#hana what are you doin with those body rolls?!

[figureskatingpenguin]

say hello to the ladies who have qualified for the 2023 ISU Grand Prix Final!

1. Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) - 30 pts

2. Isabeau Levito (USA) - 28 pts

3. Loena Hendrickx (BEL) - 26 pts

4. Hana Yoshida (JPN) - 24 pts

5. Nina Pinzarrone (BEL) - 24 pts

6. Rion Sumiyoshi (JPN) - 24 pts

Alternates: Kim Chaeyeon (KOR), Lindsay Thorngren (USA), Niina Petrokina (EST)

[5hokage]

he’s thirteen. thirteen and bleeding out. dying, almost. maybe. definitely. 

and kiba sits, scarily calm, scarily quiet, as he holds akamaru close. this was always a possibility. perhaps there was a part of him, that had encouraged this sort of reality along, as everything throbs and hurts and blood sits heavy on the back of his tongue. each inhale is drawing just a little bit shorter, but that didn’t matter. not anymore.

not when kiba knows that scent. those scents. taking a sharp turn from enemy into allies when he wasn’t looking, right after the exams. and it’s a fumbled kind of movement, to shake the idea out of his head that his end might not come from a demon hunting between the trees, but from the shadow that drops from above. 

he’s thirteen and he’s saved. horrifically and violently before his eyes. swallowing thickly, but there’s just blood. too much. far too much. his own. theirs. burned into his nostrils. hindsight will tell kiba he won’t be able to get the image of blades and slow forming rivets of red out of his mind for quite some time. 

not that it matters in the moment. in the moment where there’s a beat of a second, and then he’s on fire. no longer held together by adrenaline and sheer willpower that he would get akamaru out of this. rippling through his guts and his veins and his. everything. `

“oi, oi, come on.” something said about leaf-nin being softer than first thought. hands on shoulders. light slap to his cheek. “stay awake.”

“‘m awake.”

“good, then get up.”

what was it his sister would say? that someone’s bedside manner was terrible? kiba could only put words together, anyway, not quite slinging them. forming them. arms tightening around akamaru. feet not working. body too heavy. cracked lips and not enough vision through the dark.

maybe there’s a sigh. sign. waterlogged and heavy. kiba wants to protest. kiba wants to breathe. pain that shoots up into his throat, catching, right side, needle fine.

everything gets patchy afterwards. kiba knows he was awake. kind of. almost. just a lot of hazy, inky black, where his head should roll but it doesn’t. it’s warm. he’s still bleeding. cheek against something solid, that he just can’t work out.

akamaru. akamaru wasn’t in his arms anymore. 

“’s fine, i got him.”

kiba’s mouth feels like it was full of iron cotton. too dry. biting metal. “kankuro?”

“we’re nearly back at konoha.”

words aren’t quite making it out of him. his eyes aren’t quite opening. but there’s no mistaking it, as his arms tighten. “‘re you doin’?” rescued. he was rescued. when did he pass out?

when did they start moving through the trees? 

“kankuro?”

“yeah?”

out the corner of his eye, kiba doesn’t quite get the full scope of his face. obscured by a hood and that thick paint that patterned his skin. always a lot to judge from simple expression, and more so from the slight way that kankuro meets his eye. shuffles the way he had his arms curled under kiba’s legs, mid-jump, and moved on. yet it was enough, to perhaps have kiba linger just a moment longer.

when he makes it out of this, hana will tell him off, tug his ear to hell and back. and he will tell her, about the way he had stared in wonder. how kiba blamed blood loss and panic and the way that he was ready to probably die. die for a mission and a promise that he hadn’t personally made. except kiba lived, and he will live. 

light at the end of the tunnel. or from the way the trees parted. shouts that called him by name, and he’s handed off to someone he can’t quite make out. everything hurts. akamaru gives a low whine. and yet, he still had to turn. reach out, hold. stop him from moving before he could say,

“thank you.”

and mean it.

really, really, really mean it.

[ashtheshortstack]

beautiful disaster - ch 2

Rating: M Ship: Kyoru Chapter 2/5: “I want to please you.” 

Tags: Fluff, Smut, Learning intimacy, Virgin Dorks, Post-Curse, Manga/Anime Spoilers

Tohru was floating the rest of the evening. There were so many times she had to hide her smile while cooking dinner. Never before had she experienced something like that. Something so… she didn’t even have a word for it. Nice? Pleasurable? Her body had been so warm and tingly from Kyo’s touching and exploration. 

Of course, Tohru knew how sex worked. She was a bit dense, she could admit, but she wasn’t stupid. She’d read books. And Kyoko had explained to her once her period started what it meant to be a woman. The birds and the bees talk had confused her to no end at first, but she eventually understood. Her mother had found her innocence through the conversation to be humorous, laughing behind her palm as she explained how babies were created to her teen. 

Granted, Tohru hadn’t really thought she’d fall in love. Her mother had always been her top priority… the most important person in her life. The one she loved the most. Tohru could never have imagined abandoning her to be with someone else. Even after Kyoko passed, all she could focus on was achieving the goals she and her mother had set for her. Tohru wanted to work. Wanted to earn her way in the world. That’s what they had agreed upon. 

But Kyo changed all of that. Kyo opened her world up to so many more things. Of course, she had planned to find a job when they moved. It would be a little different from the original plan, but not too much. Having Kyo by her side made it better. Made her feel whole. 

Tohru felt her cheeks heat as she thought of their encounter again. She tried to focus on stirring the stew, but her mind kept wandering elsewhere. Into uncharted territory. She never knew just being touched could set her skin ablaze. Could overwhelm her and make her heart pound. The pleasurable feelings that had coursed through her were unexplainable. Would Kyo feel like that if she gave him the same treatment? She wanted to. Kyo deserved to feel those things too. He deserved everything…

“Honda? Are you feeling well?” 

Tohru yelped when Yuki’s voice suddenly yanked her from her thoughts. “I-I’m fine!” 

“Are you sure? Your face is flushed.” 

Panicked, she touched her cheeks. “I-Is it? It must be from the hot stew! Can you watch it for a moment Yuki-kun? I-I’ll be right back!” she sprinted out of the kitchen quickly before slamming the bathroom door behind her. 

She quickly splashed cold water on her face. Breathe. Breathe.  

There was a knock. 

“Tohru? You okay?” came Kyo’s voice from the other side. 

Swallowing, she nodded. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. J-Just needed some cold water.” 

When she opened the door, Kyo was there with a concerned look etched on his features. “I-If earlier was too much for you we don’t have to--” 

“No!” 

Blinking, his cheeks flushed as he stared at her stunned. “What?” 

“I want to. I want to do that again.” 

Kyo swallowed thickly before giving her a tiny nod. “Okay,” he murmured and leaned in to give her a small peck on the forehead. They stayed like that for a moment, Tohru leaving her forehead resting against his chin. The affection he showed her was always comforting. 

The sound of Yuki clearing his throat sent them flying apart. 

“S-Sorry!” she screeched before zipping past both of the boys and back to the stove. 

She needed to calm down. She had to calm down. 

If Yuki suspected anything, he didn’t act like it at dinner. Thankfully. Tohru was grateful he wouldn’t call her out on the public displays of affection. The last thing she wanted was to make Yuki uncomfortable in any way. 

When she finally retreated to her room for the evening, she quickly changed into her pajamas and slipped into the covers of her bed. She snuggled into the warmth, letting the memories from earlier in the day sweep through her thoughts. Tohru rolled onto her back, touching her lips with a small smile, remembering how tender and heated the kisses were that she and Kyo shared. She wanted that again. 

Suddenly, she was very excited for their alone time after school tomorrow. 

  Kyo seemed jittery the following day. She understood… Tohru felt a buzz floating through her as well. The feeling of being with him was addicting. She had already wanted to touch him all the time. Always be close to him, lean on him, hold his hand. But after the day prior, there was so much more of that desire. 

She didn’t know the new feeling was noticeable until Ou-chan pointed it out. 

“Hey, Tohru. You alright? You seem even spacier than usual today.” 

Blinking, Tohru looked up from her desk. “Oh! Um. I’m fine!” 

Ou-chan gave her a look, cocking a brow. “This doesn’t have to do with the fact you and Carrots were home alone yesterday, does it?” 

