#hey: don’t put candles in jars not made for candles. if they haven’t been tested there is a non zero chance heating it up will release

[hawnks]

watching viral crafting videos like: without gloves?? no ventilation?? no eye protection?? why is your pet in the room?? OH NO DONT BRING IN THE SOLDERING IRON

[dancingthesambaa]

The Smell of Plum Blossom Tea Ch 8

Summary: Just like a butterfly wing, a single act of kindness can change the course of the future, it certainly did for MK as a black-furred monkey put out a hand towards him

Rating: Teen and up

Chapter 8: One By One

It’s been over a few weeks since the whole Bull King invasion and things have been pretty peaceful. The city has slowly begun to rebuild itself and people have steadily begun to go back to their day to day lives.

If there's one thing he can appreciate about society is that they always will keep going even when everything around them has been destroyed.

Macaque's own workload has finally eased up, the hospital didn’t anticipate that many wounded in that short span and wasn’t able to gather the materials. So, he has gotten calls from both Yanyu and some of the higher ups in the field for his assistance.

“This has been a pain in the ass,” he grumbled as he sat down on the couch with his cup of tea. “I really shouldn’t have let them off so easily for the fuckton of work they put on me.” His was then twitched as he heard a familiar/strange set of feet dashing their way towards him.

“Dad!” He sees his son, who had his jacket tied around his waist and staff nowhere in sight, smiles widely as he leaps to him and gives him a big hug, “it’s been so long!”

“Hey kiddo,” he was taken momentarily off guard by the hug, but smiled down at him as he petted his hair. “How was work?”

“Oh I didn’t go, someone is taking care of that,” he happily stated as he still held on tight.

Macaque blinked for a moment before he gave a small chuckle, “oh, is that so, well I was about to read and relax, you want to join?”

“Can you read out loud?” He cheerfully asked as he got himself comfortable on the couch as he laid down.

“Of course.”

“Yay!”

So Macaque began to tell the story of a blind girl and how she stood strong in the face of adversity and ridicule. He was in the middle of the part where the girl denies the deity gift of giving her sight when he heard the door slam open wide.

“Stay away from my Dad!/Don't worry old man, we're here!” MK and Mei respectively shouted out as they both held staff and sword out to fight the battle ahead, only to falter as they took in the scene of Mac sitting quite comfortably on the couch, while another MK laid on his lap with a content smile. “Uhhhh.”

“Took you long enough,” he said with amusement, “I was almost about to send a clone out to you myself.”

“Huh?”

“What? You don’t think I can’t tell a clone apart from my son?” He smirked as he patted the clone ahead, the only response was cuddling closer to him.

“You know?!” MK yelled out as he walked forward, still a bit cautious after his encounters with the rest of his clones.

He only raised an eyebrow as he showed off his shadow clone.

“Oooh, yeah that makes sense.”

“How come he didn’t attack you!” Mei threw her hands up in frustration. “I mean, come on! I had to deal with Portay MK and you have Mr. Cuddle Bug?!”

“Attack, Pfft yeah that's what usually happens during the first duplicate trials,” he said as he laid his book down.

“I’m sorry what?” MK has put away the staff at this point as he tried to sit next to his Dad, only to forget that the space was currently occupied by another him. He stared down at the clone laying in his spot then the clone looked up at him and just turned around and faced away from him.

“No,” was all he said as the next moment the clone disappeared and there sat the real MK with a wide grin, “so what was that about the trials?”

The six eared monkey raised an eyebrow at his son's actions as Mei wheezed in the background, “well usually when someone is learning the clone technique most of the time the clones would try to attack the user to prove their authority or their sense of identity.”

“That is actually terrifying,” he deadpanned.

“I thought you already knew this?” He questioned his son, who suddenly blushed.

“Well I may have accidentally learned I can do this,” he scratched the back of his neck as he laid on his Dad's lap.

“And you decided to test it out despite not knowing the consequences,” he sighed as he examined his son hair which was now sporting some very uneven ends and patches, “you even messed up your hair cause of this, I thought I taught you to not mess with magic unless you have me or someone competent in the arts.”

“I know, I know, but I just wanted some sleep and quiet!” He moaned out as he let the furry hands caress the knots and tangles in his hair, “I didn’t think it would lead up to this.”

“That’s how they all start,” he snorted as he felt Mei sit on his other side and lay on his shoulder, “so why don’t you tell me how this all began and tell me a bit more about your training with Wukong. I haven’t heard back on how that’s been going.”

“Training with the Monkey King is amazing!” He lit up as he talked all about his sessions.

Macaque silently listened to his son ramble on about his training sessions with Wukong and boy did that still send him reeling.

He still can’t believe that this is happening, that in all of these strange currents of events, Wukong actually made his son his successor. He still doesn't know how to feel about that cause, on one hand, damn straight his child can lift the staff no one has ever been able to before, he is so proud that he accomplished the impossible that mere words still can’t explain it. But on the other hand, Wukong recklessly decided to choose his son to be his successor despite his many enemies, does that idiot not comprehend the target he just placed on his back.

‘I swear I have half the mind to go up there and knock him silly for his complete ignorance…though how everything goes after that is the only thing that’s stopping me,’ Mac internally thought. ‘Who knows how he would react if I show up unannounced…probably would be just the sequel of our last fight,’ he bitterly thought. He has long accepted that his former friend probably wanted nothing to do with him anymore if they ever saw each other again.

“And then he goes on about how one must never- are you even paying attention?!” MK's voice broke out of his thoughts.

“Yeah I am, you were just talking about how your swings are easily blockable.”

“They are not that bad,” he huffed.

