#i was too sick today to go to school orz

[palkea]

doodles while i'm sick

[millipede-menace]

NFWTL Ch6 7 (excerpt)

All dialogue in [brackets] is in Japanese

Usagi would usually be at work today, but one of the other waiters wanted to swap shifts to see a concert or something. He wouldn’t know cause no one invited him, but it was fine. It wasn’t like he wanted to see one of his favorite bands live, it’s cool.

Hana was at school and Usagi was stuck helping Auntie doing house chores. The last chore was given to Usagi as Auntie cooked lunch for the both of them.

[Yuichi, can you run to the store and get me some more green onions?] She asked as he folded the last shirt in the basket.

[Just green onions?] he asked with a bit of an attitude. She gave him a look that shut him right up, and he reached for a reusable bag.

[Right, ok! Let’s go Spot!]

He debated on just taking the short drive to the grocery store, but the Hidden City marketplace always had better prices. (and apparently better tasting watermelon according to Hana) Opting for the better bargain, they headed towards the direction of the haggling center. The boy and his tokage made their way on foot, as the streets were far too congested for his moped.

He hates to admit it, but a meal without green onions wouldn’t taste the same and would greatly alter the flavor of a dish. A world he refused to live in seeing as Auntie’s cooking already hasn’t tasted the same since they’ve been in New York. Mostly on account that they couldn’t grow their own produce on a small apartment balcony. Although, they did have an herb garden that’s seen better days. They harvest so much faster than they can grow that they end up buying herbs from the store anyway. They tasted different though, Usagi could always tell.

“Eep-” Spot lightly headbutts the rabbit’s leg.

“Yeah we’ll get you some treats too, don’t worry.”

Link to fic -> No Flirting with the Lifeguard

Mini rant below :) v

It’s been a while but you can blame my group members for not replying and leaving me to do all the work for the group project, for not updating :) Man I hate group projects, I’d rather write a fifteen page research paper about the history of pocket lint -_- , anyways the plan has changed but it’ll be for the better . . . probably? Idk I’m sick and got 3 more presentations to do, my brain is so hard boiled that it feels like it’s going to explode orz I hope you like my shitty gifs lol they make me happy

[tariah23]

.

My Uncle passed away earlier today and man, it’s just… Mom hasn’t cried yet but I know that she will soon. It doesn’t even feel real. He was always known as the one that you could count on in the family. If someone died or was sick and he knew that you didn’t have a way to get to that person or to their funeral, etc, he’d always be the one to pick your ass up early in the morning to take you. He used to give the tightest hugs ever and I used to hate it whenever he’d kiss my cheek because of his beard lol. I’d always wipe his kisses off whenever he wasn’t looking lmfao. But now, man… he was always the silly, loud uncle and we have sm fun memories of him even before he got into drugs and got really sick with his diabetes and stuff. I remember how he’d always be the one in the family to take everyone everywhere in his big ole green family van back in the day… he used to give all of the kids money whenever he’d see us lol. A dollar but a dollar used to go a long way back in the early 00’s lmfao. I still wish that he could’ve taught my siblings and I how to drive… he taught sm of our cousins and other family members how to drive but not us lol. The last time that I talked to him was on Mom’s bday the other day (on the 18th) since he called and he sounded so out of it over the phone… not his usual loud and happy self. Sometimes, whenever he would call us, he’d pretend like he was the police or like, a random white guy and we’d all be like “we KNOW it’s you, Uncle Dale 😩!” Lmfaooo. He used to do that sometimes whenever he’d knock on our door, too like boy, stop. I remember when my sis and I got in trouble back in HS for shoplifting (our friend got us into it orz) and he was the one to pick us up from the station and we were scared of our other uncle, the one that no one likes, that asshole, was gonna pick us up and beat us or whatever. But Uncle Dale picked us up instead and we stopped at a gas station or something? And he was like “Y’all know damn well y’all don’t do this but if you were gonna steal, at least do it RIGHT! Like this!” *proceeds to demonstrate how to properly steal something without getting caught right in front of us* lmfaooo. He stole some candy off the shelf and pretended like he tripped and fell to the floor all extra like, twisting around like a goofy and then got up and had the candy in his pocket like, that memory always makes me burst out laughing so much whenever I remember it lmfao. Like bro 😭! I think he gave us the candy, too lol. My sis and I were like 16 at the time I think? My Uncle man, he was just always so fun and happy! I don’t think I’ve ever seen him get angry before or talk badly about anyone like he was just a good dude. He used to be a butcher and stuff and I remember him living in a huge house with his ex wife (she was awful and used to treat him badly. He paid for her weight loss surgery. He put her through school and paid for their house and basically did everything for her no matter how awful she would be towards him and she left him for a White dude 🚶🏾‍♀️ etc etc. No one in the family ever liked her anyway, even Granny. And if Granny didn’t like you than… 🗿. I remember when her daughter tricked my sis, cousin, and I into cleaning up her room for her after we came back from our grannies funeral and only paid us like, $1 or something and we had to split it 🗿. I should’ve told my mom on her. We were at our Uncle’s house when this happened since she lived there and had a big ass room to herself and when my cousin picked up her nasty underwear, we all freaked out and he tossed it across the room 🗿.) I’m getting off topic but man, we have sm great memories of him. He got on drugs and stuff and he lost a ton of weight (he used to be really hefty and stuff but the last bunch of times that we saw him, he just kept on getting skinnier and skinnier…. I hugged him and was like “Uncle Dale, you lost sm weight!?” out loud and I immediately felt awful afterwards. Man……… I’m just… His son, our cousin, just passed last year. He was murdered and we still don’t know who killed him.

[sweetcatmintea]

A Stranger’s Stress

Flash fiction Friday! :D Remember way back when I said A Stranger’s Kindness was a stand alone? And then went and made a bunch of discount continuations? We’re at it again folks!  I hope you enjoy another day with the stranger and the kid (and aren’t getting sick of them yet <u<;;)! Feedback is appreciated ^u^

Thanks again for organising and hosting @cawolters!

Prompt: We Are Not Alone

Words: 1499 orz

Previous parts: 1, 2, 3

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          Sometimes you have a bad day. Just a heaping pile of unwanted events. You get up, three new rejection letters. You boil the kettle and the milk’s gone bad even though you know you only bought it last week. Your awful bitter coffee spills down your shirt – your favourite, naturally – after you trip over a toy that you specifically remember having asked the night before that it be put away. There’s a notice that the rates are going up again and now the window’s broken thanks to a bored kid losing control of a ball. Thoughts nag at you that the kid should be in school or something. You know this but you don’t know it it’s safe yet and you haven’t worked out a cover for why you have a kid who, for some reason, has missed a lot of class time. No pressure but if you botch up, it’s yours and the kid’s necks on the chopping block but how are you supposed to be able to work that out and maintain your late grandmother’s cottage and look after Sudden Child and find a job and those rejection letters aren’t going to read themselves and that takes time. You know, just your run of the mill stuff. It might just be me. It seems unlikely that these experiences are universally shared. Although, I am sure that a lot of people have been in a similar situation as me now, kneeling over broken glass, duct taping it out of the carpet. I guess you can say I’ve been a little … tense lately.

          The kid’s settled in well. His nightmares haven’t been so bad since we put up those stars. He’s really taken to gardening as well which, I’ll never admit out loud, is somewhat touching. We haven’t heard anything from his folks or the police. It should be singing and smooth sailing, but I feel paranoid. Like disaster is looming over us while we carry on, oblivious. There’s no way it was that easy. It’s in every story. The instant the villains..? heroes..? Characters, breath a sigh of relief, crunch! Beartrap. I’m serious about schooling as well. I’ve got to sort it out, I want to, bit damn if it’s not nauseating to think he might be recognised.