“Oh my, well this is news,” Hana-chan mused. 

Tohru gave a frantic wave of her hands. “N-No! It’s not!” 

“Hey,” Ou-chan bent down in front of her desk. “There’s nothing wrong with it, alright? I just wanted to know what was up. You can talk to us about it, you know. There’s no judgement here. I just want to help you out.” 

“Are… Are you sure?” 

Hana-chan took her hands. “Of course, Tohru. We want to help you through your first relationship before you leave us.” 

“And if Carrots does anything we don’t like… we can rough him up a bit,” Ou-chan grinned with a crack of her knuckle. 

“O-Oh, um, please don’t,” Tohru murmured as she felt her cheeks heat. 

Ou-chan chuckled and patted her on the head. “Ah, don’t worry. We won’t hurt him too badly.” 

Tohru knew Ou-chan was teasing… but part of her thought she might have been serious. She hoped her best friends didn’t actually beat up her boyfriend for anything. 

“So,” Hana-chan said as she took a seat. “What’s been going on?” 

Feeling the flush on her cheeks, Tohru glanced away as she tapped her lip. “I-It wasn’t much. We--We didn’t, um…” she trailed off. How on earth was she supposed to talk about this? 

Ou-chan smirked. “Things were just a little handsy?” 

Tohru bristled at that. “Uh! Maybe!” 

“Did you touch him?” Hana-chan asked, stoic as ever. How could she ask such a thing so easily?

Shaking her head, she fiddled with her thumbs. “Um, no, actually. Yuki-kun got home so I needed to start on dinner so we… yeah.” 

Ou-chan smiled. “Did he make you feel good?” 

“Yes,” she squeaked. 

Ou-chan stood, stretching a bit. “Then that’s all I needed to know,” she stated before taking her seat. 

Tohru felt her brain frazzle from the interrogation she just received. Kyo was busy chatting it up with his fellow classmates, so she silently prayed he hadn’t caught any wind of the conversation between her and her best friends. That would be so embarrassing! Maybe, that’s what he meant yesterday about girl talk. Would Kyo be uncomfortable if she told Ou-chan and Hana-chan what they did? Maybe she should ask him? 

  As she and Kyo walked hand in hand back home, anticipation bubbled through her. She was so nervous. She didn’t know what to do. What they had done before was rather spontaneous. Would it be different now that they were expecting something to happen between them? 

“Hey,” Kyo’s voice distracted her from her worries as she looked up at him. Clearing his throat, she could see the light flush on his cheeks. “Ya don’t need to worry about us-- doin ’ anything if you don’t want to. Yesterday was really, uh, a surprise for both of us, I guess. I don’t want you thinking that just because we both want to do that again doesn’t mean we have to, ya know?” 

Tohru had never seen him talk quite so fast. Or so rambly either. She appreciated his worry. And it always amazed her how Kyo could read her like a book. How he always knew what she was thinking, what she was feeling or planning. 

“I-I know. But I’m okay. I want to.” 

“Really? You sure?” 

“Yes.” 

His cheeks flushed at her admission. Tohru watched him as he swallowed hard, just as nervous and jittery as she was. Clearly, neither of them had a clue as to what they were doing. Or what they would do when they got home. But Tohru couldn’t help the bubbling excitement of anticipation inside her stomach. Her heart fluttered, chest tight. She wanted this. Wanted to be with him more than anything. Yesterday, she’d given Kyo her word that she’d take care of him. That it’d be his turn. And Tohru had every intention of seeing that promise through. 

  They were on her bed that day. Probably the better option considering that her bed was much bigger than his futon. Kyo hovered over her, his lips melding with hers. Kissing Kyo lit a new fire inside her she hadn’t even known existed. Tohru didn’t know how to want someone. How to desire another person like she did Kyo. There was a pounding heartbeat in her ears that throbbed throughout her veins. The only thoughts her brain could form were about him. How nice he smelled, how soft his lips were, how gentle his hand was on her hip. 

Kyo flattened his body against hers, and Tohru nearly swooned. The feeling of him pressed against her still took so much getting used to. For so long, she was unable to touch him like this. To feel his chest pressed against hers. And now she only wanted it more. The thought was selfish and greedy. She knew she wanted Kyo to herself too much. She hoped that no one would be upset with her for hogging his attention all of the time. 

Tohru shifted beneath him, her thigh brushing against the growing bulge in his pants. Kyo groaned against her lips, a sound she had learned was a pleasant one. She repeated the motion and earned a small hiss from him as he pulled away from her lips. An apology was at the tip of her tongue, but when she opened her eyes and saw him panting with half-lidded eyes, the words swept away from her. There was a fire in his amber eyes, pupils blown so wide they almost resembled the cat-like slits he used to have sometimes. 

His hot breath fanned her face, his cheeks rosy from their heated kisses. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” she sighed. “I want to please you.” 

Kyo scoffed lightly. “You can’t say things like that.” 

“It’s the truth.” 

Shifting, he gave her another kiss, soft and chaste that time rather than urgent and hurried as their lip-locking had been previously. Kyo cleared his throat. “I-I, uh, should probably take off--” he trailed off. 

Tohru glanced down a moment and realized suddenly that neither of them had changed out of their school uniforms. What if they wrinkled them!? Her evening would be spent ironing out clothes for sure. Yuki-kun and Shigure-san would be awfully suspicious. 

“Hey.” 

Her eyes locked with his after he spoke. 

“Quit thinking so hard. I’m gonna take them off in case things get, uh, messy.” 

Tohru nodded, unable to speak. Her throat was tight as she watched Kyo lean back and undo the buttons of his pants. She’d felt him through his pants the day previous… but seeing the increased size of his bulge when it was no longer confined in his uniform made her heart leap into her throat. She’d never… seen male anatomy before. Not in person anyway. What was she supposed to do? 

Tohru already felt herself panicking even though his manhood was still covered by his underwear. It looked a little funny, if she was honest. He was still wearing his uniform shirt. Swallowing, she gathered as much courage as she could and gripped the material of his shirt. 

“Can you… take this off too?” 

Kyo’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?” 

“Y-You don’t have to! I-I just thought it may make things easier.” 

She was so stupid! Of course, he wouldn’t want to move things so quickly. He’d already taken off one article of clothing, and yet there she was asking for more. 

Kyo gave her a once over… before leaning back on his haunches and slipping both his uniform and undershirt over his head. He tossed them aside onto the pile on the floor with his trousers. There was a light flush kissing his cheeks as he crawled back over her. 

“Better?” he asked, his voice a bit hoarse. 

Tohru nodded hesitantly. “Y-Yes.” 

There was a gentle gaze in his eyes as he looked over her. With a slight smile, he leaned back in and caught her lips with his own. The kisses were soft at first. Gentle and caring just as he always was. But they once again escalated. Tohru cupped his face as his lips slanted against her own. She really wanted to touch him. Maybe, that was needy of her… but she wanted to so badly. 

Her hands drifted lower, along his shoulders first. They were so built and strong and smooth under her touch. Her fingertips ghosted his skin as she traveled downward along his chest. His skin jumped beneath her fingers, but Tohru found that only to spare her on further. When she reached his abs, she admired the taut muscles that were so firm yet so soft. She’d never felt someone else’s skin like this. Never touched someone so intimately. But Kyo’s tender kisses never ceased, so he didn’t seem to have a problem with her exploring. 

When she reached the v of his hips, she felt the light dusting of hair along his navel as she brushed his knuckle across it. Gingerly, she dared herself to move forward and keep her promise as she dipped a finger beneath the waistband of his boxers. Kyo’s lips stilled against hers, and Tohru momentarily thought maybe she’d done something wrong, but instead he buried his face in her nape taking a few solid breaths as she touched him. 

Tohru continued her journey downward. She brushed past the coarse hairs along his public bone before reaching his length. Cautiously, she took hold of him. 

“ Shit, Tohru,” he gasped against her. 

“S-Sorr--” her grip began to loosen.

“ Don’t apologize,” Kyo grunted. 

