, clearing his throat, “hm, work in your firm?”

Managing to get his throat and lungs under control, Nanami glanced at Hiromi, knowing full well that good things came to those who wait.

Just like he had.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

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Rad, once again (you already listened to me screeching like a banshee and ugly crying over it, lol), thank you very much for this amazing piece. It is beyond my wildest dreams alsdjasldkj

-

Tag list (updated):

@arusearu @yammy-yammy-yama @redlikerozez @killerplink

@alwaysfreakingout @murderofravens @cmdrfupa @higurumapet @cindyneko-strider @howmanytimesamigoingtotrythis

@ohhheymessa @bigbaddulce @actuallysaiyan @s-witch-bitch @yeonjunarchives

@soft--cherry @quinnyundertow @traffi @shibataimu @shimadalluvia

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Professor Crewel! A moment of your time, if I may? How goes the chess matches between you and Professor Trein? You and he mention playing one another regularly. Who currently has more wins? (Or are you neck-and-neck in terms of victories?)

If he doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will.

“Heh, need you ask?” Crewel puffed up proudly, haughtiness slipping into his voice. “Of course, I’m ahead in wins.”

“Now hold on, Crewel-sensei,” Trein protested, his brow creasing. “That is not how I recall it.”

“Well then, your memory must be deceiving you,” he replied snippily.

“My mental acuity is very much still intact, thank you very much,” Trein sniffed. “I’m afraid you’ve allowed arrogance to cloud your perception of reality. I am ahead in the victory count—though you are close behind, so no need for this bashful act. Recognize that it is a feat in of itself to come this close to matching me and humbly accept your loss.”

Crewel’s eyes flashed dangerously. His mouth was a tight-lipped smile. “Excuse me? Perhaps I didn’t hear you correctly, my dear old instructor—but I’m certain that last game was my victory.”

“Impossible. Lucius was there to witness it from start to end, and he can corroborate that the game went to me.”

“Mrrow.” Lucius yawned lazily from his comfortable spot in his master’s arms. He seemed bored with the volleying argument, too acclimated to them now to even bat an eye.

Me too, Lucius, you sighed, on the same wavelength. Me too.

“As if testimony from your familiar is a reliable account!”

“Lucius is plenty reliable.”

“Like hell he is!”

“Language, Crewel-sensei!”

“Bah, you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Crewel jabbed a crimson cloaked finger at you, the innocent bystander.

“M-Me?!”

“You!” he barked. “We’ll have another round, right here, right now. You’ll serve as the impartial judge. Use your well-trained eyeballs and let us know very clearly who wins.”

Trein frowned. “You’re imposing on them—”

“What?” Challenge rose in Crewel’s voice. “Are you scared and trying to save face? Tsk, tsk, I’d have thought you to be more courageous than this, Trein-sensei.”

The older man’s frown deepened, bordering on a scowl. “I never said I wouldn’t accept, simply that you are being rude to them.”

“You can worry about them later. You should worry about yourself right now. I won’t be holding back!”

“Likewise—and I expect you to apologize after my victory.”

“Won’t happen, because that win is as good as mine.”

“Er, I’ll go and fetch a chess board and playing pieces then,” you awkwardly interrupted, attempting to diffuse the mounting tension. “Wait here one sec! I’ll be right back. Try not to tear each other apart while I’m gone.”

Crewel and Trein silently glared at each other.

“Mrrrow…” Lucius cast you a sympathetic look.

[harunayuuka2060]

Leona: I don't understand why we're doing this.

Ruggie: Hey, but admit it. It's kind of fun. Not your usual writing your research papers.

Kalim: *yells from afar* Leona! How's your investigation??

Jamil: Kalim, mind your own business. We still need to gather evidence for the mystery they tasked us.

Kalim: But our stories need to be aligned, right?

Jamil: *facepalm* Yes and no. Sensei specifically asked that we do our own task and once we're done, we shouldn't bother the others.

Kalim: Aww...

Leona and Ruggie: ...

Leona: This is going to be chaotic.

Ruggie: Yep. Definitely.

Riddle: Hmm...

Riddle: This is not adding up!

Jade: The alibis have to make sense for them to work.

Azul: You need to do your job right because we're going to re-enact that.

Floyd: I like being the suspect.

Malleus: What are you all doing?

Them: AH!

Riddle: Oh. It's you, Malleus-senpai.

Azul: We're currently solving a mystery.

Malleus: Mystery? Like solving them?

Floyd: Hm... Not exactly. You see, MC-sensei asked us to do one of the steps.

Jade: And ours should be in line with the others.

Malleus: Hm. I didn't know mysteries could be solved like that.

Azul: Floyd and I will be the actors showing how the mystery worked.

Azul: While Riddle and Jade are tasked to arrange the alibis and select which ones are plausible.

Malleus: *nods* I see. May I sit in to your class to watch?

Riddle: Well, MC-sensei wouldn't mind the least. So yes, you could.

MC: *chuckles* I'm quite excited for this. Are you feeling the same, sophomores?

The sophomores: Hell, yes!!!

MC: *laughs* *then noticed Malleus* Oh! We have a third-year here! Hello, Mr. Draconia~!

Malleus: I apologize for not asking you first before I came here, sensei.

MC: No worries! You've asked Mr. Rosehearts. That should be fine.

Riddle: ...

Riddle: How—

MC: Now, I believed everyone have completed their tasks. Let's see how your stories would be aligned.

Malleus: *has been cackling since he came back from Professor MC's class*

Lilia: Malleus? Malleus? Care to share what happened?

Malleus: It was hilarious.

Lilia: *pouts* Just tell me already.

Silver: You can ask me, father. I was there too.

Lilia: Alright. So what happened?

Silver: We were tasked to complete a mystery. We completed each a step and we started off good. Leona and Ruggie provided what was the mystery within the situation and who were likely the suspects.

Silver: Sensei applauded them, but that was when the chaos started.

Silver: The second step up to the last didn't match with what Leona and Ruggie's group provided.

Silver: The only saving grace we had was when Floyd and Azul managed to guess how the victim died.

Malleus: Rosehearts' team had guessed that it was due to a powerful curse and the reason behind it was jealousy, however— *starts laughing again*

Silver: It was only a huge misunderstanding. The suspects were guilty of attempted murder for trying to poison the victim's food. But the victim...

Silver: ...

Malleus: *still laughing*

Silver: Just died from choking...

Silver: After eating a huge meatball.

Lilia: ...

Lilia: Wow.

Malleus: And the meatball wasn't even poisoned—

Crowley: Professor MC, the third-years are now requesting for you to be their teacher as well.

MC: Hmm... That's too sudden.

Crowley: Mr. Draconia has shown some interests in your class which is a really good thing.

MC: Hehe~ Headmage, since my workload seems to be increasing... Does that mean I'm getting a raise?

Crowley: ...

Crowley: How much do you want?

MC: My mom's birthday is next week and I badly want to treat her to something fancy.

Crowley: Er... Double?

MC: Yes. Thank you~.

[traffic-light-eyes]

They say love is the best medicine. Kai has never once believed that; how could love, a mere concept, help? He couldn't understand.

When he scraped his knee as a kid, did his absent mother kiss it better? No. When he burnt his hand forging a sword, did his father clean him up? No. Love is nothing but a nuisance, a petty attempt at making something out of nothing.

He knows this. He knows this, but why does he make those attempts for his little sister, Nya? Why does he have to kiss he wounds, to clean her up, to love her? Why can't he help it?

Kai all but drops everything for her. She can not turn out like him: jaded, ruinous, unloving. He won't let it happen. He'll teach her love, a concept he could never quite grasp. He'll learn it, fake it. All for her. His baby sister.

Love doesn't heal. It doesn't have magical powers that instantly cure an illness. Love doesn't heal.

When he sits alone in the bounty, stressed and upset, he has no medicine to fix it. His arms ache from the endless training he forces himself to endure; he has to get stronger for Nya. He has to. But it hurts. He finds his body isn't what all that aches.

A deep devastating ache resides in his chest. Heartache. He has no medicine for this. He can't fix this. He can't he can't he can't. He's so useless-can't save his sister; can't protect that stupid brat, Lloyd; and he certainly can't solve his own damn issues. Useless.

He feels the warmth next to him before he feels the hand on his back. He won't look. Another hand joins the first. His head is cradled against a chest, one hand holding the nape of his neck gently, the other his lower back.

He cries for the first time in a while.

It isn't fair. It isn't fair. It isn't fair.

"I know," Cole whispered, a gravelly rumble grounding him in the moment. Kai hadn't even realized he had been speaking. "I know, Kai. Just let it out. FSM knows you deserve it."

He cries. Sobs. His body jerks with each moment, breath hitching, limbs clutching onto the nearest surface.

It takes a while, but he calms down. His face stays in the crook of Cole's neck, soft puffs of air giving him goosebumps. In a normal situation, Kai would yell at Cole for touching his hair, but in this moment, Kai practical purrs at the soft, gentle carding of his recently washed hair.

When he finally gets his voice back, it crackles like a vintage radio, but he speaks. "How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't."

"Oh," Kai said dumbly, "Then why are you here?"

"Well, I wouldn't just walk away after seeing you like an abandoned puppy-dog."

Kai scoffs, removing himself from Cole's warmth. "I didn't ask for your help."

"I know."

"I didn't need it. I would've been fine."

"I'm sure you would've."

"Then why the heck did you stay?" Was he pressing too much? He shouldn't ruin a good thing. Why did he say that? Oh, fsm, he should really learn when to shut his big mouth.

"I think I told you already," Cole joked, "but I could be wrong."

Kai scoffed again. He pinched Cole's elbow with a glare.

"Yowch!" Cole jerked away, slightly laughing while rubbing his injured elbow. "Okay, okay, I yield."

Kai pushed himself further away. He doesn't know if he wants to hear this. He knows what's coming: 'Oh Kai, you just looked so sad and pathetic, and I'm such a great perfect person, so I just had to come and help you out! But since you're so weak, I'll have to talk to Sensei Wu about kicking you out. Sorry, not sorry!'

"Kai, we haven't known each other for long. Barely a month or two, really. But I've come to care for you. And that includes caring for you when you're upset like today."

Huh.

"You're part of the team now. We take care of one another. We love each other. Yes, even when Jay eats the last pancake."

Huh.

"Kai? Are you good? You haven't blinked in the past two minutes."

His body jerks, face flushing. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Alright," Cole laughs. "I'll see you soon, then. I'm gonna go grab whatever delicious food Zane is cooking up right now."

"Yeah," Kai said, "see you soon."

He leaves. Huh.

Love is stupid and useless. He doesn't remember the last time he felt it. But with the warmth of Cole's embrace lingering and his face still flushed, he can't seem to remember why that mattered.

He feels better. He used no ointment or pill, but he feels better. Love. Love was his medicine.

[raamitsu]

Umemiya Hajime, 14 years old young boy, dreamt to unite every students of Furin High and townsfolks together. I'll make this short since I can get very emotional when writing a post, sadly.

Referring to my previous post, a nine years old Ume went through a lot of unresolved feelings; and the most obvious one was definitely where he blamed himself for the accident that he did not expected nor caused. Fate is known to intertwine people not just through pleasure of life but also hardship, and he met his; kids from the orphanage, the man named Yuki who managed the orphanage and a student from Furin High which his identity was unknown - recognized Yuki as his "sensei".

Again, his fate intertwined with the student as he attempted to commit suicide for the second time, as his first attempt failed to take his life away. This was where his life began to gain its value. To be honest, it was a relieved turnover because Ume might not be existed as the current representative of Bofurin if he jumped off without the student to watch over or the townsfolks + Yuki to search for him. When reading from a reader's POV, you will realize that this situation is what you call "the little things that matters" ; to preserve and protect the life of innocent people. (Rings a bell, isn't it? Hehe.) It is also to gain your sympathy and empathy as a human being.

