#if I didn't stop there this post would be overly long anyway so *shrug* )

[libraryofgage]

PJO Steddie Eight

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven

This series was line-jumped on ko-fi! Thank you for the ko-fis <3

To learn more about line-jumping, please refer to this post

Anyway, another series was also line-jumped and I'm hoping to have that one posted by this time next week as long as life doesn't take me out lmao

as always, if you see any typos, no you didn't :^)

-----

Steve is an awful, horrible, terrible person. Not only did he kiss Eddie without making sure it was okay, but he even spent the entire fight before that wrapping lightning around Eddie. He even let his control slip enough to shock Eddie when he was too distracted by lips and teeth and tongue. Worst of all, he can't stop thinking about it, his fingers twitching every so often with the urge to find Eddie and kiss him until they're both stupid. 

What's he supposed to do in this situation? Talk to Eddie like he's an emotionally mature person capable of communicating his thoughts and feelings? Steve would laugh at the thought if he weren't so busy sulking by the lake. 

It's a nice night for a sulk. The moon is full, its reflection wavering in the water that gently laps against the shore. He can barely hear the victory celebration around the bonfire, singing and laughter and joyful white noise drifting through the trees behind him. Steve lets it wash over him, his chin on his knees as he stares blankly at the water and tries to figure out what he's doing with his life.

“I gotta admit, that is some impressive sulking.”

Steve jolts, twisting around to see a man in cut-off shorts and a crop top lounging on a boulder next to him. The man looks chiseled, but not overly buff, with his arms being the most defined. His skin is a deep brown, and his smile is blinding. He appeared out of nowhere, and if that didn't give away his godliness, the bow and heart-tipped arrows would have.

“Eros,” Steve says, forcing his shoulders to relax. “What are you doing here?”

“Not even a hello? Am I not pretty enough for you right now?” Eros asks.

“Hello, Eros. What are you doing here?”

That earns him a laugh, the sound lingering in Steve's ears and trying to worm its way into his brain. “Fair enough,” Eros says, idly twirling one of his arrows between his fingers. “I’m here on my mother’s behalf, actually.”

Steve tenses, studying Eros with renewed suspicion. “What does Aphrodite want?” he asks.

“You know Mother and her wagers,” Eros replies, shrugging when he meets Steve’s gaze. “She’s sent me to make sure she wins it. Her wager, that is. The one about you and a certain son of Hermes.”

That does absolutely nothing to assuage Steve’s worries. In fact, it makes them stronger. He pushes himself up, brushing pebbles and dirt off his jeans. “I hope you’re not planning to use your arrows.”

Eros blinks, looking from Steve to the arrow he’s been twirling. And then he laughs again, nearly doubling over. “No, no, I wouldn’t waste an arrow on you two. Puh-lease, Sparky, give me a little more credit than that.”

“Sparky?”

“Isn’t it fitting?” Eros asks, flashing a shit-eating grin that still manages to come off as charming. Steve would call it impish and mischievous, if someone asked him. Thankfully, nobody is. “Anyway, no, consider this more of a friendly nudge so Mother doesn’t throw a fit.”

“What are you even trying to nudge me about?” Steve asks. He thinks he’s lost the plot somewhere between Eros showing up and getting called Sparky. 

Eros sighs and looks up at the sky like the stars will help him. “I usually enjoy watching people dance around each other, but I’d greatly appreciate it if you and Eddie could start dancing with each other now. Preferably starting tonight. Selene has given you a particularly beautiful moon to work with, you know.”

Steve looks up at the moon for less than a second, but that’s more than enough for Eros to be gone by the time he looks back. He sighs, frowning at the vacant boulder.

He isn’t stupid. He knows what Eros was getting at. The thought is just terrifying, is all. He doesn’t trust himself to not hurt Eddie. Just being around Eddie makes his fingertips buzz with energy, and his control has slipped more in the past few weeks than ever before. Eddie might say he doesn’t mind or that he trusts Steve, but the problem is that Steve doesn’t trust himself.

That fact just frustrates him more. He frowns, runs a hand through his hair, and sits down on the boulder. Steve would love to just throw caution to the wind. He’d love to just hope for the best and hold Eddie’s hand and not worry about things. But that’s not the kind of person he is. Steve does what’s best for those around him, he works himself into a frenzy thinking about their safety, and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself in the process.

It’s probably not healthy, but it’s kept him and the kids alive and mostly happy, and that’s what really matters. 

Right?

Right.

But gods is that tiring. Maybe...maybe he can be a tiny bit selfish. He won't throw caution to the wind, but maybe he can test the waters. And if nothing explodes on him, he can see where it goes.

-----------------

Eddie is almost impressed by how well Steve can avoid a person when he puts his mind to it. He hasn’t seen a glimpse of the other boy since he ran off. And it’s not for lack of trying, either. Eddie has practically scoured the camp from top to bottom as everyone else helped set up the Victory Bonfire. 

He ultimately decides that searching like this is pointless, so he finds a scrap of paper in his tent and folds it into an airplane. He writes Steve’s name on one wing and doodles a guitar and bat on the other before sending it flying. It’s not the flashiest power a demigod can receive from their parent, but Eddie has never been happier to have it as he follows.

The paper airplane leads him past the huge bonfire, skirts around the woods, and really starts to pick up speed as it gets closer to the lake. A wave of relief surges through Eddie when he sees a familiar figure past the tree line. Before the plane can zoom onto the rocky beach, Eddie snatches it from the air and shoves it into his pocket. 

Steve is sitting on a boulder by the lake, knees pulled up to his chest as he stares out at the water. For a moment, Eddie gets the feeling he’d like to just sink into the water and disappear for a while. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea if Steve was a Poseidon kid, but he’s more likely to drown than find peace as a son of Zeus. 

Eddie hesitates, wondering if he should interrupt, when Steve looks over his shoulder at him and says, “Hey.”

That’s all the invitation Eddie needs for tension to drain from his shoulders as he walks over. “Hey,” he says, climbing the rock to sit next to Steve. They’re not close enough for their shoulders to brush, but a small lean is all it would take. “You’re missing out on some legendary s’mores at the bonfire.”

Steve snorts, propping his chin on his knees. He’s silent for a few seconds before whispering, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Stevie, I’m fine,” Eddie promises, leaning forward so he can get a better look at Steve’s expression. His eyebrows are pulled together, and Eddie has to suppress the urge to rub his thumb over the wrinkle that forms between them. “You didn’t actually hurt me, you know.”

“You were surrounded by lightning, Eddie,” Steve says, frowning at him. “You probably have a burn somewhere you can’t see. It couldn’t have been good for your heart, either.”

No, it probably wasn’t good for Eddie’s heart, but not for the reason Steve is worrying about. Eddie got too excited fighting with Steve; the lightning that crackled and arched between them made his adrenaline surge. For the first time, he actually enjoyed combat instead of dreading it.

“Well, let’s check,” he says, sliding off the boulder. Before Steve can question him, he shrugs off his vest and yanks his shirt over his head. He holds his arms out to the side and looks at Steve expectantly. “Go ahead.”

A few seconds pass before Steve gets off the rock and moves to stand behind him. Eddie can feel Steve’s eyes passing over every inch of his back, searching meticulously for any signs of lightning-related injury. When a few silent minutes pass without finding anything, Steve stands in front of him to continue his search.

Eddie gets to watch him in return this time. Steve’s lips press together when he’s concentrating, his eyebrows twitching and shifting with whatever thoughts are passing through his head. He stands with one hand on his hip, the other hovering as though he wants to brush his fingers across any suspected bruises. 

“See?” Eddie says, “All good. You didn’t hurt me, Stevie.”

A few seconds pass before Steve slowly exhales and nods, tension draining from his shoulders. “What about your heart?” he asks, glancing at Eddie’s chest. 

It’s such a perfect invitation, isn’t it? Eddie would be a fool to not take advantage, right? He’s not always the smoothest demigod in camp, but even he can see the perfect moment in front of him.

He grins and takes Steve’s hand, bringing it to his chest. He places Steve’s palm over his heart. “What do you think?” he asks.

Steve frowns, tilting his head slightly. “Your heart is beating faster,” he says, looking up with concern clear in his eyes.

“That’s not because of lightning, sweetheart.”

Eddie feels the exact moment Steve understands what he means. It’s the moment his control slips just enough for a tiny spark to pass from palm to chest. It makes Eddie’s skin prickle as he grins. 

“Sorry,” Steve whispers, trying to pull his hand away.

Eddie holds tighter, stepping closer until Steve is leaning against the boulder with nowhere to go. “I like when you shock me. It doesn’t hurt. It tingles, but it doesn’t hurt. In fact, it felt good when you kissed me,” he says.

“I’m sorry about that, too,” Steve says, grimacing as he looks at the lake over Eddie’s shoulder. “I didn’t…I should’ve asked.”

“That’s okay,” Eddie tells him, leaning in until their noses are almost brushing. 

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, Stevie. In case you couldn’t tell by now, I like like you. Since the moment I saw you, really.”

Steve blinks, and then he starts laughing. “Really? Like like? What, are we in middle school?” he asks.

“You can’t knock the simplicity of the middle school confession, sweetheart. It’s got no room for misunderstanding.”

With an amused eye roll, Steve says, “Sure, if you say so.” He’s still smiling, his gaze focused on Eddie now instead of the lake. A faint blush has colored his cheeks. “In that case, I like like you, too.”

Eddie grins. “Does that mean I can kiss you now?”

In answer, Steve places his free hand on Eddie’s shoulder and tugs him the last few inches closer. Their lips connect, a tiny static shock passing between them and making Eddie shudder. He pushes closer before Steve can pull away, trapping Steve’s hand between them and bracing himself on the boulder. 

The kiss starts and stays slow, a gentle push and pull. Eddie would be happy if it never ended, but Steve pulls away after a few seconds. "You're sure?" he asks.

"Yeah, Stevie, I'm sure," Eddie promises, studying him for a moment before pulling back and leading Steve away from the boulder. "Wanna dance?"

"There's no music," Steve says.

"Who cares?" Eddie asks, tugging Steve closer. He watches Steve glance up at the moon, hesitating for a few seconds before nodding. "Just follow my lead."

Steve smiles, letting Eddie lead him along the beach, dancing to music he can't hear.

------

Tag List

@mugloversonly, @mentallyundone, @hairdryerducks-blog, @carriethesaint, @lunabyrd,

@weekend-dreamer7, @farfaras, @littlelady03, @my-tears-are-becoming-a-sea20, @mogami13,

@a-little-unsteddie, @itsall-taken, @queenie-ofthe-void, @tinyplanet95, @littlebluejane,

@hangoversandhandgrenades, @rabbitwhoeatsstars, @bisexualdisastersworld, @steddieinthesun, @paintgonewrong,

@sadcanadianwinter, @deehellcat, @blanketlicker, @angrydonutdestiny, @booksareportal,

@fallingchemicaldiscos, @am-i-obssed-probably, @anne-bennett-cosplayer, @estrellami-1, @fandomcartographer,

@steddie-as-they-go, @cris-wants-a-word, @potato-of-the-lord, @plasticcrotches, @enigmahaze,

@melodymeddler, @lololol-1234, @sageclipse, @steddiehyperfixation, @livelaughlexa,

@genderless-spoon, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @r0binscript, @thelittleclare, @blondie1006,

@bxnghy

[immoralraigan]

Also slams in here with just Final Fantasy in general

*cries*

goddammit I miss some of my FF muses...

I mean, I already (technically(still)) have Alleyway Jack. I just haven't logged into his account in eons. I also have Raphael, who is an FF9 muse. Uhhh, and so is Sanguine, who I don't talk about much, but he sure does exist. He sure is... a guy. that exists. and causes problems.

