#but like katashi has done a lot of bad

[im-a-ramblr]

A little piece about Jin meeting Tristan for the first time. A lot of Jin's dialogue was taken from or inspired by a conversation @krittaart and I had about it. Also, the idea that Jin reads Dragon Damsel was originally proposed by Tely, in a different conversation.

Jin dusted his pants off, looking around. The room was plain, with only a set of large, elaborate doors on one side and a smaller one opposite of it. Corin was kneeling next to him. That was both a relief and unsurprising at the same time. They had entered the portal together but you could never know with Spire doors.

Corin groaned as he tried to stand. His hand was pressed to the cut on his forehead, dangerous close to his attument. It was bleeding, nowhere near as bad it had been when the cut was fresh, but the site made Jin's stomach churn. He let out a breath, steading himself and leaned down to grab Corin. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just... It's a bad idea to go tumbling through a portal head first when you already have a head injury."

Jin nodded, letting go of Corin's arm. "Take a moment, we seem safe enough. Though I do wonder what this is supposed to be." He gestured around the room and Corin hummed as he started to look around. His eyes landed on the double doors and he went white as a sheet of paper. "Resh."

Jin tensed at he glanced at the doors, hand drifting to holster. "What is it?"

"Resh" Corin repeated. He took a step closer to Jin, eyes locked on the doors. Jin waited for a better explanation, but it never came.

"Corin." He finally broke the silence. Corin's head whipped towards him, and Jin had a spilt second to try and read the emotion on the others face -fear, dread, something that looked suspiciously like heartbreak- before Corin forced a blank mask.

"It's nothing." He said finally. "I was just expecting..." He glanced at the doors. "He normally doesn't interfere unless he wants something. So I was expecting him to come out, but I guess not."

"He?" Jin asked, eyebrow-raising.

Corin didn't say anything, just started towards the single door, and Jin sighed but followed. They hadn't even made it halfway there when there was a noise behind them. Jin glanced over his shoulder and startled a little at the figure who was standing in the slightly opened doors.

When they had first arrived he'd expected a towering figure based on the sheer size of the doors, and when Corin had mentioned being here before he'd kind of expected Katashi. The man was neither of them.

He was older than either of them but still young. He was probably a few inches taller than Corin, which meant he was nearly half a foot taller than Jin. A jagged scar crossed his face and over his right eye. He

"Corin." The stranger called, and Corin sighed.

"Tristan." he didn't turn all the way around to face the man, but he did twist so he was looking at him. "Thank you, for the save."

"Of course," Tristan said, in a tone that Jin had a feeling was supposed to sound gracious and posed but instead came across as condescending. "Stay a little longer, I have things to discuss with you."

Corin frowned. "I can't. I'm sure your already aware of the fact that I came for a test. I'm sure Chancellor Meltlake has already found the others, so we-" he gestured between himself and Jin "-need to be getting back."

"Your.... friend can go." Tristan, and that name sounded familiar but Jin wasn't sure why, waved a dismissive hand. "Once we're done here, I'll portal you to where the others are."

Jin's eyebrow inches higher at that. "I'm not sure I feel comfortable with that."

"It doesn't really mat-" Tristan started at the same time Corin nodded and said "Neither am I."

Tristan froze. He blink slowly, the let out a heavy sigh. "Corin. Please don't be difficult."

"I'm not." Corin said flatly. "I am stating how I genuinely and justifiably feel. I don't trust that you won't try something that gets either Jin or I hurt. So I don't want to spilt up. Either we both go, or we both stay."

Jin moved closer to Corin, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. With one hand he gripped the tips of Corin's sleeve, so that if Tristan tired to separately magically it won't work. With the other, he reached for a gun.

Tristan looked exasperated. "Aren't you a little too old to be acting like this. I mean, for Selys sake Corin, you're eighteen."

"I think you mean, I'm finally old enough to be acting like this. Old enough to realize our family was has been broken for a long time and that i have to trust poeple outside of my family..." He trailed off, as Tristan gaze truned cold

"And you trust him? Over me, your brother? Truly?"

Corin nodded, and Jin noticed he looked pale. And if this was his brother, that made since. He tried to remember what he'd heard about Tristan Candece, but he didn't get far before the older man spoke again.

"I am thwarted by your dismissal of me and Father.

Jin gapped at him. Then he truned to Corin. "He uses words like 'truly' and 'thwarted'."

"Is... Is that a question or statement?" Corin asked, looking a little surprised.

Jin wasn't sure if that was because of his comment or because he didn't remember he was there. He mentally checked that his attument was off. He wasn't sure he'd used of, he hadn't meant to if he had, but it was habit of his. He didn't reply to Corin though, just shrugged. That got the enchanter to crack a smile.

"Ahem." Tristan cleared his throat and Corin turned back to him.

"You know, you say you're thwarted by my dismissal, but it's really funny because the only reason it's happening is because I'm thwarted by your dismissal of the abuse father put me through." His voice was drenched in sarcasm. "So really, you only have yourself to blame."

Tristan glared. "I have said anything to father about your... little friend here but clearly he's a bad influence on you. And if your not willing to listen to me, then it's time father hears about it."

Jin could help but roll his eyes "Oh my goddess, father will hear about this. Corin what kind you of YA villain family do you come from?" He hoped his voice didn't shake. He didn't fancy the idea of drawing Magnus Cadence's attention, not when the man wouldn't hesitate to attack him.

Corin, however, seemed to think it was a bluff. "FaThEr WiL kOnW aBoUt ThIs! You can't leave the tower, what you are going to do about it? Tell mom to send him a message? You might be the golden child, but she won't do it. She doesn't care enough about what happens to me to do so. Besides, it would make.her look bad, and that's more important than any child of hers. Com'on Jin." He laced their figures together and marched out of the room, leaving his brother gapping after them.

