#sad maeko

[woodblxssomcrowned]

Starter for @hatredcurse - Mito

It was so hard to say.

So hard to make her tongue form the words to describe just one of the feelings that had steadily consumed her since her brother had started spending his days at the academy. They were weighing her down, body and soul, and felt heavier and heavier and more unbearable by the day.

She didn't want to pass that weight to anyone else. She tried so hard not to. Not when they already had their own weight to pull for the village. There was so much to do. So much work that her family were so deeply involved with. Important work, that affected so many.

She could not get in the way.

But with her mothers hands running through her hair and asking such a simple question as 'How are you?' Maeko felt herself come apart.

"I'm-" Her voice cracked. Her fingers curled, nails digging into her palms as she fought the painful knot in her throat.

"I'm fine. Just...been feeling a little bit...lonely lately."

[queengiuliettafirstlady]

A storm in the heart

A storm in the heart

Fandom: Ikemen Prince

Pairing: Luke x OC (Julie)

Tag: Angst Hurt/Comfort Fluff

Word Count  796

Author’s Note: A figure wander in the hallways of the palace, his bright green eyes shining in the dark hallways, his heart howling for revenge in search of an answer to a question he never got tired to asking himself, the love he always yearned but never received only one able to save him from his own demons, he can manage to defeat only with the woman who always was there for him since the beginning, letting their emotions light the path to the future dispelling the darkness of his past, offering him an harbor and a cradle every time he need it, for stronger than the storm raging in his heart was the feeling of their love. 🥰

Tag list

@kissmetwicekissmedeadly @aquagirl1978 @violettduchess

@nightghoul381 @william-rex @candied-boys @writingwhimsey

@fang-and-feather @moonstruckmelancholic

@wistfulwanderingone @rjthirsty @lichtluv

@ike-garden2024 @jollibeeshappiness @starzyquee              

@maeko-kun @rkmaru

You can find me on AO3 as QueenJuliet 😊

Thank you for everyone who will like, reblog, or comment please be gentle with me english is not my first language so please do not leave rude comments I apologise for eventual errors I hope you will like it 😊

True love, for someone like me, it means everything.

It was a stormy night in Rhodolite, harsh winds howling through the country rattling the windows shaken by the sheer force of the rain heavily batting against the glass like the drum roll of a battle, one every prince was fighting alone against their demons surrounded by the sheer darkness of the night keeping them company during that long cold winter nights spent secluded in their rooms, but one.

A shadow no more than that moving swiftly in the immense throne room a flash of lightning reflected by his sword only source of light in the whole hall, slowly almost painfully so he approached the painting hanging on the wall caring nothing for the warning stern eyes looking at him with a mist of repulsion and grotesque curiosity, he took off the hood covering him a flash of bright red hair streaming free around his hardened features looking straight at the King with a beastly murderous gaze in his bright green eyes now muddy and dark with anger. 

He raised his sculpted arms ready to slash through it, to bring to ruin the man who condemned him to a life of darkness, never knowing what love was … at least until he met her but he had no time to dwell in such images for his heart howled for revenge even though his mind know far too well this would have been an useless act he could not help but listen to his darkest thoughts eliciting him to do to him the same things he wished he had done to his brother, but luckily stopped before it was too late realising how futile his murder would have been but now he had no one to stop him no one to tell him this was wrong except his heart beating painfully in his chest with every heavy breath of his, he probably would have been condemned to pay for the damage or maybe not, after all no one was there to name him as the culprit, no one but his conscience he was ready to tame with the full force of all the anger and sadness deep sealed into him, he was ready to do it, every fiber of his being was ready … yet the sword in his hands seemed to gain weight at each passing moment forcing him to lower it, until it escaped his grip falling with a loud clangor on the floor.

The noise echoed in the empty hall soundless was though the shattering of his heart, the broken pieces dagger into his skin, knives twisted inside his wounds as he fell to his knees, his whole body shaking with each sob desperately banging against the portrait.

“Why ?” 

The howl of a wounded bear resonated in the air falling to the deaf ear of the portrait staring listless at him, fruit of the folly of his broken heart, unable to give an answer let alone face the consequence of his madness, 

“Why me ?”

his voice hoarse slowly fading to heartbreaking murmurs as his hands continued to claw weakly at the canvas.

“Why…” a rattled sigh escaped his tired lungs as he trailed off “…me.”

He was so lost he not even heard the door opening, nor her footsteps as he approached him, taken aback by the feeling of her hand on his shoulder, a weary look in his green eyes as looked up at her, her heart tugged painfully for him she kneeled to his level, reaching to cup his face in her hands, her thumbs brushing away his tears whispering

“You are not him.” her arms wrapped around him guiding his head on her chest, her fingers crawling in his auburn hair caressing them softly, her voice sweet and tender enough to calm a wounded bear

“You are nothing like him, Luke and you will never be, trust me.” her voice groggy as she begged him to listen to her, to trust her words “Please.”

“Julie.” there was such a pleading heartbroken tone in his voice, she could not help but feel her heart twitch painfully for him, as she squeezed him tighter in her hug

“Please … stay.” 

“I will, my bear, I will.” he tightened his arms around her squeezing his eyes shut, letting her sweet scent invade his nostrils letting it heal his heart as only she could, their heart beating in sync as they stayed like this for what it seemed an eternity, listening to the soft pit pat of the rain all through the night from his bedroom, revelling in her presence murmuring sweet nothing in his ear, safe in each other embrace they drifted asleep, warmed up by that feeling he always yearned of and now he finally had found with her … Love.

[amenomiko]

Thank you for the request @maeko-kun 💖💖💖💖💖

https://picrew.me/image_maker/8654

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

"Once again, I'm sorry to trouble you Hideyoshi-san."

"And once again, it's alright. You don't have to be sorry, okay?"

MC smiled as Hideyoshi pats her head, lovingly as he always would. She then turned to her daughter, kissing her forehead and cheeks many times. "Be a good girl when I'm away, okay? Don't trouble your Uncle."

Her daughter mirrored her smile, "Yes mommy! I promise >w<!"

Hideyoshi watch both of MC and her daughter's interactions. She may look like her father, but thankfully her personality is like a normal kid-- obedient and obliging. Or that's how he thought. As...

After waving her mother until she is out of sight, her adorable expression turned into a creepy ones. From >w< to OwO. She turned to Hideyoshi, and stared at him with the same smile.

"OwO....."

"Well, it's you and me. Now. How about we have a walk around the garden?"

"OwO....."

"Or maybe you could play with my pet, Uri. She may be a bit of a mischief, but she is a cute monkey."

"Oh, she is the same as me then."

....What.

Did he hear himself right? This girl in front of him has a change in her tone, her voice, and the way she is smiling-- is that a grin? Somehow it looks familiar.

"Same..? As in..?"

Hideyoshi find himself startle when suddenly there's a giggle escaped her lips. "Say, Uncle Hideyoshi? Why did you pat my mother's head like that just now?"

"Huh? Oh- she is like a little sister to me."

"Little sister?"

"Yes."

"How about the maids in the castle?"

"They are the same. They might be a maid, but they still precious. Like little sister as well."

"I see.."

"Yes..!" He chuckled, "Why? Do you want to me to pat your head too--"

"No wonder you are single."

*ba dum tss*

"ʕʘ̅͜ʘ̅ʔ......"

----

He is CLEARLY wrong. SO wrong.

Yes, she is adorable.

Until she open her mouth, and curve a familiar grin on her lips!

There was not an hour where he fell for her pranks. Her mischievous side had shown to him completely, endlessly, as she knows how to use his serious habit into her own advantage.

Like

Mixing food into one bowl. Just like her father. Or

Making a paper plane out of his letters, saying that she thought it was her drawing because she thinks those ugly writing is as ugly as her drawing.

Turning her eyes into those teary ones when Hideyoshi refuse to give her the konpeito in the kitchen, and when he agreed to give a small jar of it, she took the chance to carry the bigger ones away and for-he-dont-know-how she could carry that jar up to Nobunaga's Tenshu.

And get scolded by Nobunaga for bullying her (Where actually they are the secret partner in crime).

"......Sigh."

He glared to his work on the table, but sigh after.

"Uncle..?"

"What is it now?"