          “I’m really sorry.” He’s not as whistley now his front teeth have grown back in. Unfortunate buck teeth until the rest of him catches up. He’s been hovering – figuratively, those wings are still too small to be more than decoration yet – the entire time I’ve been cleaning. Of course I’m not letting a seven year old pick up glass. How stupid do you think I am?

          “I know. It’s fine.” I think I’ve got all the pieces. Another tape canvas to be sure.

          “I tried to stop it, but it was too fast.” His fingers worry the fraying hem of his shirt. I’ll have to get him new clothes again soon. More money.

          “Look kid, accidents happen. It sucks that the window broke, but no one was hurt. That’s what matters. Now you know to be more careful next time. You can help me put the new panes in when I get them. Fair?”

          He nods eagerly, brightening despite my frank tone. At least he’s gotten used to that.

          I get up, bones creaking in protest. I feel old. Tired. It was lucky I didn’t break my ankle on that damn toy. Kid follows me to the kitchen. Might as well get a start on lunch. Paper catches my eye when I get the bread from the pantry. The calendar month is wrong already. Where has all the time gone?

          “Could you fix the calendar?” Probably better to get that sorted before I forget again.

          “Yep!” He’s as zealous as ever. Why do kids love doing all those little mundane things? Y’know, pushing crossing buttons, taking tickets from the deli dispenser, pulling sticky note sheets off, that sort of thing. Weird little goblins.

          “Guess what!”

          “What?”

          “It’s my birthday month!” He thrashes his tail, nearly sending the trashcan flying in his excitement.

          Already? I don’t let my hands slow. One small act of keeping it together. My mind races on. Stars above. The window wasn’t enough? I have to get him something, obviously, kids deserve birthday presents. And a cake. Would he want a party? How am I supposed to facilitate a party of one?? I’ll run out of money soon. I thought this would be a whole ‘new leaf’ situation. But if I keep getting rejections, I’m going to have to start stealing again. At least it’ll get those guys off my back. What about giving the kid a decent role model? I can’t give him much, but I thought I could do that for him. If I go back to my expertise and get caught, that’s it. All anyone will hear is that some crazed thief kidnapped a little boy. He’ll get shoved straight back into their hands no questions. A pat on the back to his rescuers and I rot. I can’t let that happen. I’m trapped. I’ve never been trapped before. Not like this.

          He’s still waiting for a response. The enthusiasm draining from him the longer I delay.

          “You… You’re not cancelling my birthday, right? I’m really, reaalllyyy sorry about the window..”

          “ENOUGH ABOUT THE DAMN WINDOW!” I regret it immediately. He cowers, stumbling over apologies.

          A second to breath.

          “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” This time, I do stop. Giving him my full attention, crouching to look him in the eye. “I’m not mad about the window. I told you, it’s fine. I was… feeling stressed and snapped. It was wrong for me to take out my feelings on you. Can you forgive me?”

         He pauses. This is not something he’s gotten used to. I wonder how many time’s he’s been given an apology. He considers my words, then nods.

          “I forgive you.”

          “Thank you.” I finish up the sandwiches. “What do you want for your birthday?”

          “Um!” Another pause. Faux thought. He already knows what he wants. “Can we go fishing? I’ve always wanted to try!”

          “Fishing?” That wasn’t what I expected.

          “Yeah! You know, on a boat, catching fish with strings! You’ve got a boat, right?”

          “What? Why do you think I have a boat?”

          “Well, you do live near the water and, you know, you kinda have lots of things that maybe you shouldn’t have…” Not wanting to commit to the accusation, he trailed off, twiddling his thumbs.

          “Do you think I’ve stolen a boat?”

          “Mayybee…”

          “Do you know how hard that would be? You can’t just decide to acquire a boat for the fun of it. You have to sell those things.”

          “Is that a no..?”

          I sigh. I don’t fish but it is his birthday. “I’ll see what I can do. No promises but I’ll try.”

          “Really!?” Stars, his eyes shone. “Thank you!” He launched a hug at me. Kids.

          “Okay. That’s enough. Take your lunch and off with you. Go do whatever it is gremlins do. I’ve got a call to make.”

          He gave a final squeeze before running off, giggling. I flip open my phone, plugging in the one person who may be able to help. She answers on the third ring.

          “Hey Grace, it’s me.”

          Quiet laughter. “I know who you are dummy. Caller ID.”

          “Right. Uh, you remember Grandpa’s old boat?”

          “The one Gran left me? Yeah. Hard to forget when I can see it now.”

          “How would you feel about going fishing with me and someone?”

          “You hate fishing.” There’s a note of accusation in her voice. I hope this is the right decision.

          “I do. It’s cruel and unnecessary. But that’s a rant for another day. See, there’s this kid…”

          “What kid? Why do you know a kid?” She doesn’t leave room for an answer, barrelling on. “Wait! I swear to god, if you tell me you stole a kid –“

          “First of all, there are a lot of unfair accusations going around today. Second, I’m deeply offended that you think the only way I’d know a kid is through dishonest means. Third, you’re right, I did.”

         “What the actual – actually, never mind. Two minutes then I’m calling the cops.

         “The long and short, he’s Tainted and his parents were pretty much torturing him. I’m trying to help him, I swear.”

          Grace was silent for a long moment. We’ve had our differences. Bridges a patchwork of scorches and repairs. I don’t know how she will respond but I hope she can at least sympathise. She was always the one to bring home injured animals when we were young. If she wants to cut ties after this, that’s fair. As long as she doesn’t rat me out, it’ll be okay.  Finally, she sighs.

          “That sounds like the sort of dumb thing you would do. Alright. What can I do to help?”

          I guess we aren’t as alone as I thought.

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Tag list

@cawolters,  @inkovert, @snobbysnekboi, @kainablue, and @i-rove-rock-n-roll

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Sorry if this one isn’t at my usual quality. My brain’s kinda fried today :T Hopefully things’ll be running smoothly again next week ^u^

[momorabu]

Ensemble Stars! Event Story - Sincerely! Bitter Chocolate Festival / Chocolate Fes

Apologies for yet another hiatus in between the weeks as I’ve fallen sick a couple of weeks ago and I’m still in the midst in recovering *cough cough* I went to reread this event story during Valentine’s to get a feel of Valentine’s day~

It was actually quite short (8 chapters) compared to the event stories that I’ve been reading nowadays (16 chapters) so I managed to finish reading in between my resting break, and thus here is it! Happy Belated Valentine’s! <3

Anyway as always, the summary of the story can be found below. Translation may not be 100% accurate due to my poor Japanese skills~

Prologue - Chapter 1

One cold morning, Subaru was feeling sleepy on his way to school, as he thought about how he can understand how Ritsu must be feeling about wanting to fall asleep anywhere. But then he knew that if he ever falls asleep in class, Hokuto will get angry at him, and wondered if it’s better if he just took a nap at the sickbay if he begged Sagami Sensei to let him rest there.

Just then he saw “me” and Hokuto walking along the route to school, and wonder whether did Hokuto and “my” relationship has changed from “sending me back home” relationship to “going to school together” relationship. However, he could not think of a good reason why the two of us are going to school together and thus decided to just come and ask us. Turns out the reason is just a very and normal reason, we just met halfway along the route and decided to walk together since it’ll be very awkward to walk separately after saying “good morning” ^^;

Hokuto was amazed that Subaru was up early today though, and asked whether he was coming to school early in preparation for the “Choco Festival”. However, Subaru gave a blank face as he could not remember what is “Choco Festival”. (And so Hokuto gave him a very cold stare… How could he not know of this festival being an idol in the school? XD)

Since “I” wasn’t here at this time of the year last year, “I” had no idea what “Choco Festival” is. Subaru suddenly remembered what is it about and wanted to explain to me about it but the chance got taken away by Hokuto as he volunteered to give an explanation instead XD (It’s cute how Subaru started whining that Hokuto is sneaky and always taking the most “delicious” part - as in able always having the chance to always guide “me” / “send me home” etc? XD) Hokuto retaliated that he can’t trust Subaru is giving a good explanation, seeing how he can completely forget about the whole festival.

