#he doesnt have to involve himself in the yakuza he can just tell them to piss off and stay with his kids but nooooo him and his DuTy

[todayisafridaynight]

Wait if it was “mutual” then why was it a bad decision on Kiryu’s part shouldn’t it also be a fumble on Sayama and honestly any woman who ditches Kiryu I raise an eyebrow, but that’s my thirst.

i do not see it as a fumble to move on from a man who eats worms and is incapable of deciding to wholly commit to his kids or a criminal organization he swears on and off he's no longer a part of but thats just me

[eliza-dearest]

You 🤝 Me at that Bakugou Post

You have opened a can of worms. I'm so sick of people denying the truth, and the truth is that Bakugou has always been flawed, dumb, and, frankly, kind of a loser. He gets punished by the narrative for said flaw of being dumb and not thinking regularly. And that, dear Goofy, is why I adore him as a character. I embrace the punching bag-ness of his story arc. The man is a comedy show's worth of odd karma waiting to happen. Man could be one of the impractical jokers.

My evidence is as follows to my theory, manga spoilers ahead:

Tells Izuku to swan dive w/o thinkin -> instantly is called out, gets caught by the sludge villain, has to be saved by said loser shitnerd he told to die along with his literal idol while he's covered in sewer goop. Also because he got saved by shitnerd, shitnerd now has his idol's quirk.

Top score in the entrance exam -> speaker of sports festival/people scout out their class -> says something dumb and impulsive -> instantly makes everyone hate him and as a result his entire class.

Denki said his personality was hot trash and nobody liked him. The class just kinda agreed??

Big power gauntlets to boom with -> almost kills izuku without thinking bc 'he'll dodge' -> is stalled, outsmarted in the end, and fails his first exam.

Yeah he won the sports festival but he also won because the other guy wasted his strength with loser shitnerd. Also because he's raging, they put him in a muzzle. Like a dog.

Final exam. Against Toshi. With Izuku. Spends too much time arguing and decides to go off on his own. Gets punched into the letter C for going in with no plan and being an idiot. Has to be saved by Izuku. Again.

Winning the sports fest on a technicality -> throwing a tantrum and being muzzled -> getting targeted for kidnapping and going off on his own -> entire class is injured, hero loses a quirk -> his idol losing his ability to fight/ending his whole career AND having to get saved AGAIN.

Got chewed out by his mom for threatening her. In front of All Might.

Develops an odd relationship with Izuku n All Might, accidentally becomes son-in-law

Gets to take license exam early! -> is too aggressive and doesn't get it. Deku does though, as does everyone but him and the guy he won against in the sports fest -> while everyone is dealing with the yakuza he's babysitting kids and learning to cool his temper. Shoto now thinks they're besties. He's befriended more idiots.

Gets his license! Misses the entire arc, a man is now dead. He's falling behind.

Goes to an island! Saves the entire place and potentially the world, gets to use All Might's quirk -> forgets all of it and only has broken bones. OFA said 'no we wanna stay with Izuku'

Interns with the number 1 hero -> It is endeavor. Izuku is also there. Shoto invites them to the worst family dinner ever.

Loser boy has MULTIPLE QUIRKS?? and they got triggered bc someone insulted him? That's embarrassing. Now he's gotta go to secret quirk meetings because like it or not, he's involved now.

Gets a quirk upgrade! -> is instantly impaled by shigforone bc he moved without thinking to save Deku. -> announces hero name in dying breaths without thinking -> everyone makes fun of it. Even the villains.

Awakens from a coma to ambush Izuku. He's run off to become a vigilante. has to chase him down in the streets and have an entire army restrain him and he only comes home when he BARES HIS SHAME to him. In front of their entire class.

GETS ANOTHER UPGRADE. GETS IMPALED AGAIN. BY THE SAME GUY. DIES THINKING OF IZUKU. AND IT DOESNT EVEN STALL SHIGGY OR STOP HIM.

COMES BACK TO LIFE, RIPS AFOS ARMS OFF -> Calls himself "Kacchan of the Bakugous" on a live broadcast. Is actively fighting with a hole in his chest. Probably dehydrated and delirious. Has a JEART.

Quirk upgrade -> it comes from the fact that his body is in so much pain. The more it hurts, the stronger the boom.

