#haha yeah me and Will might have a fantasy au together that I constantly get brainrot about

[meltedhorror]

In the sun

[franeridart]

Hey! So sorry if you already answered this but what application and tablet do you use??

I use Easy Paint Tool SAI and a pretty old wacom intuos tablet! Both questions are answred in my faq, actually~

Anon said:You. You awesome person. You are my new fav artist. 💘💘💘

AW thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:I love your art and the style, it’s all so cute and it might give me a heart attack

He c k let’s hope not! Thank you so so much!!! ;^;

Anon said:hey, can ya do more tokage, pls

Sure, I mean to draw more 1B in the future anyway~

Anon said:nori is soo adorable!! I love your art and seromina so much and seeing them combined makes me mega happy!!! I gotta ask though, how are sero and mina as parents and how do they handle nori’s quirk?

They’re disasters as parents but they try their best and are always having fun - Nori adores them! In their house not a minutes goes by without someone laughing, they’re all super loud and cheerful always~ neither of them has any problem dealing with Nori’s quirk, Sero has spent a whole lifetime learning how to deal with sticky stuff and tape and glue so he knows all the tricks to save clothes and furniture from accidental quirk usage and so on, while Mina’s own quirk makes it easy to counter any glue that might end on her - the main thing actually is that the quirk itself was a surprise! Since Nori looks a lot like Mina, both she and Sero had expected her to have acid like Mina so when she started gluing herself around in places and walking along walls and stuff it was a surprise (they had expected to have to deal with the house being constantly half destroyed by acid though, so glue is nothing compared to that haha)

Anon said:Heyy I saw your twitter account and was wondering if you could link some of those “fics about them boys sharing a bed..“ I’ve been following you for a while now and absolutely love your work (: I hope you don’t mind lol. I need more kiribaku in my life gahaha ❤️ thanks !!

I didn’t really bookmark any and most were old things I had read in the past and spent time rereading lately, but the newest one I read is this one - honestly though at this point 99% of the fics set in the dorms have them sharing a bed, you just need to open ao3 and scroll down less than a page to find stuff lol

Anon said:If you’re not an Adventure Time fan this ask will make no sense to you (so skip it), but when I saw your drawing of Katsuki with a guitar, I immediately thought he was singing some edgy Marceline song, like the teasing-aggressive “I wanna bury you in the ground / I wanna bury you with my sound” (which he actually says at some point I think XD) or the romantic and melancholic “Slow Dance with You” and Eijirou M-E-L-T-S.

Not an AT fan, but the concept is adorable so I’m keeping the ask anyway

Anon said:Do you think you might draw more of your fantasy AU children while you’re playing with you’re new pencil tool? It would be neat if you did! Regardless, I’m grateful for anything you draw!

Yup! Can’t promise when it’ll happen but I love the fantasy AU and I love childhood friends AU, so the chances of me going back on it are pretty high!

Anon said:Are you going to draw Mako and Taiyou again? They are so wonderful.

YAH that’s definitely in the near future plans! Thank you for liking them!!

Anon said:I just…I love all your art. It’s so amazing you’re awesome

THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!! ;^;

Anon said:Stavo scorrendo il tuo blog e ho notato che hai risposto ad una domanda in italiano? Ho seriamente pensato fossi inglese tutto questo tempo! Amo seriamente i tuoi disegni, i tuoi oc sono meravigliosi e non vedo l'ora di scoprire più di loro.

AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH grazie infinite omfg ;^; specialmente per i miei oc, è sempre incredibile per me sapere che alla gente piacciono abbastanza da volerli vedere di più ;^;

Anon said:Hewwo! I’m a huge fan of your artwork!! I was wondering if you have any time could you draw some more of those dorm room scenarios?

Anon I’m sorry but I need you to be more specific, which dorm room scenarios are you talking about? Most of my comics at this point are set in the dorms hahaha

Anon said:I just noticed that on every artwork you sign “do not repost” and I hate it.I don’t hate that you do it, but the fact you NEED to do it. Artists all over the Internet say to not repost their art but people still do it…I hope this will stop someday Sorry for my english btw

Yeah well, I guess as long as people keep on following and giving notes to reposters that’s not really gonna change is it orz

Anon said:You should draw Present Mic x Aizawa *awkward finger guns*

Hell I really should, shouldn’t I

Anon said:my god im gay for your kiribaku like they’re so good aibdjsbsknwnx and i love the interactions between the bakusquad ahh keep being awesome :)

HECK THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

Anon said:Honestly, this might be an odd question I don’t know, but would you ever consider putting your art together in a art book to sell? Cause to be honest, there’s not a piece by you that I don’t adore and I’ve seen some artist do things like that before so I didn’t know if that was something you’d consider. Maybe like all your BNHA pieces or something?

It’s not like I never considered it? It’s more like I dunno how worth all the work to figure out how to make it/where to print it and then to actually make it would be compared to the interest people would have in buying something they can have for free on my blog? It’s just doodles after all haha

Anon said:Would you be willing to draw a little lavi (dgm) doodle for me? Anything tiny, I just love him and your art!!!