“You swing too wide comet/You hit like it’s a baseball bat,” both demon and teenager said.

“Okay, I may have a small issue.”

“And that’s why you're training,” he said as he took his hands out of his hair when he began to yawn.

“Yeah I know,” he sleepily said as he closed his eyes.

‘At least he is enjoying himself,’ he then focused his attention on Mei, who was also dozing off and began to groom her hair as well.

“Is that the best you got flame brain,” Daiyu cackled out as she flew higher in the air and dodged the fireball, “I met imps who were stronger than that-shit!” She felt a sharp pain explode from her back.

“Don’t you dare think you can outmatch me, little bird!” Red Son cockily stated as he twisted one of her wings and the two began to a downward spiral. “I have fought monsters thrice the size of you and remained victorious!”

“Not today's string bean!” She squawked out as she flips on her back as the two were falling so that the fire demon could break her fall.

It was a tense stand off as neither side gave in even when they were free falling, it was only when they were ten feet away from the ground did he jump off her. He hoped that this would have worked and broken a few of her bones, but alas it didn’t as she caught herself just before and stopped herself.

“Tch,” he clicked his tongue in agitation as he went in for another strike for her wings, only to get batted off.

“Ha, ain’t fooling me again Flicker! Or maybe that candle on your head is finally reaching its end!” She went for his neck only to get buffed by his hand grabbing her beak.

“I’ll show you who's reaching their end once I burn you into a fiery crisp that not even your brethren would want to feast upon!” He tried to keep her in his hold as he lit up, but she managed to kick free of his grasp.

“Ha! I like to see you try! My shithead brothers and sisters would eat everything and I’m not even counting the chicks that just hatched!” She flew up high and prepared for a dive bomb.

“Let’s find out!” His entire body began to lit up in flames as his eyes bore into her.

“They seem to be having fun,” Bohai said as he lazily watched them.

“Two people who like the thrill of the battle going at it, of course, they like this shit,” Minsheng scoffed as they laid down, “at least they're not doing battles to the death anymore, that usually gets bloody way too fast.”

“And leaves me having to deal with their injured asses,” Macaque grumbled as he petted the infant monkey's head.

“Your friends,” the jellyfish pointed out.

“I was forced into this,” he stated.

“And we’re still here,” the rabbit demon grinned.

“Unfortunately.”

MK and Mei, on the other hand, still couldn’t believe their eyes as they continued to see the arrogant demon that was trying to kill them happily fighting. Well the fight part not really, but the happy thing was a bit out of left field. They had walked into the sounds of fighting and, while still being very cautious as they remembered Mac and Ahmed's last fight, quietly tried to investigate what was happening. So to see this scene was a little jarring once they realized that the two were simply sparring with each other.

“Huh, I have to say this is the quickest redemption arc I have ever seen,” Mei mused, “not even a month ago he was trying to kill us and now he is all buddy buddy with Dad and his friends.”

“To be fair, I think they mentioned him before,” MK said.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” the said monkey popped in, “I have. I actually have known him longer than the both of you. His family sometimes would stop by for some items from time to time.”

“Huh, well that’s honestly not that big of a shock,” Mei pouted as they watched Red Son finally pin the vulture demon down.

“I told you, you can’t beat me! For I am Red Son, prince to the esteemed Demon Bull King and the mighty Princess Iron Fan!” He maniacally laughed.

“You're a prince!” He was startled out of it when two voices reached over to him.

“Indeed I am! Who dares step forward and-,” he stops himself mid sentence when he sees noodle boy and biker girl familiar faces. His face drops, “oh it’s you two.”

“Like I knew DBK was your dad and all, but it never occurred to me that you would be a prince with, well you know,” Mei hummed out.

“With what?” He growled the last bit out.

“With you being a reckless, two-bit side character that likes to leap before they walk,” she bluntly said.

“I am no mere Side Character!” He bowled out as his hair flame intensified.

“Aren’t you though?”

“I’m not”

“But you can be, like how I can totally be one as well.”

“I am no mere side character,” he spat out, “I am the antagonist that stands against the hero path! I am the flame of destruction that threatens to consume all! I am the prince of the feared and mighty who takes pride in oneself and all that they do!”

“…okay but aren’t some villains side characters?” She couldn’t help it, she was having way too much fun at this point.

“I AM NOT A SIDE CHARACTER!”

“I feel like we have gotten meta somewhere,” MK muttered out and then walked forward before Mei could say anything that would trigger the raging flame demon anymore. “Hi! I know we didn’t really introduce ourselves after…that, but I’m MK and she's Mei.”

“…Red Son,” he eyed the smiling boy in front of him, “and I already knew who you are, your father talks much about the two of you.”

“Awwww, fluffy head does,” Mei cooed as she turned to face Macaque, who was resolutely not looking in their direction.

“Wait, if you knew who we were, why did you attack?” The Monkie Kid couldn’t help but ask.

Surprising the both of them, the prince blushed a bit out of embarrassment as he muttered out, “I didn’t know it was the two of you in the first place.”

“How?!” Mei sputtered out. “Like we were probably screaming each other's names so many times?!”

“No! You peasants were just screaming! Nothing short of a name has ever come up in the middle of it all!”

“Wait-so that’s why you called me Noodle boy?”

“Noodle boy?” She snorted.

“Your biker girl,” he hissed out.

“Biker girl…hmm not that bad actually,” she put her hand under her chin, “though did you seriously just come up with that because of what we were doing?”

“Yes,” the demon unashamedly said.

Both humans looked at one another before they both laughed wildly.