[pithyorangecurd]

I didnt take pictures but kiryu doesnt have a storage of counter top stoves, or hidden heating eliments p much anywhere you can find in the apartment. Leads you to believe he doesn't cook at all, subsisting off of microwave meals, and take out. Ingredients are never an option even when they're a part of the game. Food venders are kept out of the way where you have to fight to find them.

From a game narrative, the game leads you down kiryus frequent haunts, guiding you to places Kiryu goes to, and lets you in useless places that kiryu has a vague interest in at least. Not game mandatory, but you CAN go to a strip club, a call shop, the arcade, karaoke bar, regular bars, the disco. These are Kiryus interests, even just vaguely, and the absence of even the option tells a lot about Kiryu himself.

Typically pockets the limit, typically its dealers choice of what you can and cant stuff your pockets to the brim with. The choice that youd usually choose is health items, but Yakuza gives you a myriad of choices of useless things you can keep on person, from toys, to clothes and perfume, to literal fish. Food isn't included among any of that.

Even when cooking is something Kiryu involves himself in in later games its still not included, and he's shown to be a bad cook with a clumsy understanding of how to do it. And no option to go to the grocery store, or if you can it doesn't provide food, just more quick snacks.

Biased by chef life, but my god Im obsessed with Kiryus lack of food in y0. Hes just like me fr.

[idrawstuffidk]

What Is Wrong With Maki Harukawa?

Y’know, I really hate Maki’s characterization, but also, I think I’ve finally figured out why.

There are 2 reasons why I don’t like maki. 1. The casts reaction to her, and 2. Bad writing.

Maki on her own is a character I can get behind, her backstory is cool, and her motivation of wanting a purpose is very realistic and interesting, as it doesnt excuse her actions, but it also makes sence. I love morally grey characters and maki could have been an amazing character, but the 2 reasons I brought up before get in the way of that and have effectively destroyed any possibility of her being an amazing character.

Allow me to elaborate on my points.

1. The casts reaction to her

In the first chapter everyones reaction to maki is believable and understandable, there’s not much to react to, so she just fits right in as a stoic individual. Standard, y’know? (I actually though an ultimate child caregiver who doesn’t like kids was a cool concept tbh)

Second chapter, pretty much everyone is suspicious of her, which makes perfect sence, she was being suspicious as fuck, but Kaito s reaction to her is blind belief in her, which was so dumb considering she had no alibe and she was clearly hiding something. Kaito is kind of an idiot so it’s a bit forgivable but Shuichi lying to protect maki was so stupid, shuichi is a detective, and he’s very smart, he had no reason to beleive that maki was innocent, but he lies for her anyway for no reason at all.

After that trial maki literally chokes out Kokichi and is revealed to be the ultimate assassin, most everyone’s reaction it fair, suggesting to tie her up and lock her lab so no one can use her weapons and she can’t kill anyone. That’s understandable, but of course Kaito stops them and exclaims that he’s going to break down her facade. A facade he has no reason to beleive is real, but hey, this is Kaito we’re talking about. I kinda expected it. Dumbass.

After that it’s like NO ONE cares anymore. Yes the student council was watching her very closely but besides that no one treats her unfairly for very long, which they realistically would have.

Then maki tries to get them all killed because she blamed Kokichi for his death and wanted to kill him. She was going to sacrifice everyone to take out Kokichi, something Kaito should NOT have been ok with, yet he doesn’t tell her off or try to make sure she doesn’t do that again, he doesn’t say ANYTHING of the sort to her, no one did! Even though they all had the full right to do so.

Everyone gives maki the benifit of the doubt and way to many chances that she never does anything to deserve and it’s infuriating, it makes her seem like a Mary Sue because even though she was hated by a few people for, like, one chapter, she never faced any concequences for her actions, she never is punished or condemned for murdering people, trying to kill Kokichi, almost killing Kaito, trying to kill everyone just to kill the mastermind, she gets away with all of this with no real consequence. Also, on a smaller note, she’s an asshole to everyone except Kaito and no one seems to hold bad feelings against her for that either, I’ll come back to this later bc I have a comparison but for now let’s move on

2. Bad writing

Maki is written with the intent of being the games “waifu” character, or the supporting female lead, like Kiyoko and Chiaki. The problem with this is because maki is nothing like Kiyoko or Chiaki.

Kiyoko was simmilar to Maki in the sence she was also a quiet, stoic person who could be very VERY scary. But Kiyoko was actually KIND to Makoto, she helped him investigate multiple times, supported him in the class trials, hid herself in garbage to go rescue him and APPOLOGIZED for almost getting him executed. She was kind to him and helped him.