Tohru was unsure what to do. She was touching him, but what next? Timidly, she moved her hand along him in slow strokes. His skin was so hot and hard but softer than she imagined. Kyo groaned again before pressing a kiss to her neck, a sensation she hadn’t been expecting at all. The feeling caused her to gasp, squeezing him a little too tightly. He yelped, and Tohru quickly retreated. 

She sat up quickly, nearly knocking Kyo off the bed. “Sorry! I’m sorry! I-I don’t know what I’m doing and--” 

“Oi, stop it,” Kyo retorted quickly. Sighing, he sat up and pushed himself away from her. “Let’s try this another way. Like yesterday?” 

Tohru nodded hesitantly, watching as Kyo shifted and fell onto the bed beside her. 

“I’ll lay on my back and you can reach me easier, aight?” 

“Okay,” she murmured. 

Tohru laid her head on his chest, his skin warm beneath her cheek. Reaching downward, she decided to be just a bit daring and make this easier on both of them movement wise. She tugged his boxers down slightly, revealing his length to the room as it bobbed slightly. Tohru nearly squealed at the sight of it. So strange… Nothing like she thought it’d really look like in person. 

“Oi, don’t stare at it,” Kyo squeaked. 

Tohru quickly looked up at him seeing his face completely red. “Ah! Sorry.” 

“N’ stop apologizin’,” he muttered. 

Tohru wanted to do this for him. So she took him gently into her grasp, rubbing the skin gently so as to not hurt him. She heard him sigh above her, and suddenly his hand clasped over her own. 

“Like this,” he said and used her hand to stroke himself up and down. 

Tohru’s eyes widened at the motion. That wasn’t exactly what she thought was required of her, although, she didn’t know what she expected. He squeezed her fingers around him, causing her to tighten her grip just slightly. 

“Yeah,” he breathed, “like that.” 

She continued the movements, stroking him from base to tip, following his motions. He released her hand and she continued on without his guidance. She realized that different speeds garnered different reactions. The little soft groans and moans he let out only fueled her desire to pleasure him. As she increased the speed of her movements with a flick of her wrist, she noticed him breathing harder. He panted and whined, making all sorts of sounds she never would have expected to come from the man she loved. Kyo gripped the sheets, teeth clenching. Tohru swallowed at the sight, somehow it only made heat pool in her own gut. 

“ Fuck, Tohru.”

Tohru nearly yelped when he came as it took her by surprise, taking her out of her own arousal.. He spilled on his chest and some oozed over her fingers. She tried not to be grossed out. It only made her curious, if anything. 

Kyo huffed a breath, sitting up on his elbows. “Sorry, shoulda warned you about that,” he blurted. 

“No, no! It’s okay. Wait here, let me get you a towel!” 

Tohru quickly left the room, careful not to touch anything with her soiled hand. She washed her hands before grabbing a cloth and soaking it with warm water. When she returned, Kyo hadn’t moved just as she instructed. His amber eyes watched her as she cleaned his essence from his skin. She’d have to wash that cloth carefully. The last thing she wanted was for their housemates to know of their slowly budding intimacy. 

When Tohru returned after placing the cloth with the dirty laundry, Kyo had righted his clothes and had apparently gone and grabbed a pair of sweatpants from his room. He lounged on her bed, making Tohru smile as she reentered the room. 

“Hey,” he said. 

“Hi,” she replied as she slipped onto the mattress beside him. 

“You okay? Not scarred for life or anything?” 

Tohru giggled at that. “No.” 

Kyo pursed his lips for a moment, cheeks pinking a little. “You, uh, need me to touch you too?” 

Tohru’s face went hot. “No, no! This was about you, Kyo.” 

Snorting, he shook his head. “This isn’t about taking turns, Tohru, it’s about the feelings, right?” 

“I guess you’re right… b-but I should get started on dinner soon. But I…” she trailed off, glancing away shyly. “I really liked this. I want to continue, if you don’t mind.” 

Kyo smiled slightly. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

[asktheshslmarshmallow]

Kibou--

 --To know Nagito Komaeda was to know that his very existence was defined by the talent for which he’d been scouted by Hope’s Peak. Luck was the single most present factor in his whole life, and he spent every waking second waiting for it to cycle back around as it always did.

 What wasn’t common knowledge, however, was where it all started. Years ago, Nagito had been the only child of a wealthy couple who, while they probably loved their son, had a rather unaffectionate way of showing it. They preferred to give him things rather than spend time, and while Nagito never worked out if it was because they were genuinely too busy or just disinterested, he decided early on to make the best of it.

 One of these things he was given was a dog. And boy, did Nagito ever adore that little pup. He was his best friend; his confidant when he cried, his playmate when he felt puckish, his guardian when he felt alone or afraid.

 As childish as the dream was, Nagito imagined that he and his dog, being the only one he knew he could always count on, would be together forever. At the very least, he had every right to believe this pup would see him into the next decade or so. But that was not to be. 

 Ask him about it today and, if the two of you weren’t close, he would brush off the whole incident as an unfortunate memory. If, however, you were, he’d tell you this and only this: “It was my own fault. I was irresponsible. I should have kept him away from the road, but it was so quiet that day...that truck really came out of nowhere.” Then, in his own typical fashion, he’d smile and promise that it’s no big deal, and life is just funny like that. 

 The truth, of course, was vastly different. That one episode had not only been the predecessor to all the incredible luck-driven years to come, but it traumatised him deeply, making him even more vulnerable to the events that followed in his life. That dog had meant the world to Nagito, and now he was gone. Just like that. And worse was the blame he carried with him; just another burden dumped on his young shoulders.

 It wasn’t as though he couldn’t be around dogs now without breaking down. But sometimes he’d spot a pup that reminded him of his own - it could have the same coat, the same floppy ears, the same gentle expression - and even after all this time, he’d be so inexplicably sad. 

 So when he saw this particular puppy, he might as well have been stabbed in the chest for how different he would have felt. It might have been a twin, if Nagito didn’t know better. That pale fur, those deep eyes, that little wagging tail - and the oncoming truck with the careless driver inside, who wasn’t looking at the road but rather something in his hand.

 That vision...while the dog was smaller than his own had been at the time, it was otherwise the very same. Except for one thing: Nagito himself was older and wiser now than he had been back then. Before he properly registered the scene before him, Nagito’s body started moving of it’s on accord, racing towards the animal. As luck would have it, the driver looked up then; and being so distracted, he didn’t see the dog; but he did see the white-haired teen dive in front of the vehicle, and so he slammed on the breaks, turning the wheel as he did.

 The truck missed Nagito and the puppy by inches. 

 “What the hell do you think you’re doin’ kid?” Demanded the driver, rolling down his window - all the better to yell at Nagito. 

 But he didn’t listen. He was busy checking the animal for injuries; but thank all that was good, there wasn’t a scratch on him. For Nagito, it was a different story. He’d scraped his knee and wrist diving after that pup; not to mention the state his clothes were in. But no matter.

 The distracted driver yelled again. “Oi, if I see you and your mutt in front of my truck again, I’ll just run ya’ over next time, got it.”

 He could have just walked away. In fact, normally he would have; with perhaps a snide remark if he was feeling especially scornful. But he wasn’t in a passive-aggressive mood; no, uncharacteristically, his passive side seemed to have been knocked out by the near-miss, and for reasons he wouldn’t identify then, he felt especially protective of the little creature. 

 “I wonder if it hurt,” he snapped; “Getting that surgery. The one that permanently glues your eyeballs to your phone. That’s the only decent explanation there can be for almost murdering this innocent puppy; because anything else means you’re just a worthless piece of dirt who has no business holding a valid driver’s license.” 

 Hearing that spite from such a frail-looking boy must’ve been too much for the driver’s wit, because he offered no retort as Nagito turned on his heel and walked away. 

 “Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “I’ll find your family. I’m sure they’re worried sick about you.”

 The pup just licked his face. 

 Nagito didn’t expect the task to take too long. He always walked to school early, so he had an entire hour to kill before he had to be there anyway. The idea was that he’d find the dog’s owners and make it in plenty of time for class, but the task proved...well...difficult. He knocked on every door in the vicinity and spoke to every passerby, but came up empty handed. He shouldn’t be surprised that nobody in the area seemed to recognise the dog - he was filthy, and looked like he had indeed traveled far. He had no collar and, when Nagito stopped to buy him some food once he realised the search would take longer than he’d anticipated, the pup had finished it all in seconds flat and still whined for more.

