#but society telling you to pick a side. preferably the one you were assigned at birth or else!

[robinsnest2111]

rotating the concept of trans/nb/non-cis chrissy in my brain 👉👈 (with a bunch of platonic eddie/chrissy thrown in for good measure, also chrissy getting adopted into the steve-robin-eddie-and-by-extension-all-the-other-teens friendship circle)

[asset35-maya]

I am sleepy but I gotta make a request before the busy tomorrow so 2 things on my mind! Sleepy and the 'oh my god they were roomates' vine xD with any characters and aus I love everything you write anyways xD Happy timezones and best vibes your way >^<!! 💖💞💕💕

Oh my god, they were roommates…

//

“The rental market in Detroit is absolute shit! How dare these bloodsuckers charge such high rates for the most under-developed properties! This city’s going to the dogs!”

“Uh-huh.”

“You have to pay your own weight in gold just to live in a shoebox for a year. Nonsense!”

“Uh…”

“Are you even listening to me, Tina!

Tina?

Goddamnit Tina!”

Gavin thumped his fist on her desk, but Tina’s eyes barely flicked up from her phone.

“Oh my god, you sound like my grandpa…”

Gavin turned red and his brain buzzed with a thousand colourful retorts. He was just about to pick one when Tina stopped scrolling and turned her phone screen towards him.

CYBERSCALIA @ NEW JERICHO

The suburban paradise for executive androids and humans alike. Located 25 minutes drive from downtown Detroit, with a full amenities.

Gavin’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He balked at her.

“You’re joking? How could I possibly…?”

“Get with the times, boomer…”

Tina lazily skimmed her thumb over the screen. The webpage promised plenty of greenery, good infrastructure and modest but spacious rooms. The extremely reasonable price tag was Gavin’s dream come true. He’d spent weeks apartment hunting in the wake of an early lease termination by his cantankerous landlord. Gavin knew he’d never find a better deal.

“Shit, this is so good, T! Why the phck does it have to be in that- that place!”

His friend arched a sceptical eyebrow.

“What place?”

“The Tincan ghetto!”

Tina smacked him on the arm. None too gently.

“It’s subsided public housing located in an android-friendly estate… because they’re the ones that need it most right now. And frankly, you seem to be in just as much need, so you should really get off that high horse.”

“Fine, fine. You’re right. I should seriously consider this place, even if my neighbours are gonna have more in common with my car than me. But damn, it seems a little too good to be true. There’s probably some fine print, hidden costs that’ll come out later.”

“Hmm… let’s see…”

Tina scrolled further and then let out a half-laugh. She held her phone up again.

“Nothing shady about the rates, but there is something you should know…”

At the risk of being called old again, Gavin squinted at the screen and read aloud.

“Bearing in mind the founding principles of New Jericho, all human occupants may only apply for tenancy in co-habitation with at least one android citizen of the United States of- JESUS PHCKING CHRIST! Absolutely not! I am not going to live with a plastic prick!”

//

Gavin had to get through half a bottle of wine before he could bear to scroll through the rental listings. Unlike other humans who had happily moved into New Jericho with their android friends or partners, he had to find an android who was also looking for a flatmate.

Some listings came from ardent supporters of Markus. These were the androids who wanted to ease the post-revolution transition by reaching out to humans. Some listings were put up by the android equivalent of frat boys. These individuals were clearly looking for someone on the fringes of human society, someone who could show them a good (if not illegal) time.

Other posts came from eccentric androids who craved company but had likely been rejected by their own kind. Gavin felt a strange twisting sensation, almost like pity, when he came across a post written entirely in third person by someone called Ralph.

He had almost given up hope when he came across a simple little listing for a two bedroom apartment in Cyberscalia.

RK900 #313 248 317 - 87: Seeking a neat, self-sufficient co-renter. Human or android, no preference. I spend most of my time working and will be out of your way for the better part of the day. I only ask for silence during my nighttime stasis cycles, timely payment of dues and upkeep of cleanliness.

Gavin sighed in relief.

//

“Your room is the first door on the left, mine is the second. The bathroom, laundry and kitchenette are shared, as is the living room. I scarcely find use for the latter, so you need not worry about my intruding on any of your social gatherings, or vice versa. As long as you adhere to the terms of the agreement, our paths will not cross much.”

The tall, stiff-necked android dropped a set of keys, both mechanical and digital, into Gavin’s open palm.

“Er thanks.. RK… sorry I forgot your full model number…”

“You may call me Nines. Although, I’d rather you didn’t call me much of anything. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

In a swish of black fabric, the android turned on his heel and disappeared into his room. Two rapid clicks indicated the shutting and locking of his door.

Gavin sighed and looked around the open-plan living room. It was nothing fancy, but it was far beyond any of the other properties he’d viewed in weeks of unsuccessful house-hunting.

He sat down on the simple black couch with a huff and contemplated his situation. He’d ended up where he’d truly never expected to go, but objectively speaking, things were good… barring the high-handed manner of his robot flatmate, but who gave a shit about that.

He pulled out his phone to text Tina his thanks.

//

“I can’t! I refuse to! It is a violation of my personal ethics and I will simply not take this assignment any further. Good day to you sir!”

Gavin nearly dropped his bowl of cereal one morning when his roommate burst out of his door and rushed into the open balcony.

He hadn’t seen Nines in days, which was perfectly normal. The android came and went at odd hours and made hardly any noise. It was almost like living alone. The only reminder of Nines’ presence was the sight of several dark shirts and trousers regularly hung out to dry on the rack above the washing machine.

Gavin set his bowl down and watched the android tightly grip the bars of the railing and take several unnecessary breaths to calm down. He’d seen deviant colleagues express emotion many times before, but this was the first time he witnessed such a potent mixture of rage and sorrow from a synthetic being.

Out of empathy, but mostly curiosity, Gavin approached cautiously.

“Hey Nines… is everything alright…?”

There was no response for several moments. Then Nines turned around with a grimace and hands held upwards in a placating gesture.

“I apologise for the disturbance. It was hypocritical of me to disrupt the very peace and quiet I demand of you.”

“Uh… no worries…? Are you okay?”

There was a flash of steel blue eyes.

Gavin kicked himself mentally as he realised too late that he’d broached uncharted territory. Their interactions didn’t extend beyond curt nods on the rare occasion they found each other in the same space. It was almost as if Nines engineered the lack of contact, which wouldn’t surprise Gavin at all if it were the case.

“I’m fine. I merely experienced some frustration with my work.”

Perhaps it was boredom, perhaps it was his usual lack of self-preservative instinct… Gavin threw caution to the winds.

“What do you actually do?”

Nines’ expression remained stoic but his LED went through a spectacular series of colours and flashes. His next words were reluctant.

“I’m a private investigator.”

“Oh shit! I’m actually a cop.”

Gavin pointed dumbly at himself and then let his hand drop when he saw absolutely no surprise cross the android’s face.

“I know. That’s why I let you stay with me.”

“For safety?”

“Certainly not for your fashion sense.”

“Wow okay, I didn’t think I’d be much protection for a big scary droid like you.”

Nines hummed dismissively and started to move out of the balcony, body language fully indicating the end of the conversation.

Unable to help himself for some strange reason, Gavin blurted out another ill-advised question.

“What pissed you off so much?”

Nines paused halfway through side-stepping the human. A thrill went through Gavin at the shards of ice he observed for the first time up close in Nines’ irises.

“If I tell you, will you promise to stop asking pointless questions?”

Gavin nodded earnestly, and frankly… rather foolishly.

“I helped a client gather evidence to initiate divorce proceedings on the grounds of infidelity. I provided ample photo and video evidence for his lawyers to work with. Now they want me to keep following the spouse to capture more details that could gear any future settlement in his favour.”

“So what’s your problem?”

“They’re offering me an incredible amount of cash to follow her 24/7. To stake out her workplace, her gym, her parent’s home. They want me to crouch under the window of the bedroom where her children sleep. I can do a lot of things, but not that. It’s deeply insulting that they even asked. That’s why I was so… pissed.”

Nines slipped past and was nearly back to his bedroom when Gavin spoke.

“I respect that.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“I know, but for real though, I think ethics are important in our line of work. Not just because of we need morals or a sense of right or wrong blablabla, but because we need… clarity.”

Silence floated through the hallway as Nines paused with a hand on his doorframe.

“Clarity?”

“Yeah, like a sense of direction. We don’t just take cases right-left-centre because they make us money. I mean, we could, and people do… but they never become specialists or experts of any kind. You gotta strategise if you want a career. Ethics helps with that. I think…”

Gavin wasn’t sure what made him say any of that. He was neither one for small talk, nor a man of many words… but something about Nines prompted that unusual level of introspective discourse.

“Sorry that was weird. Never mind.”

“That was actually… very astute.”

Their eyes met and Gavin could’ve sworn he saw the hint of a smile.

“It’s good to see that not all humans are as one-dimensional as I thought.”

The door clicked shut, but there was no locking sound.

//

Since the morning of Nines’ uncharacteristic outburst, the frequency of their encounters in the common areas of the apartment increased. Wordless nods became hellos, and hellos eventually became full sentences.

Not that he’d admit it, Gavin actually looked forward to enquiring about the android’s day and the cases he was working on. It was utterly fascinating to hear about legal investigations without the constraints of police procedure.

For his part, Nines would share as much as he had the patience to, before disappearing into the confines of his room. Though the time he spent outside steadily increased every day.

Another morning, while Gavin was making his coffee, Nines emerged from his room, still in his pyjamas and looking as livid as he had the time before. Gavin had never seen him in anything but crisply ironed businesswear. Before he could voice any concern, Nines stiffly asked Gavin to keep a lookout for a homicide suspect.

He nodded and immediately reached for his phone to text the sergeant on duty at his station. By midday, there was an arrest.

That evening, when Gavin settled in front of the TV with his usual glass of wine, he heard the familiar sound of Nines’ door opening. The couch dipped beside him.

“Thank you.”

“Just did my job. I should thank you for the tip.”

“Hmm.”

Gavin chanced a glance at his roommate, and found him looking right back.

“What?”

“Nothing… I just had the realisation that much of my work is impotent without the authority and means to take any kind of action.”

The sitcom began to play and Gavin thumbed the remote to reduce the volume.

“Takes all kinds to keep the streets clean. PIs can do things cops can’t. We rely on guys like you for intel all the time, you know.”

“I know.”

No words were exchanged for a while thereafter. Gavin found himself unable to focus on the TV show with all the brooding energy emanating from his right.

“If you feel like being a private eye doesn’t make enough of a difference, then why didn’t you… um… you know…”

“Join law enforcement?”

“Yup.”

“Plenty of my fellow androids have done so. I know for a fact that my predecessor model chose to remain there. You might know him.”

“Connor? Yes. Very annoying.”

“He is, isn’t he?”

“Totally. But why didn’t you join too? You’d be brilliant on the Force.”

“My skillset is certainly well-suited, but I didn’t want to become another puppet of the state.”

Gavin really didn’t know what to say to that. He nodded uncertainly and looked back at the television. He wasn’t sure why Nines was suddenly this social.

“What are you… watching?”

Androids could scan and detect just about anything in the world, so there had to be something else to the question. Gavin, strangely, was happy to oblige.

//

Nines made an appearance every evening, without fail. He would sit through the TV shows if they were of interest, or he would bring his case material and notes to the coffee table to work in silence beside Gavin.

Sometimes Gavin liked to work on jigsaw puzzles on the dining table. Nines would sit beside him, pretending to read a paperback novel, but actually scanning the puzzle and passing the right pieces over from time to time.

Against all odds, an evening ritual and a tentative friendship developed. It was simple, but it was warm. Comfortable. Like nothing Gavin had ever had before, even with humans.

//

He awoke one morning with a slight crick in his neck but the feeling of being very well-rested.

His eyes flickered open and fell upon the window. Familiar greenery came into view… but wait… had everything slightly shifted to the left? And was that the New Jericho Capitol building? He couldn’t see that from his room! There was a tree in the way! A tree that was now a few feet away from where it used to be.

Gavin sat up in alarm as he realised that he was not in his own bed. His heart flew into his throat as Nines walked through the open doorway. Shirtless and carrying a mug of blue liquid.

“Oh good, you’re up.”

“Wha-what happened!?”

Nines frowned and sat down on the edge of the bed. He set the mug on the floor and pulled on a plain black t-shirt.

“You passed out on the couch last night. I think you finished a whole bottle waiting up for me? Sorry, I was out working later than expected.”

Gavin looked down and sighed in relief as he found all his clothes still on him.

“I didn’t want you to injure yourself sleeping at an odd angle so I brought you here. Your door was locked.”

“You could’ve easily opened it.”

“Yes, but that would’ve been an invasion of privacy. I reserve that for working hours alone.”

Gavin looked deep into the sparkling blue eyes and as usual found no trace of humour.

“Thanks…”

“Don’t mention it. Now get out. You’re ruining my silk sheets.”

//

Against his best efforts, Gavin could not keep the thought of being carried to bed and tucked in safely out of his mind. How many years had it been? Since something like that had been even remotely possible for him?

He knew that Nines was just being kind in his own pragmatic little way… but Gavin found that he wouldn’t mind the prospect of waking up in the android’s bed in a wildly different context.

He realised he had it bad when Tina caught him smiling to himself at work one day.

“Why so happy?”

“Oh… nothing. Just remembered something my roommate did… He’s a… funny guy.”

“Huh. Well, look at you getting along so well with androids.”

“Android. Singular. Just him.”

“Wowwww… he sounds special.”

//

“Who did this?”

“Gavin, the damage is merely superficial-”

“Who phcking did this??!”

He reached forward and gingerly touched Nines’ split cheek. His synth skin was smeared with blue blood and glitching in and out. Nines winced at the contact.

“Shit, sorry. That must hurt like a bitch.”

“Androids do not feel pain.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m merely experiencing a surge in sensory input wherever my chassis is exposed. I’m fine.”

“Shut up and give me your first aid kit or whatever toolbox equivalent you tincans have.”

A shade of embarrassment appeared over the android’s features.

“I… actually don’t have one. I didn’t think I’d ever need it.”

“Didn’t think anyone could kick your ass, huh?”

“No… I didn’t think anyone would ever spot my hiding place.”

“Huh. How’d that happen?”

Nines’ eyes dipped, but as always, he answered the question.

“I was… distracted.”

Something in the air solidified and both of them felt it. Gavin cleared his throat and slapped his knees like an old man about to stand up.

“Right. Let me go check if the neighbours have anything that might help with your face.”

//

“So who’s this dapper young gent you’ve brought to the party, Gavin?”

“Er… he’s my uh… roommate.”

Captain Fowler nodded and winked.

“That’s what they called it in my day too.”

Nines shifted beside Gavin and cleared his throat.

“He’s a PI. But I think he’s wasting his talent taking pictures of cheating spouses. He’s quite interested in police work. Maybe we could get him to assist on a couple cases now and then?”

Fowler put down his drink and extended a warm hand to Nines.

//

“Oh thank RA9!”

Nines came running to the cluster of police cars and enveloped him in a giant hug. Gavin laughed as he patted him weakly on the back.

“Watch the ribs, big guy.”

“I was so worried.”

“Why? Your info was good. No chance of error.”

“I meant about you.”

Gavin pulled back and regarded Nines with confusion. The flashing red and blue lights of the cars made it hard to read his LED.

“Why?”

“I can’t believe you have to ask.”

The android pulled him into a bruising kiss. The officers standing nearby broke into wolf-whistles and applause.

“What the-”

“Oh I take full credit for that, sir.”

Fowler glanced at Tina.

“The case, Chen?”

“Oh of course. I solved the whole thing. But I mean that specifically.”

She waved a hand in Gavin and Nines’ direction. The two held each other tightly and seemed unlikely to come up for air anytime soon.

“Like I helped Gav find an affordable place in New Jericho and then he met this handsome investigator droid and they were roommates.”

“Oh my god, they were roommates…”

“Yeah legit.”

//

\\\

Thanks so much for the request @jude-shotto

This ended up being a lot longer than expected, but I couldn’t help it. Your prompt just took me on a whole journeyyyy <3

[cosmiclatte28]

Forced Marriage (Baekhyun, Sehun, you)

A/n : hey so this story was written last year when SuperM drama was out, but I never continue it and I just checked this again because of the WIP tag. (once again thanks to @yutahoes ) and I want to post this to see if actually there's still EXOL here who wants to read a fanfic

I will write the second part (ending) for this, after hearing if you want to end with who

tagging @yutahoes coz Sehun is a major role here hehehe and i don't really know other exols but @neopalette usually wants to read my fics (thanks honey!) and @swagmonsterofficial also could help

trigger warning: strict parents, old-classic ideology of arranged marriage

Here we go..

“Let’s get married, (y/n)!” The cheeky boy beside you blurts out and stops you in your track.

Your eyes widen, your steps taken to a halt, and his smile? His smile is still there.

“A wedding?” you turn your body to face him. Earlier you are walking ahead of him into the woods, running away from your parent’s “important talk”.

You live in the big house on the end of the road, where wilderness is still a thing. An hour ago, your parents told you to get dressed up as an important guest is coming, and you’re expected to look decent for lunch.

But here you are now, thirty minutes into the invitation, you’re walking in the woods with your best friend of a lifetime, or so you hope.

Baekhyun has been your neighbour since you moved in. His house is just one throw of pebble. Your bedroom window and his are face to face and that makes your friendship with him totally wonderful. When phones are not yet a thing, you don’t have trouble to see what he is doing at night, talking through written messages on a paper has been a way you two “chat” late at night.

Baekhyun nods his head and reaches for your hand, he guides you through his imagination of what he calls “our future small family”

“Yes, we will get married, in the same way you’ve always wished! In a garden, with a priest blessing our vows. You will wear your dream gown, with flower crowns like how you read in your princess tales! I got to pick you up in a carriage! Dad can work it out, what colour do you want for the carriage?” Baekhyun sounds so happy and innocent.

You hold yourself from tears, well he doesn’t know yet the reason why you run from your house’s back door to the woods. Baekhyun happens to see you run from his bedroom and he decides to follow you. You did not say anything, just replied to his surprising greeting with a surprised tone. Other than that, you’ve kept your mouth shut. Now it questions you why Baekhyun suddenly asks you for marriage.

“Umm why are you suddenly asking me this Baek?” a glint of hope reflects from this seeming normal question.

“Hmm maybe because I don’t want to lose you?” He shrugs playfully and swings the intertwined hands as he drags you for a deeper walk.

You think it is not a good idea to walk deeper, since you need to return after this if you did not want to end up with bruises.

“What kind of mind is that Baekhyun! I am here!” you try your best to sound happy.

He stops walking and faces you, gently he bends down to match your shorter height and he cups your face. “You know sometimes what we think won’t be gone, might be gone in a blink of an eye when one forgets to hold on tight.” He gives a small force to squeeze your cheeks and he giggles, ‘Hey since when did your cheeks lose their squishiness? You got thinner! Come join me for dinner mom can cook your favourite steak!”

Baekhyun did not know the reason you’re thinner is because you’ve skipped dinner. Fighting with your parents made you lock yourself in the room, skip dinner and lost appetite.

“Well, I’d love that but right now is not the time. Besides, what time is it Baek?” you ask him a new topic so you don’t have to answer his proposal.

Baekhyun glances at his analogue, “It’s ten minutes to twelve.”

You gulp and know you’re screwed. Returning to the house and dressing up will take some time and you’ll most likely show up at the dining table 15 minutes late. Like it or not, you have to go back now.

“Um Baekhyun I have some things to do, catch you later.” You quickly turn your heels and dash through the woods. Baekhyun frowns, but also follows your steps.

“Hey slow down! You’ll fall and get hurt.” Baekhyun yells to you, who is already a few steps ahead of him. This is so weird, you usually always ask him to accompany you, since you’ve once got lost in the forest. Come to think of it, you left by yourself today here. Why? That is unusual.

All these questions remain unanswered as Baekhyun sees you from the mouth of the forest, running to the back door and rushing all the way to your room.

You disappear from the veins covered gates of your backyard, and lonely Baekhyun takes the left path to his house. He smells the delicious lunch his kitchen is making. Well, as his stomach grumbles from hunger, Baekhyun tosses aside his problems and dash to wash his hands and dress for lunch.

Your expectation and calculation were accurate. You got to your room five minutes after twelve right at the time a car entered your porch. You quickly change your dress to the one your mother has prepared and as much as you hated laces, the dress was covered wit lace. You step to the mirror, tidy your look, powder up and brush your hair.

A hurried knock echoes in your room and your mother’s voice enters your room.

“Coming, wait a second.” You yell as you struggle to put on your shoes while making sure you look flawless already.

Once the door flies open, hey your mom knows how to pick locks, you’ve already forced a smile on your face, and she doesn’t look that mad.

“Nice, you didn’t disappoint me. Now gently do down, your fiancé is waiting for you in the dining room. Remember..”

You cut her in “No loud voice, no improper language, tidy eating manner, and agree on this thing.”

She smiles proudly at you and runs a soothing hand down your arm. “Hey, everything will be alright okay.”

You exhale a long breath and with a heavy heart, walks down the stairs to meet the man of your future.

If this was not reality, you would already run down the stairs with joyful steps to reach the man of your choice, sadly this is not your own story to write.

No, your father is dying and his last wish was to see you marry the guy he has set up for you. You remember what he said last week, “Please the man I’ve set for you will be a good man to continue the business I had started. Not that I don’t believe in you taking after, but he will be a good leader. His family also owns a strong business and together, you will live a good life. Trust me darling, I want this for your happiness.”

You remember him saying that to you, one cold night beside the fireplace when he invited you for a game of chess. You belong to the noble family; you have private teachers coming in to tutor you; unlike ordinary girls who need to stay home to cook and wash laundries. Chess is your dad’s favourite game and he always teaches you how to advance the game. Your heart tugs a little when his weak state flashes in your mind.

The last chess you played with him was that same time he proposed to you this whole arranged marriage idea.

You reach the last step of stairs and see the new family seated elegantly on the big table. Your father despite his weak state, still manages to look handsome. You spot the empty seat next to a tall man with strong face lines and a cold smile. He looks smart, strong, but lacks warmth and love. Your face shows a pretty smile, but deep inside your heart you’re crying as you can totally see your future won’t be different than what you have right now.

“Nice to meet you, Miss (y/n), I am Oh Sehun, your fiancé” He stands tall on his legs and after receiving your hand, he presses a light kiss on them. You greet him back and take your place beside him.

Lunch begins and all the time, you only open your mouth when direct questions are given to you. Sehun mostly takes over the questions about the wedding party, saying that he will let you choose what kind of party you want. You just nod and say you will think about it.

“Right, please make up your mind as soon as possible. The wedding will happen in 15 days and I hope we can get this over really quick.” Sehun’s father ends the talk of the wedding.

The choice of food for today was not your preferred dish. You only eat a small portion of the food and try your best to swallow this bitter lump.

Main course went well with Sehun getting engaged to business talks with your father and you were interrogated for your social life by his mother.

Luckily, your mother is there to help you lie. You’ve never really put yourself into the rich girl’s society, you’ve always lied to your mom. You lied about going to the social house, just to run away elsewhere with Baekhyun or simply attend last minute.

Strawberry panna cotta is your favourite dessert; however, today you cannot find the joy of sticking that sweet pudding into your mouth.

The suffocating tension grows thicker when you are sent to take Sehun for a walk to the festival reoccurring in the centre of the town.

Your mind is busy thinking of something, yes you remember Baekhyun is taking care of one event there. He is assigned by the Mayor to lead the talent show performance tonight. Now you remember there is no way you’ll meet him in the town with a new man by your side. He would totally rant to you for not telling him your new friend.

“Umm Sehun, can we go somewhere else instead.. I don’t think the festival is suitable for us to talk with one another. It’s loud.” You bite your lips nervously.

Sehun quirks his eyebrow, “Oh? Well then where should we go?”

His voice is icy and cold, even standing beside him sends shivers down your spine.

“We can go to the quiet hill a few miles from here, will it be okay?”

To your surprise he is okay with walking a few miles. You really think he would deny it and just ask you to talk here in the garden, but no, he didn’t waver at all.

So you begin your hike to the hill where you usually escape when your mind is not clear.

“And… this is it, the quiet place I always go when I have much in my mind.” You spin around once and smile when you close your eyes and feel the gentle breeze blowing.

Sehun takes off his mantle and lays it down for you to sit on. You looked puzzled and he chuckled at your confused face.

“I’m sure your mother wouldn’t want that dress to be dirty.” He helps you sit over his mantle and soon joins you down on the other side.

“Sorry for making you do this.” You point at his clothes and mantel, you did not expect going to the hill will cause him much commotion.

Sehun shakes his head and begins asking you questions to know you better.

“I know you did not like this marriage, but I will try my best to be a good husband.” Sehun said that to you, but things were not as beautiful as his promise.

__

Baekhyun enters his house and finds his dog already waiting for him

“Ah my sweet mongryong! You’re waiting for me!” Baekhyun kneels down to pet his excited puppy just to be run over and he ends up giggling on the floor.

“Baekhyun hurry up! Your brother and father are waiting for you! Go change to a clean shirt and wash your hand. Hurry or your plate will be clean!” His mother cheerfully kisses him and pushes him to change his attire.

Baekhyun laughs at the warmth this house can never fail to give him, he runs to his room on the second floor and quickly changes for a fresh linen. Just as he glances over to the mirror, he notices a foreign car on the porch of your front house. With a confused look, he tries to remember if you told him anything about a guest or a new tutor maybe.

The cheerful boy makes it to the dining table looking clean and handsome.

“Sorry for making you gentlemen wait and my beautiful mother too. Now shall we eat?” He grabs his utensils and a hearty lunch happens right at the same time as yours (the cold and tense one).

“Looks like our neighbour has a big news coming around!” his father starts the topic for today’s lunch.

Baekhyun’s ears perk up, “Oh yeah? A party? I thought they have their birthday already.”

His brother shakes his head, “No, something else. That car is new. We never see anyone visiting her in a fancy car.”

Baekhyun still enjoys his food, “Maybe a new tutor. She told me the last French tutor moved and her mother is busy looking for a new one.”

“Maybe…” his brother leaves a lingering statement and soon their discussion changes to the perfect seasoning their mother did on the food, or just random small talks.

“I am going to the town! I need to make sure the talent show will be perfect tonight!” Baekhyun bids farewell to the family as he takes his bike and pedals all the way to the town hall.

He can’t wait to meet you tonight in the town hall!

But Baekhyun didn’t meet you at all that afternoon. Instead he found another friend of his, Park Chanyeol.

“Hey! You’re by yourself? Not usual eh?” Chanyeol nudges his shorter friend, who is busy moving things around to set up the stage.

“Oh hi there Yeollie, well yeah It’s me and the team, who else are you expecting?” Baekhyun stops bending and straightens his back.

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, “I mean where is your girlfriend you always have by your side…”

Baekhyun secretly smiles but he shakes his head, “She’s not my girlfriend… we’re neighbours and yeah good friends, you miss her?”

Chanyeol awkwardly laughs, “No, I am not looking for her. Just feels weird… maybe she’s coming later. Now let me help you fix this place! We only have several hours to go!”

Baekhyun nudges off the odd feeling in his stomach. Come to think of it, you’re not the type to not come and help him. He tries to think that maybe your mother or father is acting up again.

--

You spend a good two hours of talking and planning with Sehun. As you feel wind more breezy and Sehun notifies you it’s almost tea time, you finally stand up from the ground and with the help of Sehun, you stretch your stiff body.

“It’s almost tea time.” Sehun says while putting on his mantle.

“Oh right… Will you join us for tea?” a question of formality.

You wish he would just reject it and go home, but no this guy accepts the offer.

You can only force another fake smile and return to the house.

“Great to see the two of you back on time for tea! We think it is a bit too late already for the Oh family to go home, so they might be staying for dinner and the night.” Your mother greets you and Sehun over the door.

Your mouth falls open and with one glare from your mother, you pull yourself back together. Before she can pull you inside the room, you quickly glance to your neighbour’s house and notice the lack of a bicycle. Hmm Baekhyun must already be in the festival.

Tea time is better since Sehun was called for a talk with your father and his. You are left alone with your mother and Sehun’s mother. The ladies engage themselves in a deep conversation of a recipe and you just sit there quietly. Pretending to listen to their fun discussion, while actually thinking how you will spend the night. There’s a very big probability that you are told to bring Sehun to the carnival and that means meeting Baekhyun. It is not a problem if you’re the only one, but coming with Sehun will be something deadly.

You’re not stupid. You know the feeling Baekhyun has for you. You know he was not 100% joking when he proposed earlier in the woods. You see how his eyes always show hearts when he is with you, you realize the protective voice he always has when you show up to him with fresh bruises. You may be over confidence, but his flirting game is a hint to you. You feel it, you too cannot lie that there’s something different you feel for him.

That night, you thank heaven for not sending you to the carnival. No, Sehun did go there, but you lie while feeling sick. Lucky, they bought your lie and let you rest at home. Sehun goes to see the town with his family, for you also learn today that he will move in here later on. This house will be for you and Sehun the day father passed. The Oh family is checking out the town and you… you’re now facing the floor while trembling in fear when your parents called you with that tone.

You enter the study room shaking. You can see what’s coming… seeing your dad seated on his big chair and a belt. The night will be long.

You earn fifteen tonight, for showing up late to the table, for not showing interest to Sehun, and for not being so lady-like or elegant.

“I thought we raised you nicely to be a lady with a class, but what’s that messy hair! I know you’re sneaking out again right?! There’s no way your hair will be like that if you take your one-hour preparation nicely.” He emotionally launches his belt to hit you. You’re standing up, tonight you did not let out a tear. Your lips are bleeding from the pressure your teeth do to ensure you’re quiet. No, you’ve run out of tears. You’re angry… not only did he force you to marry a boy you don’t know, but he was still picking on you.

“You know if the next time he comes here and you have not improved or put interest in him, you’ll meet another belt of mine. FIX YOUR MANNERS MISS. DON’T BE A DISGRACE!” He swings his last whip and leaves the room with a loud slam.

You fall to the carpet, curling yourself into a fetal position. No matter how many whippings you’ve grown up with, fresh bruise is always burning.

You lay down for a while, streaming your face with tears and as you hear the clock chimes seven, you know soon you’ll have to move to your room. The guest must never see what’s behind your dress.

__

You stare blankly into the wall, back facing the bright night sky shown from the window. It’s already 8.30, you hear the footsteps of people moving around the house. Great the guests must be here already. You remain silent in your room, hoping that your pain and fatigue can bring you to sleep quick. Laying down sideways to not touch the burning pain on your back and thighs.

Your eyes almost close and bring you to dreamland if not for the soft knock on your window. You peek from your shoulder and see Baekhyun’s window bright and he’s throwing you pebbles.

You did not turn on your lights, though Baekhyun can see your night lamp is still on. You feel like a jerk leaving him to work by himself tonight and not giving him any news at all.

The rock hits one to two times again and you finally turn the lights on and opens your curtain. There, you can see the brightest smile from your best friend blinding you.

Baekhyun raises a paper with a note

“SICK? YOU MISSED THE SHOW!”

You wince and try to reach for the board you’ve hidden under your bed. You open the curtain and flash your answer “GROUNDED”

That’s bullshit.

“OH? NEW CAR IS IT YOURS?” He shows you his board.

You hesitate, “A GUEST’S”

“SORRY. YOU OKAY?” he flashes his board up when he feels you’re not as quick as usual in replying.

“THE BELT’S OUT TONIGHT”

Baekhyun grits his teeth when he knows that code. He discovered your father’s bad habit of violence long time ago when you fell from a climbing tree and Baekhyun accidentally saw your scars and bruises. Since then, after you get punished, you usually run to his house and he will sneak you in and when you’re younger he would help you with healing and taking care of them. However as you mature, you only go to his house for mental support. Baekhyun used to promise he would bring you away from your violence father and he promised you to start a healthy family like his.