Maki is not kind to Shuichi, she’s actually a total asshole to him and everyone else, she only helps him investigate once and that was because she was filling in for Kaito, (the ONLY person she likes -_-). She doesn’t help him specifically in the trials, she’s the only one who argues alongside him that Kaito was the victim but we already know why she did that (because she believed she killed him and wanted everyone to guess wrong so they would DIE) and she never appologized to Shuichi for any of the fucked up shit she did.

And before you say “but maki had a whole character arc!” SO DID KIYOKO she had issues, she was trying to come to terms with emotions surrounding her father ababdoning her, his death, and her failure as a kirigiri detective. She had a character arc that involved her getting closer to makoto and learning to depend on others help sometimes, it’s why she’s so loved and why Kiyoko x Makoto is so freaking good (I’m a crazy shipper leave me be)

Maki doesn’t become close to or depend on Shuichi, she never improves to the extend Kiyoko did and I’d argue the only thing she improved was her ability to care about Kaito, nothing else changed. She still tried to kill everyone at the end, she didn’t actually change.

Here’s where that comparison comes into place, Fuyuhiko was a yakuza, he was dangerous and rude to everyone, he was a dick for the first 2 chapters, no question about it. But then something happened, it’s called a REDEMPTION ARC

Fuyuhiko causes the death of Mahiru and Peko, and he is distraught over what he has done. But he doesn’t just mope around and feel bad for himself, he doesn’t try to excuse his actions, he doesn’t pretend he didn’t do anything wrong, he APPOLOGIZES, not to be forgiven, but to appologize because he knows how bad he fucked up, he holds no bad feelings towards Hiyoko for not forgiving him, and even tries to commit sepuku to prove to her how sorry he is. He was ok with dying if it meant he could appologize to hiyoko and the others, and he’s angry at himself when he realizes that he’s caused trouble for the others again.

He helps hajime and Mikan at the hospital, saying that hiyoko said he would be the disposable one, and that she was right, he was willing to get sick because he was still trying to make it up to everyone. He becomes an honourable, good guy who is helpful and kindhearted, which is why he is so loved by the fandom.

Maki is simmilar to Fuyuhiko at the beginning, and when she chokes out Kokichi she seems to be following his pattern a bit, the problem is that the writing fucked get over, Makis actions have no consequences, so she can’t have the same sequence of events as fuyuhiko, she does cause Kaitos death to some extent, but that’s the last murder trial so it doesn’t work because she has no time to redeemed herself after like Fuyuhiko did. This is the bad writing, instead of having maki’s actions have consequences like Fuyuhikos did and having that be the kick in the ass she needs to start trying to improve herself and appologize to the others, maki is just shoved down your throat via kaitos dumbassery and we are expected to feel sympathy for her.

Fuyuhiko EARNED our love, Maki didnt do SHIT to earn love from any of us. Which is why I hate her.

[thotsforvillainrights]

~Perfect Birthday~

Au: Kaishi

Part: twelve

Theme: Fluff? Comedy? Who knows lol

(These 2 are going on an adventure)

"Buttercream? No that wont do. Vanilla with a touch of banana or Strawberry? Shoot! What about...hmmm...." You focused on the ingredients so hard that you were developing a light headache. Meanwhile, your husband sat across from you at the kitchen table, scrolling through his laptop for themes and present ideas. "Y/N, just settle on chocolate and call it a day." Kai announced while his eyes hovered on a Circus theme. He shuddered lightly at the thought of animals being involved. 'Absolutely not' he thought to himself. You sighed and put the ingredients list down. "I cant settle on Chocolate. I'm worried that someone might have an allergy to it. I'm also so worried about the vegan adults that might be here. What about the picky eaters too? Kai, I feel like I'm going insane right now." You gripped the sides of the chair you sat on. He peeked up at you and notices your incoming distress. He sighed and stood up to move behind you. He softly gripped each of your shoulders and began to give you an impromptu massage. "Stop worrying so much about it so much, Angel. Just do chocolate cake since its the brat's favorite flavor. We can go with a vegan cupcake option that should be safe for the people with chocolate allergies as well. As for the others, there will be other food and even beverage options. You're working so hard for people I dont even care about. This is all for my son and no one else but him. His happiness is my only concern."

