#i guess i relate to akira on that front

[yakuzacanons]

hiiii!!! I think I read your posts pretty much everyday and am loving absolutely everything you write!!

This one thought has been bothering me for a while: what would our boys think of their s/o being a foreigner? I guess some of them would pay no mind, some of them would be bothered at first, maybe some of them would even use their s/o as a token! What do you think?

Good question! Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. Last post of the night kiddos, see y'all tomorrow eve.

Kazuma Kiryu

Doesn't mind and doesn't care. People are people. He likes you because he likes you. It's that shrimple. Seriously though, it never phased him. He doesn't ask questions about it either. Feel free to share exactly as much or as little about your culture as you'd like.

Majima Goro

Similar mindset as Kiryu but he would ask some questions. Somewhat interested in cultural differences, like the fact that Americans don't take off their shoes before going inside. It's not always aimed at YOUR culture specifically, he's just curious.

Saejima Taiga

He's a little resistant at first. Saejima's a little more old school and likely always saw himself with a more traditionally Japanese spouse. Mildly confused at some of your cultural differences but gets used to them. His affections towards you are more powerful than his confusion. Besides, he's easily confused anyways by a lot of things.

Akiyama Shun

Thinks that it's really cool that you're a foreigner. Might even think that's what makes you so interesting in the first place, at least when you first meet. Tries to learn words in your language but never pronounces them well.

Tanimura Masayoshi

As a mixed race guy, he kind of relates to you. He's pretty respectful of your culture and enjoys sharing his with you but he would never pressure you to do the same. Mostly just accepts it as is, no questions asked.

Ryuji Goda

Like Akiyama, he likely finds your cultural differences enticing when he first meets you. Finds himself actually caring about your cultural and is pretty respectful of it. Goes out of his way to try to remember important holiday events from your culture. Would punch anyone who makes fun of you.

Nishikyama Akira

Generally prefers an Asian spouse but he's open to other possibilities. Kind of guy to dumbly ask "Why" or "Huh" when you do certain things that relate to your culture. Little bit dumb about it all. Doesn't exactly judge you though but he can be openly confused at times.

Daigo Dojima

Honestly he has never thought about dating a foreigner and probably thinks it's expected of him to have a Japanese spouse but doesn't let that stop him. Daigo's a big sweetheart when in love so where you're from or what culture you partake in doesn't bother him none. Genuinely supportive and loving all the way.

Mine Yoshitaka

Might be a little guilty of fetishizing your culture or using it as a token point of interest. What can I say, Mine really does want to look cool in front of everyone, even more than Nishiki. If you tell him, he'll immediately knock it off. He likely just didn't realize that it bothered you or offended you.

Tatsuo Shinada

Also guilty of making your culture or foreigner status into a token subject, but more so in the way he just asks a LOT of questions. He doesn't realize it makes you feel like you're a zoo animal or like a science project. His intentions are well placed though, he just doesn't know when to stop asking.

Ichiban Kasuga

He'll just be like "Okay, cool!" with a thumbs up. That's how much you being a foreigner affects him. Bless his gentle heart, he could never fathom how anyone could judge you or treat you differently just because you're a foreigner.

Tianyou Zhao

Sympathizes with your struggles and is really understanding. Would be down to share cultural foods or holidays with you, either from his culture or yours. He's just generally really chill about it.

Joon-Gi Han

Similar vibe as Zhao but would whoop the ass of anyone who made fun of you. He knows all too well what it's like to be outcast just because of who you are and how much that hurts and he'll be damned if you ever feel bad for being yourself.

[tamamatango]

Unplanned character analysis I should’ve saved for 6/23 but I need instant gratification whenever I have a thought or I explode

Sup nerds, thanks for reading my master’s thesis completely overanalyzing what literal scraps we have in relation to the new anime. Unfortunately no updates yet on that front but I’m starting to go a little Cuckoo For Cocoa Puffs in anticipation so fingers crossed they drop something soonish. I have a couple of longer form posts in my back pocket that may or may not happen in a nearish timeframe, we’ll see what I get around to.

I was going to not do any more posts until one of those materializes but I’m detouring from that for a bit because I had an epiphany about Saburo now that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this series again. Those if you who know me and/or were around for when I was most active here know he is my favorite character behind Kururu and that’s still true. So here’s like. A reading of him that I think completely changes the way you will look at this character. If you don’t see him like this already.

Saburo(/Mutsumi since this goes equally for the manga side) is not actually cool. Like this kid is totally cringe and a weirdo right. Literally thinks of the most unnecessarily extra solutions to things, wardrobe that gets increasingly bizarre over time, writes poetry that is usually either obnoxiously cheesy or just doesn’t make any sense. Spends his free time doing stuff like talking to cats and collecting shitty kids’ meal toys. His drawings aren’t even that good most of the time. Unironically Momoka has more swag than Saburo does (granted Momoka has more swag than most characters but that’s besides the point). Yes he is a super genius and athletically gifted and conventionally attractive to other people his age, and (for manga Mutsumi only) it’s later implied he was modified by the N326 in some way. But here’s the thing—a lot of his peers either think he’s a smarmy ass show-off little shit (manga) or just completely inaccessible to the average person so why bother (anime).

The reason why he’s such a celebrity is because the only people who think he is really cool are children and preteen girls (and secretly Giroro but the whole reason that’s a funny joke is because Saburo is totally not appealing to adults at all let alone hardened super serious soldiers). But this is a very profitable and exploitable audience so he is really successful. He is the equivalent of a Disney Channel teen star. He’s like what Justin Bieber was in 2010 or whenever. In the manga Mutsumi gladly eats up this attention, but the anime pretty heavily implies especially toward the (until this year tee hee) end of the series that Saburo kinda dislikes being under the celebrity microscope and having producers who want to milk their child star as much as possible; he just wants to create and entertain and express himself freely which is why he does everything anonymously.

I think the anime tried a little too hard to make him unironically cool and my guess is that this is for a couple reasons. One, he has Akira Ishida’s voice coming out of him which yes was obviously chosen primarily because lol Kaworu but also his voice is just inherently associated with “we want you to think this character is a mysterious ikemen” most of the time. Two, compared to the manga there’s a lot more fillery stuff revolving around Natsumi idolizing him and because so much of the show is from Natsumi’s perspective, that’s the perspective the viewers (who were also intended to be children then, though I think now that it’s a 20 year old series they’re going more for the nostalgic adult audience) get as well. Don’t get me wrong though the VERY few serious moments he had were fantastic, 229 best episode movie 3 best movie etc etc.

You could also argue Kururu thinks Saburo is “cool” but I think he respects him more in the way that he’s kinda like him but younger so they understand each other intrinsically and that makes Saburo more reliable in fulfilling Kururu’s specific needs than most other characters. Saburo’s a lot kinder ostensibly but unlike the rest of the cast, who recoils at Kururu’s mannerisms and psychological torment of everyone, Saburo usually just thinks it’s funny. Kururu is much of a freak as he is but is very particular about his image and actively micromanages almost every aspect of his personality to get people to see him a certain way and avoid showing too many of his vulnerabilities (it’s all but confirmed in the anime that his entire cadence and vocal tics are an elaborate act and his normal voice is totally different). We don’t see it much on screen but it seems he can kinda relax a bit around Saburo who himself is totally out there but in a more genuine and unabashed way, like even in the anime where the radio persona is a secret it’s not like he acts that much differently on the air than he does in his personal life. Besides maybe the early manga Kururu is not really a romantic and probably thinks Saburo’s sappy wappy poetry is cringe too, but he likes Saburo enough that he supports him being himself no matter what bullshit that entails (besides getting himself killed of course). Sorry had to shoehorn best partners talk for a bit longtime Kirb readers know how it is.

So there is actually a specific thing that made me decide let’s do a fucking character analysis for the first time in like 5 years or something, and that’s that I was browsing through raws of the one 4koma book I don’t physically own (shoutout to @kagender for those scans along with some other cool stuff like Keroro Land issues, storyboards and ref sheets!), and it was these strips:

This is a 4koma series in which Meru and Maru from Movie 2 hang around with the main cast for funny shenanigans. Not super relevant because these two strips don’t have them pictured but anyways. They’re having a beach day and Natsumi runs into Saburo who is there to “surf” but actually there are no real waves and he is just pretending. Because he’s copying the 1978 film Big Wednesday (it is Sunday in the comic). In other words teenager larps because he saw it in an old movie once. I know this is not really a pertinent example because the Keroro Land 4komas are all very silly and non-canon (a lot of the artists are actually former doujin artists) but look. This is peak, okay. This is my ideal Saburo outside of serious scenarios. I’ve seen the vision.

I swore I was gonna make this a short post but it’s not I guess. Can’t resist turning these into goddamn essays. So to wrap it up: Saburo is some dorky kid who thinks he’s way more of a hotshot than he really is and totally owns it with no shame. This is adorable. I will defend him with my life. I need Anikero The New to agree with me here. In like 85% of cases I prefer the anime’s takes on everything but Yoshizaki cooked with the ideas behind this guy so listen to word of god. Give us more Silly Saburo. The TikTok teenagers of today deserve this representation.

[jolikmc-stuff]

Sibling Bonding at Castle Wily by Jo Li KMC at Tumblr

I had a really dumb idea to celebrate @kaitlinexe's birthday, this year. And, despite my best efforts… I somehow managed to not only find the ambition to draw it, but draw it in acceptable quality, too!

Happy Birthday, Kaitlin! And welcome back to Tumblr!

(More info and whatnot under the Read More.)

Albert Wily, Forte, "Rockman" series and related characters and concepts created by Akira Kitamura and Keiji Inafune for Capcom Co, Ltd. Background from Rockman & Forte by Capcom Co, Ltd. Dr. Wily pose based on art from Rockman 2: The Power Fighters by Capcom Co, Ltd. Thundergirl and Forte pose based on "Young Women Laughing in a Photo Booth" image by gettyimages Thundergirl created by and © KaitlinEXE Art drawn by and © (I guess?) Jo Li

··· ᵗʰᵃᵗ'ˢ ᵃ ˡᵒᵗ ᵒᶠ ᶜᵒᵖʸʳᶦᵍʰᵗ ᶦⁿᶠᵒ˴ ʰᵘʰˀ

—

Did You Know?™ This is the first time I've ever drawn Forte. I think I've drawn Dr. Wily before, but it was a long time ago.

Anyhoo. You might be wondering what this idea is all about and why I said it was "dumb". Basically, it's Thundergirl and Forte doing the "girls laughing meme" — wherein two or more girls laugh about some nuanced trait of someone they know, or just laugh in general.

As to how I came to this idea, Thundergirl is (fan-)canonically one of Wily's "adopted" 'bots, according to lore. Forte, of course, didn't accept her as a "sibling"… at first. Luckily, she and Forte eventually started bonding over Wily's misery. So, I somehow combined that bit of info with this meme, and that's about it. (:

Thundergirl and Forte went through quite a few revisions before I got them "right". Since I was basing their pose on that "girls laughing" image, I had to accommodate for their height difference since they're both "kid-sized".

I think Thundergirl looks too tall here, but I've done far worse, I suppose. I kind of wish her lightning emblems were a bit more visible, but once I decided Forte should be the one in front, I kind of committed to stuff getting hidden. It's worth mentioning that her outfit comes from a Rockman 30th Anniversary (I think?) redesign Kaitlin did around that time. It's basically her usual outfit, but with detached sleeves, a visor, and I think one or two more add-ons. It's not a design that stuck, which is kind of a shame. I like it!

As for Forte? Eeeeeh… I could do better, but I spent way too much time on him and wanted to get this done before tomorrow. I also wasn't sure if I should add the trim to the bottom of his armor since he's leaning forward. I think it looks equal parts wonky and okay. I also made a conscious decision not to give him his warpaint as it would have conflicted with the laugh-induced teardrop.

I also shamelessly doodled over a certain sprite from Rockman 2: The Power Fighters, then drew the rest in from scratch. I didn't even resize him or anything. It's a 1:1 ratio. How utterly lazy of me~

I think that's about all the trivia for this piece.

For making it this far, you get a version of the image without text! Aren't you the lucky one~?

[leaderoffestivals]

Poltergeist Chapter 16

The Neverland of Grudges Ch 8

Madara: However, times have changed, and I’ve changed a little, too. And it’s all thanks to you guys. 

Scenario Writer: Akira Season: Winter Characters: Mikejima Madara, Narukami Arashi

Madara: Ohhh. So, that’s how it is.

Regrettably, I’ve not had the chance to interact with NEGI-san personally, but I have carried out extensive research into matters related to her—

Matters which tie into the very foundation of the idol industry and thus, deeply concern us, after all.

It seems NEGI-san was the successor to an entity known as "The Priest", a malevolent figure who ruled the idol industry from the shadows while posing as a god.

Arashi: Eh?! D—did that child really have such a tremendous status, after all? The "Priest"...?

I guess NEGI-chan must’ve been trying her best to appear plain and unassuming in front of us, huh. She still came across as a little out of this world, though—

But then again, that level of eccentricity isn't uncommon at Yumenosaki or ES at all. That’s why it never occurred to me that she was such an extraordinary personage.

Madara: No, that’s because in actuality, she’s not a monstrous being. And of course, she definitely wasn’t a God or anything else either.

Whether it’s NEGI-san or her younger brother, Hitsugi-san, they were probably ordinary kids, just like us.

However, the "Priest”—their father— was a deranged lunatic.

I’m not clear about the fine details, but it seems the Priest was obsessed with a bizarre delusion of taking over the bodies of children, believing he could extend his life this way and live forever.

Immortality has always been the ultimate desire of those in power, ever since the time of the First Emperor of China, you knowww?

As the saying goes, “A crane lives for a thousand years, and a turtle for ten thousand” (1)—

In light of this, the name “Dancing Cranes Home” honestly sends shivers down one’s spine, doesn’t it?

Madara: The big shot in the idol industry who established Dancing Cranes Home was probably none other than the Priest himself, via one of his proxies.

That would explain why his daughter, NEGI-san, ended up being fostered here—

—in a place built and named after the crane, with its legendary thousand-year lifespan, in an attempt to harness the power and mysticism associated with the name.

By christening his building with such an auspicious name, he might have hoped to extend his own life, even if by a little.

Arashi: Eh? On the contrary, didn’t it turn out unlucky in the end? Dancing Cranes Home has already burned to the ground once, after all.

Madara: Hahaha. I daresay that was because the Priest no longer felt the need to rely on such magic formulas. He had found a more suitable vessel for his new form—Hitsugi-san. 

Madara: That’s why he took action to eliminate his daughter, NEGI-san, since she no longer served a purpose to him.

For the Priest who had such an extreme fear of death, the existence of a blood-relation must have been anathema to him. 

There's a possibility someone would be able to trace her lineage back to him—the Priest himself—from her existence, and fearing such an outcome, the Priest took steps to eliminate the evidence, so to speak.

That's probably the true story behind the fire that broke out at Dancing Cranes Home.  

Arashi: What? He decided to do away with her and burn her up in a bonfire, because he didn’t need her anymore?

Who does that kind of thing? Who does that guy even think he is?  

Madara: HAHAHA! I alreadyyy told you—he’s a guy who’s screwy in the head LARPing as a god. Hahaha, he's totally different from Kanata-san; there’d be nothiiing cute about him as a god at aaall—

—just a murderous, malevolent and abominable god. 

However, that person is no longer in this world. I don’t know the exact details, but he was eliminated by somebody, not too long ago. (2) 

Arashi: Oh? Is he dead? He absolutely deserves to be, but then, who am I going to direct these furious fists of mine at now? 

Arashi: The children of the Rafflesia Group under my care are still suffering the traumatic effects of that cruel fire to this very day, you know? They lost their dearest friend, their halcyon, happy days—

And simply reading a picture book with the barest mention of a fire in it makes them cry and throw up.  

Madara: Hmmm. Picture book—a drawing—I seee? 

Maybe that could come in useful after aaall… …

Arashi: Hmm? What’s that? What in the world do you mean? Come on~, Mama, it’s a bad habit to always be keeping things to yourself, you know? 

Madara: Right. I’ve——MaM has always been a Solo Unit, used to working alone. It’s always been enough for me to be the only one who understood what was going on. 

However, times have changed, and I’ve changed a little, too. And it’s all thanks to you guys. 

Arashi: Once again, what in the world do you mean? 

—————-To be continued——————

Chapter 15 / Chapter 17

Translator’s Notes

Madara says 鶴は千年、亀は万年（Tsuru wa sennen, kame wa mannen). It is an expression that translates literally to “A crane (lives for) a thousand years, and a turtle for ten thousand years”. It is used to mean “a long life is something worth celebrating”. Cranes and turtles are symbols of longevity. The saying originated from a Noh play titled [鶴亀] “TsuruKame” (Crane and Turtle), a congratulatory tale that prays and celebrates the peace of the world and the long-term state.

Nagisa was the one who got rid of the Priest. He set up and managed to trap the Priest with GateKeeper’s help in SS Finals (Main Story 2). The Priest had wanted to take over Nagisa then (since Hitsugi faked his death in BlackJack (Main Story 1.5) and wasn't around to be used). It’s not certain what happened to the Priest exactly, but he was trapped in a car which was driven away after Nagisa passed judgement on him “to be burnt in the fires of hell for eternity” (SS Finals Laurel Ch 23).

This isn't proofed, so you've any feedback, please DM me.

[vermillion71401]

MY REVIEW ON PSYCHO PASS PROVIDENCE- part 2

SOME ISSUES (and THOUGHTS) THAT I NEED TO ADDRESS:

I still don’t get the reason why Prof. Saiga and Prof. Stronskaya made the paper. What are they aiming with that? Did I miss something? And conflict coefficient is too much like crime coefficient. This is personal reason, but honestly conflict coefficient is much more reasonable than Sybil. At least, they don’t judge based on how cloudy people are.

I like Saiga and Kougami relationship, and for once we get to see Kougami use Keigo.

No hate, but idk some people debate over Kougami calling Frederica by her name. Akane also called her like that too, except she always use -san, like she did with Shion-san. Kougami also address Shion with her name and nothing happen. He’s just comfortable with both of them, I think. (idk how close they were, need novel)

Why Azusawa never appear on this movie? I thought since we don’t know anything about him in PP3 we somehow have explanation in PPP, with Shindou especially. Well, I despise PP3 anyway, pls don’t ask me why. I appreciate PP staff work tho.

Sugo is cute, loyal hound to his inspector. He’d make quick call, inform anything suspicious to Akane.