I’m not doing requests right now, sorry, but soon enough the new chapter is coming out so I might draw him around then!!! I always fall in a serious dgm mood around the time of the chapter release haha

Anon said:More abuse of the ask function: 1- I love your art and have been for months. On top of that, it often feels cathartic, which is amazing to me. 2- I love how balanced you can make KiriBaku. You even manage to make me appreciate that overrated attention hogger that is Bakugou, you can handle him so much better than the author, because your character dynamics make so much more sense!! 3- I always, ALWAYS find myself reading through all your tags. They’re awesome. Thank you for everything.//Avevo finito lo spazio nell'ask precedente, so I’d only like to add that aside from cutie-smoochy (“It’s not about whether you break” and “I don’t need you” might be my favorite, and for what’s worth, I remember writing something exactly like the latter in the past), you also make mu burst into laughter. Like, the comic where Katsuki is about to out Eijirou on his red hair, I am still rolling. Kiri’s giant mouth is seriously hysterical XD

Thank you for the compliments!! I’m glad I can make you like a character and a relationship you’re not much of a fan of in the actual manga? ? ? Bakugou’s actually one of my favorite characters ever though so………. maybe……….don’t offend him and the way Horikoshi writes him while talking to me………….orz

Anon said:I am starved for Bakukamikiri stuff in this fandom……..But you got some good shit.

I’m!!! happy to be able to help there!!!! haha

Anon said:They mama Mitsuki art you drew 👏💯💖☺️💕👌 I love your art so much

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:Yessssss you have Twitter! It is boring at the beginning but then you’ll love it! I can’t wait to see you here and there! Now all my Bakushima favorite artist have one I can die of happiness!!

I’m!!!!!!!!!! Still trying to figure it out but!!!!!!!! For now it’s not that bad? Just!!! Very different from tumblr so I’ll need to get used to it first!!!!

Anon said:Omg do u shade jirous hair like its a heartbeat line? Dhdisbdisb thats so fuckibg good

THANK she actually has it in canon too, tho, so I can’t take credit for this!!!

Anon said:Im crying on how you draw kirishima’s soft hair

S O B I’m glad you like it!! ;^;

Anon said:Can I ask what your stance is on bakugo’s mom being abusive and sorry if you’ve answered this before

I love Mitsuki with my whole heart and while I don’t think she’s perfect I do think she’s loving and caring and trying her best and always looking out for what’s best for Bakugou 👍 no abuse anywhere, for me

Anon said:OMG I LOVE SEROMINA LOVE CHILD NORI

Thank you for liking her???? heck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:I wish I could use your art for my phone’s background ;^; You’re amazing! I love youuuuuuuuuu

No one’s stopping you from doing that, anon!!! Unless you don’t have a phone that allows you backgrounds, in which case ;-; thank you for liking my stuff that much tho!!

Anon said:Hey! I followed you way back when your main output was haikyuu!! comics and once you started putting out more bnha, i had to unf because i had no idea who everyone was rip. but now that ive finally had the chance to watch it i’m glad to come back and see how much you’ve improved!

HECK THANK YOU???? I’m glad you decided to come back????? oh man that’s super flattering !!!

Anon said:Yolo bakusquad bakubowl ?

I don’t really like the whole concept of [character]bowl, sorry!

Anon said:I absolutely adore your art style😍 every time I see your art it makes me happy:)

THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:Can you draw Hawks and Tokoyami together? You are rlly creative and amazing! So I believe you will produce sth. awesome!!!! (If you don’t want to draw Hawks, could you draw a Tokoyami fusion?)

I can draw that! I’m just waiting to know how tall Hawks is compared to him before doing that 👍 be patient pls relative heights are something I’m stupidly fussy about 

Anon said:Burn the whole world to ashes for you? R U serius?! You always killing me dude. I ascended to the heaven of soft things. I N C R E D I B L E. Im sorry for the break down, i was without tumblr 2 months and the firts thing i do is go to your profile. Keep doing this plis im trully love it 😭💖

mAN I’m so glad you liked that one this much, drawing the boys being unreasonably soft with each other is my fav thing to do tbh !!!

Anon said:Omg I can totally imagine Nori and bakushima’s daughter being friends!!!

THEY ARE !!!!!!!

Anon said:Your seromina is amazing!!! I love that ship I feel like it is so underrated! Thank you for this blessed image!! 😭

No prob!! thank you for liking it!!!!!!! I’ve been in such a seromina mood lately, I might actually draw more soon enough!!

Anon said:Omg imagine a Tetsuwase love child. Something tells me they’d be adorable and one rather angry child, considering who their fathers are

I can see them as being quiet and grumpy………. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Anon said:Hey just wanted to tell you I love your art. It’s so soft and beautiful. My dad doesn’t ship any characters from the series, but he does like the series and he thinks your art and style are really pleasing. We were talking about how nicely you shade and that the style is well developed and lovely to look at. Thanks for making such great art that makes me smile and giving me and my dad yet another thing to bond over.

YO THAT’S SUCH A COOL THING TO HEAR!!!! Thank you to both you and your dad for liking my stuff????? h e c k !!!!!

Anon said:Thanks to you I started reading haikyuu.