She trotted towards him slowly, leaning downwards to peek into his face. "Are you angry?"

"...No."

She then settle herself to sit at the other side of the table, resting her chin in her palms. "You are bad at lying. Someone as serious like you are so bad at it."

"...Hm."

"..Do you hate me?"

"Wait..! How does it escalated to that--" He jumped.

Her eyes is teary, despite still having the same smile on her face. "I don't blame you though."

"Wait, wait, _____."

"It's normal. You are not the first one to be tired of me. Those girls in town said that the reason I have no friends is like this. Well, it's unfair to me though. Unlike them, who have a father that always comes home and give them a tight hug everyday, while me,..."

She cupped her face. And that's the moment for Hideyoshi to quickly pull her into his embrace. Damn it. Just what is he doing? To let child's prank get to him? She must have a reason in doing so obviously-- she is lonely. Other than her mother, she is all alone. He can't wait to lecture his fellow right hand once he is back home later!

"I'm sorry, ____. I apologize. I don't hate you, and I never will. You are precious to me, just like my own daughter. Hey now.." He paused, rubbing her back, "I will give you any snacks that you want if you stop crying. How does that sound--"

She uncovered her face.

"WHA-"

No tears. No sad face.

Just a smirk. "Deal."

THIS KID------!!!!

"AHSJSGSJSHSJDHAKKDF OAO!!!"

She then laugh, with all her heart. "Hehehehe you are tricked again~~~ you are so silly!"

"You- you---"

"..Still, I love you for that. You will always be my favorite Uncle ❤!"

She kissed his cheek, leaving him speechless. "You little fox..!" He laugh with her, tickling her sides, earning another cute laughter from her.

At the end of the day, she slept in his arms, squeezing his clothes tight. Hideyoshi couldn't help but to love this girl. She might be mischievous, but she is pure and honest with her feelings, and that reminded him of MC.

EXCEPT that Mitsuhide-alike behavior. Goodness. That snake must be lectured later!

[ionlyspeakinmyheroacademia]

You Were Never Mine

masterlist 

Pairing: Denki Kaminari x fem!reader

Word Count: 3.7k+

Type: Oneshot

Summary: Denki has been in love with you for eleven years. That’s a long time to be in love with someone who doesn’t love you back

Warnings: some language, angst, fluff (FLASHBACKS ARE IN ITALICS)

Author’s Note: This was originally going to be so so much longer, but I’m not gonna lie, I got really bored with it, but who knows? maybe I’ll finish it eventually who knows? Also, i’m kind of really mad at how this ended but whatever i hope ya’ll enjoy

Denki was used to feeling like someone was sitting on his chest, like there was a weight sitting on his lungs whenever you walked into the room. After all, he had been feeling this way about you for a very long time. Denki had been in love with you since your second year at U.A., and to this day, he was still head-over-heels for you. You two had grown up together, you had been best friends since you were both little five year olds. You were his rock, his best friend in the whole universe. 

He remembered how his heart would race whenever you walked in the room, your smile so bright it made his head spin. You always made him feel so amazing, it was like there was a hole in his life that only you could fill. But by the time he realized he had fallen for you, it was too late. 

❀❀❀❀❀

When Denki woke up that April morning, he only had one thing on his mind. You. Well, you occupied his thoughts most days, but today was special. He hurried through his morning routine, throwing on his uniform and hurrying down to breakfast, practically scarfing his food down he was so excited. 

After he finished eating, he shouldered his bag and booked it towards the door. Denki hurried down the stairs of Heights Alliance, his heart buzzing. Today was the day. He was finally going to tell you how he felt. He could practically feel the electricity buzzing all over his body, not from his quirk, but from the pure adrenaline. 

Denki sprinted to the building, not even bothering to stop and mess with Bakugou that morning, and he didn’t even stop to fist bump Sero like he usually did. He just kept running, a shit-eating grin coloring his face. He couldn’t wait to see you, to throw his arms around you and tell you what he felt. He loved you, and all he wanted was for you to know. 

He saw you when he turned the corner, and his heart dropped to his feet when he saw who you were with. 

Kirishima’s arm was wrapped around your shoulder, and you were laughing, your cheeks flushed a bright pink as he leaned down and kissed you. Denki felt sick, his happiness slowly dissipating and settling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t blame Kirishima for asking you out, you were beautiful, smart, and sweet, what more could anyone want? You were perfect. 

It wasn’t like he could be mad at Kirishima either. Denki hadn’t told anyone how he felt about you, because he wanted you to be the first to know. But now, he was wishing he had said something a lot sooner as you turned around to look at him, your eyes bright with happiness, and he felt a fist squeeze around his heart as you started back towards him, his best friend’s fingers intertwined with yours. Denki forced a smile onto his face, even though he knew you would be able to see through it. 

“Hey, what’s up Y/N?” Denki asked, trying and failing to keep his voice normal, and he cringed when his voice wobbled, earning a raised eyebrow from you.

“Nothing much….. Except Eijirou asked me out yesterday!” you said excitedly, and every word cut at his heart like tiny daggers. He wanted to scream, but you looked so damn happy, and he kept his mouth shut, trying to will himself to calmly answer you.

“That’s awesome!” he lied, faking a smile. “I’m so happy for you!” Your face lit up like a Christmas tree, shining so bright he thought he would go blind. In that moment, Denki knew that he would swallow his feelings for the rest of his life just to see you that happy, he would do anything to keep that perfect smile on your face. He would do anything to make you happy. 

And as he watched you walk towards Mina behind him, hand in hand with Kirishima, he knew he’d never be able to get over you. He was in too deep.

❀❀❀❀❀

“Hey bro,” Kirishima called from behind Denki, “Hold up!”

Denki turned around to his best friend, standing there in his hero gear, grinning at him as he made his way over. 

“Hey man, what’s up?” he asked, grinning back at his friend as Kirishima clapped a hand on his shoulder. 

“Well, Y/N and I were wondering if you would come over for dinner? It’s been a while, and we both miss you. And, well, Maeko has definitely been missing you the most.” Kirishima laughed, and Denki joined in, thinking of the little girl, how her eyes always lit up when she saw her ‘Uncle Denki’. He tried to steer clear of the thoughts of you, but that was inevitable. You were his best friend, and married to his other best friend, with a daughter (who just happened to be Denki’s goddaughter). Denki eyed the ring on his friend’s hand, trying to swallow the jealousy in his heart.

“Yeah, of course I’ll come over for dinner man, I couldn’t leave little Maeko hanging!” Denki grinned at Kirishima, who gave him a shark-toothed grin in return.

“Okay, well is six-thirty okay?”

“Yeah, dude I’ll be there,” Denki assured him, and they parted after a quick bro hug. Denki started towards his apartment, it wasn’t too far from the Ground Zero agency, where he had been working since Bakugou started it, along with Kiri and Hanta. The four of them had stuck together after school and worked together (even though Bakugou would never admit that they had all done it together) to build the agency, staying up late for weeks, annoying the crap out of Y/N and Bakugou’s wife Fumiko. It was kind of hilarious, the two of them getting browbeaten by their wives while Hanta and Denki watched, losing their shit. 

For a while, he and Hanta had bonded over the fact that they were single together, until up to about a year ago, when Hanta met a cute girl in a bar and hit it off with her, therefore leaving Denki to be the only single left in their friend group. But Denki couldn’t bring himself to move on from you, even though he knew he should, and everyone around him was moving forwards in their lives, getting married, buying houses, having kids, but he was stuck. He just couldn’t get over you. Hanta, the only person who knew about his love for his best friend, thanks to one drunk night where he spilled a bunch of shit he’d been keeping in, had been trying to get him to get over you for years. Especially after he met Mayumi, and she moved in with them.

Denki unlocked the apartment door, and was met with laughter, and the smell of takeout.

“Hey man!” Hanta called from the living room, peeking his head around the corner, his signature grin lighting up his face. “Me and Mayumi are eating, there’s some on the counter if you want it!” 

“Thanks bro, but Eijirou asked me to come over for dinner, so I’m gonna change and head over there,” Denki said, smiling over at his friend. 