I find it funny Kougami act childish in this scenes:

He clearly keep his distance from Akane and div 1 after he and Akane’s convo late night call, even Saiga asked him. He only dare to look at her face again after their body almost exploded with c4, meanwhile Akane from the first time act as if nothing happen. Nice writing, I guess.

Until PPP, I think so many characters have died. And their death is almost have no meaning nor progress to the story (yet with Saiga’s case). PP is dystopian anime, I get it, the story is dark and tragic, I get it, but why they shown so many death after s1? No, it’s not meaningless, it’s actually create situation or drama (for ex Sugo killed Aoyanagi), but not with audience. They don’t make us fully feel related or attachment to the character, but suddenly they’re gone. (like entire div 3 on PP2.) This is just personal opinion, but Saiga’s death is kind of ashamed, they shouldn’t just kill him as a mere bait for Peacebreaker, it’s too bad. There’s so much potential to his character in the future instalment if they ever make one  :’(

Akane running away to fallen Saiga is kinda throw me off. Why not help Kougami or Frederica first? This is out of character. The old Akane would never.

I like that Akane bursts in front of Kougami in elevator scene. When it’s just the two of them, she actually lower her wall because in my case, I never want to cry in public or in front of strangers. Well, she cried near the fountain holo before though, but you get the point.

Kougami sympathy to Akira.

Akira is precious, that’s it. Everyone who watch it already know why.

Just for a brief second, I can see Akane’s eyes shaking when she heard Kougami’s tone on the call. She must be aware he’s in pain.

The scene where Tonami had possessed Akira, Akane could have done so much more or at least TRY something. Where’s the badass Akane we always adore?

Akane always have puppy eyes for one man and one man only. Guess who?

Those puppy eyes can kill me.

Also, I find this script is irrelevant. In the hospital, first Akane relief that Kougami is unhurt, then suddenly he said ‘my mistake’? Why is he suddenly apologize, lmao.

Sybil is a bitch. After Yabuki and Shindo’s tasks done, they told Shindo to just die. Sigh.

I HATE that Tonami has low CC. In s1, we only learn that people with low CC can’t even commit crimes except being asymptomatic, and suddenly this new villain who basically terrorist has clear hue just because he feel sympathy to low life and wants fairness for them (cmiiw). He kill people for God’s sake! This shows inconsistence of writing and will create plot hole in the future. And for Akane’s case, I tolerate it probably because Kasei isn’t actually human.

Akane is so strong, she has been shot twice by Tonami, yet she can speak clearly, even sit. Meanwhile we can find waver in Kougami’s voice on that call (he only get one bullet on his thigh.)

I find this interesting.

Akane is NOT aware that Tonami is about to shoot her. If she knows, would she see Kougami’s sin differently? But after much thought, I think it’s still wouldn’t change a thing, because she wants to arrest Tonami. But dude, Kougami shoots because he can’t lose her, if he shoots his leg or hand or whatever, anything could happen and Akane would’ve been died. If I were him, I’ll shoot his head also without hesitation. I wonder if she understand that she’s at stake.

Who transfer Sugino to SAD? Akane?

Imagine Kougami’s feeling when he can’t do anything to stop Akane. Wow.

Akane’s decision to do that is actually admirable, she honour Shindo and Akira’s death.

This is the end of my chattering. I hope I’m not seen for being a pathetic shipper. I love psycho pass as anime.

[sojirosteacup]

Since we are at the topic of Shigeru being Akira's one fear, here is a funny thing about the Kazenban edition of the manga:

Each cover has a character or a group of characters on it, but the back of both the front and back covers also have art of some character. I don't know how random the character choice was, most of them seem related to the story arc while others seem to be just there.

Vol 13 (that covers the transition between the fishers village arc and the Amon arc) has Sakurako and Shigeru on the cover. Very cute, and makes sense considering this volume revolves around the female characters (there is even an illustration of all four girls at the middle of it)

But the back of the covers in this volume are male characters. One of them is Kazuya. Makes sense since he is Sakurako's close friend. If we follow this logic, the other featured character would be someone close to Shigeru, right?

Now guess who is on the back of the other side?

If you said Akira you are completely right!

This boy can't escape his one fear.

[twilightmalachite]

ABYSS - Epilogue 3

Author: Akira

Characters: Kanata, Madara, Kaoru

Translator: Mika Enstars

"If something meaningful gets left behind, those who are still there will be left wondering if it's a message or not, you see."

Season: Winter

Location: Seaside

Madara: Well, however it may be, that’s good, right, Kanata-san? It’s nothing to brag about, but I don’t have a single good memory of my mother.

You need to be good to one another… Your “Mother” is still “alive” and well, Mikejima.

Madara: Hahaha, maybe it’s better off that your mother left.

Mothers and the like get so irritating once you hit puberty you knooow, if yours were still alive and with you, I’m sure you would have gotten into arguments too!

Kanata: Yes. Probably. But I’ve always wanted to have “arguments” like that.

Like a normal “mother and child”, like a normal “family”.

This is the only “regret” I have—Is “that”, the only thing left behind I can’t let go of, all this time.

The last remaining “connection” I have with Mother.

Madara: Ahh, this urn? I’m sure this had been empty from the very beginning.

Kanata: Yes. Because Mother only “pretended to die”, there weren’t “any” to be found since the very beginning. Same goes for her bones and remains.

Because there was nothing in the “urn”, that is how I knew that Mother was “alive”.

That’s the “message” this “urn” had. It “means” nothing more.

Madara: Despite disappearing on her own, she still wanted you to know she was still alive, huh?

Kanata: Yes. “Mother” is alive. And, even from afar, she is watching over me…

I’d like to “interpret” the “message” in that way, positively.

Madara: Or she might have just forced unnecessary things upon you. The seat of god, for example. Perhaps that was the intention the message had!

My “Mother” is different from yours, Mikejima, stop saying mean things like that~.

Kaoru: Heey~, Kanata-ku~n!

Kanata: Kaoru.

Kaoru: So you were nearby after all! You’ve always been one to have others do errands for you, without moving much yourself.

Kanata: Old “habits” die hard… More importantly, do you “need” something?

Kaoru: No, nothing like that, really. Souma-kun’s cleaning out the club room, so as alumni of the Marine Biology Club, we should go help him out.

The clubroom’s an absolute mess, mainly ‘cuz you sorta just left your fish tanks and stuff sitting around, Kanata-kun. Let’s at least clean that much up.

It’s a little late, but a bird does not foul the nest it is about to leave!

If something meaningful gets left behind, those who are still there will be left wondering if it's a message or not, you see.

Y’know, like that urn.

Kanata: … …

Kaoru: Fufu, glad to hear, Kanata-kun.

Seems that your mother hasn’t actually passed away.

Kanata: …Did you tell Kaoru everything, Mikejima?

Madara: Nah, it seems like Souma-san had already told him a chunk of the story, so I just supplemented it.

If he wasn’t given an explanation, I felt he’d have gotten curious and looked into it instead.

But as far as the urn goes, I only explained that it was an item relating to the incident, nothing more.

I did go out of the way to hint at the truth, buuut the explanation got a bit tedious half-way through…I guess because I myself still have yet to come to a conclusion.

Kanata: So, you mean that Kaoru came to that “conclusion” about the “truth” all on his own?

That’s impressive. As expected from the son of a “scholar”.

Kaoru: Thanks. That’s the best compliment I could get!

But, I feel maybe Souma-kun saw through to that truth as well.

He’s grown a lot more than we thought. He might look like an idiot at first glance, but he’s an oddly sharp kid.

I think he might just be trying to be considerate by not daring to ask his seniors anything they might not want to answer, though.

Kanata: Ahh, that does sound like Souma.

But yes, you’re right… Both now and then, he’s always been looking at me with “sparkling eyes”.

I wanted to remain cool in front of him, and pretend that everything relating to my embarrassing “past” had “never happened”.

That’s why “this time” too, I had asked Mikejima to fetch this “urn” for me…

Kaoru: I’m always telling you this, but why don’t you do it yourself? It’s your own business, don’t go leaving it to others!

← prev | story directory | next →

[stardust-blossom]

Part 4 Bonus

There's this one memory that Akira has in her mind that's been playing over and over again like a broken record

*flashback*

As Akira is walking through the courtyard, taking in the beautiful scenery, she bumps into someone. She looks up and sees a tall, handsome young teenage guy

Kenji Nakamura: "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?"

Akira: "Yes, I'm fine, thank you." *Blushing*

Kenji Nakamura: "My name is Kenji Nakamura. It's nice to meet you."

Akira: "I'm Akira. Nice to meet you too."

Akira feels a sudden spark between them but doesn't know why. She's never had this feeling before.

Kenji Nakamura: "So are you new here?"

Akira: "Yes, I am. This is my first day."

Kenji Nakamura: "Ah, that explains it. Well, don't worry. You'll get used to it soon enough. High school can be tough, but it's also a lot of fun if you make the most of it."

Akira: smiling "Thanks for the encouragement, Kenji."

Kenji Nakamura: Hey do you want to be friends, I know we just met but you seem kind of lonely

Akira: O-oh s-sure i-i guess

As the conversation comes to an end, Akira can't help but feel drawn to Kenji and his charm. She has never felt anything like this before and can't shake off the feeling of interest.

Present

As Akira comes back home, take a bath, puts on her pajamas, eat her dinner and then later on lays in bed that night, she looks out the window to see the stars twinkling in the sky. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, feeling content and at peace. But as she drifts off to sleep, she has a strange dream.

In the dream, she sees a red string attached to her finger, leading out the window and seemingly endless into the night sky. She follows the string with her eyes until she notices that it's attached to the finger of a boy. The boy has his back turned towards her, but she can sense that he's important to her and that he looks familiar for some reason. The red string seems to pull them closer and closer until they're standing face to face.

When Akira wakes up, she brushes it off as a strange dream and goes about her day as usual.She brushes her teeth, change But as she's walking to her next class, she suddenly notices a red string attached to her finger, seemingly out of nowhere. She looks around, confused, but nobody else seems to notice it. Suddenly, she sees Kenji Nakamura walking towards her and she realizes that the red string is attached to his finger.

She tries to approach him, but he walks past her without even acknowledging her. Akira can't shake the feeling that this is somehow related to the dream she had last night. She spends the rest of the day trying to find a way to talk to Kenji, but he seems to be avoiding her.

As the day comes to a close, Akira is ready to give up, but she suddenly feels something tugging on the red string. She looks up to see Kenji, now standing in front of her, holding the other end of the string. They both stare at each other silently for a moment before Kenji speaks up.

Kenji: "Hi. Sorry if I was avoiding you earlier, I was just nervous."

Akira is taken aback but also relieved. They strike up a conversation, talking about their classes and interests, and they find that they have a lot in common. Akira can't shake the feeling that this was meant to happen, that their red string of fate led them to each other. By the end of the day, Akira has fallen head over heels in love with Kenji, and she can't wait to see where their relationship leads.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 4 Bonus here

[hinatastinygiant]

Chapter Thirteen

Sakanoshita Market

Pairing: Osamu x Fem!Reader

previous | next | missing heiress

A few days later, Osamu and Atsumu finally take you back to the casino after deeming it safe from other members. You meet with Kita at a private bar in the back of the casino on the first floor. He's just as you remember him when he talked to Aoi, quiet and respectful yet still has a bit of an intimidating look in his eyes. However, he seems quite harmless, especially considering Osamu brought you to him. But quite possibly your favorite part about Kita is that he explains way more to you than Osamu and Atsumu have.

The two brothers sit nearby listening but leave the two of you to talk. Kita opens up a piece of paper that looks more like a scroll to you that seems to show some kind of hierarchy.

"I sketched this quickly in the hopes that it'll help explain what I'm going to say. As you can see, it shows the hierarchy of different positions held in our syndicate." He then points to the bottom tier. "Down here there are multiple groups of children or kobun. Osamu and Atsumu are kobun and so are Suna and Aran who you've met before as well."

"Each group of kobun is supervised by a big brother or, kyodai. For example, I am one of these," he tells you as he points to the second tier. "Another kyodai you met is Daichi and one of his kobun is Asahi. Does this make sense?"

"I think so," you nod respectfully as you look at the third tier. "So who is your boss then?"

"The second in command or, waka gashira," he explains. "This was Kyoomi Sakusa up until recently after an incident."

"Did something happen to him?"

"No," he shakes his head, "but something happened to the supreme boss," he replies as he points to the fourth tier, the highest on the list, "Akira Sakusa."

"And am I right to assume that the two of them are related?" you question. "I mean, is that why you're explaining all of this to me?"

You notice in the corner of your eye how Osamu's back straightens up after you ask the question, but you ignore it.

"Yes," Kita nods. "Akira was murdered by the third in command. You may have seen me with him the other day when you were first here. He goes by the name Suguru Daisho."

"I remember that," you reply. "But, respectfully, what does that have to do with me? Do you plan on doing something that involves me?"

Once more, he nods. "My only plan is protecting the rightful heirs to the boss."

"Heirs?" you reiterate. "There's more than one?"

"Akira Sakusa was your biological father, Y/N. That means Kyoomi Sakusa is also your biological brother."

As he talks, your brain begins to spin. You never once met your father but this? Could this be why your mother never told you anything about him? You didn't really even think he mattered anymore, but now you're inheriting a freaking gang?!

"Our job is to get you and Kiyoomi to meet without alerting Daisho that we've found you. He's out for the two of you next as rightful heirs," he finally finishes, alerting the other two they can now join the conversation.

"Daisho won't be as easily fooled as Karasuno was the other day," Atsumu adds. "Daisho knows what you look like."

The group then begins to spitball ideas. 

"We could try disguising you as someone else..." Atsumu thinks aloud. "Or just keep up the pretense that you're our sister. Maybe dye your hair or somethin', I dunno."

"I think we should distract him. I'm guessing the reason we're going through all of this is because Daisho hardly ever leaves Kiyoomi's side, right?"

"Yes," Kita responds, "but how do you plan on distracting him?"

"By using Daichi's and his kobun as bait."

The three of them listen to your idea to hear you out. Then, once you finish, Osamu and Atsumu look to Kita for approval.

"It might work," he hums. "I say we'll give it a go."

"Then let's begin now," Atsumu chimes in. "I know where the Karasuno group usually hangs out. We can start phase one there."

ATSUMU'S P.O.V.

I head towards the front door of the casino after our discussion on the details of Y/N's plan, but when I hear my brother call out to me I turn around instead. I watch as he practically stomps over to me, Y/N following loyally behind him.

"Do you really agree with this plan?" Osamu grumbles.

"It's fine," I reply as I smile over at Y/N. "She's right, it'll get Daisho out of our way for us to see Sakusa."

"We're abandoning the plan the second she's in danger, okay?" he snaps back, ignoring everything I just said.

"Fine," I agree as I wave my hand in front of me to diffuse the tension, "but she'll be with you the whole time so if she's in danger it'll be your fault, not mine."

I then walk off with Y/N just behind me. It takes Osamu a second to think, but he joins up soon enough. The three of us then drive to Karasuno's hangout, a small convenience store in the middle of town.

"You two ready?" I ask, eyeing them in the rearview mirror. However, I only see Osamu sitting in the back. Y/N is already out of the car and has closed the door behind her. She better not get ahead of herself or we could be in serious trouble. It's a risky move to expose her to the others this early in time, after all.

I then notice my brother watching her waiting for us to join. "She'll be fine. She's more than capable of watching herself, you know. Besides, if you baby her too much she'll just end up pushin' ya away."

"It's our job to make sure she doesn't end up on the wrong end of a gun, 'Tsumu," he scoffs back as if I need reminding of what we're here for.

"I know that but we've gotta let her make her own decisions or she might just run towards said gun. She did just find out about her family," I whisper.

"Yeah," he nods as he looks over at me. I can still see the sting of regret in his eyes. None of this was supposed to happen this way. We were going to take Daisho out before Y/N found out anything. 'Samu was so looking forward to taking her out on a real date... "I know, let's just get this over with already."

The two of us step out of the car and walk around to the curb where Y/N is waiting. I take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself to carry the team on this whole operation.

previous | next | missing heiress

Taglist: @thisbicc

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[sly-merlin]

okey dokey! I'm gonna be a father!

Requesting pregnant reader scenarios, wanna see more of the guys’ duality balancing domesticity and impending fatherhood, and running the world, ya know 🙏🏾😎🤔😀 Just throwing the idea out there since you said we could. Y’know things like ‘I’m trying to leave to set up a meeting but her back is sore & she wants ice cream so one of u needs to suddenly be available. now’ & other things ig. I imagined Ty Kun, John Jae or Kun in as leader & probably hc or jaemin as the wife-sitters (lol)

Since you didn’t specify the unit,I did this with the few members from hyung line. This got so long that I ran out of ideas so let me know if you want me to write for some other members.  though j incorporated your ideas but i based it on the concept of them managing the treats in both hands. This is my first time doing reactions so leave some feedback if you wish! Have a nice day everybody.

(7 members) Ft. Taeil, johnny, taeyong, yuta, ten, jaehyun + kun

TAEIL 

"Let me message you back!" Taeil whispered into the phone and raised his body to observe your sleeping form. Your head was securely resting on his arm and he let out a relieved sigh as it was one of the few Lucky days when you were not thrashing around in your sleep. Day after day, you were getting uncomfortable with your heavy belly and all he could ever do was keep you company in your frustrations. He couldn't risk waking you up so he tried his best to complete the task in the painful position. He fidgeted with the phone for it was impossible to handle a 6 inch of metal device with one hand. Struggling with the grip for a few more seconds, he finally managed to send johnny a message regarding the inquiry.

Ask tae He has ab eztra key 2 my ofice.

Maybe he should turn his autocorrect on for situations like this!

Thinking his work was done, he locked the phone. just when he was about to put it on the nightstand on a blind guess, it vibrated again! 

John: He is out! You need to come asap.

He stopped to watch out for any movement from your side and when there was none, he shifted to his phone again.

Nt my pblm. 

He couldn't understand why johnny was being so persistent when everyone was under strict orders to not call him after 10 p.m unless someone was dying!

John: Jungwoo is in trouble with police. I need his fake ID!

Taeil’s scoffed a bit too loudly causing you to stir.  He paused in his actions only to continue when he noticed your even breathing. Weighing the options, he concluded that Jungwoo must have forgotten to pay for the food again or something like that otherwise if it was work related then johnny would have been screaming at his door and not through the phone.

Not his 1st time. dw too much. Jst send him some food so he wont cry like last tym.

He deserved that much punishment! With that he switched the device off and wrapped his arm around your waist, returning to the warmth he got to experience only at night times.