I also have that old black mage and moogle oc duo, Merun & Kure. They're really old, predating even the day I started hyperfixating on Jack. Those two actually tie in with almost all other Final Fantasies tho, coz they're supposed to be AU-flexible.

As for actual canon OCs from FF's that are NOT 9.... uhhh

FF1 - Matoya

FF2 - Minwu

FF3 -younger Xande or Noah, for personal reasons

FF4 - hey did you know that Edward never fucking deserved the emotional abuse he got from Cecil, Rydia, and especially Tellah and everyone else around him? FUCK those guys. Invalidating other peoples' trauma and comparing it to your own is NOT okay, and it is a really good way to earn my immediate and infinite hatred especially if your character arc never fucking addresses that and just rewards you for being a piece of shit. Fuck the majority of the FF4 cast. Edward is a good fucking boy.

...

anyway,

FF5 - probably Mid, but I also loved the anime movie Legend of the Crystals and I am especially partial to Rouge

FF6 - Gogo. Lots of fun potential. I don't really care for the Gogo is Darill theory tho.

FF7 - Cait Sith/Reeve?

FF8 - Kiros, absolutely 100% Kiros. If not, probably a Shumi oc.

...

FF10 - a Guado or Pelupelu oc. If not, probably Bahamut or Yojimbo. Yes, I would rp as Aeons.

aaaand that's all she wrote.

[dracothedeatheatingcupcake-ao3]

Chapter 3 The Ultimate (Fake) Boyfriend

Hi guys!! Ahhh, my assessment of "I will post one chapter a day!!!" really went out the window, didn't it???? I'm sorry! I actually was editing this chapter and the next, and they, uh... needed quite a bit. Next chapter mostly. I was hoping that my edits would get me over my writer's block so I could at least finish chapter 4, but, uh... seems unlikely, oof. I've just not been in a writing mood recently, and while I still really like Danganronpa, I've been more into Danganronpa 2, ha. But I figured that since I wasn't posting for TPWM today, I might as well post the third chapter of this for those who were interested. ^-^

This chapter introduces more OC's, which I apologize for. That was one of my biggest challenges with this fic: so many different OC's. And I don't mind writing OC characters, but with so many, it gets a bit confusing as to who is who. If I were to ever finish and publish this story, I would post my list with everyone's names and info separately, so people could refer back to it from time to time if they got confused, especially in later chapters. I think it should be fine here, since not everyone is around.

Anyway! I hope y'all like this chapter. I had to edit it a lot from the original draft, and it is part of the reason I stopped writing this fic, but I've edited it enough that I'm happy with it now, I think. ^-^

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

By the time the car turns into a long driveway— the hour-long drive finally over— Mondo has managed to mostly stuff all of the roiling emotions down. They kept trying to crop up, over and over, but each time Mondo determinedly beat them back until they stayed nice and neat inside his little box. In fact, as they roll to a stop before the largest fucking house Mondo has ever seen, he’s actually feeling pretty good. Yeah, he’s gonna be a goddamn fish outta water, so painfully outta place it ain’t fucking funny, but hey. At least he has Taka. And as long as he has Taka, Mondo’s pretty sure he could walk through Hell and back and be perfectly fine. 

“Alright, boys, we’re here! Taka, if you wouldn’t mind, would you please go help your father get our things out of the trunk? Don’t bring them up to our usual room just yet, though. Auntie Hana decided to change up our typical bedroom arrangements yet again, so she’ll be directing us once we get inside. Mondo-san, as our guest you don’t need to do anything, but if you’d like you can help Taka and my husband with the bags,” Kiyoshi says brightly, shooting them a smile through the rearview mirror. Mondo carefully looks away from her overly fond look, not wanting to deal with that bullshit again, and shrugs casually. 

“Sure, I don’t mind helping. Come on, Taka. Let’s get going,” Mondo states, shooting Taka a lazy grin, honestly glad to be done with the fucking car ride. Don’t get him wrong, he doesn’t hate cars, it’s just… hogs are so much better it’s not even a contest. Why waste time in a cramped, enclosed space when you can be flying free down the road, wind in your goddamn hair? Mondo doesn’t know, truly. 

As he looks over at Taka, however, he feels a spike of concern hit him, causing all other thoughts to vanish. Taking in the familiar face, he can see that Taka looks too fucking pale, his skin almost ashen, and his eyes are wide and full of anxiety. His breath is also shallow, and the grip the teen has on his hand is so fucking tight, now that Mondo thinks about it. It makes his chest hurt to see it, and he can’t stop the way he shifts closer to Taka in the back seat, ignoring the adults who are talking to each other while getting out. They don’t fucking matter, not right now. 

“Hey, Kiyo. You… y-ya doin’ okay, man?” he mutters softly, his words meant for Taka and Taka alone. He sees the hall monitor bite his lip, his eyes darting briefly to his parents before darting back. 

“I… a-ah. D-do not worry about me, k-kareshi. I will be fine. Just… n-nervous. I’ve never had a guest over for the family gathering before and I just… I fear that something will go wrong. Terribly wrong,” Taka replies back after a moment, voice soft and unhappy. Mondo’s heart clenches, hating seeing Taka like this. Humming softly, he squeezes the teen’s hand tightly, hoping he can provide even a little comfort. 

“Yeah, I uh… I get what ya mean, Kiyo. But like I keep tellin’ ya, y’ain’t gotta worry man. ‘Course, I can’t guarantee that things won’t go wrong. I can’t exactly see the future, ya know. But the one thing I do know, without a shadow of a fu- uh. Fricken doubt is that no matter what happens, we’ll always have each other. Ain’t nothin’ gonna change that, Kiyo. Absolutely nothin’. So… uh. Yeah. There’s that.” 

Taka’s eyes begin to water again at his statement, the hall monitor sniffling as he gives him a shaky— and yet still extremely grateful— smile. 

“I… y-yes. Y-yes you… you’re right! We… w-we will always have one another! N-no matter what!” Taka does his best to exclaim, though Mondo can hear how his voice wavers. But that’s okay. Baby steps. 

“Hell yeah, that’s the spirit, ky-kareshi! Now, c’mon man. Let’s go get the bags now, okay? We, uh… we can talk more later,” he mutters with a significant look. Taka nods slowly, and Mondo thinks the teen understands his meaning that they can talk about this fucking con job when they’re alone later. If they get a chance to be alone later. Which he so fucking hopes they do, god fucking damn…

He gets pulled from his musing when he feels Taka pull on his hand, causing him to instinctively tighten the hold. Taka laughs weakly when Mondo tilts his head in confusion at him, the teen looking at their hands pointedly. 

“Ah, kareshi. I cannot exactly get out of the car to help father with our bags if you do not let go of my hand,” Taka says with a small smile, his eyes softer than they had been. And while Mondo feels a little (okay, a lot) embarrassed that he’s still fucking holding Taka’s hand, he can’t find it in him to mind too much. Not when Taka finally looks at least somewhat closer to normal. Whatever ‘normal’ is for the uptight and high strung hall monitor. 

With a muffled curse, Mondo lets go of the pleasantly warm and surprisingly soft hand, smiling sheepishly. Taka must moisturize, Mondo thinks absently as he watches the teen give him one final bright smile, before finally exiting the car. Mondo then promptly shakes the thought out of his head, knowing how fucking stupid it is, and quickly follows after his kyoudai. 

Outside the car, Mondo can’t help but let his eyes slide over to the old and almost overwhelmingly large house before them, a small frown forming on his lips. He slides his eyes all around it, sizing it up to try and form an opinion on it. It’s… well, it’s nice he guesses, if a little run down. It’s a traditional Japanese style house, with wide windows, cream colored walls, and dark brown wooden accents. The roof is sloping dark tile, with little ornaments scattered around. Mondo can see some signs of wear, like stains and some moss growing on the walls, but overall he must admit it’s very beautiful. And very large. Taka told him earlier this week that it’s been in his family for generations, each generation adding onto the house until it became a large, sprawling masterpiece. Mondo knows that Taka is awfully fond of it, telling many happy memories of his times here as a child, so he’s honestly quite intrigued by this place. 

The thing Mondo is most interested in, however, is the small forest he can see peeking out from behind the house. Taka has only told him a little about it, since apparently the teen never spent much time in it as he was always afraid of it as a child, but Mondo is almost itching to head in and explore. A little known fact about him is that he’s always had a fondness for nature and trees, mostly due to the fact that Dai used to take him to a forest near their old apartment whenever their old man was a bit too violent and they needed an escape. They’d spend hours in that forest, walking the trails, exploring the lakes and ponds. They stopped doing that kind of shit once they started their gang, since they never had the time, but Mondo has never forgotten how much he used to love doing that shit with his brother. And hey. Maybe he can somehow convince Taka to brave his fears to head in there with him sometime… shit, wouldn’t that be nice… 

Mondo is brought back to the present when he hears the trunk of the car unlatching, his head turning instinctively to face that direction. He watches for a moment as Taka and Takaaki begin removing the various bags and suitcases, before ambling over. Might as well help out, he figures, since it’s not like he has anything better to do. 

As he walks up he can see that Taka is struggling to remove his own bag, though the teen takes a quick break to look up at him and smile. 

“Ah, hello kareshi! You can feel free to look around if you’d like! Father and I can handle this!” Taka declares, before promptly turning back to continue trying (and failing) to wrestle the unwieldy suitcase out of the pitifully small trunk. With a smirk, Mondo reaches around his friend and grabs the suitcase with one hand, privately relishing in Taka’s squawk of indignation. He has to fight to keep his smirk on his face when he goes to lift the suitcase and almost throws out his shoulder, it’s so fucking heavy. Not too heavy for him, of course, he can lift upwards of 100 kilos without breaking a sweat thanks to Nidai’s training, but fuck was he not expecting the bag to weigh a goddamn ton. 

“Jesus Christ, dude, the hell did you put in this thing?” Mondo grunts as he bends his knees to lift the bag, getting it out and on the pavement with only a little struggle. Taka pouts at him for the comment, crossing his arms with a humph. Heh. Adorable.

“I could have handled that perfectly fine on my own, Mondo!” Taka huffs, glaring when Mondo lets out a bark of laughter. Oh, he has no doubt that the teen is correct, since Taka is surprisingly ripped for a nerd, but something about Taka’s indignation just tickles him. It always does. “What?! It’s true! And to answer your question, kareshi, I have all of my essential items! My uniforms, my personal hygiene items, my summer work… and, of course, all of our school textbooks for this year, as well as our textbooks from last year, just in case they are needed for any of the summer problems! And some books I checked out from the library to cross reference if needed! Like I said, the essentials!” 

Mondo laughs loudly at the earnest declaration, knowing that Taka is being one hundred percent serious right now. The teen’s pout grows deeper, and a spark of actual hurt begins to rise in Taka’s eyes, so Mondo lets his eyes soften and his smile turn gentle. He ignores any possible discomfort at allowing his affection to be visibly seen, focusing on making Taka realize he’s not making fun of him. Not at all. Not ever. 

“Only you, Kiyo. Only you,” he mutters fondly, looking Taka deep in the eyes. The look lingers for a long moment, Taka’s face going slack and his eyes going wide with shock, and fuck does Mondo like it. So fucking much…

He eventually looks away when the moment stretches on a bit too long for his liking, grabbing his duffel from the trunk as casually as he can manage. He then promptly stiffens when he sees Takaaki standing beside the car, once again looking like he’d just been force-fed a lemon. As soon as the man notices his gaze, however, his face smooths into an expressionless mask, leaving Mondo to wonder which is worse, exactly…

“If you two are done, we should head into the house now. Bring your bags with you,” Takaaki says shortly, words clipped. He then turns on his heel and stiffly marches to the house without a word more, his own bag over his shoulder. Mondo darts a glance to Taka, who’s face is light pink with embarrassment. Mondo doesn’t blame him, since he doubts his face is much different. 

