#elevated work platform training

[deus-ex-mona]

my day in two pictures:

[healthandsafety79]

Elevated Work Platforms and Aerial Lifts

Elevated Work Platform Course is one of the private workplace courses offered by F.A.S.T. Rescue across Canada, recognized by the Ministry of Labour. This program equips workers with a comprehensive understanding of elevated work platforms (EWPs) through both theoretical and practical training.

Course Content:

Legislation and Regulations: An overview of relevant laws and guidelines.

Types, Limitations, and Hazards: Identification of different EWPs and associated risks.

Setup, Inspections, and Operation: Procedures for setting up, inspecting, and operating EWPs safely.

Emergency Handling: Strategies for managing emergencies effectively.

The practical component will involve hands-on training, allowing students to apply and demonstrate their newly acquired skills.

Province: Ontario

Duration: 8 hours

Certification Validity: 3 years

Class Size: Minimum of 10 participants

[mtandtgroup-blog]

Aerial Lift Safety - 10 Essential Tips for Safe Equipment Use

Ensuring safety in the workplace, mainly when operating heavy equipment, is crucial to preventing worker injuries. Proper safety training is a critical component in achieving a safe work environment. By following these guidelines and investing in thorough safety training, you can significantly reduce the risk of accidents and ensure a safer working environment when using aerial lift equipment. For more click here: https://bit.ly/4bbg21C

[alinafern]

Elevated Work Platforms and Aerial Lifts

Fast Rescue offers a comprehensive range of safety solutions tailored to meet the demands of elevated work environments. Specializing in the provision of safety equipment and training, we are dedicated to ensuring the well-being of workers operating in Elevated Work Platforms and Aerial Lifts.

Our commitment to safety begins with top-of-the-line equipment designed to withstand the rigors of various job sites while prioritizing user security. From scissor lifts to boom lifts, our inventory encompasses a diverse selection of EWPs and Aerial Lifts, each meticulously maintained and regularly inspected to guarantee optimal performance and reliability.

With Fast Rescue as your safety partner, you can rest assured that your workers have access to the highest quality equipment and training, enabling them to perform their tasks with confidence and peace of mind. Contact us today to learn more about our offerings and how we can support your safety needs in elevated work environments.

[fastlinenewark]

As the premier Equipment Safety Training school in NJ, Fast Line Safety Training specializes in Mobile Elevated Work Platform, Scissor Lift, Boom Lift, and Dirt Moving Equipment Certification. We also offer Excavator, Skid Steer, Backhoe, Lull, Forklift, Warehouse Forklift, and Pallet Jack Certification. We provide comprehensive training solutions including WBE, DBE, ANSI A92, SST Worker, SST Supervisor, and OSHA 30 Construction training. Our courses also cover Fall Prevention, Scaffold, 4HR Scaffold, and First aid CPR/AED Training. Site Safety Audits are part of our offering. Your safety is our mission!

Contact Us: Fast Line Safety Training One Gateway Center, Suite 2600, Newark, NJ 07102, USA (201) 208-2203 https://fastlinesafetytraining.com/

[fastlinesafetyny]

Hands-On Learning: Inside Heavy Equipment Training Programs 

In the realm of heavy machinery, knowledge and skill are the cornerstones of success. The towering cranes, earth-shaking bulldozers, and powerful excavators that shape our modern world require operators who are not just well-versed in theory but are also adept at hands-on control. This is where heavy equipment training programs come into play, immersing aspiring operators in a world of practical learning that bridges the gap between classroom instruction and real-world applications.

The Power of Hands-On Learning

Hands-on learning has long been recognized as one of the most effective methods of education, and heavy equipment training programs embody this principle. These programs understand that the intricate dance between an operator and their machine demands muscle memory, instinctive reactions, and the ability to adapt to changing conditions in real-time. Through hands-on experiences, students can internalize the art of operating heavy machinery, translating theoretical knowledge into practical prowess.

Simulating Real-World Environments

Central to hands-on learning in heavy equipment training is the use of realistic simulations. These simulations recreate authentic work environments, enabling students to practice their skills in a controlled setting before facing the challenges of a construction site. From maneuvering a bulldozer through tight spaces to lifting and placing loads with precision, simulations offer a safe space to make mistakes, learn from them, and develop confidence in their abilities.

Mentorship by Industry Experts

One of the defining features of quality heavy equipment training programs is the mentorship provided by seasoned industry experts. These instructors bring a wealth of experience to the classroom, sharing anecdotes, insights, and practical tips that textbooks simply can't convey. Learners benefit from this firsthand knowledge, gaining insights into best practices, safety protocols, and the nuances of different machines.

Mastering Machine Controls

At the heart of hands-on heavy equipment training lies the mastery of machine controls. Students learn to navigate control panels, levers, switches, and joysticks that govern the intricate movements of the machinery. Through guided practice, they develop an understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships between their actions and the machine's responses, fostering a deep connection between operator and equipment.

Safety as a Priority

Safety is paramount in heavy equipment operations, and hands-on training programs are committed to instilling a safety-first mindset in their students. Operating heavy machinery comes with inherent risks, and proper training ensures that operators are well-versed in safety protocols, emergency procedures, and risk assessment. Hands-on training allows students to experience these safety measures in action, making safety an instinctive part of their operating routines.

Building Confidence and Adaptability

The journey from novice to proficient heavy equipment operator is marked by the growth of confidence and adaptability. Hands-on learning plays a crucial role in this transformation. As students progress through their training, they encounter a range of scenarios, from routine tasks to unexpected challenges. Each experience contributes to the development of problem-solving skills, adaptability to different machines, and the ability to make split-second decisions under pressure.

Realizing Industry Relevance

The heavy equipment industry is in a constant state of evolution, with new technologies, techniques, and machinery continually reshaping the landscape. Hands-on training programs are designed to keep pace with these changes, equipping students with the skills and knowledge that are relevant to today's job market. Graduates of these programs emerge not only as operators but also as adaptable professionals ready to contribute to the industry's future.

Hands-On Learning in Action

Consider a scenario in a heavy equipment training program: a student sits in the cab of a hydraulic excavator, hands gripping the controls, and eyes focused on a pile of debris that needs to be moved. With guidance from their instructor, they deftly operate the excavator, scooping up the debris and depositing it into a designated area. This simple action is a culmination of classroom learning, safety instruction, and hours of hands-on practice.

As the training progresses, the student encounters more complex challenges. They might learn to use GPS systems for precise digging, simulate digging trenches for utility lines, or practice intricate maneuvers for delicate tasks like pipe laying. Each exercise hones their skills, building a foundation of competence and confidence that will serve them well in their future career.

The Essence of Hands-On Learning

Heavy equipment training programs focus on bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. While classroom education is essential for imparting foundational concepts, the heart of mastery lies in hands-on learning. Students enrolled in these programs get a chance to step into the operator's seat, maneuver the controls, and feel the vibrations of the machinery beneath their fingertips. This tactile experience is invaluable, as it allows trainees to internalize the nuances of machine operation, develop muscle memory, and learn to make split-second decisions.

Simulated Realism

The training environment provided by these programs mirrors real-world conditions as closely as possible. Advanced simulators recreate scenarios that operators are likely to encounter on job sites. From navigating uneven terrain to lifting and placing heavy loads, trainees gain exposure to diverse challenges in a controlled setting. Simulated training not only builds technical proficiency but also hones problem-solving skills and enhances situational awareness.

Safety First

Safety is a paramount concern in heavy equipment operation. A significant portion of hands-on training is dedicated to instilling safety protocols and practices. Trainees learn how to perform pre-operational checks, assess potential hazards, and respond effectively in emergency situations. By incorporating safety into hands-on training, aspiring operators develop a safety-conscious mindset that stays with them throughout their careers, contributing to a culture of safety in the workplace.

Variety of Equipment

Heavy equipment training programs expose students to a variety of machines commonly used in the industry. This breadth of experience equips trainees with versatility, enabling them to adapt their skills to different equipment types. From compact loaders to towering cranes, each machine comes with its own set of challenges and intricacies. Hands-on exposure to a range of equipment prepares operators to tackle various tasks with confidence.

Expert Guidance

Experienced instructors are the linchpin of effective hands-on learning in heavy equipment training programs. These instructors are seasoned professionals who have spent years in the field, mastering the art of machine operation. Their guidance is invaluable as they share practical insights, offer real-world anecdotes, and provide personalized feedback to each trainee. The mentorship aspect of hands-on training not only enhances technical skills but also fosters a deep understanding of the machines' capabilities and limitations.

Progressive Skill Development

Heavy equipment training programs are designed to accommodate learners of all levels – from novices with no prior experience to experienced operators seeking to refine their skills. The curriculum often follows a progressive structure, starting with fundamental concepts and gradually advancing to complex maneuvers. This scaffolding approach ensures that each trainee builds a strong foundation before moving on to more intricate tasks. The gradual progression not only builds competence but also boosts trainees' confidence in their abilities.

Real Job Site Integration

While simulated environments are essential, the ultimate goal of heavy equipment training programs is to prepare operators for real job sites. Many programs incorporate field training, where trainees work under the supervision of experienced operators on actual construction projects. This integration provides a taste of the challenges and demands that operators face in the field. It also instills a sense of responsibility and accountability, as trainees contribute to ongoing projects.

Industry Certification

The successful completion of a reputable heavy equipment training program often leads to industry-recognized certification. This certification serves as a testament to the trainee's skills and competence as an operator. Many employers prioritize certified operators when hiring, recognizing that certified individuals have undergone rigorous training and possess the necessary expertise to operate heavy equipment safely and efficiently.

Building Careers

Beyond the technical skills, heavy equipment training programs contribute significantly to career development. The demand for skilled heavy equipment operators remains high, offering graduates a range of employment opportunities across various sectors. Whether it's in construction, mining, forestry, or logistics, the skills acquired through hands-on training are transferable and in constant demand. Moreover, with experience, operators can advance to supervisory roles or even transition to related careers such as equipment maintenance or safety management.

CONTACT US: Fast Line Safety Training 535 Broadhollow Rd STE B9, Melville, NY 11747, United States 631-393-6755 https://www.fastlinesafetytraining.com/

[kingkatsuki]

One day Bakugou will tell you how he feels about you, but today is not that day.

No but really, why do girls always type the most filth with the straightest faces while the guy on the other end is probably losing his shit😭😂

“Why do you even bother with this shit?”

You don’t even attempt to shield your phone, it’s nothing that your boss hasn’t seen a million times before. Your face is bored as you swipe through the options, leaning against your desk with your coat and bag on ready to leave the agency for the day as you wait for Bakugou.

To most it was probably peculiar for you to be leaving at the same time as the number two hero, but it had become almost a tradition for you to both grab gyoza at the small ramen bar down the street each Thursday after work. It was a place that Bakugou had found by chance one evening when he stopped a petty villain stealing the cash register off-duty. An act that wasn’t forgotten by the kind owner who offered him free gyoza for life— but he’d always leave his money on the table. The food was good, and the atmosphere quiet, just how he liked it. And you had too the first time he’d invited you after your train home was cancelled.

It almost felt like an unlabelled date night, the two of you laughing over gyoza and asahi away from the stress of the outside world for an hour before he’d walk you to the station and wait for your train before making his way to his platform. A slew of food photos and selfies saved in your phone that could indicate a blossoming relationship if they were posted on your socials, and not saved in your camera roll. And perhaps it could be a date— if Bakugou would ever admit his feelings for you.

“Look at what he said to me the other day,” Your fingers scroll up on your phone screen and Bakugou takes the opportunity to look at the way the light shines off your cheeks, feeling that familiar warmth begin to burn like it always does when he thinks of you, “It was so embarrassing.”

Bakugou squints at the screen, trying to read the text without his glasses as his face swiftly contorts to disgust. He doesn’t need to read the whole message to know the guy is an absolute fucking douchebag—

“He wants to what?!” Bakugou’s blush tickles the tips of his ears as he pulls back to make eye contact with you, “How would you even get in that position?”

“You’d be surprised—” You laugh, light and airy, and it has Bakugou leaning against the side of your desk to stop himself from tumbling forward.

“I refuse to believe that works on anyone.” He snorts as he shrugs his own coat on, switching the light off as you both walk towards the elevator.

“Call it the best of a bad bunch,” You laugh, stepping into the lift as you show him the screen again. This time it’s a conversation that has his throat dry as he immediately focuses on your messages. Just the right amount of innocence piled high with implication as he thought about you texting him like that.

“Guy sounds like a fuckin’ loser,” Bakugou plays it off, jabbing the ground floor button with a little more aggression than necessary as the doors close behind you.

“He seems okay,” You mumble, “He works at Deku’s agency.”

“Definitely a loser then.” He sneers.

“Stop.” You grin at him, and Bakugou has to stop his heart from leaping from his chest from how hard and fast it beats.

“What rank is he?” Bakugou scrunches his nose. He better be at least top twenty before he even thinks about having a chance with someone as perfect as you, and even then that wouldn’t be enough.

“He’s still a sidekick, actually.” You laugh, “I got enough Pro-Hero stress dealing with you.”

“Ya better not be thinking about jumping ship.”