Chocolate Festival is a very large event where idol groups all over the country can participate, and in the school, idol groups will sing, perform and give out chocolate on that day to keep the visitors happy.

Even though “I’m” a producer, “I” won’t need to organise and set up the event for this event, as they’ll be handled by the school and student council instead. However, there’s still a very large possibility that “I’ll” be very busy with creating the outfits, goods and most importantly, helping the idols in creating the chocolate.

However, Hokuto is very confident in “my” skills in cooking, as he praised that the honey lemon slices that “I’ve” made last time for Trickstar were very delicious, and were even as good as his grandma’s. Subaru remarked that Hokuto talked about his grandmother all the time, similar to how he himself always bringing up Daikichi - his dog ^^; (Haha these two never shuts up about their grandma and dog XDD)

Anway, it seems that I’ll be supporting the idols in chocolate making. Subaru is looking forward to my help as he’s always more interested in eating it than making it XD Hokuto warned him not to rely on me too much since the most important is the feeling of the idols who are making the chocolate themselves, even if the outside of the chocolate may not look good. He also shared a story of how he tried to make rice based on the teachings of his grandma, and how his grandma said that it’s delicious even when he didn’t do a good job and the rice came out looking abit… not that nice ^^;

After listening to Hokuto’s story, Mao and Makoto suddenly appeared behind them, saying that actually they were there a while ago but could not find a good time to interrupt, seeing that Hokuto is so engrossed in his story about his grandma. Makoto showed up teary faced as he was very touched by Hokuto’s story TWT TWT

(It’s funny but yet so cute that the way that Subaru chooses to comfort Makoto is… a banana? Yes, he literally pushed a banana next to Makoto’s cheek XD What on earth is this boy thinking? XDD)

Talking about the Choco Festival, Makoto is curious about who am I planning on giving my chocolate to. (Hehe~ Why are you so interested, Makoto~? XD) He realised he may be asking too much of a private question though and was so sorry that he immediately kneel down in apology O.O Mao complimented that he kneel very well which Makoto will rather Mao praised his singing or dancing skills instead of his… kneeling skills XD

Thank goodness “I” seems to be neutral to guys who kneel randomly, saying that it really depends on the situation. (If not I would have dislike Makoto already, being a guy who kneel too easily in a situation like that ^^;)

(Look at Mao all hinting Makoto’s feelings towards “me” XD Saying that he’s actually behaving quite close to “me”, seeing that “I” managed to open his heart when he was bad at talking to girls ^////^)

Back onto the chocolate making topic, Hokuto said that Trickstar can’t rely on “me” too much as “I’m” everyone’s producer, and it’ll be better if they can find someone else from other units that are willing to guide them on how to make chocolate. (Since if I ended up supporting all the units on how to make chocolate, I’ll get overwhelmed by all the units =w=“….)

They went through several names (all from Knights though… seems like most of Knights all know to make sweet treats ^^): Sena, who made chocolate for Makoto last year, it tasted great but having Sena saying “ahhh” and trying to force feed him gave Makoto a bad aftertaste… Ritsu, whose candies are delicious, but the designs of them are badly needed to go through a revamp by Sena in order to go on sale since it’s practically required to close one’s eyes to eat it to avoid looking at it =w=“….

In the end, they decided on Arashi, who has “girl power” and thus able to cook and make sweet treats just like a girl ^^; (I’m a girl but I can’t really do these things… guess I don’t have much of a “girl power” when compared to Arashi… Orz)

Chapter 2 - 4

And so Arashi became the lecturer and tutor for the chocolate making class that happened later on, thanks to Mao for contacting him and asking for his help. (Since they’re classmates and gets along fine like that ^^)

Mao felt weird that Arashi said that “as a big sister, I’ll be on the side of the girls in love”, since well… they’re guys, and wonder if they had become “girls in love” the moment they start doing chocolate XD Arashi amended and said he did add an “I’ll also be on the side of the boys in love” after that so it won’t sound so weird? ^^;

Arashi can’t help but to overhear what Mao and Makoto were happily talking about as they were preparing the ingredients and seeing how enthusiastic Makoto is, Arashi wonders if there’s a particular “her” that he wanted to give his chocolate to. That flustered Makoto as he confessed that he just wanted to thank “me” and it’s nothing like “I’m” the particular “her” that Arashi is talking about. (Denying to the full extent but it’s so cute how Makoto got all flustered ^^;)

Mao in the end has to swipe in to rescue Makoto by explaining that Makoto only doesn’t get nervous around “me” as “I’m” a producer, but once he sees “me” as a girl, he gets all nervous again ^^;

Mao was all excited and asking Arashi what chocolate they were making that day, but Arashi asked me to just wait awhile longer as the Ra*bits kids haven’t arrived yet. It’s a lesson for both Trickstar and Ra*bits members that day as the other units aren’t free, and with both of them having a performance live at the first part of the day, it’s been decided that the class will teach them first since the other units can still have a chance to practice at the later part of the day later on.

They went onto talking about how Knights and UNDEAD will be having the same class later on, and Ritsu will be grumbling how terrible it is to be in the same class as his brother, Rei XD

Just then the Ra*bits members all rushed into the kitchen, with Nazuna breathing heavily as he struggled to catch up to Mitsuru’s speed.

(Aww~ Look at how Mitsuru dives into Arashi’s chest when he saw him there. These two really have a cute relationship as Arashi is so happy to have such an adorable junior <3)

Finally, the chocolate making class can finally start! This time, Arashi decided to teach everyone how to make truffle, as he said it’s one of the easier chocolate treats to be made. Makoto was very excited when he realised that the recipe was written by me XD

The class commerce and Subaru was having difficulty getting his truffle in a nice round sphere, where compare to Hokuto who was doing it easily as his hands are cold and thus easy to mould the chocolate with them. Subaru ended up disturbing Hokuto again by touching him with chocolate covered hands (ewww~~ Subaru~~) Hokuto, of course, scolded him and said he’s going to end up dirtying clothes like that ^^;

Seeing Hokuto is so serious, Subaru went off to play with Makoto, by touching his cheek with his (chocolate covered) hands =w=“ That gave Makoto a shock as he asked to knock it off (imagine someone touching your face with chocolate hands suddenly =w=“) Subaru, disappointed that even Makoto is getting serious this time, said that he thought that the two of them are going to debut as Aho-Combi, and thus won’t allow him to drop out this way ^^; (And Makoto got all confused since as much he likes Aho-Combi, really debuting as one is abit… =w=“)

In the end, Mao has to ask all of them to stop fooling around and to learn from the Ra*bits boys, which are doing a really good job. Hajime came and shared with them some of the truffles that he made, which had very sparkling toppings that made Subaru wanted to add some onto his truffles. (But… ultimately got stopped by me since they’re far more advanced bakers~) (I’m terribly afraid that Subaru might end up destroying all the truffles if he did something funny with them ><”)

Even though the Ra*bits’ truffles are coming along smoothly, there’s one guy who is facing trouble with the chocolate he is making - Mitsuru. He ended up burning the chocolate that he was melting and got really frustrated. Tomoya wanted to lend a hand to him but Mitsuru said it’s okay and he can handle it on his own. Tomoya insisted further on and Mitsuru got really defensive and shut him out, making Tomoya shocked as this seems to be the first time he ever sees Mitsuru being so stubborn. Turns out that Mitsuru even rejects Hajime’s help when he approached him earlier on too. Seeing that “I” had seen this scenario, Tomoya requested me to help out Mitsuru as he really seems to need help and will probably open up to me instead, as Mitsuru admires me as much as Nazuna.