“Hahaha! Holy shit, you are such a dork,” the dragon girl clutched her stomach.

“By the Gods, that is kinda adorable,” the monkey's successor was pounding his fist on the ground.

“I am neither a dork nor adorable!” The Bull prince roared out as he marched over to them in fury. “Take that back!”

“NEVER!”

“And thus the start of a beautiful friendship,” Macaque couldn’t help but say as the demon began to chase the two around.

“Yeah, I worked my back off for it,” Daiyu grumbled as she finally got off the ground from where Red Son was pinning her down. “That whole time I just wanted to throttle him at them just so I could feel my wings again.”

“Don’t worry, your wings have some use finally,” Minsheng couldn’t help but say.

Daiyu promptly smacked her wings against their head.

“What do you mean disappeared?” Mei asked MK when he rushed inside their super secret base.

“All I know is that they were shopping and now I can’t contact nor find either one of them!” MK freaked out as he gripped his staff. “What if they're in trouble?”

“Take a deep breath MK,” Sandy rubbed the human back, “we don’t know that, their phones could simply be out of batteries or they got lost talking to each other.”

“Even though they’ll never admit it,” he said.

“Exactly, but the shop isn’t open!”

That drew out sharp gasps as now they began to panic.

“He has never not opened his store before!” Sandy shouted as he gripped his hair.

“I think he’s been kidnapped!” MK screamed in agreement.

“I immediately fear the worst!”

Mei rushed over to one of the screens and began to type in a few things and up on the screen appeared both people talking to a lady.

“They haven’t been carted away to treacherous territories,” the giant sighed in relief.

“Oh thank god they're still shopping,” MK sagged in relief as he saw this, “wait Mei what is this?”

“I had cameras placed on all of you and you said this was creepy,” she has already lost her brother once, that was not about to happen again.

“That still is.”

“Oh look now they're following that nice lady, see they're just fine,” Sandy inputted as they watched the two slowly follow the woman shrouded in black when suddenly there was a trap that opened underneath them, “AH! I was wrong! I was wrong! This is bad! This is very bad!”

“Nightmare hole!” The twenty year old screamed out as Mei's eyes widened in shock, “what happened?”

“It looks like?” She began to enhance and zoom into the blurred picture and when it became clear it showed an eight legged spider lady standing above them all.

“A spider demon! Come on! No! Ew! Yuck! I do not want to mess with spiders of any kind! I hate spiders! Hate, hate, hate spiders! With their beady eyes and their creepy wiggly legs and their gross butt!”

“MK, right now that spider demon has our friends so you know what that means,” Sandy pumped them up. “It’s Operation save Pigsy and Tang from the Nightmare Hole!”

“Yeah!” Both teens pumped their fists in the air along with the cat.

“Should we call Macaque for backup,” Sandy asked as he started up the engine.

“Nope!” MK quickly said before Mei could, “we can do this on our own!”

MK slowly began to back away as the Spider demon loomed over him menacingly. She had managed to capture Sandy and Mei as well and only he was the last one standing. “I regret everything I said.”

“Aww, don’t tell me you're scared of spiders!” She said as she stepped into the light then that faint tickling in the back of his head finally eased up at the full reveal.

“Wait? I know you!” His jaw dropped as he saw just exactly who was standing in front of him.

“What?” They all shouted even Spider Queen who was stunned out of sheer confusion.

“No wonder you look familiar! Daiyu talks about you all the time,” MK stated as he lost some of his fear at the relief of finally knowing why she seemed so familiar.

Though as his fear was momentarily suppressed the Spider Queen was not as she blanched at the name, “you know Daiyu!”

“Oh yeah, she has a bone to pick with you after you ripped her off, she said something about wanting to pluck the meat off of your corpse after she gets done beating you to a pulp or something like that.”

“I am now concerned by that statement,” Pigsy said.

“Oh don’t worry, she’s a vulture demon,” Mei happily responded.

“That does not make it better.”

“Does for me sweetheart,” Tang smiled, “it makes sense for a vulture to go for a corpse because they are cartoons. It’s actually quite fascinating-,”

“Tang I love you, but please don’t say that as we’re currently being tied up like a lamb ready for the slaughter,” Pigsy begged.

“…what?”

The pig and human eyes widened at what both said, but luckily they didn’t have to say anything as the Spider Queen roared in rage.

“I may be a slicker, but I ain’t no sham when it comes to my silk! Tell that chicken legged, deep fried coward that I will personally send her down under if she even instigates that I would do that!” She roared in rage as she stood tall in MK, who promptly got scared once more as he realized what he just said.

“MK run!” Pigsy yelled out.

“Don’t need to tell me twice!” MK slid between the Spider Queen legs and he began to book it.

“Get back here little monkey boy!”

“I feel like I should tell Daiyu where Spider Queen has been hiding,” MK mused as they floated along the ocean.

“As long as I’m there, I really want to see her explode in fury before the bloodbath happens,” Mei snorted as she laid across the top.

“You know, I sometimes worry about you,” Pigsy looked at the young lady at that statement.

“Fuzz butt says that too.”

“Shouldn’t you listen to your doctor?”

“Shouldn’t you listen to what you said back at the cave, don’t you think just because we were tied up doesn’t mean I don’t have ears,” she teased as Sandy nodded.

“Wait, what happened?” MK looked at both of them in confusion.

Sandy leaned over and whispered what happened and the boy's eyes widened and sparkled with glee. “Ohohoho!”

“It was the slip of a tongue,” Tang said as he pushed up his glasses in nervousness. “Nothing more.”

“Yeah, what he said, just a slip of the tongue,” Pigsy twisted his hands.