“We can start a healthy family! I can be a loving dad… I never hit people! I am raised to be a gentle man. I shall never raise my hand to any girl or child or anyone!” He once told you that with fires in his eyes, promising you he will get you out of that hell.

“WANNA COME OVER?” He flashes his board after thinking for a while, why did you earn whipping. Coming late to lunch must not be a big deal right? Unless…

Baekhyun shakes his head, trying to get rid of the silly idea he has in his mind.

“Is the guest so special?” he mumbles to himself.

“I DON’T THINK TONIGHT IS THE RIGHT TIME. SORRY ☹ AND THANKS” you raise your board the last time, before closing the curtains and shutting off the lights.

Baekhyun keeps his eyes on your window for a longer time, he doesn’t want to miss it if you’re sneaking out. But five minutes with no action, Baekhyun gives up and closes his curtain too soullessly.

The conversation he had with Chanyeol earlier lingers in his mind.

“Hey Baek, have you ever seen that man before?” Chanyeol points to a tall figure dressed nicely in an expensive coat. Taking time to stroll from one stand to another, seeing things and trying things.

“Hmm nope. Must be a visitor! He looks so expensive right Yeol?”

“Uh-hum, who can have that kind of guest here….” Chanyeol regrets saying that part out loud, for the slightly surprised look on Baekhyun's face is enough to make Chanyeol feels guilty.

In Baekhyun's mind, suddenly flashes the expensive car parked on your house porch.

“Must be Suho’s” Chanyeol quickly covers up his mistake and pushes Baekhyun away to start the talent show.

__

tbc

yes or no??

[angelictaehyun]

PAIRING: guardian angel!taehyun x fem!reader

GENRE: guardian angel au, soulmate au, fluff, angst

WC. 3,000+

WARNINGS: minor alcohol usage, mild language, feeling of loneliness

SYNOPSIS: Kang Taehyun, a sassy, young guardian angel, didn’t think anyone could be more of an absolute mess… boy, was he mistaken.

PART ONE || PART TWO || INTERLUDE || PART THREE

.

As you sobbed into your pillow while simultaneously inhaling ice cream, Taehyun was a world away, absentmindedly picking a piece of lint from his left wing. Not long after, he was standing in front of Soobin, an elder, receiving yet another assignment to none other than you, Little Miss Crying Mess, who’d already gone through an entire box of Kleenex in an hour. 

His job was easy (and he’d be lying if he didn’t think himself a pro): silently look after you, keep you from harm, and do his absolute best to make you happy. But you would make that extremely difficult for him. When he glanced through your extensive profile, he didn’t think anyone could be more of an… in nicer terms...

Absolute fucking mess.

Like good God, yes, your boyfriend (ex-boyfriend, now) cheated on you, but that was a month and a half ago, and you weren’t even with him that long. So why could you not shut up and stop crying?

Taehyun wasn’t supposed to think this, guardian angel and all, but what was he supposed to do? You had raccoon eyes from your dried mascara and a pending noise complaint from your neighbor across the hall. 

Funnily, the first time he ever saw you, he felt his jaw drop. Although you were possibly the ugliest crier he’d ever seen (and he’d been alive for a millennium and a half), he saw past that. He awed over your piercing eyes which held so much life in them; your adorably round face that was puffy from all your crying; your silky hair which he wanted to run a hand through. 

He felt his heart yearn for you, like you were a magnet pulling him in. 

In his first week on the job, he felt nothing but pity and sadness for you. The way you seemed so lifeless and drained had him motivated to mend your aching heart. Of course, you didn’t see or feel his presence; he worked tirelessly and quietly, doing small stuff to make you smile. For example, he’d slip a $20 in your pocket every once in a while for you to find when doing laundry (you never found them, and he was out $80 by the end of the week). He also gradually refilled your bare fridge with your favorite food, hoping you’d eat them and feel a semblance of joy, but you never touched it. Instead, each meal was a piece of toast (and occasionally a handful of Goldfish) and an entire bottle of wine. 

He prayed for your liver. 

His second week, he felt even more determined to see your beautiful smile. However, without his help, you had finally decided to take a shower and mosey your way back into society, a decision he was grateful for since you were beginning to resemble a dying gerbil. He accompanied you to your local coffee shop, following closely behind as you weaved between people on the sidewalk, oblivious to you, of course. The day was going well for you; the barista accidentally sized up your order, the jazz band in the park played your favorite song, and you felt the warm sun on your face for the first time in a long while. That is, until you ran into an old friend and found out she recently became engaged. 

He practically saw your flip switch as you plastered on a fake smile and acted as if you were fine. When you finally left, you couldn’t even make it halfway to your apartment before you were breaking down once more. 

His third week was when he decided to take on a more drastic measure. When he re-read your profile to find a list of your core memories, he realized you had a lot of love for snow and snowfall. So he made it snow. 

In the middle of June. 

Nonetheless, he completely ignored the fact that it was a logistical nightmare, thinking it was a perfect idea, sure to bring a smile to your gorgeous face. When you woke up the next morning, feeling extra chilly, Taehyun felt giddy, especially as you moped over to your window and watched the crystalline snow fall from Heaven. He felt proud, especially when he noticed a single tear cascade down your cheek; he believed he overwhelmed you with such happiness, you cried. But when he heard you mumble something like a ‘Yeonjun loved snow,’ and crawl back into bed, he widened his eyes, plopped himself on your desk, and gave up. Not only did he have to deal with a crying you (again), he also had the entire city population wondering why the hell it was snowing in the middle of summer. 

Most of his fourth week was spent on your floor, playing with your dog, devising a new plan to cheer you up, and waiting for you to wake, as you spent most of your day sleeping… though he preferred you asleep since it meant you weren’t crying. Rather than feeling that pity and empathy from his first day on the job, each time you shed a tear, he found himself growing more and more irritated, so when you cried again for the eighth time that week, he had enough. He undid his glamour which kept him hidden and made himself visible to you. He fixed himself a sandwich, sat on your desk, and waited patiently for you to notice his presence. 

Much like any sane person, when you saw a random, unknown boy aggressively eating a sandwich and watching you from less than six feet away, you screamed bloody murder (which was the reason behind the second noise complaint from your neighbor). You scrambled to the opposite side of your bed and balled your hand into a fist while the other reached for a firm, weighty object, as if that was going to protect you from what you believed was about to be certain death. 

“STAY BACK!”

“Y/N, Y/N, it’s okay, it’s okay. Let me explain myself,” he tried reasoning as he slowly approached you as one would approach a flighty deer. You reached for every pillow you could and hurled them his way. As he busied himself dodging them, you sprinted from your bedroom to the front door, but just as you reached for the doorknob, he appeared from literal thin air in front of you, making you scream even louder.

He grabbed your shoulder in an attempt to calm you but that just heightened your fear. You thrashed around in an attempt to escape, ignoring how his grip on you was outrageously strong. 

Almost inhuman. 

When you finally took in his massive, iridescent wings, a small part of your brain put it all together. The other part of your brain, however, was on fire and assumed he was a nutjob hellbent on killing you. 

“Shh, it’s okay,” he whispered, letting go of your shoulder. 

You made another failed attempt at reaching for your doorknob. This time, he grabbed your hand. 

“I’m not here to kill you.”

Your eyes narrowed and your body relaxed (barely).

“My name is Taehyun and I’m an angel. Your angel, actually.” He spun around, showcasing his golden wings. 

You let out an inappropriate snort, which was quickly replaced by a choke as he began moving closer toward you. Your body stilled and you screwed your eyes shut. 

You felt nothing but the cool tip of his wing brush against your arm as he moved by you. After a long minute of silence, you took a deep breath to calm yourself and hesitantly opened one eye, just to be met with the sight of him comfortably spread across your couch. He mindlessly picked at the fabric of your favorite throw pillow and threw a leg across your coffee table. He seemed all too familiar with your apartment, which was a frightening realization. You watched him with bated breath as he merely glanced over your trembling figure, tilting an eyebrow. He seemed disinterested… almost bored. 

You shuffled behind your kitchen counter, making sure to put plenty of distance between you both, and once you were sure there was enough space, you took him in. He was breathtaking, to say the least. His perfectly pink lips, razor-sharp jaw, defined nose, bright eyes, and high cheekbones, it was like he was sculpted by God himself. You must’ve stared too long because you saw his lips lift into a smirk. You shifted your eyes away and folded your arms across your chest defensively, “Fine, I’ll play along. Why should I believe you’re an angel?” 

He tipped his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, “Are you blind? I literally have wings.”

“Which could be fake for all I know.”

He scoffed in disbelief, “I’ll have you know, these are most certainly real. Excuse me.”

You silently leaned back against the counter with a look of disinterest and pursed lips. He sighed before turning around, allowing you to see his wings begin to glow and suddenly disappear in a flash of bright light. You were left gaping as your mind ran wild, though only a single thought consumed you, “Why do I need a guardian angel? What could I possibly need one for?”

“Well, your life… um, it’s kind of ass,” he replied as if it were obvious. 

Now it was your turn to be offended, “Excuse me? Who the hell are you to tell me that?”

“Your guardian angel?! A-are you deaf? Why else would I be here? You think I’ve enjoyed watching you mope around your apartment for the past month? You shower, like, once a week, and honestly, you look like a soggy rat. All you do is cry and never shut up, I can’t believe you’re even still capable of forming a tear! Actually, aside from when you’re asleep, this is the longest I’ve seen you go without breaking down sobbing!” he scolded as you stood in your kitchen, insulted by his harsh rant. 

“They why stay? Go find someone else to bother, it’s not like I want you here anyway!”

You picked at a hangnail and anxiously nibbled on your bottom lip. You didn’t even know why you were so offended; he was a complete stranger. As if he knew, he shuffled over to you, close enough to reach for your hand, and surprising you both, you didn’t pull away. 

“Look, I’m sorry, but like I said, your life has been hard. When your mother passed away, you had to live on your own as soon as you graduated high school, and now you can barely afford college because all of your money goes to rent. Then your boyfriend does what he did? Not to bring up old scars, but you need all the support you can get. That’s what I’m here for.”

You yanked your hand away and scoffed. ‘Not to bring up old scars,’ he says, bringing up every single scar. 

“I’ve been doing perfectly fine on my own. I don’t need your help and I especially don’t need you lurking around. Please leave.” You pointed at your door before sulking back into your room. 

“You’re getting my help whether you like it or not!”

That was the last thing you heard before you slammed your door. 

· ──────────────────── ·

The following week was unpleasant, to say the least. Each and every morning, you woke to his annoyingly handsome yet smug face as he sat with his feet kicked up on your desk… and this morning was no different. 

“Good morning, Sunshine! You know, you’re quite the deep sleeper, your heinously loud snoring couldn’t even wake you… but it definitely woke the dead,” he cheerfully remarked, plastering on a self-satisfied smirk. You ignored him and pushed your way by his tall frame on your way to your bathroom sink. Much like the week before, he appeared from thin air and perched himself on your counter. Despite your lack of response, he continued, “We should do something fun today, maybe go get some sun? You’re looking a little… lifeless.”

He examined your body from head to toe. If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought he seemed concerned, but he masked it well with his smugness. 

“I don’t want to go anywhere with you,” you mumbled hoarsely. 

“Then don’t go with me! Call a friend or go out by yourself, I really don’t care. Just please get out,” he whiny begged. He hated seeing you cooped up in your small, dinky apartment. He wished for you to experience life again, and he especially wished to see the light return to your eyes and the bright smile he knew you kept hidden. 

“No.”

Once you finished brushing your teeth, you climbed back into your warm bed and scrolled on your old phone. He clenched his jaw at your stubbornness, trying his best to stay calm. It was only 9:32 AM and you had already managed to piss him off. He knew you were headstrong, he didn’t need to read a profile on you to know that; just one day around you and he already picked up on your obstinance. He jumped off the countertop and climbed onto your bed to hover over your body. His breath fanned your nose as he trapped your body between him, wings draping over you both like a blanket. You were shocked and once again, left breathless just by being in his proximity, and you could feel your pulse rapidly increasing as he glanced down to your lips. 

He leaned closer and closer, and you nearly closed your eyes, until he snatched your phone from your hand. 

“You’re not getting this back until you go outside and do something. Anything. For the love of God,” he pleaded, pulling back quickly. The sudden lack of warmth snapped you out of your haze.

“Oh my God! Gimme!” you helplessly whined.

“Are you five? You know what you have to do to get your phone back.” He slapped your hand away as you tried to steal it back. 

You refrained from punching him, instead narrowing your eyes as he did the same. You both had an unspoken contest until you broke first. His harsh gaze pierced you; he was too intimidating. 

“Fine,” you snapped, making your way from bed to get ready for the day. 

· ──────────────────── ·

There was a small, quiet beach near your childhood home you loved visiting every once in a while. The tranquility of the ocean lapping at the shore always provided you with a feeling of peace. 

Until now.

You had chosen to go out by yourself, much like Taehyun had suggested, but your plan quickly faltered when he reminded you that he would be with you regardless, either glamoured or visible. Seeing as you didn’t necessarily like the idea of him invisibly lurking around, you opted to have him visibly by your side. You’d rather see his judgment rather than feel it from afar. 

So there you were, watching him smother an obnoxious amount of your expensive sunscreen onto his face as if he were a human and not a supernatural being that’s completely unaffected by UV. It’d been a week since he came into your life, or at least made his presence known, and he was already a pain in your ass. 

“I have to maintain my cover somehow.”

“What?” You didn’t know what cover he was trying to maintain, his pesky wings were hidden, and overlooking his outright godly features, he looked perfectly human. 

He did a poor job of rubbing the sunscreen into his skin and for the first time since meeting him, you felt a smile creep on your face. He looked like an idiot. You almost let him be since you were so amused, but you helped him out anyway. Standing on the balls of your feet and cupping his face, you began smoothing the sunscreen on. He held your waist, holding you steady, and you felt nervous from the proximity but you did your best to conceal it. He silently studied you, thinking you looked incredibly adorable as you focused on your small task, your eyes narrowing in concentration and your teeth biting into your soft lips. 

He couldn’t help the way his mouth tugged into a small smile. 

“All done! Now you don’t look like a ghost,” you mused. 

“Thank you,” he snorted, releasing his firm grip. Instinctually, he kept himself hovered around you, though, never really creating a noticeable distance. 

You were thankful he pushed you to leave your apartment, but you knew you could never tell him that. You just knew he was the type to constantly bombard you with ‘I told you so’, and you’d never hear the end of it. 

The rest of the day, he watched as you laid on your blanket and basked in the sunlight, eventually getting up to walk the shoreline. You kept yourself occupied as you searched the sand for pretty shells and dainty rocks, and Taehyun forced himself to keep his distance, not wanting to disturb your peace. This was the calmest he had seen you since he was first assigned and he felt so grateful; he didn’t show it but he couldn’t bear seeing you in pain. Yes, your crying was growing extremely irritating, and yes, the pile of used Kleenex beside your bed was beginning to disgust him, nonetheless, he wanted to see you happy. 

When you stopped to blankly stare at the vast ocean, he could’ve sworn he could feel your pain, the way your heart ached, the way your mind was heavy with despair. The pain he felt wasn’t one of heartbreak though, rather… loneliness. 

In fact, all of your pain stemmed from feeling completely alone. 

He quickly made his way over to your side and grabbed your much smaller hand in his—he wanted you to know you weren’t alone anymore. You didn’t turn to him, rather you kept your eyes trained on the sun beginning to set on the horizon. You leaned your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes, relishing in his warmth and the crisp tide washing over your feet. 

For reasons he still had yet to decipher, he yearned to always be by you, protecting you, making no harm ever came your way again. He tried shaking off the feeling as doing his job properly, but something in the back of his mind told him this was different. 

Something about you was different. 

And he could quite literally feel it in his heart.                                                  

Chapter Two >>                                                                         

[shintorikhazumi]

A Warm Diana Chapter 7: A Scorching Heat

A/N: Sorry this took so long. Ahhh, I don’t know why I struggle with writing this story, haha. It’s like I just open the file, stare at it, and worry. I’ve opened this file every day for the past week and some days more without updating it. Damn.

Anyway, on an odd sidenote, someday I hope to be a good enough writer to get recommended to other people haha. I’m not quite there yet. But I might get there… probably. Probably? Probably. Let’s start with finishing this fic.

Right, reminder that this is still around after Ep 20 so please don’t be surprised if Akko still thinks of Chariot as Ursula. I’m going to be giving a heads-up though, that I might not be able to integrate canon events into this anymore and may just have to do the Chariot Croix reveal a different way. Or we’ll see. Anyway. Apologies in advance if the quality and plot is bad…

This is so long, I could not beta and spot the mistakes. If you did, please tell me ahaha, I’ll fix it, I guess. Sorry if there are a lotta typos.

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

 A Warm Diana Chapter 7: A Scorching Heat

One kiss, two, then three.

Again, again, and again.

In their hidden corner of the library, behind the fountain, in front of their room door.

At morning, in the afternoon, and as the starry dark night blanketed the sky.

Warm, hot… hotter. Hot until their touches burned already heated skin.

And it would only get hotter still.

Ever since that day, the day they finally cracked, when they had finally overheated, it was as though the struggle to curb their emotional wants and affectionate gestures for one another only grew. It felt like shackles being removed, freeing them to do as they pleased.

Diana, in particular, wrestled with her will to keep her hands to herself every time Akko was near. She was just so lovely. Like a flower- well, a wildflower, but a flower nonetheless. What Diana would do to stroke her petals… Eyes, alluring and hypnotizing, seemed to always invite Diana in with their shyness, but at the same time heated passion.

Diana’s throat would run dry as a desert. She would sometimes wonder if she harbored her own personal sun within her. It rendered her with a dry throat, sweaty palms- and sometimes feet-, intense heat boiling up from the deepest part within her… Diana felt thirsty. So, so thirsty.

Oh wait. If she was searching for the sun, Akko was the sun. Her bright, shining, warm, marvelous sun that lightened up her darkest days and had given her hope. Akko drew her cold-blooded soul in like a moth to a flame, and sometimes she worried. She worried she’d be an Icarus, free from the imprisonment that was the expectations of being Diana Cavendish; she was afraid she was flying too close to this Sun. She’d burn her wings and fall… fall… fall.

But Akko would catch her.

She was sure she would.

Just like right now.

Locked in place between Diana and a desk in an abandoned classroom- how cliché- Akko’s breath heaved, cheeks tainted red. Diana loved that color on her. It suited her. The school was right to assign her to that specific-colored team. They chose well. It pleased Diana.

Akko pleased Diana.

So much so that Diana spent almost every moment she could basking under the sun’s glow that belonged to Kagari Atsuko. She would always steal her away any moment she could.

Her restraint was that slim.

But still…

Though it happened often, their moments of heat and warmth were always hidden, tucked away behind curtains and closed doors, and covered by the shield that was Diana’s reputation. The shield that might very well be a double-edged sword instead.

 //-//-//-//-//

 It was a normal day, a normal class to attend.

Diana strode down the halls as she always did, normally. With her teammates by her side, as per usual. That was normal. And she was at her normal state as well: Elegant and perfect.

Though this time, she had… someone else trailing a little after her, not exactly the same picture of elegance, but… perfect, nonetheless. In Diana’s eyes, she was perfect.

It was a rule they decided to establish when in the public eye. As intimate and touchy as they were when in their own corner of the universe, PDA was something they both knew would greatly affect them both negatively while they were out and about in society. Especially for someone like Diana.

It pained her to think that this was something necessary as of the moment, seeing as how she had just found the opportunity, and had been given the chance to step forward as the next Cavendish heir- she needed the acknowledgement of the rest of her family, and she needed to prove her drive and sincerity to succeed the role she was to play in the household by being incredibly focused on- and dedicated to becoming a top-tier witch. She needed to prove to them that she was capable and driven, and wanted this position above all else.

But this wasn’t just about that. There were so many things that prevented them from making their relationship public. School duties and responsibilities, studies, the teachers’ mindsets when it came to such involvements, societies eyes. The connections they had to everyone. Not just to the elite, but to their friends and families as well.

Though maybe the ‘friends’ part wasn’t quite as difficult-

Scratch that. Despite being so supportive of them before they made things “official”, currently, Diana would catch Sucy and Lotte giving her warning looks every once in a while, to which she would return with a gaze that asked, ‘what?’.

She wasn’t doing anything wrong, was she?

Not when she would simply hold Akko’s hand under the table; not when she would sometimes caress the smooth skin of her thighs and make her struggle to not squirm in that adorable way of hers; not when Diana would pick Akko up from her dorm room every morning, and take her back a little later than usual- but never breaking any curfew rules! She swore!

She was glad her team seemed to have warmed up to Akko. Hannah and Akko would have the occasional cooking session, borrowing the academy’s kitchen from time to time; Hannah was surprised to learn that Akko sometimes contributed to the breakfast preparations when she had spare time, or in the event that she woke up too early.

Barbara had been close with Lotte as of late, and she wasn’t one to stay spiteful for long. She and Lotte had taken a shine to dressing Akko up in Nightfall-related clothing after the Japanese revealed some of her cosplaying habits back home.

Well, that was one way to bond, surely.

Diana loved watching them all interact.

(Though they all prevented her from watching whenever Akko was made to change into some of the aforementioned costumes. They even went so far as to kick her out of the room! Excuse them, but Diana was the one dating Atsuko, not them!)

She sighed.

Her roommates took a shine to Akko, but why did it feel like they took too much of a liking? They seemed more protective of Akko than of her. And the student body had supposedly labelled them as her lackeys back then!

And she hadn’t even gotten started on the green team.

If a bullet were shot at Akko and Diana each, at the same time, their friends would rather form a line in front of the former and leave Diana to get shot.

These people.

She swept a glance over their little group. Despite all that, she smiled rather fondly. It was nice to know they were all closer, perhaps happier? Diana certainly was. And it was all thanks to the wonderful person she knew as Kagari Atsuko. She was a light, a hope. She was brilliant.

And everything was normal.

And just a tad bit better than that.

Drawing near to their designated classroom’s door, Diana could hear the normal class chatter, though something felt slightly off as it seemed to be buzzing with more intensity than just the standard excited gossip, morning greeting, and casual conversation.

She shrugged it off as the tiniest change from the normal class dynamic, striding into the room with her typical air of confidence and authority. And then everything quiets.

Diana quirked a curious brow at this, feeling the weight of many gazes on her. Whispering ensued; some students not subtle enough as they throw glances at Diana far too frequently that she preferred they just stare blatantly instead.

Then Akko comes in right after her and the whispers increase their volume; not quite amplified enough to return to the earlier sounds of talks, but everyone was certainly louder in their murmuring

Not one to lose her composure in spite of the oddness of it all, as well as the pressure of all this attention, Diana takes a seat in the same normal way she does every school day. Once more, it quiets. This time she has to admit, she’s begun to feel it: unnerved.

They are heavy. The many stares.

Then their first professor of the day walks into the room, and Diana felt her lungs capable of respiration again. Yes, this day would continue on as it always does. She would pour her all into her studies, she would be called as an example to the class, she would perform flawlessly, answer questions knowledgably, and she would have lunch with Akko and all their friend. They would get back to studies, and after class-

The teacher scanned the room, a nervous glint in her eyes, as if in search of a threat or a criminal.

Her eyes fall on Diana’s, and they lock gazes. She found what she’d been looking for apparently, lighting up as she spots a certain brunette a few seats back. Diana knows that’s who the teacher is looking at. She just knows.

And there is a call for them.

More whispers.

Diana barely misses Hannah shooting a glare at everyone staring, and she catches out of the corner of her eye, Barbara biting down on her lip while looking around nervously, the red and blue teams clearly confused and uncomfortable with whatever was occurring at this moment.

She tears her eyes away from the teacher, and regards Akko with a nod instead, a silent beckon to go out together. Lotte had taken a hold of the cuff of her teammate’s sleeve, afraid to let Akko go, not knowing what this was all about. Or maybe they did. Maybe they all did.

Sucy is quiet. Not her normal Sucy quiet with underlying playful malice or sarcasm waiting to be released. Neither is it boredom or deliberate evil planning.

She was just so quiet. And still. Her eyes followed the brunette’s retreating back, a hand on Lotte’s shoulder, a way to keep the Finnish woman from following after her. She looked just about ready to run off with Akko somewhere where they wouldn’t be subjected to this painful awkwardness.

Louder. Everything just gets louder. And maybe Diana has just become more sensitive to everything as her senses are heightened by adrenaline and nervousness. They exit the door just as it closes with a click behind them. And the droning whispers still follow them as they leave the area, barely drowned out by the silence of the halls.

 //-//-//-//-//

 “Miss Kagari.” This is normal. Akko argued with herself that hearing this particular name from the strict disciplinary professor was nothing out of the ordinary. A perfectly normal addressing of her name, she and Diana used to it as the heiress was usually in the area when she got scolded. “Miss… Diana Cavendish.”

Now those. Those were unfamiliar sounds, an unknown tone of voice directed at her partner. Odd on the palate of someone like Finneran, foreign. The way it was spoken, anxiety-inducing.

“Before I reveal anything, would you perhaps happen to know why you are here?”

Headmistress Holbrooke sat wordlessly in her seat. She did not look as though she was angered. There was something else in her eyes. It did not look to be something against her students, but rather, it was frustration towards the atmosphere surrounding all of them.

Akko had been genuinely confused since leaving their classroom, trying to list off all the things she could have done wrong; the rules she could have violated lately. Nothing came up, she only drew a blank in her head. After all, there was no reason for her to do anything unwise since most of her time had been spent with Diana- …something flashes in her eyes, a deep worry.

She hopes it isn’t what she thinks it is. Every time she’s made trouble before, the atmosphere was never this suffocating. Coupled with the fact that she was called together with Diana, it ruled out all possibility that this would just be Akko’s normal scolding for things she had ruined/destroyed on campus, be it tangible items, or things such as classes and her teachers’ temperaments for the day.

In contrast to her tense nature, Diana, calm as ever replied, “I’m afraid I have no clue.” The heiress was brilliant in everything, even acting. But Akko could see the tiniest tremor of her hand, and the fear in crystal blues. “I don’t believe we’ve done any wrong to warrant a call from you, ma’am.”

Diana may be an expert at meeting any problem as they came, but even she couldn’t keep her eyes from widening at the object their professor procured out of her coat pocket, hand holding it out in front of them pointedly.

“Well, then. I suppose you would have no problems explaining this photo?”

Them. It was a picture of them. A captured portrait of Akko and Diana in the library. This alone wouldn’t have been anything of concern, but it was the act that they had been engaging in at that moment that warranted the alarms in possibly everyone’s head.

They both knew when this was.

They could never forget it.

It was a memory that would play vividly in their minds in many moments. They saw it in their dreams, they dreamed it in their waking moments. It coursed through their minds, into their veins, a heart-pounding, magical sensation.

It was their first kiss.

“What…” Akko had no words to complete that. Her tense arms fell limply to the sides, legs trembling as if they would give out at any moment.

Diana was similarly speechless, staring at the photo blankly, mind running miles an hour.

“One would say that this was possibly photo-shopped to ruin your reputation, Miss Cavendish.” Finneran continued, and Diana had half a mind to nod, maybe realizing that she could go along with this possible lifeline of an excuse… before it was harshly cut. “But the source is far too reliable to be that.”

That seemed to have caught the heiress attention as she posed her inquiries. “What do you mean, professor?” Red eyes watched as fists clenched and loosened, the heiress’ voice barely staying level. “Who exactly produced this photo?”

Finneran paused, appearing as though she were weighing some options in her mind, before deciding with finality. “It’s something I cannot divulge to you. Not now, as you are. Maybe once you’ve reflected upon the wrong you’ve done.”

Akko’s head whipped up, that word she was so used to being associated with used again. But in this setting, in this context of her feelings for Diana…

Wrong.

Wrong…

Wrong?

What was?

Being in love with someone? Being in love with each other? Being in love with Diana?

What wr-

“And what wrong have we done?” Diana’s sharp tone cut through the fragile air. “Is what we have together so wrong? We haven’t broken any public rules, we did not bother anyone, nor did we force others to accept us right away, right in these very moments.” She fumed, at the edge of bursting from all her emotional tension. “What right do you all have, to tell us who we can and can’t love?!”

“Miss Cavendish.”

Akko flinched, noticing Diana did as well at the Headmistress’ tone of voice.

“We did not wish to jeopardize you, or undervalue your rights to freedom of choice, of expression, and of love. But there is one thing that is out of our control as of the moment and that is that these types of scandals are tied to a much larger picture. I’m sure someone like you can understand. The economy and society that used to be against us have only began to turn to support our school’s growth-“

“So, this is about money; I see now.” Diana butted in harshly, scoffing; anger, distress, and desperation blinding her usual rationality. She went on and on, words she would never mean or say. “You fear the support will pull out from you so you go against your values and standards in choosing witches, in raising witches and people, in guiding students, in encouraging their futures, and in teaching-“

“Diana.” It was cold. The usually warm, kindhearted woman was so cold. “You know that is not true. It’s not about that.” The voice demanded attention, and Diana relinquished hers. “The person who produced this photo is threatening to spread it to the outside world, jeopardizing- not only Luna Nova’s safety and reputation, as well as business opportunities- but the students’- your rights, future, privacy and safety as well. For all we know, it could have been published in newspapers, spread to inner circles of high society; and you know what that would mean for you.” Holbrooke’s voice dropped volumes lower. “You know what that would mean for your inheritance…”

Diana’s brows were still pulled together, but tears of helplessness and frustration had pooled in the corner of her eyes in addition to the frown still marring her beautiful face. Even in anger, Akko found her to be the most stunning. And yet she feared that she had tainted that power of Diana’s. The power to beguile and charm… simply because she was found greedily desiring the spot next to her. Like dirt on a gorgeous painting… Akko would destroy Diana’s shine in the eyes of many if that picture leaked out.

No.

That could not be. Should not be.

The Japanese witch could only imagine how difficult this situation would be, how complicated, how humiliating it was for someone such as Diana.

The headmistress stood up, walking towards the blonde at the center of the room, head dropping low from its earlier defiant stature.

“We are trying to protect you.”

Diana’s back wasn’t large by any means, but Akko had always thought it to be wide and intimidating. At this very moment, however, it seemed so small. As her hands were held in the wise professor’s, Akko could faintly here the smallest hidden sniffle.

“Please, Diana.”

 “… Understood.”

 //-//-//-//-//

 Tap. Tap. Tap.

Taptap-tap-taptap.

Tap.

“Akko?”

At the mention of her name, wine-red eyes blink out of their stupor, turning to her motherly tutor as the pen in her hand freezes just before it can touch the desk of the woman’s personal office another time. “Yes?” She offers a cheery smile that does little to convince Ursula of her current state. And Akko knows that.

“Are you alright?”

Akko would have scoffed at that question. Clearly, everyone in the school knew of her issue already. She loved her teacher, but that question felt too unkind. ‘Are you alright?’, the woman had asked.

Was she?

“I… guess not…”

“Would you like to tell me about it? How you feel?” That was somewhat of a surprise. After having been told off for ‘how she felt’ so few hours ago, she wasn’t in the mood to discuss it, only to be told they weren’t right.

But this was Ursula-sensei. She might just be different.

Akko hoped she would be.

Or her heart would break from having the only adult supportive of her who was close by, betray her as well.

She had already tasted it many times now. First, with her good friend Andrew, the wound still unhealing… Andrew… had he been right all along? That she could not bear the weight of a love like this, with someone like Diana?

No… that was not it. It should not be it. Diana was… Diana is…

Andrew was…

Akko shook her head. There was nothing to compare. Diana was a star, and Andrew was simply a friend she once had that had tore her trust to pieces, and though she longed to mend their former relationship… was it possible to recover in the first place?