“I” went to Mitsuru and asked him about what he’s doing, he got sad knowing that he has made “me”, Tomoya and others worried for him. Mitsuru decided to reveal what he’s making to “me”, on the condition that I keep it a secret from Adonis and Arashi. Mitsuru’s plan was to make chocolate to give to Arashi and Adonis to thank them for all the care they’ve given him for the past year. “I” decided to chip in and help Mitsuru with making the chocolate, and the two of us decided to meet up after class on a day to make them.

However, instead of truffles, we’re going to make nama chocolate, since it’s even easier than truffles so that Mitsuru can even make it as ease~ ^^ “I” showed Mitsuru how to do it once and after that he learnt it and decided to continue doing it, as “I” watched him by the side.

(Mitsuru is so cute when he finished the first step successfully and ask for a praise XD)

The next step was melting of the chocolate, which Mitsuru felt really unsure of as he burnt it the last time. But this time however, he felt more at ease knowing that “I’ll” be next to him looking over him ^^ Mitsuru completed the melting process successfully and we pour the chocolate into the moulds and all that’s left to do is wait for 2 hours for the chocolate to set~ While waiting for the chocolate to set, we decided to have lessons and practices together to pass the time.

Mitsuru bumped into a “wall” in the kitchen and realised that it was Makoto. He explained that he was initially having lunch on the terrace when he saw the two of us heading towards the kitchen. Curiosity got the better of him so he decided to tail behind and see what we are up to. (Makoto…. that’s quite a stalker move actually =w=“ I guess the good thing is that at least he knows that he’s guilty of it? ^^;)

Mitsuru sneakily asked Makoto a question on who is he going to give his chocolate to, making Makoto flustered once again as he gave alot of answers: people who supported them (Trickstar), people who watched their lives etc. Mitsuru just sees it as him being firm and not giving the real answer XD (Kind of amazed that he can be quite observant here XD)

He went onto explain the reason that he’s making chocolate with “me” to Makoto, saying that he’s giving chocolates to Adonis and Arashi. (Look at him “confessing” once again that how much he likes them XD Mitsuru is seriously so adorable here~ *pinches cheek*)

Mitsuru ended up inviting Makoto to come help and do some chocolate tasting when they are set after 2 hours. The two of them exchanged numbers before they departed and Mitsuru and “I” went off to have lessons. Contacting Makoto after two hours, all three of us returned to the kitchen and tasted the completed chocolate. It’s a success as the chocolate was very delicious~! ^^ Now all Mitsuru had to do was to wrap them up and give them to Arashi and Adonis on the day itself.

Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

On Trickstar’s side, Hokuto requested both Makoto and Subaru to come and help them with the wrapping of the chocolates during the practice break, as there’s too many of them that with just him and Mao, it’s impossible to finish wrapping them all before the event the next day.

(Hokuto is cute as he admitted that he’s been relying on his grandma and “me” alot nowadays~ It’s nice to know that he felt safe by my side and thus gradually relied on me.)

Even though Hokuto asked Makoto and Subaru to help out, towards “me” he’s asking “me” to rest instead ^^ He even requested Mao to send “me” home at night later on, as it’s his turn that night. Mao smiled and said that he’s been always sending “me” home frequently to the point that he has become close and friendly with “my” family members already, and even stayed to have dinner with them XD (Future son-in-law? +W+) It’s a good thing for Mao as he gets to have some home cooked food as his parents are usually not at home and let the kids do whatever they want.

Makoto ended up glaring at Mao once he heard about it, as he envies Mao for getting the chance to even have dinner with “me” since he never gets an invitation. (Jealousy?) He wondered what he should do in order to get an invitation: having more of an appeal by showing a face that he wants to eat?, or by bearing himself from eating snacks so that his stomach will growl when he went to my home XD

Then he realised it’s hard for him to even get to know “my” family members as he doesn’t even dare to look at “my” mum in the eye… Makoto vowed to pluck up his courage to start a conversation with “my” family next time~ (Good luck Makoto!)

Chocofes had finally arrived in the day, and it was a busy period for “me” as I had to make the outfits, teaching on how to make chocolates to the units, as well as making goods for the event. On that day it was a really crowded day to the point that they need alot of staff to even control the crowd, seeing that there’s alot of units performing and they’re giving chocolates out.

(Interesting that there’s a system whereby the guests can choose which unit they’ll want to receive their chocolate +W+)

Mao is all fired up as he said that Trickstar will perform to the point that they’ll capture everyone’s hearts so that they’ll feel at ease even if other units perform after them. Subaru just wants to give out all the chocolates which they’ve prepared for the guest's XD (So cute!)

As Trickstar is performing, Tomoya came and watched their performance, and was awed by Trickstar’s charm. Hokuto was performing on stage and realised Tomoya has come to show support, by waving his light stick like a little fan XD Hokuto wished that they’re able to give out all their chocolates, as the worst outcome will be having to either eat the remaining chocolates themselves or having to burn them all. (I felt so sad reading it, burning and destroying all those chocolates? TWT TWT I won’t mind eating one per day for a whole year just to get rid of them seriously +W+)

Mao also noticed Tomoya supporting them, and he thought to himself that as a senior, he should work harder so he won’t show a bad side of him to them. He also noticed “me” watching them, waving a light stick in “my hand”, as “I’ve” finished what “I” was busy with of selling the merchandise.

(This part was heartwarming: Seeing that “I” was always being relied on by others, he wished that “I” would rely on him sometimes, since he would also rely on “me” sometimes too.)

Chapter 6 - Epilogue

Tomoya felt all pumped up after watching Trickstar’s performance and talked to Mitsuru that Ra*bits will need to work hard too to perform like them. But Mitsuru doesn’t seem to be listening and even runs off in the end, leaving a very confused Tomoya.

Mitsuru knew that he shouldn’t run around on the corridor, but today’s a special day as he wanted to find Arashi and Adonis soon before his own live starts. As he was running towards the practice room (since he believed that they might be there performing before the lives), Mitsuru accidentally bumped into Adonis and… ended up stepping on his own chocolate when the paper bag flew out of his hand.

Tomoya came looking for him soon after and he pulled Mitsuru away to prepare for their live show later on, and thus Mitsuru missed his chance to give his chocolate…

After the live shows had ended, Mitsuru was still feeling really down that Tomoya tried to cheer him up but still failed, as he doesn’t know why Mitsuru was having trouble about. Tomoya wished that Mitsuru would rely on him more since they’re friends and not keep his trouble to himself.

Noticing “me” looking worriedly at him, Tomoya knew that he can’t hide anything from “me” and thus revealed what that had happened, and that Mitsuru went all down after the live even though he was all happy and cheerful on stage.

“I” went over to Mitsuru when he was murmuring to himself that he can’t face “me” anymore, and ended scaring him when he realised “I’m” behind him ^^; He revealed to me that his box of chocolates was crushed and thought that it’s impossible to give out his gift now that the box was all crumpled up… He even thought of throwing the chocolate away in the trash bin as he believed that nobody will be happy getting a box of crushed chocolates TWT TWT (So cute yet so sad that Mitsuru is crying at this scene TWT TWT)

Just then Adonis and Arashi came rushing over, as they’ve noticed Mitsuru seems to be having some trouble and came to wish that Mitsuru will discuss any trouble with them.