You sighed and reached up to place a hand on your husband before turning to smile sweetly at him. "Kai, you're being sweet today." You teased him and he scoffed. "Anyway, I know you only want to focus on Kaishi but having other kids here for the first time, other than Ishida, is like his dream come true. It took me a lot of time to get on the parents good sides. It took a lot of time for them to want to bring other kids around Kaishi because if the yakuza affiliations. Had it not been for the fact that you've began working into charity for the city, I dont think anyone would've given us a chance. Bow we have parent friends, and now Kaishi has a chance for an amazing birthday this year. Let's not mess this up, okay? That means NO EXCESSIVE GERMAPHOBIA, and NO ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR okay?" You drilled it home at the end. He sighed in annoyance. "Ugh fine. I'll try to conversate with the other scum as if they never insulted the yakuza before. You had better be lucky I appreciate you and Kaishi at this point or this wouldn't be happening." Kai complained before pulling his medical mask down and kissing you lightly on your lips. "You two are being icky again. I'm going to tell Grandpa on you guys." Kaishi's voice brought you two back to reality. "Oh hush, and mind your business." Kai said as he ruffled his son's short hair playfully. Kaishi giggled and swatted the gloved hand away. He took a seat at the kitchen table next to Kai's laptop and peeked over to see what was on the screen. While you went to fix him some oatmeal, his father bolted to the seat and slapped the laptop closed. "No peeking. Havent you any manners?" Kai fussed lightly while Kaishi smiled. "Its okay daddy, I already know you two are planning my birthday for tomorrow." The boy said proudly. "That may be so, but it doesnt mean we cant at least surprise you with the decorations and food." Kai explained. You placed breakfast in front of Kaishi and sat down with your boys. Pops had just entered the kitchen at this point. "Family breakfast? Dont mind if I do." He smiled and took a seat next to you. "Grandpa, what will you give me for my birthday?" Kaishi asked excitedly. Kai flicked his cheek. "Dont be rude brat, respect your elders." He scolded him as Pops laughed. "Oh calm down, Chisaki my boy. My grandson is very calm at this age compared to how you used to act." Pops said with a smirk as you laughed and Kai blushed lightly with embarrassment. "Anyway, my Grandchild your gift will have to remain a surprise until tomorrow." Pops winked and Kaishi groaned. "Aw man. Well, mom/dad? What will you get me?" He turned to look at you in anticipation. You put a finger to your chin to think for a second. Then you snapped and made an 'Ah-Ha' expression. "I'm going to get you a fancy suit! Maybe I'll get some toys too. Just maybe, you'll have to wait and see." You teased him and he smiled. "Daddy, what about you?" He looked at Kai for an answer. "Just like Pops said, it will be a surprise. However, I'll take the time now to ask you what you want as a gift from all of us. It'll serve separately from the gifts we'll get you so dont worry." Kai watched his son expectantly as Kaishi searched his little mind. Seconds later he piped up excitedly:

"SMOOGLY!!!" He shouted happily and raised his arms dramatically in the air. You and Pops laughed while Kai tilted his head in confusion. "Smoo-what? Are you well? Are you speaking in tongues???" Kaishi giggled at his father's confusion. You turned towards Kai to explain. "Kai, Smoogly is a character from Kaishi's favorite show. He's this giant lollipop that dances and sings. Yknow, kids love that stuff." Kai stared at you for a second before nodding. Then he turned his attention back to Kaishi eating breakfast finally. "Alright then, you want Smoogly then that's what you'll get." After breakfast, Kaishi went to call Ishida on the phone. You monitored in awe, gushing as your baby talked to his little crush over the phone. The two were fast friends, and she was the first/only child in the class to accept and support Kaishi to the fullest degree. Meanwhile, Pops went to the backyard to water the flowers and feed the Koi in the pond. Kai headed out to the car to call Kurono/pick him up. "Chrono, I know I've given you the off day but I need a favor." Kai spoke on the car wireless phone while he drove. "Yeah man, what's up?" Hari answered from the other side. He was currently face deep in a 3rd bag of chips as he reclined on his sofa. "The brat's birthday is tomorrow and it's his first big one with other parents and children expected to be there. He wants some actor there to perform or something. Some thing called Smogie or Smothly or something like that."