For the last five years, he had finally letting go of the guilt that chained him down, overcame his trauma and successfully built a strong bond with everyone at the orphanage (he even addressed himself as "onii-chan" which means "big brother" 😭) and became a 14 years old teen who had a big smile on his face and extremely cheerful - as we have also seen in the earlier chapters.

Back to the first paragraph, his goal was to connect the student of Furin and townsfolks together - in order to create an atmosphere filled with harmony and peace among themselves. This goes back to where he was saved by the same student from the same school he went into and the people from the orphanage who did not give up on him. Even when he has lost his parents' everlasting love and care through a tragedy, both of it were then extended through them. Therefore once again, Ume had regained the two things he has lost and decided to extend those with the others - thus create a place (or you can say a safe space) where "everyone can be happy together" regardless of who you are.

Man, Umemiya really has changed into a completely fine young man *sobs* Through a faithful and constant actions, he finally achieved it in a year after Furin was reunited.

Oh crap- unfortunately this post has gotten too long though I've said otherwise so that's it ^^ Thank you for patiently reading my thoughts.

[xxlady-lunaxx]

Demons and Unicorns | {SabiGiyuu}

PICTURES AREN'T MINE IDK IF I MADE THAT CLEAR HELP 😭obv bc the art styles are so different but whtv

Theme: Fluff (let's pretend the picture isn't angsty-)

Giyuu woke up with a start, sweating, crying. "No.. no no no no no," he mumbled, hyperventilating.

"Giyuu? Wh.. what happened?" Sabito muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

"I.. you.. you and Tsutako.. and Urokodaki-sensei died.. I was too slow.. I.. I couldn't save you.. they tortured you and.. killed you.. Urokodaki-sensei was already dead.. I... he.." Giyuu sobbed, trying to explain.

"It was just a nightmare, Giyuu, don't worry. I'm here, I'm okay. Urokodaki-sensei is in the other room. You're okay. Who is 'they'?" Sabito said, completely ruining the comfort he was giving by asking that.

"Demons.. there was five.. too many.. I couldn't even kill one.. I was too slow.." Giyuu continued, clutching onto Sabito's arm.

"Hey, It's okay! You're okay! Okay??" Sabito repeated. He was alright with pep talks, but comforting when Giyuu was in this much stress? Nah, he couldn't do it. "Uh.. we're alright! I promise!"

"There was blood everywhere.. too much.. on.. on me.. all.. all over.." Tears streamed down Giyuu's cheeks as he tried to calm down. His breath only grew more rapid as he tried. His body shook and he leaned onto Sabito for support.

The peach haired male sat awkwardly, unsure what to do. "I'm.. still here? Don't worry, uhm.. it's okay!" he said again, wishing he was better at this. "Look, you're strong and you can do anything! And you always say I'm strong, right? So I can protect you!"

"No.. but.. you died.. they killed you.. You couldn't move.." Giyuu mumbled, shaking his head. "You died.."

"I'm not dead yet, right! Ahaha.." Sabito forced a nervous laugh.

"Yet!!" the younger one cried out, sobbing harder. "Yet.."

Sabito sighed, patting Giyuu's back. "No, but.. we're okay now, and we're going to live the best we can. Right? We'll do our best through the years we live!! It's okay!! You're okay, I'm okay, we're all okay!!"

Giyuu hiccuped, still crying. He buried his face in the crook of Sabito's neck, trying to breathe slowly. In a desperate attempt to make it better, Sabito quickly said randomly, "The— The unicorns will.. uh.. chase away the demons and make everything better with their magic!! I swear!!" 

Giyuu paused, confused. He looked up and his eyes met the lavender ones staring back at him. "What?"

"They'll.. use their magic horns to.. uh.. kill the demons and save us all!!"

Giyuu let out a half-laugh half-sob. "Sabito! They aren't real! And even then, you guys had already died."

"Yeah well, we didn't think demons were real before!! Who knows? Maybe unicorns are real!!" Sabito insisted. 

"Sure.."

"And they can use their magic to bring.. uh., bring me and your sister and Urokodaki-sensei back to life! Okay?" Sabito grinned, hugging Giyuu.

"Mm, mhm," Giyuu agreed, incredulously. "You're funny, Sabito."

"Thank you! Ooh, I'm sure they would prance around the room and scare away the demons," Sabito added, trying to get Giyuu to forget about his nightmare. It worked, because the raven laughed and shook his head. 

"Oh Sabito," he giggled, pushing him away. "You're being riduculous."

"Well! You like it!" Sabito insisted.

"Mhm, sure."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean??" Sabito huffed.

"Nothing~!" Giyuu said, smiling widely. 

Sabito smiled back. He was glad Giyuu was no longer crying. It was hard to see him like that. Made him want to break down as well sometimes. Jokes always made it easier though. Almost always.

The door opened and Urokodaki poked his head in. "What are you two doing up so late? It must be, like, 2am! Go back to sleep!"

The two quickly apologized and Giyuu cuddled back into his covers. Sabito got up. "I'm going to go get some water, be right back!!"

"Okay!"

Urokodaki followed Sabito out. "What happened?" he asked, once they were out of earshot.

"Giyuu had a nightmare. I didn't know what to say, so I told him that unicorns were going to save us," Sabito shrugged, getting a cup and filling it with water.

"That's- That's ridiculous and genius. Did it work?"

"Yeah, that's why we were laughing." He took a sip of water then set it down.

"Oh I'm glad. He seems to be having less nightmares than before, but still.." Urokodaki fussed, looking worried. After all, they had never been just his students. He'd viewed every single child he took in as his own, caring for them like he was their father.

"Mhm. Oh! What if you dressed up as a unicorn to surprise Giyuu tomorrow? Isn't it nearing his birthday?" Sabito suggested, his eyes lighting up.

"WHAT?? I am not going to dress up as a unicorn!" Urokodaki shook his head. "Why would you even suggest that?"

"Don't you want to make him happyyy??" Sabito insisted.

"Yes but-"

"Great! I'll wake up early and get you one! Thank you, bye!" Sabito said, holding back laughter. 

Urokodaki sighed, annoyed, but slightly amused as well. "They're still children.."

Sabito did get Urokodaki a unicorn costume. It was white and had bring neon rainbow colors. Overall, it was.. uncomfortable.  Extremely. 

Giyuu woke up a little later than usual. He expected to be reprimanded for it but when he looked around, he just saw Sabito with a tray of breakfast, looking amused. 

"Sabito? Huh?" Giyuu was confused, to say the least. 

"Nothing, nothing!! Here, have this," Sabito said, pushing the tray of food to him.

"Oh! Thanks," Giyuu smiled, starting to eat. 

Suddenly, Sabito burst into laughter, much to Giyuu's confusion. "Huh?"

"L-Look behind you!" he choked between laughs.

Giyuu did and nearly fell over when somebody came running in, dressed up as a unicorn. "SABITO-? WHAT?-" he squeaked, giggling.

"I-IT'S.." Sabito pressed a hand to his chest. "Urokodaki-sensei..!" he laughed.

Giyuu shook his head, his smile growing. "No.. you didn't-"

"Take off the hood!!" Sabito insisted.

Giyuu got up and went to the 'unicorn'. He patted it's head then took it off, stepping back when he found Urokodaki's head poking out of the costume. He burst into laughter again and Sabito did as well, causing Urokodaki to chuckle. 

"I guess the unicorns are going to save us, after all!" 

{Word count: 986}

GOOFY AHH STORY IDEA I HAD RANDOMLY!! DON'T ASK. THE LAST PART WAS JUST BC IT WAS SHORT ASF SO I ADDED A LITTLE MORE :P

LY ALL, BYE BYE<33

[lacontroller1991]

Whumptober Day 1: Johnny Lawrence

Main Master List || Whumptober Master List

DAY 1: Drugging/Sick/Poisoned (Sub: Bloody Knuckles)

Summary: You got in a fight for your life and the only thing you could think about is going to the comfort of your sensei, unknowing of your wounds.

WARNINGS: Blood, open wounds, ILLUSION TO ATTEMPTED S.A

----------

You don’t know where you’re going. You don’t know what day it is. You don’t know whether it’s sunny or raining and you don't know what time it is. All you know is that your feet subconsciously carry you to the door of the man who had inadvertently saved your life. Letting out a shaky sigh, you slowly raise your fist, hoping that he’s home. Knocking against the wooden door, you wince from the pain, looking down at your knuckles and seeing red everywhere.

Too engrossed in your thoughts, you don’t realize when the door opens, revealing your sensei on the other side, confused as to why you showed up at his door. “(Y/N)?” Your name being called snaps you out of your thoughts as you look up at Johnny, your lip quivering slightly before you launch yourself into him, grabbing onto his shirt and sobbing into the fabric. In confusion and concern, Johnny guides you through his door before shutting it, letting you cling to him. “What’s going on?” 

“I- I was walking home from class- and- these guys came from nowhere. I had to-” you choke, sniffling, ignoring the way your fists burn. “I had to defend myself.” Johnny doesn’t need a full explanation to get the gist of what had transpired. Looking down, he winces at your busted, bloody knuckles. Despite the situation, he is glad that you were able to utilize what he has taught you to defend yourself, afterall, that’s what it’s for.

“Ok, ok. Let’s get them cleaned up,” he comments softly, guiding you to his bathroom and sitting you down on the toilet. He rushes to the medical cabinet, grabbing some alcohol wipes, bandages and hydrogen peroxide before returning to your side, kneeling in front of you. “This is gonna hurt. Is that ok?” 

You nod silently, holding out your hands to him, not really saying anything. You watch as he gently takes your hands in his, wiping away the dried blood with some alcohol and revealing your busted knuckles. You slightly flinch away from him as he pours hydrogen peroxide and he immediately pulls away, looking up at you in concern. 

“Are you ok?”

You nod your head, tears having subsided to hiccups. “Yeah, sorry, I’m still shaken.”

“Don’t apologize. I know that even if you have the tools to protect yourself it still doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s terrifying. I hate that you had to use them.” His voice is sincere as you allow him to retake your hands, lightly dabbing the peroxide onto the wounds. In the dojo, Johnny is intimidating and can come off as scary, but when you get to know him, he really cares about each and every student. “I remember when I lost the All Valley tournament back in ‘84 my sensei had placed me in a chokehold. I was so terrified that even though I was really good at karate, it didn’t mean anything in that moment. It really says something about your strength that you fought through that fear,” his words are more comforting than you thought they would be as he finishes wrapping up your knuckles. “Do you want to go to the police? Get those bastards behind bars?”

You shake your head, a small smile on your face. “Even though my knuckles are fucked up, you should see them.” Johnny smiles in response, standing to his full height and offering you a hand, helping you up.

“I don’t doubt it. You’re one hell of a fighter. Do you need a ride home?” 

“Can I stay here for a little?” Johnny is slightly confused as to why you would want to stay at his place but he doesn’t make a comment on it. Instead, he moves to his kitchen and pulls out two Coors Banquets, handing one to you. 

“Yeah, that’s fine.” You nod in thanks, taking a seat on the couch next to him as he turns on his tv. The both of you watch in silence for a few minutes before you turn to look at him. 

“Hey sensei?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. Without you teaching me, I don’t want to know what could’ve happened to me.” 

“I’m just glad that the lessons were useful and that you can protect yourself.” He smiles in return, taking a sip from his beer. You nod in response, taking a sip of your own beer as you internally thank yourself for walking into Cobra Kai that one day that changed your life. 