“Some slip, some would say that it almost sounded like,” the twenty year old girl leaned in with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “an old married couple would say to one another.”

“WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!” They both shouted and they shared glances at each other only to catch a view of their red faces and promptly turn to face away from them.

“If you say so,” she backed off with her hands up.

“And we say so,” the pig crossed his arms.

“Very much so,” Tang copied.

Both Sandy and MK were in the background holding back their laughs as they could barely keep it together.

MK woke up to the shake of an earthquake and his whole world feeling off balance.

At first, he wrote this off as the aftermath of the earthquake as he quickly got ready for work as he prayed Pigsy doesn’t fire him. But as he walked down the street with his drink in hand he still couldn't help, but felt his whole world was just off balance, like everything was just missing a beat or so, it was the weirdest feeling.

“Maybe I just banged my head too hard, should probably ask Dad to check in case,” he muttered in his straw as he was about to yell out when he saw Mei standing in the middle of the road. “Mei, I’m glad you’re here!”

“Yes I am right here,” she grinned widely, “and what’s this about calling your Dad?”

“I don’t know if I have a concussion or something else, but something seems really off and I can’t put my finger on what,” he groaned.

“It’s nothing, just relax. Today is all about you.”

“Aren’t you usually the one who usually tells me to call him if things are getting too sticky to handle?” MK questioned as that off balance feeling was coming in full force.

“I am?” He could almost see her face contort for a brief moment before going back to her previous creepy grin, “I mean I am! But he’s probably busy doing stuff sweetie.”

“Sweetie,” he looked at her in pure disgust.

“I mean dear friend,” he never thought someone could grin that wide.

“Even when he’s in the middle of making medicine he always answers,” at this point he has begun to back up from Mei. He did not like just how off this whole thing was and it wasn’t helping that the crowd was just watching them.

“Don’t worry,” she ominously said, “I’m sure…”

“Macaque,” he supplied as he quickly got into position to bolt out of there as soon as he had the chance. This was definitely not Mei!

“Right Macaque will be just-!” Not just Mei, but the entire crowd of people's heads snapped towards MK.

“Did you just say Macaque!” They all yelled out.

“Yeah?!?” He was now more than freaking out as he looked for possible exits, he was not about to stay here a moment longer if he could. But then his whole world began to fade away as he saw the people just shake their heads and arms as they seem to glitch out.

“Nope, nuh uh, F this! Plan is officially done! Do not collect after Go! Finish!” He blinked his eyes as he saw that he was now in a shack and standing in front of him was a blue and orange demon. The blue one was just holding a jar of some kind, while the orange one was speaking.

“Done! Capital D.O.N.E! Done!”

“I think he gets it Jin,” the blue demon said.

“Well excuse me for being freaked out about this! Why aren’t you freaking out about this?!”

“Oh I am, one moment,” he said as he carefully put down the jar, “there we go….We freaking messed up so bad!” The demon began to panic, “like this is going to the top thirty bad.”

“Fucckkk!” Jin said as he gripped his hair.

“What is going on?!” MK yelled out his frustration as he collected the staff and kept a tight grip on it. “Who are you?!”

The two demons paused their freak out as they both dramatically posed.

“I am Jin!” The orange demon jumped up.

“And I am Yin!” The blue demon bowed low.

“And together,” they both said in sync as Jin landed on top of Yin back, “we are the Gold/Silver and Silver/Gold demons!”

There was a silence as both parties looked at each other before both brothers then began to fight over the name.

“It’s Gold and Silver nitwit!”

“No, it's Silver and Gold half bake!”

“Seriously, what is going on and why am I here?” He reiterated his point as that got the two to stop fighting.

“We heard about the great Monkie kid and knew he would be a worthy adversary,” Yin stated as he crossed his arms.

“Yes, so after our cunning plan we called out to you and you foolishly,” they both pointed to him, “answered.”

“…I was delivering noodles of course I was gonna answer,” his eyes twitched at the sheer ridiculousness of this.

“But you still answered and fell right into our plan to use you for our nefarious purposes!” Gin dramatically laughed.

“Until we knew that you were the Six Eared Macaque kid,” Yin added.

“Yeah before that,” he stopped his laughter, “we know we’re certifiably insane, but we ain’t stupid.”

“Yeah, we know better than to try to mess with what’s Macaque, I heard the last demon who tried that was tormented by him for a hundred days,” the blue demon shivered.

“I heard he once pulled the inside out of another demon just because he was having a bad day.”

“Well I heard he took on and defeated an entire army so that he could pass by.”

“I heard that he can suck some demon body and soul into a cursed item and make them fight for him.”

“Oh that one’s true,” MK butted in as at this point he sat down as he realized that they were not even a threat, just very amusing.

Both of them shivered as they looked at him in horror, “wait really!?”

“Yep!”

“Check that rumor off as being real,” Jin groaned as Yin held out a rather large book.

“Already on it.”

“What’s that?” MK asked.

“Oh it’s just a book with basically any rumors we happen to come across,” Yin proudly showed off, “most of them are probably not true, but it is amusing to hear. Like this one, it’s rumored that the Demon Bull King lost his horn after he insulted a deity and it broke off from sheer embarrassment after she had slapped him silly for a couple of hours.”

“Snrk!” He let out a sputter at the sheer ridiculousness.

“The Celestial Heavens is actually a conspiracy used to hide the good alcohol, cause if that shit was freely given the whole world would be gone.”

“Pffffft!”

“That we are actually all standing on a hand right now, but we just can’t see it.”

“Hahahaha!” MK let it out as he clutched his stomach. “These sound so stupid!”