“You sure you don’t want to eat anything?” Mayumi said, coming out of the living room and heading to the kitchen, her dress swishing around her knees as she walked. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. They’ll probably have something edible, even though neither of them can cook.” All three of them laughed, and Denki made his way over to his bedroom, taking off his headset and opening the door, shedding off pieces of his costume and changing into some jeans and a t-shirt, before flopping down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling, mentally preparing himself to see you. He did his best to avoid the happy couple, but it had gotten harder after Maeko had been born, and he fell in love with the little sweet baby girl. Since then, he had spent quite a bit of time at your house, hanging out with Maeko, and having conversations with you in the kitchen when she (occasionally) napped. It was nice to be with you, when he could pretend you were his wife, that Maeko was his daughter, even if he knew it was sad, pathetic.

Ugh, he thought, rolling over and staring at the time on his phone. I better get going if I’m going to get there by six-thirty. Denki rolled out of the bed, making his way to the front of the apartment, waving at Hanta and Mayumi, who were now cuddled up on the couch, their limbs intertwined. 

“See you later Denki!” Mayumi called, and Hanta waved. 

“We’ll leave the door unlocked for you man,” Hanta yelled.

“Okay, see you guys in a little bit! Don’t do anything nasty on my couch!” Denki hollered over his shoulder, grinning back at them. 

“Well, now we’re going to, thanks for the suggestion!” Hanta laughed, and Denki heard Mayumi protest, flustered, and he could practically see her, covering her bright red face with her hands. He grinned, and closed the door, stepping out into the cool evening air, letting the breeze wash over him as he breathed in the smells of the city. He hailed a taxi on the curb, and headed for the Kirishima residence, watching the world pass by out the window. 

“We’re here bud,” the cabi said, turning around to smile at Denki, who passed him a handful of yen, smiling back and thanking the cabi for driving him there. Denki climbed out of the car, brushed off his pants, and headed towards the door. He takes a deep breath, and tries to calm his heart, which was racing at the thought of seeing you. He rang the doorbell, and he could hear little feet running across the floorboards, yelling excitedly. Denki smiled as the door creaked open, revealing little Maeko, grinning widely at him. 

“Uncle Denki!” she screeched, jumping into his arms, and he caught her and spun her around, earning a bubbly laugh from the girl, her black hair flying around her. She threw her arms around his neck, and squeezed tight. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too, Little Rockstar,” he mumbled, holding her close.

❀❀❀❀❀

The day Maeko was born Denki cried. 

“Do you want to hold her?” you had asked, looking exhausted. Denki nodded, his smile so wide, and Kirishima handed the little pink bundle over. Denki settled her head into the crook of his arm, and stared at the tiny baby in wonder. He must have sat like that with her for an hour, just holding her, watching her face twitch as she dreamed, her little eyebrows furrowing every so often. Even though he wasn’t her father, he wasn’t even her biological uncle, something inside him knew he would do anything for this little girl. He would be the best damn uncle anyone had ever had, that was for sure. 

“What’s her name?” Denki asked, watching the little baby move, barely sparing the two of you a glance, entranced by the little girl in his arms. 

“Maeko,” Kirishima said, his eyes welled up with tears at the sight of his best friend and his daughter. 

“It was my grandmother’s name,” you said quietly, reaching over to hold your husband’s hand as the two of you watched Denki smiling down at the baby.

“Maeko,” Denki breathed, smiling warmly at her, his eyes slowly welling up with tears. He had never been so happy in his life, and now here he was, already so in love with a child that wasn’t even his. Maeko stirred, and opened her eyes slowly, peering up at him. Denki froze when he saw the color of her eyes. Those were your eyes, captured perfectly on this little baby’s face. Maeko stared at him, and even though he knew she couldn’t see him (he had spent a lot of time with you in your house pouring over baby books), he couldn’t help but smile so wide at her, pulling her close and kissing the tip of her nose. 

Maeko looked startled for a moment, but scooched into the warmth of Denki’s chest, and nothing could stop the tears in his eyes from falling. 

In that moment, he promised himself that he would always, always be there for this little baby girl, no matter what.

❀❀❀❀❀

“I’m not little! I’m four now! I’m almost a grown-up!” she protests, and he laughs, and carries her inside as she babbles about what had happened in the time they hadn’t seen each other.

“Denki!” your head popped out from the kitchen, your face lit up in a smile. “How’ve you been?” 

“I’m good, you?” he answered, setting Maeko down and pulling you into a hug. 

“Pretty good, we missed you,” you said, hugging him tight, as he breathes in the scent of your shampoo and the smell of dinner wafting in from the kitchen. 

“Missed you too,” he smiles down at you as you pull away, and Kirishima comes out of the kitchen, wearing an apron that said ‘Kiss the Cook’, that was covered in splatters (most likely from the disaster of a meal that you two were attempting to cook up). 

“Hey man, Maeko has been bouncing around since I told her you were coming,” he laughed, grinning over at Denki. 

“Hey bro, long time no see,” Denki jokes, and Maeko pulls on his sleeve, motioning for him to bend down. He bends down next to her, and she leans to whisper in his ear. 

“Momma and Daddy are trying to make katsudon, but it looks bad. They almost blew up our kitchen!” she giggles, and he laughs quietly along with her, her parents watching them with smiles on their faces. 

“Sometimes, I swear I think she likes him more than us!” you say to your husband, laughing lightly. 

“No kidding, that girl gets more excited to see him than she does to see us when we get home from work!” Kirishima laughed along with you, and Denki looked up at them, laughing together, and felt a pang in his chest. He shook it off, turning back to Maeko and smiling at her, and she grinned back, her eyes shining. He winked, and stood up. 

“Anywho, Maeko tells me that we’re having katsudon?” he asks, hoping that he can be spared from his friends’ cooking. 

“Well….” you start, grimacing. 

“I fucked up the rice,” Kirishima states, rubbing the back of his neck.

You smacked his arm, giving him a look. “Language, Eiji.”

“I messed up the rice,” Kirishima amended, and looked back at you, smiling. “Better?”

“Yes,” you said, and turned back to Denki. “And I messed up the pork, soo……” 

“We ordered takeout!” Kirishima grins, and Maeko cheers before running around in a circle, bouncing up and down.

“Well, okay then!” Denki laughs, and watches Maeko bounce around, a smile on his face. 

The three of them made their way into the kitchen, Maeko bounding off to her room to grab her doll to show Denki (for the millionth time this month).

“So, Denki, how’s the love life?” you prompted, wiggling your eyebrows at him, your eyes playful.

“You know, nonexistent,” he said nonchalantly, grinning at the happy couple, who were standing by the stove (and the ruined katsudon), with Kirishima’s arm around your shoulder, and your’s around his waist. Another dull pang hit him, but he ignored it, something he had gotten so much better at after being around the two of you so much. 

You frowned at him, and smacked his arm lightly, giving him a look. “You really should meet someone, Denki. You deserve to be happy,” you say, your eyes softening as she smiled up at him. Denki shrugged and smiled back, trying to calm the racing of his heart beat. 

“Momma! The food’s here!” Maeko yells, running into the room, bouncing around. It was a wonder this child didn’t run out of energy. Denki laughed, and went to help Kirishima grab the food, as Maeko ran into your arms, and you carried her to the table, laughing. 

Denki watched the happy family walk towards the table, setting up the food and breaking apart chopsticks, laughing as Maeko put them in her mouth like tusks. Another pang went through his chest, like an arrow through his heart, and the want, the need to be with you, to be a part of your family, physically hurts him, and for a moment he can’t breathe. He remembers all those years ago when he really realized he loved you, the day he knew that he would never be able to love anyone else.

❀❀❀❀❀

“Denki, are you listening?” you asked, waving your hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. 

“Huh?” he said, looking over at your laughing face, your smile bright. You two were sitting on his balcony after curfew, having your weekly late night get together. This had been your and Denki’s tradition since you were little and were neighbors, and would look out your windows at each other and talk until late in the night about your days. 

“I swear, Kami, sometimes it’s like you’re in your own world,” you laughed, and leaned your head against his shoulder. “I asked you if you were alright.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he questioned, trying to keep you from seeing what he was feeling by goofing around, his most effective method of distraction. Unfortunately, you saw right through it, as always.

“Denki, you know I’m here for you right? You’re my best friend, and you’re always there for me no matter what happens, so why do you doubt that I won’t be there for you?”