These feelings of battling possible prejudices did not stop with the boy. It continued with the teachers, and then the judgment of possibly the entire school. Who even knows if her friends weren’t just pretending at this point? Could they even stand to… stand by Akko? When everyone was leaving her bit by bit?

… just as her mother had, not even intending to.

Could she still open her heart to someone right now, without fear of it being trampled into the dust, the monsters of her mind daring her to try. Try and be cursed by the inevitable consequences of rejection and abandonment. Try to let people see… see her feelings. See the emotions that many had already labelled as filthy.

But she desperately needed to let it out. To let her pain and frustrations out, she needed someone to confide in. She needed… she needed… she needed someone there. Beside her. Someone not chained to society’s expectations like Diana, someone not at risk of being ostracized from the rest alongside her…

She wanted to try to tell her.

Try… Trying… might not hurt. Or maybe it would.

“…Maybe.” Ursula had her full attention to her beloved student at the first sounds that escaped her anxiously shivering frame, arms wrapped around her upper body in a protective stance, eyes unfocused and dimmed. Her heart broke at the raspy voice and the quietly posed question that came soon after. “Would you… hold it against me as well? These dirty feelings.”

...

“Akko…”

The little witch’s eyes hurt. They were stinging with pinpricks here and there, allowing tears to well up, only held back by sheer will to not cry in front of someone who might just judge her like everyone else. She couldn’t take it. Not from one of the so few she trusted in, the few she believed in. One of the only people she could confide in.

Please, don’t let Professor Ursula be one of…them.

Her hold on herself tightened as she curled into a ball in her seat, every part of her just hurting and wanting to hurt even more. Her chest felt so tight, almost as if it denied any fresh air from clearing her lungs and her thoughts that were filled with all the restrained sentiments she had held back for god knows how long after she’d left the office. Her heart clenched and yet tore apart at the same time. She felt as though every part of her being was bleeding. Bleeding what? Blood, sweat and tears, maybe. Her throat itched, and she let out a few coughs.

Please… not you.

Please…

Ursula had been so quiet; the atmosphere was weighing heavily on Akko and she was quickly being crushed by her demons of anxiety. Her eyes had begun darting from place to place on the floor she was staring at, the signs of a panic attack and stress making the back of her neck up to her ears burn hot, her hands and feet freezing in stark contrast.

Her eyes squeezed shut as her head began to spin, all these negative thoughts swirling about in a whirlpool of sickening negativities and passions.

Please.

Please just-

Arms wrapped around her, squeezing so tight, Akko would have complained about the inability to breathe. But then the dam broke as Ursula kissed her temple, whispering words like magic. “It’s okay… I understand. I heard you. I heard your heart.”

“Please… stay by ME.” Akko felt helpless, like there was no one else. She just needed someone… Please someone. Anyone who would choose her. Who would believe in her.

Ursula continued to press gentle kisses to the crown of Akko’s head, rubbing her back soothingly as the girl hiccupped, writhed in pain, moaned out her frustrations and wants.

“Please.” Her voice cried, broken and tired. “I don’t have anyone else… Diana… my friends… I don’t want them to be…” A choked sob hid her words for a moment. “-just because of me…”

“No, No, Akko. Sweetheart, no. You are not to blame. I know. I also know you are in need. Of support, of someone.” Ursula took a breath to calm her own wild horses, wanting to be rational in this fragile balance of a situation, but also let Akko know she would help. “There… there may be many occasions where I won’t take your side, especially when it involves you getting hurt, or in trouble. But at this moment…

…I’m here beside you right now, and I believe in you. You and your feelings.”

A sniff.

Then whispered words.

“They… are they so wrong? To love someone so amazing and try to do your best beside them… is that so wrong?!, Voice in a crescendo, Akko questioned everything. All the conflict that came even before this point. “Is it so wrong to want to be someone better, but by their side instead of being alone?” The professor only hugged her tighter. “Are my feelings so wrong?!”

What could she even say besides her earlier words of standing by Akko? If encouraging these emotions meant more danger and future turmoil, should she shield the girl instead and save her from a crippled future? Or should she nurture them in some way, and choose the narrow path that could lead to everyone’s destruction? In her heart, Ursula knew she was also betraying her, but on something unrelated to the current turmoil the girl was going through. It was a secret she was willing to take to the grave, even, if it meant that her beloved student would only reap more pain. But she mustn’t think of that now. This was about Akko’s state of emotion, her love for Diana, right now.

This situation was just not something in their control. She had heard from the headmistress that Holbrooke herself hardly minded such relationships so long as they were properly monitored, and proper behavioral protocol was still observed within the school.

The problem lay in the person who was against all of this, against the two students, against Diana… and her inheritance.

It wasn’t something that they could easily intervene in. But the person seemed willing to pull all stops, even to the extremes to ensure that Diana never took something that was very rightfully hers. It was all they could do to be careful, and calmly try to protect the girls, even if it wasn’t as effective as they liked.

Really. If only they could do more.

“I’m sorry…”

 //-//-//-//-//

 The “consequences” of the spreading scandal were laid out clearly for them to follow just before they left the room. They could still attend classes as the teachers had agreed that they didn’t want to jeopardize their future, or make the situation look worse than it really was. This was also to stop rumors from spreading, and/or being confirmed. However, despite this privilege, they were not to linger after classes: Akko would go straight to Ursula for tutor sessions, and Diana would either study on her own in her room, or go on patrols; and Diana and Akko were forbidden from meeting at any time in any place.

To ensure this condition was met without struggle, Akko was moved to a different class to be separated from Diana. But this would also mean that she was separated from the rest of her friends, and the sole people who could be her comfort and support. In the new class, she was truly alone.

She knew no one.

She only knew judgment.

And that knowledge stabbed at Diana’s heart each passing moment as she’d catch sight of their friends, the brunette’s teammates, or simply her now-empty seat. It hurt.

Distracting her from being consumed by that ache in her heart, however, was the heat of everyone’s gazes: overbearing, scorching Diana; her palms would sweat, ears turning red. Subjected to the discriminating scrutiny of people who knew no better than rumors, Diana acted with an air of defiance, trying to mask her frustrations with her situation with a cold pride.

Still, the comments…

“I didn’t think Miss Cavendish was like that.”

They were words she’d rather not hear.

“What about sir Andrew?”

“Was all of that just an act?”

“She acts like that to woo men in, only to actually lead them on, is that it? I’d never have thought.”

“So miss goody-two-shoes actually has a rotten personality? I kinda saw that coming.”

They made no dents on Diana’s pride, nor did they hurt her one bit. If it was about her liking women, they could come at her all they wanted. If all they engaged in were rumors of her and men- most specially that disgusting Andrew, she couldn’t care any less. Rumors were rumors. And people believe what they believe. She didn’t think anything she’d say would change their impressions anyway, and she would rather die than plead for the acceptance of such shallow characters.

It was just that the chatter was becoming rather annoying. No longer able to bear the irritating notions thrown about her classroom, and seeing as class had been dismissed, there was no reason for her to lurk about here for much longer.

Swiftly standing from her seat and drawing the attention of all those around her, it seemed, Diana left with a swish of her hair, shoes tapping off the floor. She knew the mumbles would start up again as soon as she left the room, but she could no longer be bothered as she traversed the halls, following her mind’s map to her room where she would spend her remaining hours before dinner.

Eyes followed her even in the halls, but that was to be expected. However, gazes once pointed at her due to admiration were replaced by wariness and possibly scorn. Though scorn may not be that new, after all. Diana was used to the burns of jealousy, but maybe not harmful judgment.

As she neared a corner, the average amount of students she encountered remained the same, but fewer and fewer were looking at her passing figure. Curious, she saw some holding a piece of paper, most of them identical from the last individual or group she saw. They all appeared to be quite shocked and interested in the photo. But Diana had no time for them. She only had time to figure out how to turn this problem in on its own head.

She was curious, nonetheless. More identical papers appeared in the hands of more students. And they all were simply captured by whatever was on it. Now it really got to Diana, and she was confused as to why.

Then her eyes caught sight of the bulletin board in the hall, and ‘why’ no longer existed. Diana stared at photo and article on the bulletin, disbelieving, ocean blues widening.

Now that she knew what was on it, Diana whipped her head about frantically, reconfirming the amount of people now in ownership of a copy of what was supposed to be one of the most magical moments of her life. Her first kiss with the one she loved more than anything in this world.

Like the sudden crash of lightning and thunder, noises filled her ears; she couldn’t hear anything else but their judgmental murmurs. Overwhelmed, heating up, and feeling like she’d soon go mad, Diana took a step forward towards the nearest group of girls, having plans of snatching each and every photo to burn the torturous material to the ground.

The noises only got louder as people began to notice her plans and actions. Murmurs, mumbles, whispers… the usage of her name, the dragging of Akko’s. She tried to reach for the girl’s hand, but her school mate had moved away, everyone taking notice of her.

This silent, desperate Diana look-alike.

No.

No.

Stop.

Please stop.

She swiped at the paper, but again, it was held out of her reach. She tried to snatch it, tear it apart; she could probably take it away so easily had she been in the right state of mind, but after the stress her usual composure had been subjected to, no one could recognize the pathetically mute, and desperate person the top student had become. As she stepped forward to make another grab for the item from fast hands, she could just see the evil little smirks, and the taunts forming on cruel lips.

“Oh? What’s this? If it isn’t the high and mighty Diana Cavendish, here to erase the evidence of her dirty little secret.” Venomous and harsh, Diana loathed the tongue that spat out those words. “First, playing at friends, then now playing at lovers or something? Then being all ashamed of it?”

No. That’s not true.

I’m not-

“Well, I guess I’d be ashamed too if the other party just so happened to be someone as embarrassing as that idiot, Akko.”

Stop this,

I’m not like that.

I’m not ashamed of Akko!

Stop!

Please, stop-!

“She’s such a-“

“What is this photo?!” A voice bellowed, righteous anger making its presence known. But though it was on Diana’s side, she still did not want to be called out. She did not want more people prying into her well-kept private life.

Stop.

Don’t look at it.

Diana wanted to scream.

Stop.

Don’t look at me!

“O-oh, It’s just the new story going aroun-“

“Oi.” Biting and cold, if this was how death sounded like, so many ladies were already at death’s door. “You all take that shit on the bulletin down, and stop yer annoying yapping. If you got nothing better to do than gossip, then fucking scram!”

Diana had lowered her head in her unusually timid state, so she could not see the expressions of the person? People? It seemed like they were accompanied, who had saved her. She felt arms wrapped around her shoulders, helping her fix her posture and begin walking again. Lifting up her eyes, she saw that at her side were her teammates glaring at anyone who dared take so much as a peek at her.

Sparing a glance around, she saw Lotte, Jasminka and Constanze taking copies away from students and walls where they could see the papers with the pictures. The voice Diana had heard was apparently Amanda, now cornering the group of girls who had kept Diana from taking their copy of the scandal away.

“Imma throw all this trash away,” The redhead snarled. “-or in your faces if you keep up this little attitude.” Amanda had suddenly appeared like the typhoon that she was, snatching the photo out of the girl’s hand, tearing the photo loudly and savagely in front of them as a warning. Diana wasn’t sure if she appreciated that, or if it made her want to cry. That moment… was not meant to be walked all over like this, trampled like the dirt. But it was her only salvation in this moment.

The rest of the girls were doing the same with the papers they had gathered, crumpling, tearing, Sucy burning a few. She had never quite seen Sucy and Jasminka angry, but by the looks on their faces, many students knew that they were dead serious with any threat they posed- or were about to pose.

Diana breathed deeply, eyes shutting as her inner working swam about, rendering her nauseous and barely conscious in the arms of her teammates. Upon opening them, her teammates helped her find her bearings, steadying her on her feet. They were about to walk back to the dorm before professor Croix came marching up to them and halted right in front of them, arms crossed intimidatingly at first, and Diana thought she’d have to fight another battle. But then she began scratching the back of her head awkwardly, before sighing.

“Cavendish. You have a call in the office.”

“What do… they want with me this time?” Diana breathed out.

“I don’t know. Something about a call from a manor is all I know. I think you better be quick. Holbrooke looks like she’s dealing with a lot to keep them entertained.” With that, she turned on her heel, leading the way for the trio to stagger on behind her.

Upon reaching the large doors of the office Diana had been in not too long ago, Hannah and Barbara were blocked by the teacher from entering with their leader. They would have voiced their opposition if not for Diana’s chilling lifeless eyes that ordered them to obey. She then shut the door behind her.

 //-//-//-//-//

 “Who was it.” She murmured, stomping down the halls, Hannah and Barbara barely staying in stride beside her.

“Hello? Who might be calling?”

“Who was it.”

[“Young Lady… it’s Anna… I… I don’t know how to tell you this…”]

“Who was it.”

 [“There… have been rumors circulating… almost in all of… well England… and…”]

“Who was it.” The eyes… the gazes, they burned, they were scorching hot. The scrutiny like magnifying lens under the sun. But Diana could spare them no mind as she approached the library to blow off steam, maybe through studying, or borrowing a new book on spells to occupy her mind instead of her rampaging thoughts.

[“The people… who initially wanted to support and back you… for the succession… are pulling out one by one…”]

“Who was it.” She tapped her foot under the table, tapped it impatiently as she lined up at the counter to have her book checked out.

[“Young Miss… what must we do? How can we help you?”]

“Who was it.” Not touching her food in the dining hall, Diana was found harshly tapping her fork against her plate.

[“Is there… even something we can do? It’s become so wide-spread miss, I… I…”]

“Who was it, who was it… who was it.” She walks the dorm corridor to her assigned room. She entered, slamming the door shut. “Who was it?” She queries, hitting the wall with closed fists.

Hannah and Barbara looked up from their bed and study desk respectively, turning to one another before deciding to leave Diana for a bit. “We’ll be back, okay Diana?” To Give her the space she so clearly needs.

[“Miss, not to offend you, and I have nothing against it… I was simply surprised…”]

“Who was it, who was it, who was it?!”

[“…I didn’t know you… it… was like that.”]

“WHO DAMN WAS IT?!” She finally screamed out all the pent up frustrations, slamming her hands on her desk.

A Knock on the door. Soft, but continuous. This only furthers her irritation as she runs to the door in blind fury, abruptly pulling it open to curse at the guilty perpetrator daring to add on to her madness.

“WHO BLOODY IS IT, DAMNIT?!”

…And there stood Akko, eyes wide, curled back into herself in horror. Diana only registers this as the girl lets out a whimper, tears released by lovely rosy eyes that Diana loved so much, but had hurt just as much.

“I-it’s… it’s only me, Diana.” She croaked, backing up when Diana reached for her, making the heiress flinch. “I’m sorry, was I… was I bothering-“ No, Akko could not leave, not now. Not when Diana needed her- the only one capable of keeping her sanity in tact- the most!

The brunette yelped as she was pulled in, door shut behind her, before being engulfed in a tight hug, arms circling her waist and a face buried in her neck, a tall nose inhaling her scent, tickling the spot with gentle brushes.

“It’s just you… Akko…”

And the girl feels Diana’s labored breathing calm, her high body heat burning against her skin.

“Diana…”

“Akko…” She murmurs in a defeated tone, broken. She the realizes what she had just done to Akko mere moments ago, dropping to her knees, the brunette going along with her. “I… I apologi-“

“Shh… It’s okay now.” Akko wraps her arms around Diana’s shoulders, turning to plant kisses on any part of her head and hair that she could reach. “It’s okay now. I’m here. It’s okay now. We’re here. Together.”

She felt the bundle of blonde sorrow nod against her, and she raised her up, assisting her towards Diana’s bed before sitting the tired heiress down. Diana refused to release Akko, and so the latter stood there between her legs, allowing Diana to draw her comfort from her. She’d do anything to help her calm.

“Let’s talk this through, and make it out together. We will get past this. I know.” She murmured, leaning down to plant a kiss against Diana’s throbbing temple. She was under so much stress. “Do you want to lay down and rest?”

A shake of the head.

“But you really need it.”

A sniff.

“What if… I rest with you, will you go to sleep?” Akko was hesitant to place down this offer, knowing that if she didn’t leave soon, who knows what would happen if she got spotted.

But she couldn’t leave. Not now, not even if she wanted to. And she didn’t want to.

At Diana’s nod, Akko guided them both to a better position atop Diana’s dorm mattress, the top student, though with a larger frame, snuggled closely into Akko, resting under her chin, allowing the brunette to shield her away from anything outside of their tiny bubble of tranquil.

And in so few minutes, to the sound of each other’s tired breathing and beating hearts, they both fell asleep.

 //-//-//-//-//

 The sound of soft rain pattering against her glass windows woke the light sleeper in Diana up. At first, she had panicked at the feeling of being wrapped up in someone’s arms, under someone’s weight. But faint scents of strawberry and a pleasant type of fresh earthiness tickled her nose, and she knew just who that someone was. With a wistful smile, she looked to the person who held her heart, and remembered every bit of yesterday, said heart aching. Brushing her bangs to clear Akko’s face, Diana planted the faintest kiss on her chapped lips before sitting up, still in the other witch’s embrace.

Her eyes surveyed the quarters, finding the absence of her roommates, but by her bedside, a small note, telling her of their location. Barbara and Hannah had left to fetch them some food in the event that they’d wake up late and/or around a time when many students would be walking about and would have a high chance of catching Akko leaving the room. They had also tried their best to make sure that no one was lurking about their room by placing a barrier spell that would alert the people inside if there ever was anyone. It was their way of looking out for them, and Diana cried with gratefulness in her heart for their gracious actions.

Not too long after she had closed the note, the door came ajar, and in peeked a ginger hair, looking tense, but then relaxing as they met Diana’s eyes, realizing all was well.

Locking the door behind them as they entered, Hannah and Barbara placed the trays down on their little table in the middle of the room. Diana nodded gratefully as everyone seemed to have the same idea of allowing Akko more moments of rest after everything that had unfolded yesterday. They were all certainly drained.

Diana never knew of what other things the other seven had gone through while apart from them, but from the little she had witnessed, she knew she could trust them with her life. And really, she was already doing that.

Once Akko had woken up, the pair had their breakfast as the inhabitants of the room exchanged ideas on how to get Akko out to her own before anyone realized she was gone. It was already a surprise to see her here and without anyone barging in the previous night after rollcall. Hannah and Barbara assumed that Akko’s roommates must have done something similar to them, telling the monitor that Diana was sick and asleep- which was not totally untrue.

Not long after, they had received a small note through the window, delivered by one of Lotte’s little sprites, and it was urging them to return Akko. They knew she had to be in the blue team dorm, as that was the only place she’d logically be in after they had asked the green team and Professor Ursula and were given a negative that she had been with them the night prior. They had Alcor do a few rounds across the school grounds to confirm if Akko stayed in the ruins or tower, and with that turning up with a blank, the only remaining place she would be safe, was there.

Sucy had prepared some kind of dummy that was almost believable, and with Lotte’s sprites, they were able to create a believable, clone that did minimal shuffling movements under blankets, a waving of hand, and a weird groaning sound that was very convincing for the dorm monitor.

But that wouldn’t hold up in class.

They needed Akko back as soon as possible. So, they could only plan to sneak Akko out as discreetly as possible.

They began with the everyone taking their turns washing up and preparing for class. They somehow needed Akko to meet up with her own team on the grounds, far from the room. How they would accomplish that, they did not know. The most important part was that Akko and Diana were not to be seen together. They were under a probationary rule, and should they break terms regarding that, heavier consequences would definitely follow.

They wondered if they could have Akko transform herself into her mouse form and climb along the windows, but should anyone be outside and see that familiar brown creature, they might still be caught, especially if said animal was coming right from Diana’s window.

However, the idea of transformation magic wasn’t all bad. They decided to slip her into Hannah’s pocket, hoping that if suspicion were directed at Diana and she were checked, they could get away somewhat.

With that agreed upon, they put their action into motion, Akko climbing into Hannah’s uniform, and the blue team striding down the corridor, attempting to look as normal as possible.

Then Finneran barred their path, raised her wand, and for a moment, they thought it was an attack spell. A spell that would harm students, cast by a teacher.

But then-

“Metamorphie Faciesse!”

 And laying on the ground was Akko. Caught.

 “Not only did you break your agreement to stay apart, but what else could two people, essentially lovers, do when spending the night together?” The implications were strong, and they all knew it.

Very quickly, a crowd had begun to form around them.

“I never thought you’d dare engage in such… illicit activities, Miss Cavendish. This is beneath you!”

“Illi- No! There is nothing of the sort! Why would you-“

“Regardless of what you have done, the relationship in and of itself is immoral, and you two should not have been granted this much freedom.” Finneran stated, stepping forward to grab Akko, before Diana came between them. “Diana Cavendish. You do not seem to understand your situation. You do not seem to understand that I am protecting you. You do not seem to understand that there may be eyes and ears all around you who could so easily procure another proof OF YOUR RIDICULOUSNESS IN PURSUING WHATEVER IT IS WITH… WITH THIS CHILD!”

“WHAT DON’T I UNDERSTAND-“

“It was all me.” Akko’s voice was barely raised, yet it tore through the tension, above all the screaming, clear and heard. “I’m the one who came to her room despite knowing the consequences.”

‘No... No!’ Diana’s eyes bolted to the girl behind her, disagreeing with her whole being, trying to reach for the girl, before her hand was slapped away and Barbara and Hannah held her back to prevent further damage from adding on to the situation. Akko was now their friend, yes, but her eyes had told them all they needed to know. That she was taking a bullet for Diana. And they were also reminded, that in the end, Diana was to be their priority. As her teammates, as her first friends.

This answer seemed to please the professor as she stepped back. “…Indeed. It was you. It would be hard to believe Miss Cavendish would initiate such… I believe even this whole charade of a relationship was of your doing? I don’t know how you managed to do it, but to bribe and convince someone with a social standing as high as a Cavendish, you have quite the nerve.” She scoffed. “Come to my office. We’ll discuss the details of what will now happen to you.”

Akko no longer responded verbally, nodding as she dusted herself off, trudging after the disciplinary teacher, not sparing Diana’s pained form any glance.

Akko had taken the brunt of blame.

She had taken it all.

If only to lessen the weight of the events and rumors about Diana. If the headlines would soon change to be, ‘An Untalented Witch Seduces An Innocent Rising Leader: Bewitching Is A Reality’- or something of that ridiculous sort, maybe things would work out. Anyone could conjure a tale that was almost believable. Maybe this would give Diana’s reputation some leeway to be worked out.

So why shouldn’t Akko be the first to create it?

As icy blues stared at the figure leaving her behind, slouched shoulders, and the gradually quieting echo of steps bouncing off the walls reaching silence, Diana’s sense of hearing was replaced by those horrid sounds that infiltrated the peace of her mind.

They were back, to make Diana’s ears bleed. To drive her insane.

The murmurs.

The rumors.

The whispers.

And hidden among those was a slivering hiss passing by, with eyes that would always say,

‘No.’

 A/N: I’m really sorry. I have a lot of disappointment for how I’m performing in this story. It’s just so hard because, as I may have mentioned before, my laptop broke last year and wiped all my data, and my flash drive was lost with the backup. I’ve lost hours-worth of stories and data, and I really did cry for it. So I have no clue as to the direction the original scenarios were supposed to go. I’m trying to build off the older chapters, coming up with the story now. Ahhhh. I sincerely wish I could deliver this story better as I’m attached to it.

AHHHH I DON’T KNOW ANYMORE. Somehow, I don’t like how I’ve written this out at all :’<

Lowkey, the office scene feels like I wrote it from experience…

Everyone’s attention in this chap on Diakko may seem a little dramatic (I’m sorry), but if you’re somewhat well-known in school, and in a place that’s either really strict or conservative, especially when it comes to morals, you’d know that people can be quite… scary. Maybe this Is just justification, I’m sorry.

~Shintori Khazumi

[dented-nado]

So so- James gets sick (you decided how sick he is loll) and Walter/Stolas/both take care of him

Im sorry sickfics are just so wholesome

Takes place before William, Grelle and Ronald were reapers (or even alive at) – For the reaper realm is sort of more in a colonial era vibe, but in the human world it’s currently 1568.

James is a character that’s had one appearance in my Black Butler Fan-Comic Will to Live – Stolas is an upcoming character – and Walter is a fan character that’s formed on our discord server lol.

Hope you like this!!! I kind of hinted at Walter’s existence and helping, but I ended up writing more about Stolas trying to get James just to go heckinnn rest lol. Hope that’s okay!

=====

Anyone who worked anywhere within the reaper realm in England would tell you their general manager was being particularly nasty. There was a rumor going around that his eyes were turning red with rage, Red.

Stolas, being the current head manager of the London Reaper district of course ended up hearing about the rumor. One of those little things that would come up during coffee breaks. Sometimes rumors spread quickly, many of them ended up not being true or over exaggerated… all of them had been there are REALLY long time after all, and sometimes rumors were the only thing that made their grueling jobs a little bit interesting.

This one… however, made Stolas sigh, he knew James too well, if those under him are especially scared of him at the moment, something was up.

Many of his coworkers thought Stolas was insane for remaining cheery with James, or they feared him too by proxy. Stolas wasn’t stupid, he knew why everyone was scared of James – James did it on purpose for Christ’s sake. However, since he had come on some 200 years ago and had many an interaction with the guy, finding himself unphased by his scare tactics... (he had seen men much more monstrous than James after all), he couldn’t help but feel some sort of…. Sympathy? No, that might not be the word? Maybe sometimes he just got a glimmer of the kind of man James could be and wanted to reach out and pull that glittering little gem out. He just hoped he wasn’t seeing something that wasn’t there.

He gazed at the large grandfather clock ticking away in the corner of his office, such a device was new to him, but he had picked it up a little quicker than James had who had kept time by candle for much longer than most of them.

He had 10 more minutes before his break would be over…

Stolas closed his large book he had snuck in to read on his breaks, it was one on the Tudors he had gotten quite lost in. Normally more ancient societies piqued his interest, but it was harder to get good accounts… he half wished he could just explore those ancient cities and discover their secrets himself. But… alas… here he was, not that he could have gone far in his human life either.

He downed the last bit of his tea before sitting up, making sure his ink well was covered and his quill was secure for when he inevitably came back to work.

He walked out of the London office and down the hall, tapping on James’s office door cheerfully, barely waiting for a grunt before coming in.

“What do you want?” James accused, looking up from his paperwork.

Now he did look quite the sight, more tired and grouchy than usual – and judging from the redness of his nose, it was irritated.

“Well now, I had heard you were especially difficult to deal with, and now I know why!” Stolas said, pushing his glasses up his nose and grinning.

James sighed, leaning back and rubbing his left eye slightly, they looked a bit bloodshot.

“Maybe if everyone did their job correctly…”

“Yes, then you wouldn’t be so cross all the time, blah blah blah, I’ve heard the script.” He took a few steps forward, leaning on James’s desk, something only he seemed to get away with. “You’re sick.”

“You’re pissing me off.” James snipped back, baring his teeth.

Stolas shook his head. This man was like trying to be friendly to a wolf on a good day, a rabid one on a bad day.

“Why don’t you just take the day off James? If your sick its not as if you can help it.” Stolas offered.

“I can get up, I can walk, I haven’t sprouted any pustules, not that reapers could get such a horrible thing thank god…” He paused, rubbing his hands together as if having the urge to wash them. “Unless I keel over, I’m still coming into work. Any reaper disease can’t be serious, it won’t kill me.”

“You’re a stubborn man James.” Stolas said, deciding to state the obvious. “What does Walter think?” He asked, furrowing his brows.

Walter was supposedly a ghost from James’s old life that followed him around. Stolas wasn’t entirely convinced he existed, or if he was a ghost in the sense of something James had been through that haunted him, or perhaps was his way of coping with the state of things. He cared for James enough that he didn’t want to try and tell James what he was or wasn’t experiencing… he couldn’t see through his eyes after all. If Walter was real… well… maybe it was good that James still had someone around to keep him grounded. If he wasn’t… what could he really do about that?

“Walter can mind his own business too.” He growled stubbornly, seemingly reading the same sentence on his paperwork a third time over, getting more frustrated.

Stolas narrowed his eyes, he slammed his hands down on the desk briefly, startling James a bit as he suddenly crossed over to his side of the desk, leaning down from his decent height and pointing his finger only inches away from James’s face.

“Either you let me take you home willingly, or I pick you up and carry you kicking and screaming.” He said very seriously.

James’s eyes widened before turning into a glare, leaning up and meeting his gaze with his own threatening one. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Stolas grinned.

James didn’t have time to run. He growled as Stolas tackled him and lifted him up out of his seat, having no problem lifting the bearded man up onto his shoulder.

“STOLAS SANTORI YOU PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!” He barked.

Stolas chuckled, he could tell all of James’s teeth were razor sharp just from the tone of his voice.

“You stay out of this!” James then barked, seemingly pointing at thin air in irritation, and Stolas was almost sure the air got colder.

Stolas walked towards the door, ignoring James struggling. “Last chance, I can put you down and you can go with me and retain some dignity…”

James stiffened and stopped flailing before sighing and going limp. “Fine, FINE! Just put me down or I swear I’ll have you- GAH!!”

Stolas followed his order and let James fall off his shoulder, only barely catching his balance.

James breathed heavily before coughing a bit, trying to straighten his hair and jacket. “If… If I’m penalized for being gone today…”

“I’ll take full responsibility. You can say you were kidnapped.” Stolas responded, walking out into the hallway with James in tow.

“…If I were to say you kidnapped me and disrupted my work… you could be put on trial.”

Stolas simply slipped his glasses off, cleaning them as they walked. He knew the halls well enough by now he probably could have found his way around without being able to see at all.

“If it happens… it happens.”

“How can you be so calm about such a thing?” James snapped before sneezing, grumbling, and pulling a handkerchief out of his coat pocket to blow his nose into.

“If that’s my fate, who am I to argue with it. I prefer to do what I think is right James, not what is easy or safe. And right now… seeing you rested is what I believe is right.” He said, looking down at James sincerely as they walked out of the building.

James hung his head for a moment, grinding his teeth slightly before walking again to head to his assigned home, Stolas not far behind.

“You’re a fool.” He said simply, and quietly.

Stolas just laughed. “Maybe. Most people seem to think so for getting within 2 feet of you.” He said softly, nudging James with his arm.

James felt miserable, he was annoyed, and on some level, he was scared.

But despite all that… he smiled.

[bangtan-dreamland]

Calling... Producer Min Yoongi

Pairing: myg x reader

Word Count: 4569

Warnings: none!! uwu

Genre: fluff, strangers-to-lovers!au, mutual pining, GOOD GOD THIS WAS SO FLUFFY IN MY HEAD

Masterpost

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪ 

The first time you call him, it's two in the morning.

In all honesty, you don't really expect anyone to pick up. After all, who would be awake at, again, two in the morning? But the voice that answers you mere seconds after you started calling told you otherwise.

"Who is this." 

The flat, no-nonsense tone that is all but radiated in the greeting leaves you fumbling for a reply, but then the very next second the voice continues, the snowy gales turning into frost. "How did you get my number? I've already had too many calls from saesangs- if you don't explain who you are and why you called me, I'm hanging up."

"Um," you eloquently reply, before the panic sets in and you hurry to clarify yourself. "I'm not- a saesang or anything!"

You can practically hear the person on the other end of the line raise their eyebrows in distrust. "Really? Then how did you call me?"

"I just," you flush. "It was... a random thing. I was dialing random numbers. I didn't- I didn't know who I'd be calling. I don't even know who you are."

Silence floods the call, and you fiddle with your hair, nervous to hear his reply.

"Fine. Okay, let's say you're telling the truth. For what reason are you calling me then?"

"I just wanted someone to talk to," you sheepishly say. "I wasn't expecting you to pick up... but I was hoping someone would be awake and willing to talk."

"To a random stranger?"