“You know I’d never.” You reply truthfully, “I’m a Dynamight girl til I die.”

Bakugou’s cheeks flushed pink at your admission, heart swelled with pride as he let your words stroke his ego.

“Yeah, ya better be.” Bakugou watched in amusement as you kept a straight face as you texted him back, wondering whether you were keeping the conversation sweet or suggestive. Would you look the same if you were texting him like this? Bored and uninterested as you spewed word after word of crass dialogue. He hoped you’d enjoy it like he would, sending flirty messages that would have him grinning at the screen.

“You’re replying to him wantin’ to eat you out with a straight face.”

“Yeah,” You scoffed, “The best of a bad bunch, I guess. At least he hasn’t asked for any nudes yet.”

Bakugou scrunched his nose in irritation at the thought of anyone getting to see that. The selfish part of him wishing that he could be the one that you’d send those photographs to. Posing in the prettiest mesh and lace as you posed for the camera, or maybe sending him a video of you strewn back against tousled sheets. Fingers buried inside your wet, warm heat as you cried out his name.

“You’re textin’ the wrong people,” He shakes his head, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, “You deserve better.”

“Where am I gonna find better?” You smile over your phone screen towards him, “Especially in this city.”

“I think you’re looking in the wrong places.”

“Wherever I look I just find the same stupid guys.” You sigh, shoving your phone away as you walk towards the exit, giving a smile and wave to the evening security guard as Bakugou nods his head.

Holding the glass door open for you to walk through first, “Yeah, we suck.”

[canmom]

the Spirited Away theatrical adaptation

today I went with @birdfriender to see the stage production of Spirited Away, produced by Toho, currently on tour in London.

and like. holy shit??

you might say how the hell could you adapt a film like spirited away to stage. the answer is: incredibly inventive stagecraft, puppetry, costumes and especially choreography.

I was completely blown away by how this play flowed across the stage. set transitions were masked with lighting to direct attention, with the descending screen, with the rotating central platform that managed to function as nearly every part of the bathhouse. stairs, rotating bridges, creative use of size to indicate perspective (like the tiny train that circles the stage), and just the way the crew would move the props with a flourish -

but also the puppetry, like man! the way characters like Kamaji, Yubaba's giant head (used only at moments of intense emotion), and No Face would be operated by entire teams of puppeteers - it was extraordinary. the puppetry director was Toby Olié who's worked on a million different things including War Horse and you can really see them applying all these tricks accumulated over the years...

the show is remarkably faithful to the film; a few scenes are slightly abridged but every sequence I remembered was there and deliver with style. where it does need to pause and breathe, like in the famous train scene, it does. and like... it is fascinating to see an adaptation from animation to theatre. seeing how Mone Kamishiraishi (Chihiro) would stumble and bumb into walls just as she would under the pen of Shinya Ohira. or how a memorable sequence in the film could be represented symbolically: a collapsing pipe as a string of segments pulled on a string, a flower garden by dancers in flower outfits.

some of my fave sequences involved wooden panels carried by dancers, choreographed so the characters would weave between them, or they'd rotate to represent elevators on different floors. it was also fascinating to see how they'd symbolically represent things it would be impossible to stage, often representing fluids with fabric sheets. a transformation could be shown with actors swapping places with a flourish. at other times, it feels like stage magic tricks are in use, like a flash of light drawing your attention to a rope that was there all along. sometimes the puppeteers will be on stage, wearing simple beige outfits that mark them as not being 'present' as they manipulate the soot sprites and frogs and so on.

they also made effective, sparing use of a large projector screen, which descended at certain points, primarily for the driving scene at the beginning and the train scene. this actually didn't use scenes from the movie, but more of a soft, painterly style applied over... probably animated video? hard to say with the blurring, could be live footage. it reminded me of the use of similar screens in the later YoRHa plays, although it was a minor element here.

we weren't allowed to take photos (i took this one during the final bow anyway) and I would have been too busy watching to take them anyway, but this teaser shows briefly a number of the coolest setups. still, it's so much more when you see the whole thing flowing along without interruption.

and it was very interesting to me looking at this kind of show - big stage, directly homaging an animated film - from the eyes of someone who knows a lot more about film and animation than I do about theatre.

compared to film, you simply do not have closeups; the closest thing is when the puppeteers bring out the segments of Yubaba's giant floating head, but this is used sparingly. so everything is basically a long shot. however, because the acuity of a human eye is much greater than that of a camera, even from near the back of the theatre you can make out a lot of details that you wouldn't be able to make out with an equivalent camera shot. this allows compositions where there is loads going on at stage at once, with the eye being drawn to different areas by lighting and movement.

I do feel like there are definitely things to learn for animators from this kind of stage choreography. so many times I thought like, wow, that's so clever. like how chihiro riding haku was shown by splitting the dragon puppet into segments and putting her on the shoulders of one of the puppeteers.

and everything was done with such style too. if something shuffles off stage, you know it will be done with a wiggle and a flourish. small things but they add so much.

presumably because this seems like an incredibly involved show, there are multiple performers for each major character: four Chihiros, and three Hakus, Yubabas, Kamajis and so on. I'm not sure the exact lineup tonight beyond Chihiro. the exception is Kaonashi (No Face), who is played only by Hikaru Yamano, who gives an incredible performance, sidling and flexing around the stage in all sorts of strange ways that really get across the character's whole deal despite literally performing under a white mask and concealing robe. it's kinda amazing.

another fantastic casting is fundoshi dancer Yuya Igarashi as Kashira (the stack of three big heads that serve Yubaba, and speak only in wordless grunts). he basically has his real head as one of the three, and he has two more heads on his hands, and moves them around in incredibly energetic and funny ways. it's a brilliant way to interpret this, somehow feeling perfectly appropriate to have a buff guy in a red loincloth moving them around.

Yubaba's actress tonight would have been either Mari Natsuki or Hitomi Harukaze; either way she did an incredible job, it was really cool seeing a more human-proportioned version of the character and she brought a lot of energy and authority to the role.

the whole cast did a fucking amazing job honestly. I wish I knew more about theatre acting so I could comment more specifically on the tricks they were doing, but you definitely felt Chihiro's emotions

the production is in Japanese; English subtitles were shown on two screens on either side of the stage. the translation was on the 'honorifics included' end of that scale, but absolutely clear and idiomatic. the format worked - it was generally not hard to follow the action and glance at the subtitles, even though they were further away than they would be in film - and it definitely filled the theatre. I really hope this leads to more Japanese theatrical productions going on tour like this. wish i'd been able to see the Totoro one a few months ago.

definitely this kind of theatre must depend on a fairly obscene budget of the kind that only comes to biiiiig properties like, say, an adaptation of a beloved Studio Ghibli movie (one family turned up in cosplay) - there's a lot to be said for less extravagant staging. at the same time... this really was something.

i gotta go to the theatre more

[hopelesslygaysstuff]

Sparkling Scarlet Masterlist

Started: 12/26/2022

Last Updated: 7/05/2023

Chapters: 30/30

Word Count: 107,843

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Ao3: @hopelesslygaystuff

This series is now complete!

Photo Cred: Me

ᗢ ~ Chapter 1-3 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n is part of the avengers, but her whole world changes when she is sent away for special training with the infamous Scarlet Witch. She focuses on the mission, but doesn't expect to fall in love on the way. word count: ~ 4.3k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 4 ~ ᗢ

summary: Mary goes bye-bye and Y/n gay panics. word count: ~ 1.6k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 5 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n goes home with Wanda and enjoys the rest of the party. word count: ~ 1.3k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 6 ~ ᗢ

summary: They arrive at Wanda's and then it's sleepy time. word count: ~ 1.2k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 7 ~ ᗢ

summary: Wanda and Y/n discuss the interview process and eat breakfast. Y/n is a gay mess. word count: ~ 1.3k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 8 ~ ᗢ

summary: The first interview! Also hella gay panic from Y/n. word count: ~ 3.1k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 9 ~ ᗢ

summary: Second interview and confession of feelings. word count: ~ 2.6k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 10 ~ ᗢ

summary: First kiss! word count: ~ 1.7k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 11 ~ ᗢ

summary: Sex, but it's gentle. word count: ~ 3.6k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 12 ~ ᗢ

summary: They discuss some rules and boundaries. word count: ~ 1.8k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 13 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n goes to class. word count: ~ 3.3k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 14 ~ ᗢ

summary: Wanda is horny for Y/n, and punishes her. word count: ~ 3.1k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 15 ~ ᗢ

summary: More sex, just pure sex. Utter filth. word count: ~ 5.7k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 16 ~ ᗢ

summary: Sex, Wanda gets frisky in an elevator. word count: ~ 3.7k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 17 ~ ᗢ

summary: They go shopping! And then they fuck in a dressing room cause they're both horny for each other. word count: ~ 2.5k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 18 ~ ᗢ

summary: Morning sex, they go to Wanda's mystery event and Y/n makes a new friend! Then, she battles her insecurities on a rooftop. word count: ~ 5.9k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 19 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n gets mad at Wanda, talks with her about her insecurities, and they have very gentle sex. word count: ~ 3.8k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 20 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n gets in trouble cause she's a rule breaker, they have surprise guests for dinner, and Y/n gets punished. word count: ~ 4.7k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 21 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n struggles with her growing feelings for Wanda, attends a party, and ends the night in an unexpected way. word count: ~ 4.2k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 22 ~ ᗢ

summary: Wanda talks with y/n about her past. word count: ~ 3.8k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 23 ~ ᗢ

summary: Filthy smut, like downright nasty. You should probably go to church after reading this. word count: ~ 4.9k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 24 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n gets a phone call and a package and deals with her fears. Then, a big confession of feelings!! word count: ~ 4.5k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 25 ~ ᗢ

summary: Wanda and Y/n have a surprise guest! Y/n gets hella jealous and Wanda just wants everyone to get along. word count: ~ 6.1k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 26 ~ ᗢ

summary: Part two of Y/n's punishment and then it gets sad and they have sex. word count: ~ 5k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 27 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n gets a surprise and then things get very sad when she has to leave. word count: ~ 4.2k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 28 ~ ᗢ

summary: Y/n arrives back at the compound. Then, part one of the mission. word count: ~ 6.4k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 29 ~ ᗢ

summary: Mission part two. word count: ~ 4k+

ᗢ ~ Chapter 30 ~ ᗢ

summary: The team debriefs, Wanda and Y/n have a much needed talk, and then they fuck!! word count: ~ 5.2k+

All work is my own. None of the content on this blog is yours to translate, steal, or repost on any platform.

[brookghaib-blog]

Whispers of the past pt.3

Pairing: Hoshina Sohiro x reader

Summary: 10 years ago, Y/N went missing after being attacked by a kaiju, now working by Gen Narumi's side as his secret weapon, she hides herself in hopes that one day she reconnects with her first love, Hoshino Soshiro.

pt.2 - pt.4

--

The morning air was crisp and cool as I arrived at the secluded training ground on the outskirts of the city. The area was fortified, a place where I could safely unleash my kaiju form without endangering others. Captain Gen Narumi was already waiting, his posture as rigid and disciplined as ever, with a stern look that belied his underlying concern.

"Good morning, Chisuka," he greeted, his voice a steady anchor. "Ready to begin?"

I nodded, feeling the familiar mix of anticipation and dread. "Yes, Captain."

"Let's start with a warm-up. Transform and we'll work on your agility today."

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused inward. The transformation was always a jarring experience, a reminder of the night my life changed forever. My body began to shift, muscles and bones contorting painfully until I stood in my kaiju form—a creature with sleek, obsidian skin that glistened like polished onyx under the morning sun. My eyes glowed a fierce red, illuminating the darkness within. My lithe, almost feline build allowed for swift and precise movements. Sharp claws extended from my hands, and a long, whip-like tail swished behind me, its tip ending in a deadly point.

Narumi watched closely, his expression unreadable. "Begin."

I launched into the drills, moving with a speed and precision that felt almost unnatural. My kaiju form was agile and powerful, designed for both combat and evasion. I leaped over obstacles with ease, dodged imaginary attacks with lightning-fast reflexes, and practiced striking with my claws, each movement a blur of efficiency. Narumi shouted commands, pushing me to my limits.

"Faster, Chisuka! You need to be faster!"

I gritted my teeth, pushing through the pain and fatigue. The memory of Soshiro's face flashed in my mind, fueling my determination. I couldn't afford to falter—not now, not ever. The thought of protecting those I cared about, even if they didn't know who I was, kept me going.

We moved on to more complex maneuvers, combining agility with strength. I practiced jumping from elevated platforms, landing with precision and immediately launching into a flurry of attacks. My claws sliced through the air, leaving trails of red light in their wake. Narumi set up drones that simulated kaiju movements, and I dodged their attacks with grace, countering with swift strikes.

"Good work, Chisuka," Narumi said, a rare note of approval in his voice. "Now, let's test your endurance."

I nodded, ready for the next challenge. Narumi activated a series of holographic kaiju, each one programmed to attack relentlessly. The battle was intense, a blur of motion and energy. I moved fluidly, dodging their attacks and countering with my own. My claws and tail were a blur, striking with lethal precision. The fight continued for what felt like hours, each second a testament to my strength and resolve.