I hope you’re enjoying it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[franeridan]

hey i wanted to ask if you could make recommendations for bakushima fanfics? i'm curious as to what you're currently reading, what your favorites are and what your thoughts on the fanfics you read are! :)

Boi!!! Okay, I guess I did something like that a long while ago, everything I said about those fics is still 100% valid, after making that list I reread nearly all of them a dozen of times and I’ve loved them all just as much each of them, good great fics those - but since then I’ve read a shitton more, so!! Let’s do this? Let’s do this

My (newer) Favorite Fics:

one to ten by crunchrapsupreme - lotsa pining, acquaintance to friends to lovers, incredibly soft and ridiculously happy it gave me such a warm feeling reading it? Kirishima is so pure it made my heart sing, Kaminari is just as ridiculous and negative as he’s supposed to be and Bakugou’s!!! Perfect I’m sure you’re gonna like this one

out of sight, within reach by potato - no powers AU, high school AU, misunderstandings and jealousy and ridiculous babies in love - Bakugou pines!!! It’s actually!!! A fic from Bakugou’s pov with this ridiculous dork pining!!!! I would have loved it just for that, but honestly anything potato writes is worth reading they’re just so good and know the characters so well !!!

get tough, straight up by quactus - this!!!! damn!!!! fic!!!! it’s useless even to drag this for long, the reason why this fic is between my favorites is straight out the incredible amount of Bakugou and Kirishima acting like a couple while they’re not even aware their liking each other might be mutual - they’re soft, got no personal space at all, care for each other so sweetly seriously it’s so good to read it made my insides melt

all good things need sunshine by shizuumi151 - a flower shop AU from another author I love with all my heart! Go check everything they’ve written they’re honestly a fave, such a good grasp on these two - this fic is sweet (I think I used that word to describe all the fics I’ve recced till now? It’s my fav genre what can I do) flowers make me soft and these two acting like the ridiculous crushing idiots they are surrounded by them is just a recipe to make me happy lbr

it’s pouring out here again by shizuumi151 - no power/high school/basketball club AU and I’m pretty certain I suggested this one already between my favorite Kaminari fics? Cause he’s amazing in this one, he and Sero both - so are Bakugou and Kirishima, obviously, the whole atmosphere of the fic makes me genuinely happy every single time I read this fic (which I’ve done… way too many times in the last month already, honestly… rip this is a fav for sure)

Fight Me by ryonello - no quirks/nurse! Kirishima AU and oh my god this fic is so good - it’s fun? and bright? and Bakugou pines in the most endearing way ever? I spent the whole fic nodding and going same Baku same haha

From Pictures to Words by Kivea - snapchat AU snapchat AU snapchat AU!!!! Holy heck!!!! These!!!! NERDS!!!!!!! This is a seriously great fic - Baku/Mina friendship and the squad being it all there and Baku & Deku being on civil terms make it all even better, but g o d Bakugou and Kirishima in this fic. Jesus Christ. I love them so much I can’t even find the words to describe it

little are the things we learn by newamsterdam - a 5+1 fic, 6 PoV total each of them describing the KiriBaku relationship from the eyes of those aorund them - listen. Listen. This might be obvious, because newamsterdam is my absolute fave KiriBaku author, but I live and die for this fic - aside from how I adore the external PoV format in general, every single character is so incredibly IC? And the KiriBaku relationship is so so so well described and complete even if constantly seen from an outsider’s point of view? God, I love this fic. I should reread this fic right now, honestly

but I’ve got an angry heart by newamsterdam (again) - no quirks/college AU good god this fic - you could, technically, go back in my blog and find my reblogs of every single chapter and see me dying under every single one of them. Cause this fic killed me. Kept me alive too, somehow. This might be my favorite KiriBaku fic atm, it’s so complete both from a plot point of view and from the building of the various relationships in it too - there’s Bakugou & Aizawa golden interactions, the whole squad is there and their relationships both with Bakugou and with Kirishima are perfect, I live for the way Baku and Deku’s relationship was brought in this fic and the building of Bakugou’s relationship with Kirishima is just. So. Good. It broke my heart a lot, but it made me super happy too so! It was definitely worth it I love reading this fic always

don’t count on me to let you know when by newamsterdam - I’m just, fucken, reccing all of asma’s fics whatever - this one’s n/sfw so keep that in mind! It’s also happy ending with a lot of pain and miscommunication and PLEASE BAKUGOU FOR FUCK SAKE HOLY SHIT WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS I SWER TO FUC———………..it’s a great fic please give it a try if you like to die a lot I don’t know if I mentioned this but newamsterdam’s characterization is everything I live and breathe for, lately (this fic is also the first of hers I read and the moment I decided I had a new fav author so)

Those Ten Moments by Kivea - I’m starting to notice the names sorta keeps on repeating - anyWAY Kaminari trying to make Kirishima see that his crush is requited, what a good fic it’s so much fun??? So many silly lighthearted shenanigans??? And Kaminari is beautiful in this??? Constantly #blessed tbh

you looked at me by shizuumi151 - okay this is N/SFW. And it’s actually mostly a pwp, which are usually Not My Thing. But this fic. My man this fic. Holy shit. It’s definitely one of my favorite Bakushima out there, like, possibly in my top five? Probably, I love it that much - at this point I made it clear I love this author’s way of portraying them so much, but the characterization in this one is so good? And they’re so… warm? And loving? I mean fuck they barely even know each other and still there’s so much attraction written in such a good way I might have read this fic one too many times okay. I don’t know if pwp’s are your thing. But even if they aren’t try this one out. Seriously.

parted, and never parted by Authoress - this list is getting too long so I’ll just drop the Bakushima side of this author’s AO3 page here and beg you to read everything they’ve written for them - I know I’ve said it a lot already but trust me they are worth your time. The fic I linked is a fantasy AU with God of War!Bakugou and Soldier!Kirishima, and it might maybe be my fave between the ones they’ve written? It’s one of those fics that stay with you even just for the visuals they evoke tbqh

the sunshine people by dellsey - no quirk/zumba instructor!Kirishima AU and aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh This Fic Holy Shit it’s so warm? So much fun? So much fluff? Sunshine is actually a perfect word to describe this fic, it’s… a comfort fic, the type of fic you read when you need Serious Picking Up, I don’t know how many of my days this fic has saved since the first time I read it