The door closed behind them, but neither of them said anything for several minutes. Jin glanced at Corin, and saw he was tense again. But he was also shaking. Jin stopped walking, instead leading them a wall. He sat down, pulling Corin along with him. They rested with their back against the wall. "We should be safe here. Beath." Jin said softly.

Corin let out a choked shuddering breath. "Sorry. I just. Sorry."

"It's fine. Really." Jin said. "I can't even imagine what that was like for you."

"Please don't talk about it. I don't want to think about it. I... I think I majorly messed up by doing that."

Jin frowned. "I don't think you did." Corin tensed and Jin decided that now was not the time to push. This had clearly shaken Corin, much worse than Jin would have thought was possible. So he tried to find a way to change the subject. "I meant what I said about your family being a YA villain family."

A smile started to creep across Corin's face, so Jin kept going. "I'm pretty sure I've read those exact things in a book before. Yeah, it think it was in one of the Dragon Damsel books. Not that I have ever read them of course but-"

Corin started to laugh. "Oh you absolutely have!"

"Have not!"

"You can't convince me Jin. You're a swashbuckling romantic who loves to pretend to be mysterious, you absolutely read Dragon Damsel!"

"No! I don't! I've only read the first one!" Jin protested.

Corin laughed harder. Jin felt his cheeks burn but he really didn't care. He'd take Corin laughing at him over Corin, pale and shaking because he'd run into a member of his family unexpectedly any time. Still didn't mean he had to like it though. "Aren't we supposed to be find Meltlake and the others?"

[chaeiimimi]

06 𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂 𝓟𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓬!

Synopsis: Sakusa Kiyoomi, a young ravishing man, an athlete for the Japanese volleyball team and comes from a very prominent family around Japan. He was perfect, looks, wealth and fame. But you can’t have everything in life, can you? Sakusa, the germophobic athlete, suddenly wakes up one day and sees a baby boy in a basket in front of his door step, in the basket was a letter, a letter from his past lover, saying that the child was his. The panic look on the spiker’s face was almost comical, knowing that his life would turn into a complete 360, that day was his first time ever to miss a volleyball practice and to call Komori to ask for a babysitter. You.

Notice: the only thing I own is the plot, the art and the characters aren't mine and they all belong to their respective owners.

Safe to say you didn’t get as much sleep as you hoped that night

“eh?” you were shocked, you didn’t expect him to do it so soon

“yeah, they work from home tomorrow, we should pay them a visit”

“we?” you were flabbergasted, you? You’re meeting the elite and respected Sakusa Family?

“yeah, do you have any problems with that?” yes, a lot

“n-no sir”

So now you left a note on the kitchen counter saying you are going to the market to get some ingredients for the dish you were going to cook for Sakusa’s parents

Since you were young, your parents always taught you that you cannot visit a home empty handed, it was proper courtesy and showed respect and appreciation for having you in their home.

You strolled along the market looking at fresh produce, you opted for seafood, since it’s healthier for older people

A huge salmon caught your eyes and miso-zuke salmon immediately popped in your head, you looked at your watch, it was only five in the morning, you can let it marinate for how many hours and grill it for 30 minutes, which will be enough time to bring it for lunch

You bought it from the vendor who was very kind and even gave you a discount, after that you went to a bakery supplies to get some carrot décor and some ingredients to make icing, you were planning to make a cake less sweet so Sakusa’s parents can eat as well

With that, you head home

You saw Sakusa seating by the coffee table, sipping coffee and reviewing the forms you filled out

“good morning sir” you say as you take the things you bought to the kitchen

“we really don’t need to bring them anything you know” he says as, eyes still not leaving the papers

“I know, but my parents always tell me to not visit anyone’s house empty-handed, it’s a sign of courtesy”

He just nodded and said “suit yourself”

You begin making the marinade, thankfully the fish vendor was kind enough to slice the salmon up for you

About half way through you heard Kaito’s cry and you were about to wipe your hands to get to him when Sakusa stood up

“I got him, continue your work”

You nodded and did exactly that, it took fifteen minutes to make the marinade, you soaked the salmon in it , coverd it, and put in inside the freezer

Sakusa went out with a calm Kaito, he sat in the coffee table , his son carefully cradled in his one arm as his other hand held the forms he hasn’t reviewed yet

Looks like he got the hang of carrying Kaito you said inside your head as you smiled to yourself

You slowly mixed the ingredients together not noticing that Sakusa was now behind you

“what are you doing?” you flinched , surprised by your boss sudden speaking

“I’m making a cake sir” you said holding your chest

It wasn’t clear, heck if you didn’t spend your three months with him you wouldn’t have noticed the small smile grazing his lips

And you regret noticing because you were now flustered

You cleared your throat

“where’s Kaito?” you asked, focusing your attention back to your task

“he’s sleeping” he answered

Your mouth formed into an ‘o’

“is it normal for babies to sleep so much” he asked, his voice genuinely concern

You chuckled  “apparently, it is sir, sleep is actually healthy for baby, aside from them having small stomach and get full easily, their tiredness can also be the cause of a growth spurt or developmental leap” you say in as-a-matter-of-fact tone

He nods as he watches you pour the mixture to a cake mold, which he didn’t even know he had

“does your parents like cake sir?” you asked as you put the dough into the oven

“my mom eats it occasionally, my dad is a sucker for it, we try to make him cut it out for a bit, it’s bad for his health”

You nod, Sakusa has been a bit talkative since your talk last night

“in that case, I’ll make the buttercream frosting less sweet” you say as you washed your hands to prepare to make the frosting

Sakusa watched you as you make the frosting, a lot of thoughts inside his head

“is she doing this to impress my parents?”

“why would she want to impress my parents?”