Finally, Narumi called a halt. I reverted to my human form, collapsing onto the ground, breathless and exhausted. Narumi approached, offering me a bottle of water.

"Good work today," he said, his tone softer. "You're improving."

I took the water, nodding gratefully. "Thank you, Captain. I just want to be ready."

He sat down beside me, the unspoken weight of our mission hanging in the air. "You will be. But remember, Chisuka, you're not alone in this. We're in this together."

I looked at him, seeing the resolve in his eyes. "I know. And I'll do whatever it takes to protect them."

Narumi nodded, his gaze intense. "That's what makes you so valuable, Chisuka. Your determination, your strength. But don't let it consume you. Balance is key."

As we stood to leave, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. The challenges ahead were daunting, but I knew that with Narumi's guidance and my own resolve, I could face whatever came my way.

After the intense training session, Narumi and I walked back to my apartment. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the city streets. We didn't talk much on the way, both lost in our thoughts. When we reached my building, I invited Narumi in for dinner, feeling the need for some normalcy after the day's exertions.

"Make yourself comfortable," I said, opening the door and stepping inside. "I'll start dinner."

Narumi nodded, glancing around my small, modest apartment. He sat down at the table, watching as I moved about the kitchen, preparing a simple meal of rice, grilled fish, and vegetables. The rhythmic motions of cooking were soothing, a stark contrast to the chaos of our lives.

As the meal cooked, I set the table and joined Narumi in the living room. The TV was on, playing a news channel in the background. We chatted about the day's training, strategies, and the ever-looming kaiju threat.

"You're getting faster," Narumi remarked, his tone approving. "But we need to work on your endurance. The battles are only going to get tougher."

I nodded, appreciating his feedback. "I'll keep pushing myself. I want to be ready for anything."

As we ate, the conversation shifted to more personal topics. It was rare to see this side of Narumi, the stern captain allowing a glimpse of his humanity. We talked about our pasts, our families, and the burdens we carried.

After dinner, we settled in the living room with cups of tea, the TV still playing softly in the background. Suddenly, a segment caught my attention. It was a gossip show, the kind I usually ignored, but the names mentioned made my heart stop.

"…rumors are swirling about a possible relationship between Vice-Captain Hoshina Soshiro and Captain Mina Ashiro. The two have been seen together frequently, sparking speculation about their…"

I froze, the cup of tea trembling in my hand. Narumi noticed my reaction, his eyes narrowing in concern.

"Chisuka, are you alright?"

I tried to compose myself, but the words on the screen echoed in my mind. Soshiro and Mina? My heart ached with a mix of jealousy and sadness. I had believed, hoped, that Soshiro would wait for me, that he would somehow sense I was still out there.

"I… I'm fine," I lied, my voice shaky. "Just tired."

Narumi wasn't convinced. "Chisuka, talk to me. What's bothering you?"

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of my emotions pressing down on me. "It's just… I thought… I hoped he would wait for me."

Narumi's expression softened, a rare glimpse of empathy. "It's understandable to feel that way. But remember, Soshiro doesn't know the truth. He thinks you've been gone for years. People move on, and it's not a reflection of how he felt about you."

I nodded, trying to hold back the tears. "I know, Captain. It's just hard to see him with someone else. Especially someone like Mina. She's strong, capable… everything I'm trying to be."

Narumi embraced me in a tight hug. "You're strong too, Chisuka. And you're doing something incredibly important. You're protecting them, even if they don't know it. That's something to be proud of."

His words offered some comfort, but the ache in my heart remained. I turned off the TV, unable to watch anymore, and focused on cleaning up the remnants of our dinner. Narumi helped, his presence a steadying force.

As we finished, he looked at me with a mix of concern and determination. "We'll keep training, Chisuka. You'll get stronger, and when the time is right, you'll have the chance to tell Soshiro the truth. For now, focus on your mission. It's the best way to protect him and everyone else."

I nodded, drawing strength from his resolve. "Thank you, Captain. I'll keep fighting."

As Narumi left, I closed the door behind him, the weight of our conversation settling heavily on my shoulders. I glanced at the photograph of Soshiro once more before tucking it back into the box. The image of his smiling face lingered in my mind, a reminder of a life that felt like a distant dream.

--

The night was alive with the sounds of laughter and music as I worked behind the bar, serving drinks to the patrons who filled the dimly lit room. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation, a sense of excitement hanging in the air. It was shaping up to be another busy night at the bar.

As I wiped down the counters, my boss approached me with a concerned look on his face. "Chisuka, we've got a bit of a problem tonight. Two of the dancers called in sick, and we're short-staffed. I hate to ask this, but would you be willing to fill in for them?"

I hesitated, my heart sinking at the thought. I had never been comfortable with the idea of dancing in front of a crowd, especially in the revealing costumes that were required for the job. But I couldn't refuse my boss's request, not when the bar was relying on me.

"Are you serious? Boss I can't, that's not my job, can't you cut short the show or something"

Mr. Orochi never asked me for much, neverless something he knew how I felt about, he had a anxious expression on him, "Chisuka please, I promise you get paid double for this favor, and whatever the gentleman give for you is yours".

Reluctantly, I nodded, as much as dancing for a crowd of men sounded agonizing, I couldn't pass the oportunity of a higher payment, it's not like a salary as a bartender would leave me much at the end of the month. It wasn't the first time I would do this, that's how I started at the bar, however, I had often tell Mr. Orochi how bad that job made me feel, that's how I've eventually earned my spot as serving drinks and nothing more. "I'll do it."

As much as I hated to be under so many thristy eyes, Mr. Orochi as taken care of me as one of his own, if needed, he knows, that'll do whatever he asks me to.

He grinned, relief evident in his eyes. "Thank you, Chisuka. I owe you one."

I forced a smile, my stomach churning with nerves as I headed to the dressing room to change into my costume. The outfit was even more revealing than I had feared, a skimpy ensemble of sequins and feathers that left little to the imagination. I felt exposed and vulnerable, the fabric clinging to my skin uncomfortably.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed aside my discomfort and focused on the task at hand. I had a job to do, and I would do it to the best of my ability.

As the night wore on, the bar filled with patrons, the energy of the crowd infectious. The music grew louder, pulsing through the room as the dancers took to the stage, their movements graceful and hypnotic. I watched from the sidelines, steeling myself for my own turn in the spotlight.

Finally, it was my cue to take the stage.

My costume was just a light pink miniskirt and a matching bikini top, I had heels full of glitter, put my hair in curly hairstyle the best as could with such little time, a mask covering the upper part of my face, showing only my lips for them to see.

I plastered on a smile, trying to exude confidence as I stepped onto the platform. The music started, and I began to move, my body swaying to the rhythm in a carefully choreographed routine I used to do in my times as a dancer.

But despite my best efforts, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. The eyes of the crowd bore into me, their gazes lingering on my exposed skin. I felt vulnerable and exposed, a puppet dancing for their entertainment.

As I danced, I caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd. Soshiro. His expression unreadable as he watched me with intense focus. My heart skipped a beat, a surge of emotions flooding through me. I wanted to look away, to hide from his gaze, but I couldn't tear my eyes from his.

In that moment, it was as if the rest of the world faded away, leaving only me and Soshiro locked in a silent exchange. His eyes bored into mine, searching for something I couldn't name. I felt exposed, vulnerable under his scrutiny, however, somehow I felt confident, he was the only person who has seen me in this much clothing, and less.

My gaze never left him, the show was now for him, and him only, the though of this being an intimate time between us made it so much easier, that man had a hold on me that not even God himself could revoke.

But then, just as quickly as it had begun, the moment was over. The music faded, and I stepped off the stage, feeling shaken and disoriented, I snapped back to reality, feeling embarassed by all that. I made my way back to the backrooms to change back into my normal working uniform, trying to shake off the lingering effects of Soshiro's gaze.

As the night wore on, the bar grew increasingly crowded, the atmosphere lively with the chatter of patrons celebrating the end of another successful mission. The third division had achieved a hard-fought victory against a powerful kaiju, and they were here to let off steam.

I busied myself behind the bar, serving drinks and trying to ignore the ache in my chest. Soshiro's presence had stirred up old emotions, reminding me of a past I had tried to forget. But as much as I wanted to push him away, I couldn't deny the pull he had on me.

As the night wore on, the music grew louder, the crowd more raucous. I stole glances at Soshiro whenever I could, watching as he laughed and joked with his comrades. He seemed carefree, unaffected by the weight of the world.

Unfortunately, our eyes never met again, being under the same roof and pretend not to see the one I desire so much, right in front of me. All I wanted was to be beside him, laughing with him, be happy knowing that after the bar we would go home together, sleep together, maybe if nothing have had happened to me we would married by now, the happiest couple.

Mina Ashiro. You have it now. You have my dream.

His attention was on a fellow soldier calling his name. I watched him go, feeling a pang of disappointment mixed with relief. It was better this way, I told myself. Better to keep my distance, to maintain the facade of normalcy. How would he recognize me after 10 years of not seeing me, I was probably already forgotten, and here I am, stuck to a memory of little highschool love who now has the strongest and a beautiful woman by his side, in his arms.

But deep down, I knew that no matter how hard I tried to deny it, there was a part of me that would always long for him, for the connection we once shared. And as I watched him disappear into the crowd, I couldn't help but wonder what might have been.

As the night drew to a close, I found myself lost in thought, the events of the evening swirling in my mind. The memory of Soshiro's gaze haunted me, leaving me feeling unsettled and restless. But as I closed up the bar and made my way home, I knew that no matter how much I wished things were different.

"It's time to move on Y/N... He already did."

[fhvsydney]

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[starastrologyy]

Astrology Observations♟

Please do not repost any of my work on other social media platforms 🤍

Edit: please note that I’m attempting to be very neutral and I have not stated my personal opinions on her. However, Nicki Minaj is the PERFECT example of the effects of having a Scorpio Midheaven! People are obsessed with her. For better or for worse. The ‘Barbz’ have literally stabbed people, and beat up someone’s mother over her. Whilst, many musicians, and people in general cannot stand her, because they feel like she’s a bully. She is someone who is extremely polarizing. People become unhinged trying to defend her , whilst others enjoy the fact that there are large groups of people who strongly dislike her. This is the result of having a Scorpio Midheaven in a nutshell.

Whilst having Venus conjunct the Ascendant is often associated with “good looks” I actually think that it really helps with your reputation, and how people perceive you. I will use celebrity examples! Selena Gomez has an Aries Moon (this isn’t shade to Aries moons) and her mercury makes very difficult aspects (squares Pluto/ opposes Saturn) Thus, one would assume she’d be controversial or well known for her temper/outbursts & tendency to attract conflict. But the opposite is actually true, anyone who is perceived to be “shading” her immediately gets attacked, as most people think she’s very kind and genuine. Whilst she has admitted that her relationship with Justin was mutually toxic, most people just can’t seem to see her as the aggressor. Her Venus makes a conjunction to her Ascendant. Beyoncé, Rihanna, Anna Nicole Smith,Angelina Jolie are more celebrities with this placement. What I’m essentially trying to say is, people tend to give you more grace when your Venus makes a conjunction to your natal Ascendant.

It’s common to see people who have the ruler of their 5th house placed in the 10th monetize a creative hobby. Their career often involves making use of one of their creative/artistic skills. Working in the entertainment industries is very common with this placement. Working with children in some way, is also a possibility.

Libra on the 9th house cusp can suggest you studied law, political science, or anything that involves diplomacy at college. Alternatively, you could have trained to become an esthetician or a cosmetologist.

Chiron, Pluto, Mars & Saturn in the 11th house culture is rarely feeling as if your ‘friends’ have your best interests at heart. Having any of these planets in the 11th house can be extremely isolating! It can cause you to feel alone, or perhaps as if you struggle to find a group of people that you resonate with (on a friendship level).

A solar return year in which you have many 8th house placements, will be a year in which you experience many “life changing” moments. Most people fear having planets in the 8th house in their solar return, so they opt to travel to a different location on their birthday. However, I feel like this isn’t necessary! Change and transformation doesn’t always have to be viewed as bad! Sometimes we need change to elevate us in life.

A while ago, an Astrologer on YouTube stated that whenever she sees a Gemini rising, or Gemini placements in a composite chart, she automatically thinks there is cheating involved. I don’t know how I feel about this sentiment. She explained that because of the Dual nature of of the Sign Gemini; it more often than not represents a third party, or external influences that are influencing the relationship. I see where she’s coming from, but I don’t necessarily think it’s wise to always interpret it like that. I personally believe the aspects that are being made in the composite chart will tell you a lot more about what it’s likely to occur in the relationship. If there are tons of squares to Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn & the chart ruler, I’m more inclined to believe that there is the potential for deception.

People with Juno in the 12th or a Pisces Descendent, often have a subconscious “savior complex”. They are usually highly compassionate, and might find that they have a tendency to attract people who have been wounded by life or those who lack boundaries.

A solar return year, in which you have planets in the 2nd,8th, & 11th houses, also known as the “money houses” can suggest that you will earn or receive a large amount of money that year. Alternatively, you may experience a significant change in your financial situation. You want to look at the aspects of course! (Trines & sextiles are more likely to manifest positively, whereas the conjunction can go either way).