2 A.M. by cityboys - yo would you look at that another author that turns into gold everything they touch - how do I even begin to describe this fic. It’s. A restaurant AU. It’s super long, with an incredible plot, amazingly detailed descriptions, very good platonic interactions aside from the Literally Perfect Bakushima in it. When I read this fic the first time I literally pulled an all nighter to go through it all in one go - I kept on telling myself okay now I’ll stop and yet. It’s that sort of good. This is. A really good fic.

you and I might just be the best thing by poteto - no quirk/college AU with pining Kirishima this fic is??? So much fun??? I’ve read it so many times?? Kirishima is such a damn disaster in this??? He’s a mess and Bakugou’s confused by his antics for most of the fic I love it this fic is what Good Feelings look like when written down

Can you f believe how many titles I just dropped, and it’s not even all the ones I have in my bookmarks - okay now for what I’m following, I’m actually following nearly everything that’s regularly updating atm, but since this list is long enough as it is I’ll just drop you the names of my faves? Yeah, let’s go for that

The potential of you and me [NOW COMPLETE] by Claus_Lucas -  this fic isn’t even done with and it’s already between my bookmarks can you believe - it’s a neighbours AU, only one chapter out and should be done with the next, it made me really happy to read? Kirishima’s such a ball of pure sunshine in it? I love it

his is the sun [NOW COMPLETE] by bwyn - a soccer team/soulmates AU and when I bookmarked this one it was supposed to be done with but looks like there’s another chapter incoming after all!!! What a good!!!! I’m weak to soulmates AU so sometimes I can be a bit biased towards them, but this one is a really good one! Bakugou is… such a fucking idiot… gods 

I let you go, hoping that you’d come back by shiro_yuu - a Single Dad Bakugou Future AU - actually, what I’m really loving in this fic is the way Bakugou and Kirishima have to act around each other? They used to be together but then broke up, so now it’s ten years in the future and they’re still totally smitten but unsure over whether they should try to go for a relationship again and sure the other doesn’t want a relationship anyway - it could have turned into lots of awkwardness and angst, but instead they’re so… familiar? And loving? In the way they look at each other and touch each other and talk to each other, it has a really good atmosphere I’m really liking that about this fic

Electric Moment by cityofnumbersix - a band AU! In which the band members are Kirishima Jirou Denki and Sero and Bakugou’s just joining them - also Mina’s there with them always even though she’s not actual part of the band - it’s!!! The full squad!!!! It’s what got me to try this fic out to begin with honestly. Everyone’s definitely more sexual than what my headcanons for them are, but the squad interactions in this one are Good (the Baku&Jirou interactions are giving me life???) so I’m always super happy when it updates!

slow it down (go easy on me) [NOW COMPLETE] by newamsterdam - ofc I’m following newamsterdam’s current fic, psh - also, hi asma, this fic is stressing me the fuck out (I love it to bits). It’s a Bakugou-gets-sent-to-the-future-and-keeps-it-a-secret fic which is a trope I live for, but also secrets make me go in Constant Impending Doom mode so I need to psyche myself up for hours before I can actually click on the new chapter when it’s out. This fic is making me cry and playing with my heart and I’m loving every second of it, but what am I even saying this for ofc it is and ofc I am

The Lost Continent by cattchi and paglycos - uhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah this is super N/SFW. It’s a pirates AU, and tbh I like the world building and the way it’s written a lot, so I’m leaving this here like, hey this fic is maybe a bit too much on the n/sfw side for my tastes and some things Bakugou does in the beginning make me go w h y, but I’m interested in the plot enough to go :O!!! when I see an update so have it! If you’re more into sex than I am you might seriously enjoy it - do read the tags before deciding if you want to read it, tho!

Tonight, We’re The Sea [NOW COMPLETE]by idratherhaveyou - I can’t believe I forgot to mention this fic this is my favorite fic out of the ongoing ones - it has beautiful sceneries, perfectly written characters (the way Kirishima’s low self-esteem is portrayed gives me life and Bakugou’s awkwardness in dealing with people makes me warm) the interpersonal relationships are all AMAZING (I live for Sero and Kiri’s friendship? And Mina is so good too - Kaminari’s got a weird relationship going on with Bakugou too, such a good way of bringing their canon relationship in the AU!!) and the way Kirishima and Bakugou’s relationship is evolving is so natural - I really recommend trying this one out, it makes me giddy every time it updates

Burn Like The Sun [NOW COMPLETE] by Kivea - if you’re looking for a bakusquad fic this is the fic for you, it’s all five of them being dorks and loving each other so much and tbh that’s what I love this fic so much for - that, and the literally perfect way in which Bakugou and Kirishima are made to fall in love. It’s super slow burn, but the both of them care for each other deeply since nearly the beginning in an open and obvious way and it’s such a pleasure to watch them navigate their very intimate friendship, too. It’s a firefighters AU by the way! And it has really great Bakugou and Deku and Bakugou and Uraraka interactions too, so if you’re into that you’re gonna love this. Also a very brief mention of Tetsu/Kiri, but there too it mostly boils down to friendship in the end. I love this fic, I’m sure it’s gonna be between the ones I’ll suggest to everyone once it’ll be done~

[missblanchette]

Long Dream [6/7]

Series: Joker Game

Characters: Hatano/Jitsui

Rating: G

Summary: Hatano wasn’t one to read shoujo manga, but there was something familiar about this mangaka named Kunio.