“does she likes-“

Sakusa shook his head profusely muttering small no’s you were just nice and polite, yea, that’s it

He cleared his throat and went to the coffee table, he finished reviewing the forms you filled out and all of them were perfect, he opened his desktop and began with his work at the company again

The timer went off and it was time to take the cake out of the oven

Kaito was awake and mindlessly babbling in his crib while Sakusa watched replays of some volleyball games

You set the cake on a cooling rack to let it cool down for a while

You decided to clean the house while waiting for the cake to cool down

you wiped some shelves, throw out the trash and vacuumed, by the time you were finished cleaning , the cake was already cool, you begin frosting it, putting crushed nuts at the side of the cake and decorating the top of the cake with candy carrots and some edible decorative leaves, you slowly put it in the fridge

you sighed

“you need to rest” Sakusa says as he gets himself some water

You looked at the time and it was already 10

You shook your head “I just need to grill the salmon sir” and so you did grill the tuna for thirty minutes, gave Kaito a bath for twenty minutes, showered and changed yourself into a simple sundress

By the time you were done packing everything it was already 11:30

You and Sakusa made your way to his car, Kaito was in his baby seat and his father placed him on the back seat, you were about to seat beside Kaito when he cleared his throat

“won’t I look like a personal driver if the both of you sat there?”

You immediately got up and sat at the shotgun seat

The ride was quiet, it was a comfortable silence though, Kaito’s occasional babbles while you were still amazed by the rich neighborhood and Sakusa’s eyes are focused on the road

You arrived at his paren’ts place in fifteen minutes and you could hear the voices of people from afar

You entered the house-no, this was a freaking castle, it was huge, there was a guard, some gardeners and maids

Sakusa parked his car, you got out, he carried Kaito’s baby seat which had a handle while you carried the cake and the salmon-sizu

You walked to the backyard where you saw some children, you recognize some of them as Sakusa’s older siblings’ children, they looked like they were having an outdoor barbecue by their pool-side

Sakusa cleared his throat

They all stopped dead in their tracks eyes wide open

Sakusa glared at them “geez you guys don’t need to act like you saw a ghost”

“well what do you expect you barely visit us here?!” you assumed that it was his brother you spoke

His mother and father looked at you, and you felt very small

“woah and you- you- holy crap your married?!”

And with just one sentence there was a fiasco

“Uncle Kiyoomi is married? We have a new aunt?” a kid who was about nine said and rushed towards new but his sisters were already all up on you

“woah when did you guys get married?”

“when did you meet?”

“what company does your family own?”

“your dress looks so good?”

“do you like chanel?”

You were overwhelmed and couldn’t talk

Your boss sighed “she’s not my wife, she’s my son’s nanny and househelper”

They stopped on their tracks, as you stood there and smiled awkwardly

“but you’re too pretty to be a nanny!”

One of his nieces explained

“you have a son?!” Sakusa’s brother exclaimed

“I know right” Sakusa says nonchalantly

Sakusa was a calm compared to his very lively family

“you impregnated your househelper?” Sakusa’s father asked confused

Your eyes widened and you shook your head profusely

“it’s Nami’s” Sakusa sighed and handed his parents a letter, his brother and two sisters stood beside their parents to read the letter as well

They were dumbfounded when they finished reading, you can’t blame them, you had the same reaction when you first read that letter as well

“what a cruel woman…” Sakusa’s mother says, it seems like she was the first one to recover

Sakusa looked at his son who was looking up at him while sucking on his pacifier

“I don’t need her to raise my son” Sakusa says sternly, his family members looked at him

Sakusa took Kaito in his arms “everyone, this is Sakusa Kaito, my son” he says while Kaito babbles and cracked a toothless smile

There was a moment of silence

When...

 “Oh my lord! what a handsome baby!” Sakusa’s mother gushed and approached Sakusa and took Kaito from him

“holy hell bro he looks just like you!” his brother also says, as he pinch Kaito’s cheeks

“I want him to model for my baby line AAAHHHHH” his sister, which you assumed to be Aiko Sakusa a famous fashion designer

Sakusa Kairo the eldest among the siblings, a pilot and owns an airlines company

Akemi, the third child, a famous architect, she owns an architectural firm

And Sakusa Kiyoomi the youngest, Athlete-Entrepreneur manages a chain of hotels and restaurants

And of course Sakusa Arisa and Sakusa Katashi, the founder of Sakusa Empire

These people are one of the most influential family in japan, yet when you looked at them they look quite normal

Sakusa looked kind of distant, but you could see the softness in his features as he stares at his son being cradled and passed around by his family members

You did notice that his father was emotionlessly staring at the scene

“Kiyoomi you haven’t introduce your “helper” to us yet” Akemi says teasingly

Sakusa shook his head

“this is Y/N she’s Komori’s friend , she helps around my house and takes care of Kaito” he says as stood beside you

The whole family except for Komori’s dad looked at you with almost teary eyes

“thank you for dealing with our ill-mannered kiyoomi” his mother says

“You’re too pretty to be a nanny though, if you ever consider modeling come to me” Aiko says as she held both of your hands

You bowed to them politely “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Kiyoomi is a good boss to me” you said, feeling all stiff and awkward

“chill out Y/N-san we don’t bite” Kairo chuckled

You nodded awkwardly, Sakusa nudged you and pointed at the items you were holding

“oh, we bought you some salmon-sizu and carrot cake, I hope you like it” you said as you showed them the things you bought

“Y/N-chan I love you already” Akemi says as she took the carrot cake from you and led you to the table

 In no time the family were all eating and having fun, you had Kaito in your arms and was feeding him

“Y/n dear, this salmon and cake are so delicious, where did you buy them?”