JOHNNY

You were on edge since the day you got yourself tested. You could blame it on the suddenly changing hormones or the never present johnny but one thing was sure that you were missing him more than ever. Johnny on the other hand, avoided going back home for the sole reason of finding himself incapable of taking care of you and his dangerous job. That’s why he had assigned hendery to be at your beck and call. He was a medic and since the other medical emergencies could be handled by xiaojun and renjun, hendery had no problem in spending some time with you. His company was full of funny stories of other members and silly jokes. Despite his endless efforts to distract you, the thought that your daughter’s father was missing the growth of his own child always remained at the back of your head. You couldn’t understand how all of a sudden his workload had increased so much that he barely had any time to even see your face let alone talk to you for a few minutes. But all your worries vanished the day he returned and sarcastically ordered hendery to show his donkey self out of his house to never come back again.

“I managed to prepone some important weapon deals”, he bowed gracefully to acknowledge his own achievements, making you chuckle at him, “and I’ve been rewarded with three months of holidays so I shall be spending these months making up for the lost time and creating new memories” he completed, kissing your forehead.

"I never said I need you 24/7. A few hours at most would do John" you said, knowing how his absence would affect the black neos. 

"Yeah. But then I realised what if my baby girl mistakes hendery for her father. Can't let that happen now yeah!" 

Masked under jokes, you were very well aware of the real reasons behind the toil he had subjected himself to! It was all for you and your baby girl and you knew he would do it again and again even if it meant the end of his life!

TAEYONG

 From sharp cold deadly glare to the dragon tattoo that adorned his neck and arms, fellow criminals had every reason to fear this man. His name, in the underworld, screamed  cursed royalty. But that was Lee taeyong, leader of black neos.

The taeyong standing right in front of you, struggling with multiple boxes of boards was anything but scary. Cladded in baby blue hoodie and black boxers, he was reading the manual, knocking down the structure again and again as he repeatedly found something missing from it. 

"Leave it tae. I can complete this later on. Come and eat now." You whined and suggested while taking bites from the creamy pasta he had prepared earlier. 

"what do you mean i can complete this later on. Do you find me incapable of making a crib?"

Yes you did!

But that was not the answer you could give when he was clearly trying his hardest. It was indeed baffling as to why the man who could assemble a weapon with his left hand was unable to join the pieces of a crib with both!

"No tae. You were out for three days so maybe you are just too tired to concentrate!" You explained in the politest way possible that clearly didn't reach him properly. He let out an audible gasp at what felt for him to be the accusatory tone.

"Eat your pasta and watch me complete this in half an hour! You'd regret saying that to me!"

Why was he the one with mood swings?

Just like other bubbling thoughts, you gulped down this one too and nodded enthusiastically, giving him a thumbs up as if you would never doubt his capabilities.

But you knew, he might have started the task but he was surely not going to be the one to complete it!

YUTA

“How about sakura?” hyuck suggested. Looks of disapproval were exchanged across the room and sound of mark hitting hyuck’s arm resonated in the living room.

“Cliche!” jaehyun laughed.

“Yes. We aren't naming our daughter sakura and that is final. She’s one of a kind and her name should also be!” you announced your arrival in the room and sat on the floor, making yourself comfortable between yuta’s legs. He wrapped his arms around your belly before leaning his neck to greet you with a sweet cheek kiss.

“Yes. What y/n wants, y/n gets. No sakura!” he held his one hand up in the air, forbidding any further discussion on the name.

"That's not fair!" Hyuck whined only to be dismissed by a wave from you.

"Just because it's not hyuck's choice doesn't mean that you have got right to choose by yourself. The baby is a part of this family so we get to decide what's best for her!" Ten exclaimed loudly getting everyone’s attention.

“How about ayaka?” kun suggested, entering the room with a trolley full of snacks. As the recommendations poured in, the snacks were passed to everyone. Days like these were rare and from the past two months, these rare days were spent daydreaming about the very first child in the black neos house.

“Akira? It’s quite universal you know.” mark joined in, reading the meaning of the name in different cultures and languages.

“Haru”

“No kai!” 

Somewhere in the conversation, yuta’s hands had travelled from your tummy to your sides. He knew the little brushes of his fingers had started to work on you as you swatted his hand away with yours. It only encouraged him and he tickled you on your sides more and more, getting the desired reaction. Your body being more sensitive and responsive than usual, you wiggled in his arms and squealed loudly enough to get everyone’s attention. Suddenly his hands stopped as he heard a whiny shout.

“Why are you bugging her?” hyuck hollered, “can’t you sit still for once? Let her breathe for a freaking second. You wanna tickle! Tickle me. Come tickle me but Don’t bother her!” 

You were aware of hyuck’s sudden outbursts of protection for you but this was truly something new! And you new tickles were not the reasoning behind his irritation. Sakura was!

“Le-let’s play a game”, kun interrupted before haechan’s frustration would land him into some trouble with the elder, “we’ll write all the suggestions into paper and whichever y/n chooses would be final. How does it sound?” 

Everyone hummed along to the idea. Looking over at Hyuck, you noticed a sudden glint in his eyes that spoke trouble. He was clearly planning something evil and until it was all fun and games, you had no trouble for his intentions.

“Since when did you get a bodyguard hmm?” yuta whispered, planting another wet kiss on your right cheek. 

“Yua.” you said.

“What?”

“We are naming her yua! When are you gonna tell them that i’ve already decided!�� leaning backwards, you said in a hushed voice meant only for his ears.

“When they are tired enough to play any more games. Till then, let’s have fun. Look at hyuck, he’s surely gonna cheat and mark and renjun are going to strangle him.” yuta chuckled against your ear, making you laugh again. Life was good!

TEN

“Xiaojun! Xiaojun! Show yourself you good for nothing potato!” you winced at the volume of ten’s voice. Even though he was outside the room, his vocals were irritating. But you held your tongue from scolding him as he was the only one you could rely on at the moment. 

“Xia-

“Did bella bite you again? why are you shouting at-” xiaojun squinted at the wall clock and adjusted his glasses, “at 5:30a.m?”

“Half of the world is up you hibernating bear! y/n is craving ice-cream. You know better than to refuse her so go to her. Your service starts right now.” 

Xiaojun scoffed and remained glued to the stairs. Ten raised a brow questioning him but instead of answering him xiaojun came up with one of his own.

“And why aren’t you going?” 

“Switchblade prince is called so I gotta go. I don’t think you want her to wait!.”

Xiaojun groaned when ten shot him a wink and left the living room. Of course he had no trouble in tending to your demands which as a medic, he understood very well but ten’s cockiness wasn’t something he was ever ready to handle.

“y/n! What does our prince wanted to eat this early in the morning?” he smiled at you, plopping down on the edge of the bed.

“Apples and bananas.” 

“I meant what ice cream flavour do you want?”

“Ice cream? Who said ice cream? I want bananas.” you answered him, confused at his confusion!

It was only then that xiaojun realised that switchblade prince was never called in the first place. Ten had fled. Due to fruits! He was contemplating as to what extent he should be manipulating ten’s words while telling you about his betrayal when you spoke up.

“Umm. i guess we can eat mint chocolate as well. I’ll eat a banana chocolate sandwich first then we can both watch a movie and finish the ice cream. What do you say?”

Ok!  Maybe revenge could wait. Ice cream would be a priority here! 

JAEHYUN

If your husband was cocky, you were seriously too many steps ahead of him and it has taken only 10 days for jaemin to realise that you were just jae's cup of tea and no one else's, at least not as a 4 months pregnant woman. 

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Jaehyun laughed at jaemin sprawled on the floor like a toddler. 

"Noona screamed at me" jaemin mumbled, hiding his face in his neck.

"Oh jaemin! Why did she do it? Were you teasing her again. You know that she doesn't take sarcasm too we-

"No. She threw up the food i made for her and that too thrice since yesterday. I got angry so i told her to eat up or else i won't be making anymore for her. She threw the pillow at me and ordered me to never talk to her again! I mean it's not like i was showing real anger! She's hungry since yesterday. If she won't eat up then she'd be sick. What did I do wrong! Now I made her favourite pasta and she won't open the door for me."

Jaehyun sighed and crouched down to jaemin's level. He knew your emotions weren't in your control anymore but jaemin wasn't wrong either. He was just doing what was right for you and unintentionally, you had ended up hurting the poor boy. Jaehyun patted jaemin's hair before he told him to inform taeyong about his possible absence from the upcoming meetings and activities.

"You can't do that." Jaemin said the obvious.

"Do you want her to eat or not!" Jaemin frantically nodded at him before running off to the main office.

Heating up the pasta, jaehyun made his way to your shared bedroom in black neos. 

"Baby open up it's me!" He knocked at the door and hearing his voice,you immediately opened it. 

"You are here!" You exclaimed, feeling beads of moisture in the corner of your eyes.

"Aww. Now is not the time to cry." He cooed, entering the room with the tray. Placing it on the coffee table, he turned around and hugged you just the way he missed you.

"I'm sorry for being occupied and only coming back at night. But I'm here for a few days so let's get you all happy like a seal!" He laughed, ruffling your hair.

"I-i yelled at jaemin for no reason." You confessed not being aware that he was already filled in by the younger boy. 

"You wanna apologize?" You nodded as he squished your cheeks in his hands and leaned in to kiss your pouty lips. 

"Later on! Now's the time for evening lunch and getting this food in your tummy without it backfiring!" 

You laughed at how smoothly he eased your worries. After eating properly, you apologised to jaemin which he accepted but not before crying like a little boy he was!

Bonus :

KUN

"Yangyang what the heck are you doing near y/n. I told you to keep your meaningless books away from her!" Kun felt like his blood pressure would shot up anytime soon.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh really? What's the book that you are reading to her?"

"How to walk like a pro when you are only 2 months old! I want the baby to be high class like me."

Kun's hands found refuge in his hair as he groaned at the boy. Now he needed to read all the books that could possibly reverse yangyang's teachings.

"There is no such book available."

"Yeah that's why i wrote it by myself. Pulled an all nighter but when the baby would start walking at only 2 months of age, you'd thank me!"

[magician-under-the-moonlight]

What about. ( Aoko, Akako, Hakuba, Shinichi/Conan, and Akira ).

Send “What about” and a person and my muse will say their honest feelings/thoughts about them.

-

What About Aoko?

"Aoko..." Kaito sighs a moment. "She's brash and childish, loudmouthed and impulsive. She's also my best and closest friend. Some days I think if I didn't have her, I wouldn't have anyone."

"She's the only one who sees me for me. She's the only one who cares about Kuroba Kaito beyond anything that has to do with KID, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost that connection. I'm so, so tired of lying to her, but telling her the truth would ruin both of us."

"Guess I grew so attached because I'm jealous of how she can keep being herself without having to put up any kind of front. Guess I crave a taste of that freedom she has."

-

What About Akako?

"Entitled would be the word for it," Kaito chuckles dryly. "With all her prophecies and her attempts to make me submit to her or die it's hard to tell if she's an ally or an enemy."

"Yeah, Akako does have a soft side, but it's buried under her entitlement to red magic this and all men being her slaves that. I'm sure if she'd get over herself a bit and understand the kind of commitment a proper relationship would take, she'd be a lot less malcontent with what she can't have."

"I duuno I'm a magician, not a therapist."

-

What About Hakuba?

"Ah, yes Tantei-san. Guess some of what I said about Akako applies here too. He needs to get over himself a bit, being the son of the superintendent general isn't a free ride to having a successful career in law enforcement. I'm next door neighbors with the Nakamoris and what I hear about those jobs are tough."

"He's a bit too straight-laced if I'm being completely honest. He's gotta understand that not everything that is legal is the right way to do things. Yeah, hypocritical from my standpoint but you get where I'm coming from? Sometimes you gotta do bad things for the greater good."

"I'm sure if he loostened up a bit and saw things the way I do we'd be better friends than him constantly declaring I'm KID in front of my social group and their mixed opinions, and possible assassins'."

-

What About Shinichi / Conan?

"The Great Detective, the Heisei Holmes, the titular protagonist archetype. The one person in this list who hasn't met me as Kuroba Kaito and dear god I hope it stays that way or I'm screwed."

"Look, Hakuba is a smart detective. But Meitantei is SCARY. He's like a human weapon. Those soccer balls are from hell. He's also scary smart. I'm lucky he's not on the task force and is really only around when old man Suzuki causes a fuss."

"Though I guess in all honesty I wouldn't mind meeting him as myself. Casually, without the KID stuff. There's something, I dunno, familiar? Relatable? You know, like Kindred Spirits about him that makes me think we could bond over shared experiences."

"Other than that I hope he stops calling me to martyr for him. I'm not his scape-goat thief."

-

What About Akira?

"Like with Shinichi, I get a similar kind of Kindred Spirits vibe with Akira. I don't know what it is, but there's something there that just makes the guy likeable."

"Plus he isn't flaunting strong opinions about KID everywhere, so you know, small mercies. Most of the people in my social circle hate my alter ego, so I've been kinda tepid about asking Akira's opinion on him. Can't be too sure, some people are a bit closeted in their liking of wanted criminals like phantom thieves after all."

"Still, hanging around Akira is a good break from KID-related stuff. Just being able to have a casual conversation over a cup of coffee is nice, even if I can't have all that much chocolate in it for the sake of keeping his company."

[extorchic]

TOP 5 SK8 Episodes

So I got tagged by @akira-cr to make this list, it took some time but I think I've sorted out my mind, thank you for considering me 😊. Now here comes the list, sorry if it's supposd to be objective, but I'm gonna let my heart out over here (It's gonna be a long post and I'm not gonna cut it ):

NUMBER 5 - Episode 6 - Steamy Mystery Skating?! (A.K.A. The beach episode 🏊‍♂️)

Well this is supposed to be "breather" episode, and it's basically the one that sold the series to me. I like how fun and chill this episode is, although it does (further) foreshadow Reki's insecurity issues. The music is of course SUBLIME! "Seize the Moment" is probably my favorite insert song of all time! (it's been present in Reki's beefs as well, but here it really reflects the fun nature of his character and the show overall). And of coruse, FANSERVICE, not so much in how the boys were in swimsuits (though I gotta admit Reki does look good in them), but on the RENGA interactions!

That hug gave me life! How Langa was worried 24/7 about Reki being injured, at the end when they skated together to escape from the Bantu! I gotta admit that I have some mixed feelings about the implications of Reki being attracted to the faceless girl (I mean, Bi rep is very important too), but I guess my shipping side was just as jelaous as Langa was supposed to be (according to the fans LOL).

NUMBER 4 - Episode 11 - King vs. Nobody (A.K.A. Reki rising! ✨🌺🌞⚙️)

Reki is, without a doubt, my favorite character. He doesn't need to win, he doesn't need to be super flashy while skating, he just needs to be himself. He's been through a lot, many people (including me) have felt tremendously related to him, and seeing him in this episode is just satisfying. With his issues behind, with a promise to skate with Langa after he wins and no longer fearful, Reki rematches against Adam; and the way he does is fantastic! Taking advantage of his creativity, observative skills and mechanical knowledge on skateboarding, he faces up against the main boss and manages to not only endure his violent ways (which were gruelling to see, TBH), but also SOUNDLY HUMILIATE HIM in front of the whole S Community!

Yes, Adam, the "God of S", in the ground covered in mud by a boy almost everyone dissmissed! It was really sunshine through rainfall! I must also add how much I liked to see his renewed relationship with Langa, how much they treasure their company after patching up. I want to elaborate on this in its own post but I personally see that their interactions from this point on are more, I don't know, tender, caring, still playful but not in an entirely comedic way. The way they see each other is also deeper, anyway, it's just what I see.

NUMBER 3 - A DRAW: Episode 8 - The Fated Tournament! and Episode 9 - We Were Special Back Then (A.K.A. The month in which I was in an emotional crisis because of anime sk8t3r b0is 🍎🐍😭🛹❄🍵🌸 )

This is the point in which I got into the show, and the fandom (Yeah, haven't been around for too long). At this point the show wasn't the same, and I realized it when I caught up. Though there were some cool skating scenes in these episodes, the events that caught my attention were outside the road (Yeah, this was no longer just a skateboard anime, it's a whole lot more). Though I had been mainly focusing on Reki and Langa, I really liked having more backstory related to Joe, Cherry, Adam and Tadashi. Seeing how Adam went through a terrible childhood, convoluted teeange years to culminate in an adult with too much power for his own good and a twisted sense of "love", along with some extremely serious psychological issues was very interesting.

I acknowldge him as a complex villain, but that DOES NOT justify what he did to Cherry. This only proves that just because we know his backstory, we don't have to sympathize with him (Adam's just such a terrible person). On the RENGA side, we see Reki avoiding Langa after their rift, and how this affected both. We have Langa's sadness increase scene after scene, as well as his passion for skating dwindling as progressively. Reki on the other hand, just falls deeper and deeper in his depression, but also being unable to stop thinking about Langa, and he ends up going to S to see the latter's match against Joe. It's hard to see whether there's envy, jelaousness, frustration, admiration, pining or fear of being left behind in his mind. It must have been hard for a 17 y/o.

Reki also defends Langa from people speaking behind his back and shouting his name during the race boosts Langa's performance tremendously. This culminates on Reki realizing that the thing he actually wanted was to skate alongside Langa, not on the side, not as support, but together, he just couldn't. There's also the scene which may or may not confirm that Langa's feelings for Reki are more than just friendship! (Felt represented, for reals).

NUMBER 2 - Episode 7 - We Don't Balance Out (A.K.A. This was supposed to be a fun show!😭⛈️💔️)

I wrote a lot about the episodes in the previous spot, but this is the one that flipped the tables, the game-changer, and the one that hit closer home. It is a sad episode, no races there, it's just here for us to see how the circumstances affect the characters. It was hard to see how Reki, who at this point had been nothing but supportive and proud of Langa, starts to see him flying farther from him. Is it jealousness? Dissatisfaction? Is it fear of loneliness? Adbandoment issues? Is it feeling inferior? Frustration? Not being able to improve? Admiration? Care?

And on top of that a broken promise. I just can't imagine how hard is it for a 17 y/o to deal with all of those conflicting issues in his head, as well as the toxic competitive environment on the "S Community". This just came to show that he wasn't just the excitable, goofy sidekick character, he goes deeper than that, and makes him relatable. We also see a deconstruction of the cool, aloof prodigious character in Langa, as he just can't comprehend what's going on with Reki, and he's hurt by it, but still needs to figure out his own ambitions and desries. This leads to the emotional conclusion of the episode (which in turn left me in the aforementioned 4-week-long emotional crisis, thank you)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Episode 12 - Our Infinity! - The race was cool, the Renga hug gave me life and everyone had a happy ending

Episode 5 - Passionate Dancing Night! - Despite the beef between Langa and Adam being cool, we start to see Reki worrying about Langa and opening up to him, further deepening their bond.