==========

[todoroki-waifu]

Super late, but this is from the poll results! Thank you again to those who voted. :)

Itadori x Reader

Warning: Gender neutral reader, a small, slightly suggested part, and cursing.

Scenario: How Itadori shows he really cares for you.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1,896

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

You returned from your two day mission late that evening, exhausted and sore. You also didn't recover from the previous missions that were given to you prior to the one you just came back from. Because of your abilities and the rising numbers of high grade curses, you were needed more frequently. You either went solo or in a group, but lately it's just been you.

"Good morning, everyone." A yawn is laced with your greeting as you walk  towards the entrance of the dormitories. The others were training, but stopped when they saw you.

"Good morning? It's already evening!" Itadori straightens up from his defensive stance to rush over to you.

"__(y/n)! It's been forever!" Kugisaki beats Itadori and has her arms wrapped around your body.

"I know, I've been a bit busy with these assignments." You returned her embrace.

"I'm gonna yell at Gojo-sensei for taking you away from me. I'm getting hives from being around these two monkeys for so long." She jests as Fushiguro sends her a glare while Itadori raises a brow.

"You might have to hold on just a bit longer. I'm leaving again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Already?" Itadori was starting to agree with Nobara about scolding their white haired sensei.

"Yeah, but it's at night! Hopefully it'll just be a one day kind of thing."

"I hope so! Anyway, go get settled. We're finished here then we're gonna make some hot pot."

You nod at the three of them, agreeing to join them later once you finish taking a shower and changing into comfortable and intact clothes. Yuji leaves Megumi and Kugisaki to walk with you back inside.

"You sure you're gonna be okay going tomorrow?" He then grabs your bag and belongings, offering to hold them for you. You attempt to get them back, but Yuji wants to help. Even if it's something as tiny as this.

"Yeah, I mean...I don't really have a choice, but even if I did, I'd still take it. There's people in danger so I want to do this."

"You're over exhausting yourself." He frowns at the consequences your body may potentially suffer.

"I'll be fine. Promise." You give him a smile as you make your way towards your room. Once in front of your dorm, that was when you both departed to get ready for dinner.

You're gathered on one table with a boiling pot of soup and various ingredients scattered around. You thanked those who prepared it since none of them allowed you to help and instead encouraged you to rest. A few minutes into dinner and your body was starting to crave sleep.

"Whoa, hey, you okay?" Itadori sees your head in an alternating up and down motion with your eyes fluttering and bowl almost tilting forward. He puts down his own bowl to stabilize yours as you finally lift your head up.

"Sorry! I just got so tired suddenly."

"We can save you some if you want to go to bed." Megumi suggests and you shake your head.

"I'm hungry, too. Wish there was a way I could both eat and sleep at the same time." You tried to rub the sleepiness from your eyes.

"Oi, why don't you feed them? They can barely hold their bowl. Help them out." Nobara points her chopsticks at Yuji.

"M-me?!" A red tint develops across his face.

"Duh, of course you! You're the one sitting next to them."

Itadori grabs your utensil and dish, picking up some noodles before telling you that he'd assist feeding you.

"You mean I can close my eyes and eat? Perfect!" You turn your body to face Itadori with your eyes shut and mouth open to accept some food. Itadori's blush only deepened and he could feel his blood was being directed elsewhere.

"Oh my God!" He shouts suddenly, earning confused stares from his friends.

"What happened?" You ask and Itadori shakes his head.

"No-nothing. Sukuna was just being...funny."

"Fuck you, kid. You know you were thinking the same thing." A toothy grin appears on his right cheek, making Itadori yell at the cursed spirit residing in him.

"He's having a moment...Fushiguro, you go feed __(y/n)." Your brown haired friend elbows the shikigami user and he starts to stand up.

"N-no! I got it. Just give me a sec." The pink haired boy was able to quiet a laughing Sukuna before focusing on you. You went back to your previous position and Itadori had to bite down on his tongue to fight off another blush. He thought back on how tired and hungry you were which redirected his concentration.

Yuji made sure that the food wasn't too hot or too big for you to bite on. He kept a steady pace and managed to find a way to feed himself in between. After a few more bites and enjoying being fed by your crush, you took back your bowl. It was fun to see his reaction, but found it sweet at how determined he was that you fulfilled your nutritional intake for the day.

Once everyone was satisfied with warm and full bellies, you attempted to wash the dishes. Again, none of them allowed you and Kugisaki sent Itadori to bring you upstairs.

"You should get some rest." He starts leading you to your room.

"Not yet! I've missed you!" You immediately swerve in front of him then your eyes widen at what you just said. "A-and Nobara! And Megumi, too! I haven't hung out with you guys in a long time."

"Well, Kugisaki and Fushiguro are gonna head to bed early since they leave for a mission in the morning. Mine isn't until the afternoon so I can hang out with you if you don't mind just me?"

"Of course, not! I love hanging out with you. C'mon." You grabbed his hand, dragging him to your room. You both occupied your bed, you leaning against the headboard while Itadori was laying sideways on the foot of your bed.

Within a few minutes while Itadori was catching you up on the past few weeks, you were nodding off again until you plopped on the bed. The pink haired vessel wasn't offended, instead was relieved that you finally accepted some sleep.

He carefully maneuvers you into a better position, covering you up to your shoulders with your blanket. As he adjusts the pillow under your head, he frowns at the number of bandages and bruises on your person. He then exits the room after turning off the lights, pulling out his phone to dial his teacher's number.

"Itadori? What's up?"

"Please let me take __(y/n)'s mission."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I know they have one tomorrow night. Let me take that instead and switch theirs with mine."

"Why?" Gojo asks after a brief pause.

"Be-because I...I just..they've been, you know and I just-" He stutters, face and ears becoming warm. "Just let us switch! Please, sensei."

The white haired male exhales loudly before explaining the details of the case. "This is going to be a difficult one for you, Itadori. Based on __(y/n)'s abilities and technique, they could finish the job in 3 days, but for you, 6 days. Are you prepared for that?"

He had no idea that there was such a difference between yours and his fighting levels. Itadori was going to need to catch up so you didn't leave him behind or worse, be a burden to you.

"Yes. I'll take it. Do I need to wait until tomorrow? Can't I just go now?" Itadori had the energy and resolve plus if it was going to take him 6 days, maybe he could cut it down if he starts now.

"I don't see why not, but be aware that even if you leave now, you're only shaving off maybe...half a day earlier. Anyway, pack your things. I'll send a ride for you in 20 minutes."

--------

It's been almost a week since you last saw Itadori and when you noticed the changes to your assignments. They've become lighter and you were able to finally work with Megumi and Nobara again. You also found out that Itadori had swapped missions with you and you were anxiously waiting for him to return so you could question why.

As you sit on the front steps of the dorm, you see a familiar white and pink haired teacher and student. You're the only one to greet them since Nobara went shopping and Megumi was visiting his sister.

"Yuji! You're all beat up." He sees concern swimming in your __(e/c) eyes.

"I'm okay, promise! That curse was a tough one, but I did it!"

"I heard what you did. Why did you switch our missions? Were you afraid that I couldn't handle it?"

"Wha-no! That's not it at all!" Itadori fidgets in his spot, trying to explain it in a way that doesn't devalue your sorcery skills. Behind Itadori, you see Gojo a few feet away, laughing quietly at the boy who was in love with you. Your teacher makes an outline of a heart with two fingers then points at Itadori.

Ah, now you understand.

"I didn't think that you couldn't handle it. I just felt like you were being overworked and I wanted to help you. I wanted to relieve at least a bit of your workload because you deserve some rest, too. And you know, teamwork makes the dream work...ahehe..."

Gojo slaps a hand over his blindfold, shaking his head at Itadori's missed opportunity to tell you exactly how he felt. But you already knew what he was trying to say. Maybe it was time for you to make yours a bit more obvious.

"Thank you, Yuji." You take one step towards him, aiming your lips to his cheek. Instead of feeling a soft, somewhat flat surface, another pair of lips touch yours. You gasped, pulling away as you realized that you had kissed Sukuna's mouth and not Yuji's cheek.

"Sukuna!! What the hell?!" Yuji places his hand over the side of his face, covering the cursed spirit.

"Hey now, I did most of the work so I should be getting some kind of reward, too."

"Well, thank you, Sukuna, for all your hard work." You cut off their bickering and you move to the other side of Yuji's cheek. However, a mouth and eye were staring at you, showing off a toothy grin. Before Yuji yells at the King of Curses, you press your lips to his, finding that it was a safe place where Sukuna couldn't appear.

You removed yourself after a few seconds, giving Yuji a sweet smile. "You should probably shower and change. I'll make you some food. It's tiring after a long mission."

"S-sure!" He nods then jogs to the dorm entrance, but immediately stops to turn back to you. He plants a quick kiss to your lips this time, a big grin decorating his face as he walks back to his room.

You giggle at the extra energy Yuji has in his stride, happy that he returned to you in one piece and with a surprise. Gojo comments about how both of them are going to be a handful, but you knew that already. You love all of Yuji, even the King of Curses that resides in him.

[stickywhiteash]

Dumbass (Lesson Learned) || Kakashi x Reader

Takes place right after Naruto Shippuden: Will of Fire movie. Recommended to watch or get the plot of it

Warnings: death and suicide mention, bit of angst Word Count: (1,038)

One would think that coming back from an assignment your worries would be over and done with for at least a day. You’d turn in your papers, go home, rest/recover, then go on another mission.

No.

The news you heard on your way back was “Kakashi Hatake has defected. Do not go after him.” A possible war breaking out between the villages was also looming over people’s heads.

Lady Tsunade was last seen by the border of Sunagakure and Konohagakure, weapons drawn and ready to strike just in case.

Upon arriving home, you did some more information gathering. The real reason why your boyfriend had left was because he decided the best course of action was to suicide bomb the enemy. Some comrades told you that recent news said the village nearly avoided the crisis by the skin of their teeth. Details on how are still pending as neither the Hokage or the other shinobi have come back yet.

Oh how lucky the silver haired shinobi’s best friend is still out on a long mission during the whole disaster. The man would have been shaken like a cocktail while being berated with a megaphone mouth nonstop for hours.

After a long day of wandering the streets, off in the distance, you spot everyone who attempted to stop Naruto and Sakura from saving Kakashi approach the gate. Your jaw clenches. His chakra signature was missing, but Naruto’s is there. You walk up, greeting all the kids forcing a smile. Everyone looked okay for the most part, but tired. Proud, but exhausted. It was when the sea of teens parted that your smile dropped.

Kakashi once again, barely able to walk due to his chakra almost completely depleted. On either side of him are his students helping him up. When his eye locks on to yours and the fabric of his mask wrinkles, signaling the man is giving you a sheepish smile.

Lava coursed through your veins. Your hands ball up into a fist besides your hips. Every muscle screamed to have you step forward and give him a knuckle sandwich. Release your inner Sakura. As much as you want to, you hold your ground.

“You know, for a genius, a goddamn prodigy, you’re an absolute fucking dumbass to pull a stunt like that!”

He chuckles, not saying anything. Whatever you had to yell at him was justified. God it’s embarrassing to have his partner reprimand him in front of a crowd. His students and friends no less.

“You really messed up, Kakashi-sensei.”

“I told you so, Kakashi-sensei, believe it.”

“Wow senpai, you and your partner's bond is really deep.”

“Yes, yes..”

A sigh makes its way past your lips, “I can take him to the hospital from here you two.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mhm. Go on ahead. You don’t need this old fart slowing you down. And Naruto~”

He flinches from his name being sung. The blonde makes eye contact, a bit of fear present in those bright blue eyes.