“I know right!” Jin grinned, “that’s why we record them, cause they sound just so dumb!”

“They really do,” the Monkie kid said as he got his laughter back in control and sat back up, “so you're not gonna try to capture me again?”

“Like we said before, Monkey King is one thing, but we ain’t messing with Macaque. If you think Monkey King has a grudge, you should see that trickster when he really has time to think and plan on revenge,” the orange demon said.

“Ain’t nobody gonna get in his way,” the blue demon finished.

“Good!” He should probably ask about all his Dad’s revenge stories sometimes, he knows they would be good ones then a thought occurred to him as he scrunched up his nose. “So, why did you have Mei call me sweetie?”

“Ask Jin,” he pointed to his brother.

“Well, I thought since you guys are childhood friends and all you have feelings for one another, you know, like in the books and all that,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Crush?! On Mei?! Grosss!” He yelled out as he can almost feel himself puke at the thought, “Yuck! No! God no! She is basically my sister!”

“I told ya.”

“You didn’t tell me shit.”

“Don’t fucking cuss around kids,” Yin hissed out.

“Well you should shut your damn trap!” Jin snarled back.

“Least threatening villains ever,” MK muttered to himself, “Wait? Did you seriously try to invoke the childhood friends trope? Like in romance novels?”

“Yeah!” Jin proudly stated.

“You read romance books?”

“You don’t? They are the best kinds of books with all the drama that surrounds them, the clashing of emotions, the tightly packed metaphors that can be placed in one paragraph to describe someone’s eyes. It's simply awesome! Have you read them?”

“Not really,” he admitted.

“I can give you some recommendations! Then we can-”

“Nope,” Yin drew his brother back, “we are not about to have a repeat of last time. Remember how you burned down the bookstore?”

“They deserve it for saying Ballad of the Desert was overrated,” he growled out.

“True, but we were supposed to be on the down low after nicking off with some bastard goods, I did not like having to run around with the gang on our asses, so we are leaving,” he deadpanned.

“Fineee!” He groaned out as the two suddenly stood upright and raised their hands. “We will meet again one day, Monkie Kid!” Then they threw down what was in their hands and a plume of smoke appeared in their spots.

“Bleh,” he waved the air around him as he heard a laugh and turned around to see them in the street.

“Hahaha! We’re the greatest tricksters!” Gin said with his arms crossed once more.

“Ever! Also please don’t tell Macaque about us trying to capture you! Thank you, bye!” Yin finished as the two disappeared in a flash of smoke for the final time.

MK could only stare at the empty space in pure shock as he tried to process just what happened.

“…I’m just gonna go back to the shop,” he gave up as he begrudgingly walked back to his car.

[its-love-u-asshole]

Corresponding [fic]

Summary: Kuroo can't help but fear his own weakness, and more than anything, he fears that Tsukishima won't understand the broken parts of himself which Kuroo tries so desperately to hide. However, maybe Kuroo needs to start giving the blond the benefit of the doubt.

Rating: T

Tags: Pacific Rim AU, lots of sappiness, very light angst, mentions of abusive parents but nothing major 

Note:  Hello! This is a sequel fic in my Pacific Rim series, so if you haven’t read the first installment I highly recommend you do so, or you won’t understand much of what’s happening lol. I’ve had the idea for this sequel for a while but I finally got to sit down and write it out, so I hope you enjoy! Thanks to @emeraldwaves for reading this over! 

AO3

The phrase ‘adorned in polycarbonate’ would probably strike most people as odd, and was by no means a traditional observation. However, it was all Kuroo had to describe his co-pilot in that moment.

Tsukishima's footsteps echoed against the floor's railing, the dim lighting of the jaeger cockpit casting a gentle glow on the other's already luminous figure. Kuroo briefly wondered if only he saw Tsukishima in this way, as a beacon, and found that he'd gladly spend his life convincing others of the phenomena if he had to.

Everyone should see how much the other shined, like he'd done for Kuroo in more than enough ways, illuminating the ever-present darkness.

For now though, it was just the two of them, taking each other in. The noises of heavy machinery and diagnostic checks faded into nothingness, and all Kuroo could comprehend were honey brown eyes and that suit.

Kuroo was shameless about it as Tsukishima stepped forward, completely free from the shadows, eyes roaming over the sleek charcoal clothing which only intensified the blond's brightness.

A jaeger pilot's drivesuit was as jarring as it was necessary. The glorified wetsuit was covered in "armor," or hard plates made of polycarbonate fibers which protected the chest, legs, and spinal cord.

Kuroo had a matching one, black and sturdy, but he was less impressed with himself in the mirror than he was with how Tsukishima looked right then.

The armor hugged the blond's lean but muscled frame, accentuating every curve and ridge. The bulky attire wasn't meant to look so beautiful, but Tsukishima made it work. More than anything though, it showed how downright powerful Tsukishima was. The new look commanded the same authority which the blond had exhibited in the cafeteria on Kuroo's first day, only this time it was ready for more than just fighting words.

Tsukishima looked ready for battle, ready to pilot. A chill raced down Kuroo's spine, like he couldn't possibly keep all his satisfaction in if he tried.

He'd never felt more honored to stand by someone in his life.

"Done staring?" Tsukishima's teasing lilt made Kuroo smirk, his eyes flashing with fondness which had only taken a few days to fully cultivate. How much more could he be pulled into Tsukishima's orbit? How much more could he pull Tsukishima into his own?

He didn't want to wait to find out.