Mitsuru decided to give his (though now abit crumpled) box of chocolate to Arashi and Adonis. Saying that even though it’s made with “my” help and also even though the box was crushed, Mitsuru shyly asked them to receive his chocolate.

Of course, both of them are happy to receive Mitsuru’s chocolate and even started eating them right away. Arashi even said it’s so delicious to the point they can make his cheeks drop XD (Too exaggerated XD) Mitsuru thanked them once again and confessed once again XD He also sort of “confessed” to “me”, saying that he’s thankful for all the help “I” gave him and also that he likes me just as much as the others as well.

And that wraps up this heartwarming event story~! I remember liking Mitsuru alot after reading this, who knows he can be so cute and adorable~ <3 I also enjoyed reading Mao’s, Makoto’s and Hokuto’s part as well~ Didn’t know Makoto can be jealous and even abit stalkish…. =w=“ Mao definitely sounds like a super good boyfriend material XDD

Most importantly for me when going through this event was enjoying Makoto’s little event scenes, he seems interested in what type of guys “I” would like ^////^

And he was also curious on who “I” was giving “my” chocolate to. Funny that he mentioned that he envies the person who would be receiving it, and turns out he’s the one XD

Mao’s scenes are pretty cute too, he actually ended up gifting “me” a chocolate he made I believe~

Last but not least, it was a super happy time for me to be able to make it to the event points to get Makoto’s 4* card~ I think it was the first time for me to be able to reach it after I’ve luckily get Hajime’s from a live drop on the Christmas carol event~

I really enjoyed Valentine’s outfit this time and ended up putting Tomoya and Makoto on my home screen for a long time~ (Still had Makoto on my home screen currently yet again in celebration of Valentine’s~)

Next up will be the current Valentine’s event story~ I’m looking forward to reading that so will be reading and translating that first~ <3

[anime-matchmaker-blog]

Hey! Could I get a match-up please? (Danganronpa and Mob Psycho 100, if it's not too much work for you ;v;) I'm a short INTP/INFP girl(5' orz) and have dark brown eyes and black hair. I'm really bad at small talk or holding a conversation generally and I keep blabbering stupid stuff (like "Do you like sprinkles? I love sprinkles."). I'm also super lazy and unathletic and have like zero stamina OTL. I'm always daydreaming and get confused quite easily. [1/3]

I also get sick super easily which is really annoying and frustrating ;;A;;!! I’m a sucker for cute and romantic things love wearing skirts and dresses

My ideal first date would be in a café talking about our interests and just enjoying each others company

It’s definitely not a bother or too much work, anon! ^^ Thanks for the request and I hope you’ll like your matches!

Your matches are…:

Mob Psycho 100 - Hanazawa Teruki

Teru was that kid who was virtually unapproachable in the beginning. Once he got a change over, he seemed like someone who may be nice, but you decide to keep your distance from him anyway. When you get caught in a bad situation, Teru comes to diffuse it, using his experience as a thug to pull you away from the tension. You thank him and as you’re about to pull away, he recognizes you from his class. You two end up walking home in awkward silence, neither of you unsure how to start a conversation. Your awkward bursts help guide the topics that arise and you end up talking to him about subjects like literature to shopping to ice cream. He isn’t as bad as a guy you thought he would be.

A day off leads you two to a popular ice cream parlor in town. This gives you the opportunity to witness Teru’s atrocious fashion sense yourself and after some ice cream, you take him to the mall to buy him new clothes. During the colder seasons, you make him a scarf and a pair of gloves since he neglected to buy those himself. Teru feels guilty for being unable to repay you and he hopes you accept payment in the form of affection. His interactions with the other girls grow less frequent and more sincere as he spends more time with you, realizing he can be himself when around you. This freedom allows him to be more affectionate and intimate for the person he truly loves.

In your downtime, the two of you can be seen out in the streets, walking around, people-watching, or sitting at a cafe and chatting for hours. Other times, you’ll be at one another’s houses enjoying each other’s company, watching movies or anime, or helping each other do homework. Teru loves it when you randomly give him a hug and he tries to do the same to you whenever possible. He also enjoys teasing you for your sense of direction and claims that you can never go anywhere without him since he can’t bear the thought of you getting lost somewhere.

It doesn’t take long for the rest of the school to label you two as an official, honest couple. There are always girls who approach you to try to scare you off, but Teru shuts them down quickly. His former followers help keep the peace among the jealous crowd while rooting for your happiness. Teru used to play around due to his popularity, but now that he’s found someone to love, he can only hope you’ll forgive him for his past actions and help him become someone he strives to be.

HagakureYasuhiro (Danganronpa): With his cheery and laidbackpersonality, it won’t be difficult at all to befriend Hiro, even with your moreintroverted nature. The two of you will get along pretty well, actually, thoughHiro might come off as intimidating at first due to his height and appearance.The fact that you’re not good at holding conversations isn’t much of a problem,at least not to Hiro, since he can get rather ridiculous himself when it comesto conversing. If you don’t shy away and actually listen to him, he’ll bereally happy about that. He wouldn’t mind the things you tend to blabbereither. Though he might be confused at first, he’ll likely roll along with you,much to the confusion of everyone else around you two. Hopefully you believehis fortune-telling is not the same as the occult, or you can prepare yourself tolistening to him explain why they’re not similar in the slightest. However, ifyou do believe that, Hiro would be genuinely happy about that. He doesn’t havemany friends (or any, if not counting Makoto and crew) so having someone thatwon’t mind his eccentricity would be a highlight in his life.

Hiro isn’t the most athletic person around either, and wouldmost likely enjoy just chilling around somewhere with you. He’d be interestedin seeing the pieces of artwork you’ve created, thinking it’s pretty cool ofyou. He isn’t as artistic of course and will praise your skills since in hiseyes, your creations look amazing. It’d catch Hiro off-guard if you were togive him something you’ve knit, especially if you let him know that you like todo that for your family and friends. As much as Hiro enjoys hanging out withyou and talking about a random assortment of topics, he didn’t think your friendshiphad gotten that deep, not that he’s complaining. Your hugs would also be asource of surprise for Hiro and the first time it happens, he’ll stiffen at thecontact, not expecting something like this. He’s never had many friends afterall, so receiving such affection is a bit foreign for him but after a few moretimes of this happening, he can say that he loves your hugs and will startreciprocating them. Your declarations of love will be processed in the sameway, though the first time he’ll be more shocked than surprised and getextremely flustered. Of course, after learning that you mean as a friend, he’llcalm down a bit more but he’ll still be quite nervous around you for a whileafterwards.

Hiro can be rather slow in the head so when he finds himselfnot feeling quite as happy as he normally feels when he hears you saying youlove him, he likely won’t be able to figure out that he has feelings for you. Hecan’t tell you this since he’s afraidof hurting your feelings so he’ll likely turn to Makoto, who’ll help him learnthat he likes you as more than a friend. Telling you this is the scary part,since what if you don’t feel the same?? He’ll try doing some fortune-telling tosee the outcome, and when it comes out positive, he decides to take the plunge.As endearing as you becoming easily confused can be, he really hopes you’ll beable to understand what he means and not take it to meaning that he loves youas a friend.