"Well, isn't it easier to talk about your problems to someone you don't know? To someone who doesn't know anything about you, who couldn't judge you?" You point out, before pausing. "Not that you're obligated to listen to me, and if you want... if you want to talk, I'm here too."

"You basically just told me you're someone famous, even if I don't personally know you... so, um, I guess what I'm saying is, if you want, you can rant to me too? If it helps, I don't think anyone would believe a random nobody speaking up about a famous person, so."

"Well," you flush again, your rant becoming longer and longer as the other side stays quiet. "Not that you have to, again. It's just a choice. If you want to. You can even hang up now, if you like."

A minute passes, and then another, and you're on the verge of hanging up, when-

"So?"

"So?" You parrot back, confused. You hear a sigh down the line, before the other side speaks again.

"You said you wanted to talk to someone. You've already gone to all this trouble, so."

You bite back the smile growing on your face as you slowly tell him about your past week. It has been your worst one yet- what with a case of food poisoning taking down your co-workers, which you had amazingly (and yet unluckily) not fallen victim to on the account that they didn't even invite you when they had a team dinner after finally managing to secure a new client for your company, a fact that upsets you- not just because they had gone and excluded you from what was very much a team (and if you were being honest, a 90% you and a 10% them kind of team) effort, but also because that now meant you have to do the whole project alone. 

"Because apparently," you grumble. "Seeing as one person, me, still remains on the team, there's no one else the client wants to work on their project. Which is ridiculous!"

Mr. Mystery Stranger remains quiet, the only sign that he is still listening the small sounds he makes as you rant (humming when he agrees with you, a snort on how ridiculous your client is, scoffing at your team mates, if they could even be called that).

"They have so many demands about how it should go too, but they don't even know a single thing about how designing works. There are all these- these expectations they want us, they want me to meet, but frankly it's unreasonable! Not only are they a perfectionist but they're also insane. I think. They seem to be, so far," you conclude your rant with a loud huff, a glare on your face and your lips in a frown. Yet all the same the burden on your shoulders are a little lighter, and you breathe a little easier.

"Full offense, your workplace sounds like shit."

You let out a surprised laugh at the way he delivers his words in a matter of fact way. As if it isn't an opinion, but rather a solid truth that he only speaks up about. He tells you exactly what he thinks about your useless co-workers, about your bratty client and even about your incompetent boss who can't even see that assigning a single person on a group project will yield little result for anyone.

You laugh at every remark he makes, the smile on your face growing wider and wider, until he finishes his (let's be honest, it was a speech) reply about how your work is insane. 

"How about you, anything you want to get off your chest? Remember, this is a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity to talk shit without repercussions," you jokingly (but all the same, very much seriously) offer to him, moments after he finishes.

He snorts. "Is it? With any luck you'll be dialing my number again tomorrow night."

"Not unless I save your number on my phone, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Besides," you hum. "You listened to me, so... I guess. I want to return the favor."

"You're really persistent, aren't you? No need to be so polite. You don't have to do that just because I did." He drawls, the tone of his voice all but telling you he probably (most definitely) rolled his eyes as he replied.

"It's not that bad, is it? And... I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to."

It’s strange, admittedly, how, for once, you're the one pushing for more conversation, for more interaction with the other person. A stranger, nonetheless. But tonight... well, you were lucky. To be able to talk to him.

You hear him exhale, and you fiddle again with your fingers, waiting for a reply, before you hear him speak.

"I'm... a producer," he finally says. You say nothing, letting out only a small 'mhm' to encourage him to keep on going. "I'm in the middle of making this new album and-" he lets out an aggravated sigh, the frustration evident even if he speaks after with an even tone. "They... the people I'm working for want me to change everything about it."

There is a wry tone in his voice that makes you wince for him in sympathy. "Because the direction I want my music to head in is apparently not what most people expect in music these days. What’s trending, what’s popular. They rejected my first drafts and told me to redo everything. Restart from the beginning. Because they didn't like the message in my songs. Even went as far to tell me to just rearrange the whole thing," he lets out a disbelieving scoff at that. 

"As if I could just rearrange melodies and words at a drop of a hat. Not to mention I wrote my songs like that for a reason. Fuckers," he bites out the final words angrily, bitterness thick and you try to sort out the words you want to say in response, feeling sympathetic for him.

"How are they so sure of that?" You ask him, the words somehow coming out easily. He pauses, and you barrel on, your hesitance vanishing the moment you start to feel like you're doing something right- making him feel better, that is.

"I mean, it's what that's unexpected that makes your songs stand out, and what makes them unique among all the others... And... well, I haven't listened to any of your songs, but all the same... I already know that you put your heart and soul in writing them, making them. You don't feel like someone who would half-ass something you speak so passionately about," you laugh a little, but continue all the same. "And... something like that, I know it will resonate with people. Um, what's that saying again? You reap what you sow? But- um, for you, if you really, and I think you do- if you really do put in as much time and effort and soul in your songs, then... they're going to soar, I just know it, no matter if it fits in with trends or not."

The silence that resonates again on the line makes you flush in embarrassment at your rant, but then you hear him chuckle, and you smile.

"You don't have to hang up anytime soon, do you?" He suddenly asks, and you shake your head, only to remember that he can't see you. You clear your throat and affirm his words out loud.

"Good, stay on the line."

You comply, curious. 

You hear shuffling on the other side, several clicks of the mouse, as well as tapping on the keyboard, before you start hearing it.

Music, the beat catchy and yet heavy and sharp rings through the line, the person in the song singing about the expectations of society, of dreams, of wanting but not knowing what exactly, going with the flow instead of reaching out on their own to find out what they want.

It awes you- the lyrics, the singing, the rapping, the way the song instantly seems to be stuck in your head. When the last verse fades into static, the song ending, silence reigns on the phone line.

You don't say anything for a moment, trying to arrange the words in your head into something more coherent, but when you finally speak up, all you can say is-

"Wow..." Breathless, full of awe, and if you lived in the world of anime, you're pretty sure you would have sparkling eyes right now. You feel like you could anyways. "That was amazing! How could they say that it wouldn't be a hit? I love it- and, you know, being a random stranger, I'm completely unbiased when I say I prefer it over even what's on the billboard these days."

You hear him startle and giggle (so cute! Good god, you're really finding it harder and harder to hang up), and for once, you are suddenly struck with the sudden longing to see this mystery person. How would they look like, smiling, you wonder. 

"Thank you," he says shyly, and you grin at his tone of voice.

"I mean it," you tell him again. "I really love it. If- and I hoped you do!- you release it... I'll be one of the first people to buy it."

"Hm, really?"

You laugh at the sudden coy tone he takes. "Yes, really!"

This... you can't help but admit, that for the first time in years, you're having fun. A lot of fun. Which you didn't really expect, since... well, you're talking to a stranger, after all. A random person. You don't know anything about him, other than that he has a nice voice and he makes amazing music. 

But the way he listens, really, truly listens and responds to you makes you feel better, happier, more present that you have with any of your friends in the past. 

You open your mouth to ask him about his song and-

Your phone rings loudly, obnoxiously loud in the silence of your room. The screen switches to your alarm, and you wince, moving quickly to turn it off, but the damage is done. When you switch back to your call, mystery stranger remains quiet, and again, you fumble with the words in your head.

"You have to go now, huh?" You can hear the disappointment in his voice as he speaks, your own mood crashing as well.

"I don't want to," you confess. "I'm still not done with you," you joke, smiling as you're rewarded with a quiet laugh.

"Still, you should go to sleep now," he tells you, making your shoulders droop in dismay. "Thank you-" he says, jerkily, continuing his words in a faster pace. "For tonight, and with my songs. You were right about the thing with problems and strangers... you helped me decide to keep fighting for what I want."

And before you can say anything, the line hangs up quickly, leaving you to stare blankly at your wall in surprise. 

You finally smile sadly as your phone's screen turns off, leaving you alone in the darkness. Tonight was the best you've had in a while, as unconventional as it started, and the thought that you probably wouldn't be able to do it again...

You sigh, and hope whoever he was was speaking the truth about you having helped him. That's one good thing you'll cling on to.

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪ 

You don't expect to hear from him again. You're a person of your word- you decide not to contact him the night after, but it seems as if it doesn't matter, because the moment you start getting into bed, your phone starts ringing.

You pause from what you have been doing, before getting in fully anyway. The ringing of the phone grows louder in the meantime, and you scowl at the harsh sound. Who would be calling at...

Oh.

Oh. It's him. Mystery stranger. Rather, mystery producer.

"I thought you didn't want to talk to a stranger," you tease him when you pick up, but the grin on your face and the giddy tone in your voice reveals your mood anyway. You hear him scoff, before he replies.

"My name's Yoongi. And after last night, I don't think we can call each other strangers, do you?"

You snort at that, having to bite your cheek to keep yourself from smirking. "'After last night?' You could make someone faint with that implication, you know."

"Just shut up and listen," he deadpans, and you laugh, bright and loud and happy, before a mellow tune drifts over on the line and a new song finds its way into your heart.

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪

Nights after that become common, hours hidden under the cover of the night spent talking about your lives- and sometimes not a single word exchanged, only sonorous music keeping you two connected. 

What started out as calls made at midnight and ending a little before two becomes longer, and longer, and longer. He starts calling a little earlier each night, you hang up a little later after, and soon enough the two of you are together- in a way, even if it's only by the grace of your phone. 

Your nights stop being lonely, instead being filled by Yoongi, the chill in your apartment unnoticeable under your warm blankets (that he insisted you put on every time, knowing how you forget to do it), the silence being filled by your laughter, if not his music (although sometimes you share your own music with him), hours of scrolling and daydreaming into nothing, feeling empty and unfulfilled leaving with how the two of you spend hours listening and talking to each other about everything.

Even work improves, as you start taking his advice. People start respecting you, your co-workers start pulling their weight, and your client starts listening to you. One night, the two of you celebrate in your own way as he gleefully tells you his management has decided to give him a chance after he stood up for his work. There was a smirk in his voice and pride in his words, and you congratulated him, although you soon popped his ego before it swelled too much. He grumbled at you- you laughed, and then everything was right again.

The start of your friendship may have been weird, but... you wouldn't change what you have for the world. And if your heart beats a little faster for him than it would for anyone else, well. No one would know- no one has to know.

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪ 

Change, for him, starts with a simple thing. Your passion. Or, well, to be specific, how you sound when you're passionate about what you're talking. A small thing.

It hits him like a truck anyways. 

The setting is this: it's late at night, bordering on three in the morning, and he's blinking back tears as he tells you how he doesn't know what to do anymore, how he can't seem to get the song right in his head. How it feels as if he'll fail this song, and then his album, and how all of his hard work will be, in the end, for nothing. All of a sudden his inner demons come spilling out, and he ends up word-vomiting, stress and frustration driving him further and further until he cracks.

You don't say anything, not at first anyway, and a part of him is struck by the reminiscence that this is like the first time the two of you met, instead this time, it's him that's close to breaking down.

But then you speak. And, oh.

Oh. 

Your voice is fierce. Fierce, and determined and strong, in how you tell him in certain words that- it's okay to feel that way, but that he's wrong, because you know him, and you know how he doesn't give up, how he pours everything he has, body and mind and heart and soul into making his songs, and that he's going to get through the problems he has now. 

He's going to soar even higher, you tell him, because every time he encounters a problem, he just uses it to bring himself even closer to success. You ramble on and on about him, about what you think of his songs, of his management (and how they're obviously wrong), of him, and-

He never noticed before in detail, how he really, truly likes your voice.

It's beautiful- you're beautiful, and it leaves him in a daze, only snapping out of it when you finish ranting, asking him if he's okay because he's been silent for too long.

Shit.

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪

Yoongi ghosts you after that for a full two weeks, bringing you close to a breakdown yourself, wondering if you said something wrong, if you went too far-

But he's said that he's busy with work, that a sudden bout of inspiration has hit him and he needs to focus, so he can't call- which, fine. Fine. That's fine. You're fine.

(Lies. You miss him, you really do, and not for the first time, you wish you knew more to him than that his name is Yoongi- you want to actually see him in real life and be close to him. It doesn't matter if the two of you don't talk about anything, if you just stay close together, that’s all you want anyways- you sigh as you realize where your thoughts lead you. You're well and truly whipped, aren't you?)

Even so, there's an unspoken agreement, between the two of you. That neither of you ever pries out anything about your identities to each other. You talk about everything, and at the same time nothing. Months of calls and yet you don't even know his last name. Yoongi himself only got to learn your name the fourth time he called- making for a funny topic in itself. 

Another is that you don't establish contact in any other way other than the calls. 

So to say, you don't even know how to contact him if not through his number, and you're not bold enough to break the unspoken agreement by sending a text.

Not that it matters much in the end, because all that comes to a head a week later, with a single text.

'I sent you my latest album. It's one made for you and you only... listen to it if you have time, alone.'

When you get home that night (hours later than usual, moping around your workplace because you know that when you step home, you won't be receiving a call, no, you’ll be going home to a silent house), it's only then that you find his text, find the package on your doorstep (which, you're amazed he remembers after he once sent you a care package for your promotion at work).

So of course the only appropriate course of action then is to drop everything you're doing to listen.

You're curious about his songs, no matter that you've already heard and has been with him as he edited and perfected them, every step of the way. This is, after all, the version that he's finally deemed as worthy, and it makes you wonder- how high his standards for himself goes.

You soon find out it's really high.

The songs are amazing, and you can't help grinning widely the whole time you listen. As the final song fades into silence, you lean back into your bed, a content look on your face-

But then another song comes next.

You blink in surprise. That can't be.

You look over at the cover of the album given to you, unsure if you're getting something wrong, but...

No. You counted right- there's an extra song in the CD Yoongi has sent you. You wonder if you should listen to it, but... he said that this was for you, specifically. So he meant for you to listen to the song, right...?

So you let your ears be filled with the melody of this hidden song.

And- oh.

The melody is sweet, upbeat and catchy, but the lyrics are soft, softer and sweeter than anything you've heard Yoongi write about. It's a song about falling for someone without seeing them, without touching them, only dedication and commitment keeping them together everyday and making them fall even deeper. 

You wonder, with a touch of jealousy, why he let you hear that song, but then it ends and-

"It's- it's for you. I know I already said that in my message, but... this song, I wrote it for you. About you. I... I really like you."

In your stunned silence, you almost fail to hear the rest of his words. 

"If you don't like me the same way, that's fine. I'm okay with remaining friends over phone calls. But if you do like me the way I like you... I'll be waiting."

You hear him give out the name of a park not too far from you, as well as the time.

A time that shocks you into action again, because, holy shit, there is only an hour before the appointed time and you can't get there in only an hour!

You scramble out of bed, almost falling off in the process, before you sprint over outside, not caring that you're wearing only a t-shirt and your jogging pants, that you don't have make-up on, or that you didn't even wash your face- somewhere, Yoongi is waiting for you, waiting for a response and holy hell, why can't you just teleport there instantly!

Try as you might, the journey takes two hours, though it doesn't help that you're just a little absentminded, the roaring in your heart and in your ears drowning you out to other sensations. Many times you almost stumble over your steps before righting yourself, and by the end of it, you’re exhausted.

But when you reach your destination- reach him, you know it's worth it.

It's- night time, already. For a moment you're afraid that he won't be waiting anymore, that you missed your chance, that he thinks you've rejected him when in fact you almost ran all the way over dressed in house clothes because you wanted to get to him instantly.

But then you see someone standing by the very spot he told you he would meet you at. You can't quite see him clearly from a distance. But you know it's him, because when you shout- 

"Yoongi! I'm here!"

He turns, and your heart bursts when he breaks out into a soft, soft smile, giddy and- your heart melts, you wonder how is it possible to have a tongue that sharp and a gummy smile so soft!?

It's official. You're head over heels for this man.

Though, if the way he looks at you is any indication, he's no different.

Nothing compares to hearing his voice in real life, especially when he confesses to you.

(”Did you seriously run over all the way here dressed like that?” He raises an eyebrow at you even as he sports a giddy smile. You scoff and make a face.

“Only because I was already late! I didn’t expect to do any more exercise than getting to my bed, okay?”

It should be ridiculous, that even when you’re standing in a t-shirt and jogging pants he still finds you more beautiful than he’s imagined. Your smile, in particular, even if you try not to let it show, feigning annoyance at his words.

“Alright, whatever you say,” he tells you when he stares a little too long, awestruck at the fact that you’re here, you’re here and that means you...

This time the smile fully appears on your face. You take a step closer to him, take his hands into yours.

“I came. And you’re still waiting... so, you know what my answer is, right?” The look on your face is full of hope, and he ducks his head shyly for a moment, but then he clears his throat.

“Yeah.” He doesn’t mention the way his heart first fell when the due time passed and you were nowhere to be seen. He only stayed because a part of him wanted to believe, wanted to keep on hoping, she’ll come, it’s okay, maybe she just got held up by something, he only has to wait a bit longer. And then ten minutes become thirty, until an hour, and another passed. He likes to think he’d have left by then if you didn’t come, but the truth is, he probably could have stayed until midnight. And only midnight, because he would have been kicked out by the guards. 

But you came.

You take another step closer, drop his hands to cradle his face gently instead. Your foreheads pressing together- the distance between your lips only in centimetres. “Is this okay then?”

And he nods- your first kiss together is short, and sweet, dissolving into light, playful pecks and he doesn’t think it’s possible, but he falls in love all over again.) 

♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪°•°∞°•°♪

Not only has Yoongi erased all traces of loneliness in your nights, even your days are now filled with warmth and love. Your phone is filled with music- yours, his, and your call log of his number only.

(”I can’t believe I’ve been the only one on your call log for the past month,” he muses one day. You shrug.

“I have a separate phone for work. And my family doesn’t call me, though they send messages online.They know better than to call me... since it’s not really my thing.”

You pause. “Except for you,” you clarify. “Your calls are the only one I like getting. Your voice, in particular.”

He looks away, but not before you catch a glimpse of a smug but pleased smile on his face and you roll your eyes.)

Really, you wouldn't have it any other way.

[5typesoftrash]

warning: this is going to be a long post. transphobia and bigotry under the cut

I am posting this rebuttal of a person who got (hilariously) angry at someone who Does Not Care (me) and wrote an entire-ass essay on this post because apparently this is how I spend my time. Defending my identity which does not need to be defended because it is immutable from transphobic trolls who won’t even see it cause they’re blocked from this account.

Anyway. Be careful looking under the cut.

TERFs, gender-crits, radical feminists, transmeds, nb-exclus, anti-mogai, and anyone else whose ideology promotes transphobia and/or trans erasure, please kindly do not fucking touch this post. I am not kidding when I say that I will report you all to tumblr for hate speech if it takes me all fucking night.

Image Description

Two screenshots of a reblog from tumblr user homosexual-means-gay. The post reads:

please tell me how literally every single gay man being repulsed by ppl with vaginas hurts you! tell us why it’s a problem gay ppl aren’t attracted to the opposite sex like straight and bi ppl are!

homosexuality isn’t a political movement it’s a regular natural innate sexuality. gay men aren’t attracted to biological females and it hurts gay ppl when you side with conversion therapists and it hurts bisexual ppl who actually are attracted to both sexes when you erase them for your homophobic agenda. you’re not a victim. you’re happy to eliminate homosexuality from existence as long as you’re able to reinforce heteronormative gender roles the gay community has always opposed. your bigotry harms trans homosexuals too, not that you transhets care about the gay trans ppl either.

erased from history? you want gay ppl correctively raped out of existence bc you love socially constructed gender roles more than human rights. you deserve all the hate you put out into the world. im sorry our innate orientation and culture prove how flimsy and useless the gender roles you define yourself by are, but homophobia will not improve your self esteem. you’re driving away ppl who would be happy to support your made up identity by attacking how we were born same sex attracted. sorry you can’t relate bc you’re straight. sorry you think you can use your privilege against us. but it’s not something we’re doing to you. it’s not something we can change and it’s not something we want to change. there’s never been a gay man in existence who likes pussy, not even the gay trans women like marsha p johnson and sylvia rivera. you’re a sad little straight girl alienating all potential allies.

hurting us doesn’t validate you. it doesn’t hurt you that no gay man will ever like pussy.

End ID

(If someone wants to do a better ID that’s fine, I just wanted to put everyone on an equal playing field when it comes to understanding the content of this post.)

I’m going to go line-by-line and refute every single bullshit thing this person said.

> please tell me how literally every single gay man being repulsed by ppl with vaginas hurts you!

factoid actually just statistical error. TERF Tommy, who has committed multiple transphobic hate crimes, is an outlier and should not have been counted. I know many cis gay men who are attracted to trans men because they are MEN, not because of the genitalia they have. And I know you want to say ‘that makes them bi’, but no, it doesn’t. You want to accuse me of homophobia? Telling another gay person that their identity is invalid just because they express it in a different way than you do is literal homophobia.

>  tell us why it’s a problem gay ppl aren’t attracted to the opposite sex like straight and bi ppl are!

because... some are? And you don’t speak for the entire gay community? Especially not the other side of it, for the opposite binary gender than yours.

>  homosexuality isn’t a political movement it’s a regular natural innate sexuality.

and transness isn’t a political movement either, it is a regular natural and innate gender identity. You know that gender identity is inherent, right? When people say ‘gender is a social construct’ all that means is that it is not a natural thing. Humans created the concept of gender and assigned value to it based on what we could perceive as a means of giving order to the world around us. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t important and it doesn’t mean that there aren’t parts of it that are inherent to individuals.

>  gay men aren’t attracted to biological females and it hurts gay ppl when you side with conversion therapists and it hurts bisexual ppl who actually are attracted to both sexes when you erase them for your homophobic agenda.

I’m sorry this is literally incoherent. To reiterate: some gay men ARE attracted to assigned females. Yes, siding with conversion therapists hurts gay people. No, I am not siding with conversion therapists. I have never once stated -- in fact, the entire point of my post was the opposite of this -- that anyone should EVER have sexual interactions with a person they don’t want to. Even if the reason for that is because they have a genital preference, which is NOT the same thing as a sexuality.

(I know I’ve been over this before but here it is again. A sexuality is a measure of what GENDER/S you want to have sex with. A genital preference is a measure of what genitalia you are willing to get all up close and personal with. Both are innate, one can be manipulated. They are not the same thing.)

Hurting bisexual people... hey, fellow bis, am I hurting you by *checks notes* existing in time and space?

>  you’re not a victim. you’re happy to eliminate homosexuality from existence as long as you’re able to reinforce heteronormative gender roles the gay community has always opposed.

I am literally A GAY PERSON. Even by YOUR MEASURE I am a victim. And I do NOT want to eliminate homosexuality, I just want people to acknowledge that language evolves and definitions can change as our society does. Also, have you ever met a trans person in real life? Because like 80% of all the trans people I’ve ever known have been gender non-conforming, so like. That invalidates that point. The trans community opposes gender roles as well.

>  your bigotry harms trans homosexuals too, not that you transhets care about the gay trans ppl either.

Please point to where it says I’m straight. Please. I want to see it.

>  erased from history? you want gay ppl correctively raped out of existence bc you love socially constructed gender roles more than human rights.

At this point I’m just repeating myself. Please see the above points for rebuttal.

>  you deserve all the hate you put out into the world. im sorry our innate orientation and culture prove how flimsy and useless the gender roles you define yourself by are, but homophobia will not improve your self esteem.

Says the person berating a minor for *flips notecard over* agreeing with them that people shouldn’t be forced into sex. I’m sorry that you’re so hurt and angry that you have to push your pain onto other people just to feel better. I genuinely am. It makes me so sad to see how much some people are hurting. But I won’t just sit and take this kind of verbal abuse. I don’t deserve it, quite frankly.

>  you’re driving away ppl who would be happy to support your made up identity by attacking how we were born same sex attracted.

I doubt anyone calling it a made-up identity wants to actually support me. Next.

>  sorry you can’t relate bc you’re straight. sorry you think you can use your privilege against us. but it’s not something we’re doing to you. it’s not something we can change and it’s not something we want to change.

Again. I am not straight. I do not have any straight privilege to use against anyone. Even if I was cis I still wouldn’t be straight because I’m aroace and attracted to anyone and everyone. My gender identity isn’t something that I can change, either. And even if I couldn’t, I wouldn’t want to. I love being a man, and I love being a trans man. 

>  there’s never been a gay man in existence who likes pussy, not even the gay trans women like marsha p johnson and sylvia rivera.

I’m sorry, WHAT. Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera can’t be both gay men and trans lesbians. Which one are they? You gotta pick, babe.

> you’re a sad little straight girl alienating all potential allies. hurting us doesn’t validate you. it doesn’t hurt you that no gay man will ever like pussy.

So am I a transhet or am I a straight girl? Also I’m not sad, I’m quite happy with where I’m at in my life. I do not feel validated by hurting anyone, because I don’t enjoy pain. I’m not masochistic or emotionless, I am in fact hyperempathetic due to my autism, and I don’t like it when anyone is hurt. This can be evidenced by this post here where I wish well upon a group of people who have directly hatecrimed me in the past. 

I will repeat that. I have literal trauma from physical violence as a result of the actions of this group of people, and I am still wishing them good things. 

Nor does it hurt me that ‘no gay man will ever like [AFAB genitalia]’ because this isn’t even a true statement. As I have mentioned previously, I know personally multiple gay men who are attracted to trans men. And reader, please note the fact that this person uses a slang term, a deliberately vulgar one, where in my original post I used the medical term ‘vagina’.

Hope this clears some things up.

TERFs, gender-crits, radical feminists, transmeds, nb-exclus, anti-mogai, and anyone else whose ideology promotes transphobia and/or trans erasure, please kindly STILL do not clown on this post. I am once again not kidding when I say that I will report you all to tumblr for hate speech if it takes me all fucking night.

[petroltogo]

full disclosure, this got complete out of control (you’ll see that below the cut) and for those who prefer to read longer texts elsewhere I also posted the full story on AO3. @hopeswriting I hope you like it!

So Hana takes a step back. She let the stress of being field-active, of having to cover for Sawada and keeping their squad upright run her down and never once took a moment to breathe and think. It worked, for a time, but it can’t work forever. Hana won’t be around forever to pick up Mochida’s slack when he’s hesitating, to push Sawada down when he gets ideas about helping, to shoot down Miura’s more crazed ideas that she makes sound horrifyingly reasonable.

In other words, she needs to start working on a solution instead of being the solution. Which means approach the problem in a new way.

Since Vongola Inc.’s bureaucracy is as nightmare-inducing as Hana expected it to be, getting another member assigned to their squad is a spectacular failure. [Hana cannot believe the bullheadedness of people who have never even seen a gun in real life but somehow think they can tell her what she does and doesn’t need in a fight.] Unsurprising but it was worth a try.

Which brings Hana to Plan B: Get Sawada off the squad. He’s spent the past two and a half months flapping around on the field like a fish who’s jumped out of an aquarium only to realize that he does, indeed, need water to survive. He’s panicked and cried and thrown up [in Sawada’s defense, they all have, but unlike Sawada they usually manage to control themselves until after the crisis is over] — in short, he’s had his fun.

It’s time to end this.

[continues under the cut]

Since the last time Hana tried to hammer a rational thought into Sawada’s brain, she’s payed attention and realized that Sawada won’t ever get off his ass and do something to improve his life if the only thing to be gained is more happiness and less lethal danger for himself. Which, frankly, is a thought that boggles her mind but alright.

If Sawada refuses to make decent life choices, Hana will make one for him. She doesn’t usually meddle like this, this is 100% Kyouko’s bad influence on her, but Hana has spent too many months keeping this idiot alive. He’s not gonna die on her now.

So Hana files the transfer papers for Sawada.

She does it properly too. Researches Sawada’s high school grades — which range from passable to terrible, how did he make it into the Vongola Inc. attack squad training in the first place? — and interests — of which there are barely any, seriously, does this guy not have a life? — and pays attention to Sawada in action. Most of the time that’s like watching an avalanche come down on top of you in slow motion, but there are parts of their work where Sawada doesn't hold them back. Even — dare she say it — makes himself useful. Like the whole talking to witnesses and calming survivors down part. Especially when there are children. Sawada is awkward and too sensitive and gets too restless around the adults, but with children he’s actually— Not bad.

Based on those same observations, Hana fills out the appropriate forms to get Sawada transferred to Human Resources. Sawada will be fine there. Maybe even do well. Not that he could do any worse than an attack squad but whatever.

The request is denied.

Transfer requests out of attack squads aren’t denied. No one wants a well-armed operative who doesn’t feel stable and confident that they can handle their job running around.

At this point Hana has repeated the phrase so often, the words have lost all meaning, but in the face of such a monumental, senseless idiocy it bears repeating: What the fuck, Vongola.

*

Practice doesn’t make perfect but it does make better.

A week passes and then another one. With every successful and unsuccessful mission that they survive together, they get better. Their teamwork improves, their instincts sharpen, they learn to play off each other. They learn to navigate around Sawada. And even Sawada does improve.

He doesn’t panic as much or as obviously anymore. He’s getting better at not getting in the way. He’s getting decent at hand-to-hand combat, even if he sucks at applying those same skills in an actual battle. Hana still isn’t happy to have him at her back, but she can trust him not to bowl her over from behind anymore. And besides they all do their best to keep him out of the actual fights whenever possible. It’s progress.

Not enough but it is what it is.

*

In the end. It’s not unexpected. It’s the opposite of unexpected and even that doesn’t seem a strong enough word for it. Because Hana is a planner at heart. She’s imagined this very outcome too often to be slowed down by shock or surprise now that it's actually happening.

[Numbers don’t lie. They can’t show the truth but they reflect trends and probabilities and just because every human being thinks they are the exception doesn’t make it true. Numbers don’t work that way and exceptions mean there’s a majority there whose story is told in those very same statistics.]

Hana knows what it means to walk into a battle with a squad member that can’t handle themselves by her side. She’s gone over the dangers too many times to count at this point, both inside her head and out loud. They all have. They’ve been doing this job for four months and by some miracle they’ve been managing, but beginner’s luck only holds out for so long.

It’s a bad mission.

Not their first one. They’ve already had close calls — too many of those — have gotten injured, hell, Sawada has even gotten himself kidnapped once. None of that knowledge helps prepare them for another once though. None of those past terrors make it any easier to remain calm and level-headed in the heat of the moment.

Most importantly none of it prepares Hana for a super who can control electricity. Whose powers apparently aren’t stopped by their uniforms, going by the charred body of what used to be one of her squad member that's lying crumbled on the other side of the room. [What does it say about her, about this squad that Hana’s first hysterical thought when she watched Nakamura go down screaming is 'At least it wasn’t Sawada’s fault.'?]

Communications are down, she’s cut off from possible reinforcements, trapped somewhere in the lower levels of the building. She doesn’t have any smoke bombs left, doesn't have a paralyzer, doesn’t have an exit and her only backup now that Nakamura is dead is Sawada. Sawada who is cowering in the corner furthest away from her and Nakamura's body, back pressed so hard against the wall he’ll have bruises if he survives this, wild, panicked eyes fixated on the crazed super who’s staring at him like Sawada is the fucking North star.

Or his next meal, going by Sawada’s luck.

Hana’s drawn her gun like Sawada should’ve because he’s armed, Hana knows he’s armed. She can see the gun from across the room. And Sawada isn’t fucking drawing it.

"Stay back!" she calls out towards the super who's glazed eyes remain fixed on Sawada. "Or I’ll shoot!"

Sawada still isn’t moving. The lightning guy is moving slowly, a demented grin on his lips, blood caking the left half of his face. And Sawada isn’t fucking moving. Not to defend himself. Not to run over and seek cover behind Hana, where she could fucking reach and protect him.

"Why are you so surprised?" Hana can almost hear Kyouko’s voice ask her, curiously puzzled. "You always knew he would be a liability."

Hana fires a warning bullet, half hoping the insane super will miraculously flinch back and let himself be arrested, half praying it will shake some sense into Sawada. Both is too much to ask and when lightening guy takes another step, Hana knows she’s out of time.