"OHHHHH!!!! You're talking about Smoogly!" Hari shouted excitedly, his voice boomed over the car speakers. "Yeah whatever that mess is. Anyway, help me track him down and I'll give you tomorrow off to repay you from today. You can also have some leftover cake." Kai offered him. "Bet!" Kurono answered shortly before hanging up and getting ready. In moments Kai was at his door to retrieve him. The two men drove around for a bit while Kurono did some searching online. Lucky for him, it wasn't that hard to find Smoogly's booking information. "Found it, Kai. It says here that we can email and make a down payment, or call the home offices for a response in about...14 days." Kai almost slammed on the breaks. "14 days??? No that's not possible for a booking that could be denied. My Kaishi's birthday is tomorrow. We need to get this Smoogly there as soon as possible." He felt a bit of panic set in. Kai would never forgive himself if he couldn't get his son's biggest wish for his birthday. "Hey man chill. We'll just go to his office and speak to him directly. I mean, we've got a little pull when it comes to money. Also, we're yakuza so..."

"I know what you're thinking Chrono, and the answer is no. We cant push too many buttons or we'll end up leaving the gray area in which we operate in. I cant afford to get arrested on Kaishi's birthday." Hari rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Whatever man. Just take a left onto the main freeway and we should reach the exit in like 30 minutes. After that, we just follow the main road for 4 more minutes, take a right at the stop light, and turn off the Broadway drive. Smoogly's office should be right between a steak restaurant and a car dealership." Hari explained the directions. Kai nodded and the two were on their way. Once they made it to the offices, they took a number and sat in the waiting room. The wait wasnt uncomfortable to Kai...it was the old man across from them that kept coughing that made him uncomfortable. He felt hives pop up on his arms. Luckily the two were called before he went insane! Only minutes later they were standing before a chubby man smoking a cigarette behind a desk. He had dark hair, and was balding right in the middle of his head. His skin was just a step away from being super pale (no doubt because he had the costume on a lot) His noticable feature was the large mole on his cheek. He was clearly a foreigner from some city somewhere, thanks to his accent.

(!!!Reader, think about Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force!!!)

"Alright, what can I do for you two men? Wait a minute, you two are the tax guys right?"

"Uhhh, no. No we're here to inquire about an opening to hire you? The pay will of course be-"

"Yeah yeah yeah. Pay doubled blah blah. I've heard this a million times before. I get bastards like you that come in here every single day asking to pay extra just so I can come to your event. The moms are even worse since they also think they're entitled to my services." The chubby man interrupted Kai. "Please. It's my son's birthday. You see, this birthday is special because he's never had-"

"Pshhh...yeah buster, you're kid is special. Just like everyone else that's come in here before you to say the same thing. Bottom line is that I ain't doing it. If you want my services than file through email or take it up with the front desk. Deposits non-refundable if you get denied. Have a nice day." He put out the cigarette and picked up a rather inappropriate nude magazine. Kai looked at Chrono and sighed as if to say Hari can take over. Hari smiled darkly and went to approach the desk. The chubby man hadn't looked up from the magazine as he spoke. "Look man, I said piss off. What, you didnt get the picture the first time or-" he immediately froze and turned his attention to Hari when he heard the click of the gun. When he turned, he was staring down the glock.

Hari spoke up darkly. "Hey buddy, I'm a changed man but that doesn't mean shit is sweet. I've killed a dozen people before and I'm not afraid to go to prison. Either you do my nephews birthday party tomorrow, or we wear your face on a memorial T-Shirt. Fuck is it gonna be? Eh???" The man gulped and shakily reached his finger out to the voice machine on his desk. "Deborah cancel all my appointments tomorrow, I've got a birthday to go do." Hari and Kai smiled when they heard the voice reply 'Right away, sir.' They bid the man goodbye and left the office. The next day, Kaishi rushed to the backyard after taking a quick shower and getting ready. It was decorated beautifully with bounce houses, a splash area, party games, an extensive food/present table, swings, slides, etc. Most importantly, the parents actually showed up with their kids. Kaishi almost cried tears of happiness when he finally had friends to play with. Meanwhile, you and Pops chatted with the other parents until Smoogly arrived to perform. The kids absolutely loved every bit! Every once in a while, the Lollipop turned to look at Kurono standing in the corner, smirking menacingly and daring him to slip up just once. Smoogly quickly turned around and kept performing. At the end of his shift, he was paid extra just as Kai promised, and Kaishi got to take a picture with him. Finally it came time for presents. Kaishi was happy to receive so many gifts, but he was more eager to get his gifts from you, Kai, and Pops (even Hari got him a secret gift at the last minute). Kaishi smiled at the wooden box Pops had given him. When he opened it, it revealed a small pin on a soft cushion. It was shiny and brand new. It was the symbol of the Hassaikai, the infamous flower design. "My grandson, when your father was younger I had given him this very same gift. Please be sure to take good care of it." He gently placed a hand on Kaishi's head. The boy nodded excitedly and passed the box for you to hold while he opened up the remaining gifts. It was a surprise jacket from you to him. It was just a smaller version of Kai's jacket! Plus that suit you promised, and a few other Smoogly themed toys as well. From Hari, he recieved a new helmet for his new bike. Finally from Kai he received a matching mask. With the suit and the jacket, he was the matching embodiment of his very on father (aside from inheriting some of your skin tone depending on your color, my dear reader).