“A-ah, I… forgot he was there,” Taka mumbles awkwardly, shooting him a glance. Mondo grimaces in return, raising his hand to rub his neck. Yeah, he, uh… he did too, honestly. He opens his mouth to say this but before he can reply, Taka snaps out of his embarrassment and looks towards the house, grabbing the handle of his suitcase in his hand. “Well! Regardless, we should do as he said! It wouldn’t do to keep everyone waiting needlessly!” 

Seeing as he has no objection to that, Mondo nods and follows after the hall monitor, giving Kiyoshi a slightly awkward smile as they approach the woman, who is standing at the foot of the house. She smiles back, though she doesn’t say anything in return and instead just begins heading up the front steps with Takaaki beside her. Mondo allows himself one second to breathe deeply and stuff back down the anxiety that keeps trying to crop up, before he follows Taka up the stairs. 

He then smirks as he sees the hall monitor struggle getting his suitcase over the first step, snickering as he leans down to pick up the heavy ass thing to carry it up the stairs for the teen. He can see Taka glaring at him from the corner of his eye, but he doesn’t really care. Taka can pout all he wants; Mondo will always help the dude out when it’s easily in his ability to do such a thing. That’s just what a good bro does. 

By the time Mondo has managed to get the heavy ass suitcase to the main deck, Kiyoshi has already knocked on the heavy wood door, her smile bright as she holds her husband’s arm, looking like a kid on fucking Christmas. He can feel his anxiety try to crop back up, his heart beginning to race with it, and he promptly shoves it back the fuck down. Again. Stupid ass anxiety. He doesn’t fucking need to deal with that shit on top of everything, thanks. 

Unfortunately, he can’t quite make it go away fully, though fuck does he try. To his displeasure, it just gets worse a moment later when he hears the latch of the lock click, his throat running dry as he realizes that this is fucking it. He knows that not everyone will be there immediately, since the arrivals will be scattered throughout this day and the next, but still. He’s gonna at least be meeting his kyoudai’s fucking grandma and great aunt, two people he knows are so fucking important to his kyoudai. If they don’t like him, then… then… s-shit…

It’s as the door is opening slowly— so slow that Mondo wonders if the world has been put into slow motion, Jesus— that he feels a now familiar warmth brush his. He doesn’t even think as he grabs the hand with his own, twining their fingers immediately. He can feel Taka squeeze his hand comfortingly, and to his surprise it… it fucking helps. A lot. He can feel his anxiety fade, and while he’s still a little nervous, it ain’t as bad. Not when he’s reminded that no matter what, he still has Taka. That— luck permitting— he’ll always have Taka. And that? Is all that fucking matters.

And so, even when the door finally opens fully and he can see a lined, elderly face jutting out, familiar red eyes sharp and shrewd as they stare out at them, Mondo can’t quite feel the anxiety that tries to take hold inside him. Yes, he knows it’s still there, but it’s not quite as bad. Especially not when he feels Taka squeeze his hand again, as tight as humanly possible. It honestly kind of hurts, but Mondo doesn’t care. He just… he doesn’t care. 

“Mama!” Kiyoshi cries suddenly, her voice bright and happy. She then flings herself forward, her arms wrapping around the elderly lady standing in the doorway, warm and loving. 

Ah, Mondo thinks, looking between the two ladies. So, that’s Taka’s grandma, huh? He honestly doesn’t know how to feel about that. From what Taka has told him, his grandma is warm and loving to her family, but can be overly harsh to those she does not approve of. She’s apparently never been particularly fond of Takaaki, doubly so after the scandal, which has added a lot of tension in the family. If he doesn’t earn her approval… well. Shit. While he may not actually be dating Taka, part of him does kinda hope that his family will still like him. After all, he does really wanna be in Taka’s life for the rest of his, even if it’s just in a platonic light. It would be awkward as fuck if his family hated him all that time. 

“Kiyoshi, my daughter… it is so, so good to see you. It has been far too long,” Taka’s grandma, Kichi, says, her voice stronger than Mondo would have expected. She looks like a typical Japanese grandmother; her hair is pure white, her face is full of lines and age spots, and Mondo can see a cane held in her right hand even as she holds her daughter. But her voice is strong and sturdy, belying her age. 

“I know, mama. I wish I could visit more often. I’ve missed you,” Kiyoshi mumbles into her ma’s shoulder, and Mondo shuffles, feeling a bit awkward watching the scene. He always feels awkward when around loving families, since he never knows what the fuck to do. It also hurts, but that goes without fucking saying. 

Thankfully, the embrace ends soon enough, Kichi pulling back from the hug and giving her daughter a small but happy smile. Her eyes dart away from her daughter then, her face hardening as they land on something. To Mondo’s surprise, it’s not him she’s looking at with such distaste like he would have thought. Huh. 

“Yes, well. That’s not exactly your fault, now is it Kiyo?” Kichi intones, her lips turned downward in a slight sneer as she looks at Takaaki, the man looking the most uncomfortable Mondo has ever seen him. And honestly, Mondo doesn’t blame the man. He’s only been around her for less than a minute and he can already tell that Kichi is not the kind of lady you want to be on the bad side of. 

“Yes. It’s good to see you too, mother,” Takaaki replies stiffly, bowing lowly in respect. If he was hoping to get the lady to soften her death glare, he fails miserably, as her look gets somehow even more pinched. Well. This ain’t at all awkward…

“Mama. We’ve talked about this. Please don’t bring this up yet again. This is a time for family, not arguments. And besides. We have a guest today,” Kiyoshi stresses, darting her eyes over to Mondo conspicuously. Oh, fuck, why the hell did she have to go and do that for… oh, shit, now Kichi is looking over at him too, her eyes narrowing even more as she looks him up and down, her lips pulling down in a harsh frown, and Mondo has no hope that whatever she sees in him she likes. He can feel his heart rise to his throat and not even Taka’s reassuring squeeze to his hand can force it back down. Sh… shit. God fucking dammit… 

Trying desperately to remember all of the shit Daiya taught him about being ‘polite’ when he was younger (that he never bothers to fucking use, because who the fuck expects a goddamn biker to be fucking polite), Mondo bows lowly like he saw Takaaki do. Forcing his voice to go as ‘polite’ and ‘respectable’ as possible, he tries to give a greeting that won’t fuck him over before he even has a chance to really begin. 

“Hello, Gushiken-san. My name is Mondo Owada. It is very nice to meet you. I have heard many good things about you and it honors me greatly to meet you at last,” Mondo says as clearly and articulately as is physically possible. He’s been practicing all week for this and his heart is pounding as his mouth shuts with a silent click, his body still bent nearly in half in his bow. He has no idea when he should stop bowing or if he’s bending too much or too little or… s-shit, he’s fucking this up ain’t he, he’s already ruined everything, oh god, oh fuck, shit-

“Are you going to remain bent over all day or are you planning on straightening your back at some point?” he hears that deceptively strong voice call, the tone clipped and extremely short. Mondo straightens up immediately, his cheeks pink while embarrassment rises within him. With it he can feel the all too familiar anger, but he stuffs that right the fuck down before it can even rear its ugly head. He ain’t doing that shit, dear fucking god. Talk about ruining shit…

As his eyes land on the lady, his palms begin to sweat, heart pounding at the critical look upon her face as she looks him up and down, up and down. Mondo is still holding Taka’s hand and he can see how Kichi’s eyes linger upon the clasped appendages, her frown deepening. Shit…

“So. You are my Taka’s boyfriend, hm? I see…” Kichi muses, continuing her appraisal seemingly without rush. Mondo fights hard to not fidget or even really move at all as she looks her fill. This isn’t nearly the first time he’s been judged and found lacking, but it is prolly the first time that he wasn’t able to immediately rectify the situation, either by punching whatever fuckers would dare insult him, or else by barking insults at them and storming away without a single glance back. He can’t do either here and the unease inside him grows larger and larger with each second that passes. Shit… he’s always fucking hated being judged by people… like, he knows, he knows, he’s a goddamn piece of shit who ain’t gonna do shit with his life. He gets it. He knows. He doesn’t need fucking judgmental people telling him that… 

“Mama,” Kiyoshi interrupts sternly after about five seconds of this, sounding more annoyed than Mondo has ever heard her, “that’s enough. Like I said, Mondo-san is here as a guest, and we should treat him as such. I really do not want any more arguments this year. Please, Mama.” 

Kichi gets a pinched look on her face then, giving Mondo one final piercing look, before nodding sharply once and stepping back into the house. 

“Fine. Come in, then. Hana will inform you of the infernal changes she has made to the living arrangements. Against my wishes, mind you,” Kichi grumbles, taking her cane and slowly making her way into the body of the house. 

Once Kichi is out of their line of sight, Kiyoshi turns to face him, a small, sad smile on her lips. 

“Are you alright, Mondo-san? I understand that my mother can be a bit… intense at times. More so now after papa sadly passed a few years ago. If she ever says anything harsh to you, please let me know and I will have a talk with her. You are our guest and— more importantly— you are Taka’s love. I wish for you to feel welcome here.” 

The lump reforms in his throat, and he harshly pushes it down as he smiles and shrugs as casually as he can. 

“Oh, uh… don’t worry about me, uh… Kiyoshi-san. I can handle things like that. Not like it’s the first time,” Mondo mumbles, his cheeks turning pink. He forces himself to not look at the ground, knowing that would show weakness that he absolutely cannot afford. Unfortunately, looking at Kiyoshi allows him to see the sympathetic look that forms on the lady’s face, which is almost worse. 

“Ah, Mondo-san… well, you should not have to worry about such a thing here, and if you ever feel unwelcome for any reason, please come to me and I will handle it promptly. You are family, Mondo-san. And you are a good person. The things you may or may not have done in the past do not matter in the face of that,” she says softly, earnestly, so much like Taka it’s not funny. His chest aches so fucking bad in that moment, his hand clutching Taka’s tighter than he knows he should, but the hall monitor doesn’t complain. He just holds tightly back, looking at him in a way Mondo both dislikes and likes for vastly different reasons. 

Fortunately, he’s not expected to respond, since Kiyoshi turns back to the door and begins entering the house after a moment. “Anyway, we should head inside now. Come when you both are ready.” 

She and Takaaki enter the house then, though Takaaki looks just about as uncomfortable as Mondo feels. And Mondo definitely doesn’t blame the dude. Taka’s grandma sure is… shit. Daiya always told him not to speak bad about little old ladies, but man… 

“Are you doing alright, Mondo? I- I know you just answered that, but I… I just wanted to make sure,” Taka murmurs to him as soon as his parents are out of sight, his thumb rubbing a soothing circle on the back of his hand. Mondo gives the teen a tight smile, shrugging yet again. 

“Shit, man, I… I dunno. Ain’t exactly like I’m used ta shit like this. Give me a fuckin’ all out brawl an’ I’ll be just fine. Little ol’ ladies who hate me based on looks alone? Shit… but whatever, man. Already promised ya I’d do this shit, an’ I ain’t backin’ out now. I’ll handle it. An’ ya know, ya don’t hafta keep askin’ if I’m okay. Shit’s gonna get old fast. I… shit. How ‘bout this. I promise that if I ever am not doin’ okay, I’ll tell ya as soon as fuckin’ possible. Okay?” Mondo mumbles in reply, eyes intent on his kyoudai. Taka stares back for a handful of moments, before looking away with a firm nod. 

“I… of course, kyoudai. I would hate to bother you, so if you do not want me asking, I promise I will not! And I will trust that you will tell me if it ever becomes too much! And I… I promise I will do the same! Just… know that I am here for you, my friend. And that I personally think you are amazing. Very much so!” 