 The day was drawing to a close, and Nagito was left with but one solution. He knew of a shelter and carried the pup all the way there in his arms, deciding it had done enough hard work lately. At the very beginning of it all, he’d had a difficult time even looking at the dog, given it reminded him of so many things he’d rather forget. But over the course of the day they spent together, something seemed to change. The pup was as affectionate as Nagito remembered his own dog being, and something about the way he acted hinted that he not only understood what Nagito was doing for him, but also that he was grateful. But that was ridiculous...right?

 By the time he walked into the shelter, the pup was playfully licking Nagito, and the deceptively ticklish teen simply couldn’t keep from laughing. He was having fun. So much, in fact, that he found he was actually disappointed to discover he’d made it to the shelter. 

 “May I help you?” asked a pleasant-mannered middle-aged lady, who caught up with him as he walked through the door. 

 “Um, yeah,” Nagito said; almost hesitantly. “I found this little stray this morning. We’ve spent all day looking for his owners and we’ve come up empty-handed, so...”

 “So you bought him here,” she concluded. “A wise decision. I’ll just go get the paperwork.”

 “Paperwork?” Nagito echoed.

 “Yeah. Don’t worry, it won’t take long to fill out. It more just to say that you found him however you did and handed him in.”

 While the woman - Hana, her nametag identified her as - walked into an adjoining room, Nagito set the pup on the ground. 

 “End of the line, kid,” he explained while the small animal jumped and played around his feet. “Now listen to me-” Nagito knelt down, and the dog put his front paws on his knees, wagging his tail as if he was expecting playtime or something.

 “It’s been fun, but now you have to stay here, ok? I’m afraid we can’t do what we did today, everyday.” The dog yipped and Nagito patted his head. “Yeah, I know. I like you a lot, too. But I don’t have the best track record with pets. I really think this is the better option for you.”

 Without any kind of warning, the dog jumped into Nagito’s arms, and in spite of himself, he found tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. 

 “Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.” He placed the dog down, but it bounced right back, forcing Nagito to hold him whether he wanted to or not.

 “I think he’s chosen you,” said Hana, who had come back into to the room unnoticed. 

 “Well, that’s the just too bad,” Nagito replied; though there was a softness in his voice that contrasted his words. “I’m the last person who should own a...a...” The more he argued the point, the more fruitless it became. The pup had fallen asleep after his long day with his little head resting on Nagito’s chest, and the warmth and comfort of that gesture was the last straw. It undid him, and before he knew it, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the shelter, sobbing with this little ball of fur in his arms.

 After a few minutes, Hana handed him a small stack of paper. “I think these are the ones you need.”

 Nagito quickly rubbed his eyes, and reached out to take the forms. She was right, he did need to do this. Giving the dog up was in his best interests, never mind what was best for Nagito...

 But hold on, this paperwork wasn’t what she described. There was nothing about dropping an animal off - just the opposite. These were adoption papers. 

 “You can fill those out and return them in the morning,” Hana offered. And maybe it was having another person ratify his desire to keep the dog, but against his better, more logical judgement, Nagito tucked the sheets into his backpack. 

 “Thank you, Hana.” Much to his surprise, Nagito didn’t find himself daunted in the slightest, in the face of what was to come. He still had to buy everything the dog would need; train him, take him to the vet - owning a pet was a big responsibility, he understood that. In fact, from the second he decided to keep the dog, he felt a great sense of relief; like a huge weight had been lifted. 

 I’m going to do better this time, he promised himself. I’m older and I’m wiser. I won’t lose this one.

 “Do you know what you’re going to name him?” Hana asked, seeming warmed by the sight before her. 

 “Yeah, I have an idea in mind.” Nagito got to his feet, still clutching the sleeping pup. “Come on, Kibou. Let’s get you home.”

[mogar-magic]

this is the story my script is based off of

It was one fateful April morning that it all happened.

I always came early to school, forcing my younger brother to tag along. I usually ended up helping him anyways. That morning he raced over to his friends who were by a different door.

It just happened to work out that way when I saw the two men who were wanted countrywide. I had pulled open the side door entrance to my school and they both turned to look at me, their eyes bewildered.

I was frozen in place, unable to move as I held the door open and continued to stare at them as they stared back at me, the gold and black blank masks holding their stature.

“Damn,” the gold masked one said with a pleasant tone of voice. “We’ve been caught.”

“Why?” I managed. “This isn’t Vancouver… you usually attack schools in the big cities, why this one? Why?”

The other one straightened up, bomb in hand. “We bomb whichever schools they ask us to.”

“We were surprised too when they asked us to go to a tiny little fisherman’s island and attack a school of less than 100!” The first one said cheerily.

I scanned them up and down, shaking my head and backing away. In a split second, a released the door I held open and booked it as fast as I could in the direction I’d come in.

I was only a few feet away when my arm was grabbed and I was stopped by the smaller of the two perpetrators. His golden mask was up and he smiled a big smile back at me. “I accidentally opened my mouth too wide and now you can’t leave,” he stated happily.

“I-I…”

He laughed at my loss for words. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to kill you! That’s not what we’re about. However, I think you will make a good decoy. Just gotta promise not to tell the police too much. Otherwise then we might kill you.”

I shook my head, tears already forming in my eyes. I had to get back to my parents, to my younger siblings. I didn’t want to die. I couldn’t die just yet; it wasn’t my time for that.

The one arming the bomb now stood sans the bomb and turned towards us, also lifting his mask. “Listen, you want no one to get hurt, right?”

I nodded my head weakly and he continued. “All you’ve gotta do is go inside your school, and make an announcement over the intercom at 7:50 am. That’s in about 2 minutes. You’ll then have those 10 minutes to make sure everyone’s out of the building and to even get yourself out.”

“This isn’t how you guys do things… usually you start a fire or something…” I mumbled, not quite liking the idea of being inside of my school that’s about to explode.

“You’re right, but you kinda compromised our plan this time.” The one next to me said with his smile still upon his face.

When I didn’t move, he gave me a little shove and whispered in my ear. “If you don’t move, a lot of people are gonna die. Just tell them Cetus sent you.”

I began running back into the school where the other one stood. He stopped me for a second, looking me up and down. “What’s your name?” He asked softly.

“H-Hana,” I replied meekly.

He gave a small, thin-lipped smile. “Hana, what a lovely name for an accomplice.”

I took a deep breath, ignoring his comment as I began to run for the office where I knew there would be people working. I grabbed the secretary’s phone as she protested and quickly dialed to make a school-wide announcement.

“Um, hello? I need to let everyone know to evacuate the building immediately. Cetus has instructed me to get everyone out. I-uh… I think the bomb is set to go off at 8 am so everyone needs to move, now!” I then hung back up the phone and looked at the secretaries and even the principal now who were shocked to have heard what I said.

My hands were shaking as I took one last look at everyone, before running out of the office and down the school halls, shouting at everyone to get out of the building as fast as they could.

People around me began hurrying to get out. Most were silent but there were a few people who screamed as they ran by me. I shouted at everyone to get a move on, to get to the nearest exit, all while checking my phone as I did so.

I did one last perimeter lap around the building to make sure everyone was gone and by the time I checked my phone, I saw the time blinking back at me 7:59. I felt my adrenaline kick in as I booked it for the door I had entered from this morning, wondering if Cetus and his partner would still be there.

I slammed my body into the door as it gave way. I heard the ticking of the bomb as I passed by as fast as I could to get away from it.

The blast took me off my feet and threw me a few feet into the field. I landed hard, rolling a few times as my ears began to ring from the explosion.

Sirens slowly invaded my hearing as I lay on the grass, looking up at the clouds. I was relieved that I was alive, that I’d managed to evacuate the whole building in time. My breathing was heavy and it was difficult to do much as my body was tired from my extreme use of it while escaping.

“There she is!” I heard my principal’s voice shout. “She’s the one who made the announcement, arrest her!”

I craned my neck to look at what he could’ve been talking about when I saw that he was pointing at me, police trailing right behind him.

I was about to protest when I felt someone grab me from behind and pick me up. I was about to fight the person when someone else grabbed my other side and began running with the first person. It was the two bombers, and they were helping me get away with them.