He’s too close to Sawada. All he needed to burn Nakamura alive was one touch. [The room is still echoing with his screams. Or is that only in her head?]

Hana doesn't kid herself: She's known how this story would end from the start.

She shoots.

*

[As the daughter of a lawyer and a librarian who fell in love over their shared passion for justice in a society that sorely lacked it, Hana didn’t grow up with the system-friendly propaganda her classmates were fed every day. She grew up with heated arguments over human rights over the dinner table, with long-winded discussions about the failures of the system and where and how to best address them.

Hana didn’t grow up glorifying supervillain deaths and she never, ever wanted to take a life. There is a reason why Hana planned to stay no longer than six months with her squad and it’s a simple one: Hana never wanted to become a killer.

But who does?]

*

Kurokawa Hana has been an active Vongola Inc. operative on an attack squad for four months, three weeks and six days when she kills René Moretti during a sanctioned mission with a clean headshot.

The official investigation is an open and shut case.

A month after the incident and three weeks into her mandatory therapy, Kurokawa Hana is cleared for the field once more.

*

Mandatory therapy is a joke. Hana isn’t going to let a therapist on Vongola Inc.’s payroll get into her head and brainwash her into believing killing isn’t a problem as long as it is for the organization’s gain, thank you very much.

[That’s not quite what the woman said but Hana can read between the lines and even if she couldn’t, she doesn’t trust Vongola. How could she, at this point?]

But Hana is smart and resourceful and has supportive parents who get in touch with some old friends and give her the contact of a psychologist that at least won’t have divided loyalties from the get go. So Hana goes and hopes it’ll help.

In the meantime, she pretends Sawada doesn’t exist.

[He doesn’t thank her. The one time he approaches her, he stutters out an apology of all things as though that would somehow erase the brain splatters Hana can still see behind her closed eyelids. She doesn’t snap and she doesn’t kick him out of a window because Hana is better than that.

She grits her teeth and turns on her heels and locks herself into the bathroom and smashes the mirror until her knuckles are bloody and there are glass shards sticking out of her skin and the screams inside her head finally shut up because Hana is a murderer and nothing anyone does will ever erase that.

The worst part of it is that she doesn’t feel guilty about the life she took. Only grieves for what she broke within herself.]

*

Here’s one truth Hana has to live with every day: She has taken a man’s life. [And it was easy.]

Here’s another one: If she’d been in that room with anyone on her squad other than Sawada, she wouldn’t have had to.

*

Sawada stays out of her way whenever possible and that’s the way Hana likes it. It doesn’t help and at some point she grows used to the bitterness that still twists her insides up into knots at irregular moments when she catches sight of him, but she can bear to look at him again, to give commands and order him to back up and cuss him out for breaking the coffee machine without actually murdering him.

Which she could do. She’s done it once already after all.

*

That first time is not the last time. Of course it isn’t. The longer she stays in the field, the more chances there are for something to go wrong and probability theory alone will tell you that sooner or later Hana will find herself in a similar situation, having to make the same choice.

*

Not every person Hana shoots is to protect Sawada. Some are to protect a civilian or even herself. Does that make it better?

Hana doubts it, but she realizes she doesn’t truly know.

[If there’s one thing she’s learned in the last month and a half, it’s that Hana is a good killer. Enough conscience not to turn a machine gun onto a crowd of civilians or throw a child off a building, but not enough to feel bad about snuffing a stranger’s life out of existence. Just the way Vongola likes its operatives.

Hana never pictured herself in this gritty, bloody world of field work, never wanted to be, but she makes herself at home all the same.]

*

One slow Wednesday morning while cleaning up the mess on her desk, Hana stumbles upon the transfer papers she never handed in. They’re filled out already, even the signature is already in place. Have been for — over a year now, that’s how long it’s been. Back when she first planned out every step of her career at Vongola Inc.

Staring down at her own handwriting that reads like a strangers, Hana considers. She could still hand them in, she supposes. Get transferred to the legal department just like she planned. What’s a delay of a few months?

There’s no reason to think that she couldn’t do the job. In fact, Hana is sure she’d be good. Great even. Certainly she’d make a better lawyer than a field operative.

"Kurokawa, you coming?" Mochida calls from the briefing room. The rising impatience indicates it’s not the first time he’s called her and a glance at the clock tells Hana their daily team meeting was supposed to start five minutes ago.

"Yeah, one moment."

She gets up. Takes one last glance at those papers. Throws them in the rubbish bin underneath her desk and doesn’t look back as she crosses the room in sharp, determined steps. There’s no point to it.

[What she wanted to protect when she made those plans is already lost. And Hana might be a better lawyer but she’s a decent operative. She’s keeping her squad members alive, keeping Sawada alive, which is an achievement all on its own.

She’s already taken lives for the sake of her team, for the sake of the mission even. What’s a few more?]

*

In a strange way it makes almost sense. [Out of the two of them, Kyouko is the villain. But it’s Hana who’s always flirted with the darkness looming at the edge of every super’s consciousness. It’s Hana who’s cut out to be a monster.]

*

"Why are you here?" Hana asks Sawada on a whim, roughly a year and a half after they were first assigned to the same squad. There’s no deep motivation or reason, not even any real curiosity.

Sawada blinks stupidly at her. "You said the first one to go home and leave you alone with this tower of paperwork would be dangling from the Vongola sign on top of this building by a rope made out of their own entrails."

Hana rolls her eyes. "I meant why did you join an attack squad." You idiot, she almost tacks on but leaves it unspoken in the end. It’s nothing Sawada hasn’t heard before. Damn she needs coffee if her tongue is getting away with her again. It’s not even two in the morning yet.

"Huh?"

Sawada looks honest to god confused. He’s lucky that punching him would require too much effort. Now that Hana thinks about it, so would getting worked up.

"I mean," she says very, very slowly, "that you are the least violent person I’ve ever met, Sawada. You’re a terrible field operative. So why haven’t you quit and applied for something else?"

Sawada stares at her with those illogically huge eyes that are supposedly cute — if Kyouko is to be believed — but that Hana finds off-putting. Possibly because they look at her like that all the time. "Oh." Sawada says as though none of what Hana has just said ever occurred to him. "I’m terrible at everything. And Vongola Inc. were the only ones who offered me a job. So." He shrugs.

Which. Hana isn’t even gonna touch that one. Nope.

"Just get the damn coffee, Sawada," she groans and hopes she’ll have forgotten this conversation in the morning.

[She doesn’t know what she’d hoped to find here, what kind of revelation she’d been waiting for but the worst self-esteem in the history of self-esteem hadn’t been it. If she thinks about the fact that this entire shit-show could’ve been avoided if someone had given Sawada a proper motivational speech as a child, she is gonna burn something.

Probably Vongola Inc.]

*

[On bad days, Hana cancels her coffee and cake time with Kyouko, doesn’t look at Sawada unless it is to glower and locks herself into an empty briefing room or her own apartment whenever possible. Her hands don’t shake when she holds a gun or a knife or a rope — they never do — but sometimes when she catches sight of her reflection she breaks it until it breaks her.

On bad days, catching sight of Sawada makes Hana feel every drop of blood drying on her hands, chunks of skin getting caught under her nails, gun powder sticking to her fingers. On bad days, she hates Sawada for what he’s made her become.]

By the time they’ve all been working together as an active squad for two years, every member of the team except Sawada has become a killer.

They don’t talk about it. They don’t acknowledge it.

[The shots one of them took so Sawada wouldn’t have to — because he wouldn’t have. They don’t even send him out with a gun anymore because what’s the point of handing someone a weapon they refuse to use? The shots they took to save him. The tasks Mochida assignes specifically so Sawada won't have to see some of the worst they’ve had to face, won't be forced to make choices he isn't prepared for and has too much heart to make. The missions he’s been put on desk duty for that no one else came out of unscratched. It's not even always about blood and death, is the funny thing. There’s so many things worse than murder.]

There’s nothing to talk about.

[On good days, Hana is grateful that it was her behind that trigger. Because even at her worst she’s never wanted Sawada dead.

And. Being a killer suits her, them. That's why they were chosen after all. That's why they qualified. That's why Sawada should've never passed his entrance exam. And perhaps one day Hana will make her peace with that knowledge. But the unvoiced issue remains: Sawada isn’t like them. Sawada cares in ways no one on the squad does, no one on any attack squad should, and— It’s not concern that compels Hana to shield him. It’s certainly not empathy. It’s self-preservation.]

*

Sawada doesn’t thank her for any of the lives she takes on his behalf. Hana doesn’t expect him to. She doesn’t think he understands what she’s protecting him from and a large part of her — a part that pulls the trigger without flinching, that has nightmares about Nakamura’s burned corpse, the smell of his flesh, but never about the man she killed — hopes he never will.

[It’s not the life Kurokawa Hana thought she would want, certainly not the life she planned, but most of her original squad is still alive, Sawada is still alive, even though Hana still doesn’t know who within Vongola is moving against him. And though Sawada is still useless, he’s calmed down a lot over the past two years. Could almost be classified as an asset on his rare good day.

And it’s not always great, not even always good, but. It is.]

*

aaand i think that concludes hana’s POV. if you have any further questions though (or if there’s other characters you’d like to see more of, don’t hesitate to let me know in a comment or an ask)!

[anokaiwritingblog]

Finally completed my short story assignment. My classmate tore into it and call it confusing and that I should just throw it away but I still love it :)

As preface, this still is not a complete story. I need to heavily emphasize that it’s just the beginning, middle, and end. All the connection bits aren’t included since this is just a showcase. I distinctly separated it using a boarder. So, it will be confusing if you read it straight as if it’s the complete work. I needed to say this since a lot of people didn’t understand the formatting and why I should redo it.

Once every century, it is said that the planets of the solar system align perfectly. In a perfect row, they cast upon the ultimate shadow upon one another; opening the gates to other realms far from our own. It was said that the fallen god rose from this gate and set his sights on destroying our system just like his own. But where evil went, goodness was sure to follow. Out from this gate came the Holy Maiden and her summoned knight. Together, they sealed away the fallen god and cast light back into our system. The two understood that the battle was far from over. “Catch a fish for a man, he would eat for a day. Teach the man how to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.” Despite their love for each other, the Holy Maiden and her summoned knight agreed to go on separate pilgrimages to spread their teachings. The Holy Maiden remained in our system and founded us, the Holy Order, to pass on her teachings and traditions to future Holy Maidens. Her summoned knight, on the other hand, returned into the gate and spread his words to the numerous realms behind the gate. With their sacrifice, we have prevented the fallen god’s awakening over a thousand times…​

“Ay yo… so, like… cool lore but like… pretty cringy not gonna lie. You lost me at the “aligning of the planets” bit. It went from horoscope bullshit to cliched pre-teen novels with a bit of JRPG elements in there,” a voice spoke out, breaking the breathtaking spell that weighed heavy in this beautifully painted dream.

The wind blew soft through the empty courtyard as no one said anything. In a walled-off garden stood seven bodies, each facing each other in a circle with a pond that separated each figure. Each stood on their own path that was surrounded by the water on each side but behind. A mini pier if you wish to imagine. The water was clear, yet the light was too blinding to see past the surface. All seven figures were outlined well enough to show that they were all women, yet a shadow covered their faces to remain a mystery to one another. Sitting above all this was a pink-haired woman. Her hair was braided back and looked far too youthful to be talking like an elder. Her prink eyes scanned each woman to search for the back talker, a glare like a dagger and on edge. Despite that, she kept an icy façade.

“Who cut me off? Head Nun of the Holy Order?” the pink-haired woman spoke up, looking down at the crowd of women below her.

“Uh, me.”

Slicing through the air, the Head Nun’s eyes locked onto the woman who spoke up; her hand raised slightly while maintaining the image of being smaller than what she was. Her limbs were tightly held together like a defensive turtle yet flashing a Chester cat grin as acceptance of the attention. “No offense lady but I felt like I heard this exact same plot with some gacha game I played last month. Can we just skip all this tutorial nonsense to get to the fuckin’ point already?” the woman continued, her blunt and straightforward words not matching the lowkey appearance she was trying to give off.

“Oh! You played Fate/Grand Order too? I’ve been trying to pull Gilgamesh for my team for months,” the woman on the right of the back talker chimed in. Though she was covered in shadows, the third party was animatedly clapping her hands together in excitement that she found a companion who played the same game.

“Eh, I stopped after two months. The drop rates are insane for that game and you don’t get enough of the in-game currency. I prefer Epic Seven since you actually win the gamble in summoning a strong hero-“

“Silence!”

Slamming her hand against the armrest of her chair, the Head Nun demanded all attention back onto her. The sound of flesh against marble echoing throughout this supernatural courtyard. Zeroing in out the outlier, the Head Nun sized her up before letting out a scoff. Receiving this judgmental look was a young woman of 21 years. If she never stood by herself, she might have blended in with a crowd with her rather ordinary looks. Brown hair, matching brown eyes, and a pair of glasses. Tell that description to any sketch artist and they would draw any other woman. One in five women looked exactly like her. Was that statistically correct? Of course not, but most would believe it these days.

The nun craned her neck over these seven women, peering down with arrogance. Who would have thought that the bold one in this group wasn’t the goth but this… loser. Despite not being affected by the spell, the rebel was overseen like the shadow of her chair or the trees. “Are you done speaking over me?”

“No, actually. You aren’t hurrying the fuck up and you rudely cut me off from having a pleasant and stimulating conversation from my neighbor here,” the woman said, “If you aren’t going to tell me what my horoscope is, I don’t want to hear another hour of lore.” From her side, the woman could hear the reactions from the other women who listen to this back and forth. Some ‘tsk’ from her disrespectful actions while others acted a bit shocked. Of course, some snickered at the show while one seemed to be rather disinterested. Tough crowd… To be fair, she wasn’t normally as blunt as she was today. She knew when to keep things to herself but quite frankly, this lady was going on for the last hour about prophecies and cosmic evils. This nun sounds like those writers who only focus on worldbuilding and not writing their stories.

           “Hurry up? We’re talking about the end of the world- YOUR world. This “lore” is vital. People’s lives are at stake with this information, Two,” the Head Nun said.

           “Shit, really? Then why don’t you act it? Literally… no agency. This is the part where a creative writing teacher tells you “show don’t tell”,” Two answered right back; sarcasm dripping from every syllable. She wanted to correct the hag. Her name was Mia, but she understood there was anonymity for a reason. She was tactless, not stupid. Well, Mia would argue she had some tact, but her patience ran thin for this grossly, mishandled magic society. She thought those campy young adult books with organizations ran by idiots were meant to be… you know, fiction?

It all started right when Mia got to bed. She just got home from a long shift at work and all she wanted was nothing more than lay in bed. And that she did once she took an evening shower before bed. It was normal, everyday stuff for the third-year college student. She had school tomorrow and Mia just wanted to rest her aching body. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she opened her eyes to a completely new world. Looking around, she found herself not alone. There was one other person with her face covered and the pink-haired woman as well. Mia was greeted as “Two” and was told to wait for the other five to show.

That was an hour wasted in waiting and add in the additional hour for the hefty speech, we got our recipe for an irritated Mia. She didn’t go to bed just to stand up for two hours for some fantasy bullshit. Any other time? Sure. It’s cool. But now??? WHEN SHE HAS A TEST TOMORROW?! INCONVENIENT! It killed Mia since this was pretty fucking cool and different from the norm. Everyone dreams of being picked the chosen one but, come on… this was too predictable. If you read a fantasy book or consumed any fantasy media before, then you know what’s going on.

“Rude child. This information isn’t something as trivial as a novel,” the Head Nun spoke, looking down at Mia like a haughty teacher.

“I’m gonna assume that we’re all candidates in being chosen as the new Holy Maiden. We chose our knights or whatever. Compete and whoever wins must reseal the fallen god then tada! Happy ending! Yay!” Mia said. She even raised her hand at the ‘yay’ portion of her phrase. “Listen, dude, I play too many games and read a shit ton of books for this. Can we please not do this while I’m in my pajamas?” Mia said, practically begging to be released from this mild inconvenience.

“… You guys weren’t exactly chosen. The universe brought you to us…” the Head Nun spoke, not really arguing with what Mia said. There was a cocky grin on Mia’s face as she just couldn’t help but find it funny how she got some otherworldly person tongue-tied.

“A lottery system huh… sounds about right. An NPC like me wouldn’t be chosen normally… I’m way too smart to be the main character,” Mia thought. She glances to the side for a moment before back on the show.

“Well… I’ll work with Two on this point and speed things up. Time is of the essence,” the head nun spoke, acting as if she was graciously fulfilling Mia’s wish. At this point, Mia didn’t care. Whatever helped the nun feel powerful or whatever… “As Two pointed out, all seven of you are candidates for becoming the new Holy Maiden. You will come into this realm three times a week for your lessons to strengthen your magic and during your regular days of the week, you seven will compete with one another. Your knights are the extension of your magic. When one knight trumps the other, they prove you are the strongest magic user and your defeated candidate is knocked out of the running. This continues until the last one is standing,” the nun explained, “We have hidden your faces and names from each other to keep you guys from cheating and attacking each other when you aren’t ready for combat. If you wish to fight, it’s up to you guys to discuss how to go about it.”

“A battle royal? I thought dystopian novels where kids kill each other in a game were out of fashion? I mean- they already got the Mirai Nikki vibe with the covered faces in the central hub…” Mia thought. She laughed under her breath with mild amusement at this idiotic situation. Deciding that it was best to keep her thoughts hidden now, Mia turned her focus on surveying the competition. She wasn’t sure if she was going to take this seriously, but she thought she should start hiding her thoughts on the matter now. “The Head Nun never said we couldn’t figure out each other’s identity and jump them… nor any etiquettes of battle… how curious,” she continued her train of thought as she waited for the nun to finish.

“We’ll now do the summoning ritual. One, please kneel and place your hand into the water to help your knight rise,” the Head Nun spoke. One looked around confused by the order, but she soon nervously did as she was told. She knelt and placed her hand inside. There was a good pause before One jolted. Slowly, One stood up to her feet as a tall figure rose from the water. Just like the maidens here, his face was hidden from everyone else but his master, no doubt. But his figure was very much noticeable.

“YO! Did you just summon a furry?!” Mia exclaimed before bursting out laughing. She pointed a finger at the woman next to her in a mocking fashion. While she couldn’t see the competition, Mia could at least see a pair of fuzzy dog ears on the knight’s head. But despite her words, Mia knew that, realistically, this knight was most likely a beast-man or even a werewolf. She simply didn’t want to lose this chance to taunt her competition.

“Two! Please restrain yourself and respect your fellow maidens and their knights,” the Head Nun spoke. The pink-haired woman coughing into her hand to break up the interaction. “Now, for the love of God. Please shut up, kneel, and summon your knight.”

“Damn, at least ask for my consent before forcing me on my knees,” Mia muttered before kneeling as instructed. She felt rather stupid but seeing how the first maiden got a knight, Mia decided to just trust the action. She submerged her hand in the opaque lake. It was wet alright. Yet despite being in spitting distance to the surface, Mia couldn’t see past her reflection. “Come on RNG don’t fail me now. A hot guy would do wonders for my mental health,” Mia joked, “I hope re-rolls are free.”

On the edge of non-existence and existence, a subconscious mind rose to consciousness once more. He drowns in nothingness and breaths in hopelessness.

There was no sky nor ground to define his abysmal prison. Not even a memory to keep him company.

A hand reached out from above. A hand surrounded by light and a promise of warmth. He attempted to reach for it, yet he was restricted from moving and was forced to watch another steal the opportunity from the shadow. He watched the pair of hands meet and just like that, the light was gone.

He sank deeper into the depths of this unholy waiting room.

Yet again, a hand was extended from the dark with the temptation of freedom. Cautious to reach for it after the first time, he looked around for others who wished to take it. Many came and all walked away. No one wanted to take this hand.

He attempted to take it, if only to escape but found that he was unable to pry himself free. Defeated, he decided to give up on the opportunity. It was pointless anyway.

Left unheld, the hand does not reel empty-handed. No. Instead, it curled its fingers until one finger remained up.

One big ‘fuck you’.

What the fuck? So much for an inviting presence. Who did this person think they are? It wasn’t like he didn’t try to take their hand. But seeing this middle finger dangling in front of him like a fishhook with bait, he reached for it once more to drag the hand down into the depths with him. He was tied in place but after some furious tugs, he was freed with a pop.

Taking the hand, it became evident that the one getting snatched wasn’t them but him. Curled fingers shifted forms into a vice grip around his wrist upon skin contact. The dark veil that covered him was ripped off in that instance. Lights, sounds, textures, tastes, and smells flooded his senses as he became a person once again.

Planting both feet on the ground, Mia used both hands to reel up her prey. This summoning was nothing graceful like the woman next to her. It was primal and chaotic as Mia’s partner was floundering under the water. So much for a knight in shining armor. This guy isn’t fighting any dragons anytime soon if he’s having difficulty wrestling against an inanimate substance.

Letting out a battle cry, Mia used all her strength to bring her knight to the surface and onto the pier with her. It wasn’t his entire body but enough of it was on land that it was easier to drag the rest of him out with less trouble. Mia fell backward on her butt and was slightly out of breath after that intensive ritual. Shiiiit. Carrying a body is a lot harder than it looks, kids! Don’t trust what you see on TV.

Mia was the image of ‘tired’ with her slightly flushed cheeks and skewed glasses. Fanning herself, she patiently waited for the man she pulled out to make the first move, yet he was belly-down, still as a doornail. For someone who had a lot of energy to fight against help, he suddenly became as complacent as a kitten.

Oh fuck... he isn’t dead, is he? Cause that’ll be pretty awkward ngl

Mia leaned forward to inspect what she pulled out. She lifted his pale arm to search for a pulse. It was cold to the touch and she couldn’t tell if the steady thud she felt was his or an echo of her own. Upon letting it go, it limply fell to the ground with no flinch from him. Crap. Don’t tell her that she accidentally pulled out a dead body?! Well, Mia knew that pulling trash can happen during fishing mini-games but she thought that this more of a “guarantee knight summoning” deal. Mia refused to believe that she waited five humiliating minutes waiting just to pull out a corpse. She wants a refund, god damn it!

Moving his head, Mia planned to check his pulse from his neck to double-check if he was dead. There was no resistance in the action, yet she found herself meeting a pair of responsive red eyes peeking from between snowy white hair. The two of them stared at each other for a moment as they both seemed like caught criminals in the middle of a crime. The man’s chest raised up and down as he breaths; a piece of evidence that doesn’t escape Mia’s attention. He’s…

“HE’S HOT!!!”

Scrambling to her feet, Mia put both her hands in the air and let out her victory screech to the worried silhouettes surrounding her. No, wait- she should be yelling how he was alive, not his appearance. Yet here she was, doing a victory dance on top of her knight in a pair of polka-dotted pajamas. Give her a pitchfork and a tail then you got the image of an imp dancing on a grave. “Bro! He’s so hot... Edward Cullen lookin’ ass- I mean, not like the musty looking Robert Patterson version but how you imagine he looked like based on the description,” Mia explained to anyone listening with a wildly inaccurate and vague description of the man. She waved her arms animatedly as she gossiped with her peers with the person in question crawling to his feet.

“Dude, that should be the last of your concerns,” Five said.

“I think you should make sure he’s okay…” Seven said, joining Five in expressing concern.

“Whoa there! You can’t really blame my maiden here for getting hung up on my dashing good looks. Dead or alive, you’ll notice my face first before anything else.”

Laying a heavy hand on Mia’s right shoulder, the man wrapped his arm around the woman to stand in solidarity with her. Surprised by the action, Mia tilted her head to the side to look at her knight to judge which side he was playing on. She locked eyes with him once more but not on accident this time. His touch was uncomfortable, yet she doesn’t push him away. They were a pair of souls with two different goals yet had a silent agreement to meet in the middle for the moment.

“Good to see you again, Catherine. You hardly look over two thousand years old,” Mia’s knight said, being the first to break their line of sight to look at the Head Nun. The nun sneered as the source of her stress doubled over the course of ten minutes.

“Ashley…” the Head Nun said, nearly hissing out the name. Her knuckles were turning white due to how tightly she held onto her armrest.

“Ash,” he corrected her, with an equal amount of distaste in return. Ash was smiling but he was on edge just like the Head Nun. But this rivalry was interrupted when Mia pinched Ash’s hand to catch his attention. He looked back down to receive Mia’s disapproving expression at his brief quip with the Head Nun. It seemed hypocritical that Mia was suddenly policing his attitude considering she was flaunting on the competition, but Ash clocked on what’s making her step in. “It’s okay,” Ash said, leaning down to whisper into Mia’s left ear, “This was just between me and her. No one heard me use my name. Not like it matters.”

“I’m just disappointed that you don’t have a chainsaw for an arm,” Mia whispered back, pretending she never had that concern by throwing out a seemingly random thought. Ash stared at her as if she was insane and as if to say ‘what are you talking about’ with expressions alone. “What? You never seen the Evil Dead franchise?” Mia whispered, “Not a fan of zombie movies?”

“You watched me rise from the depths, fight other knights for a living, and you’re asking me if I’ve seen a movie?” Ash said, in disbelief at her question yet finding himself amused by it at the same time.

“I take it that you don’t have Netflix in the void then.”

Watching the duo snicker and conspire with each other like a pair of high school delinquents, the Head Nun rubbed her forehead as a migraine began to surface. She was losing control once again thanks to double trouble. Even the other women who were patiently waiting began talking among each other. “Oh my god… like I thought, this was the worst combination I’ve ever seen in my lifetime…,” the Head Nun muttered to herself. She covered her face as she shook her head slowly as if she was contemplating something. “I didn’t realize it would be this bad… Out of all the times for that guy to make an appearance, he had to end up with her,” she continued muttering before ultimately lifting her head to look down at Mia and her summoned knight. The Head Nun needed to separate them. “Ah, Two? I don’t mean to disturb your… fun. But you summoned one of the more… troublesome knights considering his background. I’ll allow you to “re-roll”. How does that sound?” the Head Nun spoke, her voice sickening sweet and fake.

Mia and Ash quickly turned to look at each other for how their partner would react. They wordlessly conversed with Mia gesturing the two of them then to the Head Nun. Ash’s only reply was an uncaring shrug but ended up nervously shaking off the water that stuck to his hair to appear distracted. “Yeah… no deal, Howie Mandel,” Mia said, trailing off for a moment to gauge last-minute expressions from Ash before turning her full attention on the Head Nun. “You doing that makes me want to stick with Mr. Abominable Albino even more,” she said.

“Abominable Albino?” Ash said. He had a hand over his chest and appeared almost offending by the alliteration. He was hardly offended by being called such a thing but the fact that Mia wasted a brain cell to make an awful pun in the middle of a fantastical end-of-the-world scenario was insulting all on its own.

“Whenever some untrustworthy figure makes some inflammatory comment about one of the main leads, they’re obviously doing that to cause a divide between the leads for their own benefit,” Mia continued as she ignored Ash’s offense to her words. She waved her hand in the air as if to disperse the fog of misinformation. “You even had a mini aside moment where you muttered to the readers that there’s something more about Ash!”

“Pardon?”

The Head Nun looked completely lost as Mia’s rambling turned to the meta and spoke about invisible audience members. But just like Ash, Mia ignored her words to continue her spiel. “And even if he’s a piece of shit. Worthless. Good for nothing. Pathetic. Deadweight. Only a pretty vase-“

“Okay. I think she gets it already,” Ash said, cutting in as the terms began to pile in his heart. He squeezed Mia’s shoulder to have her move on to the point.

“I will never give him up,” Mia said.

“And... why is that?” the Head Nun asked, wringing her dress in fear that Mia figured something out that she wasn’t supposed to.

“Because he’s hot. I made that pretty clear since the beginning,” Mia said. She held her head high and mighty with not even a hint of shame. For a moment, Ash was about to feel touched by Mia coming to his defense. Touched enough that it would make him loyal to her and act as a spark to a turbulent but heartfelt young adult love story that would turn into a mildly popular trilogy with an eventual movie deal before fading into obscurity. But the curtains closed on that sparkling yet oddly specific future as Ash realized that he was stuck with the weird kid. “I mean- I guess I value him as a person too… or something. Power of belief or whatever inspirational term author’s like to use to tug on heartstrings.”

“Enough! I’m done with this game,” the Head Nun said, “Have it your way, Two. We spent far too long on this. Keep your mouth shut for the rest of the ceremony. Or else.” Giddy that she came out victorious, Mia gave a pair of thumbs up and nudged Ash to signal that their partner was now secured. Though he was satisfied knowing that he wasn’t going to return to the void anytime soon, he felt like he lost just as much as the Head Nun in this one-sided deal.

“Next summon!”

Yelling at the top of her lungs, the Head Nun expected the ritual to continue once order was returned. Yet no one followed her directions. No one followed her directions? Scanning the crowd, the Head Nun noted that the count doubled during the back and forth she shared with Mia. “Can anyone explain why you aren’t summoning?”

“Um… we- I mean, the rest of us Maidens decided to go ahead and uh. Summon our knights,” Six said. Her voice quivered in being the one to speak on behalf of the other five women. Her silhouette could be seen wringing her hands for a moment before her knight took her hands to stop the nervous tick. The new silhouette was distinctly female. “We weren’t sure when you’ll finish talking with Two. So… yeah.”

The Head Nun’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates at the revelation. The… the sacred ritual. These women not only disrespected it but treated it as some trivial business. This wasn’t the DMV. There was a natural order to this that was vital to follow. A strong sense of ‘wrongness’ flourished in her mind and the Head Nun can only trace the source to a pair. The Head Nun’s eyes focused on the second team. No, not the team but the maiden in the team.

Doing her best not to point and laugh at the nun, Mia held her mouth with one hand and the other used to tug on Ash’s soaking wet shirt. Nodding patiently, Ash was agreeing that it was a funny show, but he was doing his best to escape Mia’s grasp. These two… as the nun thought, they were a troublesome pair, yet she was limited on what she could do against them. For the most part, she was meant to be an observer. She needed time to think about what to do with these two morons.

Waving her hand, the Head Nun dismissed the group. “Leave. Since everyone received their knights, there’s no reason why I have to hold you all any longer,” she said, “You will all return within the following week for training once you familiarized yourself with your knight.” The Head Nun overlooks the teams but ended up stopping on the second team once again.

“Awesome. I love when class ends early- but you haven’t exactly shown us the exit,” Mia said. She waved her hand wildly to gestured to the enclosed garden. With a Cheshire cat grin, Mia was ready for round three of verbal war with the Head Nun, but the nun was done with the antics. Raising her hand, it appeared that the nun was going to point to an exit but instead, a large gust of wind made an appearance. With a fierce blow, Mia was blown backward and fell ungracefully into the lake with a startled scream.

A flurry of colors passed her by as she sank into the depths. Like a dream, Mia found her limbs feeling sluggish, but the feeling didn’t last long. As everything came to an end and she was left in the dark, the faint sound of her alarm could be heard. Sitting up, Mia’s first act in waking up in reality was stopping her phone’s alarm and putting on her glasses. There were no questions to be asked. Mia woke up in her home. It was obvious the moment she felt her bedsheets and heard her all too familiar alarm. By the Seaside, if any reader was interested in knowing.

“Morning, Ash,” Mia said. She let out a yawn while giving the newest member of her household a wave. Shivering in his wet outfit, Ash was standing at the foot of Mia’s bed. His arms were crossed, and he was glaring at Mia who was taking everything with stride. She let out a lazy stretch before getting up to get her partner a much-needed towel. Living in a small studio, Mia only took five steps to reach the linen closet and only one good throw to pass a fluffy white towel to Ash. He caught it with ease and made quick use of it to dry himself. “You like bagels? Coffee?” Mia asked him. She took several steps to the kitchen area to grab herself a cup of water. “Or do you not eat? You look human but god knows if you function like a human. Do you need to shit?”