Mondo lets out a small laugh at Taka’s enthusiastic words, his smile turning genuine at the teen’s seemingly endless passion. He gives Taka one last squeeze of the hand before letting go, feeling a touch reluctant, but he knows he has to. Hoisting his duffel up his shoulder, he nods to Taka to indicate that the hall monitor should go ahead of him. Taka nods back enthusiastically and takes the handle of his suitcase, pulling it along behind him as they enter the house together. Mondo can still feel the unease inside of him, but it’s not that hard to push it down. 

Mondo follows Taka through the large and spacious entrance hall, taking his shoes off and placing them in the wooden box by the door like Taka does. It takes Taka a lot longer than Mondo, considering the teen wears the most ridiculously complicated boots Mondo has ever seen, but he doesn’t mind. Taka always takes stupidly long to do shit and Mondo has learned how to be patient for that kinda shit by now. It used to annoy him to no end, but now he finds it almost comforting. It just shows that Taka will always, inevitably, be Taka. And there’s no one in this world that Mondo would ever want his kyoudai to be. 

After Taka is finally done, Mondo follows the hall monitor down a few spacious hallways— passed some rooms that Mondo looks into curiously but doesn’t focus on too much— until they reach a doorway to a room that has the sound of many voices echoing out. Mondo pauses briefly when he sees Taka slip inside, heart skipping a beat despite himself, but he mentally slaps himself and forces himself onward. Daiya didn’t raise no little bitch, he tells himself harshly. He can handle this shit. It’s fucking fine. 

He firmly ignores the pounding of his heart as he walks into the room, which he is somewhat relieved to find is not as full as he would have expected, only maybe seven or eight people— including Taka’s parents and grandma— either standing or sitting around. But he knows for a fact that this ain’t everyone and sooner or later, he’ll have to deal with the entire brood. Fuck…

“Taka! Oh my god, it’s so good to see you again little Cuz!” a random, feminine sounding voice bursts out, breaking the momentary silence that had descended around the room. Mondo then watches as a chick— prolly in her early twenties, he guesses, based on the brief glimpse he gets of her face— throws herself at his kyoudai, her arms wrapping around him immediately. Mondo smirks when he sees Taka’s eyes widen, his hands hovering awkwardly before they hesitantly pat the chick’s back. Ha. Taka’s always been so fucking awkward with hugs. It’s so fucking cute. It took Mondo months to get Taka use to the occasional hug from him, and fuck, is he proud that Taka is comfortable being hugged and touched by him now.

“A-ah! H-hello, Yoshi! It’s good to see you too, cousin!” Taka stammers out awkwardly, though his voice sounds genuine. And with the name, Mondo is able to realize who this chick is. One of Taka’s second cousins, the one who has the new baby. Taka had mentioned that they are fairly close, which Mondo supposes explains the hug.

Yoshi pulls back from the hug pretty quick, though her smile is wide as she looks up at Taka, seeming to be genuinely happy to see his kyoudai. And Taka looks at her similarly, which makes Mondo smile too. Fuck, but he likes seeing Taka happy… the dude’s not happy often enough, in Mondo’s mind. 

“You’ve grown so much, Cuz! Ugh, you’re making me feel so old! I still remember holding you as a little baby, you screaming your little head off as soon as Auntie Kiyo let you go. Now look at us. You’re a big shot Ultimate Moral Compass at Hope’s freaking Peak, and I have two little kids, a husband, and a gosh darn career. When did we get so old, Cuz?” Yoshi bemoans, shaking her head sadly as she pouts at Taka. In return, Taka lets out a peal of laughter, his eyes crinkling like they always do when he laughs. It makes Mondo’s smile widen, adoring the laugh like he always does. What, it’s not weird, alright?! A dude can like his bro’s laugh! Nothing strange about it… 

“Ah! I would assume sometime between the last seventeen and twenty-five years!” Taka exclaims, his eyes lighting up as he says his little ‘joke,’ darting a glance at Mondo. Who, of course, immediately snorts with laughter, his eyes soft as he grins back at Taka, the hall monitor looking so fucking proud of himself. Mondo notices that no one else laughs, Yoshi even looking a little confused, but he doesn’t care. Taka’s fucking hysterical when he jokes around, as earnest and enthusiastic as he always is, even if the joke itself doesn’t make much sense. The fact that no one else thinks so is what baffles Mondo. 

“Nice one, man,” Mondo can’t help but say, heart light as Taka grins at him, looking so utterly adorable, good god. To his displeasure, Mondo gets distracted from tracing Taka’s features when he hears someone gasp loudly, before footsteps sound. Footsteps that appear to be approaching him, shit. 

Immediately on alert, Mondo turns to face the noise, back stiff and straight, only to blink in confusion when he sees a wide eyed chick staring straight at him. Blinking, he lets his eyes trace her features, frowning slightly. Her face is small and rounded, her nose and lips equally small, but her eyes— which are a deep, mahogany brown— are large as they stare at him unblinking. It’s… actually kinda creepy, honestly… uh…

“Okay, as touching as this little reunion is— and as happy as I am to see you little cousin— I am afraid that this fine specimen has yet to be introduced. Who are you and where exactly have you been all my life???” the chick exclaims, fluttering her eyelashes at him in a way he thinks is supposed to be alluring, but just looks kind of silly to him.

“Uh…” Mondo says intelligently, blinking in shock at the forwardness of the chick. He doesn’t get a chance to say anything more before the chick is ‘causally’ leaning forward, her hand ‘accidentally’ brushing his bicep and squeezing. Okay, ya know what… 

“My name is Miki Sano, but you can call me the girl of your dreams if you’d like,” the chick continues, her smile decidedly flirty. Mondo distantly recognizes the name as one Taka had told him, realizing that this chick is the perpetually single younger sister of Yoshi, but that doesn’t help him at all. He still feels absolutely floored, having no idea what the fuck to do. This isn’t exactly a situation he’s ever found himself in, really. And it’s not like he’s never been hit on before, right? He has once or twice. It’s just that usually the chicks aren’t this forward, since most chicks are scared off by his typical get up, and the ones who approach tend to be put off by his blunt demeanor. He guesses it’s a little flattering, but mostly it’s just awkward…

Thankfully, before he has to try and think of something intelligible to say, Taka is there, frowning as he stares at the hand still clinging to Mondo’s bicep. Oh, thank fuck… 

“A-ah, Miki! I, er… I- I ask you to please refrain from doing that!” Taka exclaims, though his voice is a bit too hesitant to have any real effect. Case in point, Miki just raises an eyebrow at him, head tilted curiously. Her hand is still clutching his arm, though, and Mondo has to fight not to shake her off, not comfortable with the touch at all. He’s never liked people touching him without permission and this is no exception. Shit, but if he weren’t trying to impress Taka’s family…

“Oh? And why not, little cousin? I don’t see why I shouldn’t. Unless… oh, wait… he isn’t taken is he?” 

Taka bites his lip harshly at the somewhat downtrodden question, eyes darting between him and Miki. After a second, Taka nods, though he doesn’t look very certain. Ah… shit… he truly hopes Taka isn’t about to blow their cover before they even really begin, goddamn…

“Ah, well… w-well… y-yes! He- he is, um, taken, so to speak! F-for you see, he is, um… I mean, that is to say, he is my… m-my- um… uh…”

“I’m Taka’s boyfriend,” Mondo interrupts when it becomes clear that Taka cannot continue, the teen’s face bright red and looking painfully uncertain and uncomfortable. He shoots Taka a glance that he intends to mean ‘calm the fuck down, dude, just act natural,’ but he doesn’t know how well Taka understands it. If anything, Taka looks more freaked out now, not less. Aw, shit…

The effect of his words on the room is instantaneous though, as a collective gasp is heard all around. He knows that everyone in Taka’s family knows he’s gay after he came out during winter, the word spreading quickly between those who had not been around during his initial announcement. He guesses based on this reaction that only a select few were told that Taka would be bringing his ‘boyfriend’ with him for the gathering. Well, shit. That’s fucking awkward. 

“You’re what?!” Miki bursts out after a moment of shocked silence, sounding absolutely floored. “I’m sorry, are you telling me that Taka— nerdy, dorky little Taka— somehow managed to score a hunk like you?! And I can’t even manage to score a fricken date with anyone?! What the hell!” 

Offense rises within Mondo at the words, his eyes narrowing as he glares at the chick. Because… okay, what the fuck is that supposed to mean, huh?!

“Hey! The hell ya mean by that?!” Mondo growls lowly, unable to keep it in. He watches as Miki’s eyes widen, the chick finally letting go of his arm to take a step back. While part of him feels a bit bad for scaring the chick, most of him feels fucking relieved that at least he doesn’t have to put up with that bullshit anymore. 

“N-nothing!” Miki stammers, eyes darting between him and Taka. “Just… it’s Taka… you know? Mom told us he came out over winter— which I fully support by the way! Go gay rights!!— but, uh… I mean, I never would have thought he’d, you know… actually get a boyfriend… I mean, mostly because he always said he wasn’t interested in dating, so… y-yeah.” 

Mondo’s shoulders relax a little at the comment, realizing that she’s kind of right, even if he still doesn’t quite like the way she said that shit. But honestly… he can kinda get it. He would also be shocked if he heard Taka got a boyfriend after all the insisting he’s done about how he’s uninterested in things like that. Not that it’d surprise him that someone would fall for his highly lovable and endearing kyoudai, definitely not! He’d be more surprised if anyone didn’t immediately fall for the dude, to tell the truth. Just… it’s more that he wouldn’t think Taka would want that sort of thing. Which the dude clearly doesn’t. Which is why he’s fucking here in the first place. Not that anyone else knows that, but still… 

“As fascinating as this interaction is, I believe we have more important things to deal with at the moment. Such as, perhaps, introductions,” a wry, aged voice calls out suddenly, cutting through the somewhat tense silence that has arisen in the room. Mondo’s head instinctively turns to face the foreign voice, his back stiffening immediately. Because standing by the entrance of the room, at least a good forty centimeters shorter than himself, stands someone who Mondo can only assume is Taka’s infamous Great Aunt Hana, her eyes shrewd as they stare at him. She looks similar to her sister, with piercing red eyes that seem to stare deep into his soul, though she seems less disapproving and more… curious. Maybe. Or maybe he’s just seeing what he wants to see, really… 

“I think Auntie Hana is right,” Yoshi calls, looking sternly at her younger sister, “introductions are what are more important right now. But, for the record, I have no problem believing that little Taka has a boyfriend. He’s a wonderful person and anyone who can’t see that must be blind.”

Mondo grins at the words, nodding his head firmly in agreement. Hell yeah, that’s right! That’s the kinda shit he’d been saying for months! Damn, he thinks he and this Yoshi chick are gonna get alone just fine, heh… he can see Taka’s bright red face when he turns to look at the dude and while he had intended on looking only briefly, he can’t quite seem to tear his eyes away… 

“Anyway! My name is Yoshi Winters, I am one of Taka’s many cousins. It is a pleasure to meet you, Taka’s boyfriend,” Yoshi continues after a second, her eyes shining mischievously as they look at him. Mondo’s face heats up when he catches the look after finally tearing his eyes away from his kyoudai, feeling oddly nervous about something. Whatever, it don’t matter… “My husband, Alex, is currently upstairs with our two children, who are sleeping after the long car ride. I’m sure they’ll be up soon enough, eager to meet new people. Just a warning; my eldest— Samantha— is very much a talker and if she gets you in her sights, you will be subjected to an hour long rambling conversation about subjects only she understands.” 

“Sounds like a conversation with Taka,” Mondo mumbles under his breath, smirking as he looks up at the teen next to him. He makes sure to keep his eyes and smirk soft to ensure the dude doesn’t think he’s making fun of him, since he most definitely isn’t. At all. He can see Taka’s pout and glare, but he can also see a softness in return in his eyes, so he thinks Taka understands that he doesn’t mean it in a bad way. Not at all. 