Words: 4504

Notes: Modern AU/Reincarnation AU; Spin off to Déjà Vu (KamiMiyo); Phew, glad I managed to get this up before the year ended...!! Certainly less action packed than the last chapter but finally leading up to the finale haha

ko-fi //  Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | You can read this on AO3! Thank you guys so much for reading, I hope you all enjoy~ (*´∇｀)ノ

Ch. 6 - Jitsui III: Days of Searching 

Being a spy meant constantly presenting a new act to others, a new face, a new person; even the personality he wore now as Jitsui wasn't his true one. Though as time went on, the line between his "true" self and the man named Jitsui began to blur. Eventually, distinguishing which feelings and thoughts belonged to whom became nigh impossible. He supposed it didn't matter in the long run, especially now when he was to play the role of Morishima Kunio.

Such as it was, he found himself in the library preparing for his mission. Black frames sat on the bridge of his nose, his hair had been swept to the side, and a book of myths rested in his hands. It didn't hurt to get a feel of whom Kunio was ahead of time, just like every other part he'd been told to play. Not to mention, it was easier to trick himself into thinking that he didn't care about leaving the building and the people in it -- one man in particular -- if he was someone else.

Of course, he shouldn't have forgotten how persistent some people could be. He heard the footsteps behind him a little too late, something he mentally reprimanded himself for, but nonetheless braced himself for the "sneak attack." There was only one person he knew who would do such a thing, anyways, without fearing the consequences.

"Boo," Hatano said at the same time his hands slammed onto his shoulders. Jitsui jumped at the sudden contact but that was the only reaction he allowed.

"Can't you let me have my fun?" He heard the annoyance in Hatano's voice as he moved to take a seat beside him, but he knew him well enough to know that he wasn't actually angry.

"You're starting to sound like Kaminaga," Jitsui teased, a smirk on his lips.

"That's an insult if I've heard one." Scoffing, Hatano rested his hands behind his head.

"Don't worry, you're a lot more tolerable."

"Gee," he said, sarcasm dripping in his tone. "Thanks."

They fell into a lull of silence, not that Jitsui minded much considering this would be one of his last moments with him (For a while, he reminded himself, trying not to dwell on bad outcomes; he trusted himself, he trusted him, he trusted them ). Any time spent with Hatano was like a blessing with that notion in mind. It was funny, now that he thought about it, how quickly he'd grown attached to Hatano. He hadn't anticipated befriending anyone considering that this was a spy training facility. They were only supposed to be allies to each other and nothing more, and that was just how Jitsui intended on using Hatano and the others. Ironically, he'd never felt closer to anyone before joining D-Agency, nor did he ever feel... such intimate feelings towards someone. He'd once deemed relationships of any sort meaningless, but in times like these, he began to wonder how he'd gone without them.

"The glasses look suits you," Hatano said, breaking his thoughts.

"You think so?" As much as he appreciated the compliment, Jitsui took them off and ran a hand through his hair. He had no need for an act around Hatano, anyways.

"Mhm, fits a bookworm like you." Hatano's eyes drifted to the book on his lap. "Mythology, though? Didn't think you were into that stuff."

"Oh, I'm not." He was erring on the side of carelessness, sharing classified information, but Jitsui often made exceptions for Hatano. "But Kunio is."

There was a slight pause as Hatano let what he'd said sink in, no doubt having already solved the meaning behind it.

"Yeah?" Hatano said, putting two-and-two together. "Then what does Kunio think of it?"

"Enjoyable, but you probably wouldn't be interested."

"I'll take your word on that, but --" Without warning, Hatano took the glasses and put them on his own face, pushing his bangs up to change his appearance. It was strange, indeed, but he couldn't say he looked bad. "-- maybe Shimano would."

That name, too, was unfamiliar to Jitsui, but he didn't need any explanation as to whom it was. Seeing as this was how Hatano was going about it, he played along, slipping right back into his role as Kunio rather easily.

"Really?" he asked, his tone taking on a softer air.

"Try me," was Hatano -- Shimano's -- reply.

And so try Jitsui -- Kunio, rather -- did. With the introduction alone, he could tell he was already losing Hatano's interest despite how well he acted otherwise. Truthfully speaking, these types of tales weren't Jitsui's cup of tea either, but there was some appeal to story of Osiris and Isis. Perhaps he'd gotten softer during the course of his studies, but Isis' struggles managed to shrill out some sympathy from him. It was a harrowing affair, losing Osiris and having to track down all the pieces of his dismembered body, only to lose him once more as he'd become Death itself as soon as she'd found him again. The whole story left a bitter taste in Jitsui's mouth, though at the same time, it drew him in. As he'd been reading it, he couldn't help but imagine what he'd do in Isis' place, to what extent he'd go to find a loved one. Sadist he may be, but most sadists had a masochistic streak as well, didn't they?

"You were right," Hatano said when he'd finished recounting the myth. He took the glasses off and shook his hair back in place, and there was the Hatano he knew. "I didn't care at all."

"Shimano was the one listening," Jitsui said matter-of-factly. He held back a chuckle as Hatano gave him a look. "What did he think of it?"

Hatano hummed, drumming his fingers against the back of his head. It was rather cute, Jitsui mused, how he pretended to be thinking of an appropriate answer.