You quickly realized that your boss’ mother was a sweet lady

“oh, I made them ma’am, my mother is a baker, it’s her recipe, I tweaked it a bit for it to make it less quick, my father is a fish broker, he told me that salmon is a healthy fish to serve” you smiled at her

“Y/N-chan you’re too kind, I hope my brother isn’t being a jerk to you” Aiko says as she eats cake

You chuckled at them

“Y/N-chan, how is our Kiyoomi?” Akemi asked

“Sir Sakusa is doing fine I think, he’s just a bit tired from volleyball and the company, he also makes time for Kaito whenever he can, he’s still a little bit confuse and clumsy”

Kairo, Akemi, Aiko and Mrs. Sakusa nodded together

“Y/N-chan do you like Kiyoomi?” Aiko asked which made you flustered

“I-I- yes-yes b-but- as a boss- I like him as a person-like a boss-“

“geez no need to get flustered now, we were only asking” Kairo said as he chuckled

“we don’t mind if you like him though, we’ll be delighted to have you here” Akemi says and smiled at you

You were now as red as a tomato

After the conversation, you were left with Kaito, he was now wide awake and you were playing with him

Only then did you noticed Sakusa’s father staring at you two

You cleared your throat, you got up, carrying Kaito, you cleaned up the plates near Sakusa’s father

Kaito pointed at his grandfather

You quietly approached the man

“sir, do you want to hold him?”  you asked

He looks up at you, you smiled at him and slowly sat Kaito on his lap

He looks at Kaito emotionlessly, when Kaito smiled at him and babbles “babababa!”

For the first time today, you saw a soft smile made its way to Sakusa’s father’s face

“he looks just like him” the elderly man mumbles

“I can see that sir” you smiled softly at them, slowly taking out your phone and quietly took a picture of the scene, not knowing that some of the eyes of the family were on you

 “she’s a good woman” Sakusa’s mother says to his son

“she is” Kiyoomi says as he stares at you, having a small conversation with his father, it’s very rare for him to communicate or interact with people other than business matters, but he doesn’t seem to have any trouble conversing with you

“do you like her Kiyo?” his mother asks teasingly

“mom, no” Kiyoomi sighs and takes a sip of his lemonade

Although his parents were mostly absent during his childhood, him and his siblings maintained a close relationship with them, and both his mother and father always made time for them on the weekends

A lot of people assumed that they were like the rich family from dramas, the tension and stuff but it was far from that, they were pretty normal, and chaotic at times

 “Your salmon-sizu was very good” your boss’ dad says as you took Kaito from him, the baby has already fallen asleep

“thank you sir, it was my dad’s recipe, he says it’s good for your health” you smiled as you cradled Kaito

He smiled and got up from his seat to join the rest of his family, you laid Kaito on his baby seat and wiped the sweat off his forehead

 The rest of the day were spent with you helping the maids with grilling, but Aiko quickly swooped in and wanted you to join the party, so there you were surrounded by your boss’ nieces and nephews

“you’re not uncle Kiyo’s girlfriend?” Arata, who was around seven years old asked you, he was Kairo’s son

You chuckled and shook your head

“but I want you to be my aunt, aunt y/n” Chizu who was Aiko’s daughter, said with pleading eyes

You just chuckled at them and diverted their attention to something else, you told them stories your parents and sister used to tell you when you were young, their eyes sparkled with fascination, even Mika and Eichi who were both teenagers were interested in your stories as well that they tore their eyes off of their phone screens

Later in the night you guys played uno, you taught them the basics, these kids didn’t know anything about games outside their phones

You couldn’t really relate to the adult’s conversation since they were talking about businesses so you hang out with the kids, and you were loving every moment of it, despite being born from rich families, they were really nice and humble, Eichi was very similar to his grandfather and his Uncle KIyoomi but he was polite nonetheless

It was finally time to leave, the kids were tired and the same to the adults

“come visit us soon aunt y/n” Mira says sleepily she was Akemi’s only child

You smiled at them and waved

“you better come back Y/N-chan we want another one of your carrot cake” Aiko says as you bowed to them

“dear, if ever Kiyo fires you, you are free to apply at our house” says Kiyoomi’s mother says as you leave

Your boss sighs as you finally entered his car

“they really like you” he mumbles

“I guess they do?” you chuckled

“hey y/n, thank you”

You tilt your head in confusion “for what sir?”

“just, thank you”

Taglist: @meri-soni-meri-tamanna @seashellmichellee @tetsuhoes @akaashislovelywife  @strawberryzos  @kuroohoeee @underratedmage @popping-cherries @uwu-iwanttodie @wonhyuksstuff @  @knmsapplepi    @stormcastello @si-m-p

[come-on-shitty-boys]

//chocolate impressions. akaashi keiji//

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 2.8K

Notes: I’m such a simp for Akaashi like hi.  He should not be allowed to be that gorgeous?  Choke me, please. *Single Parent!/Doctor!Akaashi x reader*

*Read Part 2 HERE*

“You’re stressing out over nothing.  It’s not like you’re going to be with him alone,” Akaashi soothes, placing the hand that wasn’t holding onto the steering wheel on your thigh in an attempt to get you to stop bouncing your leg.  

It was the first time that you would be meeting his son, so there was, of course, something to stress over.  What if his son didn’t like you and Akaashi broke up with you?  What if you weren’t cut out to be a step-parent?  What if Akaashi realized that you had no idea what to do around kids and decided that he should find some other woman who did?  Every hypothetical situation ran through your head, finding the worst possible outcome to conclude them all.  You had been worried about this day all week.  Akaashi had invited you to spend the weekend with him. Excited to finally be able to enjoy a peaceful weekend with your boyfriend where he wouldn’t be on call at the hospital, you were quick to agree.  There would be no phone calls in the middle of the night, begging him to come in to assist with a patient.  He would finally be able to get a good night of much needed rest and the two of you could just spend some quality time together.