Yoshi must have heard his comment since she’s smirking as well, her eyes lit up with that mischievous light again. She doesn’t comment on it and instead just continues to look at him, her head tilted pointedly in his direction. Ah… fuck. It’s his turn to introduce himself, ain’t it…? Fuck. 

Straightening his back as much as he can, he looks around the room and smiles as nicely as is possible. Which he knows isn’t that great, his smile has always looked a bit awkward, but whatever, he can’t fix that shit now. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Yoshi, and I am honored to have been invited to this family gathering,” Mondo says the practiced words carefully, forcing his voice to be as strong and assured as possible. He knows he could do better, though, shit… “My name is… uh. My name is Mondo Owada. Taka and I go to school together. It’s good to meet you all.” 

As soon as his name has left his lips, he can see the effect it has on both Miki and Yoshi. While before they’d been looking at him curiously (and a little sullenly, in Miki’s case), after he says his name, he can see their eyes widen, both chicks gasping softly and taking half a step back. It’s so fucking clear they recognize his name and are now fucking afraid of him, like everyone fucking is. He can feel their eyes as they dart back and forth between him and Taka, and it makes him feel like utter shit. 

He does all he can to shove it down, not wanting to ruin shit anymore, but he can’t help the discontent that rises inside of him at the fearful glances. It just gets worse when he hears Taka’s aunt let out a soft hum, the lady looking him up and down curiously, though she doesn’t seem disapproving. Though, again… maybe that’s just wishful fucking thinking… 

“Mondo Owada, hm? An interesting name,” Hana muses, causing Mondo’s stomach to clench uneasily. Shit… Hana pauses for a second, letting the moment sit, before continuing, voice a bit brighter than before. Maybe. 

“You are well met. My name is Hana Masuda, though you may call me Auntie Hana if you would like. Most people do. This is my husband, Akiro Masuda,” Hana gestures to a silent man Mondo hadn’t noticed before, who is standing to her right. The man bows slightly in greeting, Mondo bowing equally in return. It makes Hana smile, small as it is, and Mondo can only hope he didn’t mess this entire thing up. “So, you are Taka’s boyfriend, then? You are not what I imagined you to be.” 

The words cause Mondo to wince despite himself, shoulders bunching up with tension. Because… shit. Yeah, he’s not what he’d imagine Taka’s boyfriend to be like either… heh. 

And then…

“Hmph. I’ll say. He looks like a thug.” 

Mondo can feel his body tense more than it has all day, his heart beating quick at the all too familiar insult. His wide eyes dart over to the source of the words, his hands clenching when he sees Taka’s grandmother giving him a shrewd, clearly disapproving look. Well. If he was at all wondering whether she actually approved of him or not…

Chest tight and throat thick, Mondo watches dully as Kiyoshi rounds on her mother, eyes full of a silent fury he’s only ever seen his kyoudai have, the glare as impressive as Taka’s always has been. It honestly makes Mondo feel worse. Oh, fuck… 

“Mama! How on earth could you say such a thing?! That is not at all true and it is very disrespectful to say something so hurtful towards a guest!” Kiyoshi cries, tone very unhappy. Mondo clenches his hands as tight as he dares, his chest aching like a bitch, though he forces himself not to focus on it. He knew this was going to happen. He knew Taka’s family would never accept him, knew they’d see him as nothing more than a no good, criminal thug. Taka’s old man does, so why wouldn’t the rest of them? It’s not a surprise. It really isn’t. 

He wishes it didn’t hurt quite so badly, though…

“Oh? And why exactly shouldn’t I say that daughter? It’s not like what I said is untrue. We all know full well who he is, so why pretend otherwise?” 

Taka stiffens up next to him, the dude clearly feeling indignant on Mondo’s behalf, and Mondo wishes he could tell him not to bother. That it’s okay. That Mondo… that Mondo gets it. Yeah, it sucks balls, and he wishes shit was different, but the fact remains that he’s a goddamn piece of shit who’s done some horrible things in his life. It’s not other people’s fault when they see that and judge him accordingly. Why Taka sees anything in him at all, Mondo has no clue. He doesn’t deserve it. Christ knows he doesn’t deserve it. 

He’s never deserved Taka. Never. 

Shit like this is why he never thought of having anything more than this with Taka, though. More than… than what they have. It’s already more than he deserves. Anything more than that, and… shit. Shit. He can’t be thinking this shit.

“Kichi, that is enough. This is not the time for arguments, little sister. It does not do to judge a person on looks alone, as you well know. A person’s character requires more time to be determined,” Hana interjects before anything else can be said, her voice hard and unyielding. Mondo doesn’t even know what to think of it, as twisted as his insides feel. “Now, it has been a long day for all of us. I believe it would be good to allow our guests to retreat to their rooms and freshen up before dinner in an hour. Is that understood?” 

Despite himself, Mondo finds his eyes darting up when a thick silence descends around the room, feeling somewhat anxious as he looks over at Hana. He watches as the lady stares steadily at her sister, who is glaring steadily back. After a moment of this staring contest, Kichi grimaces and looks away, annoyance plain on her face. 

“Very well, ane. If that is what you think to be best,” Kichi grumbles, every inch the disgruntled granny she is. Mondo would find it amusing that even old ladies bow down to the demands of older siblings, but he’s not really in the mood to find anything amusing, really… 

He jolts a second later when he feels a gentle hand touch his shoulder, eyes wide as he looks up into soft, concerned scarlet. They are watery and are bleeding their emotions like always, and it takes Mondo’s breath away, his heart clenching pathetically. He can see a small, shaky smile rise on pale lips in his lower periphery, the eyes he’s still staring into speaking volumes that he can barely understand. He tries his hardest to smile back, but he can feel how shaky and unstable it is. His weakness shames him and he thinks that Taka would be so much better off without him. 

But Taka… Taka doesn’t seem to care. Taka just beams at him, his eyes lighting up like a goddamn Christmas tree, and it makes his heart hurt even worse. But it also… it also helps. Seeing Taka smile at him, having him so close, so near… it reminds him once more that no one else fucking matters. That it doesn’t matter if the whole world hates him, just as long as Taka doesn’t. As long as he has Taka… that’s all that fucking matters. He just has to hope that he never angers Taka enough to make the hall monitor hate him again… he honestly doesn’t know if he could handle that. He truly doesn’t. 

“Very well then. I shall explain the changes I have made,” Hana asserts after a moment of silence, her sharp eyes darting over to him and Taka briefly, head tilted curiously. Mondo doesn’t really notice it, though. He’s too busy looking at Taka, who looks steadily back. “Kiyoshi, you and your husband will be in your old room like usual. However, I felt that Taka and his boyfriend may wish to have more privacy than sleeping on your bedroom floor, so I cleared out an old closet that I believe should be big enough for them to share if they want it.” 

Hana pauses, before addressing him and Taka directly, eyes sharp on them again.

“It’s not much, but it’s the best I have to offer if you two wish for privacy. It’s up to you both if you wish to sleep there or sleep on the floor of your parent’s room.”

Taka looks away from him then— to Mondo’s private displeasure— and gives his aunt a wide-eyed look. 

“A-ah! I am certain the closet will be fine, Great Aunt Hana! You have my humblest thanks!” Taka exclaims, bowing slightly. It makes Mondo smile, his shoulders relaxing again as he looks at his kyoudai. He can still feel eyes on him, judging him, but he forces himself not to focus on it. He’s just here to pretend to be Taka’s boyfriend. It doesn’t matter if his family doesn’t like him, it’s not like they’re actually dating. Shit, if anything it’s better if they don’t like him. It means they’ll all prolly be glad when they ‘break up,’ and maybe that relief will make them feel more charitable towards him when they ‘go back’ to being just friends. Silver fucking linings and all that. 

Mondo watches dully as Hana smiles at Taka, her eyes soft and fond as she looks at the teen. She nods her head once and begins moving towards the doorway, clearly expecting them to follow her, her gait steady and even.

“Come along, then. I will show you where your living space will be.” 

Mondo shares a look with Taka, before shrugging and following after the lady, who he notices doesn’t use a cane like her sister does. As he exits the room, he doesn’t look at anyone and just keeps his eyes firmly ahead of himself, not wavering a centimeter. He knows it’s fucking rude, but at this moment he just doesn’t care. He’s so fucking tired and it’s not even night time yet. He just needs to remove himself from this situation before he quite literally explodes. 

Once out of the room, Mondo is able to relax only slightly, glad to no longer be stared at. He knows that he’s not in the clear yet, though, so he doesn’t let himself pause to catch his breath and just continues to follow Hana. They eventually reach a flight of stairs that Hana wordlessly climbs, not even looking back to see if they’re still following. Without a word, Mondo bends down and grabs Taka’s monstrosity of a bag as he begins to climb after the lady, the burn of the weight honestly soothing. He can feel Taka’s eyes on him as they follow, but it’s easier to handle just Taka than everyone else. It always has been. 

It’s not long after they reach the top of the staircase that Hana stops outside a plain sliding door, turning to face them at last with a piercing look. 

“Here we are, boys. Like I said, it’s not very large but I believe you both will have enough space to at least lie down and sleep, should you chose to stay in here. You can either keep your things on the shelves, or else you can keep them in your parent’s room, Taka,” Hana says, looking steadily at them both. She opens the closet and gestures for them to look inside, which they do after a moment’s pause. 

It’s… well, small would be an understatement. He can tell it was originally meant as a fairly large walk in closet, perhaps for storing cleaning supplies. He thinks that it’s roughly a meter long and a little under two meters wide, making it a decently sized closet, but a small ass room. And honestly, Mondo doesn’t know if he’ll even fit inside while lying down, since he’s roughly 187 cm and he can’t imagine the room being much wider than that. If he does fit, he can already tell it will be a tight squeeze, especially with Taka added into the mix. He does notice that there is a sleeping mat placed on the floor that takes up almost the entirety of the space, which he guesses will make sleeping on the ground somewhat softer, but prolly not by much. All in all, it leaves a lot to be desired as sleeping spaces go.

But honestly… it sure as hell ain’t the worst place he’s slept. After their ma died when he was eight, he and Daiya were kinda homeless for a year and had to sleep in some… interesting places while Dai worked on figuring out how to gain custody of him so he wouldn’t be shipped off back to their piece of shit old man. He had never minded, though. Not even when they had to sleep under an overpass in the dead of winter, huddling together for warmth. It wasn’t that bad as long as he had Daiya there with him. And just like then, he thinks that he can handle sleeping on a thin mat in this small ass closet just as long as he can have Taka beside him. 

He looks over at Taka and finds that the teen is already looking at him, his lips pulled down in a frown as he cocks his head in silent question. Mondo shrugs in reply, nodding to show that he doesn’t mind sleeping here. Especially if it means they don’t have to sleep on the floor of Taka’s parent’s room, which he shudders to think of. Talk about fucking awkward as shit… Taka lets out a little hum, turning to his aunt with a wide smile and another shallow bow. 

“I believe that this will work, Great Aunt Hana! Thank you very much!”

Hana smiles softly back at him, her eyes softening from the intense stare she had been giving them before. She then reaches out and gently pats Taka’s cheek, humming under her breath. 

“Good. I am glad. But, before I leave, I must say that it really is good to see you again, my nephew. Words cannot express how much it gladdens me to see that you have finally taken an interest in dating. Seeing you happy, my child, is what I have always wanted the most. If he makes you happy, then that is all that matters in my mind,” Hana murmurs to Taka, eyes on him alone. It makes Mondo a little uncomfortable to see such a private and tender scene, especially one that is kinda about him. Neither participant seems to mind his presence, though, so he just stands there, feeling awkward as fuck…

“A-ah… t-thank you, Great Aunt Hana… that- that means quite a lot to me… a-and yes. He… he does make me happy. Very much so,” Taka replies quietly after a moment, his eyes shiny and his lips pulled up into a gentle smile. Taka looks over at him then, causing Mondo’s heart to begin racing stupidly, mouth going dry. He ignores it like always and just smiles gently back.