My legs began to kick in on their own and I tried to run along with them, but they both held onto me anyways.

Not one said a single word until they’d gotten me in the back seat of their car and began driving away.

“You can thank Cetus for wanting to save your ass,” the nameless one said while driving.

Cetus laughed, turning back to look at me. “Lyra isn’t one to complain usually, sorry he’s a bit of a cranky guy today.”

The vehicle slowly began to speed up as I began to fall asleep, the quiet lull of the tires spinning drawing me away from reality.

When I woke up I certainly wasn’t home, and I wasn’t in their escape vehicle either. It was a warm place, but small. When I sat up I realized finally I was on an airplane… no, it was a private jet.

“Oh, you’re awake. I’ll get Cetus.” Lyra suddenly appeared in my vision as he stood and moved to the back of the airplane and disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared.

I slowly laid back down, coming to the realization that I’d been kidnapped by the two most wanted people in the country. As my senses came back to me, I heard a news station covering the explosion of my school. No casualties and no injuries, but there was a girl missing believed to have been taken by the two criminals and that they were searching the area.

“Please!” I heard my mother’s voice ring out and I shot up, making myself light-headed. “Just let our baby girl go, she did nothing-”

The feed was cut as I saw Cetus enter the section that I was in with Lyra trailing behind him. He smiled his grandiose smile at me once more before sitting in a seat in front of me, Lyra across from him.

“Hiya Hana!” He said cheerily. “Glad to see you’re up again, that blast really took something out of ya!”

I furrowed my brows, opening my mouth to cut straight to the chase. “W-Why am I here?”

“Because you’re a liability,” Lyra spoke solemnly and without a smile. “You were seen with us and now we’re connected.”

I took a deep breath. “You can let me go, I’m not going to tell the police or anything I… I swear!”

Cetus leaned back. “No can do! We saved your life and now you owe us one!”

“What do you want then?” I asked carefully.

Lyra cocked an eyebrow, looking to Cetus who confirmed something to him with a nod. “To stay quiet.”

“I-I already told you, I promise I won’t tell anyone who you are at all.” I spoke quickly.

“And in order to keep you quiet,” Lyra continued as though I hadn’t said a word. “You’ll be staying with us.”

I nodded once quietly, laying back down and turning away from the two of them. When I didn’t hear either of them leave I asked one last question.

“How old even are you guys?”

Lyra shifted in his seat before responding. “I’m 18 and he’s 17.”

I proceeded to curl into a ball and pull my blanket over me further. To think that two boys, one who was my age, were able to pull a stunt like this off, it was scary. I didn’t want to think about it but Cetus’ welcoming smile just kept creeping its way into my head.

I fell back asleep shortly after and was woken up by Lyra once we’d landed in Toronto, across the country. From there we were going to spend a few nights somewhere nice and let their plane get refueled before travelling across the ocean to France.

“I’m just saying!” Cetus giggled on the elevator ride up to our room. “It would be a lot easier if we had someone who could speak French!”

“You continuously whine about the smallest matters, Cetus.” Lyra responded softly as the elevator doors pinged open to our floor.

“I do not!” Cetus said, his smile fading off of his face.

“U-um,” I mumbled, trying to get their attention. “I speak French, my father is Quebecois.”

Cetus looked to me, smile larger than before now. “Do you really?”

“Y-yes,” I looked to the ground, as I stepped off of the elevator and onto the carpet of the 10th floor.

“Why didn’t you speak up before?” Lyra asked in his cool voice. “Cetus’ been complaining about this almost the whole way here.”

“Sorry,” I managed carefully.

We moved down the hall quietly before reaching the room on the end. Cetus opened it giddily, showing off the room to me with a smile and pose.

The room was fairly large, it was big and open and two stories. There was a kitchen to my left and the bathroom to my right. In the middle was a small living room with big windows and a high ceiling. Next to the kitchen was a spiral staircase that led up to a landing with two big beds. Knowing that I still wasn’t very welcome here, I decided to plop myself down on the couch and close my eyes.

“Hey Hana! Whatcha doin’?” Cetus jumped over to where I was laying and startled me.

I let out a small shriek before falling off the couch and hitting my head on the coffee table on the way down. I rubbed my head, sitting up.

“Oww,” I moaned softly before Cetus rushed around the table looking concerned.

He grabbed my head quickly and didn’t give me time to protest. He pulled my face close and ran his fingers over the spot where I’d hit the table.

I examined his face as he did so. His smile was gone and now he looked intent on making sure I was okay. I was staring at his bright blue eyes when he caught my gaze and smiled back at me. I immediately felt my face heat up two seconds later and drew back from him.

“Looks like you’re gonna be okay,” he stated softly.

I raised a hand to my head and looked down at my lap. “Thanks,” I managed quietly.

“Hey, no problem!” He jumped up now, scanning the room. “Oh right! Lyra already went out to get some food, just wanted to make sure no allergies.”

I shook my head silently, standing now too and realizing that Cetus stood a few inches taller than me. Something I hadn’t taken note of earlier in the day.

“By the way,” he began gently, moving to a door on the opposite side of the kitchen. “You can have this room, no need for couches.”

I nodded my head once, moving towards the room with my hand still on my head. Cetus probably thought I looked strange but once I was inside I nodded at him and he closed the door with a sweet smile instead of his giant one that he usually wore.

I found it strange but comforting as I moved to the bed and flopped down on it. That’s when it dawned on me that I didn’t have a single change of clothes and was still in my messy school uniform. I rolled over, thinking that I’d need to go buy some new clothes when I realized I hadn’t even bothered to check my phone.

Carefully, I pulled it out of my pocket before turning it on and waiting for it to start up. As it did so, I began rummaging through the drawers on the side table of the bed to see what was in them. I found a bible, a pen, and note pad.

My attention was quickly drawn back to my phone when it started to buzz like mad, texts incoming over and over from the past few hours. I began to flick through them, the vast majority having been from my mother.

I unlocked my phone and it opened to her messages, sending her a read receipt. The last text had been sent mere minutes ago and she began typing the instant I checked them. I waited for her to text but instead got a phone call a split second later.

“Hello?” I answered gingerly.

“Hana!” My mother screamed over the receiver. “Oh my God Hana are you okay? Where are you? I’m going to come get you right away! Do you know where you are?”

I didn’t know how to respond, and instead began crying because I felt bad for having disappeared from my mother like I did.

“Hana are you still there? Hana?” She paused a second. “Are they hurting you? Why are you crying?”

“I’m okay,” I mumbled softly.

My mother’s tone of voice became a lot gentler as she spoke to me. “That’s good. Are you safe?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s also good. Where are you?” She asked.

I dodged her question and asked one myself. “Can I talk to the police?”

There was a pause as my mother clearly handed the phone over to someone. “Hello Hana? My name is Detective Gary Watts. If you’ll give me a second, we’re gonna talk in private.”

“Okay,” I said quietly into the receiver. The detective then left whatever room he was in and went somewhere quieter, presumably where he was alone.

“Hana are you still there?” He asked.

“Mhm,” I murmured.

He let out a sigh before continuing speaking. “Lyra and Cetus have you safe then. You’re in Toronto, right?”

“How did-”

“I work for Lyra’s parents.” The detective interrupted me. “They weren’t supposed to pick you up, that wasn’t part of the plan. At least not part of the one I heard. Nevertheless, I’m going to tell your mother some bullshit story to calm her down and get the media off our backs. Just stay with Lyra and Cetus.”

I nodded before realizing he couldn’t see me. “Alright,” I replied. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” There was a pause before he continued. “Can I speak to Lyra please?”

“U-um,” I began. “I don’t think he’s here right now, but Cetus is.”

“Sure,” he responded cooly before I moved out of my room to hand my phone to Cetus. When I got to where he was sitting in the kitchen, he looked at my phone quizzically before answering it with a soft voice. I then moved out of his way and back to my room.

Lying on the bed, I looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. I couldn’t seem to form any of the proper thoughts at the moment, and just wanted to sleep again even though I’d slept through most of the plane ride. Maybe that’s why I was still so tired.

I hadn’t realized I’d fallen back asleep until Lyra had woken me up by throwing clothing onto my face.