If you do accept his confession and feel the same way abouthim, Hiro would feel ecstatic but also become very flustered at the same time.What does he do now? Before he can actually think of anything, he’ll justoutright asks you what you’d like to do on a date and at hearing what yourideal first date would be, takes you out for exactly that, after asking Hinafor good café recommendations. Hiro might be a bit more awkward since this is adate, not a regular outing with you.While nothing has changed, at the same time, everything’s changed. He’s yourboyfriend now! He’ll try to act more like a gentleman but he really isn’t thatgreat at it. Hiro always thinks you’re adorable but especially today, he’llthink you’re simply gorgeous. Your clothing choices accentuates your cutenessand Hiro really can’t help but stare. He’ll attempt to do romantic things foryou but he totally lacks knowledge in that department and once again, will turnto his friends for help though both Makoto and Hina aren’t knowledgeable aboutthat either. He’ll bring you flowers sometimes and chocolates another, and evenoffer to tell you your fortune for free!

Because Hiro never really had friends, he treats those hecares for with great sincerity and that doubles for you. Your tendency to easilyget sick, as much as it frustrates you, would have Hiro worrying a lot for you.He’ll want to take care of you to the best of his ability and he’s alwaysfretting about if you have the medicine you need and if you’re getting enoughrest. Like you, Hiro can be easily scared too, especially if the topic ofghosts comes up. The perfect combination would then be the two of you in thedark, talking about ghosts. He’d try to comfort you and find the light to turnback on, or another light source so you’d be able to sleep, but once the topicof ghosts comes up, he’ll be freaking out rather badly and hurried change thetopic. This would be a rather interesting experience for you both to go throughat least, but Hiro would then adamantly tell you to never bring this up again.

[yummygreentea]

Tagged by @shisuicune~! Thank you dear!! This was really fun to do ^u^

Post a selfie and ten facts about you, then tag ten people:

:3

10 Facts:

1. I only like drinking alcohol in a social setting, and even then I only drink just enough to get me... a little drunk? I still remember everything, I just won’t be able to walk straight and I laugh a lot lmao. Drinking more than that would just make me feel sick and I’m not about that :V

2. Whenever I’m drunk my friends take me to the mall, let me roam around, and watch me buy things while I’m intoxicated lmao I love you guys and I don’t regret the purchases either

3. I’ve been studying Japanese for almost year now and have finished Tae Kim’s Guide and working on Genki I. My reading and grammar is pre-school level but one day I hope I can read fluently orz I decided to not focus on speaking since I’m a terrible conversationalist... and I mostly want to read doujins lol.

That said. Just being able to read jp Shiita artists on Twitter tweeting “AHHH NII-SAN I LOVE YOU” and then launch into what I assume is Itachi discourse is so. Motivating. Priorities.

4. Fulfilled one of my dreams to travel to Japan!! I stayed in Tokyo for 2 weeks and explored as much as I could-- Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Omotesando, Odaiba, and Harajuku, off the top of my head. Public transport was actually pleasant, the people are BEAUTIFUL, everything is spotlessly clean, everything was delicious, and the views are sososo gorgeous. I originally planned to squeeze Kyoto in the trip too but didn’t realize the train pass didn’t cover the fare to get there from Tokyo... But now I can plan for a second trip >:3c... I want to go back already ;-;;;

5. I got into makeup recently and while I’m just sticking to basic things I see now why it’s so addicting. And anything that makes me look less dead at work is always welcome lol. But the difference it makes is nice though.

6. I took a pole dancing class exactly once, and that day I received a grim reminder of how fucking weak I am

7. I used to be a tomboy or just avoided skirts/dresses in general, but ever since getting a job I’ve been loving the freedom of finally being able to choose and buy what I want to wear. Hello, skirts, and maybe dresses, tights, heels, heck yeah. So far I only dress up when I’m with friends though~ When is the next tea time~? *^*)9

8. Friend took me to the gym a few times and after 2-3 times already saw improvement in my posture and energy... but like most workout stories I was too lazy to continue and went back to my typical self LOL. Someday... I will be fit... and today is not that day

9. I soft-permed my hair this year to see what wavy-ish hair looks on me, and now that my hair is down to my lower back I’m thinking of making it even wavier once I get a haircut *~* and getting side-swept bangs. 

10. I typically hate small talk, partly because it feels pointless and mostly because I’m awful at it. When it comes to conversing with people I’m not very close or familiar with I just don’t have much to say or offer to the topic. And my sense of humor is weird as hell, apparently xD

I tag: @kiyoitsukikage, @cleffasgalore, @uchihasavior, @cakeiss, and anyone else who wants to do it! *^* 

[prossima-nebulosa]

50 to 60 and 90 to 100 just because. Consider it as payback, but really I'm curious and I like to snoop into peoples lives so please talk about yourself some more *nudge nudge*

Okay I suppose I deserve it since I made you write personal stuff for like 40 minutes, but just as you said I love this stuff so much as well! So yeah thanks sweetie

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?

Nothing, I’m a pretty boring person. I only collect mangas and comics yeah. Sometimes, though, I randomly pick up stuff I like or that sparks my interest.

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

This is hard. I’ll pick you for convenience reasons: “Ed Sheeran - Sing” (I’m biased here, you seem to like Ed Sheeran - plus you’re both gingers - and Sing is one of the song I love the most lol)

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

HOW ITALIANS… THESE MEMES ARE KILLING ME- STOP ME BEFORE I GO CRAZY, I’VE BEEN SPAMMING MY FB AND TWITTER DASHBOARDS WITH THIS STUFF!

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

I have no idea what the heck is this stuff and I’m too lazy to google it. Anyway using my super logical powers it seems related on some kind of movie genre… Since I’ve heard this names before. Sadly I don’t watch that many films so I cannot say.

Errata corrige: it seems I need to watch rocky horror picture show because there’s a guy in drag.

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

I suppose it was one of my classmate a week ago. She wasn’t sad, but sick. She burst into tears cause her stomach was hurting a lot and she couldn’t handle it anymore so I hugged her and told her to go home and get some rest. She told me she suffers from gastritis poor girl…

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

I’m quite sure I did some very stupid and idiotic stuff to prove my points but I cannot seem to remember one right now. Well the last one that’s still stuck in my head was proving the apple I chose to eat was a good one. It wasn’t. I ate it anyway to prove to my dad, uncle and cousin I was right.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

I love quiet people, I’m not talking about introvert ones, but those very relaxed, super chilled, people who speak in a soft voice. I find endearing when people get all frustrated as well. 

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

This song never ceases to amaze me. It gives me a very weird vibe, like I’m in a theatre and I’m playing some whimsical drama lol

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

They are both my friend Juls lol Since she’s the only one who drinks in our group.

59: what’s your favorite myth?

The foundation of Rome. No seriously I’ve never thought about it. I love almost any Greek and Roman myths because they’re surprisingly savage.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

Okay here’s the fact: I like poetry because I cannot seem to understand it at all. It’s something so culturally superior to me that I’ve never grasped a single poetry without an explanation at the end lol Moreover my knowledge in this field is pretty basic for it’s mostly school related.

Anyway some of my favourite ones are: 

[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] by E.E.Cummings (I found this one out while reading a fanfiction lol)

Il Sabato del Villaggio by Giacomo Leopardi (This one I love so much.)

X Agosto by Giovanni Pascoli (This is stuck on me for some reasons, I find very endearing the comparison between the dad and the bird.)

“Ho sceso, dandoti il braccio, almeno un milione di scale” by Eugenio Montale (I remember this one because there was a post around here that proved Montale’s affirmation was indeed right and I’m still seeking it.)

90: talk about one of you favorite cities.

This is one of those questions you are not allowed to do. Now I’m gonna rant about my love for Rome for hours on end.

Do I even need to explain why I love Rome so much? I’m emotionally attached to it since I was little. My future was all planned in that city and I’m still not over having moved away from it. Rome is that kind of big city full of tourists and romans who throw profanities at each others and I love it so much. Being there can make me so damn happy I cannot even fathom how is it possible. 