“I swear I’m fine, Y/N, you don’t have to worry,” he said, by flashing a smile at you that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Your eyes were full of sadness, and he hated that he was the one causing it. “I’m okay.”

“But I know you’re not. Denki, you do remember that I love you right? We’ve known each other since we were five years old, and you’ve always stuck by me. And you have been so sad lately, and I just want you to be alright. I love you, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. You haven’t been yourself since…..” Since Mina had gone missing, and it had been all his fault. And even though she was back safe and sound, the guilt was still eating him alive. Everyone joked that he was the idiot of class 2A, but now he knew he really was; the most terrible, horrible idiotic friend for letting one of his best friends be captured. He really was an idiot.

You cleared your throat, and continued. “No one thinks it’s your fault, Denki. Not Mina, not Aizawa, not Katsu, not Kiri, not Sero, and not me either. It was not your fault.”

“You keep saying that, but it doesn’t make me feel  any better. I’m the idiot that let Mina get captured. I was right there Y/N! I could have saved her!” he cried, and tears started slipping down his face, and he wiped them away furiously. “Goddammit! I could have saved her, it’s all my fault.” With those words, he broke down sobbing, curling into himself, shuddering as the sobs racked his body. 

“Denki, no,” you whispered, and you pulled him close, smoothing his hair and holding him as he sobbed into your arms. “You are not an idiot Denki. You are the most amazing person I know, and it makes me so sad that you think you’re anything less than the smart, amazing hero you are. I love you so much, Denki. Never forget that.”

As you held him, he let himself relax in your arms, breathing in the scent of your detergent and perfume. He had never felt more at home with another person, not with his other friends, or his big brother, and definitely not his parents. You were his home, and he could never be happy without you with him. It was that moment when it clicked in his brain. 

He loved you.

In that moment he wanted to sing it from the rooftops, he wanted to scream it at anyone who would listen, he wanted everyone to know what he was feeling, but he bit his tongue. You told him you loved him all the time, but how did you mean it? Did you see him like a brother? Or did you love him the way he wanted you too? 

In that short, neverending moment, it didn’t really matter how you loved him. He knew he loved you, and he couldn’t wait to tell you.

Little did he know, he would never get the chance. 

❀❀❀❀❀

That night, Denki laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, letting himself wallow in the sadness that he had been suppressing all night. The sadness was rolling over him in waves, and he was shaking from the sobs he was trying to repress. God, he hated crying. It made him feel weak. He wiped his eyes angrily, taking shaky breaths and trying to calm his raging heartbeat. 

Watching the three of you together always upset him, no matter how long it had been. He wanted nothing more than to be a part of your family, to be your husband, to be the one who got to you first, not Kiri. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t curse himself and wish he had just told you right in the moment he really realized he loved you. He should have just come out with it, should have just told you before he lost his confidence, but no. He waited, for his sake and for yours, he wanted to be sure. But he had never been more sure about anything, for fuck’s sake. 

More angry tears rolled down his face, and he groaned, rolling over onto his side and trying to ignore the jealousy and the anger eating him from the inside. Sometimes he wondered if there was a team of people that lived in his chest, and their sole job was to make him miserable, punching his heart whenever he saw you with Kiri, and then trying to shatter what was left of it with a hammer whenever he was alone. 

After a while, he finally calmed down, and settled in, snuggling under the covers and slowly drifting off. And as he fell asleep, he thought to himself, not for the first time that night, I wish I had told her first, I wish she was mine……

But not everything in life goes the way we want it, and you would never be his.

[xiomarawinters]

Mummy Dust

@the-hobgoblins

Xiomara’s chest heaved as she leaned on the wall to gasp for air. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force air into her lungs- to fucking breathe. She felt woozy, a side effect of being beat up by two strangers with her former boss standing by with a sneer on his face. Her eye was swollen and weeping, her lip was split, her nose was beaten. She looked like she’d gone in the ring with a fucking Hippogriff. Xi had no idea what to do. Where to go? Who to call? What happened now? She remembered the chilling warning, hissed into her ear:

Don’t show your fucking face here again, or I’ll peel it off.

Groaning, Xiomara clutched her stomach as she forced herself to stand and stumble away from the wall, out of the alley. Not looking where she was going, Xiomara literally ran into something- someone- and she stumbled back, raising a hand and shrinking away, certain that it was Mathis changing his mind. “No please I-”

She opened her eyes, frowning when she saw two oddly-dressed people in front of her. Xiomara squinted, it was difficult to see, but she thought she could make out the outline of two hedge witches who visited the Free Trader Beowulf Safehouse. There was a deep pounding in her head- Xi couldn’t remember their names for the life of her. They’d come with Piper. “I-I know you- Please don’t, I can leave, I’ll go- I just-”

Maeko was lounging on the bed in Oz’s room, puffing on a spliff while Oz hummed and swayed in uncoordinated circles in a pair of Dylan’s pleaser boots. ‘Practicing,’ he said, but Maeko had yet to see any improvement.

After some incident with Loxley that he was less than keen to talk about, he and Piper had gone to Professor Sprout’s farm to lay low for a little bit. Borgin and Burkes was unnervingly quiet without them.

“Mae?” Oz mused suddenly, looking out the window of the second floor bedroom into the empty alleyway below.

“Hm?” Maeko’s black-ringed blue eyes slid to one side to look at him.

“You remember that blonde bird? Looker…mean streak?”

“Who?” Maeko questioned with only mild interest, well used to her half-brother’s half-sensical high ramblings.

“From the safehouse. Tall famous snack of a boyfriend—used to be a gajillionaire.”

“Oh, sure. Xiomara Winters…she used to be in Tu—in Paxton’s house. At Hogwarts.” Maeko took a drag, blew it out, and then added, “…what about her?”

“She’s down in the alleyway, there—some goons givin’ her trouble, looks like…”

“What?!” Maeko stood up and stamped out the spliff, then hopped over to the window and peered down. Sure enough, there was Mathis watching with cruel amusement as Xiomara Winters brawled with two of his nastier-looking associates. “Motherfucking—that lowlife knows not to bring his shit near this building…”

Maeko was already pulling on some jeans and slipping her feet into shoes, and Oz followed suit by pulling off the boots and putting his bare feet into his loose high tops. “Oh goody! Are we rescuing damsels today?” He wrapped a shawl around his bare chest in lieu of a shirt, looking hopeful.

“Looks like it.”

They must have missed Mathis by mere minutes, which irritated Maeko, who had been hoping to give him a piece of her mind. They might have missed Xiomara too if she hadn’t run straight into Oz in her haste to flee the alleyway.

“Hey! Hold on there girlie, we’re not gonna hurt ya…” said Oz.

“Are you alright?” Maeko added, concerned. “Merlin’s balls, you look like shit…did they jump you, or something?”

“At least come inside and get cleaned up, maybe take a few PK’s for the road…us hedges gotta look for each other, don’t ya know?” Oz held out a hand toward Xiomara to help her up.

It wasn't until Xiomara heard their voices that she made the connection to their names- Maeko and Oz. Maeko she knew less about, but Oz? Fucking hell. They kept meeting. She reached up to wipe under her nose with her wrist to stop the bleeding. Xi flicked her gaze up to Maeko as she sniffed, trying to steady her breathing. "Old friends." Was the only explanation she gave, partly because she couldn't think of anything else- partly because she truly didn't know if or what curses Mathis had added while he'd stood there, watching her with a curled lip.

She shook her head at the offer, but did let Oz help her up. "If Mathis sees you let me in…" Xi warned, but she didn't have much of a choice, needing to lean on the hedge witch just to stand. 

They hobbled into Borgin & Burke's, Xiomara felt more and more ill with every step until she was helped onto a couch of some description. She slumped, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands to stop the pounding. Her head was pounding, she felt hot, sick, overwhelmed, like a fire was burning in her chest- not unlike the sensation just before she'd burst the door off its hinges with Loxley.

Trying to remember Howell's warnings, and her Healer's pleading to breathe, Xi tried, in her broken, bloody nose, then out her mouth, past her split lip. She shook.

Xi looked up at the two of them, blinking drearily. "Please don't tell Nate. Don't tell any of them. If Mathis finds the safehouse, he'll-"

Xiomara jumped when there was a sudden knock at the door and she leaned back on the couch, wincing.