But your plans for the perfect weekend when you caught sight of his calendar hanging on the side of his refrigerator one night when you were over for dinner.  There was a red circle around Friday and in Keiji’s sloppy script was “My week.”  He must’ve noticed the fall in your disposition, because he pushed the skillet to the back burner and wrapped his arms around your waist, a hum as he rested his chin on your shoulder being the only question.

“I didn’t realize that your son was going to be here too this weekend.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but he’s important to me.  I don’t want to move things further with you until he has a chance to meet you.”  

There was a pause in which you couldn’t think of anything to say.  Move things further.  The fact that he saw you in his future made your heart skip a little in your chest.  This weekend was important to him and to your future together, so you were going to try your best not to disappoint.  

“You’re going to have to cancel any plans that  . . . aren’t exactly PG,” he whispers, a soft kiss placed at the base of your neck.

“Damn, so we can’t play Smash Bros?”

You can feel his chest shake against your back as he laughs quietly to himself.  “No.  No, Smash Bros. until he’s back at Akiyo’s.”

The car slows down to a stop as Akaashi pulls into the driveway of his ex-wife’s house.  He hides a small yawn in the sleeve of his scrubs, climbing out of the car.  Not sure what to do, you stay in your seat.  Were you invited inside?  His ex-wife had never met you so maybe- no.  

“Are you coming in?” Keiji asks, giving you a bemused look.

“Am I allowed to?”

“Am I allowed to,” he mocks.  There’s a playful eye roll as he shuts his door.  You watch him walk, anticipating him to head towards the front door, but the passenger door opens and he’s holding out his hand for you.  “Come on, princess.  Let’s go.”

You follow him up the front steps, your anxiety returning as he rings the doorbell.  He gives your hand a firm squeeze as his thumb runs over your knuckles.  “You’ll be okay,” he whispers as footsteps on the other side of the door become audible.  

The door swings open to reveal his ex-wife, a polite smile on her perfectly painted lips.  “Katashi’s just getting his school stuff together.  Come in.”  Akiyo steps out of the way to let you both in and leads you both to the kitchen.  “Can I get you anything?  Tea? Water?”

“No, we’re fine.  Thank you.”

She nods, sitting down at the table across from you.  “I didn’t realize that she’d be with you,” Akiyo states as if you weren’t even there in the first place. 

“Is that a problem?”

“No.  You’re allowed to bring whoever you want into your life, Keiji.”

The quickly growing tension in the air causes the environment to go quiet as the ex-spouses try to refrain from getting into a hostile argument.  Keiji’s face carries his signature frown.  You can’t remember the last time that you’ve seen him annoyed enough to look this bored with another person.  His hands are clasped tightly together on the table in front of him, his steady stare trained on his ex-wife.  Her lips fell from their polite smile and have settled into a look of distaste, hands wrapped around a steaming mug, knuckles white as her grip tightens.

This is awkward.

The steady sound of feet running down the stairs is enough to break the tension.  Keiji stands up from his chair as a boy, probably no more than eight, races through the doorway, instantly running straight into the open arms of his father.  “Dad!”

“It’s good to see you too,” Akaashi says, laughter bubbling in his chest as he runs his hand through the messy black curls on his son's head.  “We’re ready to go home whenever you are.”

“Okay!” Katashi runs over to his mom, throwing his arms around her in a quick hug, a “Bye, Mom!” leaving his mouth as he excitedly runs to the front door, his backpack bouncing against his back with every step.  

“I’ll see you next week,” Akaashi says, waving politely to his ex-wife, following his son to the door.  

“Thank you for the hospitality,” you say, putting on your best smile for her before joining the boys at the door, bickering back and forth at each other before they even have a chance to step outside.  

“Well, I don’t see how it’s fair that you get a head start.”

“You’re older, so you have to be faster!” 

“I don’t think that’s how speed works,” Akaashi argues, his hands on his hips as he stares down at his son.  “Besides, these shoes put me at a total disadvantage!”

“Then take them off!”

“But, then I have to come all the way back here to get my shoes!”

“I get a three second headstart.  Take it or leave it,” the little boy huffs, holding out his hand for his father to shake.

“Deal.  Y/N, will you hold my shoes?”  Before you even have the chance to object, Akaashi is taking his shoes off and handing them to you.  He shakes Katashi’s outstretched hand and the two get in position at the back of the porch.  “First one to get in the car wins.”

“Hey, miss! Will you start us?” Katashi asks, turning to look at you.

“Uh, sure.  Yeah, I can do that.  On your mark . . . get set . . .” The boys get down in a track starting position.  “Go!”

You hear Keiji counting to himself before running off to catch up with the younger boy who is already almost to the car.  But, his old high school athleticism kicks in and he has little problem closing the distance.  You hear hands slam against the car mere seconds apart.  

“I win!” Katashi shouts, beaming at his father.

“I distinctly remember saying first to get in the car wins.  You’re not in the car.”  Katashi tugs on the handle only to find his door locked as Akaashi twirls the keyring on his finger.  “Wow.  That’s rough, buddy,” Akaashi says, unlocking his own door.  

Katashi sees his slim window of opportunity and jostles Akaashi out of the way, sliding into the driver seat.  There’s a smug smile on his face.  “Now, I win.”

Akaashi’s mouth falls open and he just turns to look at you, a silent plea to help him out in his eyes, but you can’t do anything but laugh.  “It’s not his fault that you were slow, Keiji.”

“That’s not fair.”

Katashi just shakes his head in disappointment.  “That’s rough, buddy.”

You try to hold back your giggles as Akaashi shoots you a soft glare.  “He’s got your sass!”

Katashi crawls into the backseat so his father can get in the front seat next to you.  “So, are you my dad’s girlfriend?”  He asks, buckling his seatbelt.

“Yeah, I am.  I’m Y/N.  It’s really great to finally meet you.  Your dad has told me a lot about you.”