When transit Uranus makes a square to your Natal Ascendant or Midheaven, those around you may view your newfound behavior as being strange or erratic. You are likely to go through many unpredictable changes during this transit consequently, you will start to experience changes in your personality, which will impact your relationships. You may find that you no longer resonate with the people around you, and abruptly decide to move, or make a change in your friendship circle. This is a very unpredictable time in your life, and your behavior will reflect this.

Trigger Warning: Eating Disorders (please don’t continue reading if topics like this make you uncomfortable. My intention is never to harm anyone or make anyone feel uncomfortable 🤍)

I’ve noticed that any kind of Saturnian influence over the 1st, 2nd & 6th house can bring about poor body image or restrictive tendencies when it comes to food. For example, having Saturn in the 1st, 2nd or 6th house! Or perhaps Saturn is negatively aspecting planets in those houses. Capricorn over these houses can also bring about a food complex. Obviously not everyone with Saturn in these houses will have a restrictive eating disorder, it’s just an observation so please don’t make it apply if it doesn’t 🤍

On the other hand, a Jupiterian influence on the 1st. 2nd, and 6th house can manifest as binge eating or turning to food as a coping mechanism. This can be having Jupiter in the 1st, 2nd, or 6th house. Alternatively, this dynamic can also occur when Sagittarius is over one of those houses.

[the-guilty-writer]

"Dodgeball"

Request: from @unknowntoyou2205 Can you do spencer platonic where she is Derek sister and generally goes to them after school but one day she comes in hurt

Derek Morgan x sister!reader, Spencer Reid x platonic!reader

Summary: You're lying to Derek about how you got hurt at school but you can't hide from a bunch of profilers, much less a genius too.

A/N: Thanks for the request! As always, feedback is appreciated.

CW: reader has minor injuries, talks of bullying, one swear word incase someone cares about that lol

---

Hiding your limp would be painful, but easy. Your bloody lip on the other hand would be harder to disguise. You winced as you pressed a cold paper towel to the cut in an attempt to help the swelling go down, but it wasn’t working and if you didn’t catch the next metro to Quantico your brother, Derek, would likely assume that someone had kidnapped you. You slung your backpack over your shoulder and limped out of the bathroom towards the metro platform.

For the entire fifteen minute train ride you tried to come up with the best story possible to explain why your lip was busted- so far your best idea was just to tell everyone that you got hit in the face with a dodgeball during gym class- but there were no seats available on the underground car, forcing you to stand on your aching leg. By the time your stop was reached it was nearly impossible for you to walk normally without wincing. Still, you put on a brave face as you got into the elevator and pressed the button that would take you to the sixth floor.

You thought about your story again for just a second. Was there even a point in hiding the truth from profilers?

The elevator doors opened and you decided the best course of action was to hide your limp as best as you possibly could and go with the dodgeball story. You practiced keeping a straight face as you walked into the bullpen area.

Just like everyday they were home from a case, your brother looked over at you as you walked through the glass doors and toward his desk.

“Hey (Y/N), how was- oh what happened?” Derek stood up from his desk as you reached him, touching a gentle hand to your face.

“Dodgeball is what happened,” you said, pulling your face away. “It’s fine.”

“Are you sure it’s fine?” Spencer said from his desk.

Ugh, you thought. Profilers. “Yeah. It’s fine.”

You went to move to the empty desk across from Derek’s but couldn’t contain a wince as you sat down. You could feel the looks of your brother, Spencer, and Agent Prentiss watching you carefully as you took out your homework and continued to try to convince them that everything was truly fine.

---

It was almost the end of the work day. Prentiss had already left with JJ and Garcia for girls night. Rossi had gone too- probably to do some rich guy stuff. Your brother was sitting in Hotch’s office, the two of them discussing one last consult before going home. The only people in the bullpen were you and Spencer.

You finished up your homework and put it away, grateful that you could forget about school for the day.

“So, dodgeball?” Spencer asked as you bent down to put your folder in your backpack.

“Yep,” you said. “Dodgeball.”

“And you got hit on the hip too?” Spencer said. You didn’t reply. “I don’t think there’s a formal statistic for being hit in the face with a dodgeball and on the hip at the same time, but I’d imagine the chances are about 0.032% depending on the environment.”

“I guess I’m just that lucky,” you replied, avoiding the agent’s gaze as you sat up, wincing at the movement of your hip again.

“(Y/N),” Spencer said. “Did someone hurt you?”

You sighed. “Not exactly.”

Spencer raised his eyebrows, encouraging you to go on.

“I really don’t want to talk about this.”

“I think you really should,” Spencer retorted. “You hang out around a bunch of profilers and we have Garcia. We’re going to find out what happened eventually.”

You sighed. “You won’t because it’s not on record.”

“So there was a risk of something being on record?”

Shit. You had really given yourself away on that one.

“(Y/N), if someone is being mean to you-”

“They aren’t mean to me,” you started, frustration having built up in your chest. “There’s this kid. He skipped the third grade so he’s a year younger than everyone else. He’s super nice though. I was struggling with homework the last time you guys were on a case and he just came over to me in the library one day and started helping me. I didn’t even have to ask. He reminds me of you.” You sighed. “But the upperclassmen like to pick on him. On the way to lunch there was a group trying to shove the guy in a locker and I- I couldn’t just stand there…”

“So you got in the middle of them?” Spencer asked.

You nodded. “Yeah. I have hand-to-hand training but it was still stupid of me. There were three of them and one of me.”

Spencer shook his head. “I don’t think it was stupid. I think it was brave.” He smiled at you a little bit. “I wish someone would have done that for me when I was in school.”

You were about to reply when Derek called to you from just outside Hotch’s office. “(Y/N)? You ready to go?”

You nodded and rose to your feet, wincing as you put pressure where your leg was still sore. Derek walked out of the bullpen with you and the two of you got in the elevator together.

“So,” he said. “Dodgeball got you good, huh?”

“It did. I think I need another hand-to-hand class,” you said.

Derek nodded. “Alright. We can do that. There’s one on Saturday that has an opening.”

You thought for a second about what Spencer had said before adding, “Do you think I have room to bring a friend?”

Derek smiled. “What kind of friend?”

You shook your head. “Nothing like that, big brother. Just someone who reminds me of Reid and had a run-in with a dodgeball today as well.”

Derek smiled softly. "Alright. I'll make room for your friend. And next time, maybe you should tell the dodgeball that your brother carries a gun."

You laughed. "Will do."

[sickficideas]

it's alright, it's okay || akutagawa siblings sickfic

ao3! 11.1k - please refer to the tags in the link for content + warnings!

16 May, 2012, 09:31am - Yokohama

"You look awful, Ryuunosuke."

She has a feeling that he's heard that a few times today, because all he does is sigh. She's waiting for him to protest that comment, he always does, but she has enough evidence to prove her point. He's unusually pale and she can tell he's dizzy just by looking at him. That red around his eyes is always either a sign that he's beyond exhausted, or he's starting a fever.

"Good morning, Gin," he opts for instead, despite sounding entirely annoyed. Gin decides she's not going to play this game and bother with pleasantries. She reaches up to lay a hand against his forehead, and before he swats it away, she gets enough proof to make her case.

"You're warm," she tells him.

"I'm fine. I haven't slept," he offers as an explanation as he starts to walk off towards the entrance to the subway station. That might be entirely true, but she thinks he doesn't realize that wouldn't necessarily cause him to look like this, with a fever on top of that.

Gin caught a glimpse of Higuchi when Ryuunosuke was first walking over, and she turns to wave her off, and the latter gives a meek wave in return. She probably had to deal with Ryuunosuke's attitude all morning. She feels sorry for her.

"Thank you," she mouths behind her hand, and she catches a smile from Higuchi before she turns around again.

"I hope you were nice to Higuchi," Gin says when she catches up to him. She notices the container in his hand. "What do you have there?"

"Tea," he answers simply.

"What kind?" she asks.

"Ginger," he says.

"Who made it?"

"Higuchi."

That tells her all she needs to know. Higuchi wouldn't make him something like that for no reason, she must be at least a little aware that he's ill, or not feeling well, at the very least.

"That was nice of her," Gin says. Higuchi is always that nice, no matter the occasion, whether he wants it or not.

"Mhm," he mumbles. "You're talkative today."

Gin huffs out of her nose. He’s not saying enough, but she won’t bother arguing with him. 

She takes Ryuunosuke's arm as they walk down. It's painfully obvious how dizzy he is and she really doesn't need him cracking his head open on the subway stairs, that's entirely inconvenient. "You should have taken the elevator."

"It's out of service," he tells her.

The line to their apartment is always quick to bring them a train, and this time she's especially thankful for it. She leads Ryuunosuke to one of the only open seats. He, of course, stares at her for a few moments, expecting her to take it, but she grabs his shoulder to push him into sitting down, leaving him without any choice.

She takes a bit of a defensive position in front of him as she takes hold of the pole right next to the seat they've found. It's just a few stops, thankfully.

Ryuunosuke looks tense. She's not entirely sure what happened. She knows he and Higuchi had to meet with Mori, but she doesn't know why, when, anything, and she doubts Ryuunosuke will tell her - but clearly, whatever happened there is still heavy on his mind. But at least, now, he's closed his eyes.

She wants to think of something that will help him relax, but with how unwell he's looking, she has a feeling she'll need to think of ways to prevent a worsening illness instead.

The train arrives and Gin quickly kneels down to take his arm to lead him through the doors, they're always so quick. This time, Gin really has to make an effort to keep him upright once they're on the platform, and she's really worried he's about to pass out. She stood him up too quickly.

"I'm okay," he assures her with a shake of his head in some attempt to get himself together, but she keeps their arms locked regardless. She knows at least that this station has a working elevator that they will be taking advantage of.

The elevator doors let them out on the street level, and they begin the short walk back to their apartment.

"Did your job go well?"

"It did," Gin tells him with a nod. It's not uncommon for things to go smoothly - she, Tachihara and Hirotsu make a good team. "Tachihara is out for four days, by the way."

"Is he now," he says, after a few faint coughs. Gin nods. Tachihara never elaborates on what he leaves for, but it’s at least once a month that he’s gone for something. "I suppose…the timing is good."

Gin has a feeling that means Ryuunosuke knows he won't be going back to work tomorrow, either.

There's a cat in front of their apartment that Gin always likes to stop and pet. It's a little thing that she looks forward to. Ryuunosuke doesn't usually engage. He pretends he's not a fan of cats, but she thinks he secretly is. Regardless of his feelings on the cat on any particular day, though, he usually waits for Gin. But today, he's unhooked Gin's arm and he's already headed up to their apartment without a word to her.

Gin stays for a while, regardless, just to give Ryuunosuke some silence for a few minutes. She's concerned about him being sick. It's never just a little cold or a headache, it's always a whole ordeal for him. He can never catch a break from it.

"What should I do with him, hm?" Gin asks the cat, who of course, gives her no good answer. He just purrs and presses against her hand for more pets, but before long, he's moved on to his spot on his doorstep in the sun.

Once she's back inside, she realizes this is where she's going to have to really take care of her brother. This is where he'll let his guard down enough for her to help him. She hangs her coat and keys by the door, takes off her shoes, and peers into the kitchen.

She sees him almost doubled over the sink. She sighs. That was inevitable, really. He's lucky he even made it this far, that willpower of his is something else, but as she gets closer, she realizes he hasn't actually thrown up. He's still breathing heavy like he's nauseous.

"You okay?" she asks gently as she walks over. Of course, he doesn't look okay at all. The arms holding him up over the sink might collapse on him at any moment, but even so, he nods. He could be on the brink of death and still be in denial.

"Okay, let's take this off," Gin says as she tugs on his coat. He doesn't look thrilled by the idea, but he's gotten better about letting his guard down in these kinds of situations over the last few months. He views himself as completely defenseless without long coats like this, and often he'll refuse to take it off even when they're at home. She turns him around and unzips it, pulling his arms out of the sleeves, and getting another feel at just how warm he is. She's worried he's going to turn into jello if he's standing any longer.

She takes his wrist to lead him to the bathroom, so she can at least wash his face for him. He often grumbles in protest about how he doesn't see the point in such things, but she knows how much it helps her after a long day, and insists on it anyway. She sits him down on the toilet lid and he rubs his eyes at the harsh bathroom lights, which she turns off for him, instead opting for the natural light coming in through the windows.

"I'll be right back. I'll get you a change of clothes."

And she does just that, finding a t-shirt and a light pair of sweatpants for him to wear. He's not going to like the t-shirt, but Gin won't let him walk around in a sweater with a fever, which she's sure he has.

She's done this countless times, ever since the first time he came home to their apartment with injuries so bad he couldn't brush his own hair. He knows by now that if she brings him to the bathroom, that she's going to help him whether or not he wants her to.

"Do you need help changing? I was thinking I could check if we have any medicine," Gin says when she places his change of clothes on the counter.

"I think I can do it," he says quietly, gingerly reaching for the clothes. He looks and sounds so tired. Gin won't keep him up, but she wants to at least help him wash up before he gets to bed.