Rome is everything I’ve ever dreamed about seriously.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

Nowhere cause I’m a broke-ass… However I wanted to go to some big amusement park.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

I don’t put parmiggiano on pastas. Aside soup dish ones because it’s tastier this way. I put a very huge amount of parmiggiano on risotto though. I seriously have a weird obsession for parmiggiano on risotto.

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?

I collect my hair on a hair clip. I hate having my hair on my face.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

THAT’S ME!!! Just kidding, today actually it’s my brother’s best friend and my uncle birthdays. Moreover in two days it’s my dad’s birthday as well. Then comes mine on 22nd March.

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

Crying because I’m broke while being offered food from my friends is how we usually spend our weekends.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

It does everything automatically I only have to reboot it sometimes.

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

ENFP type, Aries and I have no idea cause I don’t like HP. Last time I checked I was Gryffindor I believe. 

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

Never went on a real hiking expedition. However I did hiking on those fake platforms and I loved it so much. The trainer was very surprised and told me I was quite good. I am indeed a monkey.

That happened five years ago more or less, so I can’t guarantee I’m still capable of doing it.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

There are plenty of them but I’ll list the ones who came up on my mind on the spot:

Golden Age - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Bulletproof - La Roux

Seven Days in Sunny June - Jamiroquai

Mystic Eyes - (Vision of Escaflowne’s ending song)

Fanfare - (One Piece film Strong World ending theme)

Dive in the Sky - (Planetes opening theme)

Estate - Negramaro

Gli ostacoli del cuore - Elisa 

L’Amour Toujours - Gigi D’Agostino

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

I would go five years into the past. It would be pretty pointless seriously, because even though I regret my school choice I’ve already gave in on the idea of redoing it. I had fun in high school despite choosing the wrong one, but I still wanna go back and tell myself to beware what’s gonna happen. Maybe I would tell myself to hang out more and enjoy those years because afterwards it won’t be all fun and smooth orz

Actually I just wanna go in the past because I love the past? Does it make sense? I wouldn’t be satisfied with only five years, I wanna go back so far in the past and see things I’ve never experienced!

[sweetcatmintea]

What does Mary Know?

Flash fiction Friday!! I’ve gotta just do this upload quickly because it’s 3:43 am and cold as anything XD I failed the prompt challenge by going a liiiitle over the word limit <.<;; But I hope you like this story! Feedback is appreciated ^u^

Prompt: Peachy Kissies

Words: 2501 (orz)

Character(s): Xavier, Mary, and Will

----------

          “Xave, if you want to come to the creek, you have to get ready.” Exasperation tinged Mary’s voice. Progress was cut short, yet again, by her little brother. They were supposed to have been out the door ten minutes ago, but she hadn’t even finished brushing her short, ginger snap brown hair yet, constantly stop-starting thanks to Xavier’s dawdling.

          “I am ready!” He just hadn’t brushed his teeth. Or gotten his hat. Or his sandals. Totally ready.

          Mary sighed. “Have you put your sunscreen on, or do you need help?” He was remarkably autonomous for his age, but that wasn’t what she was really asking. As expected, he puffed his freckled cheeks, crossing his arms with a huff.

          “Don’t wanna!”

          “Xave. You can’t leave the house unless you put sunscreen on. You’ll get burnt.”

          He thrashed his tail, the image of petulance. “No!”

          Another sigh. “Then you’ll have to go to school with Mama today instead.”

          Oh boy. Here it comes. An angry flush coloured his skin. “Nooo!! I wanna go wif youuuu!!!”. His face, usually dimpled with a smile, was overtaken with a deep scowl. Mary resisted the urge to bury her face in her paws, and maybe scream a little. Barely. Why did this always happen when it was her turn to look after him? Frustration bubbled in her guts, trying to claw its way up her throat. Logically, she knew it wouldn’t help anything to lose her temper. Unfortunately, logic was benched right now. Before everything boiled over, Will popped his head around the corner.

          “What’s all the noise?” Toothbrush dangling between his teeth, he took a second to survey the room and exchange a Look conversation with Mary. Catching onto the situation, he feigned a shocked look. “You’re not telling Xave to use sunscreen, are you!?” He waited a beat, glancing down at his brother. A stage whisper now. “You know he’s not ready for that yet!”

          Mary shrugged. She wasn’t quite sure what Will’s game plan was, but she could run with it. “I thought he was. You’re probably right though.” A deep sigh. “He’s still just too little.”

          “Whaddya mean?” Xavier eyed his siblings, trying to wrangle the answers out with his mind. Something suspicious was happening here.

          Will stumbled over himself a moment, surprised that Xavier caught on. “Ah, well, you see, only big kids get to put on sunscreen. It’s very important so little kids like you can’t do it yet.”

          “I’m not little! I’m a big kid too!!” Xavier stood as tall as he possibly could, fox tail wriggling with earnest. “See!”

          Will and Mary exchanged looks again. Will shook his head. “I don’t know. What do you think Mares?”

          “Hmmm. I think he’s still too little… Maybe a big kid should show him how it’s done.”

          “When you’re right, you’re right. I was just about to put some on myself. Do you want to come and put sunscreen on with me, Xave?”

          “I do I do I dooo!”

          “Come on then.”

          Xavier didn’t waste another second, pouncing onto his brother’s outstretched hand and dragging him off to the bathroom. Mary mouthed a thank you to Will as they went. The air always seemed a little lighter when Will was around. Probably because he seemed so unfazeable. She was a little envious of him for that. The frustration had simmered away, but watching her brothers had left a cold pebble in her chest.

~

          Thanks to Will’s intervention, they were out of the house in no time. Xavier begged for his big brother to join them, but he was stuck with Mary for the day. Will had work to do. They were lucky enough to catch the bus just as it rolled to the stop, shuffling on board and claiming the back row. It wasn’t all that unusual for this bus to be close to empty. It was a route less travelled.

          Mary stared idly out the window, half leaning on the plasticy frame of the chair in front of them. Motion sickness was a pain at the best of times. With the way the bus was swaying over every bump in the near-dirt road, one look down and she’d be redecorating the seat covers.

          “Hey Maary?”

          “Hm?”

          Xave was already pretty much flush against her, but he managed to scoot closer. He put his face up to hers. She could feel his warm kid breathe with every whispered word. “Mary?”

          “What’s up Xave?”

          “Mary, what’s boredish mean?”

          “What do you mean? Where’d you hear it?”

          “The lady up there.” A nod to the middle-aged woman perched on the reserved sideways seats. “She said ‘I can’t belief they let someone so boredish on the bus’.” The woman flinched. Xavier’s whispering skills were not nearly as strong as he thought. She stared ahead, stiffly avoiding Mary’s honey gaze. A totally average person. No claws. No fur. No tag. Privileged.

          “Is that right?”

          “Mn hm.”

          “I think you mean boarish. It means ‘boar-like’, someone who is rude. A boar is a wild pig.”

          Xavier looked thoughtful, considering her explanation. “Are boars rude?”

          “I don’t know. I’ve never met one.”

          “How come she said it then?” He continued before she could answer. “Isn’t it more rude to say mean things when you don’t know if someone is rude? ‘Cause then, you don’t know. You know? Because maybe boars are actually very nice but maybe they get grumpy because people say mean things about them. An then maybe they be rude because they’re grumpy? I think maybe we shouldn’t say that word unless we meet some really rude boars. But not boars that are grumpy because people are mean to them. Right?” He fiddled with her paw as he spoke, cold little fingers working through the thick fur.

          Mary managed to fight the urge to chuckle as the woman’s embarrassed fidgeting increased at every word. Instead, she nodded solemnly along with Xavier’s reasoning. “That sound like a good idea to me.” He beamed at her agreement.