This was truly the perfect birthday.

»—————————–———————————————————–✄

TIp Jar: https://cash.app/$YuTakeyama

[kristie-rp]

[2018] Michael & Lucas: Origins

When Michael is born, his parents name him Mizushima Miko. He is their second son: his older brother is Mizushima Juuki. Juuki immediately adores Miko; he’s fascinated and spends as much time as he can watching over his little brother. It’s actually a considerable amount of time: he is still too young to go to school, and his parents are too paranoid to trust a sitter – but they are also far too busy to make time to actually look after their children. 

Juuki is primarily alive at this point thanks to an aunt that visits at least once a week, a woman who claims to be their mothers sister and who looks absolutely nothing like either of their parents. Tamie, the woman he calls aunt, teaches him everything he can grasp to make baby Miko’s life easier. 

It’s enough, in many ways. Miko grows up both easier and harder than Juuki. The youngest boy is not comfortable around his parents, is quiet and watchful whenever possible. He learns young that it is more effective to babble at Juuki after prolonged periods of quiet than it is to cry, because if he cries, one of his parents may come in. 

One of Miko’s earliest memories – certainly the first to involve either of his parents – is of his mother leaning down into his crib. She is wearing all black, with a scarf of sorts around her neck, and something protruding from her back, held in place by a strap. In the memory, he stares first at the tail end of a military-issue machine gun that is on his mothers back as she kisses his tiny cheek, and then at her face as she pulls the scarf up to cover everything except for her eyes. “Sleep well, my precious baby,” she says in the memory, and then disappears into the night. 

They grow up in a house that is big and empty, surprisingly so considering Aunt Tamie and their parents and their parents co-workers are coming and going all the time. Juuki continues to do everything he can to raise Miko without attracting their parents attention, and they never talk about it. To Miko, this is normal; to Juuki, this is better. Tamie especially expresses her pride in him, over and over again, and tells them in her own gruff way that she is there for them before either of their parents. 

It is not until Miko is old enough to be sort-of independent that the two boys are sent away to a boarding school outside the city their parents house is in. Tamie tells them it is an international school, and that it is for the best. Their parents say it is in their own best interests to go without complaint, and Juuki doesn’t complain, because he knows by now that having an armoury as an accepted norm in his childhood is not a good thing, and he’d rather Miko escape it. Miko doesn’t complain because he takes too many cues from Juuki, and doesn’t feel enough attachment to either of his parents to protest. It’s not that they’re negligent (though they are) or distant, exactly; it’s just that Juuki is a better caregiver than them, and his brother is only three years older. 

Juuki takes to math and socialising with absolutely anyone who will talk to him. He finds it impossible to be consistent: to his desk partner in math, he is intelligent and quick-witted, to the girl who sits with him at lunch, he is quiet and sarcastic. There are more personalities that he tries on the same way others try on clothes, and the only one that sticks is the caring older brother. 

Miko takes to school in general, but he does not get flawless grades. He averages B’s and C’s and to Juuki he seems quietly content, though he worries that his little brother is having trouble interacting with other people. It’s not a baseless concern, it’s a fair one: Miko did not know other people when they lived in their parents house, and was always content to depend on Juuki for whatever company he wanted. That continues as months turn into years at the international school, and for all Juuki wishes Miko would learn to do more, he seems perfectly satisfied with offering shy smiles to whoever Juuki forces him to hang around with. 

Juuki resolves to do something to help Miko, because this can’t be healthy – except before anything can change, Tamie appears to pick them up from school. She does not explain to the headmaster or teachers or to Miko and Juuki, instead bundling them into her car. It’s black and inconspicuous. Juuki finds a pistol in the glovebox when he reaches for the gum she used to keep there, and stares at her with wide eyes, weapon limp in his hands. “Auntie?” 