“Y-yeah?,” he responds, preparing himself to be scolded as well due to disobeying orders.

“Thank you for bringing him back. I’ll treat you to some ramen once you’re feeling better”

“HELL YEAH. I’m holding ya to it, believe it!”

The crowd scatters and you’re left half carrying your beloved to the same destination as the others to get patched up.

Minutes pass by in uncomfortable silence.

Should he apologize? Explain himself? Stay silent? Tell a tone deaf joke? What to say to you in this awkward time. Unsure of what words to give you, Kakashi settles on squeezing your shoulders as tight as he can. It’s not a lot considering his current condition but noticeable.

“You know I’m mad at you.”

Kakashi grunts in acknowledgment.

“But I’m more relieved that you made it back home.”

His muscles relax, putting more weight on you.

“I gotta ask. Are you.. feeling suicidal again?”

A cold black eye looks at you. A sharp pain shoots through Kakashi’s heart.

“No,” he whispers, “I promise. This wasn’t like that.”

“I see. Then why? Why resort to that? I looked home, there was no note. Nothing. Were you just going to leave me like that? They said you walked out the village in the middle of the night without a word.”

Each word wavered as it left your lips. He could tell you were trying to stay strong. Refusing to allow your legs to turn jello in order to make it to your destination. You choke down your tears.

That’s why he didn’t leave a message.

To write the truth and have you blame yourself for not coming home earlier and talk him out of the ridiculous plan that he came up. He couldn’t have that.

It pained him to imagine you crying and holding yourself responsible for something that was his own idea and apparently avoidable.

If Kakashi had died and the plan still failed, the guilt would have eaten you into nothing.

His breath hitched upon the thought.

You were supposed to hear the same reason that everyone else would have gotten. Lady Tsunade sent Kakashi Hatake to his death to save the village. It’s not a better alternative but the burden of blame you’d put upon yourself wouldn’t be as much had it been his own idea.

“I thought there was no other options. Clearly I was wrong. Can’t really promise it won’t happen again. I do apologize that I didn't say anything. I should've left something for you.”

You sigh. Of course he can’t promise something like that. Such things just come with the lifestyle. It’s the thought that counts, you suppose.

“It’s good you taught your students well. Despite that, you know. You abandoned that lesson for the village. Old habits die hard, it seems.”

“Yeah, tried to shoulder all of the responsibility and left my comrades behind—“

“When you didn’t have to! You have people to lean on.”

“Har, har.”

“I’m being serious, Mr. Hatake.” Your head shakes in disapproval. “Well, you clearly learned your lesson. I won’t talk your ear off anymore. Gai can do that for me when he comes back.”

“Actually, can you keep it a secret—“

“Absolutely not. Face the consequences of your actions.”

[animeomegas]

Naruto Pup Shenanigans

Sasuke’s daughter: I hate Aki from school! He pulled my hair today! Next time I see him I’m going to knock out his teeth! 

Alpha: Hey now, that’s not the answer. If someone is mean to you, you need to tell your sensei or us and we can sort it out, okay? Violence isn’t helpful amongst allies, whether you like them or not. Right, Sasuke? 

Sasuke: *unsheathing his sword* What’s his family name?

...

Academy sensei: “-and Lord Seventh bravely stepped in and saved the village, allowing time for-” 

Naruto’s son: “Pfft, he can’t even find matching socks most days, but whatever.” 

Sensei: “What was that? Do you have something you want to share with the rest of the class?” 

Naruto’s son: “Huh? Sure! I said Lord Seventh can’t find matching socks most days. And last night I saw him throw his laundry into the toilet instead of the wash basket because he was really tired.... Hey, what if that’s where half his socks are going? They’re getting eaten by the toilet so-” 

Sensei: *visibly shaking in an attempt to hold back laughter* “Thank you, that’s enough! Please pay attention to the lesson.”

...

Neji’s daughter: “Uncle Shika! 😇” 

Neji: “Thanks for agreeing to watch her last minute. There’s been an emergency situation and no one else is free.” 

Shikamaru: “Sure... How hard could it be?” 

later

Neji’s daughter: Listen here you rat bastard, if you don’t let me have another cookie, I’ll tell my dad you told me what dildos are.” 

Shikamaru: 😦😡

...

Itachi’s son: *after overhearing a conversation and misunderstanding Sasuke’s cockblocking era* Uncle Sasuke... Is it true you didn’t want me to be born? 🥺”

Sasuke: *Panicking at the gathering tears* What!? No! Not like that! I- I just-” 

Itachi’s son: *starting to wail* “Uncle Sasuke hates me!”

Sasuke: “Brother!! Your child is leaking! Help!”

...

[mintteapullet]

Just finished The World that Stood Against Us (Made Us Mean, to Fight for You) it was fantastic.

Love literally everyone else immediately understanding the danger of Yuuji getting hurt even has Yuuji doesn’t understand beyond that he’s bleeding and was pushed because he’s a child and one of the other people in the world who will never have anything to fear from Gojo is so good.

“Yuuji, because he's a pup and doesn't know the beast who sits in his mother's skin, turns, and upon seeing Gojo-Sensei begins to openly weep.” << Obsessed with this line

Feral Omega Gojo is a gift. Love Megumi sweating bullets along with everyone else even though he’s the safest after the twins. Also someone get Ijichi a raise that man deserves one before his heart gives out from all the stress Gojo causes him.

Megumi getting angry about Todo calling himself Yuuji’s brother is also so good, that’s his little brother how dare you put yourself on his level. Calling him a suck up, Megumi being bitter about it I love it.

Also Yuuji being completely oblivious to the danger everyone else is in >>> only second to feral omega Gojo tbh.

Megumi over exaggerating and stepping in so no one starts that back up is so clever. His pride may never recover but it probably saved someone’s life considering how easily Gojo could be set off again if he hadn’t stepped in. They should all thank him. Not me though I was hoping Gojo was gonna spill blood. But the rest of them should.

Nobara hiding behind Maki is so sweet, Maki is her favorite and she’s not subtle about it nor should she be. Also please let Yuuji get his steak!

Love the Second years, Megumi, Gojo, and the twins hanging out. Gojo shielding the twins with Infinity after also goes hard. Of course he is one of his babies got hurt, he’s being overprotective but also it’s Gojo and that should be expected. Also there’s no way Megumi didn’t also have Infinity on him right? Your his pup too dude no way he’s not keeping Infinity on all three of you. Gojo teasing Megumi is also so good.

Loved this very much but I am left with one question: Who pushed Yuuji?

Ah!!!! Thank you so much!

Exactly! Yuuji is just a little kid, so any understanding of the world is gonna be centered around "I'm hurting and I want it to stop". He has no understanding that everyone else would have a reason to fear Gojo. His mother has never been a threat to him, so it isn't even a option

Im not even gonna lie, it was my favorite line to write. I love it when parents go from 0 to 100.

Im terms of Gojo's priorities it's basically categorized at the moment as "My pups and students" and then "everyone else". Tsk-tsk, Megumi should know better than to be even worried about his own safety. The twins and him are the ones who have zero chance of getting a scratch.

Megumi is such a bitter bitch (this isn't a drag against his character, I love that about him) and is still bitter about getting his ass kicked. And calling Todo a suck up was another favorite of mine to write. Megumi, while he tries to keep his distance, definitely gets a lot more privileges than he even realizes when it comes to Gojo

Even better when they go hand in hand. I needed more feral omegas who'll rip oit throats for their babies, and I suppose be the change you wanna see, lol

Maki is basically the coolest person in the universe to Nobara (and yes, Megumi was bitter about losing his little sister's admiration to his upper classmate). I like to think to satisfy both pups Gojo took them to some restaurant that served both

The second years are pretty used to their teacher and the pups, so this is probably a common occurrence. Gojo is very much a overprotective parent, but in his defense, assassination attempts on heirs are common as HELL and he's pretty shaken up from earlier. Usually his presence alone is enough to deter threats. I'm glad that Gojo teasing Megumi was enjoyable, I was a little worried it mightve been ooc and that I pushed it a little too far. It was fun to write though, especially Gojo complaining about what a grump Megumi had become.

I actually hadn't thought about who was the one to push Yuuji, cause I didn't want anyone maimed (though, Mai or Noritoshi would probably be a no, considering their involvement with other clans would immediately be taken as hostile action)

[fairy-writes]

Congratulation! I would like to make an request for your event!

Song 27 "Take on the World - You and me at 6" with BSD Dazai 💙

TAKE ON THE WORLD

Reblogs and Comments are greatly appreciated!!

__________________________________________________________________________

Fandom(s): Bungou Stray Dogs

Pairing(s): Dazai Osamu x Gender Neutral!Reader

Song: Take on the World by You Me at Six

Notes: I’m taking some liberties with Dazai’s backstory because I genuinely cannot remember if they talked about a lot of it

Tags: Dazai-typical mentions of suicide,

__________________________________________________________________________

Just say the word, we'll take on the world

Just say you're hurt, we'll face the worst

Oh

It was always you and Osamu against the world. Even after all these years, it felt as if the world was against you, and it was only you two protecting each other.  

I can see, see the pain in your eyes

Oh, believe, believe me, and I have tried

No, I won't; I won't pretend to know what you've been through

You should know, I wish it was me, not you

You had met as children, you had been six, and Osamu was seven. You both lived at an orphanage, his parents having died in an accident a year prior and yours having been teenage parents who couldn’t handle a child at their age. 

He had been a loner, even as a child. 

He always sat in the corner under a tree whenever you played outside until, one day, you approached him. You slung your bug net over your shoulder and stood defiantly before him. He looked up from his small chapter book and scowled, 

“What do you want? You’re blocking my light.” He said, and you stubbornly huffed, 

“Come play with me!” You had said, and he shook his head,

“Go away.” He replied, and you tightened your grip on your bug net. 

“Nope! Sensei said I should play with you. So I’m gonna whether you like it or not.” 

You and Osamu ran away from the orphanage when you were twelve, and he was thirteen. Six years of fighting bullies when he wouldn’t because he just didn’t care about his well-being. But he fought them off for you if you were injured. He said it was because he didn’t like fighting, but you knew it was because he considered you a friend. 

The rest was history.

And just say the word, we'll take on the world

Just say you're hurt, we'll face the worst

Nobody knows you the way that I know you

Look in my eyes. I will never desert you.

And just say the word, we'll take on the world.

He tried to commit suicide for the first time when he was fourteen. And you blamed yourself. You should have seen the signs. You should have stopped him. 

A doctor named Mori Ogai had saved his life. And you had thanked him. 

In hindsight, you should have killed him when you had the chance. 

And it's the fight and the fight of our lives

You and I—we were made to thrive

And I am your future. I am your past

Never forget we were built to last

Step out of the shadows and into my life

Silence the voices that haunt you inside

You had joined Osamu in the Port Mafia because, of course, you did. It was always you and Osamu against the world. You and Osamu against the Mafia. But soon, that turned into you, Osamu, and Oda. 

At first, you were jealous, was Osamu replacing you? Was he getting rid of you? When you had brought this up to him, he had laughed, ruffled your hair, and pecked your forehead. 

“Of course not!” He had said, but you still saw that sad look in his eyes. The one that said he was alone and abandoned. The one that had been there—despite your best attempts—ever since his parents died.

And just say the word, we'll take on the world

Just say you're hurt, we'll face the worst

Nobody knows you the way that I know you

Look in my eyes; I will never desert you.

And just say the word, we'll take on the world, we'll take on the world.

As you got older, you followed Osamu out of the Port Mafia. After Oda died, he wasn’t the same. Instead, he put on a show, a facade that even you couldn’t crack. 