Maeko arched a brow at Xi as if to say, you need some better friends, mate, but otherwise didn’t comment; people from Knockturn Alley never pried into other peoples’ business as a rule. When the woman stumbled against Oz Maeko reached out to steady her, too; if she couldn’t even stand on her own there was no way she was gonna make it out of here without some help. “…then he can shove off,” Maeko finished for Xi, dismissing any lingering question of them helping her, “His lot know better than to fuck with a Burke.”

It was a group effort getting Xiomara inside, and after she’d been sat down Maeko flitted around silently gathering a few things—some clean towels, some ice, a large glass of water. Oz gave her a worried look when she rejoined the pair of them in the parlor and Maeko knew he saw what she was seeing: this girl looked really fucked up. Like—more than just a scrap kind of fucked up. Maeko gathered some ice into a hand towel to form an ice pack and held it out toward Xi.

“Can I tell him a few other things, then…?” Oz murmured suggestively, and Maeko kicked his shin; not the time.

There was a knock at the door and Xiomara looked about ready to jump out of her skin. Maeko handed the ice pack to Oz, who offered it to Xi, while Maeko walked over and put a hand on the closed door and closed her eyes, feeling the disturbance in the old building’s intricate wards that were powered by the same blood that ran through her veins. After just a moment, she said nonchalantly, “Cops…” and then walked back toward the other two. One look at Xiomara’s face and she added, “…bloody hell, relax. It’s not like they can get in here.”

Oz, who was kneeling in front of Xi and filling another towel with ice, waggled his brows and added proudly, “We’re what the au-thor-i-ties like to call infamous…”

Xiomara took the makeshift ice pack and held it over the bruised eye, which was what hurt the most. She managed to shift the towel with her other hand to squeeze her nose to try and stop that bleeding, as well. From behind her towel-face Xi narrowed her eyes at Oz- if this was another fucking joke about him genuinely thinking she was a sex worker…

She was on edge at the knock to the door, terrified Mathis had seen Maeko and Oz let her in and despite Maeko’s reassurances… Xi was not very reassured. She’d seen what he could do. Felt it. Xi swallowed, wondering if she’d prefer Magical Law Enforcement or Mathis’s goons- neither, frankly. “I’m on probation,” She said lowly, explaining. “There’s no way they saw, though, right? Mathis had that place warded up like-” She winced, “Like crazy.”

Xi looked down at Oz, wincing and shifting how she held the ice pack. It was a bit like using a spray bottle to put out a wildfire- everything hurt. She still jumped when there was another sharp knock at the door, hated herself for it. The blonde squinted at the hedge witch in front of her, imagining him getting into any sort of trouble with relative ease. “Oh yeah? What’d you do?” She had to keep the conversation going to stop the fear that ran rampant through her veins. He’d found her, he’d found her. You’ll. Explode.

Maeko and Oz both nodded at Xi in unison, commiserating, looking unnervingly related. Maeko glanced at the door when there was a second knock, but otherwise didn’t respond at all, instead taking out and lighting a cigarette with an aloof air. 

Oz laughed, and stretched in his position on the floor until he was lounging half on the couch where Xiomara was sat and his legs were sprawled across the wood floor. He put his arms back, his head in his hands. “Morrigan’s Three Tits, what haven’t I done?” he began with a grin. “…bastard child whose mere existence was an offense worth keepin’ decades-old secrets, for starters…wasn’t allowed to learn magic like the lot of ya—but you know all about that, now, don’t ya? Well let me tell you somethin’—the safehouses on the Irish rounds aren’t so accommodatin’ as your Putney Palace with Mister Nathaniel Pinnock. You gotta do more than prove you can perform…if you want magic there, you gotta earn your keep. I did a lot of, ah…disreputable things, in exchange for spells. Turned tricks, traded drugs…lied, and stole, and cheated, and scrapped, and worse…” Oz sighed, and it was an odd combination of sad and wistful. Then he added cheekily, “…not to mention I spat in the face of a cunt at your Ministry not too long ago.”

Here, Oz looked expectantly at Maeko, who just shrugged and said wryly, “I’m…Maeko Burke.”—as if this explained absolutely everything. Which, to her, it did. But after about a minute of being fixed with Oz’s go on… eyes, Maeko gave a sigh of her own, and then continued in a slow, dreamy tone—as if recounting a past life—“What is there to say? You come from Knockturn Alley, with a name like mine, and it doesn’t matter what you done—people expect you to be a bad seed and somehow, they always turn out right. I snuck out of school in fifth year to go to a protest, turned into a riot. My wand at the time was a family heirloom, or some shit, and when I did some dark magic with it to protect myself it—turned against me. Fucked with my head, took over…made me almost kill my best friend before I snapped it in half. In sixth year my parents were involved in a plot to assassinate the Hogwarts Headmistress, and I was nearly forced into being their accomplice. And when they were shipped off to Azkaban, instead of leaving it all behind like I always swore I’d do, starting over, I came back here to live in this shithole—my grand fuckin’ inheritance—and those bastards out there are just waiting for me to do something really nasty, so they can justify what they’ve thought about me all along. As if I’d ever give ‘em the satisfaction…so look, just because your family, or the Ministry, or the entire fuckin world, or you your own damn self have backed you into a corner? You don’t have to be what they’ve written you off to be. It’s your choice. And keeping people constantly guessing about just what it is you’ll do next? It’s fun. Now…” Toward the end of this speech, Maeko had moved to stand in front of Oz and Xi; she handed Oz her cigarette and then pulled out her wand and pointed it at Xiomara’s face. “…hold still. Episkey.” Xiomara’s broken nose healed just as there was another knock at the door.

Xiomara frowned lightly, listening to the stories of each of the hedge witches in front of her. She overheard them at the flat sometimes- most hedges came with a story, most magic bloomed in adversity. While Maeko and Oz were unique, like every other hedge witch, their stories were uncomfortably familiar. All intertwined. And Oz’s former affiliations explained a lot about why they’d run in the same circles so often. She thought about bothering to explain to Oz that the hedge circle wasn’t hers or Nate’s, she wanted to explain the Free Traders as best she could, pieced together from Nate’s nonsensical rambling-- or maybe even ask more about Maeko’s story, dig in, ask why she’d never heard of it-- but Xi was still just…. Coping with what had happened. She could listen and that was about it. 

The ice was melting in the summer heat, Xiomara moved the ice pack just as Maeko approached her and pointed a wand at her fucking face. Her eyes widened and Xi froze, even if the witch hadn’t instructed her to stay still she would’ve been frozen on the spot out of pure fear. The sensation of her nose being fixed was painful and she groaned, leaning forward to clutch it and swearing. She eyed the door with a glower and then picked up a fresh handful of ice, wrapped it in the towel then put it against her eye. “Thanks.” She commented. Their stories had done remarkably well at distracting her from the current, shitty situation. 

Her phone vibrated against her thigh and she squinted, looking down at it, genuinely surprised it hadn’t short circuited because of the magic in the- a blip, and the phone screen went black. Well. Spoken too soon. She put the phone back in her pocket, against the pack of cards she’d bought for Nate that morning, and then leaned back in the couch, her hand moving up to dangle over her newly-fixed nose. Xi trembled, giving a shaky breath out. “... Any chance I could borrow a cigarette?”

---

Xiomara didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep. It had to have been the early hours of the morning. Mae fell asleep long before she and Oz had drifted off. Oz and Xi spoke quietly, she could see him itching to touch her, to cuddle, but he kept his hands firmly to himself, even sat on them at one point. They traded war stories. Hummed songs. Smoked. Smoked a lot. 

It seemed that she’d only just fallen asleep when her phone buzzed to life again and she started, blinking rapidly and reaching for her phone, studying the screen. Nate. Merlin, he was probably laying a fucking egg by now… Xi reached up to rub her eyes and then hissed at the painful sensation. She put her phone on mirror mode- fuck, it looked bad. She locked her phone immediately and put it in her pocket, then pushed herself to stand. She was wobbly, all limps and sighs just to get to the front door. She had to get to Nate before he did something stupid out of worry.

Xiomara had barely opened the front door a crack before two wix in green robes pushed into the home. She stumbled back, tripping over some sort of metallic artefact that fell to the ground with a spectacular bang. “You- You need a warrant to be in here!” She thought she was talking evenly, calmly, but it sounded more like a shriek.