Episode 2 - Awesome for the First Time! - There's just something special about sharing something you're passionate about with someone else. Watching Reki teaching Langa the basics of skateboarding was heartwarming

NUMBER 1 - Episode 10 - DAP Not Needing Words

After 4 weeks waiting, the anticipation for this episode was gargantuan. Reki's depression was hitting its lowest point, bordering in self-harm, and hurting others as well. Langa continues to look for Reki after seeing him briefly at the hospital while visiting Shadow and we get to see this loving scene where he watches videos of Reki learining how to skate. After confronting Tadashi and realizing that he loves skating because it's fun, he returns home to find out that Langa had been waiting for him but left shortly before he arrived.

This leads to a heartful reunion, where words can't express their feelings, so they resort to do their thing, to skate, and that's where the feelings flow. This is when Langa tells Reki how he admires him tremendously and Reki understands that Langa'll be there by his side, and leaves his fears behind. With a mutual desire to skate together infinetely and a new dap, they rekindle their bond. People watched this show for different reasons, and though I like the skateboarding aspect because it looks cool, my interest leans more on the relationship aspect, and Reki and Langa's is so deep and intimate, and I liked seeing it grow from zero through different hardships (in other words, in all of the years I've been in a fandom, I had never shipped any other pair like these two, I needed to say that).

So I guess it's time to tag some people:

@pico-sour, @sleebycryptid, @elizabethslee, @itsamole, @kaorucherry, @blueflame97, @trieizieme, @tardiskitten, @lady-pendragon-9

So, if you've read until this point, thank you very much (I know it's not supposed to, but this post is yet again a very long "I love Renga" one, but it's what my heart wanted me to write 😅). I'd love to see people other than the ones I tagged showing their lists 😃

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Habanero

You're a good girl, well behaved.

Absolutely not the type to rail random guys in nightclubs.

Until you are.

Fandom: BNHA

Pairing: Present Mic x Reader, eventual polyamorous Erasermic x Reader

Rating: Explicit, minors BE GONE

Trigger Warnings: Verbal abuse

AO3: Here | Want to support me? I have a Kofi

One of my readers made a tiktok of a scene from this chapter!

Chapter: 9/16 (all chapters)

BZZZZT

BZZZZZT

You scowled and reached under your pillow for your phone, wondering who on earth would call you at this time of day.

BZZZT

BZZZT

You patted the usual spot under your pillow, but your phone wasn’t there.

BZZZZZZZZZT

You sighed and sat up, rubbing your eyes and staring at your surroundings, realisation slowly dawning upon you.

This wasn’t your room.

It wasn’t your phone.

It definitely wasn’t your bed.

You reached under the covers, tracing your fingers over your exposed skin. You had nothing on but an oversized shirt and even that wasn’t yours.

In which case...

You glanced over at the man beside you, who was equally annoyed at being disturbed.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered, planting a kiss to your forehead before wriggling out of bed to hunt for his phone.

You wrapped yourself in the covers and watched him fumble in the dark, memories of the past few hours coming back to you all at once.

~~~~~

SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER

The weeks after the sports festival passed by in a blur. You had been right to spend so long adjusting and readjusting your schedule, for without such meticulous planning you would never have been able to keep up with queries from agencies and students alike.

You felt a little guilty for thinking it, but it was almost a relief once the internships actually began and you didn’t have to focus so much on open office hours. You had to keep some degree of flexibility for students struggling under the pressure of their new responsibilities, but very few of them came in. They were too busy giving it their all at their respective agencies.

You weren’t the only one to feel a weight off your shoulders. Midway through the week, Nemuri and Hizashi stepped into your office.

“(Name),” said Nemuri, “are you busy?”

At the time, you were browsing the web for techniques and activities to best support students with the pressures of exams. It was a relatively minor task in the grand scheme of things and you motioned for the pair of them to make themselves comfortable.

“How can I help?”

You had a perfectly good set of chairs, but they disregarded them, instead perching at opposite ends of your desk.

“Tonight, listener,” said Hizashi. “Clear your schedule! We’re going for beers!”

It had been weeks since any of you had visited the izakaya and you were more than a little excited at the prospect of finally being able to catch up with your colleagues in an informal setting. It seemed like all you had talked about lately was agency work, examinations and sports festival related matters. Unfortunately, that enthusiasm swiftly transformed into guilt.

Today was the day you had agreed to meet Akira for dinner and you were reluctant to rearrange it. He had already arranged the entire evening around your schedule, despite having work commitments of his own.

“Ahhh, sorry,” you said, “I have dinner plans tonight. Maybe some other time?”

You didn’t know it at the time, but Hizashi and Nemuri had asked only one person out for drinks before you and that person had also declined. Shouta’s arms and face were both finally healed and he was more than a little conscious of how long he had gone without training. He had plans to throw himself back into the action after school and, as such, had also declined.

Shouta had been telling the unabridged truth, but your revelation made them wonder if perhaps he hadn’t been completely honest after all. He wasn’t the sort of person to go out for dinner, but these were unprecedented times.

“Could it be,” said Nemuri, reaching for your hand, “our precious (Name) has a date?”

It wasn’t a date, but you blushed anyway. It was, after all, the same restaurant you had frequented as a couple.

“No, nothing like that,” you said, feeling a little embarrassed. “Truthfully, I bumped into my ex at the sports festival and he invited me out for a meal. It’s just a catchup, nothing else! A lot of things have changed since we broke up.”

“Is he involved in the hero industry? He must be if he was at the sports festival.”

“I guess you could say that...he’s one of the higher ups at Silver Edge.”

Silver Edge was well known to people with even the most basic level of knowledge of hero agencies and naturally Hizashi and Nemuri knew about it.

“Silver Edge??” Nemuri gripped the hand she had taken. “(Name), you have to tell me everything.”

“There’s not really much to say. We met at college and he took on a job there after we graduated. His uncle is on the board, so he had a lot of recommendations.”

“Maybe I’ve heard of him,” said Nemuri. “What’s his full name?”

“Masayama Akira.”

You hadn’t considered the possibility that your new colleagues might have known your ex in a professional capacity, so it came as something of a relief when Nemuri shook her head.

“Ahhh, it doesn’t ring a bell. Is he taking you somewhere fancy?”

“ Les Papilles ,” you said. “It was our favourite place before...y’know.”

“I’ve heard of that place,” said Hizashi. “They charge 2000 yen just for bread and olives.”

“Think of us while you’re helping yourself to gold leaf,” said Nemuri, cradling your hand and planting a kiss on the knuckles. “I want all of the details tomorrow.”

“Of course,” you said, suddenly wishing you hadn’t said anything.

Nemuri pulled out her phone the second they left your office, Hizashi following with his hands in his pockets. Against all of his better judgement, he had decided to continue looking for the woman from Ego . You getting involved with your ex should have been a good development, but it didn’t feel like one.

“Hello,” said Nemuri, pressing her phone to her ear. “Is this Les Papilles ?”

She pulled open the door to the faculty lounge and sauntered inside, seeming not to notice Hizashi’s gestures of confusion as she took a seat on the couch.

What are you doing? Hizashi mouthed, waving his hands to get her attention. She winked as she caught his eye, clearly unperturbed by his panic.

“Yes, hi,” she said. “I have a reservation tonight, under the name of Masayama Akira. I was wondering if you could confirm the time? Mhmm. Mhmm. Thank you so much! I’ll see you tonight.”

She hung up the phone with a satisfied smirk.

“What are you doing?”

Hizashi still had no idea that Nemuri’s objectives were so different to his own. His immediate assumption was that she meant to take the opportunity to make the night even more romantic and encourage the pair of you to reunite. He couldn’t have been any more wrong.

“ We ,” she said, “are going to Les Papilles .”

~~~~~~~

That night, you spent hours rifling through your wardrobe, trying on dresses and then discarding them, unsure of yourself in ways you never had been before. Akira had been your boyfriend for years, but you didn’t want to presume his intentions and risk sending out the wrong signals.

You managed to narrow your selection down to two: a modest dress you had picked out for a dinner party and the one you had worn to Ego .

As tempting as it was to wear the dress from that night, you decided against it. It was strange, but you felt strangely sentimental about it, as if you were betraying Shouta by wearing it around Akira. You knew it was irrational- that Shouta likely didn’t have much of an opinion either way- but even so, you set it back inside your wardrobe.

The group chat you shared with your friends had exploded at the news that you were going out to dinner. Almost everyone agreed that it was a terrible idea, that going out with Akira would reignite old feelings and undo everything you had achieved over the past few months.

You were confident, though, not only in Akira but yourself. If things got weird you would leave.

You took a deep breath and adjusted your clothes in the mirror, just as you had on the night you went to Ego . This time, though, you didn’t pull your dress down to tease your bra. Instead you pulled it down to cover your knees.

~~~~~~

Les Papilles was far, far out of Hizashi’s comfort zone. He shifted in his seat and watched the string quartet at the other side of the room, considering just how little he belonged there. Nemuri seemed not to notice, turning the pages of the menu and sounding out the specials in broken French.

They had dressed up for the evening in their Sunday best, Hizashi in a black dinner jacket and Nemuri in a burgundy dress. They didn’t look like themselves and he had mixed feelings about it. Ordinarily, he might have concocted a backstory for the pair of them, but his heart just wasn’t in it. Instead he stared at the menu in front of him as if it held the secrets to the universe.

He didn’t want to be there. He didn’t want to watch you eat dinner with another man.

Shouta had the woman from Ego , you had your ex. It felt like everyone had somebody except for him.

“Hizashiiiiiii,” said Nemuri, snapping her fingers in front of his face. “Earth to Hizashi…”

He blinked as if coming out of a trance.

“S-sorry, what were you saying?”

“Over there,” she said, holding up the menu to hide where she indicated. “Be subtle.”

He turned to where she pointed, mouth going dry when he saw you, laughing and smiling as your ex pulled out a chair. As far as Hizashi knew, this was the first time he’d ever seen you dressed up, and he couldn’t look away.

He watched as you slid down into your seat and laughed off a joke from your server, crossing your legs and tucking your hair behind your ear.

Nemuri kicked him under the table and he jumped.

“Subtle,” she whispered.

“Right,” he said, sitting up straight. “Of course. Subtle. I can do subtle.”

~~~~~

It was strange to be back at Les Papilles . In a lot of respects, it felt the same as coming home from college at winter break. Everything about it was the same, from the positioning of the cutlery to the servers and orchestra, but you were completely different.

Even Akira was the same. He made the same jokes to the serving staff, ordered your meal from memory, waved to the cellist at the front of the band as he always did. You realised as one of the servers arrived with your favourite vintage that the last time you had been here was the day of the breakup, back when you believed your life was over.

It was strange to be there so soon, laughing and joking as if nothing had happened.

Conversation flowed easily; you caught up on the antics of old friends and his family, his successes at work, his current projects. You didn’t ask if he had started seeing someone else, nor did you offer up any information of your own. It felt inappropriate under the circumstances.

After you finished off your starter, you dismissed yourself to freshen up in the bathroom, fixing up your makeup and checking in on the group chat.

>>How is everything?

>>It’s fine...better than fine. Did you know his sister got married?

>>Has he said anything about getting back together?

>>Of course not! We’re just catching up like old friends! It’s nothing like that.

>>Sure...

~~~~~~

“Oh my god,” said Nemuri, setting aside her fork.

“What is it?”

Hizashi turned back to your table, where Akira was having a conversation with the violin players and table staff. He thought nothing of it until he spotted what Akira was holding: a small black box, which almost certainly contained a ring.

He turned back to Nemuri, looking almost as horrified as she did.

“Is he...surely he isn’t…”

Unfortunately, you returned to the table only a short time later, long before they could intervene.

~~~~~

Akira was taking a sip of wine when you returned and got up from his seat to help you into your chair.

“I already ordered mains,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” you said, making yourself comfortable. “Thank you.”

Akira sat down and cleared his throat, eyes darting from you to the band to the table.

“The truth is, (Name), I didn’t call you here just to catch up.”

“What do you mean?”

He reached for your hand across the table, just as he had when he broke up with you. It was a small gesture, but an unwelcome one, unearthing memories and emotions from that night that you had refused to acknowledge for well over half a year. You remembered how excited you had been back then, so close to the only serious goal you had ever had. All of your hard work and sacrifices would finally pay off and you could become the perfect wife and mother. You could raise your children with a smile on your face, safe in the knowledge that their childhood would be nothing like your own.

“I miss you,” he said, squeezing your hands. “I thought I knew what I wanted but...I didn’t. Back then, I just...I don’t know...I felt like I was stuck in a rut. I wanted something, but I didn’t know what it was.”

He let go of your hands with an expression of pity.

“I slept with another woman,” he said. “I don’t want to hide it from you. I’m sorry...I know it must come as a shock. Promise me you won’t get upset.”

“Akira,” you said, weighing up the pros and cons of being honest with him about your own bedroom antics.

“No, don’t say anything,” he said. “I know this must be hard for you.”

It wasn’t, but you decided to humour him.

“I slept with her once and all I could think about was you,” he said. “I missed the perfect lunches you’d pack for me, the way you’d greet me after work with a glass of wine and listen to what I had to say. I knew I could tell you anything and you wouldn’t judge me.”

“Akira,” you said again, but he reached for your hands again.

“I understand now,” he said. “That other woman? She didn’t care about me as much as you did. I don’t think anyone else ever will...not even my mother. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. I never wanted to break your heart…and now that I’m higher up in the business I understand where my priorities should be. My new coworkers are older. They’re settled down with families and always talking about their wives and children. Their wives are friends, their children play together...”  

He waved at the orchestra, who swiftly began to play a rendition of the track he decided was your song several years ago. You barely had a chance to register it before he got out of his chair and dropped down on one knee.

“(Name),” he said, holding up a small, black box. “Marry me.”

“Akira…”

“We can be together,” he said. “We can have everything we’ve always dreamed of.”

You stared at him, speechless. Not so long ago this moment was everything you had wanted. You had planned it in your head, had practised saying yes. Now that it was truly playing out in front of you, though, you realised you didn’t want it.

You weren’t sure when, exactly, but you had stopped thinking about weddings and babies. You had stopped thinking about him .

“I…”

“I know,” he said, lifting the ring from the box and towards your finger.

You glanced around the restaurant, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze. The other patrons had realised what was happening and turned to watch, no doubt waiting to clap.

“Akira, I don’t know what to say...I…”

You couldn’t turn him down without making him look like an idiot in front of this roomful of strangers. Why, oh why, had he decided to make this such a spectacle?

“Just say yes,” he said.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, thinking back to the old you, who would have by now.

“Can we please talk somewhere private?!”

You got to your feet before he could answer, snatching up your purse as you strolled towards the front doors. Akira gave everyone in the restaurant a thumbs up before following you out into the night air.

You hadn’t realised how stiflingly hot the restaurant had been and took a deep breath.

“I have to say,” said Akira as he closed the restaurant door behind him and followed you into a side street. “Whatever skit you’re pulling-“

“ You dumped me ,” you said, turning to face him. “ You told me I was the problem in our relationship. You don’t get to just change your mind about something like that and come back into my life like nothing happened.”

It was the first time you had ever raised your voice at him, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Listen,” he said, “if this is about that other girl…”

“It’s not,” you said. “I slept with someone else too. Twice, actually.”

He took your hands in his, clasping them against his chest.

“Then you understand,” he said. “All of the time I was with her, all I thought about-”

“When I was with him I didn’t think of you at all.”

You hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but nothing else seemed to be getting through to him.

“You’re confused,” he said. “I get it. All of this stuff with UA...it’s just a phase. You’ll move on from it one day.”

“Maybe so...but even then I wouldn’t want to marry you.”

Akira didn’t say anything for several minutes and when he did it was to laugh out loud.

“You’re joking, right? This is a joke.”

“It’s not a joke. I’m sorry, but-”

He snatched his hands away from yours and gripped onto your shoulders.

“Who else is going to want you?”

“I...wh-”

“Look at you,” said Akira, looking you up and down. “You aren’t all that pretty, y’know. You should be grateful someone like me would even look at you, let alone ask you to marry them.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, keeping your composure, “but...I’ve moved on. You should too.”

He shook his head with a tsk, pushing you away with such force that your back slammed against the wall. He took the ring out of his pocket and threw it down onto the floor before going back inside the restaurant. The ring clattered as it hit the ground and you watched, crushing your hands to your face to try and stifle your tears.

All you could think about was the cooking classes you had taken; your instructor’s explanation about adding and subtracting ingredients. It was always possible to add extra later, but adding too much was the point of no return. You had experienced too much now; had seen your life from an outsider’s perspective and didn’t want to return to it. You no longer placed your value in tidy stitches and perfect pastries.

Even so, you considered, kneeling down to pick up the ring from the floor, you were as far from habanero as you were vanilla.