Gin isn't sure they have much of anything, but she's concerned about his nausea. She needs to think of something to relieve him of that so that he can rest comfortably.

But of course, before she can start a proper search for medicine she hears Ryuunosuke fall. She scrambles to get back to the bathroom, already horrified that he's hit his head and he's out cold - but thankfully, he's still conscious. He's managed to get the sweatpants on but the shirt seems to have been the problem. He's leaned against the cabinet with a hand pressed against his head and his shirt only halfway on.

"Did you faint?" she asks him gently, deciding to not force him back up. The way he moves his head doesn't tell her if it's a yes or a no, but it's obvious enough to her. It must have had something to do with holding his arms over his head. She helps pull his shirt down all the way, since it seems he got most of the way there on his own.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles, hardly audible.

"Stop. Don't be sorry, Ryuu," she tells him gently. The last thing she wants is for him to feel guilty. "How long have you been feeling bad for?"

"Not long," he murmurs, coughing into his hand, "it hit me this morning."

Gin doesn't think he's being dishonest, because she's seen this happen before. It always seems to go downhill incredibly quickly for him with his poor immune system.

She does her best to be quick, but she has a feeling that he's gotten used to letting this help him wind down. She's careful with washing his face, but she thinks the cool washcloth is soothing with the fever he's running. He probably needs a shower at some point, but she would rather he rest first, especially after he fainted.

She takes a moment to brush out his hair, too. She's thankful that in recent months it doesn't seem to be falling out as much, in fact, there's not much hair caught in the brush at all. She hopes that means he's taking better care of himself, but it's hard to say. It could be a coincidence.

She takes his hand to help him up. He has to lean on the counter for support for a few seconds before he takes any steps further. He's still very dizzy.

“I’m fine,” he tells her, even though she doesn’t say anything to him. He makes it clear that he doesn’t want any help, and Gin knows not to push his limits, so she doesn’t offer it.

"Please go lie down, I'll go get us something to eat," Gin insists.

"You don't need to do that," he murmurs with a sigh. He doesn’t move from where he’s standing.

Gin sighs back at him. "When did you eat last?"

Of course, Ryuunosuke won't answer that.

"It's been over twenty-four hours, I'm guessing. You need to eat, Ryuunosuke,” she says. They’re six years out of the slums and Ryuunosuke is still this stubborn when it comes to food.

"I don't think I'll be able to."

She's always stressed about his weight. He hides it well underneath his clothes, well enough for Gin to forget, most of the time. Gin feels guilty for it. She can see it now, his collarbone past the t-shirt, the way he’s standing making the bony surface of his shoulders a little more prominent.

"Then I need you to take some medicine for your nausea. I'm picking up food whether you can eat it now or not,” she tells him. She won’t push his limits most of the time, but she will when it comes to things like this.

He doesn’t say anything to her, his expression just falls a little like he’s silently accepting her response. That’s good enough for her, he thinks. He takes his body off of the counter and keeps a hand on the wall, tracing it as he takes himself to his bedroom, thankfully with no incident.

Gin decides she’s just going to place an order for something online. She doesn’t want to leave Ryuunosuke alone while he’s feeling like this, and she knows he’s afraid of being left alone with his guard lowered like this - so she finds her phone and puts in an order for something she knows will arrive soon.

She straightens up the bathroom for a few minutes after washing her own face and brushing out her hair. She needs a shower, too. There’s a lot of things she’d like to get done, actually, but she won’t distract herself with things that will take her attention away from Ryuunosuke right now.

She closes the door behind her and peers into the bedroom, hoping he’s at least laying down, by now - but he looks like he’s just sat up, and now he knows she’s there.

"Gin," Ryuunosuke stammers with a hand over his mouth, "the - the trash bin, please -"

By the time Gin can get the bin to him, he's just dry heaving between already painful sounding coughs. Gin can't imagine he has anything in his stomach to bring up, considering how long it's been since he's eaten - and he did this earlier too.

That makes it clear enough how unbearably nauseous he must be. He's far too good at hiding it.

After several minutes, he lies back down with a shaky sigh, not looking relieved in the slightest. He looks like he's in pain, his eyebrows knitted together. His body is frail and weak, he can hardly handle the exertion it takes to even attempt to vomit. Gin can't realistically give him any comfort, which is one of the worst parts of seeing him like this.

“I’ll leave this here, okay?” Gin says, setting the bin down on the floor beside the bed. “Will you take some medicine for the nausea?”

He just nods, sinking back into the pillows underneath him. Gin has always thought he has far too many of them, but if it’s comfortable for him, that’s all that matters to her.

She goes back to the kitchen to fill up a glass of water for him to take with the medicine. She’s a little worried about if he’ll be able to keep it down or not with how nauseous he is right now, but he has a better chance at feeling better taking this than he does just suffering through it.

He takes it without any complaints. Gin busies herself with a few quiet tasks in the apartment - straightening things up, things to keep her hands busy while she decides what to do. She would really like to get a doctor to him now, but she thinks she’ll have a hard time getting him to agree to that. Now, if it has to wait until tomorrow, should she call one in or take him to one? He doesn’t like having people in their apartment for any reason, understandably, but with how he feels right now, any sort of car ride or train ride to a doctor would make him feel significantly worse.

She should probably call Higuchi too, seeing as how the two of them are planned for another meeting tomorrow, but she may put that off to avoid worrying Higuchi for a longer period of time.

She peeks back into his room after half an hour or so, hoping he’s asleep. He's curled into his side, a pillow tucked between his arms. She's thankful that he's finally decided to lie down and stay there, but he looks miserable.

"Can I call a doctor over for you?" Gin asks quietly.

"No," Ryuunosuke murmurs. He’s completely avoiding eye contact, likely very aware that Gin doesn’t like that answer. "I'll be fine tomorrow."

Gin knows he's lying, but she'll respect the boundary he's setting, at least for now. As long as he’s not doing worse.

"If you're not doing better by tomorrow, I'm calling a doctor. Okay?"

He doesn't object to that. He shuts his eyes, and Gin decides to close the door and let him sleep for a while.

17 May, 2012 05:27am

Ryuunosuke sleeps through the day and into the night, which is troubling enough on its own. He’s never been known to sleep for long periods of time at all, not when they were younger and living in the slums, and still not after all of their years outside of the slums. Gin managed to find time to shower, order food in, and not any of her movements woke him. Not even when she laid clothes over his hot forehead, or when she slipped a thermometer under his tingue to take his temperature.

It’s a quarter until six the next morning when she takes his temperature again, and it’s steadily climbing. It stayed at around a hundred even throughout the day, and now as it beeps, the numbers ready one hundred and one point six. She bites her lip, brushing his hair out of his face.

He looks exhausted, but worse than normal. His gaunt face is only dimly illuminated by the lamp in the corner of the room, but even its warm light can’t cover up his horribly pale skin.. She doesn’t think he would have the will or energy to move even if he were awake. His brows are twisted together like he’s still uncomfortable, in pain. Even while he’s sleeping.

“Ryuunosuke…even after all this time, you still look the same when you’re sick,” she says quietly to herself, brushing back his hair, remembering his thirteen-year-old face illuminated by the candle she managed to find at the time. At least they’re safe here. At least she can properly take care of him, now.

Now is probably a good time to call Higuchi.

She steps into the bathroom and shuts the door, to help conceal the sound just in case it were to somehow wake him, as she pulls up Higuchi’s number.

"Gin, is everything okay?" Higuchi stammers almost immediately, not leaving room for a ring. Gin realized she hasn't exactly thought of what to say.

"Hi, miss Higuchi," Gin says a little nervously. She doesn't want to alarm Higuchi, but this isn't exactly a good situation, either. "I just wanted to let you know my brother needs to stay home today…maybe a few days. He's not well."

"I knew he was coming down with something…" she grumbles, sounding frustrated with herself. Gin wasn't want her to put any blame on herself, she's positive Ryuunosuke did his best to hide his condition from her. She hears shifting around, the sound of keys. "I can call a doctor over. Or if you think it's a better idea, I can come pick you two up to take him to the clinic at headquarters, but -"

"I think he'll be okay. It's not too serious," she assures. She’s not quite sure how truthful she’s being, but she didn’t have any plans to involve Higuchi. "I just don't want him to overwork himself."

The shifting stops. “Okay…if you’re sure. But, Gin, please call me if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Gin almost feels herself tearing up at the sentiment. She’s thankful for Higuchi’s kindness and willingness to help, and she’ll certainly take her up on it if she needs it, but for now, she thinks everything is okay.

They end their conversation with a few pleasantries, and Gin steps out into the kitchen.

She hears the cat’s little paws on their front door, and she opens the cabinet at the front door to access her secret stash of cat food for the little thing. There’s a few others on the street that feed the cat, but she thinks that lately, he has begun to favorite her. Ryuunosuke has made remarks here and there that they can’t keep a cat, they’re not home enough, but she thinks there’s no harm in this.

She fills up a little bowl with some kibble and sets it outside the front door for him. It’s started to rain a bit, the cat’s fur is damp. He purs and meows at her, rubbing his head against her hand as she sets it down. She scratches behind his ear as he eats. He really is cute. She wants to give him a name, but she can’t think of anything. She can already hear her brother telling her not to name stray animals, that it creates attachment, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

"Gin…?"

It's so quiet in the apartment that Gin can hear her brother's weak, raspy voice despite being at the front door.  She pats the cat and tells it to be careful before she shuts the door and heads for Ryuunosuke’s bedroom.

She doesn't think that he'll be able to hear her, so she doesn't bother responding. When he’s sick like this with fevers at those numbers, he's so out of it that he has trouble understanding her even when she's right next to him, so she makes great haste in taking a new washcloth from the kitchen to replace the one that's still resting on his forehead.

She's careful when she opens the door just like she always is, but especially now, to avoid scaring him.

His eyes follow her the moment she can see him, but that's all. He doesn't have any energy to move, not even lift his head.

She kneels down beside him on the futon to press the new washcloth against his forehead. She lets a hand linger on his cheek to get an idea if his fever has gotten any worse, and she thinks it may have.

"What's the time…?" he croaks. He’s still so exhausted, it almost looks like he’s fighting to stay awake. She can see it in his eyes.

"I think it's around six in the morning," Gin tells him. She's not entirely sure. She's been up all night looking after him, but she doesn't find herself tired at all. She's used to it. "I contacted Higuchi earlier, she knows you won't make it in today."

"Higuchi…"

"She was very concerned for you," Gin tells him.

Ryuunosuke is quiet from that point forward.

It's raining hard outside. It puts her on edge. It always has, it's a feeling from the slums that she's never been able to shake off, and Ryuunosuke's the same way. But she's worried right now that his fever is bad enough to make that feeling subside. He's so out of it that he almost seems relaxed, which isn't right at all.

His shirt is damp from sweat, she’s noticed. She needs to shower him later when he’s a bit more awake, maybe with some lukewarm water to help bring his fever down a little, but he’s not awake enough to even sit up, right now.

She holds up his head, gently, to slide out the pillow under his head and replace it with a dry one, a cooler one that’s bound to feel nicer. She sees him visibly relax at the feeling as his head sinks back into the pillow.

"I had a strange dream," he says quietly, after a few minutes of silence. His voice is hoarse, it gets quieter with each word to save his throat from the trouble.

"What kind?" she asks him.

"All of our money turned into chocolate."

Gin isn't sure if he's being serious or not, but she remembers this is her brother - he doesn't joke, not ever. She chuckles, she can’t help it.

"Chocolate? Like back in the slums?" she asks.

"It seems so,” he says. She almost sees his lip twitch into a smile, but in the end, without the energy to commit.

She laughs, this time.

"That won't be very useful to us now," Ryuunosuke says.

"It would've been gold back then," she tells him. She’s still plagued with a strange sense of relief whenever she sees chocolate of any kind. They would trade it for anything they needed back then. It was especially useful to them when he was sick - they could trade it for medicine, blankets, clean water.

She brushes through his hair again.

"I remember the time you were really sick, before we lost everyone," she says quietly. They didn’t have anything for him back then, not until she took he situation into her own hands. "They were all so afraid you weren't going to make it through the night."

She sees him tense up.

“It’s only thanks to you that I survived,” he says quietly.

Gin chews her lip.

28 February, 2006, 16:57 - Suribachi City

"How's your shoulder?"

"It's fine."

Gin knows he's lying, but right now, arguing with him isn't worth it at all. Ever since they were forced out of their last place, Ryuunosuke has been on edge. She's afraid even speaking too loudly to him will scare him, and with the loose control he has on his ability, that could be a dangerous situation for her.

"You two should go to sleep," he tells her, and Sayaka meekly standing behind her.

"I can stay up," Gin tells him, but the look he shoots her says he's not willing to accept that answer.

Right now, it's just the three of them. This is how things often end up when Ryuunosuke isn't fit enough to leave their shelter. She's pretty sure that he's broken bones in his knee and shoulder, but he's used his ability to force everything back into place and now he's simply pretending he's not in any pain. Gin can see it, though. He’s trying really, really hard to hold it together.