“You could at least act startled with me being here,” Ash said, refusing to answer the questions. Mia was in mid-sip of her water when told this. She put a finger up to signal Ash to wait. Putting down the glass, the glass clinking on the artificial wooden counter; Mia took a deep breath before pressing her hands to her cheeks and opened her mouth wide to mimic a surprised expression.

“Omg. A hot guy in my apartment? Holy guacamole, it wasn’t just a dream. My normal life will never be the same. Aaaaaaa,” Mia said. Deadpanned and devoid of any emotion, it was a patronizing act which only annoyed Ash.

“Okay. I get it. Here I thought my worst luck was not getting enchant with the anti-water spell and waking up with gaps in my memory,” Ash said. Suddenly, Mia jumped up and yelled out ‘bingo’. Startled, Ash stared at the eccentric women before looking away in fear that her weirdness would rub off on him.

“Fucking knew it. Amnesiac or plagued by memories. It’s always one of those two,” Mia said. She was doing another strange victory dance though it quickly ended with Mia apologizing. “Uh, sorry. Sensitive topic. But if it’s any condolence, you’ll get your memories back.”

“You’re something else entirely,” Ash said. The only words that came to his mind.

“I’m just your average manic pixie dream women,” Mia said. It was a joke that Ash didn’t understand but he got an odd sense that Mia wasn’t joking. He wanted to ask her what she meant but Mia commanded the direction of the conversation as she asked him a question he couldn’t ignore.

“Pop quiz: I want to know your opinion on this competition and if you really want to fight. Personally, I don’t give a shit about this competition,” Mia asked, At first, Mia was excited at the idea of magic and multiple realms being real. Her dry and ordinary life was finally turned upside down and she had no complaints. Life was that boring and she was jealous of novel protagonists going on these adventures just to bitch and moan about how rough their life was. But the best part in all of this: her summoned was an attractive guy. What more could she ask for? But then the responsibilities Mia had to do surfaced back in her mind. Holy Maiden lessons and some sort of honor match between the summons. Truth be told, the task at hand didn’t seem too difficult. It was simply a matter of “Eh, do I feel like doing this right now?” It was one thing that the fate of the world rests on her shoulders… but it wasn’t. There was a “chance” that she was the Holy Maiden. She isn’t the Holy Maiden, just a candidate. Which meant her other competitors could be that women.

Knowing that fact, should Mia really bother? “If I lose and someone else wins, the world is saved, and we continue with our merry way. If I win, I do things “my way” and the world is saved. With this logic, I don’t need to participate. It’s a win-win situation for me,” she said, explaining her thought process to Ash. The other six women seemed capable enough to come out on top and reseal the fallen god. It isn’t rocket science but magic. Mia wasn’t really needed for it. There were no pros or cons on if she participated or not. They both have their advantages with only one con each. If she goes through and lost, then she wasted all that time she could have used to play video games. If she doesn’t go through, then she risks someone unqualified becoming the Holy Maiden. Mia didn’t even need to question if she was qualified or not because clearly, she was the best choice out of everyone. Duh.

Mia pointed at Ash. “Which brings you into the equation, Ashley. What do you want from this entire exchange?” she asked him. Mia hopped onto the counter, crossing one leg over the other. She was smiling but it didn’t match her eyes. Cold and predatory, this wasn’t the same woman who was cracking jokes or making light of the situation. It suddenly hit Ash that he doesn’t even know her name. “Are you hoping to gain back your memories? Remain in this world? I can help you with that… but is that conviction strong enough for what I want?” Mia continued her interrogation, “Maybe it’s strong enough to fight off the other knights. Carry me to victory. But is it enough to kill a fallen god? Why don’t you tell me if it’s so, Ashley.”

                                                         ∘◦ ❉ ◦∘

           At the corner of Main Street and Jefferson Avenue sits a quaint Korean café which was cutely named ‘Seoul-ful Coffee’. It was packed with a flavorful blend of elderly Asians and trendsetting youngsters trying to appear cultured in an Americanized location. Several posters covered the windows with the bright red poster that reads ‘illy’ dominating the sights. There were tacky Asian decorations, most of which aren’t strictly Korean such as drawings of anime characters on the wall or Chinese scroll art but to the common layman, they wouldn’t know there’s a difference between the cultures.

           Mia sat next to the entrance with a coffee in hand and a half-eaten cake before her. It was her fifth cup and second slice. She’s been there all day judging by the piles of finished piles of homework that were nicely stacked on the booth. The day has been going well, all things considered. She made a hefty gamble in exposing her identity to the other women in hope that they’ll consider the alliance she proposed the night before. She understood the risk both sides were putting by going against the Holy Order.

On one hand, Mia was the most dangerous competitor in this game as she already knocked out two teams while the others were still getting their shit together. Making an alliance with her only to turn out that it was a trap would only be disastrous. On the off chance that Mia was correct: that the Holy Order has been sacrificing the maidens to the fallen god to prevent his re-awakening then they need to accept her offer in working together. The strange deaths of One and Six weighed on everyone’s minds.

           Mia was concerned that the group would disregard her evidence due to fear after the first two hours of waiting produced no results. It was a smart decision to have Ash go on a walk while she was left behind as the women began stopping by to show their interest in teaming up to kill the fallen god. They exchanged information and Mia explained how to avoid being dragged into Eden to avoid the Head Nun. With three women down, there was only one woman left to step in. Ironically, it was the seventh maiden and she was the last to come as evening painted the café’s beige walls orange.

           Hearing the familiar chime of the front door opening, Mia placed down her pen as she made eye contact with the final woman. Left-handed, just as Mia initially noted when she saw the women’s silhouette for the first time. Seven was abnormally beautiful despite trying to act demure and average. She stuck out like a sore thumb in front of Mia, who was the antithesis of this woman. Messy brown hair pulled into a bun and wore a band tee, Seven came off as the sort of woman who wanted to be “the cool women”. These two women are a reflection of a self-insert Mary Sue and the average fanfic reader. How funny they’re meant to be universal puppets yet two people that no one could ever be.

           “You made it in time, Seven. I was getting worried for a minute,” Mia said, gesturing to the seat before her to offer the newcomer a spot to sit. Wordlessly, Seven took a seat and stared at Mia. It was awkward, for the lack of better terms and Mia wondered if Seven lacked any social skills. “You want anything? Coffee? Boba? They have some good matcha rolls-“ Mia said, making some small talk to get her fellow competitor to stop looking at her with a vendetta. “Can I ask for your name? You’re here for the alliance, right?”

           “No.”

           “Uh… no to the name or the alliance?”

           Mia set aside her things and clean her glasses in the chance that she’ll get dragged into a catfight. Though she wants to give Seven the benefit of the doubt, Mia got the sense that Seven was the type to see other women as the enemy. Not like Mia had any room to comment since she has been antagonizing the other women since the beginning but that was more for the sake of being a competitor. In the end, Mia much rather work with other women instead of being against them. Misogynistic women against other women was so early 2000’s.

           “No to the alliance. I want to talk about Ashely.”

           God damn it.

           God fucking damn it.

           “Ugh, are you serious? I’m trying to have this story pass the Bechdel test,” Mia said, cursing up a storm in her mind that Seven was wasting their time on something trivial. Gesturing to the door, Mia was dismissing the seventh maiden to leave. “Listen, I’m not going to police you on what you want to say about my knight but that’s between you and him,” Mia said, “He’s walking over at Clovers Park right now, okay… whatever your name is.”

           “Lily.”

           “Yeah, okay. So, Lily. Please kindly leave and talk with Ash like a pair of adults with functioning brain cells. If my name ever comes up, you can call me. But try not to drag me into this.”

           “I need to talk to you first,” Lily said, insisting on talking about the missing party who couldn’t vouch for himself. Reluctant, Mia was planning to excuse herself from the situation but realized that it was for the best she listened to what Lily had to say about him. After all, Ash was her knight and by that logic, she was responsible for whatever mess he dragged in. Placing her hands on the table, Mia nodded her head to signal for Lily to continue. “I want you to give me him.”

           What…?

           What the fuck?

           “Are you-?!  Okay. Hold on. First of all, Ash isn’t an object to be traded and secondly, this sounds like something between you and him. I’ve been saying this since the beginning,” Mia said. Her voice rosed for a moment out of annoyance, but it quickly settled when she realized that Lily wanted her to get angry for Ash’s sake. Mia placed a hand to her forehead, too many thoughts crossing her mind but the disbelief in Lily’s audacity to pull something like this when people are dying is insane. The one time she wished that her predictions were wrong. Mia recognized that Lily had a bit of a crush on Ash ever since she noticed how the seventh team always wanted to spar with them in Eden. It was clear that Lily was connected to Ash’s past, but was that a good reason to stir shit up? Thank god she warned Ash about this possibility beforehand.

“Can you think of this rationally for a moment? As I said, I don’t care if there’s something between you and him. But asking me to give him up during a vital moment like this is both stupid and highly unethical.”

           “You never really cared about ethics until now,” Lily said.

           “That’s because there are some morals that are just unrealistic and that society placed on the disenfranchised to keep them tamed,” Mia said, quick with her counter. “I still have some core values, one being to not to be a piece of shit to my fellow man when I can help it.” Mia gave Lily a disappointed look before shaking her head. She wasn’t sure what this women’s case was against her. Ever since the beginning, Lily did her best to isolate Mia from the rest of the competition. Granted, Mia deserved it for being the massive bitch throughout the contest, but she was the first to dismiss the undeniable evidence of the Holy Order officials killing Six. “I’m trying to help you, but I don’t understand what you’re playing at. Trust me when I say that having a crush on a guy isn’t a proper reason to nuke everything we’re working for.”

           “You wouldn’t understand. He’s my soulmate.”

           Mia’s eyes rolled so far into her skull that she could watch her own soul escape through the top of her head. She didn’t want to be mean, but Mia can’t deny it any longer. This bitch is stupid-stupid. Flabbergasted that Lily could say something so ridiculous with a straight face, Mia’s mouth opened and close as no words came to mind. She laughed for a split second before covering her mouth. “No!” she exclaimed, a laugh escaping her throat. Immediately, Mia shut her mouth and continued this process several times until she was finally composed. “I mean- I get it. Emotions. Crazy things they are. I get it. I’m not invalidating your strong, uh, feelings for Ash,” Mia said, “But, uh… how do I put it. I can tell your frontal lobes are currently off because of this passion. But you don’t need to worry about me in this picture. Ash? All yours. Just… I can’t exactly give him to you as how you’re asking.”

           “I’ll trade you my knight, Erik. You saw him before- I think he fits your taste,” Lily said. It was like she never heard Mia’s words. She pulled out her phone and pulled up a picture of her knight to show to Mia. Erik was the definition of a knight in shining armor with well-kept blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was attractive but Mia preferred the lonely-looking Ash more. Mia placed her hand on the phone and pushed it back.

           “Looks aren’t everything. It’s… look, I’ll do the trade as long as Ash expresses that he wants to do so. But I rather not since the situation right now is kinda intense,” Mia said.

           “Do you want money? I’ll pay you whatever you want- I have a blank check,” Lily continued. She pulled out a wrinkled check now and push it towards Mia to pressure her into agreeing. Troubled by Lily’s desperation, Mia was trying to find what magic words she can tell the seventh maiden to get her to back off. Noticing that this tactic didn’t work as well, Lily turned to the last thing up her sleeves. “I know how to kill the fallen god. I’ll do it. All you need to do is hand Ashley over and forfeit. That’s it. I’ll save the world.”

           Mia stared at Lily in shock at the final proposition. It seemed like she was going to accept the deal but instead, Mia slammed her fist on the table. “How can you be so selfish? Let’s say hypothetically you do know how to kill the fallen god. You willing allowed two people to die and jeopardize more lives- for what? Some passing crush?” Mia said, in awe that there was someone this egotistical. Some people called Mia a narcissist, but they never met a woman like Lily before. “Leave. I got nothing for you. This is between you and Ash, as I said since the beginning. If you two settle on something, then I give you my blessing.”

           “Do I have your word?” Lily asked. She stood up, excited by… whatever Mia just given her.

           “Yes. If Ash wants to be with you, I won’t stop this. Now go,” Mia said. She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. It was cold.

           Leaning forward, Lily brought her lips to Mia’s ear to whisper. “Don’t worry. He wants to be with me. I already talked to him. I’m just giving you a warning- as fellow sisters in arms, of course,” Lily said, her breath was strangely cold unlike the warm breath a human should have. “Try not to be jealous.”

           At those words, Lily stood up straight to savor the bitter expression on Mia’s face. Turning her head slightly to glare at Lily, Mia began grinding her teeth as she recognized the smug expression on the seventh maiden’s face. Waving goodbye, Lily skipped out of the shop to leave Mia alone with her thoughts.

           Fucking pick-me girls. It was a term that Mia didn’t want to use but it was the only thing that crossed her mind. Frustrated, Mia balled her right hand into a fist and knocked against the table impatiently. Lily talked to Ash before this? Mia got a dreaded sense that she made a mistake in not being firmer with Lily, but she wanted to believe that Ash knew better than to go with someone like her. She specifically warned him about this scenario. But Mia also told Ash that she intended to respect his decisions regardless if they were good or bad but this was really fucking bad. Ash wasn’t just her partner but also a friend to Mia. She only hoped that he valued her opinion as much as she valued his. God…

What did Lily tell him?

                                                     ✥Ash✥

           Fuck.

           Oh fuck.

           This is really fucking bad.

           Mimicking the pose of The Thinker, Ash stared straight ahead with his mind consumed by a torrent of thoughts and new information. Though he couldn’t register why, he watched several children get herded along by worrying mother to escape his field of vision. There was a look of murder in his eyes and his mind wasn’t far from that appearance. The seventh maiden’s words still echoed his now cleared mind. The fog that covered the gaps between memories was gone and all that was left was the horrifying reality of his past actions. Everything he did for Lily in his last summoning. He did it all… for love.

           Ash finally understood why Mia always said the word with such distaste. Why she said every emotion was ugly if you let it mindlessly consume you without control. He can vividly see it, the blood that was on his hands. The sounds of those women screaming as he killed them while their knights could only watch. He did it because Lily asked him to do so, justifying that they were going to die anyway. At the time, it sounded like the most reasonable thing in the world. Even now his mind was trying to tell him that he did the right thing but the disconnect between him from the past and him right now were two different people.

Lifting his head and leaning back to rest his back against the park bench, Ash allowed the sunlight that got past the leaves above to put him in a daze. Christ. What was he thinking back then? You weren’t thinking, Mia would say. He can picture her calculative words of wisdom. If it wasn’t for the fact that Mia warned him about this outcome when he decided to chase after his missing memories, this revelation would have possibly destroyed him. Consume his current identity and replace it with the past version of him. Lily must have thought the same thing when she told him what to do next after being told his past.

“Go back to Mia and tell her that you want to be my knight. She’ll approve it. I promise,” she said, “You’ll find that she isn’t fond of you. Not as much as me.”

Of course, Mia would approve of it if he were to propose this idea. Despite her teasing attitude, Mia never suppressed his opinions. Not like the soft-spoken Lily in his memory. He couldn’t believe the past him was head over heels in love with her. Lily was as forgettable as they come- a forgettable side character, as Mia liked to call them. If he didn’t know better, Ash would have assumed that these memories were false. Mia would have told him to verify that fact. And verify he did. There was no magic used nor any memory manipulation. All of this came naturally to him. But despite that fact, these memories didn’t feel organic. It didn’t feel like it matched his character.

Mia constantly reassured Ash that he was a good person despite the evidence pointing otherwise. Maybe she already guessed that he killed many people before, and she was only saying that to keep him from being unable to fulfill her goals. She was always open with what she wanted. No, that wasn’t right. He was villainizing Mia just to justify his actions. But even still, it made him break rule number one constantly as he didn’t want to reveal the memories that surface. The feelings he felt. He was scared that she’ll tell him to leave. Return to that cold, lonely abyss. But look at where it got him, getting consumed by these complicated emotions, just as Mia warned him about. Even now, he wanted to accept Lily’s deal just so that he didn’t have to… disappoint Mia. He masked one secret with others and created one big mess.

No, Ash was done with this downward spiral. Mia has been meeting him halfway ever since the beginning and he just been refusing to accept it. For what? Because of pride? Fear of rejection? Those concepts held him back. There was so much he wanted to tell Mia. Conversations he forgo and replaced with banter. The memory of his past felt like fiction while the time he shared with Mia felt real. Authentic. Fighting the other knights was all he knew yet it felt like a dream when contrasted to watching movies with Mia.

Already on his feet, Ash began walking towards the café. He spent too much time thinking when he should be talking about what just happened. This was just another tactic to get them separated. To ruin their partnership. He almost fell for it but that was why Mia created rule number one: no secrets. The distance Ash put between them was large, yet he knew Mia was waiting for him to catch up. His brisk pace turned into a run as he didn’t want her to wait any longer.

Cars, trees, buildings, and people all blurred past him as he ran to the café Mia was in. He felt stupid knowing that Mia was busy trying to stop the end of the world while he was busy feeling sorry for himself. It only made him want to come clean about everything. As the café’s iconic red poster came to view, Ash slowed his pace before ultimately stopping in front of the café’s glass door. Pulling it open with more force than needed, Ash put his desperation on display for all to see as the wind chime above the door made an ugly clang of metal hitting glass.

Sitting right where he left her, Mia barely spared him an acknowledging glance as she drank her coffee. Out of everyone in the shop who ogled Ash from his action, it was only the person he was looking for who didn’t look back. “There you are, Ashley. I was getting worried you would never come,” Mia said, taking control of the conversation as she always does. “Judging how you’re out of breath, I guess you learned something spicy.”

Turning her head, Mia presented her usual teasing grin that was a lot friendlier. No, it was always friendly, but Ash didn’t want to view it as such. With her expecting him, Ash was quick to clock on that he wasn’t the only person Lily talked to. He took several long strides so that he can stand before Mia. “Lily talked to you too,” he said. It wasn’t a question but a statement.

Mia nodded her head. “Yup,” she said, popping the ‘p’. She gestured to the sit in front of her and Ash accepted it with no hesitation. His knees brushing against hers as he slipped before Mia. “Seemed like the bitch was a lot more cunning than I thought. But luckily, I was ahead of the curve,” Mia said. She paused for a moment to pass her uneaten dessert to Ash for him to eat. Apple pie based on its cinnamon-fruity scent “Still shocking though. How do you feel?”

“Surprisingly, not that bad,” Ash said. He attempted to reject the offer but after much prodding from Mia, he took a bite. Oddly, something sweet made the bitter situation a little better. “You prep me after all.”

“That’s good. Don’t let people lead you around if they hold something above you,” she told him, “I would say to forget about this, but I know you’re in a complicated position.”

“She told you about the deal.”

“Of course.”

“Did you say no?”

Ash knew the answer to that question but even still, he hoped that Mia told Lily to fuck off. That he was her partner. Yelled at Lily in a fit of jealousy.

“You know I can’t speak for you. This is between you and her,” Mia said. Ash hung his head down in defeat. He knew how Mia was, but it still hurt hearing her diplomatic stance on the situation. “But… if you want to hear my opinion on this. I don’t think this is a good idea. To be honest, I think Lily is a toxic piece of shit and you have to be blind to go with her,” Mia said, “But it’s up to you. Maybe you know something I don’t.” Ash felt a lot better with the clarification from Mia. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about him but gave him autonomy.

“Yeah, your right. You don’t know something about this deal that doesn’t make it work. About everything that happened really. Lily probably doesn’t anticipate it either,” he said.

“Really? What is it?”

“I… kind of… like you. A lot. Romantically.”

                                                        ∘◦ ❉ ◦∘

“Ouch! Shit! Can you be a little more gentle!”

“Hwy don't yoo try bandagenng a woond in a dark fuckenng roum!”

With a flashlight in her mouth, Mia squatted next to Ash. The bright light shining on his face, forcing him to cover his surviving eye. Blood heavily seeped down from the other one. Trail of red tears oozed from the gash that was once his left eye. It made Mia sick to look at, knowing that Ash may never be able to use it again, but she didn’t want to worry the guy. They got this far, and she didn’t want him to freeze up fighting like that again. She couldn’t do much for it, let alone save it. She wrapped the bandage around his head tightly… at least she could stop the blood.

“What did you say?!” Ash said, attempting to give Mia his signature smile only to falter back in pain as she pulled the bandage into a tight knot behind his head. Mia spat out the flashlight into her hand and pointed the beam away from his face now.

“I said, Why don’t you try bandaging a wound in a dark room,” Mia said, repeating her words in frustration. She wiped the blood she got on her hands onto her pants before standing up. She turned the flashlight around to look at the other teams gathering their bearings and patching up their wounds. One of the women was crying to her knight about her broken leg while another woman watched her knight snap his shoulder back to place. The supply packs they brought were in the center of the group; ripped open with the content inside spilled on the floor during everyone’s mad rush to get their hands on some light and the first aid kit.

It was a brutal, bloody mess. But everyone survived. That was the most important thing to remember. As risky as it was, if they were to let things played out as it always had for thousands of years, they wouldn’t be here complaining about their injures. Mia wanted to believe they understood that fact. The reason why no one was making a larger scene than this.

Mia’s eyes focused on the seventh team. Lily barely had a scratch on her as she looked down at the bloody mess that was her knight. Though Mia couldn’t hear it over the mutterings of the other teams and the disgusting way the walls pulsed, she could tell that the golden-haired knight was having difficulty breathing. While Mia was mostly unharmed, even she had several cuts and bruises in dealing with the Holy Order’s monks. Mia found it odd, but her attention was pulled by Ash taking her hand.

“Did you just call the cocoon of the fallen god a dark room,” Ash said. It seemed like Ash wasn’t aware of the current mood of the room as he attempted to banter with Mia. No, that wasn’t right. He knew it quite well but he didn’t want to be consumed by the hopeless feeling that hung in the air. Mia was the same.

“Do you want to acknowledge that the floor is squirming underneath you? No, of course not. We’re in a dark room and that it. No ifs, ands, or buts,” Mia said, turn her head down to look at Ash resting on the ground. He smiled at her but it shifted to a serious expression.

“Tell me honestly. The cut is bad,” he asked her. Mia considered for a moment in lying to Ash to ease his worry but decided that it was stupid. They both knew that his eye won’t work again and he accepted that he’ll gain many more injures to come. She’ll be insulting him if she treated this as just a paper cut.

“Well, that’s the bad news,” she said. Mia looked away as she attempted to think of something nice to say about Ash’s wound.

“There’s good news?”

“Yeah. You completely rock the pirate look.”

Ash rolled his single eye before scoffing at Mia’s strange words of encouragement. He felt better hearing it though. It was nice to have someone to joke with despite the dire circumstances. While where they were wasn’t the most ideal of places, Ash wished that time stopped right here. Not because of the miserable time everyone was having but to keep the final fight at bay a little longer. The same thought plagued Mia as well though she didn’t wish for time to stop but for a chance to speak her mind.

“So, um. Ashley,” Mia said. She turned her head back to maintain eye contact with him as she talked. She squeezed his hand which Ash returned. “I know that we promise to shelf this talk for another day and kinda awful to bring up, in general, considering everything,” Mia said, “But I want to give you an answer to your confession.” Ash’s eye widen at the sudden topic being brought up. He wanted the fallen god to make an appearance right here. Right now. Just so he doesn’t have to face the dreaded answer he’d been waiting for. Ash broke out into a cold sweat but in the end, he realized that this didn’t matter. It didn’t matter if Mia rejected him or not. He still wanted to be her friend.

“Responding to a confession right before the final battle? I thought you hated cliches,” Ash said. Teasing Mia to cover up the emotional roller coaster his mind was going through. “Scared it’ll be too late?”

“Yes, actually. I don’t like leaving loose ends,” Mia said, not a hint of shame in her tone. It made Ash shut up quickly. Pushing up her glasses, she took one look to gauge what Ash was feeling at this moment before she pulled the gun. “I’m happy that you like me, but I can’t return your feelings,” she told him, “At least… not right now. I’m not like you who just feel love just like that.” Mia snapped her finger. “It takes time for me to create a connection of that level. Maybe one day I might fall in love with you but right now, you’re my friend,” she said, “I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I don’t want to leave our relationship at this. I hope you can understand.”

Ash saw this answer coming. He saw it miles away the moment Mia warned him about developing feelings for her. He thought that it was all bullshit. That someone hurt her in the past or she was playing hard to get. But after spending some time with her, Ash realized that she was a complex individual and grappling with difficult concepts he couldn’t begin to understand. Ash barely even understood himself at times. Mia was the one person who seemed to have everything together, it was one of the reasons why he came to love her. But there was some baggage that he didn’t know how to help carry. At least not yet.

“Yeah. I understand. Whatever happens, at least we’re still friends,” Ash said. Though the rejection hurts, he couldn’t say that he was sad. Relieved if anything but, more importantly, determine to walk out of this alive with Mia. Finally letting go of Mia’s hand, he raised his arms to stretch before settling back down again. The air between them was awkward, at least for Ash forcing him to change the topic first. “Why the sudden serious talk? You’ve been saying this since the beginning. We’re going to win and make it out alive. Unless a new premonition came to you.”

“I told you. They’re not premonitions. I use logic and reason to come up with my predictions. That said, my prediction still stands. We’ll win and you-“

The words that Mia wasn’t able to finish were trapped in her throat as the room began rumbling and shaking. Several people screamed at the unnatural earthquake and Mia wasn’t sure if she was among the women who screamed. Ash quickly got to his feet and got ahold of Mia to keep her from falling. With shaky hands, Mia pointed the flashlight deeper into the cocoon. The darkness of it swallowed the beam whole but the light managed to reveal something slithering in the dark for a split moment.

“Is that… a worm?” Ash asked.

“No… it’s a giant snake,” Mia said, her eyes glued on where she last saw its tail. She almost missed it, but the snake’s red eyes reflected the light when her hand jerked right. In all of its scaly glory, Mia’s eyes trailed up its body as the last of the tremors stopped. The diamond-shaped head reared back and ready to strike. Though Mia knew better considering she was standing among a group, it appeared that the snake was looking right at her. Her blood went cold at the thought, but she didn’t let it paralyze her. The moment Mia found her voice, she was shouting out orders.

“Maidens! Remember the plan! Stay back and take the critically injured with us! We’ll maintain support from behind while the knights fight,” Mia yelled. She moved his arm away so she could move though she gave him an encouraging pat as he moved up to the front to fight with the other knights. Jogging up to the maiden who broke her leg, she signaled to the third maiden to help carry her back. The knight seemed worried to leave behind his maiden in this state but after a reassuring nod from Mia, he went to go join the line.

Wrapping her arm around the woman’s waist while the third maiden help from the other side, they quickly carried her away from the designated fighting area. “Keep your lights on the thing! It’s huge and fast!” she yelled, reminding the other maiden to keep her flashlight on the battlefield as they retreated. Gently placing the girl down, Mia quickly untangled herself to turn back around. The fight was underway as Ash and two other knights fought what everyone assumed to be the fallen god. The seventh knight, Erik was hobbling over to the battle. He wasn’t in any condition to fight as he had to use his lance to hold himself up, slipping down and ultimately collapsing.

Mia found it strange that he was attempting to push himself like this despite his injures. She was about to call him to hang back with her group when Mia counted one missing party. Lily! She looked left and right for the stupid girl but was quick to realize that her knight was most likely attempting to walk towards her. Tilting her flashlight down, Mia discovered Lily slowly walking up to the fallen god with her arms opened wide as if she was offering herself. Making a frantic gesture to the other three women, Mia broke out into a dash to grab Lily. Sure, she hated her guts but that doesn’t mean she wanted her to kill herself because of delusions of grandeur. “What the hell are you doing!”

Shaking off the three knights from its body, the snake snapped its head forward to strike the offered woman, but she was pushed out of the way by Mia who made it just in time. Unable to scream as the pain from the bite exploded in her head, Mia let out a grunt while seeing stars. The flashlight in her hands clattered to the ground. It felt like the snake intended to eat her as it attempted to pull Mia away from everyone, but Ash dug his sword into its side cause the snake to let go and return to the battle.

“Are you okay?!” Ash yelled, getting flailed around by the snake as it tried to shake Ash off. Holding her side, Mia looked at the damage left behind. Mia can only describe the chemical reaction her blood was experiencing was mind-numbing. Her blood turned viscous, making it hard for her to move. The only thing keeping her from bleeding out her guts at this very moment was one of the snake’s teeth left behind during its quick retreat.

This was very much, not okay.

“Yeah! I’m fine!” Mia yelled back. She turned her body away from the fight to keep Ash from seeing it. If he saw the state that she was in now, all this effort would be for naught as Ash would end up choosing her instead of the world. Letting out a groan, she held her side. Mia wanted to sit but knew that she couldn’t give anything away that would cause Ash’s worry.

“Tsk tsk. Someone broke rule number one,” Lily said, teasing Mia. The woman walked around her, smacking the tooth buried in Mia’s side as she moved to stand before her. Mia’s legs buckled for a moment, but she stood firm as ever. Lily frowned at the lack of weakness from Mia but she was soon smiling once again. “You better keep that in if you don’t want to bleed out! Oh but… the fallen god’s venom is poisonous too. So maybe it’s better for you to pull it out.”

“Why… are you like this? I don’t see how you fit in this equation,” Mia said, letting out a groan. “You’re normal based on my research. No connections to the Holy Order or the fallen god. If you’re angry at how I treated you, then I’m sorry. But don’t drag others into this.”

“Even when you apologize, you’re still disgustingly prideful,” Lily said, “I just simply hate you. For taking away everything that is mine. I will fix everything you ruined.”

Mia stared at Lily bewildered by what her rival meant. The girl was insane but was she that insane to risk the universe? Glancing back to the battle, the three knights should have taken the fallen god by now based on their collective strengths, but the snake still fought as if they never injured it. No! It was healing or rather… being healed. While Mia didn’t have verifiable evidence that Lily had something to do with that, she knew that there was no such thing as coincidence in this world. The woman’s strange actions solidified it and if not, then she was nothing more than a health hazard to everyone involved.

“You know. You really underestimate me,” Mia said. Her hand got a tight grip around the exposed part of the tooth at her side. “Just because I want to do the right thing doesn’t make me a good person,” she told Lily, “Even if it means taking unethical actions, I’m willing to make the hard decisions if it means it justified the ending.” Ripping the tooth out from her side, Mia felt the adrenaline pumping through her as she knew what to do.

And it seemed like Lily knew what Mia was thinking as well.

The woman attempted to flee from Mia, but she was quick to hold onto Lily’s sweater to hold her in place. The two of them struggled with Lily screaming for help. Mia gave Lily some shallow cuts before forcing her entire weight onto the woman and they both fell. Lily repeatedly hit Mia’s side to her to fall off, but Mia was far too focus to feel it. Raising the tooth high, she jammed it into Lily’s throat, digging it deeper until she stopped moving. Mia pushed the tooth one more time to make sure Lily was dead before rolling off onto her back. The deed was done and Mia couldn’t feel her hands anymore.

Her head was light, but Mia managed to focus more on the fight and less on the injury. Based on the sounds, the knights’ attacks were finally leaving behind some damage. It worked. Lily was oddly the key to this entire show. Mia wanted to make a horcrux joke but it was hard to stay awake let alone think of something clever. Thankfully, she didn’t need to be left alone with her thoughts as the room shook once more as the body of the snake collapsed mere inches away from Mia; crushing Lily’s body right next to her. Mia could hear Ash yelling for her in the background, but Mia couldn’t help but look at the close encounter with a god. She placed her hand on its cool scales and felt it take shallow breaths.

“You’re dying too,” she told it.

“Mia! Oh god, Mia!”