You had no idea who you were anymore.

~~~~~~~

In your absence the restaurant had fallen silent. The band had stopped playing as the door closed behind you both, the serving staff standing a little further back from the table with a cake in their arms, awkwardly exchanging glances with one another. The cake was quite clearly custom made, with bright red icing on the top that read “Congratulations Mrs. Masayama”.

Hizashi chewed his bottom lip, Nemuri cradled her wine glass. They didn’t need to speak to know what the other was thinking. They had seen the expression of horror on your face and the oblivious one on Akira’s. They knew it wasn’t going to end well.

When Akira finally returned, he was alone. He shook his head at the orchestra and serving staff, who swiftly carried on with their duties as if nothing had happened, smuggling the cake back into the kitchen area and resuming their ordinary track list.

Hizashi watched as Akira kicked at his seat before sitting down and turned to Nemuri, who gave him a nod. If he was kicking at chairs, they worried what he might have done to you.

Hizashi got to his feet and left the restaurant, shoving open the front door and rushing out onto the street. You weren’t directly outside and he headed off to check the side streets, heart shattering into pieces when he finally found you.

He could think of little else but the first time he saw you when you came to UA. The original guidance counsellor had been there for years, including when many of the faculty members studied there themselves. She had candies and a pat on the head for just about anyone and losing her was like losing a grandmother. That’s not to say they weren’t excited about the replacement, though.

He and Nemuri had spent hours hypothesising not only what the new person would be like, but the kind of person they hoped they would be. They concluded that they both wanted it to be a cute girl, the type of person they could take to the izakaya and influence in all of the wrong ways. Having you join the staff was like winning the lottery.

He and Nemuri had high fived the first time they saw you, opening the staff room door by a sliver and watching as Nezu took you on a tour. He would never forget his initial impression; that you were pretty and sweet and reminded him of a kitten. His opinions hadn’t changed even now that he knew you better. You held no ill will towards anyone, bent over backwards to help out students and colleagues alike, forgave just about anyone who wronged you even slightly.

Seeing you in tears hit him hard, simply because it was you.

He walked over, stomach churning at the prospect of what might have been said or done to upset you so much.

“Hey, little listener,” he said softly and you frantically rubbed the tears from your eyes.

“S-sorry,” you stammered, fumbling with your purse, “I’ll be right there…”

“Little listener,” he said again, reaching for your shoulders. “Look at me.”

You looked up at him and squinted, recognition slowly sinking in. Very few people recognised him outside of his hero costume and you were no exception to the rule.

“Hizashi? Wh...what are you doing here?”

You blushed a bright red and immediately started rubbing the tears away even harder.

“Saving the day,” he said with a smile.

“Sorry,” you said, though your eyes didn’t meet his. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Hizashi sighed and touched his fingers to your chin, lifting your face towards his. You didn’t have any visible swelling or other marks on your skin that pointed towards a physical attack.

“Don’t apologise,” he said. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” you said, tears welling in your eyes and voice beginning to break, “I’m fine. I’m completely fine.”

You still whispered that you were fine as he lowered his hand from your face, as you buried your face in your hands and began to sob. You still tried to murmur them when you choked with tears and could manage little more than single syllables.

Hizashi stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around you, stroking your hair as you buried your face in his chest and began to wail.

“That’s it,” he said, stroking your hair, “I got you. Just let it out, little listener.”

He reached into his jacket pocket for his phone and typed out a message to Nemuri.

>>I’ve got (Name). You handle him.

>>  ( ˘ ³˘)♥

~~~~~

Nemuri set down her phone with a grin and picked up her purse, making sure to swing her hips far more than was necessary as she approached Akira’s table. The servers, unsure what to do, had brought your main meals to the table, leaving Akira to glare at them in silence.

She slipped down into your chair, taking care to tease her low neckline.

Akira looked up at her and she picked up your abandoned fork, helping herself to a carrot from your plate. She made sure to run her tongue over it, licking off the honey glaze.

“Can I join you?”

~~~~~

You weren’t sure how long you sobbed into Hizashi’s chest, only that you couldn’t stop. You forgot where you were, so overwhelmed by misery and his warm body that the world seemed to stop.

When the tears dried and you came back to earth, you felt more than a little embarrassed. You’d smudged makeup and snot all over his shirt and likely made a scene in the process.

“Oh my god,” you said, stepping back and rubbing your eyes. “I’m so sorry, look at the mess i’ve made…”

Hizashi looked down at his shirt and shrugged.

“What, this? Please. I’m a teacher, a celebrity, a hero and a catch. Believe me, I’ve had worse.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that and he stroked his fingers across your cheeks.

“Ahhh, there it is,” he said, tucking your hair behind your ear. “Much better.”

“I don’t understand...what are you doing here? I thought you and Nemuri were going to the izakaya.”

“Uhhhhh, well,” Hizashi scratched his chin, “the thing is…you kinda put us in the mood for French food…”

Under ordinary circumstances, you would have been mortified at the realisation that they might have seen everything. Right then, though, you were exhausted and numb.

“Ahh, whatever, it doesn’t matter,” you said, reaching into your purse for your train card. “It’s been a long night...I should get going.”

“What are you talking about, cute listener? The night’s just beginning! Didn’t you know? This is the best time to view the city!”

He was trying to cheer you up, but you knew that not only was your makeup ruined, but you could never show your face in Les Papilles again.

“I can’t go anywhere looking like this,” you said. “I look like...like…”

Hizashi shook his head and reached into his pocket. He rummaged for a couple of seconds before grinning and pulling out a set of star shaped sunglasses.

“Now look at that,” he said, slotting them onto your face, “you’ve got stars in your eyes.”

It was such a corny line that you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Do you just... carry spare sets of sunglasses everywhere?”

He reached into his other pocket by way of an answer, pulling out a set shaped like flowers, then another shaped like hearts.

“You never know what might happen,” he said. “Sometimes the mood calls for something a little different.”

“What’s the mood today?”

He lifted up both pairs, weighing up the pros and cons of each before switching his plain glasses for the heart ones.

“Now, then,” he said, shrugging off his jacket and putting it on you. “Have you ever been in a movie?”

“Have I what ?”

It was an absurd question, but he looked as dead serious as anyone could in novelty sunglasses.

“Pick a genre,” he said, reaching for his phone. “You’re the heroine now. What movie are we in?”

You considered it, thinking about the past year.

You didn’t know if you were vanilla or habanero or anything in between, but you knew what you’d like to be given the choice.

“It’s a romance,” you said, blushing scarlet, “a sickly sweet, cliched romance, where everyone falls in love with everyone else and no one’s alone at the end.”

Hizashi nodded, giving you sounds of approval.

“Your wish is my command, princess,” he said, fastening earphones to his phone and slipping it into the inside pocket of the jacket he had put on you. “Here…”

He held out the earphones and you picked them up, putting one in your ear and holding out the other, meaning to share. Hizashi shook his head.

“No, no,” he said. “It’s your soundtrack, not mine!”

You put the other one in and listened to the music he had loaded, taking in the wistful melody as he reached a hand for yours. You reached to take it and followed him along the street, gazing up at the street lamps and signs overhead.

You knew these streets better than most. Akira lived nearby and between going to his place and visiting Les Papilles , you had done a lot of walking here. Perhaps it was the sunglasses, the music or the fact that you were holding onto Hizashi’s hand, but it didn’t look the same. You spotted details you had never noticed before, like the dancing wisterias overhead and the glow of fairy lights in the windows. You spotted chalk drawings on the ground, smiling strangers who passed you with cups of coffee only to disappear from your life moments later.

You wondered how long you had walked these streets without really looking at them; how many years you had spent looking at your feet instead of the sky.

You didn’t let go of Hizashi’s hand as you got onto the train, peering out of the windows at every station you passed. You admired every piece of graffiti, the careful hand movements of the musician busking at the station entrance. You couldn’t hear him over the music playing through Hizashi’s earphones, so pretended he was the one playing.

You got off at a station you’d never been to before, listening to the gentle swell of the music as you climbed the stairs out onto the main square. Food vendors lined the streets and the scent of fried foods filled the air. Hizashi guided you along the street, pointing out a carousel. In the daytime it would have looked mundane, but at night it was beautiful, illuminating the night with a golden glow.

Hizashi guided you towards it and slipped the owner a couple of notes, motioning for you to choose a horse the moment he let you pass through the rope barrier. You picked one out and climbed up into the saddle, waving Hizashi over to sit behind you. He climbed up into the saddle and wrapped an arm around your waist, using the other to hold onto the rail.

You watched your surroundings as the ride began to move and your shadows hit the ground.

You had lived in this city for years and walked the earth for thirty. You had never known the city could look like this, that it could fill your heart with warmth and love until it shone as brightly as the carousel. You wanted to stay there forever and never come down, enchanted by the world and its infinite details.

~~~~

You hadn’t gotten around to eating dinner and spent more money than you normally would on warm doughnuts, corn dogs and yakisoba. The pair of you sat down at the end of the pier, taking off your shoes and dangling your feet down towards the sea.

By then, you had turned off the music and handed Hizashi his jacket back, relishing the sound of the waves hitting the shoreline and soft sea breeze through your hair.

“So,” said Hizashi, taking a bite of one of the doughnuts, “what’s the story with your ex?”

“There’s not really much of one,” you shrugged. “We dated at college.”

“And?”

“And...one day he took me out to dinner and said he wanted to play the field, live a little more, that sort of thing. He didn’t want to commit to a relationship, he wanted to get out there and have fun,” you said, poking at your noodles. “I thought it was the end...but...actually...I think I agree with him now. I’d spent so long in a relationship that I forgot who I was without it.”

“And are you any closer? To figuring out who you are?”

“No,” you said, sighing deeply. “I thought I was, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Well,” said Hizashi, dusting off his hands. “If this is you at 25%, I can’t wait to see what you’re like at full power.”

You turned to Hizashi, blushing at the way he had turned to look at you.

“I...I don’t really know what to say to that.”

“Then don’t say anything.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say that, of all people.”

“Hey!”

You giggled at his outburst, thinking back to Shouta’s words at your apartment.

Purple socks, studded leather, zombie movies, horror games, candles that smell like desserts, cheap sunglasses, expensive shampoo, eighties rock and dubstep mashups, light beer…

All of the things Hizashi liked.

Shouta had taken a step back and said he was rooting for you. Akira was no longer in your life. You took a deep breath and swung your legs to hide your nerves.

“Hizashi,” you said, somehow managing to blush an even darker shade of red.

“Hmmm?”

“Did you...uh...that is. Would you like to…”

You hadn’t propositioned anyone since Shouta and even then he had filled in the blanks. You prayed Hizashi was just as good at taking a hint.

“...wouldyouliketogosomewheremoreprivate?”

You didn’t dare look at him. You wanted the earth to swallow you whole.

“(Name),” he said at last, “are you asking what I think you are?”

“Probably,” you squeaked. “Oh god, I’m sorry, I-you must think I’m...”

He cupped your face in his hand, though, grinning like a cheshire cat.

“You worry too much,” he whispered. “Just let it happen.”

“Okay,” you said, heart fluttering as he stroked his fingers across your jawline and combed his fingers through your hair, touching his lips to yours with a softness you hadn’t expected from him.

One kiss turned into two, two turned into three and before you knew it you were gasping into his open mouth while he stroked his fingers from your ribs to your hip. You were grateful for the sunglasses he had given you; you dreaded to think how dazed you looked. You felt as if you were floating, head and shoulders above the clouds.

Hizashi broke the kiss before you did and got to his feet.

“Are you ready,” he asked, putting one hand on his hip and quite deliberately guiding your line of sight to his crotch, “for this jelly ?”

It was such an absurd thing to say that you burst out laughing.

This, this right here was what you expected from him.

~~~~~~~~

You’d been to Hizashi’s apartment before during the recording of Support Mic . Every time you went there, you made the same observation: that its walls were plain and its furniture simple, completely at odds with the man who lived there.

“You wanna see something cool?” he asked as he closed the front door.

“Okay.”

He reached out to flip a light switch and at first you believed he was going to leave you both in the dark. You wondered what was cool about that, only for your jaw to drop a moment later.

It was a light switch, but not in the conventional sense.

Hizashi, as it turned out, had blacklights installed in his home and every corner of every wall shone with otherwise invisible colours. Some areas had portraits and galaxies painted on them, others had patterns and handprints.

“W...wow,” you said, staring up at a ghostly milky way as Hizashi brushed your hair to one side and planted a kiss on the back of your neck.

Your dress hit the ground with a whisper, his belt fell at your feet. You had nothing on but your underwear by the time you reached the bedroom and stared at the sapphire hue of your skin. Somehow, even your own body felt foreign.

You glanced over at Hizashi, at the musical notes tattooed on the left side of his ribcage and stud through his right nipple, really seeing him for the first time. The Hizashi you had known before this was goofy and sweet. This one was a piece of art on par with the galaxies and flowers on his walls. You didn’t know why it surprised you to learn he too had layers of complexity.

He noticed you staring at him and almost looked bashful, though it lasted only a fraction of a second. He dropped to his knees and hooked his fingers around the band of your underwear, shimmying them down to your ankles and planting a kiss on the soft flesh below your belly button. You sighed into it, stomach fluttering, and kicked them off entirely.

“Now then,” he said, getting to his feet and planting a hand on the small of your back to draw you closer, “check you out, little listener! You look good enough to eat.”

Heat rose in your cheeks and you giggled, accepting the kisses he peppered across them. He kissed your lips and squeezed your butt, using your gasp to explore your mouth with his tongue.

His bedsheets were soft against your skin - almost as soft as his kisses. You crushed your lips against his without any kind of hesitation, trembling as he stroked a hand over your collarbones, breasts and then stomach before slipping a finger between your folds. You gasped as his fingertip grazed your clit and he chuckled, propping himself up on his other elbow and admiring the view as he traced his finger around the outside of your wetness.

“Look at that,” he said, sounding genuinely impressed, “you’re so wet already!”

He pulled his hand away from your slick and held it up so you could see, rubbing his finger and thumb together to show the wetness you’d left on them. You fell silent, feeling oddly bashful as he sucked on the finger he’d used to touch you.

You had no clue how you were going to look him in the face at work after this, but his touches felt so good that you didn’t care. You tasted yourself on his lips when he kissed you, shivered as he lifted your leg up onto his waist and shoved his hand between your thighs. He scissored his fingers inside of you and rubbed his thumb over your clit, laughing whenever a particular touch made you moan and buck your hips against his hand.

“Let me hear you,” he said, peppering your throat with kisses and drawing moans from your lips, relishing every vibration.

He pulled his fingers out of you and sucked them before lifting himself up onto all fours, rolling you onto your back in the process. You stared up at him, heart racing, taking in the silvery hue his hair had taken in the dark. He trailed messy kisses from your lips to your collarbone, crawling down the bed as his kisses travelled south. You closed your eyes the second his tongue crossed your nipple and let out a sigh of pleasure, which only seemed to spur him on.

“That’s it, baby,” he cooed, settling on his stomach and spreading your legs wide. “Sing for me.”

This was the first time anyone had gone down on you. You had no point of reference, no idea what to expect. You gasped at the strange, wet feeling, reaching down to stroke his hair as if by instinct. Every touch of his tongue sent your insides to jelly and you bit down on your fingers to stifle your gasps.

“No, no, no,” he said, “I want to hear you.”

He held your hips down and sucked at your clit so forcefully that you lost all coherent thought. It still felt wet, but the strangeness had gone, making room for a growing tightness deep inside of you. You wanted nothing more than to break.

He eased up, swirling the tip of his tongue against your clit so gently that you caught yourself bucking your hips against his mouth and arching your back from the bed, trying and failing to meet him halfway.

“Don’t stop,” you whined, reaching for his hair. “Please, please don’t stop.”

You were so close to unravelling and it felt like a matter of life or death.

You had no point of reference and no way of knowing how good Hizashi actually was at oral. All you knew was that his touches left your arms and legs numb. You finally understood why he had painted so many of his ceilings to look like outer space. The more he touched you, the more it felt like you were floating, watching your own body contort with pleasure from a distance.

He knew the exact moment you teetered on the brink and chose that one to loosen his grip on you and plant a kiss on your thigh. The anticipation faded and you could have cried.

“Hizashiiii…”

“No, no, no, not yet,” he said, sitting up onto his knees and wagging his finger. “I want to make you scream.”

You’d never screamed in bed before and just the thought left you feeling a mixture of embarrassed and morbidly curious. Exactly how good would you have to feel to scream? How dirty could Hizashi get?

You smiled, cheeks flushed.

“I’d love to see you try.”

“Those are famous last words, (Name).”

“At least I’ll go with a smile on my face.”

Hizashi grinned and adjusted his position, lifting one of your legs over his shoulder and the other around his waist, spreading you wide and slipping a finger in you, snickering as your toes began to curl. It didn’t take long to build you up again this time and you grabbed the bedsheets, bracing yourself for a peak that never came. Hizashi let you get close enough to taste freefall, only to drag you back to earth.

He rolled across the bed and fumbled in his bedside drawer, pulling out a condom and something else that you didn’t recognise in the half light.

“Say, (Name), do you wanna see something... really cool?”

“Go ahead.”

He thrust the condom towards you, motioning for you to take it. You did, turning it over in your fingers and squinting at the print.

“Are these…”

“Present Mic condoms! Designed, approved and beta tested by yours truly! Guaranteed to make your partner siiiiiiiiiiing.”

You knew that there was a lot of Present Mic merchandise. You’d seen shirts, alarm clocks, pyjamas and more and that was without deliberately seeking them out. There was almost certainly more on the internet, though it had never occurred to you that condoms would be one of them.

“I,” you said, “I don’t know what to say.”

You passed it back to him, watching as he wriggled out of his underwear. You licked your lips at the sight of his dick, unable to stop yourself. Where Shouta’s dick was wide, Hizashi’s was long and you didn’t know what to say of the fact that you had seen enough of your colleagues naked that you were able to make such a comparison.

He dragged the tie from his hair and wrapped it around his wrist, flicking his hair over one shoulder with a wink.

“You like what you see?”

Yes.

Yes, you did.

Between the blacklight, his naked body and long, golden hair, he looked like a painting.

“Come here,” you said, waving him over.

He stayed there, though, pouting.

“But you haven’t seen the cool part yet,” he said.

“You mean...there’s more?”

What else had he trademarked? Was he about to show you Present Mic lube?

He opened the condom wrapper, though, and you soon had your answer. It wasn’t any ordinary condom and, retrospectively, you regretted not realising it earlier.

Present Mic’s condoms were glow in the dark and shone green under the blacklight.

“It’s...it’s a glow stick,” you gasped, watching as he pulled it on. “Oh my god.”

“It’s awesome, right! Not sure how you’d wave them at a concert, though…Not without getting arrested, anyway...”

He said it so sincerely that you couldn't help but laugh, clapping a hand over your mouth in an attempt to stifle your giggles.

“You think that’s funny, eh?”

“I’m sorry,” you said, laughing harder.

“Hon, what are you apologising for? I could watch this all day.”

You looked up at him, taking in the tender expression on his face that was completely out of place in your current surroundings. You remembered the way he had cradled you in the alley, just as gentle then as he was now.

You would almost certainly feel embarrassed in the morning, but you knew that none of this was a mistake.

He leaned over you, kissing your nose as he reached out to the mystery item he’d put on the bedside table. You inhaled sharply when you realised it was a vibrator wand, something you had never seen in person. It looked like something from a science fiction movie.

“You okay, doll?”

“Are they...always that big?”

Hizashi sat up onto his knees and set the vibrator aside for the time being.

“Nope, but this one is especially powerful! I accept only the best, ya dig?”

You glanced from the vibrator to him, trembling from the anticipation. You had followed Rei and the others into sex stores, though stared at your shoes the entire time, too ashamed to look, much less join in their conversations. They bought you a bullet vibrator for your birthday once, just to see the horrified expression on your face.

Tonight you were well and truly diving in head first.

“Put your hands up,” said Hizashi, lifting your leg over his shoulder. You obeyed, slowly raising your arms above your head and onto the pillows. He licked his finger and slipped it between your folds and back inside you, stretching you out a little more before pulling it out and inching his dick into the gap. You gasped, relishing both the feeling of being stretched to accommodate him and the way he closed his eyes and sighed in pleasure.

“What the hell, (Name),” he whined, “you feel so good.”

“S-so do you,” you said, heat rising in your cheeks.

Hizashi bumped his hips against yours, both of you gasping at the sensation.

“How’s that?”

“Do it again.”

He obeyed, squeezing onto your thigh as he thrust back into you. You reached down a hand, meaning to stroke your clit, but he clapped you away.

“No, no, no, put your hands up,” he said and you rested them back onto the pillows. “The party’s not over yet.”

He took up a slow pace initially, changing it up whenever you got remotely close to coming. He’d go faster only to stop the moment you begged him to keep going and keep fucking you that way. He’d go slow and deep, brushing the soft spot inside of you, only to pull out once your moans got more frantic. You knew from the satisfied look on his face that he was doing it on purpose.

“S...stop teasing me like this,” you said, “I’m going to…”

Truthfully, you had no idea what would happen when you came. You’d never been teased this much before. Hizashi laughed, though, perfectly dodging the pillow you launched at his head.

“Are you suuuure? I said I’d get you to scream, remember? Do you think you can handle it?”

“Yes! Yes I can handle it!”

Hizashi smirked and fell still, reaching for the vibrator next to him. He spat on his fingers and rubbed them across your clit before flicking the on switch. You had never heard a vibrator so loud, but you were so focused on the tension inside of you that you didn’t care. Hizashi touched it to your clit and held it there, sending you over the edge in a matter of seconds. You gasped in delight, body twitching and full of warmth. Hizashi started to thrust, moaning at the feel of you tightening around his cock. He held the vibrator in place and you squirmed, tension building inside of you again, just as unbearably tight as before. It was overwhelming and you cried out at the feel of his rapid fire thrusts and hum of the vibrator, overstimulated to the point of no return.

He turned up the vibrator and you screamed in delight, losing all self consciousness as your body quaked.

He kept going, over and over, dragging orgasms from you until you lost track of the peaks. They started to bleed into one another, leaving you flustered and desperate. He went deeper and harder, praising you for how loud you were getting.

“Are you going to give me one more,” he said, switching off the wand. “One more, I know you can do it.”

“Mhmm,” you whined, watching as he set aside the vibrator and slipped himself out of you. “Hizashi…don’t stop…”

He lifted both of your legs and motioned for you to hold them open, planting a kiss on your slick folds before pushing himself back inside of you. You bit your bottom lip at the change in angle, his hips crashing into yours so deeply that you felt the bed rocking beneath you.

“Sssshit,” said Hizashi, “I’m going to come.”

“Me too,” you said, digging your nails into your thighs to keep them spread, “I’m going to…hnn!”

You arched your back as you came, the added twitching sending Hizashi over the edge with you. You watched in curiosity, wondering what would happen if he cried out, only for him to lean over and crush your lips with his own, moaning into your open mouth as he continued to thrust.

“You ready for the money shot?”

You nodded, placing a hand on the small of his back and feeling him thrust into you.

You watched as he sat up to straddle you, dragging off the neon condom and frantically pumping at his dick. He bit down on his own fingers as he came across your belly, covering your skin in a layer of hot cum, which glowed luridly under the light.

You reached out to touch it with trembling fingers as Hizashi got up off the bed to get rid of the condom, admiring the way it shone against your skin in the same way as the paint on his bedroom ceiling.

Before this, you felt your body had been as barren and plain as the white walls of his apartment. Perhaps it was the happy hormones flooding your body, but you felt just as transformed and ready to confront just about anything.

“You okay, little listener?”

Hizashi came back towards the bed, taking a seat beside you and combing your hair off your sweaty forehead. Both of you laughed when all you could muster was a shaky thumbs up.

“Well, lucky for you, the party isn’t over,” he said with a wink. “I am going to run you the warmest, bubbliest bath you’ve ever had in your life...if you’re lucky, I might even join you!”