“I don’t know what size you are so I guessed.” He said carefully.

I rubbed my eyes, sitting up. “O-oh,” I mumbled.

“Well get changed. I’m making food and Cetus said something about taking you out,”

I nodded once as he moved out of my room, shutting the door behind him. Carefully, I slid my legs over my bedside and stood to remove my skirt. I then undid the buttons of my top and took it off, throwing it to the ground to be next to my skirt.

Looking up, I saw my grubby face in the mirror and moved to the on-suite bathroom to wash it. I proceeded to examine my face in the mirror while I was there. I never liked the way I looked, but at the same time I never did anything to make myself look any different than the way I currently did.

I ran my fingers through my black hair before catching my own eyes. They were blue, but nothing compared to Cetus’ eyes. His were a bright blue that could pierce anyone’s gaze, whereas mine were a forgettable pale blue colour that most people just skimmed over. My face was also covered in freckles, something I wasn’t fond of either, even if they were easily rid of with the use of foundation.

After I was done, I left and grabbed what Lyra had bought me. There were a few shirts and a couple of pairs of pants that looked to be too big. I grabbed a plain white t-shirt when I noticed a high-waist skirt that might actually fit.

While putting it on I found out that it was actually a suspender skirt that zipped at the back. I struggled for a few minutes trying to zip it up when I ended up sitting on the bed, defeated.

I was about to take off the skirt when Cetus entered, smiling at me. “You ready to go?”

I shook my head with a sigh. “C-can you help me with this?” I asked, turning so that he could see my zipper dilemma.

He nodded and moved closer to me as I stood and faced away from him so he could reach my back. He placed one hand low on my back but not too low as to discomfort me and with the other he effortlessly was able to do up my zipper.

He turned me around afterwards, his dusty blonde hair falling effortlessly into place as he rested his hands on my hips with a small smile. “There we go! Good to go.”

I tried to find words before I found myself caught in his eyes again. He smiled back at me and I turned away from him to hide my rapidly blushing face. I wasn’t very used to boys. The few who I’d gone to school with were fishermen and didn’t talk unless it was about fishing or the water. Made me wonder how some of the girls got boyfriends in town.

Cetus left again quickly without another word, motioning me to follow him.

“H-hey,” I murmured once I was outside of the room. “Where are we going anyways?”

Lyra turned off the stove and put some food away. “Cetus is getting anxious so we’re leaving. We’ll eat later I guess.”

“Anxious?” I questioned.

“It’s almost time for the main event!” Cetus smiled back at me excitedly.

I furrowed my brows and looked to the ground as Lyra pushed me towards the door. I looked around for my shoes before I realized I’d left them in my room.

I ran back and slipped them off as fast as I could. When I came back out of my room the front door was open and Lyra stood waiting for me, looking impatient.

I ran out the door, mumbling an apology before making my way to the elevator. Cetus was already inside, waiting for the two of us with his cheerful attitude. Lyra got in afterwards and closed the doors, pressing a button to take us back down to the lobby.

The first few seconds of the elevator ride were silent; that was until Cetus clasped my right hand and jumped up. “Pretend to be my girlfriend!” He exclaimed.

I jumped back and bumped into Lyra on accident. “W-what!?” I asked, shocked by Cetus’ proposition.

“He wants to look normal,” Lyra began explaining. “Blend in with the crowd.”

“I… I don’t understand.” I shook my head.

The doors dinged open and Cetus hopped out of the elevator, pulling me along. “Just hold my hand, okay?”

“Okay,” I responded, wide-eyed.

Lyra pulled me back close to him, making sure Cetus couldn’t see or hear. He leaned in and whispered. “You don’t need to pretend to be in love.”

I felt my face blush all over once more and I pushed Lyra away from me. He gave me a sly smile before catching up to Cetus.

I looked to my right hand clasped in Cetus’ left. I wasn’t in love with him! I’d only known these guys for barely 24 hours! Maybe I felt a little bit of a crush but Lyra saying I was in love already was pushing it too far. Or maybe he was just teasing.

I was quickly rushed into a taxicab before Lyra and Cetus squeezed in on either side of me. Cetus grabbed my hand once more and looked out the window dreamily while Lyra gave the driver directions from behind him.

It wasn’t much longer until the driver took off from the hotel and made his way downtown. I watched as the buildings flew by and both boys each doing the same out their own windows.

When the car slowed I felt Cetus squeeze my hand. “Ooh! We’re here!” He said like an excited boy going to Disney World for the first time.

Cetus and I got out while Lyra paid the driver. I looked around and saw nothing much of interest, just some big buildings. I tried to let go of Cetus’ hand but he held a tight grip, squeezing softly as he pulled me even closer to him.

“You’re not very good at pretending to be a girlfriend,” he whispered into my ear and I nodded gingerly.

Lyra checked his phone, his dark hair blowing into his long face before approaching us slowly. “Any minute now.”

We then backed up so that we weren’t in the midst of a large populous all making their way around town. There were people dressed in suits and people dressed casually.

The power went out and I felt Cetus tense up next to me. When I looked at him he was staring at everyone else, smile big and eyes wide. Lyra had the same kind of excitement on his face, but he was much more laid back compared to Cetus.

I felt my phone buzz and with my free hand I reached to grab it. I had a text message from an unknown number and so I decided to check it without hesitation.

It was a video, and now I wasn’t sure if I should open the message or not. Cetus’ free hand then reached across me as he opened the message for me.

The video was of a blank, empty room. I wondered if it was playing when someone came into view, followed by another person. They were both wearing blank masks. Ones that I recognized.

“Hello Canada!” The golden masked one made a big entrance.

“Yes, hello.” The black masked one repeated their greeting.

I looked to Cetus whose eyes were transfixed on my phone, huge grin spread ear to ear on his face.

The golden masked one took his turn speaking again. “As you may have guessed, we’re 2 of the stars that have been blowing up your schools!”

“Such a shame, having to destroy places of learning.” It seemed like they had been taking turns saying lines of a script.

“But they were corrupt places, with corrupt people.” His tone became less cheery.

The black masked one nodded. “Yes, and now, with a little bit of help of someone with a lot of money, we’ve been able to expose these people and ruin their little enterprises.”

“On the link provided in the following text, you’ll be able to read all of the sneaky documents that these corrupt individuals were able to hide from us! And more!” He jolted backwards and did an excited little jig.

“The schools were where many of the individuals grew up, the bombings were to start garnering attention to us so that we could show everyone the truth.”

They both leaned in close to the camera again. “Please, feel free to read the documents for yourselves! See the truth for your government officials and more. There’s no doubt you won’t hear about this on the news tonight though!”

“Stars, out!” The one with the black mask flashed a peace sign before the video ended, leaving me staring at a blank screen.

I looked to Lyra first this time, who gave me a small smile, before flashing the same peace sign that the black masked bomber had flashed mere seconds earlier.

The power came back on as Cetus began to bounce around excitedly, his hand still holding on tight to mine. “Here comes the exposure!”

“Are you two sure you want to be seen like this right now?” A masculine sounding voice came from behind us. I turned around to see a man and a woman standing side-by-side looking extremely stylish and like they were evil villains.

“We were waiting on you,” Lyra smirked without turning back.

“Who’s the new girl?” The woman asked, cocking her head and smiling at me.

“Don’t’cha know?” Cetus smiled, before pulling me close. “She’s my girlfriend!”

I squeaked when Cetus said that, trying to push away from him as fast as I could. “No I’m not!”

The two villain looking people laughed. “I’m sure of it,” the man smiled at me before facing Lyra. “Shall we meet you back at the hotel then?”

Lyra nodded. “I made dinner.”

It wasn’t long before we were back in the hotel, Lyra and Cetus cracking open a bottle of champagne celebrating their victory that they’d just achieved.

I’d made my way back to my room, flopping down on the bed once more to try and recollect my thoughts. If all of this was over, why keep me? Why did I have to go to France with them when apparently they’d gotten their victory they’d been searching so long to get?

There was a knock on the door before Cetus entered with two glasses of champagne and a bubbly look on his face. “We aren’t drinking until Volans and Pyxis get here, but you should take one.”