"Not yet, give me a good...twenty...years?" Kuroo said, and Tsukishima promptly tossed a helmet at his face. It didn't stop Kuroo from catching the flush on the other's cheeks, the color amplified by the midnight garb. Tsukishima rolled his eyes, but smiled, and Kuroo's heart stalled, as expected.

It was becoming quite common.

Tsukishima turned away, eyeing his reflection in his own helmet's visor with unmasked vulnerability. "I bet you would say that to all your co-pilots."

Tsukishima huffed a small laugh, waiting for Kuroo's playful reply or stupid pick up line.

But Kuroo didn't want to do that. Maybe it was the overwhelming nostalgia which came from standing in the Nekoma's control pod, about to drift again for the first time in years. Or maybe it was all those happy tears he'd shed the night before, or the ones which threatened to leak out even then.

Overall, Tsukishima stood in front of him, open and proud to be there, and ready to follow Kuroo down his dream's old path. Kuroo didn't feel like lying to him about anything in that moment, nor would he brush the truth away.

When they were in a jaeger, there was no need for pretend.

"No, I really don't. It's just you." And Kuroo hoped it was just him for Tsukishima too.

His copilot turned to him, surprised at Kuroo's serious tone, and for a second, only the beeps of the jaeger's machines passed between them. Anxiety and excitement reflected back from Tsukishima's eyes, and once more Kuroo didn't question why they were so compatible. At the root of things, they were the same.

They stared for a while, and Kuroo clutched his helmet, breathing in time with the Nekoma's vitals. To him, the jaeger had always been alive, an extension of himself, and now an extension of Tsukishima too.

With Tsukishima at a loss for words, Kuroo shrugged, grinning lazily. "But yeah, you look really good."

Tsukishima blinked, startled, and then his brain caught up to him, and he laughed, light and real this time. Kuroo drank up the sound, using it as a natural stress reliever as the time of their test neared closer and closer.

Yeah, they'd be fine.

"Hey Kuroo," Tsukishima said, fixing his helmet to his head.

Kuroo perked up, like a cat, his head tilted slightly as he snapped on his own helmet. "Hm?"

Tsukishima turned away, avoiding Kuroo's gaze as his voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "You look good too."

Somehow, the innocent compliment had Kuroo's brain ready to explode, and he didn't try to hide the color blooming on his cheeks.

They exchanged one last smile before their coms filled with static, and Ukai's voice filled their ears. "Pilots, prepare for neural handshake. Two minutes."

All of a sudden, the mix of nerves was back, but instead of making Kuroo sick to his stomach, it sent him flying into action. He and Tsukishima shared one last grin before stepping into position, linking up their limbs with the correct attachments on the jaeger.

Man, it's been a while....

Kuroo hadn't drifted in so long, he probably would be in for a shock. Having his memories, painful ones and all, flowing through his mind at the speed of light into his partner's, and seeing Tsukishima's in return. He remembered how overwhelming it could be, but part of him was excited to finally get to share all of himself with the blond.

He pushed away the insecurity as much as he could, not wanting to think of all the struggle and strife which Tsukishima would no doubt witness. Kuroo had gone through a lot of low points in his life. He'd been stepped on, cast out, forced to wander and work meager jobs not at all fitting of his skills. Pathetic, pitiful.

Kuroo knew there was a crowd gathered around the jaeger too, on the outside. He couldn't see them but he felt the stares, the judgement, the complete lack of faith and trust in him. Maybe he deserved some of it. He could picture Daishou's smug face and the crew's bated breaths.

They were waiting for his show to flop, and Kuroo wanted nothing more than to prove them wrong. Regardless, the fear sat in his gut, deep rooted.

But one look at Tsukishima, with his calm face and unexpected tenacity, Kuroo could put some faith in him.

Please don't be disappointed in me...

That was his last thought.

"20 seconds. Get ready to drift boys." Ukai at least sounded supportive.

"Ready to be inside my head?" Kuroo said, laughing off the tremors of apprehension inside him as he heard the machinery around him power up.

"I thought I already was," Tsukishima said with a shrug, and yeah, Kuroo could not argue with that. Then, the blond's smile fell, and his eyes filled with the same genuine concern which Kuroo couldn't get enough of. "Stay with me."

Don't get lost in a memory.

Kuroo exhaled shakily, nodding once. "You too."

He didn't mind that it sounded like begging, he only hoped it wasn't drowned out by the whirring of the Nekoma around him, his nerves sparking like fire.

"Neural handshake initiated."

.

.

.

The thing about drifting was it was such an intimate experience that eventually, it became hard to tell his own memories apart from his partner's. The visions, the feelings...they blended together and collided, split in half then reformed all in the same split second. Memories were powerful things too, showing someone's weakest and most sacred moments.

Witnessing the milestones and mistakes of someone's life...the first time it was too much. Too personal.

Now of course, Kuroo didn't mind the sensation as much. The cold chill and the mind numbing tremble of watching everything pass by in mere seconds. Well, it was technically a few seconds. For pilots it felt like hours, years even, trapped in some nostalgia driven world which was separate from the rest of humanity.

Just the two of them.

Kuroo opened his eyes at the sound of static coming from an old television set, and immediately saw the grainy image of a news report playing on it. The surrounding living room was littered with toys and discarded items. Picture frames, candles, console remotes...

Everything was in disarray, as if a tornado had swept through. Immediately, Kuroo's first thought was the aftermath of a kaiju attack, but things weren't destroyed quite enough for that conclusion to make sense. The roof was intact, the power was on, and no sound came from outside. Right then, the only sound came from the news report, detailing an ongoing kaiju attack in one of America's coastal cities.