~~~~~

PRESENT

“I got it, I got it,” said Hizashi, reaching up to answer his phone. “Hello? Hello…? Ah...Eraser, what’s…wait. Slow down. What do you mean?”

Something about his tone made you anxious and you pushed back the covers as he sank down onto the edge of the bed. You could hear Shouta’s voice, though not what he was saying.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

He hung up the phone and set it down on his bedside drawer, breathing a heavy sigh.

“That sounded serious. Is everything okay?”

“We have to go to UA,” he said, getting up to pick up the TV remote.

“Hizashi it’s...it’s three in the morning, what-”

You fell silent the moment he switched it on, taking in the stony faced news broadcaster and burning buildings, the video footage of Midoriya at the feet of the hero killer, Stain.

“Oh my god,” you said, hugging yourself.

“Yeah,” sighed Hizashi. “Guess there’s not gonna be a round two.”

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket,Se03, Ep7 (part 2)

Toxic kindness (Kureno):

I’ve touched upon this in se02 finale, but kureno’s toxic kindness mirrors the foolish traveler story. The foolish traveler says “ thank you” as he dies. Kureno ignores the knife in the hands of a person whom he saw with his own eyes abuse a number of children repeatedly. Kisa, Isuzu, hatori & yuki bodies testify of being beaten, cut, & bruised. Kyo’s psychological abuse was announced in front of kureno himself before akito summoned him in the beach arc. Akito has strangled her mom & screamed, cried & went manic in front of him. Yet, kureno walks toward her ignoring the knife, hugs her & tells her to press the button of change. Easy, right?

I highly respect the author that Akito didn’t respond positively. I don’t want kureno to be stabbed or want akito to run away & hurt the others.  Also, I hate cheap drama. So, I’ll never support dramatic confrontations just for the sake of it. I want a realistic depiction of trauma & mental illness. The person who lived her entire life entitled to be obeyed, feared & having extreme authority, won’t just change cuz a foolish guy told her to.

-The responsibility of Nurturing children:

Akito’s outburst represent the author’s view on the role of nurturing children properly to teach them to be decent human beings. Akito was raised with extreme views neglect & narcissism. You’re special & must be loved (said her dad), Others MUST obey you (said the old maid), No one truly loves you (said her mom). So, her entire life she craved showcasing her power over these unfortunate zodiacs as it stems from the notion that they live for her sake.

Tohru on the other hand was raised with compassion, love & appreciation of other ppl. Tohru being timid, shy or unable to stand for her self are personal struggles that tohru deals with & not related to nurturing , While her trauma might be caused by a parent, it didn’t prevent tohru from being a kind & compassionate person because she was raised & taught abt these things.

The faults of abusing a child might lead to create faulty mentality & social issues. these kids might even grow to implement similar abuse onto others, while all that is understandable, it will never excuse their behavior. A lot cases of real life abusers were once kids who were abused. It is tragic. It explains why they become the horrible person they are today, but it never excuses the harm of others. The victim is not responsible of your screwed upbringing. Kisa, kyo, yuki, & Isuzu have nothing to do with Akira, Ren or akito’s troubles. They are victims themselves but they didn’t go & inflect harm upon others. Yes, they each developed a faulty coping mechanism &  showed tendencies of rage, withdrawal, misplaced pain, but they were never a harm towards the society, & their peers.

Akito’s outburst paves the path for her redemption. How it will happen? I duno. Will someone once again holds her cheeks, talks her into bettering herself? I duno. She will atone. I can guess that based on the ED. but Will she be rightfully punished for her crimes? I duno. I hope so. Forgiveness is different from punishment. Thus, a type of punishment should be implemented. Abusers, whether victims or not, or atoned or not, must receive it. It is only fair.

- What will happen with tohru/ kyo’s confession/ confrontation? What is the exit from kyoko’s harsh last words! How can Furuba’s best mom hates kyo! My mind goes crazy!

Perhaps the following will happen:

(a) Kyo will confess the past, tohru forgive, kyo relieved, they kiss or whatever (happy ending). This could happen but while I would be happy for them, I’d hate that kyo’s entire trauma goes away with a simple “ I forgive you/ I love you”. Trauma doesn’t have a button you magically shut down. Kyo must unload his burden first! open his lid, then deal with it. Also, How will kyoko’s last words fit here? Are they just kyo’s imagination? really? it seems so anti-climatic. Imagine living with kyoko’s words for two seasons only for it to be in kyo’s mind! I really need kyoko to have bigger role than simple imagination. She’s either a haunting ghost or a holy perfect mother, rarely a real human character. Also, I need to include Akito. In this happy version, Akito gets stopped by shigure or even yuki! .. possible but too light for all the buildup drama & endless cliffhangers! lol

(b) Kyo will confess the past, tohru won’t forgive, kyo hurts himself as he sees her pain (dark ending). This ending is too dark for both. kyo hearing tohru’s words of un-forgivness will echo what he himself believe in he should be. Then where is hope for him? T_T Tohru not being able to forgive is logical since her mom is her world, but it also further ties tohru to her mom. She’ll be stuck again remembering her mom’s tragic words & last moment. Also, tohru will loose another person she loves even more than her mom. Here Akito will interfere somehow. Perhaps tries to kill tohru, then kyo sacrifices himself saving her. I duno.. too dark for furuba! lol

Ok. I give up. Anything I think gets stopped by kyoko’s words. I need kyo to push tohru away cuz this is the only logical progression for his trauma! I refuse to believe that kyo’s trauma was pushed into the climax & was written to embody furuba’s most mature themes of guilt, self-forgiveness, repeated mistakes, depression & others only to be quickly solved. But, tohru’s own issues were quickly presented & addressed in one short ep so..... augh! I want to hope for more from tohru, but I duno.. her growth has been so inconsistent, & I’m tired of being disappointed.

Next ep could either become furuba’s best ep or the worst ever!!! & this scares me so much. 

Side Notes:

Kyo was repeatedly punished for his mistakes & faulty coping mechanism throughout the series, He is yet to be forgiven by someone or forgive himself. But he has been living the punishment of his own trauma.

Why is momiji still speaking German in the dub? I know his curse break is a secret, but He’s still holding on the facade of identifying with a rabbit in his burger, imitating his mom’s accent as he’s still so attached to her. I thought he let go of the past while bravery acknowledging it & moved on. Starting brighter, happier & with more hope. He isn’t still holding on to pain. He is looking forward now. =/

At first, i didnt recognize the room tohru & kyo are eating in! XD. It’s their living room, right? first time seeing it with all doors closed. weird.XD

Seeing Hiro’s curse break further reinforces that there is no logic on its breaking order. It just breaks. that’s all. If there is any reason behind it, then, momoji should be the first. He had always developed outside relationships with others way before tohru & not exclusive to her. Seeing as he has lots of friends playing with him. Also, he has always dealt with his own issues with level headed perspective, never too absorbed in sadness, never too self-focused, he never withdrew or lashed out. He never looked down on kyo, heck! I’ll argue that he even looked up to him!. hiro could've happened earlier too, as he was always protected from trauma & in a loving home, then yuki as he not only opened his lid but told akito in her face that he will forgive her & decided to never be by her side. His curse should have broken right on se02, ep25. You can place anyone afterwards. So, yeah, the curse just breaks, perhaps akito herself has a role as her insecurities increases. duno.

I dont care for the curse itself at all. As far as I’m concerned it is (a) fun gimmick, (b) analogy for abuse & trauma. The later is the core of furuba.

plz let next ep be well-done, well-written & well-direct. plz! T_T

[quirklessidiot]

aoba johsai’s sport’s journalist (h/c’s)

just crack+ fluff + platonic-ish relationship (gn!y/n) (w: language!) a/n: this has been bugging me for awhile now since i havent seen headcanons of this yet (if their are do send them on my ask box) and since im on a slump, i decided to write this down. this is completely fun, easy-going, and self-indulgent, really perfect for someone stuck on a slump ksks. idk if i should make some for the other schools but oh welp enjoy! happy 900 btw werkwerk uwu so weird to reach this when im not even very active.

Now let’s be honest here, it’s no surprise that the volleyball team of aoba johsai has their own sports journalist. Like, c’mon, they’re one of the best in the prefecture.

But let’s start with the basics here, shall we? Let’s start with you, how this all goes through, and how you got into this heaping pile of mess.

Yep, you.

There you were in high hopes to get into journalism for college so what better way was it than to apply for the school paper? It would definitely look good and pretty in those college applications *chef’s kiss* you’re a second year btw idk if that matters but yeah..

Much to your surprise no one was applying for the news section which was kind of sad since you wanted a buddy there.

but-but it turns out though everyone was applying for the sports section completely understandable, next to feature, it was the most exciting thing to write because there was going to be a special section and writer for the volleyball team.

You knew that volleyball was kind of a big thing around your school?? you just didn’t expect it to amass like that much people.

The editor in chief is obviously surprised, you were the first person on that day to come in there and actually apply for something else.

and guess where that led you to?

Yep, the sport’s section, specifically the volleyball team’s personal sports journalist. Your brain goes brrt brrt because you were not a sports writer at all and you were, ironically, scared of ball games.

VOLLEYBALL WAS COMPLETELY NEW TERRITORY FOR YOU.

Your editor in chief laughs it off and says, “you’ll do fine… its like news bUT SPORTS! IT’LL DEFINITELY LOOK GOOD IN YOUR APPLICATIONS!”

You’re not sure if you should be terrified or terrified?

It doesn’t help that on the first day when you enter the gym you look terribly constipated and panicking a lot because of all the stray balls being spiked and tossed around.

It also didn’t help that you crash course the terminologies and the member’s name a night before and you were just running on iced coffee that day.

Yeah, way to make a first impression, huh?

When you approach the coach, you’re not exactly sure what to say and you were this close to chickening out until you saw one of the players come up to you and ask if you were alright and if you wanted to talk to oikawa.

you’re loading for a second there.

and the poor guy who asks you if you were alright, starts looking actually worried because you weren’t responding at all.

“OH, oH IS THAT THE CAPTAIN?”

the guy literally looks very confused?? because what kind of rock were you living under that you didn’t know Oikawa???

so you go ahead and introduce yourself and say that your name was Y/N and you were the new sports journalist for the team.

“....soooo you write?”

“...”

at this point on, you’re also confused too

and idk man, first impressions do indeed last because you ended up (unknowingly) sharing the same brain cell with Matsukawa Issei.

you both were just confused there, straight up looking like two kids who got left behind by their mom in the grocery check-out line.

anyways...

He tells you the team’s pretty chill and you should stop looking like they spiked a ball on your puppy or something.

Basically introduces you to the whole team after, 

no questions asked, just go with the flow.

You basically just click and vibe???

Not only because you crash coursed and related to whatever they said, 

you literally all shared the same brain cell together.

Kentaro was another story though, kid basically hated your guts at first, it felt like if you were to say one sentence to him that day, he’d literally spike a ball at your direction.

“we’re basically the same year tho :(” -Y/N

“lmao well do i’ve got news for you, y/n-chan.” - Oikawa and basically everyone on the team.

you gradually start to understand the coolness of the sport since you had to incorporate visiting them once or twice a week during practice.

but suddenly it becomes almost a daily routine after a month because they’re just really friendly people??

like wow, they’re all friendly giants.

You’re literally just there to write about them but they’re really patient and kind, they even invite you to practice games so that you could practice out your skills in writing since you mentioned that you’ve never written for sports yet.

they even give you some added key terms that aren’t found in books and online.

you’re def closest to iwaizumi and matsukawa.

iwaizumi because he makes really funny fish jokes about oikawa (yes you arent supposed to be laughing but man theyre funny af, oikawa would usually call you and iwa corny because the jokes aren’t even that funny) and yes its canon that whenever iwaizumi sees an oikawa fish in textbooks, he starts laughing and joking about it.

no explanation needed why you ended up being close to matsukawa.

its obvious after that first meeting ya both would be besties.

same brain cell bros go brrt brrt.

incredibly!! supportive!! I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH

like when you release a new write up about them, Oikawa would usually go, “It’s such an honor to be apart of your first steps, can you sign this?”

dramatic but hella supportive, we stan the gr8 king

“oh, wow, i thought you said you didn’t write before? how come you sound like a professional already?” - Hanamaki 

another dramatic best boi.

akira + kindaichi getting shy because they’ve never experienced this yet. So whenever you try to interview them about stats or something for a special issue, they usually end up a stuttering mess

“w-well, L/N-san...”

kentaro slowly warming up to you but still looks like he wants to spike a volleyball at your face 90% of the time but unlike before you’re used to his whole thing already.

“Move, extra.”

“You were great, by the way. That was a powerful spike!”

you may or may not be included in random ramen nights with the team

yes, oikawa buys you your own bowl of ramen

itadakimasu.

he doesn’t mind tho, he really loves how you write them. 

so its sort of a thank you for giving the team justice when you write about them.

team says you’re technically part of the team so they make you your own jersey. Now when you watch your games people ask if you’re like the manager or smthng.

“ no :’) “

When they lost against shiratorizawa and karasuno, you were bawling too like you were apart of the team.

this pretty much cheered everyone up despite the loss because your crying face was apparently very funny and memable.

oh right, your article was passed on to the town’s newspaper

it was literally like 7 am on a saturday and your notifs went zoop.

they added you to their group chat and spammed you with pictures of the articles that you wrote.

“...wOW I CAN’T BELIEVE IT?? YOU GOT FRONT PAGE FOR SPORTS???” -Oikawa

“we didn’t even win the tournament but we still get a feature?? thats so cool?? holy shit?? CONGRATS KSKSKS” -matsukawa

lmao idk matsukawa looks like a keyboard smasher tbh idk why

pretty much its normal for you to even start hanging out already outside of the court and after practice to get steam buns.

more chaotic mess and clumsy you running around.

your volleyball sports writing experience wouldn’t be complete until someone accidentally spikes a ball at the back of your head amaright?

ironically, it’s yahaba who does that to you. poor smoll bean.

“wow, you’re dumb.” -kentaro says to you

“ :’)” -you.

“y/N-SAN I SWEAR IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.” -yahaba 

overall, you found yourself in a safe haven with the volleyball team and yes, you also cried when the third years graduated. 

the third years have a picture with everyone on the team + you with a very red face from all the crying?? once again, you’ve proven yourself to be a meme.

continued to write for them up until graduation.

and its def obvious you kept in touch with all of them after, duh.

[tres-spades-hotel]

Secret Santa (Eisuke Ichinomiya)

Guess who’s your secret Santa! @leoamber66​ I’m sorry this took forever but I had lots of university work to do! I hope you enjoy Eisuke in this story! I haven’t written smut in years so I might be a tad rusty… enjoy!

Warnings: NSFW, NSFW, and more NSFW

Word Count: 7829

‘This is my daughter Leo Amber. She is the Vice-President of the Avilla Group and Director of Avilla Charity Aids.’ Sandra Avilla calls over a young woman, seeming to be in her late twenties like me. She wore a purple gown and her hair in a fishtail braid.