“Oh, okay.”  He sits back in his seat as Akaashi pulls out of the drive, heading in the direction of his own house.  “What are we going to do this weekend?”

“Depends.  Do you have homework?” Akaashi asks, looking at Katashi in the rearview mirror.  

Katashi begins to shift in his seat and refuses to meet his father’s eyes.  “Well, not exactly. . .”

“Katashi,” he warns.

“I have extra lessons,” the boy sighs in defeat.  

“Math again?”

“Yeah. . .  I can’t help it! I don’t understand division.”

Keiji sighs heavily.  This had been the last thing he had wanted to do this weekend, but it needed to be done.  “We’ll work on it after dinner, okay?”

“Yessir.”  Katashi slinks down in his seat, staring at his shoes as his cheeks flare up.

You turn around in your seat to look at the boy in the back seat.  “I used to get extra lessons all the time.”

He looks up at you, almost startled that an adult would say something like that.  You can see his eyes had begun to water, upset that he had disappointed his father.  “Really?”

“Yeah.  I was really bad at math so my teacher sent extra work home all the time.  I just had to find what kind of studying worked best for me and I eventually caught up to everyone else.  You’ll get there too.”

Keiji takes his eyes away from the road momentarily to shoot you a look of confusion.  “You never told me that you had extra lessons.”

“Oh, sorry.  I must have left ‘given supplementary lessons in second grade’ out of my Tinder bio.”

He lightly punches your shoulder.  “And you call me sassy.”

“You are!”

“You are pretty sassy,” Katashi agrees.

“I did not invite you over so you could turn my own son against me,”  Akaashi says, mock betrayal etching his voice as he pulls into his driveway.

Once inside, Katashi immediately nestles himself on the couch, the television remote in his hands so he can watch cartoons.  Keiji follows you into the kitchen, setting his briefcase down on the counter and hanging up his jacket.  He can’t even bother to change out of his scrubs before slumping down into one of the dining chairs, the exhaustion of a long work week finally taking over him.  

In a matter of minutes, a steaming cup of tea is set down in front of him.  A soft sigh escapes his lips as your hands make contact with his shoulders, massaging the tired muscles.  “We could just order in tonight, if you want,” you say, watching Keiji’s form relax as you continue to release the tension from his body.  He only nods in response.  “You want your usual?”  Another nod.  

“Katashi likes the Miso one,” he mutters, further melting into your touch.

“Okay.  Why don’t you go take a nap?  I’ll get you up when it’s here.”

He shakes his head, sipping his tea.  “I’m fine.  I’m just going to take a shower.”  He gets out of his seat slowly, tired eyes hiding behind a small smile.  “Thank you.”  Keiji places a soft kiss on your lips before wandering off to the bathroom.

You slump down on the couch with Katashi, the take out menu and your phone in your hands.  “Are we getting take-out?!” He asks, scooting towards you to look over your shoulder.  

“Yeah.  Your dad’s really tired tonight, so we’re just going to order ramen.  Is that okay with you?”

Katashi nods.  “I like that one,” he says, pointing to one of the pictures on the little menu pamphlet.

“That’s what I always get too.”  You smile at him, dialing the number of the restaurant to place the order.  “Okay. . . Yes, that’s correct. Thank you!”  You say, hanging up the phone before turning to the boy on the couch who has, at this point, completely invaded any and all of your personal space.  “Thirty minutes.”

“Is that enough time to finish my lessons?”

“I don’t know.  Probably.  But, I thought your dad was going to help you after dinner?”

“Can you keep a secret?”

Your eyebrows furrowed together.  “What kind of secret?”

“He’s a really bad teacher,” Katashi whispers in your ear, making you giggle slightly.  Who knew that Dr. Akaashi Keiji was terrible at explaining basic math principles?  Honestly, you weren’t surprised.  His mind was so flooded with fancy medical words and the obvious secret doctor scheme to make any written prescription completely unreadable that he struggled to explain things in simpler terms when it was needed.

“Your secret is safe with me.  Go get it and I’ll see if I can help.”

Katashi runs off down the hall and returns a little later with a piece of paper and a pencil.  He sits himself down at the kitchen table and waits for you to join.  Rather than immediately sitting down, you start rummaging through the cabinets.  “What are you doing?” He asks as you start pouring chocolate chips onto a plate.

“This is how I learned how to divide.  We can always see if this helps you too.”  You sit down next to him, placing the plate down in front of him.  “Okay.  Number one.  36 divided by four.” Katashi watches as you place 36 chocolate chips in front of him.  “So, let’s think about it like this.  You have 36 chocolate chips that need to be divided evenly between you and three friends.  Four people.  We’re going to start by giving each person one chocolate chip.”  You push one chocolate chip to four different spots in front of him.  “But, we still have more, right?  So, let’s give everyone another chocolate chip.” 

Katashi adds one chip to each pile.  “Do I add more?”

“Why do you add more?”

“Because I still have some here?” He says, unsure of himself.  

“That’s right!  Go ahead and divide the rest out.”

Katashi nods, pushing chocolate chips into piles until all 36 have been evenly separated into four piles.  “Is that right?”

“Yes!  Very good.  Okay, so how many chocolate chips did each person get?”

You watch as Katashi counts the pieces of chocolate in each pile.  “Nine.”

“So, what’s 36 divided by four?”

“Nine.”

“Exactly.  And it works backwards too.  You have four groups of nine so how many chocolate chips are here in total?”

“36.”

“That’s right.  You’re already better at math than I was.  Let’s move on to number two.  18 divided by 6.”  You count out 18 chocolate chips and move the rest to the side.

“Everyone gets one. . .  There’s still some left, so they all get another one. . . And another one.  Three!”

“Very nice, Katashi!”  

“Division is so easy.”  He takes one of the chips and puts it in his mouth.  “And delicious.”

“See?  You just had to find what worked for you.”