“I have some bad news,” she says as lightly as she can. 

From the backseat, Miko clears his throat. “Did our parents get executed for betraying Yakuza?” 

Juuki whips around to stare at his little brother, wide eyed. He knows his parents aren’t the best people, aren’t necessarily nice, but they aren’t abusive. But Miko sounds so certain, so matter of fact, that he’s inclined to believe it. After all, Miko is the observant one. He’s the one who would know. 

Tamie’s hands are white where they grip the steering wheel, and she directs Juuki to dig through the glovebox to find the papers she actually meant for him to find. There is a passport there for each of them, and plane tickets. They are Japanese passports, which makes sense, considering they are Japanese – but the names are written in English characters, not Kanji or Hiragana or Katakana. Juuki squints at it, interpreting the Romanized characters only thanks to the past few years of English classes. “Lucas?” he asks slowly, reading the name from alongside his own face. “And – Michael?” 

“Your idiot parents,” Tamie starts. She pauses to clear her throat. “Your brother is correct. Your parents are – were – Yakuza, and they made mistakes. Their superiors found out.” She softens her voice to say, “I’m sorry, Juuki, but your parents are dead.” 

He stops for a moment then, processing. “But then – what? I want to see them.” 

“No, you don’t,” Miko says quietly. Still in the backseat, he does not move. “It’ll be better if you remember them alive. Then you – we – get to pretend. Right?”

Tamie nods once, sharply – slowly. For all she isn’t really their aunt, at least not biologically, she does care for them. That is part of why she is here now. “I want you both to know that lying to you has been difficult.” 

Miko swallows, Juuki rubs at his eyes. He doesn’t want to be sad that his parents are gone – they really, really haven’t ever been that great – but he can’t help it. They were more attentive with him than they were with Miko; that’s just a fact, a consequence of him being an only child for a few years. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Juuki asks. His voice has risen an octave. 

And Tamie talks and talks and talks, explaining everything. How their parents are, were, high ranking Yakuza, high enough to be a problem, but not high enough to be on top. About how their home has been a base of operations for much longer than Juuki has been alive, that it has only been a permanent residence for just that long. How their parents are too proud to split custody, about how it took Tamie most of Miko’s life to convince them that it would be best to send them to an international school to learn, to pick up skills and contacts that would make them useful to them in the long run. And she talks about how her name really is Tamie, and no, she isn’t really related to them. She is Japanese-Filipino, which explains why Juuki always believed that she wasn’t their biological aunt, and she was chosen to be one of three undercover Interpol agents infiltrating the Yakuza. It just so happened that Tamie’s in was their parents. She explains in great detail how she has never precisely cared for their parents except in the way you might care for a distant cousin, but that she has always loved Juuki, and always loved Miko, as long as they’ve been alive. This has been her mission for as long as Juuki has been alive, if not a little longer – she is vague on the details – but when the higherups got word that there was a leak within the Yakuza, and investigated enough to pick up the one that existed between Tamie and their parents, well – she is absolutely certain that twisting the arm of her handler until she had a way out of the country for the boys she loves like her own is the right thing to do. And that’s why she did it. 

“So,” she finishes awkwardly, “I, um. If you want, they’ve agreed to let me have sole custody of the two of you. But we cannot stay here, or anywhere in Japan – there is too much risk that the Yakuza will track you. Which is why your passports have American names on them.” She pauses and bites her lip, and it’s such an unusual show of uncertainty on her that Juuki almost smiles. “You wouldn’t be able to be Miko and Juuki any more, except when you are absolutely certain you’re in private. And I can’t guarantee your safety forever, but I know – I will do everything in my power to give you normal lives. As much as can be expected.” 

Juuki – Lucas, now, he supposes – listens, and he wonders if it would be cruel to point out that she has not given them much of a choice. It is no choice, really, when their options are either to reject her and end up alone in a foreign country where Miko – Michael – does not speak the language, and Lucas can barely read it – or they can accept her offer, and get something like a trusted relative out of this. 

It’s no offer at all, really. 

“We want whatever you can provide,” Miko says – Michael says. Lucas pinches himself. Michael, Michael, Michael.

He resolves then that he will do anything to keep his little brother out of trouble, no matter what level of his own integrity it challenges. He can do this one thing for him, be there for him in a way their parents never were. 

It’s the least he could do, really – or at least as he sees it.