Dragging her away from the body of a god, Ash’s face hovered over her head as he forced her to look at him. He pressed his hand against her side to stop the bleeding, but it was already too late. Ash’s already pale face looked like a sheet of paper as he began desperately yelling for someone to help. Did Mia look that bad? She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Would you look at that, Ashley? All my predictions came true,” Mia said, “I predicted you’ll fall in love with me. I predicted that you’re a big drama queen. And I predicted that we’ll win, and you’ll survive. Aren’t I something?”

“Yeah, something else for making jokes right now,” Ash said. He began unraveling the bandages from his eye so that he could use them on Mia, but she placed her hand on his thigh to stop him.

“Don’t do that. I won’t be able to use it,” she said. She let out a dry wheeze as she found it hard to hold on to this life. “I need you to take every out of here. Though the seventh knight looks like he’s dead, he’s still alive. Passed out.”

“But, what about you?” Ash argued. He gently shook Mia’s shoulder as, for just a moment, she closed her eyes. Fear struck him as he thought that she was dead but Mia opened her eyes.

“I already did my mission. I have no regrets,” she said. Mia took several shallow breaths before continuing her train of thought. “You promise to follow seven rules if you want to be my partner. What was the seventh rule again?”

Ash didn’t want to answer her. He placed one arm under her knees and the other behind her back to carry her, but Mia pushed his face away. “What was the rule?” she asked him.

“If… if it looks like you’re going to die but we’re close to completing our goal then leave it be. You will manage somehow. And if you die, then you die satisfied,” Ash said, his face grim as the rule he agreed to wholeheartedly now weighed heavily on his tongue He felt sick. Another one of her predictions proven right. “I really wish you were wrong most of the time.”

“It’s all a number game, baby!” Mia said before letting out a series of coughs in expelling the last of her energy in a cheer. Ash tighten his hold around Mia before pulling her closer onto his lap. Mia smiled at him before leaning her head on his chest. “It’s okay, Ashley. We’ll meet again someday,” she told him.

“Is that a prediction?”

“No. A promise. It’s up to you if you want to make it true.”

“You’re a piece of work for making a promise that I have to keep,” Ash said. He laughed but there was hardly any humor in it. There was a long pause as neither of them had anything to say. Shifting Mia in his arm, Ash finally came up with what he wanted to tell Mia before she goes.

“Can I make a promise to you too?”

But Mia was already long gone without a single good-bye.

[epic-potato-crisp]

Courtship [1/2] (AjinWeek2020/3)

Day 3: Favourite Ship/Romance/Lover

By: @ryokasmagic

Note: I have two OTPs in Ajin (Tosaki/Izumi and Kou/Kei) and I honestly can’t pick between them. Decided to go with KouKei for this one though. This has two parts, so far part 2 is supposed to be posted for Day 7. I hope you enjoy!

…..

“You’re amazing.”

And ever since that fateful day, the words haven’t left Kei’s mind.

At first, he thinks there is nothing redeemable about Nakano.

He is too loud and gets overly excited about everything, always barging into Kei’s private space. He seems earth shatteringly optimistic and ready to take on whatever obstacle the world is ready to present him with an energy that Kei can barely begin to comprehend.

In hindsight, this might have been what has fascinated him about Nakano so much to begin with.

They gradually begin spending more time together, but then, this is bound to happen, Kei thinks, when you’re stuck in one hideout with eight other people with little choice in the matter.

It has nothing to do with the fact that he actually enjoys Nakano’s company.

No, he certainly hasn’t stooped down to that level.

Of that he is certain.

…….

It starts innocently enough.

They’re sitting outside the hideout, taking a break after hours of training.

“What if we weren’t Ajin?” Nakano Kou asks.

“What?” Kei frowned, “That is the most stupid question I’ve heard in weeks.”

“No, think about it.” Kou gestures with his orange popsicle. “What if we were…you know, normal high schoolers.”

“We are normal.” Kei frowns. He is a perfectly respectable member of society, thank you very much. He may have an above average regenerational ability that might classify him as “immortal” in some instances, but he has no duty to disclose that to anyone.

He isn’t a dropout runaway that can barely memorize the kanji required to graduate.

“You know what I mean.” the other boy says, “Like…what if we weren’t on the run from the government?” His gestures got broader.

“That’s a rather pointless scenario. You might as well ask me what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten hit by that truck.” Kei rolls his eyes and moves his hazelnut-chocolate cone out of reach, away from potential Kou-induced hazards.

He catches Kou eyeing him from the side.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously.” the redhead replies indignantly, giving him a light nudge that has Kei scowling, “Isn’t it fun to think of what-ifs?”

“No, it isn’t.” Kei replies, and then relents under the expectant stare. He takes a bite of his ice.

“Well, fine. Let’s say I wouldn’t have gotten hit by the truck.” He pauses, considering the possibility and comparing it with his schedule at the time. “I would have had to turn in a physics project that week. Write a biology exam the week after. Not to mention our assignment in history about the reformation of- “

“Dude, I mean like, fun things.” Kou says, exasperatedly, “Like, you know. The next party you got invited to- “

Kei is excellent at politely turning these invitations down-

“Or like, an outing to a karaoke place or an arcade after school?”

After-school is reserved for math-club-meetings and further study-

“Or like, you know, getting a girlfriend!”

“I never had one.” Kei replied bluntly.

“What?!”

Kou’s shocked enough that he drops his popsicle. It rolls a few feet away from them, out of the shade and into the scorching afternoon sun. He stares wistfully at its departure.

“Oh man, I was going to finish that.”

“Get a new one.”

“Noo, they’re rationed. In any way I don’t feel like walking anymore than I need to today.” He pouts, slumping against the cooling wall.

Kei sighs, before wordlessly offering him his chocolate cone.

“Really, dude?”

“Call me dude ever again and you’ll have bigger problems than this.”

“Thanks, man.” Kou says, which isn’t much better and gives him a genuine smile that Kei wishes wouldn’t make him so happy on the inside.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“So, coming back to the topic at hand- “

Kei suppresses a groan. He has been relying on the convenience of Kou’s short-term memory to prevent them from ever continuing the previous conversation.

“What about it?” he asks instead, reaching for the water bottle and taking a large sip.

“Like, really? Never?”

Kou looks a bit like a Golden Retriever whose owner has forgotten to take him on a walk.

“No.” Kei shrugs, “Is that so weird?” It’s a serious question.

He’s never considered that his social life could be boring, by others’ standards, being far too focused on becoming a diligent student that represented his family well.

“Ah, no, no, it’s cool.” Kou waves him off, words encouraging, “Not everyone has to have a girlfriend in High School.”

Kei doesn’t let him notice any of the relief he feels at those words.

“Some of us just aren’t dating our homework, ya know?” He breaks out into laughter.

“Die.”

“I can’t. I swear man, I’ve tried!” Kou throws up his hands in desperation, shaking his head and Kei turns away so that he can’t see the traitorous hint at a smile on his face.

“Would you ever want one, though?”

“What?” Kei arches an eyebrow.

“What do you think? “

A day full of peace and quiet, with no training or social interactions, preferably locked away in my room, Kei thinks, but he’s certain that’s not what Kou’s referring to.

“A girlfriend. Or, you know, a boyfriend.” Kou shrugs, and Kei feels the blood freeze in his veins.

His friend-by-default notices his incredulous expression.

“We’re in the 21st century, right? It’s not that weird.”

Kei doesn’t dignify that with an answer.

“You’re expected to marry someone of the opposite gender.” he says, remotely, “Unless you can avoid it.”

“In theory!” Kou has finished his ice cream and wipes his hands on the grass, “Like, maybe it’s not that you just haven’t found the right girl? Maybe you’re just- “

“Okay, enough.” Kei cuts across him. His heart thunders in his chest and thoughts of Kaito resurface in his mind, which is more than he can bear after hours of training exhausting him to the bone.

“Are you too much of a chicken to find out?” Kou’s grin is teasing, and competitive.

“Find out what?”

“If it’s perhaps not just girls you’re interested in?”

“When would I find that out?” Kei answers, ignoring the inexplicable jump his heart takes all of a sudden, “We’re fugitives in a battle. We barely have time for this.” He gestures vaguely and checks his watch, “Speaking of, we should get back to training.”

“Come on, ten more minutes.”

“You said that half an hour ago.” Kei deadpans, “No ten more minutes. This second.”

“Is that what you want me to say when you refuse to get up in the morning and want me to cover for you?” Kou teases.

Unfairly, he has a point.

“Whatever.” Kei sighs, chalking it up to the heat that he doesn’t feel like debating Kou on this particular topic.

“I propose a challenge. No, a bet. If you chicken out, I’ll assume you’re too much of a coward after all. Ready?” Kou asks, pointing at him, brimming with self-confidence.

“And what makes you assume I care?”

There’s the Golden Retriever look again. “Oh, come on, Kei.”

Kei sighs. He’s a good person, he tells himself, a respectable member of society. He’s doing Nakano a favor by not subjecting him to alienation from the only one in his peer group and the devastating consequences that might have for his social development.

“Okay, tell me what it is.”

“We pretend to be boyfriends for a week!”

Kei stares at him, dumbstruck, but before he can get a word in edgewise, Nakano cuts him to the chase: “No, wait. I’m serious. Nothing, strange, like, ya know.” He blushes scarlet, clearing his throat and Kei thanks the Gods above that he doesn’t elaborate on the subject.

“Like hand-holding and that stuff. Maybe a date night where we watch movies.”

“That sounds dumb.” Kei replies before he can stop himself.

“Dumb, but not impossible?”

“We don’t even have time for a…” Kei pauses, wrestling with the unfamiliar word and its embarrassing implications, “date night where we watch movies. We have to train. Fight Sato, in case you forgot?”

“Consider it a team-building exercise!” Kou grins widely.

“I could think of a way more interesting exercise where my IBM gets to practice attacks on you.”

Kou laughs.

“Yeah, we have to train.” he admits, “You’re right. But seriously. Do you really…not want to try it out? Or does it just sound unusual to you?”

Kei bites his lip. He can’t believe that Kou goaded him into this conversation.

“If we were, theoretically- “he cuts in sharply, as Kou’s eyes widen in excitement, “To try that out. We would need to have some rules.”

“Sure, definitely.” Kou nods along.

“And it would not cross a week.”

“Nope, that’s the idea.”

“And if I didn’t like it, we could end it at any time.”

“Yeah.” Kou replies without skipping a beat, “Consider it, like…a social project.” He stretches out his hand. “You’re on board?”

Kei has to admit he’s not completely adverse to the idea. He’d pay money to see the expressions on the others’ faces when he told them about their plan.

And also, for some strange, unspeakable reason, having a movie night with Kou doesn’t seem like the worst of ideas.

Kei clears his throat.

“It’s a deal.” he says.

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Neil Perry

(Not my gif) (Lets pretend the school accepts all genders just to make things easier. You’re also free to request hcs for them dating a girl who goes to a different school)

- You met Neil while you and your friends were walking around campus. You were pretty much just wandering around during your free period but he was out kicking soccer balls with Keating’s class. 

- One of the balls they’d kicked had rolled over to you as you were walking and when you’d looked over to find whoever had kicked it, you found the most handsome boy you’d ever seen.

- He came over and grabbed the ball, giving you an apology and an adorable little smile as he straightened up again. You somewhat shyly assured him that it was no problem and curiously asked what they had been doing since you’d watched the classes weird antics for a little while as you were walking.

- He told you about their strange little assignment and just as he was about to say something else, Mr. Keating teasingly called after him to come back to the class. When he turned back to look at you, you gave him a little smile and told him you’d see him around. 

- He nodded and said a quick goodbye before going to run back to his class. You began walking away just as he called after you with a “Wait! What's your name!”

- You tried to call it back to him but he couldn’t hear you considering the fact that you were already far away. Regardless, the two of you found out each other's names through friends/classmates.

- Fast forward a few days and you’re both sitting in the cafeteria when he spots you sitting with your friends. He points you out to the other guys and they urge him to go talk to you; and ask you out. He debates it for a little before they finally convince him and he stands, making his way over as his heart races. 

- Once he’s at your table, he asks if he can talk to you and you obviously agree, sending your friends an “oh my god!” look as you stand to walk with him. 

- He introduced himself and asked for your name; even though he already knew it. He then asked if you wanted to go out sometime; partially losing his initially confident/carefree attitude as he did so. 

- Once you agreed, he gave you a smile, his nerves flying out the window and his excitement evident as he told you he’d meet you after the last class of the day.

- So, the two of you met up in the front of the school at the end of the day, tugging your jackets closer and laughing a little as you noticed that it had started to snow. 

- A little ways into your date, he slipped his hand into yours, raising your joined hands and teasingly commenting “for warmth” when you looked over at him with a smile. 

- He takes you to a café that’s close to the school. It’s really cold so you’re both huddled together in the booth that you’re sharing. 

- You sit and talk, getting to know each other more and more. You’re probably the shy girl in the school so he’s trying to get you to talk and open up more.

- Your first kiss happens when you finally get back to the school and you’re both trying to warm up. He pulls you into a chair in the common room and the two of you sit by the fire. You sit there quietly, side by side, until you notice him looking at you and ask what’s wrong.

 - He replies that it’s nothing and then pauses before saying he just really wants to kiss you. You tell him to do it then and you both lean in slowly, sharing a kiss …right as the boys walk in. 

- They just stand there frozen in shock while you sit there completely embarrassed and trying to hide your face. Charlie is the one who drags everyone out; giving Neil a thumbs up before he goes.

- Once they’re gone the two of you just sort of look at each other and laugh. He makes a joke that maybe you should be his girlfriend since they won’t believe that you aren’t “after that” and you tell him that that makes sense before leaning in to give him another kiss. 

- He always seems to be touching you in some way regardless of where you are; though he certainly changes how he treats you depending on where you are or who’s around you. If you’re with the other poets, he has no problems with being himself and touching you as much as he wants but if you’re around teachers or his father, he’s going to be much more reserved. 

- Hugs. He likes feeling your face pressed against his chest and your arms wrapped around his middle. 

- His hand on your back or the top of your arm whenever you’re around his parents.

- Cheek kisses. 

- Smiling into kisses. 

- Neil rarely gets affection from anyone in his family so whenever you give him any, it makes him really happy. Even simple things like hand holding and hugs mean a lot to him. He cherishes every touch you give him.

- He isn’t really used to pet names so he usually just calls you by your given name; though he will occasionally call you honey or teasing nick names turned affectionate. 

- The two of you usually spoon whenever you cuddle; whether he’s the little spoon or you are really just depends on the day or how far into you’re relationship you are. He’d definitely laugh or sort of scoff at the idea of him being the little spoon but he really enjoys it once you try. 

- He’s not clingy per say but once you guys finally get to hang out, he doesn’t want you to leave. Considering the fact that you usually have limited time together, it’s pretty understandable and you never really mind.

- Always tries to include you in the things he does whether that be studying or going out somewhere. He likes having you around and wants you to feel like you’re an important part of his life.

- Going on little adventures with him.

- He has these spontaneous moments where he’ll just decide to do something for you or take you somewhere. There’s really never a boring moment with him.

- After Charlie brought those two girls, he thinks it’s safe enough to bring you with him to the cave and share some of the things the boys have done in it. You think it’s cute watching the smile appear on his face as he recounts different stories of the nights he’d spent inside with the boys.

-  He insists on walking you to your dorm, especially at the end of the day when you’re turning in for the night. He likes knowing you got inside safely and saying goodbye only when he has to.

- Sneaking cigarettes with each other.

- Studying together.

- Him holding your things above his head so that you have to fight to get them back. Or running away with them so that you chase him. He especially likes doing it when he knows you’re bored.

- There’s a lot of teasing and joking around with each other. He likes being able to act childish with you when so much of his life is stressful.

- He’s always trying to distract you; he likes when you get amusedly frustrated with him or attempt, and fail, to ignore him. Plus, you can’t stay mad at him when you look at the little smile he has on his face.

- He would honestly probably want to try putting makeup on you or letting you put makeup on him, particularly stage makeup. He’ll keep laughing or smiling as you try to do his and keep making noises and comments that make you burst out laughing as he’s doing yours. 

- Whenever he’s excited, he has a habit of either pulling you up or picking you up and dancing around with you. It’s adorable and you’ll never get tired of it. 

- Sneaking out at night to see each other. He’s usually the one going to your window and helping you escape because he’s got balls of steel and little regard for the rules of the school when they stand in his way. 

- He actually likes coming up with date ideas. He usually has to get pretty creative since the two of you have limited opportunities to see each other and he finds the process both exasperating and fun.

- “Picnics” in the outer fields of the school. 

- Movie dates. He likes going to see them with you; especially after he decides that he wants to be an actor. 

- Wandering around town and going into random shops together. The two of you have probably gone to a lot of thrift and 5 and 10 stores. 

- He’s kind of sentimental; it’s actually really sweet seeing him keep things from your dates or little, hardly spectacular “gifts” that you give him.

- Your dates on campus are usually crashed by the guys; mainly Charlie and whoever he’s with.

- Todd usually ends up being a third wheel for a lot of your dates. You and him become pretty close since you’re kind of sharing your boyfriend with him. (This is one of the pairs in movies where I can imagine a poly relationship being not just possible but preferred).

- You’re going to spend a lot of time with the poets. You’re kind of like the first lady of the society/friend group. 

- While he’s always trying to break you out of your shell and make you feel more comfortable at the school, he never forces you to do anything you really don’t want to. He always respects your decisions.

- Encouraging him to act and do what makes him happy since hardly anyone else ever does.

- Being at his plays and helping him rehearse for his roles. You usually lurk around rehearsals or join the backstage crew, maybe even becoming a part of the cast as well.

- You’re probably the logical thinker of the relationship. He has a habit of jumping into things quickly and doesn’t always think things through. He’s pretty impulsive when it comes to things that excite him.

- He’s also pretty persistent when he sets his mind on something. It’s hard to dissuade him from going through with his plans, especially when he’s in the moment.

- Helping him with his problems whenever they get to be too much for him. He usually doesn’t like involving other people in his issues but he does like the fact that he can trust you and go to you whenever he needs without worrying about being judged or them not understanding his situation. 

- Comforting him after his father goes off on him.

- He’s really good at comforting you as well. He can usually tell when you’re upset or when something's wrong and he can always think of a way to; at least momentarily, fix it. Plus, he’s a good listener and always understanding of your situation since he knows how it feels to be at someone else’s whim. 

- He rarely gets jealous, he doesn’t feel like he has a reason to be. He trusts you, and besides, you’re kind of extremely in love with each other so he doubts that you’d ever want anyone else; he sure doesn’t.

- He defends you whenever someone insults you and gets upset whenever someone even hints at something negative about you. You could be a flawed person and he can acknowledge that but “they” have no right to belittle you and he’ll make sure that they don’t.

- Neil is terrible at fighting so the two of you rarely have them, and even if you do, they never really last long. He’ll maybe snap at you over something and the two of you will sit in silence for a bit but then he’ll feel awful and try to move on from the issue, pretending like it didn’t happen. 

- Either that, or he’ll almost immediately apologize because he knows you aren’t trying to upset him. If the fight is really serious; which in most cases it isn’t, he sort of has a habit of just shutting down so he’ll insist it’s nothing after acting like he has something he really needs to say. Then it’s your turn to reconcile things. 

- He tells you he loves you all the time. His family rarely ever says it so he feels the need to express it to you whenever he can; particularly when he needs to hear you say it back. 

- He’s asked if you’d want to move in together after school and you’ve talked about marriage a few times but most of your conversations about the future are about how you’re going to help each other achieve your dreams. 

- He knows a few things for certain: he wants to be an actor, he wants to get away from Welton and he wants to have you by his side while he does it.

[letterboxd]

Chameleon.

For Japanuary, J-horror auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa talks to Aaron Yap about upending genre expectations with his dreamy new travelogue To the Ends of the Earth, the unconscious connections between his films, and how it’s time for a proper evaluation of Robert Zemeckis.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s continued, uncontested position as a horror auteur isn’t unjustified. Emerging as a key voice in the J-horror boom of the late ’90s, Kurosawa hypnotized us with his chilly, haunting, atmospheric—and often apocalyptically tinged—visions of baffling serial killers, ghosts in machines, insidious doppelgangers and vengeful apparitions.

Bong Joon-ho once called Kurosawa’s 1997 mind-bender Cure one of the greatest films ever made. Pulse, his terrifyingly prophetic 2001 film, for my money—and many Letterboxd members’—might still be the creepiest of all contemporary horrors. “It is the only film I’ve ever seen in which every single shot feels genuinely haunted,” writes Connor.

Rarely behaving in a traditional scary-movie fashion, Kurosawa’s idiosyncratic horror films often test our expectations of genre, then deliver beyond those boundaries to probe his recurring themes: identity and isolation, humanity’s relationship to technology and nature, and deep-seated anxieties that nibble away at society’s crumbling fabric. Pulse, besides being an exercise in deftly crafted dread, is a great, telling, melancholy movie about the overwhelming loneliness of the digital age.

Yoko (Atsuko Maeda) and her travel show crew in ‘To the Ends of the Earth’.

However, the general focus on his horror “side” tends to eclipse a filmography that’s far richer and more versatile than he’s usually given credit for. Over the past two decades, we’ve seen him seem forge a thrillingly chameleonic, unpredictable path that’s included an ecological thriller (Charisma), an Ozu-esque family drama (Tokyo Sonata), a metaphysical romance (Journey to the Shore) and an alien invasion sci-fi (Before We Vanish). No one is really doing it like Kurosawa, and To the Ends of the Earth is arguably his most exciting and enigmatic left-turn yet.

To the Ends of the Earth is a commissioned piece to celebrate the diplomatic relations between Japan and the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan, but that doesn’t diminish that it’s unmistakably a Kiyoshi Kurosawa film, not a tossed-off, exoticized, postcard-pretty travelogue. His signature languorous pacing, shrewdly slippery tonal calibration, and acute spatial sensitivity are at full bore, servicing a loosely plotted tale of TV travel show host Yoko (former J-pop singer Atsuko Maeda) and her crew attempting to complete shooting an episode in the Uzbekistan capital of Tashkent.

If anything, this movie should really confirm him as a filmmaker of bold, fictive playfulness in a comparable register to Jacques Rivette, Olivier Assayas and Christian Petzold—something that 2013’s hour-long, similarly fish-out-of-water head-rush Seventh Code, also starring Maeda, hinted at. In To the Ends of the Earth, gentleness, compassion and dream-like bursts of song and fantasy percolate through a disquieting maze of displacement—cultural, artistic, gendered—and the result is an adventurous, unpindownable, thoroughly humanistic work of curiosity and imagination.

Some years ago you did a “double feature”-themed interview with the Belfort Entrevues Film Festival where you revealed the sources of inspiration for some of your films. What film, if any, was a chief influence for To the Ends of the Earth, and can you tell us in what way? Kiyoshi Kurosawa: When I make my work, I often consciously refer to films from the past, but that’s usually the case with genre films. For example, Cure was greatly inspired by The Silence of the Lambs. However, To the Ends of the Earth is not a genre movie, so I wasn’t consciously thinking of any specific films. However, the composition of the story, that the main character appears in every scene, is based on films by the Dardenne brothers. Viewing their films The Child and Two Days, One Night, it’s clear to see how the depiction of just one person can turn trivial incidents into something serious and suspenseful.

Atsuko Maeda and Kiyoshi Kurosawa on the set of ‘To the Ends of the Earth’.

Watching Bright Future, To the Ends of the Earth and Creepy back-to-back recently, I noticed several parallels and motifs which may or may not be intentional. For example, a jellyfish makes an appearance in a scene on TV in Creepy, or there’s a TV report of a blaze in To the Ends of the Earth that momentarily hints at a bigger natural catastrophe that echoes the jellyfish swarm in Bright Future, or other apocalyptic moments in your films like Charisma and Before We Vanish. Do you find that some of these motifs work on a subconscious level for you, or were some of them intentionally threaded in? It’s a very interesting point. Some of them were intentional and some were not at all. It’s true about jellyfish, they appear in both Bright Future and Creepy. However, this is the first time I’ve noticed. The endings of Charisma and Before We Vanish were already written in the script by necessity, so of course, it’s intentional. The depiction of the blaze on TV in To the Ends of the Earth was introduced to show something happening in Japan while the main character is taking a small adventure in Uzbekistan. I wanted to show that her boyfriend was in some kind of crisis there. While the fire on the TV is merely an accident, it does appear apocalyptic. I may have overdone that a bit. Perhaps some kind of unconscious thinking was at work.

That amusement park ride scene in To the Ends of the Earth has stayed with me in the way it suggests terror out of something seemingly mundane. What are some scenes from other films that have stayed with you? The amusement park ride scene wasn’t introduced to express terror. What I wanted to show was how crazy the assignment is and Yuko’s professionalism. She takes on the assignment without fear. This may have been a bit overdone as well. However, I thought that Atsuko Maeda, who didn’t hesitate to actually ride it three times, was a real professional. Apart from that, if I think about the movies that force people to experience horror, what comes to me are Roger Corman’s Pit and the Pendulum. Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse, George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. I also remembered the episode in Freddie Francis’s Torture Garden, where a grand piano has a will to kill people, which was great.

Your films tend to be very location-based; environments and spaces appear to play a significant part. The pandemic has been the ultimate test of our relationship with spaces and each other. How has the pandemic impacted you as a filmmaker, and are there themes and ideas that you are interested in exploring further as a result of Covid? As you pointed out, when I make a movie, I pay great attention to the location. The moment I find a good location, I feel that the script will be transformed into a movie. It is the moment when fiction and reality are fused. It’s hard to say anything though, I haven’t made a movie since the pandemic started. What I can say, at least, is that sitting in front of the computer at home is not cinematic at all. So far, I don’t feel that something new will be born from it. What should I do? After all, I feel that a movie can only be made by going out in the city with a camera after utilizing the best epidemic prevention system possible.

If you had to pick a film that’s a personal favorite, which would you pick, and why? It's too difficult a question. Japanese movies and foreign movies have different viewpoints. Also, there are completely different categories of movies [that] greatly influence me when I make films and the movies I saw when I was young that make me nostalgic. It’s impossible to choose just one. But, well, the one that comes to mind is Sam Peckinpah’s The Ballad of Cable Hogue, which is both nostalgic and heavily influential for me.

You’ve spoken about your fondness for American filmmakers like Tobe Hooper, Robert Aldrich, Steven Spielberg et al. Are there new, or more recent American filmmakers and films that have caught your attention or that you’re particularly excited by? I don’t know much about young American directors, but what I always care about is Alfonso Cuarón. Of course he is not a new, young filmmaker, but an auteur. Also, since this is a good opportunity, I’d like to mention Robert Zemeckis. He made such masterpieces as Cast Away and What Lies Beneath around 2000. For some reason, he has never been properly evaluated at all. For a time he was devoted to animation. However, he made a spectacular return to live-action films with Flight and continues to shoot unique masterpieces like Allied and Welcome to Marwen. Of course, not many people appreciate these works. However, he does not seem to care about public opinion at all and continues to boldly shoot new works. Perhaps Zemeckis is the American film director who makes the most authentic films today.

What are your movie-watching habits like? Do you continue to watch movies on physical media or prefer streaming these days? What was the last movie you saw in a theater? Basically, I like to watch movies at an ordinary movie theater in the city the most. When I can’t go to the movie theater, or even though I know the film is going to be boring but I have to watch a movie for business, I have no choice but to watch it on DVD or Blu-ray. Of course, I also use VOD once in a while. The last movie I saw in the theater, as of today, was the Japanese film The Voice in the Crime. I saw that just yesterday. I saw it with my wife at a cinema complex in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It was the latest work by the director who made the previous masterpiece Flying Colors, and I expected much from it. It was speedy and quite well done until the middle of the film, but by the ending, it was too boring. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good movie.

What’s a memorable film-related moment from your childhood, perhaps something you experienced with family or friends, or a film that scared you or made you cry? The movies that my generation often watched growing up were mainly monster movies. The most unforgettable one was Matango. Like Godzilla and Mothra, it was directed by Ishirō Honda. I went to see this movie with my friends. It had a rather cute touch in the promotional materials depicting a mushroom with a monstrous appearance. However, the content was completely different from a normal monster movie. Shipwrecked survivors on an uninhabited island encounter monstrous mushroom creatures washed up on the shore. These are not unknown creatures such as Godzilla or Mothra, but the horrifying ending of a human being. The characters are being infected, changing one another into mushroom humans. All of us children trembled from the bottom of our hearts. In retrospect, the work is an extreme horror aiming along the same line as [Howard Hawks and] Christian Nyby’s The Thing from Another World. It was probably the first time I encountered horror which was not “to escape from destruction” but “when a human being becomes something not human”.

Is there a filmmaker or film you think about a lot that you don’t get to talk about much and would like to show some appreciation? I haven’t talked much about the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series directed by Kinji Fukasaku. I don’t know how well this series of Japanese movies is known abroad, but when I was a high-school student I saw this and quickly became a big fan. I’ve watched a variety of yakuza movies since then, and it’s safe to say that nothing beats this series. As the title suggests, the films depict a yakuza world without “Jingi” (yakuza’s moral code), and it was really humorous and exciting to see the betrayals and the destruction. After I saw this, all those traditional yakuza movies dominated by the strange ideology of “Jingi” looked like a childish fantasy.

Related content

The Japanuary Challenge 2021

Explore more J-horror, ’80s J-horror and ’90s J-horror

Follow Aaron on Letterboxd

‘To the Ends of the Earth’ is available for rental in the US via distributor KimStim. From February 5-25, Japan Society’s virtual cinema hosts ‘21st Century Japan: Films from 2001-2020’, featuring films from Hirokazu Kore-eda, Naomi Kawase and Takashi Miike, the online US premieres of Sion Sono’s ‘Red Post on Escher Street’ and Yukiko Mishima’s ‘Shape of Red’, plus a special focus on Kiyoshi Kurosawa (‘Bright Future’, ‘Journey to the Shore’, ‘Real’).

[unohanadaydreams]

How do you think the captains would react if you got hopelessly lost like on the way home or something? Also I love you and your blog makes me smile. 💖

Ahhhh, thank you so much, you are so kind!

Captains Reacting To You Getting Lost:

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto: He would be very disappointed that you couldn’t find your way home and will be arranging a formal training time where he’s literally just walking you through the Soul Society, pointing out landmarks and dropping off paper work to the other captains.

Shunsui Kyoraku: He would sort of delighted, chuckle, ruffle your hair, and call you hopeless in a lighthearted, teasing manner. He genuinely finds it adorable. He’d start asking if you were just so busy thinking of him that you got distracted and make you forget any ill feelings you had toward getting lost, if you had them! He would likely offer to pick you up and walk you home next time, but it’s up to you!

Yoruichi Shihoin: She would find it hysterical and ask you to recant the details because she honestly wants to know just how you managed that. She’s used to scatterbrained geniuses, so she takes it in stride and finds it a bit endearing. She’ll bring it up casually in conversation until the end of time, though. She’d probably jokingly give you a golden star sticker the next time you made it home without getting lost.

SoiFon: She would make it a bigger deal than it likely was, partly because she would be flustered from you coming home late, and partly because she can’t belive someone SHE decided to be involved with can’t navigate the Gotei 13. She would take you on her next circuit of soul society, which would be useless to you in a practical sense, because she would be using hiding places and underground networks mostly.

Rose Otoribashi: He would ask you if you’re alright and tell you that if you were truly lost, you never would’ve made it home, so really you just went on a nice little scenic walk! He’d like to try that with you sometime soon, actually. Maybe you could make a picnic of it? He could even bring his guitar while you two simply floated through the Gotei 13.

Gin Ichimaru: He finds it’s pretty funny that you can’t navigate the Gotei 13 and would start offering to walk you home, only to conveniently get a soul butterfly summons half through. Even more conveniently, he would walk you home using drastically different routes when he does this. If there was ever a time you couldn’t find your way home, he would eventually appear back by your side, his smile a little too wide, apologizing for being gone so long.