“That is wonderful to hear, dear Taka. Now, I shall leave you two alone to get settled in your room. If you find that you dislike it, I’m afraid that the only other available space we have is, as I’ve said, with your parents. You are welcome to sleep there instead, if you prefer. Either way, I shall let you both rest and will see the two of you in an hour for dinner. Farewell.” 

With that, Hana retreats down the hall, away from them both. Mondo watches after her for a minute, until he is certain she is out of view. The second he determines that she is, he allows himself to fully let out the breath he’d been holding and relaxes against the wall, his exhaustion hitting him like a ton of bricks. 

Fuck, was that tense as shit. Don’t get him wrong, Mondo has faced a shit ton of tense and awkward situations in his life. But that had to be one of the worst, more so considering he was unable to escape it like he usually would. And he just… he hates being forced into awkward, tense situations without knowing what the fuck to do. He always has. It’s one of the reasons why he created his ‘tough guy biker’ persona, honestly. Tough guy bikers don’t have to worry about being judged. Tough guy bikers just beat the shit out of anyone who dares to fucking judge them. In many ways, it’s easier to just be a tough guy biker who doesn’t give a shit about what other people think. 

As Mondo relaxes against the wall, he can see Taka staring at him anxiously, the teen shifting awkwardly like he wants to say something. Mondo knows exactly what he wants to say— of course he does, Taka is the easiest book to read on the shelf— and he can feel his shoulders start to bunch up again in anticipation at the stupid as fuck question he knows the teen wants to ask. And when Taka finally opens his mouth…

“Mondo… I was wondering-“

“I’m fuckin’ fine, Taka, god fuckin’ dammit,” Mondo growls, eyes narrowing with annoyance. Shit. He adores his kyoudai, but fuck can he be a broken record at times. He’d hoped his promise would make this shit stop, but apparently not…

He feels even more like shit when Taka reels back, his eyes widening for a second, before narrowing with hurt. It pains Mondo to see his friend look so upset, especially knowing it was his fucking fault, but he just… shit. Maybe he ain’t doing that great with all of this… he wants to be, wants to be able to do this shit no problem, but… fuck…

“I… I- I know that, my kyoudai. That wasn’t what I was going to ask. I remember your promise, after all, and I know you would not go back on that,” Taka mutters, eyes falling to the ground as he fiddles with the hem of his jacket. All of which makes Mondo feel even worse, god fucking dammit… Taka continues before Mondo can try to apologize, the teen looking uncomfortable and unhappy, which guts Mondo completely. “I… I was going to ask if you’d like to get some rest. I don’t know about you, but I am feeling… very tired. And I would like to rest before the rest of my family arrives. If you would rather not, then I can always give you a tour of the house I suppose, once we get our things settled. O-or I- I could show you the forest… I- I know how much you enjoy things like that, kyoudai, so if it will make you happy I will be more than willing to take you and explore the place together, though it truly isn’t that big, I don’t even know if it technically qualifies as a forest, really, and-“

“I think some rest would be fine, man,” Mondo interrupts as gently as he can, knowing that if he doesn’t then Taka will just keep on going for the next hour. Taka jerks his head up to look at him, eyes wide and tight, though they soften when they see that Mondo means what he says. It helps him relax again to see Taka relax, the tension flowing right on out. 

With that decided, Mondo moves to close the door carefully, the room a lot more claustrophobic with it shut, but he honestly prefers that to the paranoid idea that Taka’s family is watching him. Moving in sync like they usually do, he and Taka begin putting their things away, no more words needed as a comfortable silence rises between them. Since the space is so small, they don’t have much room for storage, but there are several shelves and drawers that have been cleared for them to put their things in. Mondo keeps his shit in his duffel for efficiency’s sake, while Taka removes his uniforms and begins hanging them up along the back wall where a pole resides. It will end up giving them even less space, but Mondo doesn’t complain, knowing how important his uniforms are to Taka. He just feels glad he was able to convince the dude that he doesn’t need to wear his arm band during the break. Small fucking victory, really. 

Once everything is set up to Taka’s liking, Mondo watches as the teen gingerly kneels on the floor, grabbing the blankets they’d found on one of the numerous shelves. Taka then lies on the thin mat, shifting to get comfortable. Mondo blinks in surprise when he sees Taka hesitantly open his arms while looking up at him so fucking shyly, which Mondo knows from experience means that the dude wants to hold Mondo, for once. They don’t do shit like that often, since it embarrasses the hell out of Mondo, but he’s feeling just shitty enough to oblige his kyoudai. 

He quickly removes his stupid ass ‘respectable’ get up and changes into something more appropriate for sleeping, which is hard considering how cramped it is. He’s proud to say he only hits his head three times, letting out muffled curses for each. Once that is done, Mondo awkwardly lies down beside Taka, the mat as uncomfortable as he imagined. 

There’s a split second of awkwardness now that they’re laying down together, but Mondo quickly moves passed it as he shifts to do what Taka had wordlessly requested. It’s hard considering he barely fits in the space in the first place, but after some careful shifting and maneuvering, Mondo is able to rest his head gently atop Taka’s surprisingly comfortable chest, back to the wall, listening to the teen’s steadily beating heart. He can hear the beat speed up, which in turn causes his own to follow suit, but it’s not bad. He even kind of likes it, even if he has to awkwardly bend his legs to not bump them into the wall. 

As he curls his right hand lightly into Taka’s undershirt, he feels Taka hesitantly wrap his arms around him, pulling him slightly closer. Mondo goes easily, burying his face into Taka’s neck and breathing deep. As he’d said, they don’t do shit like this often, have maybe done it a total of three times including now, but… but Mondo kind of likes it. Being the one who is held for once. Don’t get him wrong, it makes him feels weak as shit, but as long as he doesn’t focus on that, it’s… it’s not that bad. In fact, it’s really, really fucking nice. So… so fucking nice…

“I know that what happened earlier was not… ideal, kyoudai. And I cannot say if it will get any better or not. All I can say is that I am so very glad you are here with me, my dearest friend. And that I am more grateful than words can say to have you,” Taka whispers into his hair, arms tightening until all Mondo can feel is Taka. Still, Mondo tries to press closer, his leg hesitantly moving between Taka’s so they can get even closer. He can hear Taka’s breath hitch— which makes him doubt himself greatly— but he feels so much like shit right now, and being close to Taka like this just… it makes him feel better, alright? So, he pushes aside the doubt and snuggles close, turning his mind the fuck off for once. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever man. Ya know I’d do fuckin’ anythin’ fer you. Just… go the fuck ta sleep, Taka. We can figure the rest a’ this shit out later. Okay?” 

Taka hums softly at the order, nodding against the top of Mondo’s head. He doesn’t reply back and just squeezes him tightly once, before relaxing against the mat. A few minutes later, Taka is fast asleep, the hall monitor clearly exhausted if he willingly would fall asleep during the middle of the day. But Mondo doesn’t mind. While he doesn’t think he’ll be able to get any actual sleep, it’s good enough for him to lie here with Taka and just… exist, he guesses. Be with his kyoudai, one of the most important people in his life. Not worry about how unworthy he is, or how he doesn’t deserve this at all. It’s fine. He… he’s fine. 

He’ll have to be. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ha, I hope y'all liked the OC's. I kind of based Yoshi's interaction with Taka on how I interact with my own younger cousins. They were born when I was 7 (they're twins, one boy and one girl) and I remember holding one of them when they were only a few months old. The other didn't let me since he was a bit crankier than his sister. And now they're graduating from high school next year and I'm in graduate school. Oof. I don't get to see them often since they live across the country, but whenever I do I always have that whole "why are you getting so old!!!! Stop!!! Aging!!!!!" thing. I'm the baby of my family, with only one older brother, so seeing younger family members age is distressing, ha.

[n3verending16]

you were good to me - Oikawa Tooru x Reader

So, this is my first ever fanfic! Aah! Writing this was 100% a daunting experience for me, but I largely enjoyed writing it (posting it tho? *rapidly spams space button to align lyrics with the middle* *posts* *formatting is completely off and i have to do it all over again* *screams*). If you have any constructive criticism/ formatting tips, please comment it or send me a message ʕ •́؈•̀ ₎

Not requested, but certainly inspired by all the other oikawa x reader writer-chans out there (and a good friend of mine, yejin if you're reading this ily smkamsjskamssjk)!

caitlin and cindy ily too uwu

Based off "you were good to me"

All credits belong to their rightful owners

………………………………………………………………………………………

Lying, isn't better than silence

"I don't love you anymore."

Oikawa Tooru could feel the bitter aftertaste of his own words to you that night.

Floating, but I feel like I'm dying

One year later, and he still couldn't break off the chains that anchored him down every time he jumped for the ball in a match. He couldn't fly like he used to, the guilt in his gut pressing him down every time he looked towards the stands and you weren't there, cheering for him as you usually did. It was his choice, his fault. And he regretted it, although he wished he didn't.

Still, no matter where I go

At the end of every road

You had always been there for him before, whenever he felt he wasn't good enough. The gentle caress of your fingers through his hair and your soft eyes peering into his own chocolate irises had helped him get over the loss of the match and focus on getting even better than he was. On particularly harsh days, you sang him to sleep, the dulcet tones and lull of your voice relaxing him as he passed into a gentle slumber.

You were good to me

You were good to me, yeah

You had always been understanding of him whenever he ended his practice sessions late. You never asked for his time, knowing his passion for volleyball burned brighter than anything you'd ever seen before, and you wanted to support him. You hugged and congratulated him with a smile on your face when he won, and you comforted him when he lost, but most importantly, you were always there in his life. A constant he could trust, someone he could rely on, someone he could love. He'd been thankful for it. And yet, when he saw the successful application to the Argentinian Volleyball Team, he was hit with the truth. Oikawa was moving to a country on the other side of the world, and things would've gotten so much harder for the both of you. You deserved someone that was so much more than him, someone who would hold you at night, someone who could go on real dates with you, someone who could, and would, put their own time away for you. As much as it hurt him, he knew for your own good, he had to let you go. So he did it the way he hoped would hurt you the least.

I know it's easier to run

After everything I've done

Cut it off. Keep your emotions away from this. This is what's best for them.

"I'm moving to Argentina, and I think it's time I tell you something..."

"I don't love you anymore. We should end things."

You were good to me

Yeah, you were good to me

He still hears your quiet sobs that night sometimes.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Leaving, isn't better than trying

You'd spent that night lying on the couch, crying to yourself over your boyfriend who'd just walked out on you. What had you done wrong? Were you still not good enough for him? As soon as you had began to stop, reduced to sniffles, images of his silhouetted back as he walked out the front door and the cold glint in his brown eyes as he said the words that broke your heart flashed through your mind made you start bawling all over again. Had everything that had happened between the two of you been a lie? Had your presence in his life not mattered to him as much as his presence in yours?

Growing, but I'm just growing tired

You would've liked to say you were a different person than you had been one year ago. You would've liked to be spiteful and show Oikawa Tooru, international volleyball star, that you had outgrown being lovesick and was now independent and successful, with people who truly loved you. You would've liked to tell yourself that you were so, so much better off without him. But that was a lie, and you were not one to lie to yourself.

Now I'm worried for my soul

And I'm still scared of growing old

You had, honestly, tried to get over him though. You'd made yourself pass out from drunkenness only to wake up the next morning with a pounding headache and the incident more ingrained into your head. You'd busied yourself with cooking, gaming and knitting, and when that hadn't worked, considered a one-night stand from an overly amiable guy you'd just met at the corner café, after deciding against it when one of the girls standing in front of the window outside sent you two a deathly stare. You'd stacked all of his belongings and tried to burn them, until you realised your shaky hands couldn't start the lighter properly.