You joined the Armed Detective Agency, though you were a secretary rather than a person assigned missions. Osamu had teased you, but you knew he was happy you were out of danger. He always hated it when you went on Mafia missions without him, but he was always paired with Nakahara Chuuya. 

You thought you knew him. But as always, he kept secrets. He kept secrets of what he had done and seen in the Mafia. You knew Mori had done things to him, had changed him for the worst. 

But he was always gentle with you.

And nobody knows you the way that I know you

And nobody knows you the way that I know you

We'll fight, we'll crawl into the night

Our world. We'll go with you by my side

The calm, the storm, we'll face it all

It was always you and Osamu against the world. 

You protected him to the best of your ability. 

And he protected you in return. 

And just say the word, we'll take on the world

And nobody knows you the way that I know you

Look in my eyes. I will never desert you.

And just say the word, we'll take on the world, we'll take on the world.

[coconurt]

What I want to save, I'll try

pspspspsps turtle enjoyers, come get your Casey/Leo angst :3

~2k, rottmnt movie spoilers, cw for blood, mild language, angst, and destruction (title from a twenty one pilots song hehe)

thank you @owlfacenightkit for being my writing buddy <3

~~~

Casey stumbled, numb and haunted, through the burning wreckage of what was once a thriving city. Unshed tears stung his eyes, yet refused to fall. He clutched the key against his armored chestplate like the precious reminder that it was.

His last conversation with Leonardo replayed over and over in his mind.

"Just tell me when you're home free, and I'll pull the plug!"

"Casey, listen to me. When I get to the other side, you close that door."

Raph had tried to chime in then, to convince him not to go through with it, but it was useless. Sensei knew what he had to do, and he was fully prepared to give everything he had, everything he was, to save them.

"Leo, please! I can't lose you again!"

"Hey. Future me would be real proud of you. I'm proud of you."

One aimless footstep after another. One step. After another.

"Casey! Close the portal NOW!"

One foot... after the other...

Leo had begged him, then.

"Casey, PLEASE!"

And he... he'd done it. He'd pulled the key. Closed the portal, stolen from his loved one any chance of a safe return. And for what? To save the world?

... Of what good was a world without his sensei?

Those would be Leonardo’s last ever words to Casey. To each other.

He'd never even gotten a chance to say goodbye.

And then, to make a horrible situation worse, Leo had turned the communicators off as soon as the portal closed. That was really it. His friend, his teacher, his everything was gone forever. Doomed to die separated from his family, trapped alone with a monster, just so the rest of them could live.

And it was all Casey's fault.

Something ahead of him caught his eye. A glint of silver, hidden among the rubble. His beloved weapon slipped from his grasp and clattered to the asphalt.

Leonardo's odachi.

He stumbled forward and fell to his knees. Gingerly, reverently, he picked it up. His image was reflected back to him from the face of the blade, his gaze exhausted and teary, and Casey broke.

Bowing his head, he finally let wave after wave of raw emotion wash over him like a tsunami. Heartbreak, anguish, grief, all of it unstoppable and suffocating. Huge sobs wracked his body.

Eventually, he became vaguely aware of two more presences joining him, falling into place alongside the ghost of his mentor. April and Splinter spoke to him, did their best to soothe him, but it was no use.

He barely heard their words, barely felt their gentle touches. All he knew, all he heard was a single word, repeating over and over in his mind like an awful mantra.

Gone. Gone.

Gone, gone, gone.

~~~

"Leo?..." Raph asked, his voice barely louder than a fearful whisper.

The three turtles huddled around their fallen brother. He lay spread-eagle on the hard asphalt, his face bloodied and bruises already forming on his scales. To the three non-injured brothers’ horror, several spider-like cracks were clearly visible on the front of his plastron, and they all had a sinking suspicion that if they rolled him over, they would find more on his carapace.

At Raph's voice, Leo cracked his eyes open and attempted a reassuring smile.

"Hey," he said softly, then tried to lift his head and take in their surroundings. "Eww, are we in Staten Island?"

A wave of sweet relief washed over his brothers all at once.

"COME HERE!" they chorused, lunging forward to scoop Leo into a bear hug.

After a moment, Leo let out a soft groan. "Guys... too... tight-"

Startled, they released him, all of them stammering apologies. Gently, they lowered him back down, and Leo winced at the movement.

"Leo, I dunno what you were thinkin', but you scared the crap outta us," Raph started. "Never, EVER do that again, do you hear me—?"

As if on cue, Leo interrupted his scolding by starting to cough. And cough, and cough. With one hand covering his mouth, he rolled onto his side slightly, his chest heaving and struggling for breath.

"Leo...?" Raph asked again, any previous sternness forgotten. He reached out and laid a hand on Leo's shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. "Leo, you good?..."

After a moment, Leo's coughing fit trailed off, and he laid his head back with a wheeze and a groan. Absently, he lifted his hand and frowned at the specks of blood on his palm.

Silence fell over their little group. Mikey stifled a gasp and clapped his own hand over his mouth. Raph could only stare, horrified. But once the initial shock wore off, Donnie, ever the quick thinker, jumped into action.

"Leo, talk to me, where else are you hurt?" the purple-banded turtle demanded, stepping into his role as the family's interim medic. He grabbed his brother's wrist and tried to check his pulse, but Leo snatched his arm back.

"I'm fine, Doctor Donatello," Leo insisted. "Just hook me up with a handful of painkillers and a nap, and I'll be good as new."

"Cut the bullshit, Nardo," Donnie snapped. "You look like crap and you just coughed up blood two seconds ago. Now tell me, where. Does. It. Hurt?"

Leo stopped struggling and fell silent.

"Leo, please," Raph insisted. "We can't help ya if we don't know what's wrong."

Leo looked down, his expression unreadable. Finally, he spoke up.

"Chest. My shell," he admitted quietly. Gingerly, he touched a hand to the back of his head. "Think I hit my head pretty hard, too..."

The three turtles stiffened. Mikey looked close to tears. Leo... never voiced how much pain he was in. Not during training, not on missions, never, not even if they asked. If it was bad enough for him to admit it now...

Donnie tore his gaze away from Leo and typed a few commands into the computer panel on his wrist. "We need to find April and Pops and get you back to the infirmary. Leo's in no shape to portal us, so we'll have to hoof it. Raph, can you bring him, please?"

"On it." Raph shifted to one knee and prepared to pick Leo up. In typical Leo fashion, though, the slider swatted him away.

"I'm not a hatchling, Raph. I can walk myself back to the lair," he insisted.

"Oh yeah? You wanna walk by yourself?" Donnie sat back on his heels and crossed his arms. "Alright, let's see that."

Leo huffed indignantly. Moving slowly, he gathered himself and by some miracle, pushed himself off the ground. He swayed once, twice. Then, to no one's surprise, his knees buckled. Raph lurched forward to catch him before he could hit the pavement.