“No. We don’t. There are two and a half criminals in this property, you were seen fleeing a crime scene, and you two-” The wizard looked up, finding Maeko and Oz now standing, “Aided a person fleeing said crime scene. So, we have due cause not only to enter the property, but given you’re on parole, we can search you at will. As well.”

Xi folded her arms, stepping back from the Aurors. “You can fuck off.”

“Here I am, conducting a search.” The second auror said loudly, patting over his own pockets with a hum. He spoke through the contents of his pockets- a packet of gum, a quill, a train ticket- and then, he pulled out a small plastic baggie, with what looked like vacuum cleaner lint inside. “And- oh, dear. Xiomara, is this Mummy Dust?”

Xiomara was stunned. Genuinely, actually in fucking shock. She blinked stupidly, looking back at Maeko and Oz with her mouth half open. “... Are you… Is this a joke?”

“Xiomara Winters, you’re under arrest for breaching the terms of your parole, and being found with a prohibited substance.” She put her hands up, stepping back and away from them.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Are you- Are you for real?” Xi still could not comprehend it. He held up the bag, waving it a little, and then stepped forward, removing his wand from his sleeve. She barely had time to register what the fuck was going on over Maeko and Oz’s loud protests, before her arms were pinned behind her back with a swish of the Auror’s wand. Maeko stepped forward, bless her, but then the wand was pointed at her-

Xiomara blinked uncomprehendingly, mouth still popped open in shock before she was being spun, and apparated out of Borgin & Burkes. 

Maeko had fallen asleep curled up like a cat in a tiny fetal-position ball on an armchair, while Oz had dozed sitting up, with his head resting on a cushion of the loveseat on which Xiomara was curled with her legs up and bent at an angle. It was a peaceful scene—for half an hour, maybe. An hour tops. 

And then Maeko let out a cry of pain as she felt someone force entry through the wards on her home, without her explicit invitation; a loophole. She jumped to her feet, clutching her side, and Oz startled to the noise and scrambled up, protectively. The pair of them looked at each other and then heard voices in the entryway; Xiomara. Maeko shook off the pain and scowled, grabbing her wand and marching into the room where the commotion was, with Oz trailing close behind her.

Maeko came in on the offensive, with her wand raised threateningly. “Oi—you fuckin’ pigs have no right to—”

“I’d hold your tongue if I were you, Miss Burke…” one of the robed wizards cut her off dismissively, “…you’re a person of particular interest in this precinct, and my partner and I would just love to be the ones to finally bring you in—they’d probably give us a medal ’n everything.”

That did shut Maeko up for the moment, but she didn’t lower her wand at all, and continued to glare at the clearly corrupt officers as they performed their ‘search’ on Xi. She glanced over at Oz and saw him looking on wide-eyed and helpless, wringing his hands. There were specks of dust swirling around him in an unnatural way, and when he met Maeko’s gaze she shook her head at him and mouthed silently, no… Oz’s magic tended to be unstable and unpredictable, and now was definitely not the time for any kind of erratic outburst. 

But then Xiomara was being roughly restrained, and both Maeko and Oz’s attention returned to her; Oz said loudly, “Get your fuckin’ hands off of her—” while Maeko, at the same time, growled, “Oh like fucking hell you think we’re just gonna let you—”

Maeko stepped forward, and was about to fire off the first spell that came to mind, when in a blip the intruders were gone, along with Xiomara. Oz emitted a pained, defeated sort of sound, while Maeko shook with rage, before forcing herself to slowly lower her wand. 

She turned to face Oz, and he said, “What now?”

Maeko shook her head, not seeing anything they could do. But then, after a moment, she had a thought; “We…we should go to Putney…” Oz cocked his head at her, and Maeko added, “…we should go to Xiomara’s safehouse and talk to that prick, Nathaniel Pinnock. About what went down.”

[loxley-blair-lockhart]

<text to Maeko>

[11:40] She's more complicated than just being a pretty girl who loves flowers. She could be sad 24/7 But chooses not to be.

[11:45] And thanks for the offer. Anything edge-taking isn't what I want. I want to fuck up some coward werewolves. Got anything for that?

musings-of-maeko·:

loxley-blair·:

[11:30] Not ok. Won’t bore u tho. Grief is boring, I’m not having a dig at ur attitude. Thanks for looking after her.

<to Piper>

[11:31] miss u. I’ll call u later.

{TEXT TO: LOXLEY; FROM MAEKO}

[11:35] no need 4 thx...in case u havent noticed we have kinda fallen 4 her around here

[11:35] reckon if a girl like that is unhappy there isnt much hope 4 the rest of us, ya?

[11:36] swing round tho if u want smth 2 take edge off...oz has got a whole bloody pharmacy here @ ur disposal

PIPER’S PHONE {TEXT TO: LOXLEY}

[unsent] i’m so sorry

[Message Read at 12:38]

[sinnyclair]

Another Sleepless Night

Her eyes were open. She just laid there. It was like every other night. Stay in bed for hours at a time and aimlessly stare at the ceiling. Maeko wasn't sleeping. Well, not that she needed rest anyways. Her s² engine gave her all the energy she could need to survive. She didn't even need to eat or even drink water. The Seventh Child just needed to keep her core intact, which was easier done than said.

But that's besides the point. Whenever nighttime fell upon Tokyo-3, sadness always arose in her. She didn't have to go back to her apartment, but it was safer than staying out in the dark alone. She didn't have to go to bed, but it was better than flicking through channels on a television that didn't even turn on. So there Maeko was, situated on a cheap air mattress, covered in a weighted blanket. The window was left a crack open, the crisp night air filling her bedroom. City lights shone through the glass as the nightlife of car horns and screeching tires filled the air. The angel grumbled to themselves before tugging the blanket over her head and burying herself into the pillow beneath. She would admit, that's why she usually keeps the window closed.

It was a good distraction, though. With the noise keeping her awake, it meant that she didn't have to close her eyes. Maeko didn't have to go through the pains of reliving her guilt of timelines long past. The noise, just any noise, gave her a chance to forget about choosing the Lilin over the angels. It gave her a chance to forget Kaworu's head falling into a pool of LCL below. It gave her the chance to not be reminded of the crimes she committed against her own kind. Any noise, even the loudest noise possible.

She rolled over to look at the alarm clock next to her. It read "3:59 a.m." Four hours and one minute from now, she would have to be at school. Not that she'd hate it. But spending an entire night if staring at the ceiling was no way to prepare for it. Shutting her eyes for the last time that night, Maeko buried her head into the pillow, hoping that her demons would be kind to her until morning.

[dazxian]

What Type of Hero Are You?

Aria Maeko’s Result: Tragic Hero (81%)

You are most like the Tragic Hero. The Tragic Hero is a hero who tries to be heroic, but eventually fails. Or if he doesn’t exactly fail at his goal (e.g. Hamlet), his story has a sad ending.

Additional Results:

Loveable Rogue (63%)

Anti-Hero (49%)

Conflicted Hero (39%)

Willing Hero (38%)

Visit: What Type of Hero Are You?

Tagged by @yuki-yukichan! Thank you!

Tagging @blacksnakeofkugane, @iridescent-life, @isaacakestor, @handofcards​, @madame-miersae​, @ritsuka-aoki​, and anyone else who would like to!

[the-hobgoblins]

There’s No Place Like [[Home?]] for the Holidays

In which Maeko Burke is forced to spend Christmas in her old, new home, with an unexpected guest.

Maeko Burke was not an easy egg to crack. And she liked it that way.

There was always a deliberate quality to her easy enigmatic nature, her practiced unknowable aloofness. She cherished her infamous Cheshire smile.

And Maeko was nothing if not independent. She’d never needed anyone and she’d never, ever wanted to be needed. I am the sea and nobody owns me. It was absolute liberation.

She was as ungraspable as air, and she didn’t care; Maeko Burke didn’t care for anyone or anything.

She didn’t care that the only person she’d ever fleetingly entertained the idea of loving decided he loved his idyllic visions of her future self more than the real thing.