Even if you had forgotten him for a while, a dull, grey, reprieve from the emotions in your head, it wouldn't have been for long; the memories were everywhere. There was the book he'd accidentally spilt his bubble tea in when you snuck up behind him. There was the somewhat-lopsided drawer, a result of when it got stuck and he'd tried to force it in anyway, ending up in the sides breaking. There was the red christmas mug you'd gotten for him; only to realise he'd given you the exact same one, but green. The small bin in your room was full of milk bread wrappers. Even the study desk in the corner reminded you of days where he would try to draw something cute for you- you'd laughed and told him he had all the time in the world to improve.

You were good to me

You were good to me, yeah

That had clearly been a lie. And yet, you couldn't bring yourself to believe the words he'd said to you before he left a year ago were the truth. You had been sure that your relationship was pure, built from the ground on trust and a mutual understanding of each other- you'd respect his love for volleyball, he'd respect your desire to work harder in your career. Sure, he didn't sound like he was lying, but he was THE Oikawa Tooru- a man who held his confident and flippant façade up to the spotlights, letting the light shine on him however he pleased. You needed to know the truth, and like a burning question at the back of your mind, it never disappeared- before you contacted Iwaizumi Hajime, his best friend and your former close classmate, who told you "It was about time you knew the truth". You were glad to have heard those words.

After having a long conversation with Haji (most of it was you cussing), you wanted to hug Oikawa and punch him at the same time.

One decision led to another and the next day, you were standing on an airplane one year after the breakup with a plane ticket clutched in your hands, and a ticket to the Argentina vs Spain match folded up neatly in your purse.

"Try to let him off easy, yeah? He hasn't been at his best ever since he left you. I think he still regrets it."

………………………………………………………………………………………

And I'm so used to letting go

But I don't wanna be alone

There's noise in the stadium, filled with the audience's cheers and camera shutters going off, but drowned out by the silence in his own head. Oikawa lines the ball up to serve, watching the other team, analysing their positions. "Where should I hit?" he thinks to himself. This is his chance to take another set against Spain. If he misses this one, they will have lost the match 3-1, and it would've been his fault. He can't let that happen. The whistle blows, the ball goes up, and he's doing his jump-serve again, feeling the chains around his feet ready to snap taut like always.

But then amidst the bright lights, among the screaming crowd, he sees a flash of white and teal. Time seems to stop, and he floats in the air.

Was't that his Aoba Johsai volleyball jacket from high school? The one that he'd left behind at your house?

At first, he dismissed it quickly, thinking it was another die-hard fangirl who had one made or maybe even someone from his old team, because no way in hell could you be here right now watching him play when he'd walked out of your life and caused you so much pain and heartbreak one year ago. But then he saw the black purse, with a delicate pink floral pattern and gold highlights. The one he'd gotten for you on your birthday. He meets your wide eyes, your name is on his lips as he stares at your form.

But time moves again. And he grunts as his palm makes contact with the ball, making it fly into the corner and the other team turns and gapes at where surely there was a dent in the ground from the impact. They'd taken back a set, the score was 2-2. His team cheers wildly around him. The commentators rapidly fire off about the service ace- something he hadn't been able to do for a long time.

He's still staring at you in mid-air, but then he falls, meets the ground, his legs give out from under him and everything blurs.

You were good to me

You were good to me, yeah

You stare, lips parted as he collapses, slightly rising from your seat from worry. Had his knee gotten any better from before? Would he still be okay? Surely everything he'd worked for couldn't just end from a fall... but you realised if it did, it would've been your fault. You were, after all, the one who distracted him. Something punches you in the gut as you watch him get up, and he looks at you, the expression on his face one of pure shock and something you can't quite decipher. He keeps his eyes on yours as they shrug on his national sports jacket and carry him off, and you stare into his milky chocolate irises until the doors close behind him. Then you're pushing yourself through the crowd of seated anxious girls to find him again.

God only knows where our fears go

Hearts I've broke, now my tears flow

Oikawa finds himself in the hallway staring at the azure blue sky outside the window as a flock of birds soars past. The medics fuss over him, lifting his mildly sore leg and checking it once, twice, and he absentmindedly nods at their questions. There's a commotion at the door at the end of the hallway and he hears your muffled, strained voice. "No, please! I need to see him... you don't understand..." Eyes widening, he lifts himself up and hobbles over to the door at the end of the hallway, ignoring the protests of the baffled medics and guards. He puts his hand on the handle of the door and pushes, finding you arguing with a guard on the other side of the door. He hears his name from you, your voice giving him comfort. He smiles, albeit a broken one but still, a genuine smile, before he falls, his knee giving out again.

But this time, you're there to catch him.

You'll see that I'm sorry

Cause you were good to me

You were good to me

You hold Tooru as he sobs onto your shoulder. His tears cascade down his face as he clings to you, and he knows he doesn't deserve this, doesn't deserve you. Why had you tried to find him, after he broke your heart a year ago? You realise you're crying too when your vision blurs and all you can sense is the warmth from his skin on yours, his smell filtering the air around you. You take a deep breath in, honey vanilla with slight mint curling into your nose. People awkwardly stand by as they watch the reunion, mindful of the emotions and rawness in the air but also aware of the need to relieve pressure from his leg a bit. Eventually, someone bites the bullet and Oikawa sits down against the wall with you on his right. "You came here from Japan." Tooru hoarsely whispers. "Why?"

Before you could answer, the door opens and his teammate pops his head in, taking note of the people standing uncomfortably around.

"Hey Tooru, are you gonna be able to play?" he speaks in Spanish. He takes sight of you, a girl he's seen somewhere before, sitting next to his friend, and pauses.

"Wait, isn't that the girl on your wallpaper? I thought you said- never mind." He carefully speaks in broken English.

"Anyways, coach says if you're still fine we can send you in." You blink as Tooru puts his arm around you, a pout evident on his face. "I'm pretty sure I'll be able to play (the medic nods along in agreement), just give me a few moments." he answers. His teammate hesitates, nods, and closes the door. Tooru turns his head and rests his head on your shoulder, his fluffy brown hair tickling your neck. You nearly want to cry at what his teammate just told said. "Oh, Tooru..."

"You still haven't answered the question," he tells you. "Iwa-chan must've told you that I left because you deserved more than someone who couldn't be here for you. I don't deserve you, y/n-chan. You deserve to be happy, and... I'm not the one." He tucks away your air behind your ear. "But now that you're here, I can't help but want to be selfish. I want us to be together. I still want you."

You can't help laughing quietly at him, the little pout forming on his face again. "Oh Tooru... you wanted me to be happy. And you thought leaving me so brashly would achieve that? You forgot one very, very important thing." You lean into his shoulder, and play with his calloused fingers.

And now I'm closing every door

Cause I'm sick of wanting more

"If I'm ever to be truly happy..." You tell him, shifting yourself so you're cupping his soft cheeks and looking into his chocolate eyes. "Then you are, absolutely, essential in my life." His heart leaps, soaring at your words. After all that time, you still...

You tut at the dreamlike, adorable expression on his face. "C'mon, Tooru. Don't cry on me now. You've still got a match to win, don't you?" He breaks himself out of his reverie as you lightly pinch his cheeks, and grins ear to ear as you begin to move back to the stands. "Wait, wait." He shrugs his volleyball jacket off his shoulders and hands it to you. "Wear this over that, I want everyone to know you're still mine." You rolls your eyes at his childish request, "Your fangirls are going to kill me, I swear," but comply nevertheless. He's still smiling as he watches his oversized jacket swish around at your mid-thigh as you walk towards the doors. Anything else could come after the match, but for now, this was good enough for him.

You were good to me

You were good to me, yeah

For the rest of that match, for the first time, Oikawa Tooru flies. They do eventually win, 3-2. He's never felt more ecstatic as he pulls you in happily, kissing all over your face and handing you his Most Valuable Player award as you giggle from his childlike antics. The reporters rapidly take note of everything and theres a collective groan from the gaggle of fangirls somewhere, but it's you and him both in your own little world.

Swear I'm different than before

I won't hurt you anymore

Life goes on. You fly back to Japan, with a promise that he would never shut you out again. Sure, you would've preferred it if he was next to you, but you called and messaged each other so frequently that you found you had little to worry about. In rare spaces of time, he flew back to Japan to meet family and friends before spoiling you on dates, decorating your house ("Hey, we need to retake this photo! I'm even better looking now!") or cuddling on the couch together. Every relationship had its downsides, and long-distance relationships were even more a pain, but you were more than ready to take the troubles on if it meant you could still see his smiling face through the messenger call at 1am in the morning.

And you knew this time, he wouldn't stop you from trying.

Cause you were good to me

[drakesfiance]

The Reunion

Pairing - Tom Hiddleston × OC (Meg)

Word count - 2500+

Summary - Okay I'm gonna be honest here.. this is something I wrote for a special someone. There is this guy I like.. But I'm obviously not gonna send it to him haha so I decided to post the chapter here. I hope you guys like it and trust me Chapter two Is coming soon. Drop In what you think about it in the comment box down below.♥️

***

"I'll be there in 15 minutes. I promise. I'm so sorry!" I said as I hung the phone to turn my concentration back to driving. I was already late and the traffic ahead of me wasn’t helping me much either. In the traffic, my mind kept wandering in anticipation. I was meeting my friends after a really long time. But more than that, my heart raced as I thought about everyone who was going to be there, including him.

“Finally, she arrives…after an hour. But okay,” Alex said in his ever so sarcastic tone. A sheepish smile instantly formed on my face as I apologized for reaching late. I went to the kitchen and popped open the soda as I made my way next to Alex.

“Where is everyone else? Don’t tell me I’m the first to reach? Tom, Ivy and Kenji are all late. And you were yelling at me for arriving late. How Alex of you!” I said with a smug smiled laced on my face.

"Okay, first of all. You realize we are all sitting at Tom's place? So, yes. He is here. He’s gone to the washroom. Secondly, Ivy and Kenji have gone to bring snacks for us,” Alex said very satisfied with his explanation which was successful in wiping the grin off of my face.

“Anyway, I have to use the restroom. I’ll bring Tom on my way back,” I said.

“Okay. Although if I were you, I wouldn’t really be very excited to see Tom,” Alex said coolly as he switched the tv on.

I looked at him with a confused expression waiting for him to elaborate. But what could worse could really happen if I see my best friend after a long time, huh? And a thought did come to my head, a worse case scenario, if you must. Although, I shrugged it off and went upstairs. 

While returning from the restroom, I saw the door to Tom's room partially open. As a warning, I knocked on it twice and then flung it open. Tom's back faced me as I hugged him from behind. Normally, this would have resulted in hug back. However, this time Tom just stood there. I backed off from the hug.

"Tom, we are waiting for you. What’s taken you so long?”

I could see his back muscles contracting and relaxing through his tight t-shirt as he took deep breaths. This took me to the time when I used to dream about him nights after nights. His back still faced me. There were rare times when Tom would behave like this, overly quiet and relaxing himself though breathing. Alex’s warning started ringing in my head.

"Tom?" I mustered up some courage and touched his shoulder to turn him around.

He shrugged my hand off and with one last deep breath, he turned. His left hand was balled in a fist and one could see all his veins through the skin of his hands. His neck was red and so were his eyes. Bloodshot red with tears threatening to pour from the corner of his eyes. He gazed at me with his rage-filled light brown eyes. His jaw kept clenching and unclenching as he stood there for what felt like an eternity before he spoke.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He said as he slowly put a blue sheet held in his right hand in front of me. His voice was calm in contrast to the way he looked at me.

I looked at the paper he held out and I knew then and there, this is it! My stomach dropped and everything came crashing down in front of my eyes.