“Who are they, by the way?” I asked softly before taking the glass from Cetus’ hand.

“Stars 3 and 4. They’re brother and sister. Pyxis’ is our age, and Volans is a year older than Lyra. We met when we were all really little, and have been friends ever since. Though if you ask me, Lyra and Volans are totally going to be more than just friends very soon.”

“Wait, Lyra’s gay?” I asked carefully.

Cetus began laughing. “You mean you couldn’t already tell?”

I shook my head, swirling the bubbly drink in my cup. “What’s your relationship to him by the way?”

“Just friends!” Cetus exclaimed. “We met when we were in elementary school and have been stuck like glue to one another since then.”

“And when did you meet Volans and Pyxis?” I continued to ask him questions.

Cetus took a sip of his drink unknowingly. “Around the same time! We all went to school together and hung out in the summers too. Took ‘em on boat rides too once we were like 13. Lots of fun.”

“You had a boat when you were 13?”

“Okay, Lyra’s Dad’s boat.” Cetus laughed. “But it was basically ours!”

We began to hear commotion outside of the room and Cetus bolted upwards and towards the door. “C’mon! You gotta come meet them!”

I contemplated the idea for a moment. I didn’t really want to leave the confines of the bedroom since I felt more comfortable here than I did anywhere else in the city. I was about to say no when Cetus came back over and grabbed me from the bed and pulled me into the living space.

I could really tell that these four were comfortable with each other. There were laughs and the clinking of drinks and a ton of chatter. It’s like they had their own little family within their ranks.

I was siting alone on the couch when Pyxis came and sat next to me with a big smile. She handed me a box that was wrapped like a present and bounced giddily.

“What?” I was at a loss for words. Someone who I barely knew was already giving me a gift, and so I was confused.

“Lyra, Cetus? She is joining the Stars now, isn’t she?” She craned her neck to look back at the 3 boys who were all still in the kitchen.

“Of course!” Cetus jumped happily. He already seemed to be a little bit drunk too, as he stumbled into Lyra who then stumbled into Volans’ arms. It almost seemed intentional, but Cetus had definitely been drinking so there was no way that it was.

Lyra, trying to cover up a blush spoke up. “She already knows that.”

“Just take it then!” Pyxis pushed the gift further into my lap.

I adjusted my posture, putting my drink down to focus on the gift. I unwrapped it slowly, revealing a white box. I looked gingerly to the blonde next to me and she ushered me on further. I opened the box and inside was a blank silver mask, similar to the ones Lyra and Cetus wore. I wondered if Pyxis and Volans had their own masks too.

“Can I name her?” Pyxis squeaked, jumping up from her spot next to me. “I have the best name in mind!”

“Go for it,” Lyra responded without looking back from his cooking.

She took a deep breath. “Andromeda!” She shouted excitedly.

Cetus seemed to light up from where he standing. “I love it! Don’t you think it fits her face well, Lyra? So well rounded.”

“Pfft, says the boy with the roundest face of all of us.” Volans poked fun at him.

I looked between the siblings at their resemblance in appearance, but their difference in personality. When I saw them on the street, I thought they’d maybe been twins, since they seemed so alike, but they weren’t.

They had icy blonde hair, almost white. It made Cetus’ hair look brown in comparison. They also had sharp features and thin lips. Their eyes were pointed just right and their eyebrows seemed very well kept. The only difference was their nose. Volans had a big nose while Pyxis had a small one.

I looked back to the silver mask they’d gifted me, as well as the name they’d given me. I didn’t know how to feel about any of it. Part of me liked it a lot, and felt warm at the thought. The other part of me missed my family and friends in British Columbia.

I thanked them for the mask, putting it away in my room before returning to finish eating whatever Lyra had cooked up.

I felt like I could get along better with them now, since it felt like all four of them really accepted me. I was Star number five, or Andromeda now.

Night began to fall and so did we.

Once the kitchen was clean, we all sat around and joked until Volans and Lyra decided they were tired and went to bed. I watched Cetus as they left, whose grin grew bigger and bigger as they nearly touched before heading off in their own directions.

Cetus then excused himself and followed after Lyra quickly, probably to try and get him to go say good night for real to Volans.

“Those two are so oblivious,” Pyxis spoke up, taking a sip of the tea she’d made earlier.

“Your brother and Lyra?” I asked softly.

“No, my brother and Cetus. They both can’t see that there’s someone in love with them.”

My eyes widened. “Oh are you in love with Cetus?” I asked carefully.

Pyxis nearly spat her tea out. “Oh my God, no! Cetus is like a little brother to me! Even if we are the same age.”

“Who’s in love with Cetus then?” I asked carefully, trying to not overstep anyone or anything.

Her eyes snapped so that she was looking at me. She gave me a warm smile but didn’t respond to my question.

“O-okay,” I mumbled, before realizing that she meant Volans was in love with him. I was about to burst out with my realization, but decided to keep it in.

“Well,” she stood quietly, setting her cup on the table. “I should head to bed then.”

I stood right after her. “Yeah, me too.” I didn’t make eye contact with her and began to head towards my room.

“Goodnight, Andromeda.” She said before she was out of earshot.

“Night.” I mumbled, not realizing how far she already was from me.

I closed the door softly behind me, before moving to the bathroom and washing my face. Once I was done that, I shut off the bathroom light and began to clean up the clothes left by Lyra as well as my school uniform in the dark as I was about to head to bed anyways. There was a soft knock at the door before someone entered and shut the door behind them.

Straightening up, I saw Cetus smile a soft smile at me, leaning against the door. “Wanted to say goodnight,” he said cheerily.

“Before you do so, can you undo my zipper?” I asked, stepping closer and turning around so he could help me out of the same skirt he’d helped me get into earlier that day.

He nodded, pushing up from the door and placing his hands softly on my back, undoing my zipper slowly and with ease.

I turned back around myself this time and smiled, grabbing his hands so that they didn’t rest on my waist again. “Thank you,” I said quietly.

He released his hands from my grip and smiled back a warm smile at me. “It’s my pleasure,” he said before grabbing my face and pulling it so that his lips met mine.

I didn’t protest as my eyes shut and I kissed him back gingerly. I’d never kissed anyone before in my life and so it was a new experience for me.

I suddenly remembered the conversation I’d had with Pyxis not 10 minutes ago and pushed away from him. “Wait. Pyxis told me that Volans has a crush on you… er is in love with you… I can’t hurt him like that.”

“She told you that?” He asked softly, his eyes not leaving mine.

“She implied it,” I responded, looking to my right.

“It’s not true,” he smiled back at me. “I was just talking to Volans and he’s going to ask Lyra to go out tomorrow morning. Trust me.”

I gave a small smile, placing my own hands on his hips now. “I guess I’m not good at socializing then.”

He laughed a small laugh. “No, you’re not.” He proceeded to envelop me once more in his warmth and love, pressing his warm lips to mine.

[INSERT SEX SCENE HERE]

“W-what did I just do?” I curled into a ball next to him, asking a rhetorical question to myself.

“Uh,” Cetus spoke up. “Had sex with the most handsome guy you’ve ever seen, like ever?”

I giggled at his response, giving his chest a playful shove. The anxiety began to set back in a split second later. “I can’t help but feel like I just made a really big mistake.” I said honestly.

“Well I certainly disagree,” he said gently, his face calm and relaxed. “You’re exquisite.”

I felt my face heat up so I rolled away. “Not many people say that about me,” I smiled to myself, enjoying the feeling.

“Lyra thought so too when we saw you this morning.” Cetus began to play with my hair. “The first thing he said when you left to make the announcement was ‘She’s beautiful’. I agreed, of course.”

I pulled the covers down and crawled underneath, smile still holding tight on my face. “Why keep me though? You say I’m pretty but I don’t think so and other than that I’ve just kinda been extra baggage, haven’t I?”

Cetus followed behind also crawling under the covers and pulling me so that our bare bodies touched and he wrapped his arms around me. “No,” he shook his head. “You’ve been helpful. Having someone else around aside from the two of us or even four of us just kinda mixes things up a little and makes everything more fun.”

I rolled back over to look him in the eye with a smirk. “You’re sure you didn’t just keep me around so you could seduce me?”