It was obviously one of the bad ones too, before the jaeger program had really come into effect. The information bar at the bottom told of numerous fatalities and futile military efforts.

Strangely enough, as intense as the broadcast was, no one sat in front of the television watching it.

Kuroo squinted, eyes roaming the space around him over and over, trying to remember. The frayed edges of the home's walls told him he was in a memory, but nothing seemed familiar to him. Anxiety bubbled up inside him before diffusing completely, some sick form of relief.

He thought he'd be the one to become caught up in an old memory, an old tragedy.

But this memory wasn't his.

He wasn't the one who was stuck.

At the realization, Kuroo's relief shattered, replaced with concern. Before he could even think to call out for Tsukishima, a crash startled him. Suddenly, two small boys came darting out of the kitchen, just as plate hit the adjacent wall, breaking into shards.

From the kitchen, he could hear more things begin to break. The toppling of chairs, the kicking of cabinets...

But Kuroo's focus wasn't on the commotion, only the two boys in front of him who were desperately trying to crawl under the coffee table. Panic from the news report kept playing, but it was far less important then.

Tsukishima looked so small, probably only about five or six, tripping over his hand-me-down pajama pants while he scrambled after his brother. He clutched the fabric of his hoodie as he brought his knees up to his chest, eyes darting towards the kitchen in fear when he heard something else break. He flinched, like somehow, they'd be next.

Tsukishima Akiteru was older than his brother, and his face was one Kuroo knew well. Who didn't? His face had decorated magazines and talk shows ever since he'd made it big as a jaeger pilot. But as Kuroo watched him, Akiteru didn't look anything like the bronze statue they had built of him in Tokyo's museum. The heroic bravery was absent, replaced with trembling hazel eyes and the barely held in tears of a twelve year old trying to shield his brother.

Kuroo's chest tightened just looking at them, and he still couldn't bring himself to call out, but he had to. He had to get Tsukishima out of this.

Akiteru held his brother tight as the voices from the kitchen rose to screaming. Carefully, Kuroo walked the small distance of the living room until he could kneel down next to his co-pilot's younger self, wishing he could cradle him in his arms.

"Stop!" A woman's voice shrieked from the kitchen as Kuroo watched the young Tsukishima tremble beneath the coffee table.

A rugged, drunk voice came from a man a few seconds later. "I told you to shut the hell up!"

Kuroo glared at the shadows of Tsukishima's parents, and wondered how none of the neighbors had called the cops or interfered yet. The screaming match was brutal, bouncing off the small home's walls.

Kuroo heard Tsukishima sniff, his eyes shut tight and his hands clasped over his ears to block out the noise. So small, so helpless.

And again, Kuroo couldn't help but notice the violent kaiju attack coverage playing on the T.V. screen, completely unnoticed. But yeah, made sense. He guessed that not even a kaiju could be this scary, not in a million years.

"Tsukki, Kei, you gotta snap out of it," Kuroo said, strong and firm. The noise from the kitchen threatened to drown him out, but he reached forward, making sure Tsukishima's focus would be solely on him.

At the sound of another crash, Akiteru was gone, and Tsukishima was no longer a child. And as fucked up as the situation was, Kuroo had to remind himself to breathe, seeing his co-pilot next to him again in all his beauty.

But no, this wasn't the Tsukishima he'd grown to know.

The blond was shaking, afraid, despite his pilot uniform. His body shivered under Kuroo's touch, and his eyes opened to reveal the same fright his childhood self had expressed. The blond's sassiness, his control...it was gone.

Despite Kuroo's desire to shelter Tsukishima in any way, he felt himself smiling at such childishness, at how much he and Tsukishima were alike after all.

To think all this time, he'd been so worried about his own shortcomings...

Tsukishima was meant to be his partner, he was meant to understand. Kuroo should've had more faith from the start.

"Hey, I'm here now," Kuroo said, jostling Tsukishima a bit with his hand. "This isn't real. This...it's not happening anymore. I need you to come back to me alright?"

Tsukishima whimpered, but he tore his gaze away from the kitchen, landing on Kuroo's comforting gaze. The shouts continued in the background. "K-Kuroo?"

"Yeah! Yeah, it's me," Kuroo said, heart expanding. Tsukishima's eyes softened, but he flinched again at the sound of a chair behind overturned. The shadows in the kitchen grew, as if getting closer...

Tsukishima's breathless tone had Kuroo's eyes snapping back to him. "I...I'm scared, why am I scared?"

Immediately, Kuroo thought of his own terror. The risk of fucking up, of ruining both of their careers, of endangering lives...he'd always beaten himself up so much for all of it. Now though...now he understood a little better.

"Well," he said, sighing to himself. "Because you have the right to be."

Whether it be kaijus or abusive fathers, neither were without dread. A lot of things were scary, and maybe he didn't have to give people shit for it, especially not himself.

But Kei, I'm here now. We're both here. We can fight and be afraid together.

"I feel like I'm always scared," Tsukishima admitted, his voice no louder than a whisper. The words were much to Kuroo's surprise, given Tsukishima's usual demeanor. The blond was glaring at his own feet, like the confession itself pained him. It probably did, someone as prideful as he was...

"Me too," Kuroo said, and Tsukishima's brow furrowed, like he was surprised or something. Even though Tsukishima knew better than anyone else how terrified Kuroo could get. It made Kuroo adore him twice as much.

Looking at Tsukishima like this now, with tears in the blond's eyes, a lot of other things became clearer to him.

"I'm sorry," Kuroo said then, compelled to do so, and bowed his head. It was necessary in his mind. He had to come clean here and now.

They had a test to run.