“You’re pretty good at this math stuff.”

“I don’t know if I’d say that, but thank you.”

The minutes on the clock tick by as chocolate chips continue to be divided into various piles.  Katashi is lost in thought as he tries to divide 24 by three.  A pair of hands come to rest on your shoulders, causing you to jump at the sudden contact.  You gaze up into Akaashi Keiji’s smiling eyes.  “Hey,” he whispers, damp hair causing droplets of water to slide down his face.  You watch his face twist from soft happiness into pure bewilderment.  “Why are there melted chocolate chips everywhere?”

“We’re dividing!” Katashi exclaims, using his chocolate covered fingers to scoot around his division tools.

“Katashi, I told you that I’d help you after dinner.”

“Y/N helped me instead,” he shrugged, writing down the answer onto his paper and moving onto the next problem.

Keiji looked down at you and shook his head.  “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind.  Besides, now we have more time to kick your butt at Mario Kart later.”

“You’re totally going down, but okay.”

“Hey, Dad?” Katashi asks, not looking up from his hard work.

“Yeah?”

“Are you going to marry Y/N?  Because I really like her and I think you should get married to her.”

“Well, I’m glad you really like her, because I really like her too.”  Keiji reaches for your hand, giving it a loving squeeze.  He brings it to his lips, leaving a soft kiss on your ring finger.

[oininbled]

so this may depend on the partner and their canon and even verses on how this works. but katashi has seen or been apart of a lot of the known canon kkg genocides and other not mentioned genocides and events known historically in canon or a few headcanons which i acknowledge with another partner of mine. see what im saying here is katashi has been involved in almost every bad thing kirigakure has done ( i have drafted in a headcanon that he was supposed to be there when kiri used rin nohara - but he refused and that was a mistake and paid for in ten fold ). which may lead to ic hate now but i think it'd be natural. so guess this can be an open invitation for set dynamic interactions with them reacting to katashis sins. The least i ask is we may plot more just for my preference. katashi has intenionally let himself be used constantly by the system but after they overthrow yagura he tries to fix himself and his wrongs. but its enough to bury the village in blood.

[infinitycircuit]

batter's up ⭐ MERCEDES ⭐ Trial 4.1 ⭐ RE: Hellraiser, Desperado, Slide

Honestly? Mercedes feels better right now than she has in weeks. Maybe not exactly good— two more of her friends are still dead, after all— man, isn’t it fucked up that she has to say two more instead of just two?—

But after those grueling days of losing sleep, fear pressing in layer after layer, tearing down her carefully built image… man. Waking up feeling normal again felt like breaking the surface and taking a giant, wonderful breath of air.

So. Clear head, clear eyes— analyze the case before her. After everything else they’ve all been through lately, this feels blessedly easy. Even if. Uh. She stares at Arachnida with more than a little concern, in more ways than one, but... there’s not much to be done about that right now. Not by her. It’ll have to be unpacked later. (Hopefully.)

“I was thinking that too,” Mercy pipes up first. God, he's glad Tomie’s still kicking. “A frame job. Definitely not damning— sure, Jinki wears nail polish, and sure, it’s clearly meant to mean him when paired with the words— but is there any proof one of the victims wrote it?”

She refrains from commenting on how quickly and definitively Kakeru jumped on that. She gets it; tensions are high, sleep is low. Most of all, Kakeru is her friend, and she doesn’t want to make that is a was by falsely accusing him again.

But she does note a few things down in her mind. Just in case.

“Repetition is one of the best tools for building a story— that’s why songs repeat the chorus, you know? So nail polish being an important clue twice in a row… Yeah. That’s intentional.” He spins a ring slowly. “Now, I’ll admit— it looks like the writer was interrupted, since they didn’t finish ‘SHIT’. So I guess I could see if it was, like, Kazu saw Jinki do some shit, started leaving a warning, and got injected from behind. But…”

Mercy’s face looks almost frustrated, lip curling a bit as he looks at something that isn’t there. But it’s not a bad kind. An engaging kind of frustration— a challenging puzzle you’re completely absorbed in solving. Like a breath of fresh air, for the first time in a while, he’s focused.

“Couple things to consider here. One, why was nail polish there? We didn’t find the bottle anywhere in our evidence, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t just carry it around on me. I’m thinking whoever planted it had to go get it to do so.

“Two, related to that, it wouldn’t be hard to find. Plenty of people wear nail polish other than Jinki. Ara does, and she’s cleared. I do, sometimes.” Though they’re bare at the moment, having been way too much of a mess to worry about applying it.

“Mochi-ki did, and I doubt they took their supply to the… well, not the grave, but you get me. Anyways, what I mean is there’s plenty around to steal, and it would be easy to just go in someone’s room and take it. Especially when, even if they caught you doing it, they wouldn’t remember it later...

“And three: probably the most important. Why write his tattoos?" She pauses just a moment, for effect. "Think about it. FUCK SHIT is eight letters, which they clearly didn’t have time to finish— or at least, want us to think they didn’t. JINKI is only five. If they were actually panicked and in a hurry, why didn’t they just write his name?”

Might not be answers, not just yet, but leading questions are a lawyer’s best friend.

Alright. As much as Mercy loves the sound of his own voice, that’s a lot already. With as passionate as the group’s already gotten, there’s no way he can try and lead the conversation— it’s already taken off like dogs without horses. Best to just weave in and around it with the important parts, then stand back.

….Just one more thing—

“Are we sure those clothes are the culprit’s?” She frowns a little. “I won’t complain if it’s as easy as checking for wounds, of course, but— we compared sizes while we were out there. Me, Audie, and Akaji. The sliced ones in the fountain were a little bigger than Audie’s size, and the coat by the train entrance was about the same as Akaji.