Donnie leveled him with an unimpressed glare. Leo looked away, uncharacteristically sheepish.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe I could use a little help."

~~~

Casey dutifully trudged along behind April and Splinter through the ruined city streets, but all he really wanted to do was lie down and crash.

He'd finally managed to stop crying, now. He knew he should feel embarrassed over letting the turtle's sensei and human friend find him in that state. He was all too aware how costly a display of emotion like that would have been on the battlefield, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. His eyes were swollen and sore, and his entire body hurt now that the near-constant stream of adrenaline that had been keeping him going over the last 24 hours had tapered off.

"Let's try up ahead here, guys," April called, her voice hollow with distraction. She wasn't doing much better than Casey, but was obviously trying to keep it together for their sakes. "I'm pretty sure I saw the guys land near one of these piers."

Splinter murmured his assent, and Casey didn't respond. He merely continued following the girl like some sort of enormous duckling, his head down and gaze absent.

His unchecked grief over losing his mentor had settled into a comparative numbness. He knew he'd have to start processing his emotions eventually, but right now, he knew the best course of action was finding the remaining brothers (his stomach lurched at the thought) and figuring out what to do next.

Suddenly, he was yanked from his thoughts by a gasp and a strangled shout.

"Guys!— LEO?!"

Casey's head snapped up. Up ahead, three (no, four) figures slowly made their way towards them, their bodies mostly obscured by the dust rising from a nearby collapsed building.

It was— it was them, it was the brothers, they were alive! Battered and bruised, their silhouettes backlit by the sliver of sunrise tinting the smog orange, but alive.

And right there, carefully supported between Raph and Mikey, was Leo. His usual smile was absent, and Casey could see a small trickle of dried blood running from the corner of his mouth, but it was him, he was alive, how, how was that even possible— ?

"Blue! My son!" Splinter shouted. Casey's two companions took off at a run, throwing themselves at the slider, who let out of a grunt of protest at the impact.

Casey, however, remained rooted to the spot, eyes impossibly wide and mouth agape. His mind screamed at him to move, to go to him, to do something, Leonardo was alive, but his body was completely frozen.

He stayed back at a respectful distance as the mismatched family enjoyed an emotional reunion. He wanted to join in too, to pile into the grouphug and hold them all as tight as his aching arms would allow, but he couldn't seem to move his feet.

As it turned out, he didn't need to. Before long, the Hamatos began to make their way back towards him, April switching out with Mikey.

As they approached, Leo looked up. Casey locked eyes with him, and his heart skipped a beat. Thoughts that Casey didn't realize he'd even get the chance to have flooded his mind. Oh my god, he's alive, this is impossible, god he must hate me, he has every right to, I almost killed him, what am I going to say-

And then Leo smiled. Actually smiled at him, like he was just as happy to see him as Casey was to see Leo.

"Hey Case," he rasped.

"Sensei?" Casey breathed.

And that did it. All at once, Casey broke out of his stupor. Rolling onto the balls of his feet, he closed the gap between them and threw his arms around the blue-banded turtle's neck.

"Sensei, you're alive, you're okay, how-" he sobbed.

Leo chuckled, the sound sincere but pained. "Ow, Case, not so tight..."

Casey flew backwards, stumbling over an apology. "Master Leonardo, I'm so sorry, I- you're injured, here, allow me to help..."

"Casey," Leo said, interrupting his ramble before it could even get off the ground. Casey's mouth snapped shut and he stood at attention.

"I'm not mad at you, a'right?" he offered kindly. "You did good."

And just like that. The words that Casey didn’t even realize he so desperately needed to hear more than anything. An incomprehensible weight lifted off his chest, and tears flooded his eyes. Overcome by a thousand emotions with no words, he managed a small smile and a nod in response.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way," April cut in. "Would someone mind explaining to me just what the hell happened?!"

"April, you're never going to believe it! I used my mystic hands to save Leo!" Mikey chirped.

"Your mystic what?"

As the siblings started to piece together for the others just what had transpired to bring Leo home safely, Casey tried to keep up, but his brain refused to keep pace. There would be plenty of time to share stories later. For now, he was just happy to fall into place right where he belonged, the seventh link on the family chain, as they walked home victorious, the sun at their backs and a new day ahead of them.

[unmeisenshi]

A few days after Nobuo and Kiske left Lotus Tower, they arrived in Alstroemeria. The Greninja would look around.

"Is city life always this raucous? I don't know how someone could live in the city with how much is going on." Nobuo would cover his head to attempt to drown out the noise.

"It would take time. After all, if we're supposed to join with Solaris we'd be coming into and out of the city constantly." Kiske would approach one of the market stalls. "Excuse me... We're looking for a Charizard named Solaris. Any idea where we'd find them?"

The owner, a young Serperior, would smile and nod. "Solaris runs a bar called The Caravan. It's just over the hill that way." They would point with their tail the direction he needed to go. Kiske would smile at the shop owner in return, giving them a small pouch with Poké.

"Thank you. You can keep all of the money. You're doing great." The Cinderace would return to Nobuo. "Come, brother. We're heading to that bar up there."

--

Solaris would be sitting alone in his bar. It was the slower part of the day, and the Charizard sipped away at a soda as he waited. That was when he heard the saloon doors swing open and closed, and saw a Greninja and Cinderace enter.

"Welcome, welcome! Make yourselves at home!" Solaris said, returning behind the bar as the brothers sat at the bar. "What can I get for you two?"

Nobuo would raise his hand. "Sake for me, please."

Kiske would then raise a paw. "Just some water, please."

Solaris would smile and nod, and began pouring the pairs drinks. Nobuo would watch the Charizard. "Excuse me, but we're also looking for someone. Do you happen to know where we can find Solaris?"

Solaris would place Nobuo's sake in front of him, and Kiske's water in front of him, then leaned on the counter and continued to sip his drink. "Solaris? Well... You're looking at him. Or... I guess a slight husk of him."

Kiske would look at his brother, then back at Solaris. "Our sensei wanted us to find you. His name was Ben. He passed on a few days ago."

Solaris paused briefly, his face grimacing. He knew it had to happen eventually, considering how old he was when he trained him. The news did make his heart ache. "I... See. Is that news what he sent you all the way here for?"

"N-No sir." Kiske stuttered. "He wanted us to find you so we could join the rescue team you're a part of. He... Thought it would be good for us to see the world, since we haven't been able to."

Solaris turned away for a moment, pouring some spiced rum into a glass and leaning against the bar in front of the pair. "Rescue work is serious business. You two are young... Reckless, even... Are you prepared for the hardships that you are to face?"

Nobuo and Kiske looked at each other with determined looks, then looked back at Solaris and nodded. "We are sure." The Greninja said. "It's what Ben was training us for. We're no strangers to hardship... We can handle it."

Solaris remained quiet for a few moments, before clinking his glass against both of theirs. "Okay. There's a home not too far from here. It sits at the top of a hill just outside of the city. Head there and introduce yourselves to the others."

Kiske would nod, taking a big gulp from his drink. "Got it." The Cinderace would pound his chest. "I'm Kiske, and this is my little brother Nobuo."

The Charizard nodded at the two. "Kiske, and Nobuo. Good to meet you." Solaris shook his head. "Sorry if I seemed a bit harsh or rude. I just... Wasn't expecting the news, was all."

"It's quite alright." Nobuo finished his sake, then placed a hand on Solaris' shoulder. "You aren't the only ones feeling that pain. Ben was a father figure for us. He tried to save us and our parents when he found us in Nemesia Sea... But our parents died. He felt obligated to raise us until we were ready to venture out."

Solaris would frown at the news. "I see... I'm sorry for your loss." The Charizard's frown would turn to a forced smile. "But I can tell that Ben raised you right. You'll fit in well with the team."

The three would continue to chat for a little while longer until both Nobuo and Kiske left for the team's home to introduce themselves.

[schoolingsquid]

ah. the janitor. oro still didn't know their name, and they didn't have a name tag, either.

"here," the janitor says, extending a clean tissue towards oro with an expectant look, "i've just refilled the hand sanitizer dispensers too, if you need it."

"oh, thank you..." oro takes the tissue after clearing his throat, though he remains hesitant about even touching his mask with someone else present. luckily, it seems the janitor has something to keep them busy as they roll a mop bucket into the faculty room.

"allergy season's already getting to you, huh," they go on while oro hastily slips the tissue under his mask to cough into instead. "probably best to sleep off the rest of that cold at home. kids are more likely to catch something, considering how messy they can be already." the janitor is right, of course, even though oro would prefer to save sick days for big runs. he already relies on sunbeam to substitute for him too much as it is. speaking of having guest teachers...

"ah, before i forget, how would you like to speak about hygiene and chemical safety for my class sometime?" oro proposes, and the janitor appears caught off guard.

"isn't that something you already cover, 'oro sensei'? besides, i don't have much teaching experience." they lift their gaze from their mop to meet oro's. he doesn't remember introducing himself to the janitor before.

"that's... true, but i think having a new face in class might make for a more memorable learning experience," oro explains before he can think about it too much, "and since cleaning is your area of expertise, the students might be more compelled to ask about things. i'll be there to help answer any questions, as well."

"hmm... i'll think about it," the janitor muses with a little smile.

"thank you, um...?" oro trails off in an attempt to ask for the janitor's name, but just then, the p.a. system crackles to life from the speakers above them, paging for a janitor to report to the boys' bathroom.

"gotta dash, it seems. i'll see you around," the janitor darts a glance in oro's direction, though this time it feels much more piercing, as if looking for something that oro has, but the feeling is gone almost as soon as it arrives.

"r-right." oro tries not to look nervous as the janitor starts rolling their mop bucket back out into the hallway.

the janitor is a little strange. oro has heard rumours about sanitization, but he doesn't want to let that cloud his judgement. the janitor seems friendly, after all.

just a little strange.

[detectivestucks]

The Anbu Captain XII

18+ content, Minors do NOT interact

Pairing: Kakashi x F!Reader

Summery: Kakashi hesitates in battle and it has him reevaluating your relationship. Meanwhile Akio reenters the picture.

Warnings: mild NSFW, violence, dry humping, panic attack

Word Count: 6.4k

Art Credit: @akirasukuna Thank you so much for the custom art. You're absolutely the best!

Part 11, New here? Check out Part 1

Author's Note: ...remember the wrench? Almost at the end of the series babes, just one chapter to go!

Shuriken hail through the trees while team Ro takes cover. It’s not looking good. The morning watchman was mysteriously taken out. Their body still lifeless on the ground. Though Kakashi could smell that they were alive, seeing one of his own so vulnerable had him shaken.

Shouting can be heard from the enemy when all of the sudden an arrow of water shoots no more than an inch from Kakashi’s shoulder. 

They switched up their attacks. What happened to the shuriken user?

Kakashi’s mind raced to come up with a tactical plan to get them out of this. His team was relying on him. He doesn’t have a wide range attack like the enemy did. One could throw ten shuriken at a time, the other could turn humidity into water arrows and shoot them three at a time, and the third one…what could the third one do? He can’t make a proper plan without knowing what they’re up against. What if his jutsu is some odorless gas or invisible poison?

No, he can’t think like that. Sometimes the best defense is offense. How can he attack all of them at the same time? Flying raijin. If he uses Minato-sensei’s jutsu he can attack all of them quickly. He just needs to plant the marks. 

Kakashi signals for his teammates to cover him. He needs time to place a mark on some of his kunai. He’d only attempted this a couple times after Obito gave him his sharingan. He didn’t carry around special kunai the way Minato-sensei did. He had to make his own on the spot. He hurriedly made the marked kunai. When they were ready he stood up to survey his team. They kept the enemy distracted so the strategy should be a surprise. 

Kakashi steps out from behind his cover to throw the kunai when the third shinobi reveals their trick. An entire bed of grass is pulled from the earth. With a sharp snap, hundreds of blades rose up into the air and turned on their sides so that the edges pointed at Kakashi.

He stopped as he observed the green of the earth weaponized into hundreds, no, thousands of needles, ready to slice him open. For the first time ever, Kakashi felt an emotion new to him.

Fear.

He can’t die here. He can’t leave you alone. The thought of your tear stained cheeks came to the front of his mind. He imagined your face when the Hokage brought you news of his death. He saw you standing in front of the memorial stone the way he stood in front of it for Obito. Hours passing as if they were seconds. Days stretching into years, all spent in front of that cursed angular black monument. No, not you. That can’t be you.

Kakashi is brought back to the present by the feeling of Tenzo’s chest crashing into his shoulder as he tackles Kakashi into the earth to save him from the onslaught of razor sharp grass blades slicing through the air. Tenzo’s bare right shoulder and bicep are slashed in so many places his skin looked flayed. Kakashi looked at him in horror, realizing it was his mental lapse that led to his comrade’s injury. 

“Captain, are you alright?!”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

Kakashi snatches his kunai and leaps back up to hurl them at the enemy.

“Ha! You missed! I thought you were supposed to be skilled Anbu.” the enemy jeers. 

Kakashi readies his lightning blade, anger flowing through him. Just as more grass is ripped from the earth Kakashi flies, enemy to enemy, running his fist through their chests. Time stands still as the last of the raiders falls to the ground, their bodies made lifeless by Kakashi’s hand. 

“Nice job, Captain. You had me worried there.”

“You need medical attention. Now.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you need to cover the wound so it doesn’t get infected.”