“I’m not - I’m not gonna argue with you, Gin,” he huffs, clearly frustrated with her non-compliance.

“And I’m not gonna argue either. I’ll stay up. You need to rest, Ryuu,” she says. “I know you’re in pain.”

She knows that he hates her talking like that in front of Sayaka.

Ryuunosuke turns his head away from her, but something else is on his mind, now. She watches his breaths start to pick up the pace. He waves her off and stumbles out of the shelter, I’ll be right back, he tells her silently, but Gin won’t let him run off. She gives Sayaka a look to make sure she doesn’t follow them, and runs after Ryuunosuke.

He didn’t get far at all. He’s just outside of the shelter in the little makeshift alley, sitting on the dirt ground and leaning against the unstable wall.

“What's wrong?” she asks him as she kneels down beside him. She knows he's nauseous, she can see it in the way he holds himself up, in the expression on his face, the way he’s breathing. But he won't say anything. He never does.

He brings a hand over his mouth like he's trying to stop himself from throwing up.

Vomiting is probably the worst thing for them to do here. Food is so hard to come by, especially as they’re just coming out of winter now, and throwing it up is so much worse than just losing the food. The dehydration that follows is the worst part. They don’t have clean water, they don’t have anything at all.

“It’s okay, Ryuunosuke,” she tells him quietly, laying a hand on his shoulder. She bites her lip. If he really is sick, they’ll figure it out. They have to.

She rubs his shoulder and he leans off to the side to choke up what little he’s had in his stomach to begin with. He has a hard time breathing through it, he’s really trying - but she thinks between the nausea and the pain from his injuries, this is all too much. He groans and lowers his head, trying to keep quiet but ultimately losing the battle.

She’s trying to think of a game plan. Rin and Shinya should be back the quickest, the left first this morning, maybe she can leave in their place to see what she can find for him. They won’t have brought back any medicine, they don’t have any idea that Ryuunosuke is sick - and she can’t ask them to turn around, if they’ve been out scavenging for hours.

She takes his arm once she thinks he’s finishing throwing up to lead him back into their shelter. She’ll get him to rest for a while this way, at the very least - he can sleep on the couch cushions they managed to find a few weeks ago.

Sayaka doesn’t say anything when they walk back in - she knows not to, but she can already tell what’s going on, Gin can see it in all of the concern in her eyes.

"Lay down, okay?"

She's shocked that he listens to her, it's telling enough of how he's really feeling. He curls up on the cushions with a little pained noise, his uninjured arm wrapped around his middle.

“It’s just from the pain,” he says quietly, but she knows he’s lying. She’s angry with herself that she didn’t realize he was sick.

Gin isn’t sure what to make of this. She lays a hand on his cheek and realizes he’s warm, so he’s been sick all this time. Getting sick from eating something bad is so much easier to deal with, but he must have an actual illness.

What else can she do? They can't take him to a doctor. Medicine is impossible to come by. They’ve already used everything they could trade in to replace everything they lost at their last shelter. They have absolutely nothing for him.

"What do we do?" Sayaka asks meekly from behind Gin.

“We’ll just see if some rest will do him some good,” Gin assures her with a nod. She’s hoping that will help, she’s praying for it, but she has a feeling they won’t be so lucky.

Shinya and Rin make it back an hour or so later, unfortunately with nothing more than a water bottle - but that’s certainly better than anything else they’ve been finding.

“Gin? Is Akutagawa…?” Shinya starts, eyes darting to Ryuunosuke’s curled up half-asleep form in the corner of the room. Both of them saw him as soon as they got back, but held off on saying anything.

She just nods, she doesn’t need to say much else. Shinya and Rin both exchange nervous glances. Ryuunosuke was sick for nearly two weeks last time, unable to do much other than sit up - and they need him more than anyone else, a fact everyone is painfully aware of. Ryuunosuke’s very aware of this too - that’s why he’s so hesitant to rest at all. He’s the reason all of them are alive. His ability is invaluable.

“He’ll be okay. He has to be,” Rin says with as assuring smile. Gin appreciates the sentiment, it helps her a tiny bit, but she can’t avoid her concern.

A few hours later, most of their group has returned, and Ryuunsouke is doing much, much worse.

He’s thrown up two more times since the first, and Gin’s holding a bin out for him now, Takehiro helping him keep steady because he doesn’t have the fight in him to even hold himself up. He doesn’t even have anything left in his stomach - they tried to get him to drink water a few hours ago, but it just came right back up.

Not to mention the fever. His skin is so hot that it burns to the touch. He’s covered in sweat, his hair is damp from it, but he’s freezing. She watches him shiver under the blankets, even with the fire going, and there’s no telling how bad that fever really is. Gin’s stomach twists, he’s gotten so much worse in a matter of hours. He’s still in so much pain, too.

She watches him blink away tears as he lays back down. It’s humiliating for him. All of these kids look up to him, he’s their pillar, their protector - and now he can’t even sit up on his own. She knows he would rather suffer alone than with any help.

“Gin?” Yuji starts quietly, just after Ryuunosuke has calmed down enough to rest his eyes. Yuji is abnormally quiet, like he doesn’t want anyone else to hear. The rest of them are curled around the fire pit on the other side of the room.

“Yeah?” she says.

“Do you remember…a few months ago, when Akutagawa told us that the Sheep owe him for something?” Yuji starts quietly.

Gin’s eyes widen.

She’d forgotten about that.

She doesn’t remember what he did for them, but she’s not sure he ever told them - but she distinctly remembers that they do in fact owe him something. And right now would be the perfect time to cash in on that and get him some help. The two of them only know this because he's told them that if they need something important, that's the route to go.

This is important. He may not consider it so, but she’s not sure he would survive this kind of illness this time around.

Gin stands up and walks toward the fire pit, where the rest of the group’s wide eyes stare with concern.

“I’m going to get help. Please take care of him while I’m gone,” she says quietly. At least, while he’s this sick, he can’t try to stop her.

“By yourself, Gin?” Rin asks nervously. “I’ll go with you.”

“I won’t be long. I know where I’m going,” she says. Rin’s already been out all day, she can't ask her to waste her energy to simply accompany her. “If I’m not back in two hours, come look for me.”

“Please be careful,” Sayaka squeaks.

Gin nods. She has to make it back for her brother, after all.

She takes her pocket knife out of her bag and stuffs it in her pocket, looking over Ryuunosuke and decides she has to go without saying anything to him - she can’t worry him, not with how awful he’s feeling already. She’ll be back before he can even realize shes left.

She scurries out, only with her knife and a plan to hunt down a sheep.

28 February, 2006, 19:49

Gin spots one after only half an hour of sneaking around their territory. Long, brushed out pink hair. She’s walking inside the building, but Gin won’t let her get that far. She’s cornered this girl before, and she knows that of she gets her, she can get who she wants to come out.

Within seconds, Gin has her against the wall with a knife up to her throat, close enough for her to feel how sharp it is, but not drawing any blood.

Her wild eyes stare straight into Gin’s. She seems to recognize that screaming right away may be a death sentence for her, so she stays quiet for a moment.

“Where is he? Your leader?” Gin growls.

The girl somehow manages to push Gin back long enough to shout something without a knife against her neck. “Shirase!”

“Answer me. Where is he? Where can I find him?” Gin snaps at her, digging the knife again, feeling her hand shake. Realistically, she has no solid way to defend herself, and no reason for them not to kill her - but she doesn’t live in a world where she can politely ask for help.She has to demand it, or else, her brother will continue to suffer.

“Get offa her, bitch!”

Gin whips around fast enough to catch the new boy off guard, presumably Shirase, and she holds the knife up close enough to his throat to draw blood. He's frozen in fear for just a second, caught off guard by Gin’s quick movements, but that’s all she has. He pushes her to the ground.

“Where is he?” she stammers, standing up on her shaking legs. The girl runs behind Shirase and grabs his arm, pointing straight at Gin.

“Kill her! She’s crazy, she tried to slit my throat! I didn’t even do anything!” she shouts, and Gin swallows back her fear. She wants to shut this girl up. If she wanted to slit her throat, she would have.

“The hell do you want with him, huh?” Shirase growls, sticking an arm out over the girl like he expects Gin to go after her again. “I’m not gonna let you near him if you think you can just go around holding knives to our throats, you psycho!”

Gin, for some reason, has enough courage in that second to try to go after him again, but he kicks the knife out of her hand and pushes her to the ground, pressing the heel of his boot into her chest.

“What did I just say, dammit!” he yells, stomping once against her ribcage. She cries out, fairly certain he’s cracked one of her ribs with that action. What they hell was she thinking? Why did she think this was going to be easy, that she could simply get help for her sick brother? She can’t hold her own against these people.

“Get off her, Shirase!”

Another voice shouts, and a boy with red hair suddenly appears in her line of sight. She knew she made the right call. She always sees these two around the leader.

“Don’t go near that bitch, she tried to kill me and Yuan!” Shirase growls. Yuan has already scurried over to snatch Gin’s knife off of the ground before she can reach for it again. “Held that knife to our throats!”

“Well, you still got your heads,” he huffs. Shirase looks completely taken aback by that. He scoffs.

"You're the Sheep's leader, right?" Gin asks. Her hands are shaking as she sits herself up. She has no chance in fighting anyone back now, so she needs to make her case.

"I'm not anyone's leader. Whaddaya want, kid?" The latter snaps. He keeps his hands in his pockets, glaring down at her with a raised eyebrow. The way he looks at her makes her wonder if he recognizes him.

"The Sheep owe us. Our group," Gin says quietly, slowly trying to stand herself up. Shirase and Yuan back up as soon as she does. "My brother, he…he helped you guys with something. A few months ago."

He looks suspicious, and waits for Gin to continue making her case.

“You’re not seriously gonna hear this bitch out, Ch-”

“Shut up. Let her talk, dammit,” he groans, waving his hand around to signal her to continue talking. He doesn’t make any steps forward, anything to make he think he’s going to retaliate. She tries to swallow back her nerves.

"I'm sorry, I don't…he didn't tell me what happened,” she mumbles quietly. She doesn’t have any idea. All she knows is it was significant enough for them to make this deal together.

"Ability user?" The red-head asks, cocking his head to the side, like he’s recovered a memory.

Gin nods.

"The one whose clothes turn into knives," he confirms.

Gin nods again.

"Yeah. We owe him. Where is he?" he asks. Shirase drops his jaw, starting to argue again, but the boy waves up his hand to shut him up. “Why’d he send you and not come here himself?”

"He needs a doctor. He's really sick," she murmurs, eyes dropping to the ground for a moment, intimidated by the red-head’s intense stare. "Do you know anyone that can help him?"

He exchanges a glance with Shirase for a moment. Shirase looks angry that he would even consider helping, but he knows what the latter is about to suggest without him even saying it, it seems.

“We know one in the city,” The leader says.

“Don’t help this punk ass kid, dammit. She just tried to slit Yuan’s throat! And mine!” he reminds him. Yuan doesn’t seem to want to speak up against this, for some reason. She stares back at Gin with a confused look.

“Well, we owe her brother a favor,” The red-head huffs, not even bothering to give him a look. “No take-backs for that kinda stuff. You know how it works, Shirase.”

Shirase pushes his shoulder and nearly knocks him to the ground. “Since when do you put outsiders over the rest of us, huh? The hell’s your deal? If I wasn’t here, this bitch would’a probably killed Yuan, you fuckin’ - ”

“This girl’s brother took out the guy who stole Yuan, you dumbass,” the leader snarls. “She’d be - if it wasn’t for him, she would -”

“This - that guy…?” Yuan starts, eyes suddenly full of concern as she looks over at Gin, and she starts to put all the pieces together. She remembers the day Ryuunosuke killed the trafficker, the man whom he met with to get supplies in exchange for favors. She suddenly feels sick, remembering his face, and then, his dismembered corpse at her feet. She doesn’t remember why Ryuunosuke ended up killing him, but even if it meant their supplies significantly dwindled, she was thankful he was gone for good.

Shirase is suddenly quiet.

“Please,” Gin starts quietly, feeling her eyes flood with tears with the resurgence of those memories, “I just want him to get better.”

“We’ll help you. I’ll get the doctor to come here if you can get your brother here by tonight,” the Sheep’s leader says.

“Next time, you can just ask for help, instead of trying to kill us,” Yuan grumbles, but her expression still holds that sadness.

Gin feels tears slide down her cheeks.

17 May, 2012 10:03am

Gin thinks to herself, that kid looked an awful lot like Chuuya. But that can't be right, there's no way Chuuya's from Suribachi City. Besides, she knew the Sheep leader's name. What was it again…?

"I'm going to go pick up the dry cleaning, I won't be gone for longer than half an hour. Do you think you'll be okay?" she asks Ryuunosuke. He’s been okay over the past few hours. No change in his fever, but he hasn’t thrown up. “I’ll pick up something to eat, too, but I think you might not be ready for that yet.”

“Not yet,” he confirms, letting his eyes fall shut. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Gin says with a quiet sigh, fixing the cold cloth on his forehead. “Just call me if you need anything, I’ll have my phone on me.”

He doesn’t say anything, but Gin knows she heard him. She dresses herself quickly and scurries out of the front door.