"Searching for a lost lover seems like a waste of time, doesn't it?" He shrugged. "Sure Isis brought Osiris back, but what's the point if they're going to be separated again?"

Hearing his answer, Jitsui wondered how much of Shimano was in that reply and how much of Hatano was in it.

"It depends on how you look at it."

"Wow," Hatano said, dragging the word out. "Didn't realize you were a romantic deep down inside."

Jitsui didn't respond immediately, somewhat stunned to hear that spoken out loud. If he had to be honest, he didn't realize so either. Once he would've scorn the sentiment, but as a spy, he'd learned how to adapt -- even if it meant accepting feelings he shouldn't have in the first place.

"I'd do the same," he finally said. Though posed hypothetically, they both knew exactly what he meant. "Wouldn't you?"

Hatano stayed silent for a moment, their eyes meeting, as if trying to find a lie in his words.

"Careful," Hatano said after some time. "Someone might think you're actually capable of love." And though he meant it as a jest, Jitsui knew his feelings were mutual.

Jitsui smiled, one that Hatano returned. Yes, their time together was limited, but Jitsui -- the man he'd become and embraced -- was a rather simple man. Having Hatano by his side was all he needed, and he'd do anything for that.

Upon first impression, many would describe Jitsui as calm, level-headed, and demure among other saintly adjectives. They always saw him as an angel, the picture of what a perfect gentleman should be. Little did they know that couldn't possibly be further from the truth, his sadistic, stubborn side coming to light as one got to know him better.

And now was one of his stubborn moments.

As sensible as he tried to be, there was no way he could sit back and let things happen -- especially with what was at stake. Maybe it was the shoujo mangaka inside him taking over, but he knew deep in his heart that Hatano would've waited for him, if not outright taken the situation into his own hands. In his ideal fantasies, things would've gone smoothly; he and Hatano would've been together by now, and he wouldn't be pacing a hole out on the sidewalk contemplating his next move. Though Jitsui didn't consider himself much of an optimist, he never imagined that the meeting yesterday would've gone that badly.

That was, unless, if Hatano hadn't gotten his letter.

Jitsui wasn't quick to anger, but the very thought of it made his blood boil because it was looking more and more plausible. He knew that making assumptions wasn't good either, but what little he saw of Hatano's father was enough to tell him that there was nothing good going on with him.

Nonetheless, Jitsui wouldn't let this deter him; his pride nor his stubbornness simply wouldn't let him. And, pardon the wishful thinking, maybe this time Hatano would answer the door. As he made his way back to Hatano's apartment, Jitsui comforted himself with those pretty thoughts. Doing otherwise would only make the seeds of hesitation grow more and more.

Unfortunately, reality wasn't like his shoujo mangas where everything would fall into place right after the conflict. What greeted him at the door were not those droopy, brown eyes he'd come to adore in his previous lifetime but the sharp ones he'd come to loathe in less than twenty-four hours. Come what may, he'd have to keep his cool lest things continue falling in a downward spiral and that was the last thing he wanted.

"Good afternoon," Jitsui said in the most sickeningly sweet voice as possible.

Mr. Ryosuke's response was to click his tongue. Jitsui resisted the impulse to strangle him right there and then.

"You again."

"Yes, it's me again." Though he kept his tone polite, even he couldn't bother to hide his annoyance. "You said Hatano would be around later and since it's later, I was wondering if he was around?"

Already expecting a negative response, Jitsui peeked through the space between the door in search for any sign of Hatano.

"Sorry, kid. He's not here."

"Then," he said, eyes still surveying the room. It seemed as though Mr. Ryosuke's words were correct, but Jitsui knew not to take things at face value. "Could you tell me when he'll be back -- exactly ?"

"I wouldn't be able to tell you," Mr. Ryousuke said, only irritating Jitsui even more. "He's back when he's back. Now leave."

He moved to close the door, but Jitsui was quicker. He stepped forward, not only preventing the door from closing but also giving him a better view of the inside. His stomach dropped when he didn't see anything of importance, but then he caught sight of black fur poking out from the hallway. Jumping to conclusions was foolish, he knew, but he couldn't help but wonder.

"I'm sorry, but --"

The tuft of black fur moved forward, yellow eyes meeting his.

A cat. A black cat with yellow eyes that seemed all too familiar. His heart lurched at the sight of it, though he could only guess whom it was. He could only spend so much time dwelling on the matter, however, having been pushed back and pinned down with sharp eyes.

"I said leave."

With that, the door was slammed into his face but Jitsui didn't find himself as frustrated as he'd been earlier, surprisingly enough. The desire to murder Hatano's father still lingered, but he needed to use his calculation skills for something else for now. Never before had he felt so much hope because of a cat of all things, but the sight of the feline sent his brain thinking. Surely, there was another way; surely, he would get to Hatano -- somehow, some place.

If he couldn't get in the directly, then Jitsui would just have to take another route. Based on his observations, the fire escape ran down the balconies in the back of the building. And if his guess was correct, then one of the entrances was on Hatano's floor. Whether or not it was outside Hatano's room was another question he had yet to figure out, but he supposed he would be finding the answer to that very soon.

Finding the fire escape wasn't difficult. One would have to be an incompetent fool not to notice the shoot. No, it was the matter of climbing up the shoot. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't as fit as he used to be. He didn't really have reason to keep up a rigorous training regimen in this life nor did he find it necessary. Nevertheless, up was the only way to go, to Hatano, so up he would go.