Tsukishima blinked, wiping away the few tears he'd accidentally shed. The shouting in the background began to fade into nothingness. "Wh--how come?"

Kuroo smiled softly, and he threaded their fingers together, his heart finally at ease. "I guess I sort of put you on a pedestal. Not that you don't deserve one but...I kinda felt like I wasn't good enough for you. That you'd eventually realize that I wasn't a great partner or...I don't know. That you'd realize how weak I can be."

Kuroo swallowed the lump forming in his throat, and Tsukishima's eyes stayed trained on him. The least Kuroo could do was look back. "But, I know now that you're...you need my help too. That we're both a little weak. Seeing you here like this, it made me want to protect you."

Like you protect me.

"You don't have to be strong for me 24/7, because I definitely won't be strong all the time. But when it counts, I know you'll fight with me, so..."

Kuroo's voice shook, and he closed his eyes, feeling Tsukishima's other hand come up to clasp his own. There was no noise now, not even the television. Tsukishima's mind was calm.

The blond shifted next to him, untucking his knees, and Kuroo dared to look up again. He watched as Tsukishima rose up, pulling Kuroo to his feet. His breath came out shakily, like he hadn't completely forgotten the echoes of broken plates, but he just clutched Kuroo's hands tighter in the face of the fear.

That's all Kuroo could ask for.

"And...I know you'll fight with me, so..."

Kuroo laughed, grinning as the rest of their memories began to flow together again, unfrozen now. He saw and felt the rest of Tsukishima's mistakes, the moments of frailty, and embraced them all as he shared his own.

As his mind began to scramble, he looked at Tsukishima one last time, finding no judgement.

The blond stared at him, and the tear stains had dissipated, his eyes catching fire. "So...let's go be afraid then. And kill some kaiju of course."

Kuroo returned the grin tenfold, and knew he couldn't have said it any better.

.

.

.

"Right hemisphere calibrated. Left hemisphere calibrated. Ready to active the Jaeger."

Kuroo's entire body jolted, and he was back in the Nekoma, Tsukishima at his side. The Jaeger breathed to life, moving as Kuroo raised his arms. He smirked, looking to find that Tsukishima was doing exactly the same.

For the first time in a long time, Kuroo was energized, and he remembered what pushed him into a Jaeger in the first place. I was born for this.

The world seemed brighter almost, though the cockpit was dim, only the machinery and digital screens provided any light. Still, Kuroo felt exhilarated, raising his hands along with Tsukishima. Their movements corresponded exactly, totally in sync.

It was like a dream.

Ukai's voice spoke into their coms, cementing their lives in reality, and Kuroo could hear the pride in the commander's voice. "Nice job on a successful test, boys. You're ready to go."

Ready to fight.

Kuroo couldn't help but laughed, and man, he hoped everyone outside felt damn stupid for doubting them now.

Kuroo held in his emotions, overjoyed to let the Nekoma come alive once again, and vowed he wouldn't let it down again. No matter what mistakes he made, he'd return to it, time and time again.

And whenever the next kaiju attack hit, he and Tsukishima would be there, totally united.

They were met with applause when they exited the cockpit, both from the staff and the band of observers. It was strange and out of place, as if they'd killed an actual kaiju instead of simply drifting for the first time, but Kuroo would take it.

He hadn't felt so proud in a long time.

He pulled Tsukishima into a tight hug, and to his shock, the other reciprocated in full. Kuroo could definitely get used to this.

"Thanks...for staying with me," Tsukishima whispered, and Kuroo hugged him tighter, knowing none of his words would do the feeling inside him justice.

I think it's me who should be thanking you.

But there would be plenty of time for that.

They separated, and Kuroo looked up to the onlookers on the railing, eyes finding Daishou easily. It was weird, the split second of tension Kuroo felt, not knowing whether he'd receive some congratulations or a sneer. In all honesty, he was prepared for either. Nothing could ruin his resolve now.

But Daishou had ways of surprising him. The other nodded respectfully, genuinely, a sharp smirk on his face.

The kind of look which said "I'll see you out there."

Somehow, Kuroo wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Nice job you two!"

Both he and Tsukishima turned to the voice, finding Semi Eita standing there with his less than enthused looking partner. Kuroo had never met him or Shirabu Kenjirou before, but something told him Shirabu always looked like that.

"Thank you," Kuroo and Tsukishima said in unison, bowing slightly.

"It'll be good to have strong pilots at our side again," Semi continued, his grin fierce, and his eyes filled with fury. Huh, Kuroo thought he looked a bit tame before, but that was far from the truth.

Semi was as insane as the rest of them, but Kuroo would be honored to battle alongside him.

Kuroo watched them walk off, noticing as their fingers brushed together ever so slightly. A real bond, no doubt about it, strengthened by many fights.

Kuroo hoped he and Tsukishima would be as successful. That's the other thing he feared, losing Tsukishima. But as he watched the blond bask in the glow of their small victory, he knew he shouldn't worry.

Tsukishima would claw and bite before he went down, and Kuroo would too.

They'd go down protecting the people of the world, and each other.

After all, that's what made them perfect partners.

As if sensing Kuroo's train of thought, Tsukishima turned to him, grinning in that subtle, secretive way which Kuroo was beginning to fall in love with.

The 'we're going to kick ass' smile suited the blond well. And of course, he was one hundred percent correct.

Kuroo looked up at the dormant kaiju sirens bolted to the walls, knowing soon they'd be ringing loud and menacing, signaling their first fight.

Tsukishima grabbed his hand, and Kuroo knew he had followed his gaze. With a smirk, Kuroo intertwined their fingers together.

Bring it on.