She didn’t care that after a brief, botched dumpster fire of a family reunion with her parents after which she’d renounced her family name, Maeko’s parents were very publicly disgraced, tried for aiding and abetting known practitioners of the Dark Arts, and sent to live out their days in Azkaban.

No, Maeko didn’t care that she had no one; she was used to having no one. It was comfortable. It was safe.

Except that now, Maeko didn’t have no one.

She had a brother to contend with.

“You can stay here through the New Year, and that’s it.”

That’s what Maeko had told Oz coldly when he’d shown up at her parents’—her doorstep in Knockturn Alley, dirty and pathetic like an abandoned dog. Just because they were apparently related didn’t mean that Maeko had to like him.

And she didn’t like Oz. At all.

She hated how uncomfortably comfortable he was, all the time, even in the most uncomfortable of situations. She hated how easy it was for him to make himself at home in literally any location at any given moment. She hated how he always seemed to believe, for some unknown reason, that clothing was optional—and that his preference was always no clothing. She hated that he didn’t understand personal space.

She hated the way he looked just like their mother whenever he was about to say something wicked. She hated his carefree open-mouthed laugh, and the way it sounded exactly like her own.

Maeko especially hated his eyes. Those eyes that were the same intense azure blue as hers, the same size and shape, always ringed in the same way with cheap black smudged eyeliner and shadowed by dark purplish circles that meant he likewise never got enough sleep. But for as similar as their eyes were, Maeko hated Oz’s eyes because of how they were different.

Maeko’s eyes were walled with impenetrable steel, as strong a guard on her mind as a trained Occlumens. No one ever knew for sure what Maeko was thinking. You don’t know me at all, and you never will.

Oz, on the other hand—well, his eyes displayed everything. They shone bright with sincerity, the humor, with despair, with longing. Though his attitude was detached and nonchalant in a way that was intimately familiar to Maeko, his eyes told a different story entirely. Oz craved things, deeply and overwhelmingly. It was heart-wrenching and guilt-inducing and infuriating.

But Maeko was strong and resolute. It was shitty enough having to deal with inheriting a family estate that she had no interest in owning just days before Christmas; she wasn’t about to inherit a sibling she had no interest in caring about, too.

So what if he had high-grade spliff and dark Burke curls and sad blue eyes? Ozymandias Pryce was not going to crack Maeko Burke.

***

On Christmas Day, Maeko holed herself up in her parents’ old room, intent on gathering up and scrapping everything she could get her hands on. Not exactly festive, but it was better than spending any more awkward silences around her half-brother, overtly side-stepping each other. For the most part he’d done a decent job staying out of Maeko’s way, except for the fact that he just kept…looking at her, like he was expecting something. Maeko didn’t think he even realized he was doing it, and the fact that it was sincerely unintentional made it even worse. It made Maeko itch.

So she’d been spending the better part of the day taking out her passive aggressiveness on the shady junk that seemed to clutter every inch of this place, centuries of literal skeletons in closets, a mausoleum of spite and loneliness and dysfunction.

Which had worked fine for a while, except suddenly Maeko found herself clutching a ratty old blanket embroidered with the Dark Mark that her father had wrapped her in when she was born; the one she’d used as a cape when she was seven and had learned to climb up to the roof, her secret garden of brick and steel; the same blanket she’d wrapped tight around her body when she was five and her mother told her she was too old to be coddled to sleep like a fucking baby.

Maeko was clutching that blanket in white-knuckled fists and stupidly, so so fucking stupidly, she was crying. Stupid, silent tears streamed down her face because for just one tiny, private moment, Maeko was letting herself remember and feel, and the stupidest part of all was how much she actually did fucking care, maybe, maybe, how maybe all she’d ever done was want and want and never tell how much she wanted and how much she cared about how fucking unfair it all was and how stupidly, utterly, very much alone she was. I am the sea. Nobody…me.

She heard a floorboard creak behind her and Maeko snapped around, bristling at the intrusion and those goddamned fucking eyes staring at her like—like—

“What the fuck do you want?!” she spat, her voice cracking. Can’t you just leave me the FUCK alone already??

But Oz just stared at her for a very, very long moment. And then, without breaking eye contact, he reached out a gangly arm, his open palm flashing HELLO, and knocked a crystal vase onto the floor, where it shattered loudly.

Maeko gaped at him, too furious even to form words. After a moment, with appalling nonchalance, Oz said, “Sorry, but I was just thinking, you know, like…fuck that vase.”

Maeko stared for one more disbelieving a second.

And then, she cracked.

It started out as a sort of incredulous chuckle that grew in size and intensity until she was doubled up in hysterical laugher that was punctured by choking little sobs. In a manic frenzy, Maeko and her half-brother tore through Borgin and Burkes, shrieking like wild baboons while they smashed every priceless heirloom in sight.

Afterwards they sat amongst the broken debris and shattered glass that dusted the floors, glittering like frost in the twilight. And there, covered in grit and dust and sweat, three spliffs deep, did Maeko Burke finally curl up into Oz’s warm embrace and just let go.

Shivering, sniffling, absolutely pathetic, she let him pet her disastrously tangled, unruly curls. And to Maeko’s unmitigated surprise, she found that she liked the way it felt.

Needing.

Being needed.

That maybe, just maybe, they could be alone, together.

[servanttothelight-a]

"Family. The one thing I wish I had." (Maeko, @traitor-angel-16-5)

“Oh..That’s a lot more sad than what I was thinking...“

[thexsenjuxheirs-blog]

[Closed starter for @kinokami]

It hurt to see him like that.  Even though he still smiled, even though he still laughed, Maeko knew he cried.  She heard when he had nightmares which would wake him at night.  It was frightening and hurtful, so see a man who she was so very used to being happy...be so sad.  Silently she watched her father where he sat alone, back to her, facing the view over the village the surrounding forests.  It had been three months since Madara had come back, with a beast and the intention to kill and destroy everything Maeko had ever known.  And while everyone still lived and most things remained the same...at the same time nothing was like it used to be.  And that empty look in her father’s eyes he thought they couldn’t see, that had been there since Madara died, was the worst of it all.  His long hair swayed in the wind and Maeko gently grasped the paper bird she held a little bit firmer to protect it, but she couldn’t get herself to move any closer. 

[queengiuliettafirstlady]

Wanderer

Wanderer

Fandom: Ikemen vampire

Pairing: Dazai x OC (Juli Lesser vampire)

Prompt: Day 14 - Masks

Part of  Fall Fluff / Autumn Angst Content Creator Challenge hosted by @aquagirl1978 and @violettduchess

Tag: Spoiler Dazai name Mention of past addictions Angst Fluff

Word Count: 1.291

Author’s Note: Dazai demons came to haunt him making him reflect back on his life, saved from them only from the bright smile of his lover coaxing him out of darkness with her affection. 🥰

Tag list

@kissmetwicekissmedeadly @aquagirl1978 @violettduchess

@nightghoul381 @william-rex @writingwhimsey

@fang-and-feather @moonstruckmelancholic

@wistfulwanderingone @rjthirsty @lichtluv

@ike-garden2024 @jollibeeshappiness @starzyquee              

@maeko-kun @rkmaru

You can find me on AO3 as QueenJuliet 😊

Thank you for everyone who will like, reblog, or comment please be gentle with me english is not my first language so please do not leave rude comments I apologise for eventual errors I hope you will like it 😊

It was a frizzy autumn night, the shining stars making a glimmering road in the night sky, guiding travelers and wanderes in their voyage, the moon protectors and guardian of dreams wishes hopes and all that whispered to her from any corner in the whole galaxy.

A carousell of masks spin in his head, the obedient little brother, the busy student, the lustful sinner, the writer, the affectionate lover, the vagabond, the human fake he wanted to scream all fake did out of necessity to trump himslef first of all and everyone else he did belonged among humans, things he never felt in any moment of his life, chosing to atone for his mistakes becoming a vampire.

He tossed and turned in the bed regrets, sins, mistakes, embarasment, all coming down to haunt him forcing him to wake up wandering aimlessly around the mansion going on the roof staring at the stars hoping the cold air could brush away his demons instead the more time he spent here the more they yelled whispering wicked things in his ear he did not wanted to hear not desiring to follow them slowly he slide inside going in the kitchen careful to not wake up anyone else, a sad expression replace of his usual smile he used to cover his scars with, a mask for everyone to see covering the darkness of his heart with his breezy bright attitude leaving no one to see past his facade fof fear of rejection and docking, people pleaser out of necessity to fake his belonging to the human race, he no longer had to think of but keeping his habit due to avoid standing out and attract attention he surely did not deserved of.