“So, listen, I’m not saying I’m definitely right here, but to be thorough. The people closest to Audie in size would be Lindsay, who’s half clear, and… Clouds. Maybe Frankie if she tried, buuut... Clouds is definitely in this case, and was definitely hurt with a sword. And everything below her chest was hidden under the water.” Sorry for the briskness, Larcei. He’s coping. “Even if they weren’t hers, Jinki still wouldn’t have fit in them, so I doubt he has a slash wound.

“On the other hand, closest to Akaji would be… mmm...” Mercy’s tongue sticks out a little, counting people off in her head. “I mean, probably a lot of us, but I’d say the most relevant would be Kazu, Katashi, Ms. Director, and Kakeru.

“‘Course, could’ve just been Kazu’s, or maybe Jinki just wore clothes too big for him, but…” Shrug. “Something to consider.”

[infinitycircuit]

UUSEE UUSEE UUSEEWA || iustise || trial iii / i || re: oh god oh fukc oh god i mso sorry i sn sm

One word, and the conversation derails, like a train without a corpse. Were people really so... so...

So feeble-minded? Ha! Just like he'd thought. Stupid, stupid, stupid, even the culprits, they couldn't even clean up a fucking murder right.

Katashi Aoyama, who carried an ego so high, only laughed at the words spoken by people he always saw as below him. Of course people don't understand him-- how could they when they were simply too mediocre to?

The smile that had instinctively snuck its way to his face suddenly down limp to a line.

"Oh, I'm soooorry. Since when did you give a shit, Tsai? Don't you have an award-winning MMORPG to advertise or someshit? The last person I'd wanna be told to get serious by is from a chump who relies on a high number count to keep his ego straight. If this is happening at all, which is a huge waste is everyone's time mind you, I'd rather someone else with higher dignity hold me accountable, please, I beg of you.

As if I have something to be held accountable for, unlike a handful of you lot. Does it look like I've killed anyone?"

The fact that his mask was found can be pushed to the side-- Katashi was now far too busy taking off the one he'd been wearing for years. Katashi was always a stranger-- he made sure of it. The talk of disownership only made him feel taller; was he really expected to feel pity over those so lowly? No. He should only care about himself. Why?

Everyone can be a villain unless proven otherwise.

Thankfully, however, Frankie's calmer approach saves her from Katashi's sharp-cutting tongue, the phone pictures of the newspaper articles pertaining to Alice Kishinami's arrest staying in the safety of his coat pocket. A shame really, he thinks-- he thinks bringing them up would be just as fun, but there's no reason to create strife when it's unnecessary, and also just as irrelevant to the situation at hand. He'll consider her as the higher dignity he was asking for.

"But of course. I have a heart too-- hell, you could cross off this murder as an accident-- but showing emotion in this fucking place only gives you more and more grief. Why tire myself with something so exhausting? No, all I'm doing is being serious here. What Mamizuka has done may have been toeing the line of an accident, so the inherence of evil isn't all there, but we still have to vote correctly lest we want someone completely innocent and uninvolved to die, yes? So what he did was still wrong and must be held accountable.

But for fucks sake, don't expect me to lower myself to feel bad or grateful. Don't want to be projected on? Don't tell me what to do and don't project onto me. None of you know shit about me and you never fucking will. Last gift as a friend-- well, I want nothing to fucking do with it! Evil or not, friends don't fucking kill for friends! Accident or not, that's what I feel insulted over!

But of course, none of you would understand a lick of what I'm saying, huh?" Not one would ever understand him ever. No one would understand.

Cloudspotter next. Her anger fuels him even more, Katashi revving his emotions obnoxiously akin to a douchebag with their brand new motorcycle. Sure, him airing out his nature was less than desirable, but if it caused others to show their true selves as well, then don't mind if he does!

"Satisfying." he mutters with a smirk. Impressed, he hopes Clouds keeps fighting, what a spirit! "Black and white, right or wrong, same difference! Sure, maybe not evil, but Mamizuka is still in the fucking wrong for being responsible! You agree with me, don't you? Why try to pick a fight on the same team?"

His hand clutches his chest, breath shaking, why was it shaking? He was supposed to be emotionless, unbiased in the face of justice-- it's what all those years in the drama club taught him to do. And yet,

"Do you think I want to send Mamizuka to their death? It's fucked up, this whole game is! Fuck-- as much as I hate to admit it, I'm as hesitant as everyone else could ever be, no matter how much I want to think this is as easy as damning Rodney from Alabama! I don't want to, I-- the fact that he even considered this for his friends and not himself shows that he has a good heart, just misled because of this place--" Was he still talking about Mokichi? "--And it did fucking ruin him, because now, look- he's going to die because of his mistake, something he thought was right, and what can he do to make up for it and receive a second chance when he's fucking dead?!

What they did was incomprehensibly stupid, both for everyone AND themself! Don't you get it?!"

Tears felt as filthy as dirt as he wipes them away before they could drop. He can't afford to see grey, but it was peeking from the corner of his eye.

"Justice and judgement shouldn't hear the cries of anyone, but only what is right..." he whispers to himself and only himself to hear,

and Katashi Aoyama saw himself as right. This is where he wishes he can bow and say scene, but unfortunately, this was simply the real Katashi who had been hanging backstage.

He looks at four people with softer eyes-- two his best friends, and two more he promised over pizza that he wouldn't have another outburst. Then one more look at Mokichi, and he's trying to keep the image of them stable this time. They're not just the culprit. They're not just who you see right now. They're Mokichi Mamizuka. They're Mokichi Mamizuki. They're Mokichi Mamizuka.

...

"I'm sorry for somehow causing a domino effect during your possible last moments. But if your remorse is as genuine as can be...

...then maybe, you still living in the form of a ghost will give you enough time for a second chance. Perhaps you will even live again."

His eyes glaze over, cold.

"But I wouldn't give it much hope."

And scene.