The first few steps were clumsy, his feet slipping up and his grip on the walls loose, but he found his stride eventually. Soon enough, he reached the top but all that met him was the trap door. He hadn't thought it would be a problem, but he bit back a curse on his tongue when he pushed up on it to no avail. The damn thing certainly didn't appear to be so heavy. Regardless, he gave it another push, stronger this time, but that proved useless as well.

He'd already made it this far, so no way was he going to turn back now. Despite the cramp in his legs and the strain on his arm holding his body up, he kept banging and banging on the door until he budged it open. How great would it be if that'd been it -- Hatano would be waiting for him on the other side and they'd be together again.

But there was nothing. As far as his eyes could go, he couldn't see any other person. He couldn't hear anything either except for the afternoon breeze of spring. The balcony was empty, as well as the messy room connected to it --

Meow.

-- or perhaps there was something. His eyes flew to the source of the noise and landed on a black cat, which appeared to be the same one that he'd seen yesterday. The cat drew nearer as he hauled himself up, circling him and scrutinizing him. By all means, he should've hurried on inside. The balcony door was slightly ajar, presenting the perfect opportunity to go inside, but for some reason, he sat still on the edge. When the cat had finished its inspection, its yellow eyes met his and Jitsui knew this couldn't be a coincidence. Seeing that the cat wouldn't hurt him, Jitsui decided to test out his theory.

"Yoru...?"

At that, the cat -- Yoru -- meowed, his ears faced forward and tail straight up, quivering. Well, Jitsui thought, so it seemed that cats indeed had nine lives. Though he couldn't claim to be extremely close to Yoru in the previous life, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic at the sight. Allowing himself an instance of compassion, he scratched the underside of Yoru's neck before standing up proper.

"So then Hatano should be inside..." Jitsui thought aloud, not expecting an answer but finding some comfort in having a companion. But as he neared the door, he felt Yoru's paws on his ankles as if stopping him. He tried again only up be met with a similar response, even side stepping here and there but Yoru matched his steps.

He huffed, but it'd be shameful if he let his temper out on a cat. Counting to ten, Jitsui bent down so that he was eye level with Yoru. There was a reason they'd let him roam around in the Greater East Asia Cultural Society. Hopefully, nothing about that had changed.

"Yoru," he said, calling his attention. On one hand, Jitsui couldn't believe he was about to question a cat; on the other hand, this couldn't possibly be the most farfetched thing he'd come up with considering he was a shoujo mangaka. "Sway your tail once for 'yes' and twice for 'no.' Do you understand?"

Truly, he'd expected a null answer but thankfully, Yoru's tail swayed once.

"Is everything okay?"

Yoru hesitated, his tail still as if pondering the question. After a moment, his tail swayed 'no.' Jitsui's blood ran cold.

"Hatano is inside, right?"

One sway.

"What about his father?"

Yoru's tail swayed vigorously, accompanied by a hiss. Jitsui's lip twitched in frustration, taking a peek indoors once again. No wonder Yoru had tried stopping him from getting inside. It'd be a disaster if he'd caught him. Still, things couldn't be as simple as that. He tapped his foot furiously against the balcony floor, pondering the their circumstances. Inside the room, post-it notes were tacked onto various surfaces -- the walls, the books, even the headboard of the bed -- alongside forgotten, misplaced things. If he squinted hard enough, he could make out the characters on the notes. From that which he could see: "letter"? The gears in his head began spinning.

"Yoru, do you know if a letter I sent arrived here?"

Yoru's tail swayed once. All right, so the problem didn't lie there.

"Did Hatano get it?"

Two sways, to which Jitsui let out a swear. It was times like these that he hated being right. Even so, what was he to do about it? He couldn't send another one without the possibility of it getting intercepted again nor could he sneak in without fear of getting caught.

Then again, maybe he didn't have to do anything.

"Do you know where it is?"

Yoru's tail swayed twice, but Jitsui didn't let that discourage him too much. Judging by this interaction alone, Yoru seemed intelligent enough to follow through with his plans.

"Do you think you can find it then? And if you do, could you show it to Hatano?"

Without hesitation, Yoru meowed whilst his tail swayed ‘yes.’ It really wasn't much, he figured, relying on a cat of all things, but he felt some relief. As he pet Yoru, he knew still that he couldn't grow lax here. Even if Yoru managed to get the letter to Hatano, there was still the matter of meeting him. He still had his fair share of work to handle and Jitsui wasn't one to slack off.

Waking from his memory-dreams oft left Jitsui with feelings of nostalgia and tranquility, the fleeting moments of yesteryears ringing throughout his mind. But today, when he woke up, the icy feeling of dread washed over his body. And such was a feeling he didn't like one bit. Especially not when he'd dreamed of one of the moments he shared with Hatano before their goodbyes.

Perhaps it was just the stress of everything going on. Ever since he'd given Yoru his task, he'd yet to make progress on his end. It was much like trying to grab hold of sand -- the grains continuously slipping through his fingers no matter how much of it he grabbed. He didn't believe in any higher beings nor fate, but if they did exist, it was almost like they purposely found obstacles to get in his way. Every time he thought he'd managed to catch Hatano, something always drove Hatano further and further away. 

Try as he might to ignore superstition, he couldn't help but grow dismayed as the days passed. Still, there was something Jitsui felt like he needed to do despite everything that had happened. For some reason or another, his gut told him to take the direct approach today. Meaning, go right up to the front door of Hatano's apartment. He hadn't forgotten his two previous failures already, but it wasn't like any other way was working out either. After all, the saying "third time's the charm" must have held some sort of merit and so, figuring he had nothing else to lose, Jitsui followed his instincts.