Motomachi isn’t far at all from the apartment, she wouldn’t have left if she knew she couldn’t make it back in a timely manner. She places an order at a restaurant right around the corner from the dry cleaners, that yall it’ll be ready for her once she’s finished picking up their clothes. Efficiently using her time.

She’s caught off guard by a familiar voice before she can wander inside, though.

"Gin!"

Higuchi. Gin whips her head around a little too fast.

"Good morning, ma'am," Gin says, bowing her head for a moment. She’s made herself a little dizzy, but manages to keep her composure.

"You don't have to call me that, Gin. I've said you can call me Ichiyo," Higuchi says. Gin isn't sure she wants to do that. Higuchi is still technically her superior, but she thinks she's latched onto the fact that she knows Gin's secret, now. "How's Akutagawa doing?"

"He seems to be doing better," Gin says, but it's not necessarily true. She'd rather give a vague answer than worry Higuchi any more than she already has. She wonders why Higuchi isn’t at work, but it makes sense that she wouldn’t have any reason to go in with Akutagawa home sick.

There's a girl standing close enough to Higuchi to lead Gin to believe they're out here together, and she almost does a double take at how similar they look. They must be related, but Higuchi's never mentioned anything about having siblings - let alone one that’s near identical to her.

"Ah, sorry, Kuniko," Higuchi says. The girl smiles as Higuchi politely gestures to Gin. "This is one of my coworkers."

"Subordinate," Gin corrects, bowing her head again.

"And Gin, this is my younger sister, Kuniko,” Higuchi introduces cheerfully. The girl smiles back at her.

“It’s nice to meet you! I’ve heard a lot about you,” Kuniko says, a statement that warms Gin’s ears up. What kind of things is she telling her sister about them? “Sorry if we’ve interrupted your plans.”

“Oh - no, it’s okay,” Gin says politely. “I was just going to pick up dry cleaning and some food before I head back home.”

“Do you think he needs to see a doctor, Gin?” Higuchi asks, her eyes suddenly full of concern. She’s not sure what tipped her off. Maybe there was too much urgency in her voice.

“I’d…I’d like him to, but…” Gin says nervously. She chews at her lip.

"I'm so sorry, I should've tried harder to get him to see one yesterday," Higuchi murmurs. She knows that Huguchi’s best efforts would have been wasted on him anyway, he’s far too stubborn to ever take advice or listen to that sort of thing - but of course, Higuchi’s guilt over the situation is tangible nonetheless. Gin doesn't blame her one bit. “I wish I’d noticed sooner…”

"It's alright, ma'am. He's stubborn," Gin says. Of course, to her, the signs are obvious, but she's known Ryuunosuke since she was born. He'll start to space out and become confused over things that make perfect sense. Sometimes he'll get quiet. He way he breathes has been engraved into her memory. She spent several nights keeping watch over him in the slums when he was sick enough to make her think she would wake up to hear his breathing cease.

"Gin?" she says.

"Yes?"

“He’s been getting sick more often,” Higuchi says quietly, her eyes lowered. “I’m worried.”

“I know,” Gin says, but it’s all she can say. She doesn’t know why. He’s never had a good immune system, but it’s only gotten worse. He won’t see doctors, he won’t tell Gin how he’s feeling or why, not ever. All she can do is watch.

"I promise I'll keep a better eye on him, next time,” Higuchi says.

"Please don't blame yourself,” Gin tells her. She would rather take the blame onto herself.

The dry cleaners and picking up food both take much longer than she would have liked them to, and she ends up back at their apartment about an hour later than she planned.

She sets the take-out back on the counter and drops the dry cleaning bag onto the floor before she scurries back to Ryuunosuke’s bedroom, but there’s no sign of him in bed. The sheets are disheveled like he was in a hurry to get out.

"Ryuunosuke?" Gin calls out, but she doesn't see him anywhere in the room. He might be in the bathroom. She’s worried that he’s thrown up again.

She knocks, briefly, to no response. She opens the door, slowly, carefully - Ryuunosuke is curled up against the wall, arms wrapped around his middle, features twisted up in pain. She doesn’t think he’s entirely awake, but he’t not asleep.

“Ryuunosuke?” Gin starts, kneeling in front of him, "You should go back to bed. It's not good for your body to sleep like this.”

She thinks his fever's gotten worse. He's not responding to her. He looks as white as a sheet, and he doesn’t show any sign that he’s heard a word she’s said to him.

"Ryuunosuke, I think -"

Her hand grazes his waist in an attempt to grip his arm, only for a moment, but it sets something off. He flinches so hard that she's worried for a moment he's hit his head, but the bigger problems begin when the ends of his sweatshirt turn into tendrils and hurdle toward her throat. They're wrapped tight around her neck before she can even think to fight back. He’s almost using enough force to pull her off of the ground, and no amount of pulling at his ability could possibly get her out of the restraint.

She feels like she’s going to die. She can feel it start to get sharp, but the choked plea she manages is enough to bring her brother back to reality.

As soon as he lets go, coughs and coughs, really thinking for a moment that she was going to stop breathing. She lifts her head and sees Ryuunosuke halfway up, staring at her wild-eyed, horrified at what he’d just done.

She knows why. He's never once told her, but she knows.

"Gin…I, I'm -" he hardly manages before he forces himself up to vomit into the toilet bowl, clearly not for the first time that day. Gin's angry with herself, she chose a terrible time to leave him. She should have known he would only get worse.

She knows she's safe to touch him now. He's alert, he's said her name. She scoots up closer to him and rubs his back. There’s nothing left for him to bring up. He’s just coughing and dry-heaving. It sounds so painful.

Gin bites her lip when she spots blood drip down his chin.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. His voice shakes. He can’t lift his head just yet, he’s still trying to catch his breath.

"Please don't be sorry," she says quietly. "It's okay."

She holds him for a few moments after he finally lifts his head. She wants him to know he's truly safe, and leave no doubt in his mind.

She can't help but cry.

"Gin…" he manages pulling back and reaching a hand out like he’s trying to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, it's not - it's not what you did," she murmurs. Of course, it scared her, but she's heartbroken that he still reacts like that. He'll never, ever let his guard down. That’s the worst part of it all.

"Your neck…" he says, his face all twisted up with the slew of emotions he’s feeling. God, he’s so pale. He looks like he’ll pass out any second.

"It's okay, Ryuunosuke, I promise,” she assures him, rubbing at the spot that’s starting to become sore. This is truly the last thing he needs to be worrying about. She’s dealt with much, much worse. “Let’s get you back to bed, okay? I think - ”

His eyes roll back and his whole body goes limp and falls forward before she can even finish her sentence. She hears a tiny noise of discomfort from him as she lifts him up to take him back to bed, but she certainly can’t let him fall asleep in the bathroom again.

She manages to get him back to bed, deciding to change out his comforter to something not so damp. His skin is so, so hot - she bites her lip when she feels his forehead. It must feel nice, her cool hand, she can see him visibly relax at the touch.

His eyes open again when she lays a washcloth over his forehead. His eyes don’t look for Gin for a few minutes. She takes his temperature, and the thermometer reads one hundred and three, now. It’s a miracle he’s able to talk to her at all. God, he must feel absolutely miserable.

“Hey,” she greets quietly when his eyes finally find her face, “you passed out.”

She doesn’t want to cause any confusion. He sighs, like he’s disappointed in himself.

“I think I should take you to a doctor, Ryuunosuke,” she tells him. She knows he’s not going to get any better on his own, especially with how much he’s throwing up despite eating nothing.

“I’ll be fine,” he breathes out quietly.

She sighs again. She wishes he weren’t so stubborn. She can’t imagine feeling as miserable as he is right now and refusing any kind of outside help.

"I ran into Higuchi earlier," Gin tells him, “she’s worried about you. She offered to take you to a doctor. Or call one in.”

"She's a fool," he whispers, turning his head away. He can’t comprehend anyone else caring for him. He’s never understood the lengths that Higuchi has gone to for him.

"She's just worried," Gin says. "You don't need to be so secretive with her. It might have saved you some trouble if you told her you weren't doing well yesterday."

"It's not her problem to deal with," he murmurs. He coughs a few times.

Of course he would think that way.

Gin isn't sure what she can do to change his mind. This has been the way he's thought since they were kids. His problems are his own. He never shares them with Gin, she always just happens to find out.

"That doesn't mean you should suffer alone, Ryuunosuke,” she tells him. "You wouldn't want me to suffer alone, would you?"

He scoffs, like it’s a ridiculous comparison, somehow.

"I doubt you would want that for Higuchi either. Or Tachihara, for that matter… any of us. I know you’re not heartless,” she says, patting his hair.

“You always say strange things,” he says quietly, the last of his words drifting off as he starts to fall asleep once more.

17 May, 2012, 17:41

Only a few hours later, Gin’s finding it hard to breathe after she checks the thermometer.

One hundred and four point one.

She can’t wait anymore. He needs to see a doctor right away. Even if it’s not what he wants, someone needs to help him, to do more than Gin possibly can from their apartment. Her hands shake as he brushes his hair from his face - he’s not reacting to anything. Not to any pinches, squeezing his arm, nothing.

But the worst part is that even through his delirium, only a few moments ago, he turned his head to the side to choke up a mouthful of blood, staining the white pillowcase beside him.

She scrambles for her cell phone and searches for Higuchi’s contact. It rings. Once, twice, three times, and Gin almost hangs up, but Higuchi finally answers.

"Miss Higuchi," Gin murmurs, trying her hardest to hide the shake in her voice. She knows there’s no hiding it.

"Gin? Are you okay?" she asks immediately, evidently recognizing the hurt in her voice right away. She already hears shuffling, like he’s getting ready to leave her apartment.

"He’s not…he’s not responding anymore. He needs a doctor,” is all she says, tears slipping from her eyes. She dips her head onto his shoulder and squeezes his arm, tight. His far too hot skin. She can’t see anything in front of her, the salty tears blocking her vision.

“I’ll be right there. Please don’t worry, I’ll be there very soon, okay?” she says gently, but Gin can hear it in her voice, too. She’s afraid.

Gin hangs up the phone and chokes back a sob.

Higuchi arrives in record time only minutes later, Gin stumbles to the front door to let her in, tear tracks staining her cheeks. She tries to wipe them off, she sees the way Higuchi is looking at her like she’s absolutely heartbroken to see her like this - it only makes her cry more.

“Hey, it’s okay, Gin,” Higuchi tells her calmly, holding her and squeezing her tight for just a moment. Gin sobs, covers her face, Higuchi pulls out of the hold and takes her hand before Gin leads her to Ryuunosuke’s bedroom.

Gin won’t have any problem carrying him, he’s so horribly thin, but Higuchi is still on standby. She sees the horror on her face as soon as she’s in the doorway, seeing Ryuunosuke in the state that he’s in - the blood, his white skin, the way he’s nearly limp as Gin lifts him from the bed. Even then, she gets no reaction from him, nothing but a pained moan.

“He’s not responding at all…?” she asks with a shake in her voice as she follows Gin out of the front door and down the steps to her car. Higuchi opens the back door for her to set Ryuunosuke in.

Gin gets into the other side of the backseat just as Higuchi climbs into the front, and without any deliberation, they’re off.

Higuchi tells her on the way there that she’s already notified the nursing staff at the Port Mafia headquarters infirmary that they would be on their way, which is reassuring, they’ll be ready. Gin cries and squeezes her brother’s hand the whole short ride there. Nothing has changed. Even six years later, she’s still terrified of losing him.

They get him up to the infirmary floor of the building in no time at all, and without any reaction from Ryuunosuke. She watches his eyes flutter, like he was trying to regain control, but simply couldn’t. She quietly reassured him the whole way, just in case she could hear him.

Once Gin takes him inside, she lays him down in the cot that they’ve prepared for him and she kneels down beside it, her hands reaching up to the guards on the side. Higuchi has already run over to the staff, and she tries to listen in, but she’s too focused on the restraints on the sides of the cot.

Her stomach drops.

"We won't treat him unless he's been stripped of anything he can weaponize," the doctor says as she approaches, neither her nor any of the nursing staff daring to come any closer.

Gin freezes in place, and stares at them in horror.

She understands their hesitancy to treat him. He's dangerous. He's killed members of their staff, years ago. After that point, Dazai was required to be present for any treatment that Ryuunosuke underwent, to negate any effects of his ability.

But he's not here. There’s no one who can do that anymore.

"Please don't do this," Gin says quietly, slowly standing beside the cot. She’s familiar with this doctor. She’s treated her many times, but she becomes very cold whenever her brother is brought up in conversation. "You don't understand how humiliating that is."

"It's not worth risking the lives of my staff, sir,” the doctor says. She holds eye contact. She almost looks like she feels guilty. Higuchi stands behind her, eyes wide and confused. She likely had no idea that this would be involved at all. 

"I'll stay here while you treat him. If it looks like he'll hurt anyone at any point, I'll take the hits," Gin stammers, biting her lip. She’s not even sure that would work. She’s just so desperate for someone to help him, She knows he's dangerous. He's hurt her against his own true will many times. She can still feel his sweater wrapped around her neck and holding her in the air. But it's all out of fear. He's lived so much of his life with no choice but to be that way.