Kakashi kneeled down next to Tenzo, refusing to make eye contact with him as he bandaged up his wound. He was ashamed. He should have never let himself get distracted like that. It was a rookie mistake. Behavior unacceptable of a captain. 

In his gut Kakashi had a sinking feeling. A realization of his own selfishness. He was a solider. A weapon to be used by the Leaf. His life was never his own. The shinobi way is to be used like tools in the hands of destiny. To serve and die for his nation.

...a beautiful gem like you could not possibly fit into the cold reality that is an Anbu soldier's life. 

Kakashi was quiet the remainder of the mission. Withdrawing into his shell, punishing himself for allowing his team to get hurt. He rushed the remainder of the mission so they could get home early and help Tenzo receive medical care before his arm had the chance to scar. 

****************************************************

Upon their arrival in the village Kakashi heads to the Hokage’s office to hand in his report. Lord Hiruzen was surprised to read that Kakashi had frozen during battle. It was out of character for the tenured solider. 

“You froze?” he inquires in his raspy voice. His pipe hanging from his lips as he lowered the paperwork.

“It will never happen again, my lord. I will remedy the cause as soon as I am dismissed.”

Hiruzen cocks a brow at Kakashi, “Kakashi, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself.”

“I swore I would never again let my comrades die. I must live up to that promise.” Kakashi said it with so much conviction that Lord Third was worried. Then Kakashi trailed off, his voice becomes small. “If I don’t, I don’t think I will be able to live another day.”

Lord Third lowers his head, knowing he’s referring to his lost team. At this, he responds with the softness of a friend, “I understand. But please Kakashi, be kind to yourself. Whether you believe it or not, you deserve happiness.”

Kakashi balls his fists in determination before bowing and exiting the office. He walked out of headquarters to head to your home, tunneling his vision as he walked. This would be one of the hardest tasks he ever had to do as captain of team Ro, but it was his responsibility. He had to do this. To keep them safe, to protect his comrades, to save his friends. For the good of the village, he had to end the fairytale. 

Silent tears leaked out of Kakashi’s eyes as he strode across the village. He could feel the hard knot forming in his chest. He pushed his emotions down. He wasn’t meant for a peaceful life. He was meant to protect others. That is the life of a warrior. That is the life he chose.

With three quick knocks on the door, he waited for you to pull it open. Sure enough, your beautiful face beamed up at him. Your eyes sparkled in the light of the setting sun. Joy overwhelming your features as you saw him. He felt his stomach drop, knowing he was about to rip that joy away from you. 

You lunge in to hug him, squeezing him tightly. He held you close, pulling you into him. He took a long slow drag of your hair. Memorizing your scent like he did before missions. You lean up, closing your eyes as you lower his mask, kissing his lips passionately, pulling him inside and closing the door. You raise your hand to cup his cheek when you feel the wetness of tears. You pull away from him.

“Captain?”

Kakashi pulls up his mask and steps backwards.

You already know…

A sharp pain suddenly manifests in your upper chest. You feel it just below the sternum. Your eyes pearl with tears, readying themselves for the words you know are coming. You reach out your hands to hold his.

“Kakashi, don’t say it.”

“We can’t continue our relationship.”

“No, this isn’t about us. This is about the mission. Tell me, what happened?”

“It is unwise for a member of the Anbu to maintain a romantic partnership.”

You feel the first small tear in your heart. You’re desperate for answers. What changed?

“Kashi, what happened? Talk to me!” 

You’re starting to panic. His facial expression falling into one that was so cold. He looked ready for battle, preparing to kill. It almost resembled the man you met six and a half months ago. You squeeze his hands trying to get him to face you but he keeps looking past your shoulder.

“As Captain I cannot let myself get distracted.” 

“Get distracted?" The tear in your heart deepens, "Is that what I’ve been reduced to? A distraction?” 

“I have to have a clear mind when I’m in battle. If I don’t, my men get hurt”

“Baby, who got hurt?”

“Y/N, it doesn’t matter who! What matters is that someone got hurt and it was my fault!” Kakashi had started raising his voice but you knew it wasn’t at you. He was yelling at himself and it shattered you. Tears freely fall down your cheeks. Your eyes dart back and forth between his eyes, pleading with him. 

“Kashi, it will be okay. Don’t do this to yourself. Don’t do it to us.”

“There can be no more us.”

He was never going to let himself be happy, even if it hurt you too. He didn’t believe he deserved happiness, not after the life he lived.

Kakashi goes to leave and you grab his arm, tears streaming down your face, squeezing his wrist for dear life, making him stop where he stood.

“Please don’t go! We can work through this.”

“We are not meant to be, Y/N.” he responds with an ache in his voice. “I am a member of the Black Ops. My life is dedicated to serving the village. There is no room for you in my life.” 

You begin to sob. “Then why pursue me to begin with? Why spend months leading me on? Why say you love me?!”

He drops his head, “I am so sorry. I should’ve never gotten involved with you. I was being selfish and reckless. You will not be forced to see me again.”

You feel his hand ball into a fist as he yanks his arm out from your grasp and walks out of your apartment. 

“Kakashi WAIT!”

With a snap of your front door his is gone. You run to open it, to force him back inside, to talk this out. He was overreacting. He just needed some time to process what happened but when you opened the door he was missing and the feeling of loneliness that came with the view of your empty front stoop came down on you with crushing weight. 

…he was gone…

He was everything you could have ever dreamed for, but now he was gone. He was too good to be true. He was only fit for a dream. 

You close your door and lean against it, facing your empty apartment. You look around and remember when you came home from your date with Akio and he was standing there waiting for you. That was the first time you felt that he had feelings for you. That was the first night he let you touch him. You look over at your kitchen. You remember turning around to him inside your apartment for the first time. You look the opposite way to your couch and remember the last time he came home. All of it is over now. All of it is reduced to a memory. 

…he was gone…

You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to remember. You don’t want the precious moments to fade from your mind. You need them. You need them to remember what love feels like. To remember how it feels to be truly happy. Now you fear you may never feel that way again. The despair has your nails biting into your palms as you realize there are fists at the end of your arms. Your back slides down the door as your legs give way to the sob that overcomes you. 

…he was gone…

You sit on the floor leaning against your front door. Your chest heaving as you come to grips with the fact that instead of tangling with your captain, you were listening to your neighbors come and go just beyond the slab of wood pressing into your back. 

Your head is swimming from oxygen deprivation. You’ve never breathed so hard in your life yet you weren’t able to get any air. Your lungs were depleted. The atmosphere of your home was heavy, too thick to make way for oxygen. You cried and gasped but still there was no air to be had. How are you supposed to breathe? 

Your head lolls forward, hypoxia hitting you. You draw up one knee to rest your forehead on as your shoulders shake from your efforts. The tears drip off the tip of your nose, into your lap, until suddenly all was black.

…he was gone…

****************************************************

You wake up on the floor by your front door. You wished you could say you were confused. You wished you could say it took you a moment to remember why you were there because it would be one less moment of suffering, but it didn’t. You knew exactly what you were doing so far from your bed and to be honest you weren’t sure when the next time you’d feel safe enough to sleep in it was. There were too many memories of him tucked between those sheets. It was where you fell in love. 

You also noticed that Pakkun didn’t come knocking this morning. 

“I guess he’s already heard. The watch is over.” you say it in a whisper, thinking that keeping it in like a secret won’t make it true. ‘Little Guy’ had been your primary companion for months. He was your reassurance of Kakashi’s love and now he was gone too. The realization made you curl into a ball on the floor, crying even harder on the firm ground. You were truly alone.

—

Pakkun knew he was no longer obligated to watch you but he still came to your home to check on you. He didn’t agree with Kakashi’s decision. He believed it to be a mistake. The little hound was worried for him. He feared how Kakashi was before you and he was terrified that the same man might come back.

 When he waddled up the steps to your door he heard you shaking and crying on the other side of it. He couldn’t bring himself to knock. He sat there for an hour, listening to you before he couldn’t take anymore. He shook his head and returned to the pack. The boy was an idiot. You were the best thing that ever happened to him and he gave it up just like that. 

—

You debated taking the day off of work but you were certain it would be worse to stay here where everything reminded you of him. Your home was crawling with reminders of Kakashi so you decided to go in. You’d be late but no one would care. You worked overtime often. What was one tardy in the grand scheme of things?

You peeled yourself off of the floor and went to shower. Painfully reminded of the morning after your first date while you lather the soap on your skin. 

You detangle your hair and change, not bothering with makeup to hide your puffy eyes. You were sure you’d have a breakdown or two at work anyways. You go to leave and take a deep calming breath, not ready to look at the empty stoop where Pakkun would normally be. The walk to work would be a lonely one and you honestly don’t know how you did it before Kakashi had come crashing into your reality. It all feels like a lifetime ago. A lifetime you would kill yourself to get back to. 

It was no surprise that news of your breakup traveled fast. Dating the Copy Ninja was a rarity. Seeing his girlfriend come to headquarters looking like a bus hit her was an obvious sign that the relationship was over. 

You didn’t need to tell anyone what happened cause they already knew. But at least that prevented you from having to talk about it. You were sure if you were forced to speak on the matter, you would have a full meltdown. With the peace and quiet, you could dive your nose into your scrolls and stick to yourself. And that’s exactly what you did. 

For the next couple weeks you spent all your time in the office, keeping yourself distracted, preferring to sleep at your desk. You’d visit home when you needed to shower and change clothes but then you’d walk straight back to headquarters. You had shed a few pounds from the lack of food you consumed. The sadness made your stomach tight. It shrunk too small to eat a full sized meal. Instead you would nibble on small snacks that didn’t have enough calories to nourish you, only enough to sustain you. 

You’re pouring over a new set of scrolls when a familiar fist lightly knocks on your office door. Your tired eyes look up to see Akio timidly stand in your doorway. 

“Oh, hi. I-I didn’t realize we had a project together.” you say disheveled.

“No, we don’t, I just, um…I heard, I mean, I wanted...” He pauses to take a deep breath. “Would you do me the honor of going on a second date with me?”

Your eyes brightened. “You, you wanna go on a date with me?”

He smiled softly. “Why are you so surprised?”

“I guess I just feel a bit unloveable recently. And after last time, I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

Akio strides up to you and places his palm down on the top of your hand. “You could never be described as unlovable.”

You look up at him through your lashes on the brink of tears before looking back down at the scroll. “I-I don’t think I should be going on a date yet. I’m not ready. ...I’m sorry.”

Akio curls his fingers under your hand and lifts it to his lips. “Then I’ll keep asking until you are.”

You blush and look down, unsure of what to say.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N”

With one last press of his lips into your hand, he lets go and strides out of your office. A comfort washes over you. 

The rejection you felt from Kakashi was dulled by Akio’s advance. It made you feel more comfortable in your own skin. You weren’t ready to move on, but maybe tonight, you’d go home. For the first time in two weeks, you feel at peace enough to sleep in your own bed. 

****************************************************

It continued for a few weeks. Akio coming to you and checking on you. Making his intentions known. It was really sweet. He was always really sweet with you. You think back to your first date. It was a lovely time. …but it was stained with the memory of Kakashi intrusively pushing himself into the picture. You shake your head trying to rid your mind of the memory. That was proving a bit difficult. It had been just over a month since he left you. You thought he was forever. You thought the only way you’d lose him is if he fell in battle. You were not mentally or emotionally prepared to see him walk away from you voluntarily. Sometimes you think you see him out of the corner of your eye but you know that can’t be. He’s out of the village on missions. There’s no way he could be following you. Additionally, if he had really wanted to follow you, he’d have one of his hounds do it. 

Each day was getting a little easier. It’s not like your routine was really all that different. What you had with Kakashi was basically a long distance relationship. A very intense long distance relationship. The only things that changed are the fact that no one was slipping in through your open windows, you didn’t have a ninja hound stalking you anymore, and you began to miss him less. That last one was mostly a lie but you at least felt less like the rug had been ripped out from under you. 

Akio strides in this morning with two coffees in his hand and leans on your desk. He gives your cheek a kiss and sets one down in front of you. “Good Morning, Cutie.” 

You can’t help but blush and feel reassured by how he’s been doting on you every day. It’s a nice change from your absentee ex-boyfriend. “Good Morning, Akio.” you hum.

“You’re outfit is lovely today.”

You smile behind the rim of the coffee cup, “You say that everyday.” 

“It’s true every day.” he says, setting down his cup and rolling up his sleeves slightly. You notice how thick his forearms are and bite your lip a little. He catches you staring and seizes the opportunity, “If you like what you see that much, then would you please do me the honor of joining me on a date this weekend?”

You continue to chew on your lip before you realize he asked you a question. “Huh? Oh, uh…I…” you look down, your fingers wrapped around the cup. Maybe it was time. You had a crush on him before…everything. You had a really wonderful time on your first date and he was so kind and so mouthwatering. You find your nerve and lift your gaze to meet his. “I accept.”