He found himself in front of the door sooner than he expected, the white door staring him in the face. He raised his hand to ring the doorbell, only to find himself hesitating.

Nervousness wasn't something he experienced often, not to sound too prideful or boastful. Of course, he had his fair bouts of it every now and then, but his belief in his skills had always won over. Mayhaps it was an advantage of remembering one's past life, that he was so sure he could do everything all over again. But he'd never encountered anything like this before, all things considered. It was only human to fear the unknown, but it was times like this he wished he'd be more akin to the monsters that Sakuma had called the spies so many years ago. A monster didn't fear nor doubt; a monster would've gotten what it wanted by now.

Unfortunately, in this reality, he was very much human. He feared, he doubted, he'd yet to make his peace. But it was those same fears that pushed him forward now, that lead him on to Hatano's place. As nerve wracking as it was to be so close yet so far away, he would only hate himself if he did nothing about it.

Ignoring every doubt that screamed in his mind, Jitsui rang the doorbell and counted the seconds that passed.

Heartbeats reverberating throughout his eardrums was a sensation he thought only happened in fiction, but he figured by now he should've learned that art mimicked reality. He willed himself to stand still as he waited for the door to open, feeling the urge to pace around. It only intensified as he finally heard the latch being unchained and the lock opening. He braced himself for more disappointment, that hope would only aggravate him even more. Still, as the door swung opened, he held his breath and --

Time stopped when their eyes met.

It took a few moments for Jitsui to process the sight before him, unsure if he was still dreaming or not. All this life, Hatano had just been a fragment of the past -- only tangible through his memories and dreams. But looking at him now, he was just as he remembered him, every single feature from head to toe. Even in this lifetime, he was shorter than him, and he still had that middle part in his hair that framed his face nicely, and those droopy brown eyes that bore into his soul, and the cute, button nose that he'd grown to adore. All these little details were exactly that same as he remembered that it was almost as if they'd never parted ways in the first place. It took all of his will power not to take Hatano into his arms and hold him close, but even a part of him feared that he'd disappear if he did just that.

"Hatano?" Jitsui managed to spit out, the name but a breath on his tongue.

Hatano didn't respond immediately, his eyes widened as if, too, in shock. Jitsui remained silent and still, letting Hatano take his time. As uncertain as Hatano looked, their gazes met again, and there was that light of recognition in his eyes and that, for Jitsui, was enough.

"Jit --"

All of a sudden, Jitsui's collar hit his neck, choking him as he was pulled back. His mind scrambled, trying to figure out what was happening, but there could only be one answer to that question.

"Excuse me." Just the sound of that man's voice grated his nerves. Reminding himself that murder was illegal, Jitsui whipped around quickly to face Mr. Ryousuke but he was already halfway through the door. "We're not having visitors right now."

The door slammed in his face but after all that had happened, he wouldn't let that stop him. He ran back towards the door -- towards Hatano -- and began pounding against it with all his might. The rational part of his mind knew it wouldn't accomplish much, but it was the only thing he could think of to do in a rush. Under the midst of all the force, the hinges of the door loosened though not enough to get him in. Seeing that was the case, he finally let his arms take a rest, paying little attention to the soreness in his hands and arms. He didn't know how long he'd been there, but as he pressed his ears against the door he heard only silence. That, to him, was much more disturbing than the yelling he anticipated.

He needed to get in. Or, at the very least, he needed to know if Hatano was okay.

Not wasting a single second, Jitsui hurried to the back of the building. Quickly locating the fire escape shoot, he climbed his way up. How funny it was that what once seemed daunting was effortless in the midst of a matter. The only thing -- annoyance, rather -- was the weight of the trap door once he'd reached the top, but even he managed to swing it open in his hurry. Hauling himself up, he quickly assessed the scene.  

Only the sounds of the wind gushing by greeted him up there. The balcony was empty, as was the room connected to it, much like it had been a couple days ago. This time around, though, the door was shut close and not even Yoru was around. Peering inside, he tried to make out some semblance of life. Surely someone had to be inside. But then again, a lot could have happened in the time he'd spent trying to get here. Light poured in from the living room to the hallway and the door on the other end was closed tight. An argument or a fight, Jitsui could deal with, but the lack of activity was sending him on the edge.

He gripped the balcony door handle, but it didn't budge. He huffed in frustration, telling himself not to do anything rash. He then patted his pockets and scoured the balcony for anything he could use a pick lock, but as was the theme for today, there was nothing. It would have been easy to just punch the glass and break in but he didn't want to draw too much attention nor cause any more problems on top of this one.

Nevertheless, spending any more time here would be a waste. The sun was steadily falling west and glancing at his watch told him that it was already evening. He hadn't even realized he'd spent most of his time out here, having missed a few calls from Gamou and some texts from Odagiri when he checked his phone. But then again, he thought, what was there to do? Perhaps the silence meant that Hatano had left. But if he did, then where to? He hadn't the faintest clue, but he berated himself for even thinking of giving up. It might've just been a thought of false hope, but that thought was better than what he wanted to imagine what Hatano was going through at home.

Sometimes hope was all he had, and that hope was better than nothing. With that in mind, Jitsui set off again. Hatano had to be somewhere . He would be damned if he let things end like this.