‘Leo Amber is a unique name.’ I say, feeling the tension in my face as I continue forcing a smile.

‘Haha, yes it is but that is what my late husband named her. He was a lover of astrology and she was born in the Leo star sign. He was hoping for a son to give this name but didn’t want to change it to the female form. So, it stuck.’ She explains. Mrs Avilla is an elderly woman, but only an older version of her daughter.

‘Leo, honey, this is Eisuke Ichinomiya; CEO of the Ichinomiya Group here in Japan.’ Leo Amber stands close to her mother, bowing perfectly to me.

‘Hello, it is nice to meet you.’ She smiles at me and I take her hand, leaving a light kiss on her knuckles.

‘Same to you. I commend you for your work. Millions of families owe a lot to you for your generous charity.’ I comment.

She lifted her eyebrows at me while a corner of her mouth quirked up into a knowing smile.

‘Generous? I suppose it. But it is everyone’s right to live safely and comfortably. My company and I are only ensuring that right is upheld.’ Out of the corner of my eye, her mother looks back and forth between us with a smile.

‘Well, I’m sure the both of you will get along well. Mr Ichinomiya, my daughter will oversee the contract we discussed earlier. Now, if you will excuse me…’ Mrs Avilla practically ran away with the all-knowing knowledge a mother has when it comes to their daughters.

When I look back to Leo Amber Avilla, her face is contorted with mild shock. I hear myself chuckle in response. She turns to me with both annoyance and surprise.

‘What are you laughing at?’

‘I’ve never seen a woman express emotions on her face so innocently.’

‘That’s not fair, I didn’t even know I was going to be here at your IVC until just yesterday.’

‘She sprung this on you?’ I ask, taking two glasses of champagne and handing her one.

‘Yes. I had to juggle my whole schedule because she wanted me to come with her. My mom isn’t very social, so she brings me everywhere to keep her company.’

‘I see. How should I address you, Miss Avilla?’

‘You can call me whatever makes you feel comfortable. Leo, Leo Amber, Miss Avilla, Amber, it’s up to you.’

‘I understand, Amber.’ A faint blush creeps up behind the skin of her cheeks, and for a moment, she looks cute.

‘I hope you’re enjoying the party.’ I ask.

‘Yes, I am. It’s unlike any that I’ve ever been to. And if I’m being totally and completely honest…’ she says, and leans into my ear,

‘It’s the best I’ve ever been to.’ Her words echo while I feel her body heat radiate to the side of mine. Her small hand fits perfectly in the crook of my arm where she holds it to keep herself steady. I can smell a sweet floral scent from her, and I suddenly feel as if only we exist in the world. Amber leans away slightly to look at me.

‘This is what the Tres Spades offers. Quality service. We never disappoint.’

‘And… what about its owner? How is he going to entertain me tonight?’ She flashes me a seductive look, a captivating and interesting woman she seems to be.

‘Play first, work later.’

*

I wake up to Amber in my arms.

The view of New York waking up with me reminds me of how far I’ve come. Ever since my mother died and Eiji was imprisoned, I’ve been on my own. That’s not true. Akira has helped me, and I have repaid all of my debt to him. Then there’s the others. The auction managers who are still here beside me. We all have our own reasons for being together but my relations with all of them have changed since we first met. I will never tell them that though.

I carefully extract myself from Amber’s clutches and wander over to the window. I watch the sunrise as I put my clothes on but stop when I feel a pair of arms capture me in her circle.

‘Good morning. Are you leaving already?’ Amber speaks in a softer voice in comparison to when I met her in the party. She is definitely different to other women born into money and lavish lives. But then again, her father died when she was young, like my mother. She was raised by her mother alone, who had her own problems to deal with. The Avilla Group was steadily declining after Mr Kuroba Avilla’s death. Both women turned the company around and brought about a successful business.

I feel her nuzzle her face into my back. The familiar warmth of her body is calming to me.

‘I’m not leaving. This is my penthouse, you know.’ I see my reflection in the window, a smile that I never knew I could make appears.

‘Eisuke?’ She asks, shuffling around to stand in front of me. She wears my purple shirt like a dress, unbuttoned just enough for me to still see the swell of her breasts. Her hair is a mess, and I can see the faint marks I made on her neck and chest.

‘What?’

Amber smiles.

‘Will you let me make you breakfast? Or coffee?’ I raise my eyebrow.

‘You?’ She giggles at me, reaching up to run her fingers in my hair.

‘Yes, silly! A good, nutritious breakfast is the perfect way to start the day. Everyone needs a chance to relax before getting to work, Eisuke.’ Her thoughtfulness moves my heart more than it should.

‘If you think your cooking skills can match my expectations. And they are quite high.’

‘Oh, I’m sure. Higher than this building, right?’ She winks at me, and stalks off the kitchen in nothing but my shirt.

I follow her, curious to see what she looks like in the kitchen. Amber starts off with cooking eggs.

‘What is on the menu Chef Amber?’

‘Omelettes and savoury pancakes.’

I lean my back against the countertop beside her. She blushes at the sight of me which only makes me more intrigued.

‘Shy? That’s not what you looked like above me last night.’ I smirk at her and she turns even redder.

‘Don’t say it so suggestively! It’s just, you look different right now to when you were in the party.’ Amber whisks the eggs and places a pan on the stove.

‘Different? How?’ I ask.

‘Well… how should.. I… put.. it..’ She says in broken phrases as she attempts to reach some flour in the cupboard above. My shirt rises dangerously high to her hips. I place my hands on her waist and squeeze her soft body.

‘Ahh! Eisuke! That tickles!’ She squirms in my arms as I take out the flour and put it on the table. I can’t help but tease her more, so my hands explore her body underneath the shirt she wears proudly. Her moans echo in the hollow kitchen and I lean down to whisper in her ear.

‘You didn’t answer my question.’ My hand pushes the material down her shoulders, and I nip playfully at the skin of her neck.

‘Eisuke, stop.’

‘Answer my question.’

‘I can if you stop. But it’s not for lack of enjoyment.’

‘Oh, I know.’ I help her fix the shirt and she continues cooking with my hands resting comfortably on her hips.

‘I mean, you seem like you’re the kind of the person to… well, let me rephrase.’ Amber puts the eggs in the pan and carefully drags the mixture to make an omelette.

‘You looked like you were forcing a smile. Do you always do it?’ She looks back at me with earnest eyes, not a lick of lies or fake concern in them at all.

‘That smile is normal for me now. I never tell if I am forcing it or being genuine.’ I don’t know why I confess this to her, but I hear her laugh all the same.

‘For a famous and rich billionaire, I’m sure you’ve had to put up some walls around you. My mom had to do the same when she took over father’s company.’ She takes the omelette out, placing it onto a plate, and makes another batch.

‘I understand. I’m sure you’ve had the intention all along.’ She says. A moment of silence passes between us with only the sound of a bubbling new batch of eggs cooking.

‘Whatever my intentions are, you’ve made me curious. I want to know more about the Director of Avilla Charity Aids.’ She scoffs but lets me see a cheeky smile when she looks back. Her beauty lies in her eyes but also, it seems, in her heart.

‘I hope this relationship will blossom, Eisuke.’ She whispers. I nuzzle my face into her hair.

‘That is what I want right now, Amber.’

After that, we sit in the living room on the couches eating her cooked breakfast.

‘This is good. Not quite chef level material but it’s good.’ I say to her. She decides to sit extremely close to me as we eat. Amber lifts her legs up to rest on the edge and rests most of the side of her body weight on me. Her knees rest on my lap and my fingers absentmindedly stroke her skin.

‘Thank you, I think?’ We look at each before chuckling together.

‘I realise I didn’t really answer your question, Eisuke. I meant that you look natural, now that we’re out of the social setting. You looked relaxed just now in the kitchen.’  Amber tells me. I take a sip of the coffee she made with my preferred amount of sugar and milk. It was adequate but not awful.

‘I see. Building a network of useful connections is most important to me. I feel more myself when I’m here in my penthouse.’ I say, noting the warmth of her body beside me.

‘I see. You know, I’m glad you like the same amount of sugar and milk as I do. I just don’t get people who like weak or strong coffee without any sweetness.’ She says, biting into a piece of bacon.

‘I’ve always had my coffee this way, so you’ve done an okay job.’

‘An okay job? Is that a compliment?’ Her eyes narrow and I laugh.

‘Of course, it is. Better than room service.’ She smiles and looks up at me from beneath her eyelashes. She couldn’t have looked more beautiful than in this moment. Amber puts her plate down on the coffee table and takes my hand, guiding it to rest on her heart. Its fast pulse sets my own ablaze. Amber pulls my head towards her. Her kisses are light and playful, but I make them deeper. My hand grasps her breast, and she gasps. I open her shirt completely and push her gently onto the couch.

Her legs spread open and I fit myself comfortably between them. My hands explore her soft body, taking time to remind myself of last night’s endeavours. Her hips buck up to meet mine, as I push my hips down to her. My lips travel down to her neck, biting the marks I already made. I bury my head between her breasts, enjoying the way she arches her back. While she’s arching, I drag my finger down the indent of her spine and she moans loud, pressing my face deeper into her chest.

‘Eisuke…’

She grabs my hair and tugs at the strands. My hand gropes one breast while my mouth works on the other. Sucking and biting, I savour the feeling of her harden nipples and do the same to the other. In my hand, her breasts are large and soft, squeezing them gives me pleasure.

My hips mimic thrusting and she cries out. Her hands claw at my back.

‘Look at you, wet for me.’ My fingers travel down to toy with her core, roughly rubbing at her clit, spreading her wetness and finally dipping my fingers inside her.

‘Ah! Eisuke!’ She cries out again, desperately holding onto me. I lift myself up to watch her face contort in pleasure. She looks stunning while wearing a shirt which belongs to me. I suddenly feel possessive, wanting to be the last man she gives herself to. I replace my fingers and screams out my name like a chant.

For the first time, I spend my morning without a headache or nightmares.

*

‘What do you think?’ I ask.

‘I think these are really good terms, although I would like to suggest something.’

‘Anything.’

Amber and I sit in the conference room, discussing the contract between our companies. The Avilla Group specialise in the education sector while Amber’s sits in the human rights charity sector. With the Avilla Group, I can expand deeper into education as a private provider. The Avilla’s will benefit from the connection alone, but also have a chance to be in the hospitality sector.

The air of business and tension is a stark contrast to a few hours ago. She was playful and seductive, but now Amber sits in front of me as a Director overseeing a partnership.

‘I would like a small percentage to go towards smaller charities in need of donations. We can choose these between us if you wish.’

‘How much?’

‘10%.’

‘5%.’

‘7%.’

‘Fine.’

She smiles at me and signs the contract and other related documents.

‘I’ll have these sent to your mother tomorrow.’ I take the papers from her and our hands brush past each other. She blushes and I smirk at her.

‘Don’t forget last night, Miss Amber.’

‘I will never, Mr Ichinomiya.’

We leave the room together and she turns to me.

‘Also, thank you for allowing me to host my Christmas Charity Event in your hotel.’

‘You’re welcome. I’m sure it will be successful.’ I say, my hand rests on her waist as I guide her to the lobby. I realised when she came to the meeting that she was wearing purple. Kenzaki teased us about our ‘impeccable coordination’. She said it was her favourite colour.

‘Purple is a royal colour, that is why I wear it.’

‘Because it’s royal? I suppose someone like you would wear purple for that reason.’

‘Oh, really? Why do you wear it?’

‘Because it’s been my favourite colour since I was a kid. Plus, I don’t need a reason to like a colour, thank you very much!’ I chuckle at her ridiculousness and she sticks her tongue out at me.

‘If you like, why don’t you and your friends participate? It will be fun!’ She says, enthusiastically.

‘If you want us to, fine.’

‘Great! Now, I have to get going. I need to update mother on our… partnership. I’ll see you tonight at the event.’ She leans up and kisses me on my cheek, winks at me and leaves. I watch her hair sway back and forth before stepping into the lift.

*

As soon as I enter the penthouse lounge, I’m attacked by the peanut gallery.

‘Boss! How was last night? With Miss Avilla?’ Baba asks, throwing his arm around my neck.

‘Baba…’ I say, glaring at him. He frowns and lets me go, my fingers smooth down the creases in my blazer.

‘Why are you so cruel? You don’t have to act like I’m some kind of parasite!’ Baba wails at me, sinking into a chair.

‘You are a parasite, since you’re elderly.’ Ota says, but is far too occupied on his phone to look up.

‘That’s not even your best insult Ota. What are you doing?’ Baba leans over his shoulder.

‘Among Us.’

Everyone groans.

‘Don’t you know that looking at a screen will make your eyes rot?’ Mamoru says, laying down on the couch.

‘You would say that gramps.’

‘Boss, you didn’t even answer my question.’

‘Soryu, how was the auction last night?’ I ignore Baba and sit down beside him as he puts away his book.

‘Excellent, we made a lot of money. Plenty of the items sold for high prices, even higher than usual since Christmas is coming up.’

‘Boss! Why are you ignoring me still?’ Baba continues wailing.

‘What the effing heck?! Pink you are so sus!’ Ota shouts out.

‘Well, I’ve heard of her beautiful daughter, Leo Amber Avilla. And watched her seduce Eisuke and they left the party very quickly.’ Baba says.

‘That’s enough.’

‘Come on Boss, give me the deets!’

‘No.’

‘Blue you better not kill me!’ Ota shouts again.

‘Shut up kid! Go play elsewhere!’ Mamoru scolds Ota but he sticks his tongue out in retaliation.

‘How was the meeting?’ Soryu asks.

‘Good. Amber signed the contract but made an unusual request.’

‘Oh, so her name is Amber to you?’ I glare at Baba and he frowns, sinking deeper into his seat.

‘What was it?’ Mamoru pipes up.

‘7% of the profit will go to small charities.’

‘Seriously? That’s quite a lot of money right?’ Baba asks.

‘Yes. But it’s for multiple charities.’

‘How kind of her. It is true that her aid is a unique one. That brings us onto her Christmas Charity Event.’ Baba says.

‘She invited us to participate.’ I say, almost begrudgingly.

‘Do we have to?’ Mamoru whines.

‘Yes! Of course, we do Mamo! A wonderful lady has asked us to attend, we can’t turn it down! Many rich and famous people are going to be there to play Secret Santa and other festive stuff.’ Baba says.

‘Grown ups playing Secret Santa? What has the world come to?’ Mamoru says, lighting another cigarette. I watch Soryu’s nose crinkle as the smoke drifts our way.

I wasn’t planning on going. I only offered to host it because it would increase the hotel’s reputation of helping charity, but she asked me to come and I never refuse a request.

‘Do what you want.’ I say, ending the discussion.

‘Ha! I knew you were the imposter purple!’

*

That night, I call Amber before the event.

‘Hello?’

‘Come to the penthouse. 5 minutes.’

‘Wha-‘ I hang up swiftly and look in the mirror. What is wrong with me? I almost feel giddy knowing she is on her way here. The party doesn’t start for another hour, but I wanted to see her again. I check my watch, 2 minutes since I called. I pace up and down my bedroom, watching the sun set behind the skyscrapers of New York. Seriously, what is wrong with me? I never wait for a woman, nor call a woman back. Amber is a business partner, nothing more. So why do I want to see her?

I seem to have drifted off into space because a knock at the door brings me back.

‘Four and a half seconds. You’re fast.’ When I open the door, she stands there, absolutely stunning. Amber wore a sleeveless red dress which accentuated her breasts perfectly. The dress itself is covered in diamonds from the bust down and ends with swirling patterns. The rest is a silk red material, clinging to her figure. A slit up the side reveals her smooth leg, stopping dangerously high. Her red lips look extremely inviting. She wore 6-inch silver heels with a small bow and a diamond in the middle. Her hair is placed in a loose, braided bun and a snowflake hairband.

Amber looks both innocent and seductive at the same time, something that is not easily achieved by women I’ve been with.

‘Fast huh? You didn’t already know that from this morning?’ She smirks at me and I chuckle in response.

‘You don’t look very Christmas-y.’ I open the door wider for her to enter. The sound of her heels tapping on the floor echoes.

‘I’m wearing red aren’t I? That’s Christmas-y. Unlike you.’ She reaches out to fix my collar. Her hands travel down to rest her palms on my chest while my hand rests on the small of her back and pull her gently to my body. The familiar faint blush returns, intensifying the make-up on her face.

‘You’ve covered up my marks on you. Not that well though.’ My finger lifts up her chin so I can get a better look at her neck. Faint purple bruises are still slightly visible underneath her make-up.

‘Well, that’s what a wrap is for. Or are you going to make new ones right now?’ She takes my hand and kisses the pads of my fingers slowly.

I push her up against the wall and attach my lips to her neck, sucking on the delicate skin. My hand slips past the slit in her dress, rubbing the thin fabric of her underwear. I wedge my knee between her legs and pull her thigh up to rest on my hip. She cries out, pushing her chest against mine. I wrap one arm around her waist while the other takes hold of her wrist, pinning it against the wall.

I kiss her red lips and she opens her mouth, inviting me inside. My tongue dances with hers as my hand slips back into her dress, pulling the side of her panties down enough to allow my fingers in. Two fingers sink into her wet heat and she moans into my mouth. The other hand wraps around her waist while her hands clutch my blazer. My fingers begin thrusting and I enter a third finger to stretch her walls.

‘Eisuke! Eisuke!’ She cries out. Amber comes and I hear her pant and whimper in my arms.

Over half an hour later, we’re standing in my bedroom. I fix her dishevelled dress and watch her look over the make-up on the bed.

‘Why do you have women’s make-up in your penthouse? Does someone live with you?’ She asks, looking through the collection.

‘It’s for women who I’ve been with who need to fix themselves before leaving.’ I pick out a foundation matching her skin tone and a foundation brush.

‘Hurry up, you have to be at the event to welcome the guests.’ I leave a kiss on her shoulder and leave the bedroom. Before I do, I pinch her ass.

‘Ah! Eisuke!’ I chuckle and finally leave.

‘This is your fault!’ She shouts out at me.

‘No, it’s not!’ I reply.

*

‘Hello! Welcome, I hope you enjoy!’ Amber says the same thing to everyone who arrives. The event is open to paying guests and celebrities here for the IVC. The ballroom is decorated with Christmas themes: lights, a tree, baubles, tinsel, even the employees are wearing reindeer headbands and Santa hats. Kenzaki is even wearing a red Christmas tie. Baba put a red tinsel around the band of his hat and forced Mamoru, Soryu and Ota to wear Elf hats.

My hand, where it rests against her waist, gives her a squeeze. I lean down to whisper in her ear.