A relieved smile lights his face. His hand comes up to cup your cheek as he swipes his thumb across it. “Great!” He leans in and kisses your forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow to talk details. Have a good day of work, Y/N.”

He squeezes your hand before his fingers slip from yours. You watch him leave, lifting your coffee cup to your lips with a sigh. You watch his built figure fade from you office, your eyes lingering on his behind. You can't help but think to yourself, as far as rebounds go, you’ve certainly hit the jackpot.

****************************************************

Evening has stretched over the village and you find yourself about to head out the door to meet up with Akio for your date. You check your hair and makeup one last time in the mirror. You were happy with how you looked. A flowy  royal blue dress stretches over your hips. The hem of it rests on your mid thigh. The top is fitted, snug around your bosom, pushing up your chest so that it peeks out of the top in a very alluring way. The sleeves hang off your shoulders, exposing your collar bone and your hair is loosely pulled up. Strappy black wedges adorn your polished feet, toenails painted to match the color of your dress. He warned you that you’d be dancing so you chose a comfortable heel height. You put your keys in a small black purse with a long silver chain strap and pull it over your shoulder. 

You go to pull open your door only to find Akio already standing there seemingly debating knocking on the door. You lift your hand to your lips to hide your giggle. His head snaps up at the sound only for his jaw to drop at the sight of you. You blush deeply, your ears turning red. 

“You’re a vision.”

You scan him up and down. He wore a dusty blue button up with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. The black dress slacks fit snug over his pelvis and were tailored perfectly down to his ankles, cutting off just above his leather dress shoes. He runs his hand through this hair, nervous about how you’re gawking at him. 

“You look very handsome.” You smile. 

He took the singular flower in his hand and extended it to you. You gently take it from his fingers and hold it to your chest. 

“Thank you, it’s lovely”

You quickly turn around to grab a small vase with water to put the flower in. “There” you say as you place it on your kitchen table. You turn around to face Akio, your gaze bright, “You ready to go?”

“I was ready a month ago.” 

He beams at you, holding out his hand for you to take. You clasp his palm in yours. It feels familiar and friendly. Not intense like your ex. Just…nice.

****************************************************

You walk into a noisy dimly lit building. The front of it had a bar and cocktail tables littered the room with many people gathered around them drinking colorful beverages out of expensive glasses. He walks up to the bar and gets two drinks, one for each of you. 

“This is to help you relax.”

You accept it with a chuckle. “How did you know?”

“Just a hunch.”

You sip on your drink as you look into his dark eyes. He really was so handsome. He’d be the perfect brooding hunk if it weren’t for his kindness that seeped through his exterior. You loved the intellectual conversations and inside jokes that came flowing through the evening. The two of you switching between languages just for the fun of it. Sometimes mixing up the language mid sentence just to see if the other could catch on. It was an exceedingly fun game, making a wide smile stretch across your face. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that before.” he says as he brushes your cheek with his thumb.

You blush and look down at your drink, feeling your ears turn red again. His fingers dance along your face, trailing down to your chin, pulling your gaze up to meet his. 

“Dance with me?”

“How could I say no?” 

He grabs your hand and pulls you over to the dance floor, your drinks forgotten at the table. The two of you disappear into the crowd of other couples. 

He twirls you into him. Your skirt floats up as you spin. You stop yourself with your hand gently landing on his chest before he tugs your arm, twirling you back out. He pulls you into him once more, settling his hand on the small of your back. Then he pulls you close, kissing your cheek before he releases your waist, twirling you in front of him twice before catching you. 

You smile, feeling a bit dizzy. He was an excellent dancer. He gives you a nod, silently communicating with you. You nod back, a grin splitting your face in two, knowing exactly what he was thinking. He braces your waist and lifts you. You swing your legs together, landing them on his hip before he lifts you up again and you swing both your legs over to his other hip. You land on the ground with another spin then he dips you. Your head falls back, looking at the room upside down before snapping back up to meet his lips. The crowd that had made room for the two of you cheers as you smile centimeters from each other's faces. 

You continue dancing in the same fashion, lifting, spinning, and dipping your way across the room. The two of you using your athletic ability to your advantage, filling the room with your motions until your chests heave. He leans into your ear, “I’m gonna get us waters.” You pull back and nod before you mouth the word ‘bathroom’ at him. 

You happily stagger over to the restroom, several strangers complimenting you on your dancing as you go. You thank them while you walk past. Once in the restroom you dab the sweat off your forehead and armpits before grabbing another towel to dab at your chest. You smile as you think about what you just did. Floating around the room in Akio’s arms…thump. 

A memory jolts you.

It was like you heard a singular heartbeat in my mind. Your shoulders sway as your vision turns gray. You see a flash of moonlight reflecting by your feet. You’re tiptoeing across a lake, dancing…dancing with him. You fall forward, hands clutching the sink. Your breathing shakes as you draw a ragged breath. Your knuckles turn white, clutching the porcelain. You gasp, feeling the walls close in on you. 

Why? Why did I have to think of him now? I was having so much fun. It’s just like last time. Why must he ruin your dates? 

But unlike last time you don’t have a choice. You can’t choose Kakashi. He made the choice for you. He chose to leave you behind to never come back. Tears start pouring down your cheeks as you gasp for air. You stumble into a stall to hide. Your hand clutches your chest. 

Come on Y/N, snap out of it! Akio’s amazing. He’s a good guy. A realistic partner. He’s sweet and handsome and fun. You have so much in common. Enjoy this. Let yourself enjoy this!

You desperately plead with yourself. Yanking your head out of the darkness. You lean against the wall, allowing your breathing to come back to normal. You head back over to the sink and look yourself square in the eye. You take a deep breath, wiping the tears from your cheeks, and giving yourself a reassuring nod. 

Go find him and have fun.

You leave the restroom looking for Akio. He’s standing across the dancefloor at one of the cocktail tables. You’re relieved to find that a smile easily tugs at your lips when he looks at you. Feeling restored under his keen eye you shuffle over to join him as he hands you both a drink and a water. The rest of the night continues as it was before, leaving you giddy as you exit to head home.

You walk back together, fingers interlaced. “I had a really nice time tonight.”

“I’ve heard that before.” he playfully jests.

“I meant it last time too.”

“You just had a ‘something’.”

You nod, looking down, then back up at him. “But I don’t have a ‘something’ anymore.”

The two of you come to a stop outside of your door. You feel yourself heating up, blush covering your cheeks as you grab your keys from your little purse. You lift your head to look at him only to be met with his lips crashing into yours. The kiss was heated. His hands came up to your face, cupping your cheeks on both sides. The force of his approach shoved your back into the door with a thump. You lean your head to the side, allowing him deeper access as you moan into his mouth. It was completely different from your ex. It was more tender yet still teaming with passion. His hands timidly explored your body. He was sliding his fingers all over your back and arms, not trying to get obscene just outside your apartment but also trying to be respectful in his wish to manhandle you.

“You mind-if we-head inside?” he asks between kisses

“-yeah” is all you have to say. You blindly reach behind you and take far too long sticking the key into the lock, missing the slot several times before successfully turning the pins to open the barrier. You finally open the door without leaving Akio’s desperate lips. The two of you stumble into your apartment, closing the door before he pins you against it. 

“You sure you don’t wanna take this to the bedroom?”

“No, it’s only our second date. I don’t wanna move too fast.”

He slides his hand down your side and pulls your leg up to his waist, rubbing along your thigh while he grinds into you. 

'Don’t wanna move too fast', that was a nice sentiment. With Kakashi, he removed your pants the first time he broke into your home. The second time he ravaged you like you were nothing more than a sex doll. 

Akio was different. He was sweet and a gentleman, while still being stupid hot. He lifts your other leg around his waist, pushing you against the door with his chest, lips locked with yours. 

It was hot. Really hot. And knowing it wasn’t going any further allowed you to get more into it, clawing at his back and swirling your hips against his waist. You’re hand playing with his brown locks elicited a moan into your mouth. Your tongues danced together. 

He pushed into you rhythmically, pulling little breathy gasps from you as the friction builds between your legs. He can feel your underwear steadily becoming more damp. Your slick’s starting to soak through them. 

“You like that Cutie?” 

“Yes” you whisper. 

“I can tell. I like it too. I could kiss you for hours.” 

You moan in response, tightening your grip on his hair. He growls into your mouth, thrusting up into you harder, needing the friction against his clothed boner. His hands wander to your hair and chest, feeling the fat give way as he closes his hand around it. Tugging at your up-do, already frizzy from rubbing against the door, pulling strands loose in his greed. 

You feel yourself unraveling for him. Your head is going dizzy in his hold. He’s pushing into you with more force, dragging himself up and down between your thighs. A groan is pushed out of you from the uptake in desperation. 

“That’s it, Cutie, just like that.”

You moan louder.

“Yes, keep going for me.”

You bite his lip, moaning and rutting against him. Your underwear fully soaked through, drenched in arousal. He moans as your teeth sink into his swollen lip. “Fuck, Y/N”

 You suck on his lip fiercely, close to cumming. His thrusts become more erratic. His breathing, labored. He’s barely able to speak the curses on the tip of his tongue as he topples over the edge giving into his orgasm. You collapse into him, matching his orgasm with your own. He drops you, allowing your feet to meet the floor. He cages you against the door with his hands while he rests his forehead against yours. 

“That was taking it slow, huh?” You say breathily.

He smiles, your sweaty foreheads pushing against each other. 

“I may have gotten a little carried away.” He kisses your cheek. “There’s just something about you.”

You reach your lips up to his, pressing them into him before he pulls back.

“Do you mind if I use your bathroom real quick? I’d rather not head home in soiled briefs.”

You giggle. “Yes, it’s through my bedroom. Lemme show you.”

You grab his hand and guide him, not bothering to turn on a light till you reach the bathroom. He goes in and closes the door behind him. 

You turn around and notice something on your bed that wasn’t there when you left. Sitting in the moonlight, your collar is placed in the center of your bed as if it is waiting for you. Kakashi… you reach to pick it up, fingers shaking. He knew. He knew you were on a date and broke in while you were out. He was watching you. But he had no right to claim you. He left. You were moving on. You refuse to let him ruin this night. Your fingers grip around the leather, a tear slipping down your cheek as the heart shaped tag catches a sliver of moonlight. You open your dresser drawer and tuck it inside, closing it as you hear your bathroom door open. 

Your head snaps up. Your gaze met Akio with a smile. He stretches out his hand. You walk over and take it, walking towards the door together. 

You lean into him, your head resting on his shoulder as he draws his arms around your waist, holding you close to him. 

“I had a really nice time tonight.” You softly say. 

Akio laughs at the phrase a second time. “I did too, Cutie.” He kisses your forehead. “I look forward to seeing you again next weekend.”

You lift your head to look up into his eyes. “Another date?”

“Of course. Next time at my place. I wanna cook for you.”

Such a gentleman.

“I’d like that.” you simper.

He tucks his finger under your chin, lifting your face to meet his lips in a soft kiss. He whispers into your ear.

“Goodnight, Y/N”

“Goodnight, Akio”

He unthreads his arms and walks through the door. You close it behind him feeling butterflies. You smile to yourself feeling truly happy for the first time in 5 weeks. 

****************************************************

Akio strides home. A stupidly smug lovesick grin on his face. He was thrilled, even though he was a little chaffed from freeballing in his dress pants. His soiled briefs lay crumpled up in the bottom of your wastebasket. There was a skip in his step. 

He was beyond happy until a dark figure suddenly appeared in his path. A cold chill blanketed the air as soon as the man made his entrance. Akio knew he was in danger.

“Look man, I’m not looking for trouble.” He reaches in his pocket and grabs his wallet. “Here, take it. I’m not interested in dying over a little money.”

Before Akio could even blink the figure was behind him, striking him in the neck. The blow knocked him to the ground. He felt his consciousness waiver. The man kneels down on the center of his spine, pulling Akio’s arm behind his back, twisting it. He coughs in pain.

“Just take the wallet, man, it’s right there.”

“See her again and I’ll break your arm.”

“What?”

“If I see your lips touch her ever again, I'll make sure it's the last thing you do. Understood?” he growls slowly with a twist of Akio’s arm. 

“AH! You mean Y/N? Why would you care?”

“Don’t touch what isn’t yours!” 

“Wh-who are you?” 

Kakashi leans down, the moonlight finally falling on his features. His eyes were blazed with fury. Akio’s pupils shrink in fear. “The Copy Ninja?”

“She belongs to me!” Kakashi is wild with jealousy. He looks ready to murder Akio. How dare he touch you. How dare he rub himself between your legs. Kakashi was one desperate move away from snapping Akio’s neck. He was beside himself, rage pumping through his veins. He had never felt such strong hatred in his life.

A couple turned the corner, walking down the street towards the two men. Kakashi quickly bashed Akio’s face into the ground, breaking his nose, before vanishing into the night. 

The couple came running up to Akio as he struggled to his knees. He coughed up the blood as it streamed down the back of his throat. He came up to his feet, keeping his head down trying to prevent the blood from running into his mouth. He pinched his nose trying to avoid making a mess.

“Oh my gods are you okay?!” the woman asked, offering her handkerchief which Akio gratefully accepted. 

The man with her picked up Akio’s wallet, passing it to him. “Who was that?”

“Apparently my girlfriend’s ex boyfriend.”

Part 13 Masterlist

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