*Few months ago, *

‘He will never find out, no one has to know.' I thought to myself as I unfolded the paper to read it one last time.

Hey Tom,

At first, you were just a friend. I loved spending time with you. Hanging out for hours after lectures. Going on long walks and talking about anything and everything. You were there when I needed you, you stuck around through my breakdowns.

You're genuine, smart and you're passionate about everything that you do. You're always there for your friends and that's what made me put all of my trust in you. I'm able to open up to you, knowing that you won't judge me. You believe in me.

When I began falling for you, I didn't know what it was. Maybe it was just a crush? Maybe it was Just an attraction and I wanted it to go away. Not because I didn't like you, but because I valued our friendship more than anything else. I knew that whatever I was feeling, it was forbidden. I knew acting on those feelings would be abysmal. I was falling for my best friend, it was someone I couldn't have in that romantic way. You were someone who I wanted so dearly, but I couldn’t have.

Telling you everything.. That wasn't an option. I thought if I just ignored all the feelings, I could just push them aside and pretend like everything was okay. It was difficult to pretend like I wasn't jealous of that girl who caught your eye. I was happy for you, truly I was. It just, hurts. It hurts to know that you took her to our walking spots. That you took her to our coffee place. It hurt to realize that, that's what you will do when you find someone. You won't have time for us anymore. And it's not your fault at all, this is life. We will just have to accept the fact and move on.

It's arduous. It's so damn difficult pretending like everything is okay. It's difficult hanging out like we used to. But, I'm happy. I'm happy to keep pretending that it's all okay, to keep things going.

I wish I could tell you everything. But I won't. For our friendship's sake. I will never ever do anything to hurt you. How can I?

I don’t know how long it is going to take for me to pretend like everything is okay until everything is okay.

- Meg.

***

"Tom, I…I can explain,” I said but my voice deceived me. Looking at him, standing there, I did not have the courage. What possible explanation could I give him when I didn’t even know for what he wanted an explanation or if he even wanted one.

"You just.. predicted everything? You didn't feel like it was important to talk to me about this?" He said with a groggy voice while clutching the paper tightly in his hand. 

His whole composure intimidated me as he took a step closer towards me. I took one back.

"I…I know I should've told you but I had my reasons, Tom," I said with not a lot of confidence. I took one more step behind and I knew that if I took even one more step behind, I would be pressed against the wall.

"You were never going to tell me then? You don’t think I deserved to know?” Tom said with his tone going just a little higher. I stood there quiet, and there I was pressed against the wall as his intimidating figure hovered me.

"Meg…" he leaned in closer to me as his voice became almost a whisper. His hand travelling to my chin to lift it up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said as he brought his forehead and made contact with mine. He tucked the strand of my hair behind my ear and then brought both his hands to my cheeks. My heart was racing a million miles per hour in the anticipation of what was going to happen next.

I looked at him and then at his lips and I was aware of the close proximity between our lips. As if my lips had a mind of its own, I leaned in to kiss him. Reading my lips, his lips started working with mine. I could feel his hands travelling down my waist. He mumbled “jump” and I obeyed. He caught me by my butt and my legs were wrapped around his torso. His face formed a little smile as we kept kissing.

Our bodies were on fire as the passion took over us. It was a strange feeling but I was ready to get high on it. We took a little break all the while our lips never left each other and our bodies never separated. I could feel each and every breath of his against my lips.

He carried me to the edge of the bed and sat down with my butt now resting on his lap as his hands travelled to explore other parts of my body. His mouth moved to my neck and I felt every swipe and lick that his tongue made, the feeling was new and it felt incredible. His teeth grazed my collarbone and I moaned his name. I buried my hands into his hair, gently tugging at them and earning a moan from him. 

His hands moved to my hips, his long fingers were digging into my skin but the pain, it felt wonderful. My body began to rock back and forth and I felt his grip tighten. I felt a new sensation I had never felt before, when I felt him get hard against me. His hand let go off my hips and he looked at me as if asking for permission. I nodded and he found the hem of my shirt and pulled away from our kiss to pull the shirt over my head. I shivered as I felt the fresh air hit my bare skin though the feeling was quickly replaced with a heat boiling in my whole body as his mouth wandered my body. His tongue leaving a wet trail of kisses on my skin as his lips grazed my breasts, his hands cupping them ravishingly as he brought his mouth to one of my hardened nipples. Hesitantly at first, he began sucking on it with relish, closing his eyes and making me scream his name in ecstasy.

It was really happening.. My conscious told me to stop but I didn't want to. That feeling.. it was different, it was exciting and I wanted more of it. 

His lips were hastily pressed to mine in a heavy kiss. Tom groaned in approval as my hand travelled up to his hair, fisting them between my fingers. My breasts were pressed to his hard chest. I guided his head to the side as I placed kisses down his neck. Tom's erection was desperately straining against the material of his underwear. I wanted to please him, despite my lack of experience, I knew Tom's pleasure would be intensified without the limiting walls of his underwear hugging his lower back. I pushed him to the side, guiding him onto his back and straddling him in a fluid movement. He brought his hand to my face and pulled me in for pressing a heavy kiss to my lips. I kissed his jawline and left a trail of wet kisses and stopped just above his torso. I kept my gaze fixed on his face as I took the band of his underwear and slowly inched them down his thighs.

My hand wrapped around his shaft and I felt him twitch. I started pumping up and down trying to find the pace. “Keep going Meg,” He groaned, his eyebrows furrowed as he bit his lip to supress the moan. I leaned towards his dick and took it into my mouth. He groaned slightly and fisted my hair to keep me in place. I sucked gently on it, slowly increasing the speed until I heard him cry out in pleasure. I bobbed my head up and down as his penis started twitching and that’s when I knew he was close. I released him with a ‘pop’ and leaned back. He took a few deep breaths before rolling us, so I was now lying flat on the bed and he was hovering over me. He leaned over me and pressed a harsh kiss to my lips before nibbling his way down to my chest. He slid a hand down my stomach and brushed his thumb over my swollen clit. His long fingers fit right through my folds and my back arched from the bed as he thrusted two fingers into me without warning, curling up to hit that sweet spot that I had been writhing. He took his fingers and I let out an uncomfortable moan.

He grabbed my legs and locked me in place as he pressed his mouth against my folds, his tongue darting out to tease my entrance. I was screaming in pure ecstasy at that sensation. His tongue was eager, circling my clit in an almost torturing pace, licking over my entrance and sucking the sensitive bundle of nerves between his lips until I whined with shaking limbs. I felt right on the edge. At that moment he sped up and slid two fingers inside me and started moving them rapidly, curling them to graze my G spot.

“Oh Tom..” I screamed as I spasmed, my walls clenching around his fingers as I arched my back. My vision went black for a couple of seconds as the euphoric feeling took over me.

“Where the hell are you guys?” I heard Alex yell in the corridor. I looked over at Tom with panic in my eyes.

“ALEX DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR YOU WAIT OUTSIDE,” Tom yelled and gave me a smile before pressing a light kiss to my shoulder and then rolling to the side. He covered me up with the sheet and turned to face me. 

“Let me take care of him,” he said and frantically tried to pull up his boxers.

“I’m coming in! What is taking you guys so long.” Alex yelled from the other side of the door.

“Tom DO SOMETHING,” I hissed at him and he ran for the door but his leg got caught up in the pile of clothes that were lying on the floor and he tumbled on the floor while I started laughing loudly at the scene before me.

“WHAT..THE..FUCK,” I stopped laughing as I looked over to find Alex standing in the doorway staring at us with a shocked expression on his face. Tom immediately ran to the door and slammed it shut.

“IVY, KENJI COME UP HERE!” We heard Alex shout. We both looked at each other and burst out in fits of laughter.

“Oops?” He said and climbed back into the bed.

“I’m going to kill Alex,” I laughed.

“Well.. It was kind of your fault too..” Tom said and gave me a small smile.

“We should talk.” I said with an apologetic smile.

“We definitely should,” He replied and kissed my forehead.

To be continued…

Thank you so much for reading ❤️ if you would like to be tagged let me know❤️

Reblogs are appreciated ❤️

Taglist - @kennaxval @scorpionchild81 @devilbat @lokibug   @sabine-leo @gingerwritess @screw-real-life-i-pick-fandoms @highfuncti0ningfangirl @drakewalkerwhipped @itsfangirlmendes @lokispettigerr @royal-loki @starscreamloki   @lokitty   @y-not-loki @hiddlesstar @maria-chwan   @fire-in-her-veinz @lokislilslut

[writey-unicorn]

CW: Alcohol, blackmail mention, I think that's it

Minimal editing because if I edit it, I'll never post it.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Leader said, dropping their overly sweet smile. "We don't really want to work with you, either."

"I've got a fix for that! Don't." Supervillain sighed and walked into their kitchen. They had been there enough times to know where the team kept their liquor and dealing with Leader needed something to take the edge off.

"I can deal with the threat myself," Supervillain said, like they said every time Leader pulled this particular trick. "The last thing I need to do is to sit around the fire, singing Kumbaya with a bunch of people who are just waiting to stab me in the back."

"None of us are waiting to stab you in the back."

Supervillain rolled their eyes and knelt in front of the liquor cabinet. "If you're going to force me to work with you, the least you could do is not lie to me. Anyway, that's not the point. Believe it or not, I'm actually rather invested in making sure this city stays in one piece. When I rule this city-"

"You won't," Leader interrupted.

"In 5 years, when I run this city-" Supervillain corrected, glaring daggers at Leader over the counter.

"That number gets shorter and shorter every time you say it."

"I keep getting more and more determined," Supervillain said through gritted teeth. "In 5 years, when I run this city, I would like to run something other than a pile of rubble and rats. I would stop any threats that appeared if they got out of hand."

"Your version of 'out of hand' is different than mine."

"That's because the little Villains full of ego tend to encroach on other people's territory and those people deal with them."

"He has been encroaching," Leader said. "And winning! No one is dealing with him."

"Yet." Supervillain opened the cabinet and pulled out a bottle at random, holding it out to Leader in offering. Leader waved it away. Supervillain shrugged and screwed off the lid, taking a sip from the bottle. "They always get their egos checked at some point, just be patient."

"I've been patient. We're dealing with this now and you're helping."

"No, I'm dealing with it and you're staying out of my way," Supervillain said, knowing that it wasn't going to work. They were thinking about just making a series of cards with their responses for the next time the two of them had this exact same conversation so that they could spend more time on things that they actually wanted to do.

"You know the deal, Supervillain."

"I know the deal," Supervillain said, taking another sip. They had to pace themselves otherwise they wouldn't be aware enough of themselves, something they tried to keep to a minimum around this team. Heck, not being aware enough of themselves was why they were in this position anyway. And probably why Leader didn't complain about Supervillain stealing their alcohol.

"You help us- help us- take down threats, and we don't expose your identity to the world."

Supervillain huffed. They wondered if Leader, a so-called 'Hero' knew the kind of very short life they would resign Supervillain to if they actually went through with that threat. They wondered if Leader cared.

They wondered what the last straw would be for that to be preferable to working with the team anymore.

Supervillain shoved off the counter and started towards a set of stairs. "I assume my room is clean."

"Yes. Don't forget-"

"I know where my room is, I know when the meetings are, I know the mealtimes and how to avoid them, and I know that the last step of the staircase is a little loose and to be careful coming back down. I'm basically a member of this team now if not for the mutual animosity. I'll see you at the 9:00 meeting."

Supervillain saluted sardonically and walked up the stairs. This was going to be a long month.

Prompt #3280

“Oh, yes,” the supervillain drawled. “I love being blackmailed into helping you every time there’s a threat too big for you to handle. I’m ecstatic to be working with your weakling team again. Now shut up about rainbows and teamwork, point me at the threat, and let me go handle it. Alone.”