~

          Much rocking and waiting later, their stop came into view. To Xavier’s unyielding delight, Mary let him press the stop button. They hopped off the bus to hike the rest of the way. In honesty, it wasn’t that far. It was the thick humidity that weighed them down, making every movement heavy and sluggish, delaying their arrival further. They took their time and finally reached their destination. Water babbled quietly over smooth river pebbles. Bugs sang to the sweaty sun, hiding from its gaze in the long tufts of grass bordering the creek. The water wasn’t that deep, the heat of the season left it lucky to reach over Mary’s belly button in its deepest parts. Still, she’d have to be vigilant. Any aquatic body can be dangerous for a child. Speaking of, Xavier was already making a beeline to the water.

          “Wait a minute! Floaties or no swimming!”

          He spun around, hopping from foot to foot. “But!”

          “Come on, it’ll just take a minute.”

          He whined but returned to her as she fished the deflated water wings from her patchwork backpack. She was still proud of how that had turned out. She pulled them out carefully, the rubber as soft as it was slippery between her long claws. The last thing she needed was to accidentally puncture it and then have to explain to a very upset fox child why he couldn’t swim. Managing to grip them in her paw pads, she snapped the lids open, blowing them up while answering Xavier’s questions between breaths.

          “Hey Mary?”

          Blow! Breath. Answer. “Yeah?”

          “Are floaties for big kids?”

          Blow! Breath. Answer. “Yep.”

          “How come you don’t got any?”

          Blow! Seal. Breath. Answer. “They don’t fit my big ol’ bear arms. I’m very jealous you get to be so cool with these fire floaties.”

          “Really!?”

          “Mn hm. Really really.”

          He bounced on his toes, sliding the water wings up as far as they would go. “Well, you can borrow mine then! Um! But you can use just one. We’ll put it on, uh, your, on your foot! And then I’ll have one! And then together, we’ll be cooler than Will, right? Even though Will is the coolest, I think if we’re both cool with the floaties, we can be coolister than Will, ‘kay? ‘kay! Can I go swim now?”

          Mary laughed, nodding. “You can swim, but stay where I can see you. Otherwise, we will have to go straight home. Okay?”

          He was already running for the water. “’Kay!”  

          It was really something else, the way Xavier looked up to William. Whenever he was around, Xave was practically attached to him, and not always metaphorically. There were fights, or the closest approximation you can have with someone who barely reaches over your knee, sometimes. Of course there were. All siblings have disagreements. They’d probably get into more arguments now that Xavier was becoming more articulate. He had Opinions now. But ties were always mended quickly. Will had a knack with children. He always seemed to know what to say and how to act around them. As far as role models go, he was a pretty good choice too. Maybe it was because he’s a lot like Mama. In a way, Mary was embarrassed by it. Not because of Will acted, but because her brother was so much better with children than she was. When they had first been told of Xave’s conception, she’d imagined herself as a nurturing big sister who would share the world with the new baby. And, while he was still a little bean, she’d been good at the nurturing stuff. Once he’d gotten bigger, started thinking and exploring for himself, she didn’t know what to do. She struggled to understand his garbled baby talk and couldn’t keep up with his games. Her paternal instincts hibernated while Will’s thrived. It she had to put her finger on it, she’d guess it was his creativity and natural intelligence that did it for him. Where she was playing by the book, he was working the court, three moves ahead. It was hard not to feel inferior at times. It wasn’t that she resented him, quite the opposite, she greatly admired her brother. It just would have been nice to have a special bond like theirs.

~

          It didn’t take long until the sweat clinging to her hair and her fur urged her to join Xavier. The water was unbelievably nice. Cool, clear, sparkling. Freshness you couldn’t bottle. And, more importantly, a reprieve from the unbearable weather. Dragonflies zipped around, far too fast to be concerned with new comers. What more could she want? 

          They splashed around, enjoying the freedom of the quiet country around them. Most of the fish spooked the instant they’d arrived, noisy and laughing, fleeing the scene to hide in whatever cracks they could find. Some grew bold, creeping back as they gained courage. The longer Mary and Xavier stayed in the water, the closer they came. When Mary pointed them out, Xavier charged after the flickering silver, determined to catch one. She called him back almost immediately, trying to distract him with a frog. Too late. Scrambling wildly over a mossy rock, his paw slipped, sending him face first into the water with a loud splash. He pulled himself up, dripping and processing what had happened. Mary restrained herself from running over and scooping him up. Wait. Give him a chance. Does he need help of was he just surprised? For a long moment, only the water moved. Gently gliding past the pair as though they were nothing more than the environment it knew so well. Xavier stared at his palms, skinned and bleeding. Tears welled as he shouted for his sister.

          “Maarryyyyy!”

          She was there in an instant, easily pulling him into her arms and onto dry land. She settled him onto a log, pulling everything she needed out of her bag. Xavier was, to put it lightly, accident prone. She’d learned quickly to always be prepared. Just last week he fought a door. The door won.

          “Marryyy! My floaties didn’t save meeee!” He sobbed, devastated at their betrayal.

          “Here, let me see. Did you hurt yourself?”

          A tearful nod. “Mn hm.” He held his hands out, palms to the sky and fingers half curled like a dead spider.

          “That’s no good. Let me fix it up, ‘kay?” She towelled down the area, drying his skin so she could better see the extent of the injury. It wasn’t too bad. She gave him a reassuring smile. Sure, there’d probably be a good bruise tomorrow but the grazes themselves weren’t too severe. He’ll live. Popping the lid off her first aid kid, she cleaned the site. Years of fiddling with a sewing needle had given her a surgeon’s steady hand, despite her clumsy paws. She just needed to be in the right mindset to do precision work – not thinking about it.

          Xavier whimpered as the antiseptic got to work. “It hurts, Mary.”

          “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. It’s going to hurt a little. There are tiny little, uh, knights, in the cream that have to go and, beat up any baddies that might have gotten into the cut.”

          He was still crying, but intrigued enough to ask. “Really? There are knights in there?”

          “Yep. You can’t see them because they are very, very, tiny, but they’re there.” Mary finished her work, sticking on water proof bandaids. “Do you want the magic healing spell?”

          “Mn hm.”

          “Ok.” She kissed his palms. “One kiss, two kisses,” then his forehead “and a big kissaroo so my love can heal you!” She threw her hands in the air to finish the incantation.

          Xavier mimicked her, sniffle giggling, before wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug. He looked up at her, his chin pressing into her shirt. “How come you smell all sweet Mary?”

          “Hm. It’s probably my lip balm. I put it on earlier.”

          “Can I have some?”

          “Yeah, here you go.”

          He took the tube, concentrating to not overwind it. When he was satisfied that his lips were appropriately caked, he planted a noisy smooch on Mary’s cheek. “Now you have a kiss too! Aw, you can’t see it though. There’s no colour. Can you smell it Mary?”

          She could certainly feel the waxy balm smeared across her skin. Well, the peach one was her favourite, so it wasn’t too bad. “Sure can! I reckon Mumsie can probably smell it from all the way in the bakery, there’s so much on us!”

          That satisfied him. The freckles across his face crinkled into new constellations as he grinned up at her.  “Hey Mary?”

          “Yeah?”

          “Mary, do you know?”

          “I don’t know.”

          He was whispering again. “Mary, do you know, Will is my favouritest brother?”

          “Really?”

          “Mn hm. But Mary, do you know? Mary, you’re my favouritest big sister. ‘Cause I love Mary lots and lots. Do you love me too Mary?”

          She kissed his forehead again. “Lots and lots.”

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