“I’m sure,” he nodded once, his face looking genuine and like he truly believed what he said.

I reached a hand out and caressed his face, feeling the forming stubble that was barely visible. “You’re a lot calmer at night than during the day it seems. Tired?”

“And you stutter a lot less at night. Then again, that could just be because you’ve grown more used to me.” He responded, not really answering my question.

I opened my mouth to ask one last question, but hesitated and closed my mouth and eyes. I had something bugging me now, and Cetus had the answer that I needed.

He must’ve noticed that I seemed upset, because he ushered me on gently. “Go ahead, I’ll answer honestly. I swear.”

I opened my eyes and looked into his bright blue ones before taking a deep breath. “What is this? Us? What happened? Was it just a one-night stand? I… I want to know what you think of me, really.”

He gave a warm smile in return before responding. “I don’t know what this is, at least not yet. We’re us. We had sex. I don’t want it to be. I think you’re an extremely complex person and I want to understand you better but at the same time I want to protect you and… and uh…” He had begun answering all my questions, but now seemed nervous and hesitant to finish his thought.

“You want to keep me at a distance?” I took a shot in the dark, trying to finish his sentence.

He shook his head quickly. “I want to protect you and I want to love you. If you’ll let me.”

“Well I mean I can’t control your feelings,” I furrowed my brows, examining his face as my heart fluttered at the thought.

“I mean,” he bit his lip looking to the ceiling for the proper words. “I mean if you’ll love me back.”

“Oh.” I said quickly, closing my eyes and thinking about what he’d just said. While my eyes were closed I felt the warmth of his lips press to mine along with his forehead, which did not back away from me when he pulled away.

“What do you say?” He asked, his breath tickling my nose.

I hummed to make it sound like I was thinking, but in reality I already had an answer. “I don’t like jumping into things, so, I want to wait a little bit.”

“Don’t like jumping into things?” Cetus laughed at me.

“Yeah, this whole thing scared me!” I whined in response. “I still am scared, but you make me less scared for some reason.”

Cetus took a deep breath and broke his gaze from me. He looked troubled now, like he had something on his mind he didn’t want to tell me about. I was confused, but at the same time I didn’t want to prod him. I settled with planting a kiss on his cheek and laying my head on his arm, closing my eyes with the intention of falling asleep.

“You’ve always been Andromeda,” he began quietly. I was about to ask him what he meant when he continued on. “The bombing at your school was our plot, and had very little to do with corrupt officials. We wanted you back.”

“Wanted me back?” I sat up in the dark, my eyes scanning Cetus.

“You’re father, he’s Quebecquois.” Cetus seemingly said out of the blue. I couldn’t form a response to what he’d just said, so I sat waiting silently. “We all went to the same school, we all are from Montréal. And then your parents got scared of my parents and were just going to move across town. Volans and Pyxis’ parents tried to convince them not to, especially since we were all friends. We were your only friends, and your parents wanted to take that away from you.

“Instead, they scared them and you guys moved to a remote town in BC. Trying to get far from us because your parents didn’t like any of our families anymore. They were scared of our ideals and our nature, or something like that.” He took a deep breath, pausing. “They were scared of the things we were teaching you too. But you being gone wasn’t going to stop us, and then especially when we found you after nearly 9 long years of wondering and worrying. But you don’t remember a thing, do you?”

I shook my head softly, the end of my hairs brushing over my bare shoulders. “I remember moving away from a big city and having friends that I left there. Quinton Frances was the levelheaded and calculated one. Brother and sister Sebastian and Yeji Yin were inseparable and practically twins. Benjamin Delacour was my… my best friend.” I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and feeling them beginning to sting. “But I was told to forget about them because they didn’t care about me anymore since that was the way of life. Since they’d hurt us and didn’t want to be my friends anymore. I was told to forget about the big city and focus on my future. So I did.”

Cetus smiled and pulled me down into a hug. “I knew you still remembered us! Sure it’s buried, but you remembered our names!”

I buried my face in his chest as I began to cry. “I never forgot about you! I used to have an imaginary friend named Ben and my mother would get mad at me anytime I mentioned your name, but I never really understood why. You’ve always been my very best friend, even if I didn’t really remember who you were.”

He ran a hand through my hair, playing with it softly and rubbing my back to comfort me. “Don’t cry; you were conditioned to forget us! But you remember now. Will you stay with us?”

I nodded my head, squeezing my eyes in an attempt to keep more tears from spilling.

“I have one more question, and then we should sleep.” Cetus said, twirling a piece of my hair in his fingers. “Do you remember anything else about us? Me and you, I mean.”

I thought about it, and only small pieces came back to me. Stuff like playing in the schoolyard together and playing strategy games against the other kids. We were inseparable like the siblings, but other than that, I couldn’t remember anything key that was really sticking out to me. In response, I shook my head on his chest and sighed.

“Alright,” he said warmly before kissing the top of my head. “Sleep it is then.”

We both went silent after that, and I shut my eyes without moving my head from his chest. I eventually fell asleep to the gentle rise and fall of his chest while listening to his slow heartbeat.

Lyra woke me up the next morning, barging into my room without knocking. “Have you seen Cetus? He didn’t come back to his bed last night!” He seemed worried about his friend, and I admired that about their friendship.

“Shh!” Cetus burst out of my bathroom with only his jeans on. “Let her sleep in, please!”

Lyra’s face proceeded to go completely red as he put two and two together. He covered his face in an attempt to not burst into laughter as he slowly shut the door behind him.

From behind the door I heard him shout. “Found him!”

Volans was the one who replied. “Where was he?”

Lyra burst into laughter before responding to Volans’ question. “In Andro’s room!”

I then heard Pyxis squeal. “Holy shit! Did they fuck?”

Lyra was still laughing at this point, but he must’ve given some non-verbal form of yes because both Pyxis and Volans began to laugh along with him. Cetus re-emerged from my bathroom with a shirt this time before leaving my room and closing the door behind him.

“I can hear you guys clearly, just so we’re all aware.” He spoke calmly at the other three.

“Is it true?” Volans questioned him. “Did you and Andro...?”

“No.” Cetus stated firmly. “We were just talking and ended up falling asleep.” There was a long pause before Cetus continued. “She remembers us.”

“Are you serious?” Pyxis tone of voice suddenly became much more cool.

I took this as my cue to get up and start getting dressed. I pulled back on my panties that had been thrown to the floor before moving around the bed to where I’d stored all the clothes Lyra had bought me. I began to pull on a pair of shorts that were a little too big for me when I heard the conversation outside continue.

“What exactly did she remember?” Volans asked.

“Our names.” Cetus stated quickly. “Bits of memories here and there it seemed, and she remembered moving away and leaving us.”

Lyra sighed. “Did she remember-”

“No.” Cetus cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

“But you wish she did,” Pyxis tone seemed to lighten up, like she was poking fun at him for something.

Cetus groaned, but didn’t respond to Pyxis directly. “I’m going to finish getting ready.”

The door handle to my room turned and he reentered, his eyes glued to the floor. He shut the door before looking to the bed. When he didn’t see me, he scanned the room before I straightened up from the dresser with a shirt in hand.

“Did you hear that?” He asked softly, his face drawing an expression of concern.

I nodded carefully, before turning away and pulling the shirt over my head. While I wasn’t looking, he grabbed me from behind and buried his head in the crook of my neck. “Wait for me?” he asked.

I placed my hands on his arms before responding. “Alright.”

He then released from me and made his way to the bathroom. I grabbed my clothes from last night and put them in an empty drawer in the dresser before turning to the bed and making it.

“C’mon,” he said once I was done, waving for me to follow him out the door.

He opened the door and pushed me out before closing the door behind him and smiling. I took a few steps forward with my hands behind my back when Pyxis jumped and hugged me from the side.

“I knew you’d remember us!” She exclaimed happily.

“Yeji,” Volans warned with a deep voice before realizing he’d used her real name.

I smiled up at him. “It’s okay Sebastian.” I used his real name to try and prove myself.

I saw tears form in his eyes as he came down the stairs and enveloped me in a big hug. “It is really you, isn’t it? Our Andromeda, our Hana.”

He released me and within a second, Lyra spun me to the side, examining me before also pulling me into a tight hug. “Our Star number 1!”