Retsu Unohana: Although she’s concerned you turned up late, she understands how overwhelming the random dead ends can be throughout the Gotei 13. She prefers using the janitorial routes, herself, and would be very willing to show you around if she had time. If not, she would ask Isane to show you, before kissing your cheek and softly reminding you to send her a butterfly if you think you’re lost again.

Isane Kotetsu: When you’re late getting home, she starts thinking of increasingly bizarre situations as to what could have possibly happened to you. By the time you get to your door, she’s already gathered a search party of squad 4 members, ready to sweep the entire Gotei 13, because what if you got held hostage by the 12th division in some unspeakable experiment involving the time space continuum? What if an elite band of hollows even worse than arrancar are leading you to some dark forest for some horrid suprise? She cries a little bit when she sees you from relief and from feeling silly, but she forgives you easily and is glad to walk you home or have a squad 4 member walk you home from now on.

Shinji Hirako: He’s amused and unbelieving that you could get lost on your way home. He almost wonders if you’re lying. Were you walking blindfolded? Are you five years old again and need a chaperone? Really, if he has to come lead you home by the arm to get you there on time, then so be it. Of course, he’s going to tell anyone around he’s there to make sure you don’t get lost and playfully pinch your cheeks while he’s at it. And, no you’re not allowed to pout like that, because he’s doing you a favor.

Aizen Sousuke: He doesn’t outwardly seem to care or react much, aside from a smattering of false platitudes. If anything, he enjoys that you get lost. He takes it as a sign that you’re less intelligent and more pliable to his whims. If you can’t find your way through the Gotei 13, then you surely can’t manage any of his scheming. He’ll kiss your forehead and silently wonder how you even managed to pass your school exams.

Byakuya Kuchiki: He’ll be displeased you were late making it home and insist that you at least memorize your route home, whether it be with him or otherwise. He has a schedule he must stick to and if you can’t abide it, then you won’t have time to see each other that day, which is what he’s most upset about. Of course, he’s not going to say that in any way shape or form before criticizing your lack of spacial awareness and memory.

Sajin Komamura: He doesn’t quite understand how you could get lost, mostly because his sense of smell guides him extraordinarily well, but he’s sympathetic and tells you what truly matters is that you didn’t give up the moment you didn’t know where you were; it’s important to keep moving forward. Dogs are excellent guides, so why don’t you take one of Sajin’s stray friends with you next time? Even if you say no, you’ll notice a very happy, welcoming dog whenever you get lost again.

Tetsuzaemon Iba: He walks you to and from your division almost everyday, so he apologizes when you get lost on one of the days he couldn’t be there to guide you. It’s his job as your very manly partner to support you, after all. He hugs you tightly and gets scolded by Lieutenant Ise when he misses a captain’s meeting to walk you home a few weeks later.

Lisa Yadomaru: She finds it relatable and suggests you make the most if it. Maybe next time you both can get lost together and find some lonely corner(s) to have fun it. Besides, how do you think she gets the best candids of all the captains and lieutenants? Life is an adventure and she’s stumbling through it right there with you.

Kensei Muguruma: He’s worse than you when it comes to finding his way home. He tells Mashiro to make you one of the maps she made him (it’s a very poorly made map with a total of 4 routes and lots of cute characters drawn on it that mostly cover over the routes, making it effectively useless). He would absolutely shrug it off as no big deal, unless it started to cut into his time with you. Then he’d pull out his (horrible) map and start looking for you so he can give you an earful about how your his s/o because he wants to see you not wait for you.

Kaname Tosen: He was wary about getting lost in the Gotei 13 when he first started, so knows the layout very well. He smiles a bit patronizingly when you tell him what happened and lightly jokes at your expense before offering a comforting embrace and peaceful night in. He wouldn’t offer to walk you home, because he enjoys scolding you a bit and wouldn’t mind you getting lost again in the future. (Spends a bit too much time with Aizen, doesn’t he?)

Toshiro Hitsugaya: He would be pretty smug about it. Wow, you got lost on your way home? He remembers when he had a heard time finding his way home, when he was three. What does it feel like having less sense of direction than a three year old? Of course, he can’t just let you wander aimlessly, since he’s your s/o and obviously he needs to look out from you now on. He supposes he can walk you home next time, since you need him so badly. He will dutifully pick you up, with grace befitting a Gotei 13 captain, and wait till you’re not in public anymore to tease you for even needing him.

Kenpachi Zaraki: He is the reigning king of not knowing where the hell he is, at any given moment. The 11th division literally has a task force dedicated to tracking his lost ass down. He’s actually impressed you found your way home, when he gets there 5 hours after you, with a posse of his squad that guided him. Maybe you should just come to his barracks from now on, since it only takes him an average of 3 hours to find his way there, yeah? (Yes, your name is put on assignment for the task squad, even if this is your first time getting lost.)

Kisuke Urahara: He wonders if you really got lost or were distracted by something? He walks you home a few times before he realizes that, no, you don’t pretend to be lost in order to break the rules as he’s prone to do. His time in squad 2 makes him a rather good source for directions, so he kisses your face a bazillion times and promises to show you around on his next day off. Maybe you can help him test out a few gps systems he’s got in the works in the mean time?

Mayuri Kurotsuchi: It’s like you just told him that you don’t know what the Gotei 13 even is. He creates a detailed map for you to carry with you everywhere, has Akon make an even more detailed 3D map for you to wander around in virtual reality, makes you take computerized tests to ensure you studied properly, and sets you loose with a collar that zaps you if you stray from your designated route. He also sets up a scan for your brain, to ensure that you have not been turned into a mindless sleeper agent for one of the Gotei 13′s enemies. He would beyond a doubt lecture you and insult you over this.

Jushiro Ukitake: He’s glad to see you safe at home. His imagination isn’t anything compared to his lieutenants, but he was worried all the same and welcomes you back warmly, while telling you stories about when he’d gotten lost around the Gotei 13 as well as some old stories about Shunsui, Nanao, and others, to make you feel less embarrassed. He mentions it in passing as a cute story to his lieutenants when they ask how his night was and suddenly you have two very eager chaperones bickering about what’s the best way to walk you home, and getting you lost in the process.

Rukia Kuchiki: She’s a bit haughty about announcing that her brother taught her very well in regards to navigating the Gotei 13, but laughs with you instead of at you about your getting lost. She informs you that the Gotei 13 isn’t even that confusing compared to the rukongai districts, so it’s a good thing you got lost somewhere safe. What is she going to do with you? Other than tease you about it, of course. She pulls you down to kiss her, calls you ridiculous, and presents a mascot riddled guide to the Gotei 13 with helpful tips and interesting information that she hands out to her new recruits.

[kumeko]

Title: some walls need to be torn down

A/N: For the @superbatexchange! Unfortunately, my giftee dropped out, but I had already finished my piece so this is now for the community in general. 😊 Hope you enjoy!

Summary:  Bruce had never been good at letting down his walls, at letting others in. Even for Clark. Especially for Clark.

…

…

…

…

i.

“How’s Friday?” Clark asked, flipping through his planner. Red circles, scribbled in appointments, and stickers decorate every month. His finger tapped on one of the few empty dates. “I’m technically on assignment, but I can always hop back for the night.”

 “How old school of you.” Bruce pinched the planner between his fingers, dangling it in front of him. “You have a phone.”

 “It’s easier when I can write it out.” Frowning, Clark swiped the planner back. He smoothened the page, clearing any wrinkles. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much good; there was a permanent crease where Bruce had gripped it too hard. “Damn. You’re lucky the year’s almost over.”

 “Or what?” Bruce asked dryly, taking a sip from his coffee. He never understood Clark’s preferences for diners, but at least this one had a decent coffee. Leaning back on his seat, he observed the restaurant from their booth. The breakfast crowd was here, a strange mix of truckers and businessmen hurrying to work.

 And of course, one journalist, who was still pouting over his agenda. Clark sighed mournfully. “Maybe I should tell Dick to pick on you.” He glared at Bruce grumpily, tapping on the Friday insistently with his pen. “So. Friday?”

Obliging, Bruce pulled out his phone and checked his own schedule. Friday, Friday, Friday—he had a single meeting in the morning, and the rest of the afternoon was clear. Thank goodness for Lucius Fox, he really knew how to minimize his “CEO and Playboy Bruce” appearances. “I should be fine.”

 “Great.” Clark beamed, pure sunshine. “It’s a date.”

    ii.

 There was a familiar prick on his back, the sense that someone was watching him, and Batman pulled out his batarang. Tense, he crouched slightly. It couldn’t be another thug—he had cleared out most of Black Mask’s men from the warehouse. Whatever ones he hadn’t caught would be running away. Then who—

 A cape swished behind him and he relaxed. Of course. Superman. Standing straight, Batman turned around. His own cape curled around his legs and he crossed his arms. “Superman.”

 There was no responding smile, no exasperated sigh, and the hair on his neck stood up. Superman scanned the surroundings as he slowly floated down. His lips were a flat line, his tone distant. “I caught the runaways.”

 “Then that clears up everything.” Feeling uneasy, Batman dropped his arms to his side and took a step forward. In the dark, it was hard to see Superman’s face, to see the ridges and planes he knew intimately. “Are you angry?”

 Superman’s feet touched the ground with a quiet thud. Stiffly, he bit out. “Yes.”

 It’d been a while since he’d seen him this angry, even longer since it’d been directed at him. “I couldn’t ignore—”

 “I’m not asking you to ignore criminals or the bat signal or whatever case you’re on,” Superman growled, his jaw tight. “That’s what we do. But this isn’t the first time you’ve blown me off. Or the second or the third—you do this more often than we actually go on a date.”

 Even though he knew Superman wouldn’t talk like this if there was anyone around, he instinctively checked their surroundings for any interlopers. Coolly, he answered, “It was a time sensitive matter.”

 “They’re all time-sensitive matters. It always is,” Superman bit out bitterly, shaking his head. “But we’re not alone. Nightwing, Robin, Oracle, Batgirl—any of them could step in for a single night. They do it already for each other.”

He looked away, unable to refute the point. Feebly, he argued, “I had to handle this myself.”

 “We can’t keep doing this,” Superman said, his voice oddly soft. He started to float again, slowly rising up to the hole he’d made in the warehouse ceiling. The moonlight hit his face and all Batman could see was the weariness on his face. “Even after all this time, you still won’t let me in. And I…I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”

    iii.

 That was not his ceiling. No, that wasn’t completely accurate. To be precise, it was more that something felt off about his ceiling. Like there was an extra dent in it or the paint was more chipped than it should have been. Even his bed felt strange, too soft to be his. Lying still on the bed, Bruce kept his breathing steady, listening for any intruders. There were no strange sounds or, even more worrying, the usual ones. By this point of day, Alfred would have had breakfast ready.

 Quietly, he slipped off his bed, his feet landing on a layer of dust. Bruce stared at the hardwood floor, then at the tables and dressers around him. Everything was covered in a thick grey and he had a sinking feeling this wasn’t a prank by Dick or Stephanie. No, something was wrong here.

 Without a second thought, he crept out of his bedroom. At the very least, his batcave should still be untouched and maybe he could find out something more there. The rest of the mansion was coated in dust, looking unused, and Bruce fought the urge to shiver. It looked abandoned. Forgotten. Even the old grandfather clock looked like it had seen better days. His fingers were sticky as he typed in the usual password and suddenly, a shrill alarm rang.

 Immediately, he took a step backward, his body crouching as he scanned his living room. No one swooped out of the shadows, running to see who had broken in. He’d have to find a place to hide, to observe—

 Glass twinkled behind him as a large object burst through the bay windows. Turning around, Bruce shielded his eyes as he took in the attack, a bright red and blue blur that hurtled at him. Wait, red and blue? He knew that colour, knew that ‘S’. “Clark?”

 “Bruce?” Superman halted in front of him, his eyes wide in surprise. “You…you’re alive?”

 Alive? Well, he had been right then. That wasn’t his ceiling.

    iv.

 “Here, have a cup of tea. You still like two milks, right?” Clark smiled awkwardly, setting down a fragile teacup on the coaster in front of Bruce. Dressed in overalls in his family farmhouse, Clark looked more like a farmer getting ready to milk a cow than a reporter chasing a news story. Then again, maybe that was the case here. The only thing to indicate that he wasn’t purely a country boy was the gold necklace that disappeared under his collar.

 “Yes.” It seemed that at least he shared the same tastes as this world’s Bruce. Scanning the room, Bruce noted pictures of Ma and Pa Kent, of Conner and Kara Zor-el. It seemed this world wasn’t too different then. Except of course, one notable exception. “I take it I’m dead?”

 “Uh…” Clark rubbed the back of his neck. His lanky frame was too big for the couch, his knees bent uncomfortably. The furniture here hadn’t changed at all from the last time Bruce had visited the Kents. “Yes.” He paused. “Sorry.”

 “It’s not your fault, is it?” Bruce asked, picking up the tea. He had always known he’d die from his duties. It didn’t make it easier to hear, even if it was just in a different universe. “You don’t need to apologize.”

 “Yes but…” Clark frowned, running a hand through his shaggy hair. Now that Bruce was looking at it, it was peppered with white and grey hairs, a Clark that was much older than his. A Clark he might never get to see ordinarily. They’d never really confirmed if he’d age normally, if he’d live forever. “I’m sorry all the same.”

 “Always with the saviour complex.”

 Clark blinked, before breaking into a hearty guffaw. Not remember restraint (as usual), he wrapped an arm around Bruce’s back, squeezing him tight. “And you’re still a prissy cat.”

    v.

 “Luckily for you, the league’s still active.” Puffing his chest proudly, he pointed at one of the more recent photos, showing him with grown-up Conner and Kara. Their costumes had changed, Kara’s more battle-oriented, Conner’s less casual, and they were all grinning as they stood in front of the Justice Hall. A newly rebuilt Justice Hall. “We’ll find out soon enough if it was magic or science that brought you here. Or something else entirely—I feel like we keep finding things that go beyond everything we know. Guess it’s one of nature’s miracles.”

 Bruce didn’t want to think about how many times they must have built, destroyed, and rebuilt that place. The iterations of the league’s hall. “The new generation took over?”

 “Yeah. Especially some of the kids from the Justice Society. Us old-timers are taking over what Jay and Alan started there.” Clark smiled fondly as he held up a photo of him surrounded by a gaggle of masked teens. Some were easy to pick out—Liam Harper, Wally’s kids—others less so.

 And with the bittersweet tinge in Clark’s expression, Bruce knew better than to ask what had happened to Jay and Alan. “So even you retired?”

 “Even I retired,” Clark chuckled. “Though I can’t help myself if something happens nearby.”

 “No, that’s you.” Bruce scanned the other photos, the changes in his companions. Older Hal. A kingly Arthur. Diana, still going strong. And more, beyond that, and there was something reassuring about the idea that even after he was gone, the work still continued. To find a picture of Cassandra as Batman, of Dick and Damian still patrolling together, of Stephanie refusing to give up her purple abomination.

 A picture of him and Clark, sitting awkwardly next to one another. Clark grinning brightly in the camera as he snapped the selfie, this world’s Bruce trying not to smile and failing miserably at it. Another, of Bruce with a pair of champagne glasses. More and more lined the wall, it was impossible not to see them now that he’d noticed the first one. They almost seemed to glow, dragging his eyes from one to the next. A first year anniversary. A surprise dinner. A relationship that was much further than anything Bruce had at home.

 The pictures suddenly stopped and he stared at the last one, of them sitting by a river, watching the sunset. Did he die after that? Involuntarily, Bruce asked, “What happened?”

 “To what?” Clark approached him from beyond and Bruce could hear as his breathing shallowed, as his breath hitched.

 “Us,” Bruce answered bluntly, the only way he knew how.

 “Oh.” Clark stepped back, sitting down on the couch once more. He interlaced his hands, resting his chin on his knuckles. “No wonder you felt so familiar.” He smiled sadly as he looked up at Bruce. “You’re also in love.”

 “I wouldn’t use that word,” Bruce corrected reflexively.

 “You don’t have to be so defensive.” Clark lowered his eyes. His foot scuffed the floor. “You’re only hurting your Clark, you know.”

 “Like I hurt you?”

 “No, like my Bruce hurt me.” Clark closed his eyes, curling into himself even more. Again, Bruce couldn’t see his face. Again, Bruce wished he could make out his expression. “Like I hurt him. He couldn’t open up and I was tired of trying and…and then he died, before anything happened. Before anything could happen. No apologies, no understanding, just nothing.”

 Bruce stepped closer, his hand hovering over Clark’s back. “I’m sorry.”

 “Me too.” Sitting up straight, Clark pulled out the chain around his neck. On the other end was a plain silver band. “I was going to propose, you know. Thought I’d finally surprise him for once. I wonder what he would have looked like.”

 There was really only one answer to that. He squeezed Clark’s shoulder. “Happy.”

    vi.

 A woman stood in front of him, her hair black as night, and Bruce could have sworn it was Zatanna. Except, it was her granddaughter, and there was something both happy and sad about that knowledge. Catching his stare, she clicked her tongue and rapped his head. “Close your eyes. It’s bad enough you’ve seen what you have, can’t have you finding out more.”

 “Your grandfather, was he—”

 “No guesses either!” The woman growled.

 Clark chuckled. “He’s probably right. He always is.”

 “Yeah, but I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of confirming it.” The woman snorted indignantly. “Alternate world or not, we’re similar enough that we could be his future. And it’s dangerous to know the future.” She rested her palms on the side of his head. “Sometimes you can make it happen.”

 Knowledge could prevent terrible futures, Bruce wanted to point out, but the magic in her hands washed over him, lulling him to sleep. He drowned in drowsiness, his eyes getting heavier and heavier, and the last thing he saw was Clark, was his wedding band on his finger. The silver glinted once, twice, and then all he saw was pitch black.

    vii.

 This was his ceiling. Bruce stared at the pock-marked ceiling, the burn mark from one of Damian’s surprise training sessions. His bed was the right level of firmness. There was no dust anywhere in the room and through the vents he could hear Alfred humming, the scent of coffee wafting in the air.

  He was back. Immediately, he rolled over and picked up his cell, tapping the third speed-dial number. All Bruce would see was that Clark’s sad smile, the apology that lingered in the air unspoken.

 And maybe that was their world’s future and maybe it was just a similar alternate world, but either way, he couldn’t let that happen here. Now.

 “Clark? We need to talk.”

[theshatteredrose]

Relic Keepers: Awakening of the Red Lily (Chapter 1) - Original Fiction

Title: Relic Keepers: Awakening of the Red Lily

Summary: A 1000 years after an apocalyptic event called the Bombardment, humanity have learnt how to harness the power of mana. Silverleaf Military Academy is a learning centre for Indigo Children, those who have the ability to use Mana. And they are divided into two classes; the Elites, who’s skills make them superior on the battlefield. And Passives, who’s skills do not belong outside of the Academy. Supposedly. Eishirou is classed as a Passive. He is also a Chronicler. Gathering lost information, finding relics, learning about the far-flung distant past is what he does. And he enjoys it. However, his life changes when he gets called out to his first expedition in the field with his new roommate, Zayne – a powerfully protective Elite!

Genres: Young adult, suspense, action, adventure, treasure hunt, scifi fantasy, romance, slow burn romance, gay romance

Notes: Ok, here it is. M y first attempt at an original novel! A little nervous to be honest, but I’ll try my best to be entertaining! I’ll also try my best to keep the chapters under 3k for easier reading. But, you know, things happen. Now, this will be a very long project and I will attempt to maintain weekly updates. I do hope you'll give this story a chance. And I hope you'll enjoy reading~

Ao3 | Wattpad | Inkitt | FictionPress

Chapter 1:

Eishirou huffed a tired sigh to remove an annoying strand of brown hair from his eyes. His eyes, normally a honey brown, were no doubt darken and possibly even bloodshot from staring at a bright computer screen for a few long hours.

He enjoyed his role as a Researcher and Chronicler. But staring at data for hours on end certainly got boring really quickly.

“Eishirou? You’re still here?”

Looking up from his work screen, Eishirou glanced over at his fellow Chronicler and friend.

Reddish brown hair and vivid emerald green eyes. Misaki. He was a good guy, friendly and considerate. Protective. He did have an intimidating glare of death, though. Guy knew how to scare the shit out of newbies, that was for sure. And some of the veterans, too.

“Yeah, but not for much longer, I hope,” Eishirou replied as he returned back to his work screen. “Someone was reported to have messed around with a few archives. I’m just making sure they didn’t actually mess with the data.”

Eishirou didn’t need to look over at Misaki to know that his usual friendly smile had turned into a deep frown. “Someone hacked the data? Do you know who?”

“Nope. Just that someone did.”

“I see,” Misaki murmured. “I will find out then.”

Eishirou wasn’t able to suppress an amused snort when he heard Misaki’s footsteps move away. He felt sorry for them, whoever they were. For a few seconds at least. Messing with the data was a bit no-no.

The information he was inspecting was basic, but needed to be preserved regardless. It was information he had seen all before. He knew it by heart, honestly. So, he would be able to get through it all quickly.

The prestigious Silverleaf Academy, a military university where students possessing mana-infused abilities came to train. It was located in Araluen, a Sanctuary City. Set in the middle of an island, surrounded by a large stone wall. And that was located ten miles from the shore of a vastly inhabitable continent. A continent that was reportedly to have once been as Australia. A place they now referred to as Main Land.

"Be sure to book now for the 1022nd Anniversary of the Bombardment!" the large plasma advertising board on the other side of the information centre robotically sounded, momentarily distracting Eishirou from his work.

Oh, was it that time of the year again?

The Bombardment was the name for an era in time, over a thousand years ago, where several asteroids impacted the earth within minutes of each other. Several large cities were wiped clean from the surface. Millions of lives where taken. Many more to follow in the apocalyptic aftermath. Life as those who knew it back then was irreversibly changed.

Of course, they didn't have the exact time or date when the Bombardment had occurred. Information from that era was largely lost and destroyed. And the information they had uncovered mostly contradicted itself. It was difficult to tell between all the fake propaganda and the truth. Not to mention that ruins seemed to date back further than a thousand years. Ancient. No mentioning of them in any form of text or data.

The common consensus was that the Bombardment happened over a thousand years ago. And had brought modern civilisation to its knees.

It also brought the use and discovery of mana.

The scientific community all agreed on one thing; if humanity had not discovered mana and found a way to harness it, then humanity would have been destroyed, too.

By using mana and infusing it within their inventions, they were able to rebuild society. Restructured cities. Learn how to live off the land. Learning how to harness mana within the human body.

The mana itself was largely a mystery. It was a source of energy. Mostly invisible until it was condensed and concentrated, which would then be presented in a glowing light.

However, the scientific community was divided in regards to where said mana came from. The asteroids? Or were rich mana deposits hidden within the Earth the entire time and it took a cataclysmic impact to reveal them?

There were a lot of…discussions about that topic. And certain scientists would often times get violent and confrontational.

Eishirou didn’t have a preference either way. Far as he knew, both scenarios were likely. And did it really make that much of a difference where Mana came from a thousand years ago? It wasn’t going to affect your average Joe’s way of life.

Those born after the Bombardment were often referred as Indigo Children. They were born with the innate ability to use Mana. And they fell into two categories; Elites and Passives.

Some form of discrimination was still rife amongst the Indigo Children. Elites verses and Passives. Elites are those born with battling abilities. Creating swords or other miscellaneous weapons out of mana. They were the ones who fight against the creatures known simply as ShadowDwellers.

ShadowDwellers were, simply put, abominations. Deformed creatures that also possessed the ability to use Mana. Again, the scientific community was divided with where they came from. Again, the asteroids? Or deep within the Earth itself? Some even believed that they were once humans themselves, mutated by mana in some way.

Silverleaf Academy had several Elite Squadrons that ensured the safety of students and residents alike.

Eishirou was a Passive Indigo Child. He didn’t fight in battles. Though, he could enter the battlefield if necessary. Only as a Medic, however. He possessed no fighting skills whatsoever. What skills he did possess was useful for research and archaeology.

He was a bit of an oddity, if one went by the Academy Hierarchy. He was a Chronicler, someone who dealt with gathering information and ensuring its safety for future generations. So, many Elites would refer to them as Paper-Pushers.

But he was also a Medic. And according to the Hierarchy, he was off-limits. No harm was to come to medics, no matter what. Anyone who dared to harm a medic deserved severe punishment.

So, Eishirou was both a nobody and someone of immunity.

In short, the Academy Hierarchy was stupid.

Chroniclers and Information Gatherers were important, however. The ‘modern’ civilisations from a thousand years ago seemed to have believed that they were the pinnacle of evolution. And they possessed all the information that there was to be known.

And yet, many of the ruins that have been discovered date back potentially millions of years. Civilisations deep underground and within the seas. Places and locations that were believed to have been impossible during ‘modern’ civilisation.

Either they were completely arrogant. Or completely ignorant.

A mixture of both, perhaps.

Scientists of today refuse to make the same mistake. They wish to document everything, no matter how controversial or ‘wrong’ that information appeared to be. Fact over fiction. Truth over lies.

Well, the document seemed perfectly intact. Done! He was a free man.

A buzzing sound from his communicator, however, stopped him dead in his tracks. Typical.

With a drawn-out groan, Eishirou slumped back into his chair and picked up his communicator. He didn’t need to see who was ringing him to know who it was. “Prof, you’re slipping. I didn’t even get my butt out of the chair this time.”

The hologram scene of Professor Chryses chortled. “I’ll try harder next time.”

As long as he didn’t catch him in the shower again. If he did, Eishirou was just going to ignore it. No matter how many times he rang.

“Let me guess; you got an assignment?” Eishirou asked.

The middle-aged man on the other side of the communicator nodded. With his dark sun-burned skin and deep wrinkles around his eyes, he was your typical off-the-grid researcher. The best at the Academy, to be completely frank. And he was Eishirou’s mentor.

“That’s right. And you’re coming with me.”

That surprised Eishirou. The only field research experience he had was helping in the restoration of relics and runestones that Jacob and his fellow researchers had discovered. He hadn’t been away from the city before.

“Really? Where to? Are we heading for Main Land?”

Jacob shook his head. “No. A small but tropically dense island thirty miles from here. It should be a rather short assignment. A damaged stone tablet was discovered.”

Ah, that was why he wanted him to join him. That, and he was old enough to start gaining some field experience. “And you need my expertise?”

“Correct,” Jacob smiled. “See you in an hour. Elite Team 3 will be meeting us at the Hanger 12.”

“Elites?” Eishirou repeated in a surprised tone.

“ShadowDwellers had been reported in the area,” Jacob explained simply.

Ah, that explained a lot. Though, there seemed to be an increase in ShadowDweller sightings and occurrences lately. He briefly wondered why that was.

“Right, see you in a bit,” Eishirou returned before he ended the call.

Well, no point dawdling now.

Eishirou grabbed his shoulder bag from the floor of his work desk and stood up. The small door which encapsulated him at his desk slid open noiselessly, allowing him to step out onto the stairs.

“You’re heading out again?” a feminine voice practically whined at him.

He turned to look over at another Chronicler. Long purple hair, dark pink eyes, quite fragile in appearance. Lyvia. She worked full-time within the Communication centre. Her frail body prevented her from joining field missions.

“The ol’ slave driver wants me to join him on an assignment,” Eishirou explained. “A short one, he claims. But we all know what that means.”

Lyvia’s pout quickly transformed into a smile and she nodded. “I heard Elites. Which team?”

“Team 3.”

“Oh!” her expression brightened unexpectedly. “I heard they got a new member. Ernesta practically forced him to join.”

That sounded like something Ernesta would do. She was very mild-mannered, peaceful in some ways. But she was terrifying when angry. Oooh, boy, Eishirou never wanted to get on her bad side.

“You might get to meet him,” Lyvia continued before she gave a telling giggle. “He’s supposedly cute.”

Eishirou rolled his eyes. “I’ll be sure to let you know.”

He bid his fellow Chroniclers farewell as he turned and walked up the pathway toward the exit. He walked past the main Observation Deck and out through the automatic sliding doors. He noted that the Observation Deck was empty. Which was usually a good thing. Nothing untoward was occurring throughout the Academy and city. Whenever the Communicator Commander was there, it meant trouble was about to go down.

Eishirou hadn’t had the pleasure of being on duty when Professor Jalen, or Communications Commander, started barking orders. He was a Chronicler, but he dealt more with the field work. Often aiding Professor Chryses. He only ever used his Chronicler privileges when he needed some classified information. Or just information in general.

He had the ability to access any information at any given time. It was easier within the Communication Centre, but anywhere he could get access to the internet, he could get the information he wanted.

The buzzing of his communicator pulled Eishirou from his thoughts once more. When he pulled it out of his pocket, he half expected to see that it was the Jacob again. Instead he was surprised to see it was his dorm superintendent.

“Katsuto, what’s up?” Eishirou asked as the hologram of a man with a stern expression flickered into view.

“Just informing you that you have a new roommate,” Katsuto stated in his usual brisk and stern manner.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Wait, roommate?

“What roommate?” Eishirou immediately asked. “No one said anything about me getting a roommate!”

Katsuto barely even blinked at his response. “You do now. He’s waiting for you. Play nice.”

“W-wait a minute-!” Eishirou spluttered. But it was useless. Katsuto finished the call on his end and Eishirou was left staring at the screen of his communicator.

He sighed loudly as his shoulders slumped forward in defeat. Asshole. Could have at least warned him a few days in advance. He knew he was to get a new roommate one day, after his old roommate had unfortunately taken ill and had to move to a dorm closer to the medical wing.

But that was beside the point. A bit of common courtesy from Katsuto wouldn’t have gone astray! And he didn’t even mention the guy’s name!

Ugh…

He uttered another sigh and kept walking. Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. He had an assignment to skip off to, anyway. He couldn’t play host for very long. Even so, he hoped the guy was easy to get along with.

After a few minutes of walking, he finally reached the door to his room. He took a minute to gather his composure before he used his key card to open the door. And he stepped inside.

His gaze immediately flickered over to the bed located on the left side of the room. And yup, there was someone there.

He appeared to have been going through his luggage. Tall guy, a couple of heads taller than Eishirou was. So…over six feet. With floppy dark blue hair. His eyes appeared purple. His skin was a light tan. Perhaps it was natural, or it meant that he had spent quite a lot of time outside.

No matter.

“Ah, you’re my new roommate,” Eishirou greeted, gaining the new guy’s attention.

The guy turned in his direction and gave him a thankfully friendly looking smile. “That’s me. You must be Eishirou.”

The door slid closed behind him as Eishirou moved into the room. “And that’s me.”

“The name’s Zayne.”

As Eishirou shook the other guy’s hand in greeting, he noted that he had an Elite emblem on his jacket. He had to fight the urge to do a double-take. Wait, an Elite? Why would an Elite be rooming with a Passive? Especially as Passive like him?

Although, he was…kinda cute, he had to admit. He had the body of an Elite; subtle muscles, sleek form, straight back, and oozing with confidence. Hoped he retained that friendliness after learning that Eishirou was a paper-pusher.

“Sorry, can’t stay long to chat,” Zayne suddenly stated with a wry grin. “First day here and I’m already on an assignment.”

“Doesn’t take long, unfortunately,” Eishirou returned with an empathetic tone. Before he, too, grinned. “I have one, too. Where you headed?”

“Hanger 12 for now.”

Wait…

“Ah, what Elite team, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Team 3,” Zayne answered quickly, completely unbothered that Eishirou knew he was an elite without asking.

So, he was the new guy on Elite Team 3? Eishirou wasn’t entirely sure what to feel about that. Some Elite’s don’t like the prospect of acting like bodyguards to Passives.

Well, one way to find out.

“Well…looks like you’re escorting me there,” Eishirou commented, earning himself a confused tilt of the head from Zayne. “I’m a Passive. And you’re going to be acting as a bodyguard for this assignment.”