‘I wonder if people will question why you’re limping. Feeling sore?’ I smirk at her and she turns beet red. She jabs her elbow into my abdomen, and I chuckle.

‘If this is a charity event, why are there so many rich guys here?’ Ota asks, finally off of his phone since this morning. Before I can reply, Sandra Avilla walks up to us.

‘That is because the celebrities here are paying to give their money to the charity itself. Amber and I then distribute it to the charities of their choosing. We have already background checked many of the businesses here so none of the money will be wasted and will be given to the appropriate owners. There is nothing more disgraceful than charities preaching responsibility and then keeping the money for themselves.’ She explains.

‘Your charity is really helping people ma’am.’ Baba says, bowing theatrically with his hat.

‘Haha, thank you. It was my husband’s dream to run a genuine charity. I am blessed to have such a wonderful daughter to run it.’

‘Mom!’ Amber blushes by my side.

‘Anyway, I think it’s time for your speech dear. Go on. Eisuke, why don’t you go stand with her?’

‘Of course. Come.’ I walk off, leaving Amber to hurry after me.

I help her up the steps and we stand next to each other at the podium. The cameras begin flashing and the media prepare to record her speech. She smiles at me before turning to the guests.

‘Good evening everyone, welcome to Avilla Charity Aid’s Christmas Event!’

They clap happily along with her enthusiastic tone of voice.

‘First of all, I would like to thank Mr Ichinomiya for allowing us to host this special event here at his amazing hotel.’ She winks at me inconspicuously and I smirk at her.

‘Here at Avilla Charity Aid’s, we aim to give individuals and families their right and provide them with food, shelter and clothing. But more than that, we help to put them back on their feet. I’m sure we all know that it is a cruel world out there. I lost my father ten years ago to cancer and I promised him that I would give help and aid to those who need it. It was always my father’s dream to start this charity, so I took his idea, expanded it, developed it and brought about a successful business which generates plenty of money which we give back. Those of you watching from your homes may be thinking: ‘she’s referring to her charity as a business’, ‘she probably takes the money for herself’. I can assure you all that this is not the case. For the last eight years, I have never touched a single penny coming from those donations and I never will. There are charities out there, sadly, who do exactly that. But every family, every person, has been given their share and their right to live by this charity. This is what our charity provides, and I am proud to be not only the Director of Avilla Charity Aids, but also to be my father’s daughter.’

The audience hang onto her every word, some even wiping their wet eyes. She is passionate about what she does because she does it for family. But she is not quite as naïve as some may think.

‘Christmas is a time for giving, and here at ACA, we hold a Christmas Event for everyone to participate in. All the money that is given will be sent to charities across the globe where our representatives will ensure the money is used appropriately. At this party, all the guests will be entered into a Secret Santa.’

The guests are finally excited. Oohs and aahs ripple through the audience.

‘It is up to you what gift you would like to give but my charity offers guests the opportunity to send money, on behalf of the receiver, to a charity of their choosing. Thanks to the Tres Spades hospitality, I am sure everyone will have a wonderful time. Thank you and merry Christmas!’

Everyone applauds her speech, as unique and risky as it was, and I lead her off the stage.

‘Thank you for the mention.’ I say.

‘You’re welcome. I nearly started tearing up when I spoke about my father.’

‘Do you always speak about him? In these social events?’ I ask, turning her to face me.

‘Yes and no. It is true that this charity was his dream. When he was coming up with the idea and contacting people, he was diagnosed. I couldn’t bear to see his dream crumble, so I picked it up for him. As long as I continue to remind myself always why I did this, then it helps me to keep going. Even if he’s not here with me anymore.’

‘I’m sure he is proud of. Everyone around you is, including me.’ I feel myself smile at her genuinely for the first time in years. When she looks up at with dewy eyes, it takes everything in myself to not pull her into an embrace.

‘Thank you, Eisuke.’

*

‘I am glad that you are my daughter, Leo. Your father is no doubt happy in the sky, knowing that you have fulfilled his wish.’ Mrs Avilla hugs her daughter tight.

‘I hope so. Now, enough emotions. Should we see who we’re all gifting to?’ I gesture to Kenzaki and he brings over a tray with folded pieces of paper on them.

‘Here sir, the results of the Secret Santa.’

Everyone takes the paper with their name on it and opens them up.

‘Oh no.’

‘This.. is not good.’

‘Oooh, interesting.’

‘Welp I guess.’

Three out of four bidders groan, only Baba seems happiest. He clears his throat and holds out his arm for Mrs Avilla.

‘Mrs Avilla, would you be so kind as to go with me on a stroll under the romantic moonlight?’ She laughs.

‘Be careful boy, my husband will rise from the grave if I were to do that!’

I shake my head, wondering why Baba is who he is. But I suppose he will always be a mystery. That said..

Miss Leo Amber Avilla.

She’s my Secret Santa? If she were any other woman, it would have been easy to come up with a gift. But…

Amber is unique. She is not the type of woman to want material gifts. I could just take her to bed again but that’s not a gift. I could just ask her too, but that would ruin the point of the gift. I watch her as she stares at her paper.

‘Where did Baba go?’ I ask.

‘He took my mom outside to walk around the garden. Said it was his Christmas gift to her.’ She shrugs her shoulders at me and flashes me a lopsided smile.

‘Pfft, she will be disappointed.’

Amber giggles sweetly and I can’t help but be entranced.

‘Come, let’s make some connections.’ I hold out my elbow and she takes it. Somehow she fits perfectly on my side.

Amber and I go around, welcoming, thanking, speaking to guests. Nearly all of them complimented our ‘compatibility’. After the party, I bring Amber back to the penthouse. We nearly fell into the living room, stumbling over our feet, kissing each other fervently.

She sat me down onto the couch. I watch as she takes out the pins in her hair, letting it fall perfectly against her back. I take my jacket, waistcoat and shirt off when I hear the familiar sound of a zip falling and watch as her dress plummets to the ground. She takes off her underwear and crawls onto my lap wearing nothing but her heels.

Her lips take mine slowly, as if she is savouring my taste. She cups my face and smiles lovingly at me. I have never been smiled at like she does to me.

Amber pulls my face to her chest, indicating for me to toy with her breasts. My hand fondles them while my face nuzzles against the soft skin of her large mounds. She mewls and lets her head fall back. I push her down onto the couch and lean back to unbuckle my belt.

‘Hmm, this looks familiar…’ I smirk at her and she moans at me, helping me take off my pants and briefs. With her heels still on, I lift her legs over my shoulders. She bites her lip in anticipation as I place my hands either side of her head.

‘Eisuke… please…’

‘Please what?’

‘Please take me. I need you deep inside of me.’

‘Good girl.’ I push my hips slow before pulling out again, teasing her. She gasps and moans in frustration. I push myself inside her fast, hitting her favourite spot deep inside.

‘Eisuke! Eisuke, more!’

I concentrate on her face as I thrust quickly and deeply. Her breasts bounce in time with the pace of my thrusts which only serve to spur me on. She claws at my chest, squeezes her breasts tight, clutches the side of the couch, anything to keep herself grounded. But I want to take her into the sky in pleasure.

For hours, we make love on the couch before I lift her up and we continue in my bedroom. I unbuckle her heels and watch her spread her legs open for me, eager for more. I let my tongue work on her clit, sucking and biting with my teeth, to bring her to a different high. My hands held her bucking hips down while I repeatedly pull away only to dive in for more. She tastes incredible. She cries out over and over again and clutches the hair on my head. My lips travel up her body, over her abdomen, chest and neck to take her lips. Her fingers clutch at the silk sheets and mark my back with her nails. I flip us over so that she is above me and I enjoy the view of her beautiful body while she pleasured herself with me deep inside her.

All night, we desperately chase a high we need to take together. We came again and again together.

While she rests beside me, listening to my erratic heartbeat beginning to calm down, I stroke her head and give her a light kiss on her forehead.

‘I hope you enjoyed it, Eisuke. The party I mean.’ She whispers.

‘I did, only because you made it interesting. Watching you touch yourself was a sight to behold.’ My fingers travel down her back to grab hold of her ass.

‘Eisuke!’

‘I’m glad that you enjoy my company as I do yours.’ I say, climbing on top of her and wrapping her legs around my waist.

Amber looks up at me with a lustful gaze. She pulls my face down for a kiss and I enter her again.

*

Amber left after breakfast for work. We made love in the kitchen and nearly set the hotel on fire. She wore my shirt again, this time tempting me to take her by leaving the shirt completely unbuttoned. She might as well had stood there in nothing but an apron.

It is Christmas Eve. I haven’t got a gift for Amber yet and I am running out of time. Pacing back and forth dealing with email after email won’t help either. I hear a knock at the door. When I open it, Mrs Avilla stands there.

‘Mrs Avilla? What can I do for you?’

‘Oh, please call me Sandra, Eisuke. You’ve been bedding my daughter all this time, there’s no need for formalities.’ She laughs at me as I feel my face burn hot.

‘How did you…’

‘My daughter is an expressive one. She was glowing after she came to tell me that the contract was signed! Now are you going to let me in?’

‘Of course, please.’

She sits down on the couch and pats the spot next to her.

‘Come sit. I wanted to talk to you about the Secret Santa.’ I obey her command, not that I usually obey commands but Mrs.. no, Sandra seems to be a force not to be reckoned with. Just like her daughter.

‘Eisuke, did you get Leo as your Secret Santa?’

‘Yes, I did Although, I haven’t found anything worthy to give her. I don’t believe an expensive necklace or gown would make her happy.’

‘Ah, so you have figured her out, have you?’ She smiles, the wrinkles in her face deepening with kindness I used to see in my own mother.

‘She’s quite a puzzle, but I do like a challenge.’

‘Then, I would suggest taking her somewhere where the two of you can be alone. She treasures feelings and people, not material objects. Whatever affection you can give her, will make my daughter incredibly happy. Especially, if it comes from you.’

‘Sandra, you…’

‘I am a mother. We struggled much after Kuroba’s death. Leo had to grow up and mature very quickly because I was a wreck. I want you to let her be herself. Please, consider it as a request from me.’ She takes my hand and cups it in hers, just like mom used to do.

‘I will. Thank you.’

‘No, thank you, for bringing some life into Leo. Now, I must leave, Mitsunari is taking me to see Ota Kisaki’s art expedition!’

‘Haha, have fun.’

She leaves just as she came in, a hurricane. So, Amber values feelings above all else…

*

‘Eisuke? What are you doing here?’

Amber opens the door, bewildered.

‘Oh? Not happy to see me?’ I lift her chin up to get a better look at her face.

‘I-I’m always happy to see you.’ She blushes again.

‘Why do you blush so much? You’re not exactly innocent.’ I laugh, running my thumb over her bottom lip. She pouts at me.

‘Shut up! What did you need?’

‘Come with me. We’re leaving the country.’

‘What?’

That is how we got here. Within a few hours, we arrived in London. The plane journey was interesting. There wasn’t a moment when our lips were not touching. We seem to crave each other fiercely, more than I have ever felt for a woman before.

‘Did you really book the ENTIRE London Eye?’ Amber gawks at me as we walk into the shuttle, the doors close behind us.

‘Yes. I’m not having other people interrupt us.’

‘You know it takes 45 minutes just to get to the top.’ She says.

I look at my watch, 23:15pm.

She smiles at me and sits on the bench. I sit beside her, and she scoots closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder and holds my hand tight. For a while, we sit in silence and watch the world go by.

‘Oh! I forgot I need to give you something.’ She rummages around in her bag and takes out a gift-wrapped box with a purple bow on it.

‘Here, merry Christmas Eisuke!’ When I take it, she kisses my cheek.

‘Pfft, thank you.’ I pull the ribbon slowly and take apart the wrapping. Inside is a purple thermos mug with the image of the Ace of Spades card in white on it. My name is written at the bottom:

Eisuke Ichinomiya King of the Spades

‘It’s for you to travel with your favourite coffee when you’re out on business trips. You were the name on my paper yesterday. I hope you like it.’ Her thoughtfulness moves my heart more than the moon tonight.

‘My favourite coffee is yours.’ I say, and now I’m only mildly shocked by my words.

‘Really? Thank you, Eisuke. That means a lot to me.’ She beams at me.

‘You mean a lot to me. And I am not going to wait any longer. I want you. All of you.’ I say and she gasps. I kiss her, pulling her onto my lap. Her fingers run through my hair and I pull away slightly so that our noses are still slightly touching.

‘What’s your answer? Tell me quick, I’m not a patient man.’ I smile at her and she blushes. She looks beautiful against the night sky.

‘I want you too. I want to get to know more of the face behind the spade. But more than that, I want you to be yourself.’ Amber leans her forehead against mine.

‘As long as you stay by my side, I will always be myself when I’m with you. I cannot guarantee that we will have a safe life, but I promise to give you all of my love.’

Love.

So that’s what this is. Who would have thought that I would finally find a queen?

I take out a small box from my jacket and hand it to her.

‘Open it.’

‘So demanding. But I like it.’ She smirks at me and opens the box. Inside is a rose gold necklace with my name written in cursive.

‘Now everyone will know that you belong to me.’ I kiss her neck before taking out the necklace and clip it around her neck. She looks down and holds it between the fingers.

‘Thank you Eisuke! I love it. And I love you.’ She wraps her arms around my neck, and we kiss for what feels like an eternity. Suddenly, the sound of crackling fireworks pulls us apart.

‘Oh wow! Let’s have a look.’ She stands up and pulls me to the glass. Red and green bright colours fill the sky. I wrap my arms around her, and she smiles up at me.

‘Merry Christmas Eisuke!’

‘Merry Christmas Amber. This is your Christmas gift because I got you for the Secret Santa.’ I whisper into her ear. She whines at me.

‘I thought you were giving me you for Christmas.’

‘Oh? That can be arranged.’

*

After the display, I take Amber to the Tres Spades hotel.

‘Wow! This hotel is just as amazing as the one in New York!’ She declares, spinning around and taking in the lobby’s design.

‘Thank you. But don’t forget who your attention should be on right now.’ She stops to look at me and I pull her into the elevator which goes up to the penthouse. I press her up against the wall and kiss her passionately.

‘I have never loved anyone like this before. I hope you’re prepared to take all of my love.’ I say between kisses.

‘Ah, I am Eisuke. Don’t hold back on anything, Eisuke. I want all of it.’ She says and I deepen the kiss. We desperately hold onto each other, our hands wandering all over each other. My head dips down to kiss her neck and I grab the back of her knees to lift her up. She wraps her legs around me and when the door opens, I hurry down to the penthouse.

As soon as I lay her down on the bed, I take off her clothes, not leaving a single spot on her body untouched. Her hips buck up. Our lips seek each other as I pin her hands above her head. Her moans are muffled by our passionate kisses. I keep her hips still and enter her core.

‘Ah! Eisuke! Oh!’ I groan at the feeling of her warmth surrounding me.

Suddenly, she flips us over and hovers above me. Amber bites her lip and kisses down my neck, sucking and biting to mark me as hers. She sits up and takes my hands, running them down her body. She sits straddling me and I put my hands on her hips and force her up before slamming her down onto me.

‘Eisuke!’ She calls out my name.

She puts her hands on my chest to keep herself steady as she bounces on top of me. I thrust up to meet her core and we enter bliss together. Her mouth opens wide as her head falls back, a deep and sexy moan reverberates in the otherwise quiet room.

I flip us over and we do it again and again.

Hours into the night, Amber lays next to me, snuggling under the sheets.

‘Let’s make sure that you perfect the coffee before we start travelling.’ I say, pulling her body flush with mine. She tangles her legs and arms with mine under the duvet.

‘Do you mean, that you’ll take me with you on your trips?’

‘If I need to.’ She giggles at me.

‘To be honest, it was hard coming up with a present for you. You’re a billionaire, you have everything!’

‘So why the thermos?’

‘I remembered the first time we had breakfast together. The way you like your coffee is pretty unique and you seemed dissatisfied with room service coffee. So I figured, you could have the coffee with you rather than just ordering it. It’s more environmentally friendly too so that’s a plus.’ She explains, nuzzling her face into the crook of my neck.

‘As long as you’re the one making the coffee.’

‘Of course.’

‘Well, it wasn’t easy giving you a gift either. Your mother is the one who helped me with that.’ Amber whips her head up with shocked eyes. I can’t help but laugh at her adorable face.

‘What do you mean?!’

I tell her what her mother said, and she groans, burying herself deeper into the sheets.

‘Noooooo. I can’t believe she did that!’

‘If she didn’t, we might not be here right now.’

‘I guess so.’ She says, her voice muffled by the sheets. I force the sheets away from her, throwing it on the floor.

‘Eisuke!’

‘You didn’t think we were done did you?’ She smiles at me again. The moonlight shines on her face filled with happiness.

‘Never. You know, this is the best Christmas ever!’

We smile at each other as I lean our foreheads together. This is the most unforgettable Christmas I’ve ever had.

BONUS:

‘What happened?’ I glare at the three bidders who are surrounded by mess. I came back to New York with Amber only to find my penthouse lounge a disaster.

‘Ummm….’ Ota and Mamoru hide behind Soryu who refuses to make eye contact with me. For once, Baba is the only one not involved in the shenanigans since he was with Sandra.

‘Well, Eisuke... the Secret Santa…’ Soryu starts but drifts off, unsure of how to explain.

‘Ota?’ Baba asks.

‘I got Sor, but I didn’t know what to get him, so I gave him a painting of a dog! But then Soryu got angry!’

‘It wasn’t at you. It was at the idiot who I had to give something to. Mamoru started insulting me for giving him a pistol.’

‘I’m a detective! I can’t wander around the city with a gun on me!’

‘I thought police do that?’

‘Shut up!’ Soryu and Mamoru shouted.

‘That’s enough! Clean up this mess!’ I shout at them.

‘Did you see what gramps gave me! Chopsticks!’

‘To eat soba noodles with.’ Mamoru says. I groan and turn away from the destruction that has happened.

‘For once, Baba I’m not annoyed at you.’

‘I know you love me really Boss!’

‘Amber lets go.’

‘Okay… will they be alright?’ She points at the three men who still continue arguing.

‘Probably not.’ I tell her.

‘Baba, make sure this is cleaned up.’ He salutes at me comically and I roll my eyes. Outside the penthouse lounge, Amber turns to me.

‘You’ve surrounded yourself with a crazy bunch of people, Eisuke.’

‘I know, unfortunately. I assume you will make this day better.’ I smirk at her and she blushes.

‘Come on, let’s go to my suite and I’ll make this day much better for you.’ She kisses me before pulling me towards the elevator.