“Please, please help him. He’s so sick,” Higuchi begs, eyes darting between the doctor and her staff.

“I will have him thrown out the moment he hurts any of my staff. Do you understand?” she says.

Gin begrudgingly nods. She just needs someone to help him.

They’ve made their agreement, and finally, the nurses start treating him.

Gin stays beside him the whole time, knees on the tile and elbows on the side of the cot, squeezing Ryuunosuke’s hand. He’s so out of it. He doesn’t react to a single thing that’s going on. Not even the multiple attempts to palace an IV catheter - he had terrible veins and it’s always a painful process for him, but even now, there’s no reaction.

They’re able to get some medications in him, too, through the IV, ones that she doesn't have to worry about coming back up. Something for the nausea, his fever - the doctor said she’s concerned about his lungs, she doesn’t like the sound she’s hearing. Gin knows they aren’t good to begin with, but the doctor is concerned about him developing pneumonia. She squeezes his hand tight again, and just as the doctor sets her stethoscope on his chest again, she feels him flinch.

The tendril stabs through her shoulder before she can recognize it, and she stops breathing for a moment. It's so painful. She's never felt anything more sharp than the fabric of Ryuunosuke's ability, it's almost so sharp that it's numb. She realizes it’s only hit her because of the angle she’s at. He meant to hit the doctor.

"Ryuunosuke," she chokes out, gritting her teeth. "They're trying to help you, Ryuu, please let them. Please."

His eyes are so wide and full of fear. She squeezes his hand tighter. The doctor is frozen in place, fully aware that one wrong move could result in a decapitation.

“I’m here, okay? I would never let anyone hurt you,” she says, tears flooding her eyes.

“I’ll try to give him a sedative,” The doctor whispers. She mentioned that she’s been hesitant on giving him one with the condition of his lungs, but it’s necessary.

One of the nurses has already had one on standby.

He makes a sound that almost resembles her name. He’s fighting to keep his eyes open. Gin cries just looking at that expression, it’s more heartbreaking than anything she’s ever seen on him. She can feel the tendril start to slide of her shoulder and return to its normal form as the doctor injects the sedative into his IV line, and the blood from the hole in her shoulder starts to drip down onto the cot.

Within seconds, his eyes fall shut.

“Gin - ” Higuchi gasps as she runs over, two other nurses following one they realize Ryuunosuke is sedated.

“Will he be okay?” Gin breathes out, wincing as one of the nurses rip the cloth from her shirt to expose her shoulder. “With - with that sedative?”

“I’ll keep a close eye out on him,” she says, brows knit together at the sight of Gin’s injury. She doesn’t want to look. It hurts so much, she hears the whispers from the nurses behind her as they try to coax her into sitting on the neighboring cot, but she doesn’t want to move.

“Gin, let them help you, please,” Higuchi tells her gently, taking her hand and moving her back to the cot. Her voice is shaking so much. “I’ll watch Akutagawa, okay? Let them help you before they can’t fix this anymore.”

Gin's finally starting to get tired herself. She feels her eyes roll back, a few shouts of her name, and everything is black.

May 19, 2012, 18:03

The soreness in her shoulder is the first thing she feels when she starts to feel herself coming back.

“Thank goodness, Gin,” she hears Higuchi say with an exasperated sigh. “I thought you were going to sleep forever…”

She finds Higuchi looming over her when she opens her eyes again, looking concerned but relieved all at the same time.

“Guess not takin’ care’a yourself finally caught up to ya’,” a new voice says, one that she recognizes, but certainly not one that was in the room last time she was awake. She rubs at her eyes as she tries to figure it out, and her stomach drops when her brain finally connects the dots.

Tachihara. Tachihara, who said he would be gone for four days last time that she saw him. Which, if she’s doing the math right -

“How long was I asleep?” she gasps as she sits herself up, wincing hard at the pain in her shoulder. Higuchi squeaks and lays a hand over it, frantically looking around for something to help her.

“I think…it’s been over forty-eight hours, now…” Higuchi says, meekly asking her to be careful as she leans forward to see if Ryuunosuke is still in the cot beside her.

He is. He’s sitting up, propped up by some pillows, leaning forward a little like he’s been watching her, too - as soon as they make eye contact, his shoulders relax with a sigh.

God, she’s so glad to see he’s doing better.

Gin scrambles to get out of the cot, with Higuchi nearly stumbling after her. Ryuunosuke seems a little surprised to see her move so quickly, and she regrets it a little - she feels dizzy, but she needs to check him over.

"Gin," he whispers, eyebrows knit together, "your shoulder."

She looks down at it, finding that blood is starting to seep through the hospital gown she’s been dressed in. It hurts, a lot more than most injuries she’s recieved, but she won’t show him that. She lays her hand over it.

"It's okay," she tells him quietly. He looks so much better than before. There’s color in his face again, his eyes aren’t so glazed over - there’s still an IV catheter in his arm, so he’s still recovering, but this is a massive improvement from before. “You look like you’re feeling a lot better.”

He sighs, like he was expecting her to say that. “You need to look after yourself, Gin.”

“Only if you promise to do that yourself first,” she tells him. Higuchi has found a chair for her and she urges her to sit down, taking note of her shaking legs, not quote yet ready to be walking around after being asleep for so long. She sighs. She hadn’t slept the entire time she was taking care of her brother, and the stress of it all really knocked her out for that long.

“I’m sorry, Gin,” he says to her, very quiet, eyes turned away. He feels guilty, she can see that clear as day. It hurts her to see.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault you got so sick, but you have to let me get help for you sooner next time. Okay?” she tells him, taking his free hand. He just nods, not quite wanting to look her in the eye yet, but that’s fine. As long as he’s acknowledged her words.

“You guys are scary similar,” Tachihara puffs.

“They are…” Higuchi sighs.

[octuscle]

I need to take a work trip to Germany, Leipzig to be precise. Should be a nice change from my NYC life.

I guess, your suitcase won't make it to Frankfurt... Then I guess I have to organize a replacement. Damn Airlines!

The only thing I can offer you so spontaneously is an old army backpack from GDR stocks, covered with graffiti tags, stickers and patches. Pretty heavy... And maybe not necessarily suitable for your classic suit… So, take your rucksckand head to the airport train station. Your train to Leipzig will depart in 20 minutes.

Shit, Frankfurt airport is bigger then expected. When you arrive, you thaught, that you missed your train. But luckily, the train is delayed by 15 minutes. Enough time, to relaxe. And for a smoke. You search the side pockets of the backpack. No cigarettes. But tobacco, cigarette paper. And weed. Shit, that could have ended badly at customs...

Ahh, smoking this feels great. I really needed to decompress a bit after this whole travel shitshow. Don't take offense, but a middelaged man in a conservative suit and a classic haircut smoking weed with an army backpack on the platform of the airport station looks a bit special... You have to admit that, too, when you see your reflection in the window panes of the high-speed train rushing in.

No one had told you that you had better have made a seat reservation. The train is packed. Getting a seat is out of the question. With a little luck, you will still get a seat in the dining car. You order a beer (what else in Germany) and check the contents of your backpack. On top of it lies a hat. It looks funny, you put it on. Otherwise, the backpack is not necessarily neatly packed. Everything is stuffed in more like this. There's a MacBook... You open it. And of course you know the password. Feels perfectly normal to open it. As normal as your pierced earlobes feel.

It is a low-coding platform open to any Big Data AI application. You scroll through the application. Sure, the prototype of an app for digitizing queues in doctors' offices. You open the library of useer stories and start developing the app further. A few hours ago, you had no idea about software development.

It's 9:00 p.m. when you look out the window. Gotha train station. Wherever that may be. You are looking at your reflection. Let's see what the others think of the fact that you have let the beard grow out...

The train is half empty by now. You have not even noticed how it has emptied. It's still a good hour to Leipzig. You close the computer. That's it for today. You order another beer and the vegan curry. Actually, you're also in desperate need of a joint. But of course you can't smoke anywhere on this train.

But you take tobacco, weed, cigarette paper and your cigarette case, which you inherited from your grandfather. And while you're waiting for the food, you roll a few joints on reserve. It will be after 11:00 p.m. by the time you arrive at your shared apartment. But you assume that you will sit together until 01:00 or 02:00. Your roommates are all rather night owls....

You don't notice that you're wearing high-laced DocMarten's boots instead of welted penny loafers as you step off the train. You also don't notice that your hair has grown considerably longer and falls tousled under your hat into your forehead... You pause for a moment as you see the tattoos on the back of your hand as you light up a joint to tide you over until the bus leaves. And after asking the bus driver for a ticket to Connewitz, you wonder if you actually just spoke German with quite an American accent.

The elevator in your house is of course defective again. Old building from 1873, last renovated in 1980 or so. That was long before the fall of the Wall in the GDR. But the rent is cheap. And the atmosphere is energetic and creative. When you met Kevin, Lukas and Emma at university five years ago, you were immediately on the same wavelength. Even though you didn't speak a word of German back then. You would never have thought that a semester as an exchange student would turn into a lasting collaboration. The fact that you found an apartment together where you could work on your startup at the same time was a real stroke of luck.

Upstairs in the apartment, Kevin already opens the door for you. As if he had been waiting for you.

„Sieht heute gut aus”, you say with your strange American accent.

Kevin hugs you and answers „Dude, it's good to have you back! We have missed you! Tell me, do you have new tattoos? Looks hot! And did you bring weed from Amsterdam? Our dealer is on vacation... Shitty situation!“

“Of course, i’d never leave you without”, I say, opening up the cigarette case and offering you one of the hand-rolled contents.

Kevin grins. „What do you say we smoke the first one not at the kitchen table but on your bed? I missed you, stud!“

“I’m so tired after this trip, so the bed sounds just right.”

There is nothing left of your suit right now. Yes, you are still from NYC. But you weren't a lawyer then. You studied computer science. And that was a long time ago. Now you are a Leipziger by heart

You both lie on the bed. You take a deep drag. And blow the smoke into Kevin’s mouth with a deep French kiss. The bulge in your skinny jeans looks painful. “Oh man, Kevin, I need some relief!” you growl.

It doesn't take long and we both have the tank tops off. You discover Kevins new nipple piercings. And can't stop playing with them. And Kevins bulge starts to hurt too.

“Man, let me provide some relief”, he says. And open your jeans. Your boner jumps out of your boxers like a jack-in-the-box.

Those new piercings… You just can’t help yourself… You’ve gotta feel them in my mouth! “Are they sensitive? Does it still hurt?” Kevin starts breathing more heavily. “What are you waiting for you prude Yank! They've been waiting for you for two weeks now!” You take a deep drag and blow the smoke over Kevins chest, which you caress with your tongue. Kevin moans “Fuck! You're doing so well! Sure it hurts. It's supposed to. You make me so fucking horny with your tongue! I love your tunnels on the earlobes!. I can not stop playing with them with my tongue.”

Dude, your dick is producing precum like a broken faucet. Kevin starts to massage it into your dick! You take one last drag from the joint, push the butt into the ashtray and blow the smoke over Kevins boner.

While Kevin rubs your hard dick, You begin licking his uncut cock. Damn man, these uncut European cocks will never not surprise you! Oh man, you love how it feels on your tongue.

Kevin doesn't stop breathing heavily, but still has to grin. “Fuck, admit it, you certainly didn't just talk about user interfaces with Milan and Sem in Amsterdam. You did practice your tongue game. Fuck, you know how to bring someone to ecstasy with the tip of your tongue!”

Oh man, Kevins precum just takes so good. You can’t get enough of it. Kevin reads your thoughts. “I want to lick your precum too. Let's make a 69! I need to suck your powerful circumcised cock.”

Yes, please!, you think in ecstasy. You just love how his balls feel in my mouth. And Kevin has fun to. You must have been sweating like a dog on the trip. Your balls are salty, your cock is deliciously cheesy. “Fuck, I can not tell you how I missed you.” Kevin moans.

He always feels so good, just keep going please, you think. His cock is so hard. His precum is spectacular. It’s like you’re in sync — in and out, in and out, in and out. “Fuck, your balls are so huge”, Kevin grunts. “I didn't jerk off all the time you ve been away. My balls are bursting”.

You both are perfectly synchron. Like one organism. “Please cum at the exact moment that I also cum. I want to make this old house shake.”, you think.You can’t wait to make you explode. Kevins moans “I can't take it much longer. Fuck, you are a master with your tongue. Fuck... Oh yeah... Yes! Fuuuuuuuck!”

Oh god! That was heavy. You both really try. But that was too much. Boy, what a load you both shot! Kevins cum is so thick! So potent! You ’ve got my whole mouth full, not able to swallow everything at once. You both exchange a deep French kiss. The cum runs from the corners of your mouths down our cheeks and necks. Kevin licks the cum traces from your skin. And you his. One last kiss, you pull up our pants again. And go to the kitchen with a joint. Lukas and Emma grin. The whole house could listen to you having sex.

“Incredible, as always, Kevin” You tell him, as you pass him the joint. And as if nothing had happened, you ask Emma if she has any new user stories for your app.