He uncorked a bottle of blanc trying to drown his displeasure in it but uselss was it to tame anything but his barely there thirst and so he went in the parlor taking off a whiskey bottle from one of the cabinet gulping one shot after another of the fine alchool letting it burn his throat, drowning even for while his thoughts chasing them away or so he yearned for still a barely whisper lingered in his mind, he was almost to uncork another bottle but her smile popped up into his mind filling him with regrets since he promised her he had closed with his past life of alchool and morphine addiction but he did not wanted to make her worry all over a nothingness like him drunken slumped on the table like the miserable pathetic man he was, an heavy sigh soon followed by a wry laugh of self pity he returned the bottle to the cabinet closing it with a tud determination shining in his eyes, never he was more sure than anything in his life than he had to indulge in that sin only when necessary and no more than what he strictly need to tame his demons never to the point of getting blank drunken and this was an oath he made to himself since he married her, for nothing he would have betrayed her trust in him and he had no intention to break his own rule either.

He could not let himself go back to his mistakes and surely he would have not, he was lucky enough to have such a kind sweet girl who loved him and he knew deep down that she deserved way better than him, better than an useless good for nothing man like him but still he was her choice and for nothing in the world he would have make her doubt of the love and dedication he nurtured for her, resoluted at offering her the best version of himself he could manage to craft cutting ties with his old habits, she did not deserve to suffer and worry for him and he was more than determined to not let his sins being a burden to her.

Turning his back to his past he headed straight to his room founding her curling up with his blanket slumped against the headboard of his bed, her face lightening up at his sight concern reflected in her pale green eyes he felt his heart clench painfully as the regret of his secret misdeed had concerned her, bothering her to the point of abandoning her studies in the library in favor of settle down on his room trying to take her anxiety clinging on his blanket.

He hated himself more than anything in that moment loathing his weakness and sins behind words at her misty eyes looked up at him with so much trust and acceptance he did not deserve neither the crumble of, triggering her to worry over him in what he imagined being a unstoppable wave of anxiety that almost surely engulfed her in a panic attack he was not there to calm her from unlike her that was always there with him when he needed the most.

He gulped uneasily plastering a feeble smile on his face slowly he circled her in his arms coddling her head into his chest feeling her finger gripping tightly his shirt

“I apologise if I have worried you.” she nodded absently as a whisper in his heart  tugged in his heart for he did not deserved her acceptance nor her kindness, better would have been if she had yelled at him beaten on his chest screaming her hate to him but he knew that she could not that she loved him too much and that somehow make his remorse gnaw further his conscience

“Itoshi teru watashi no kotori.” he whispered this words in her ear hoping they may have mend for his mistake a plea he was begging her for forgiveness he was not worthy of receiving letting other words linger in his mind - You are too good for me

she caressed his chest her words left unspoken too afraid to hear what she already knew

“I am fine.” he placed a tender kiss on her forehead hiding himself behind a smile whom she would have looked through

“Shuji.” she looked up at him pleadingly while she whispered softly “Please.” words too shy she was to speak but conveyed through her eyes as she looked into his amber ones shining in the darkness -Trust me

gently he cradled her better in his arms tightening his grip 

“Memories can hunt well, did you know that ?” a forlorn smile on her lips she answered clinging better into him “Someone told me so.” she hugged him nuzzling her face into his chest

“I feel better when you are with me Juli-chan.” he leaned closer to her ear whispering

“I am happy when I am with you as I have never been.” his voice crinkled ever so slightly afraid she might change her mind and give up on him “Please stay forever with me.” she smiled content at his words  as he sighed in relief.

“I will tell you a secret. I am happy when we are together too.” 

Gently he kissed her hair hearing her melodious giggle resonate through the air as they slide under the blankets as he adjusted them over her she leaned into him kissing his shirt above heart, making him melt as a pleasant warmth invaded his body he kissed her forehead tenderly gazing at her with so much affection he never felt for anyone else admiring her beautiful features gleaming under the moonlight slowly drifting asleep in each other arms ready to meet in their own dreams to show off their love for one another in any dimension ready to make it come true once the sun would have filtered through the window bathing everything in the warm light of their love. 

Itoshi teru watashi no kotori - I love you my little bird

[beautifulbluebunny-blog]

The Keeper of the Abyss

What do you see when you look at me                                                                  A black abyss leading to my heart                                                                        At first, you see nothing, but at second glance                                                        You see a tiny spark, but only for a second                                                            Follow it and you will see                                                                                        Fiery limbs reaching out, these are my secrets                                                      But don’t let them touch you                                                                                    They will take you in captivity                                                                                  For I am never ending fear, pain, and misery                                                          I see all, I know all, I am no god                                                                            You know I’m real and tell only the truth                                                                  You tell me your deepest secrets, but not by choice                                              Show me your weakness, I am hungry                                                                  Feed me, feed my dark void of a soul                                                                      I am neither your friend nor your enemy                                                                  I live in the depths of the forest                                                                                I live alone with my troubles within the largest tree                                                  But don’t worry, I’ll find you when you think of me

- Maeko Zackary 

My first published poem. It’s a little dark, a little scary, a little sad.

[adamworu]

For reasons unknown, I'm imagining Palutena's Guidance for Pit when fighting any of the Ged incarnations.

I get the feeling Mang-Ged’s would be comedic, Ani-Ged’s would be a mix of comedic and melancholic, whereas Maeko’s would be melancholic. These Guidances would be based on the respective incarnations’ situations. Maeko’s Guidance being sad would likely prompt Pit to hug her rather than fight her, she’s been through enough the way it is.

[diliqence-archive]

“Ouch” (Maemi)

Send “Ouch” to my inbox for a random sad or distressing headcanon about my muse

OKAy listen..... maemi deserved better as a kid!!!! yes, she’s a manipulative murderer now, but as a kid, all she wanted was to be a hero. and let me tell you how it is MAEMI ended up on this path while maeko walked the path her sister dreamed of.

maemi has always been more reserved -- not shy or lacking confidence, but she prefers solitude and allowing others to run their mouths while she sits back and watches. but the kids would mistake her silence for being SHY; bullies mistook her silence for being MEEK, and maemi was not going to have that, folks. nope.

she wound up in a lot of fights, eventually became something of a bitter bean bc everyone would make fun of her and maeko’s quirk, call them VILLAINS, and she even began to believe the things they’d say. how could a quirk like theirs help people when its purpose was to HARM? but maemi never let anyone hear her agree, never let them see how they got to her because she was going to show them and herself that such a bloody quirk could be used for something GOOD.

and when they got to middle school, things changed a bit. maemi and maeko’s dynamic changed. instead of needing maemi’s protection from playground bullies, maeko flourished socially. her outgoing personality won their classmates over, and they ACCEPTED her. the bullies wouldn’t go near maeko. but maemi was a different story; maemi wasn’t playful and easy going and so, SO likable that no one could ever even THINK of hurting her feelings. no, maemi was quiet. she hung out with other kids whose quirks were deemed “villainous” or “useless.” she and rest of her friends were subject to harassment, and maemi would get into fights. this continued into high school.

she never used her quirk, though. that was a big ol’ NO NO for her no matter how angry she became, so imagine maemi’s surprise when everyone INCLUDING maeko didn’t : )) believe her : ))) when she said she didn’t use her quirk to hurt her classmate : )))))))))))))

and that’s where maemi took a turn for the worst. even if she was able to come back to school after being expelled, everything was worse. she had been painted as this villain to all save for her close friends, and they couldn’t console her because the FRUSTRATION and RESENTMENT were too much. the betrayal she felt when her SISTER believed their lies was unbearable.

so maemi snapped. not right away -- she finished school, became a pro hero doing the same kind of work that maeko did, and things were okay for a time. the rage that had settled into her chest was slowly drifting away.

but good things never last bc i’m horrible : ) a coworker who couldn’t take being out-shined by some rookie claimed maemi attacked her using her quirk, produced some injuries that most certainly weren’t maemi’s doing, and you guys can guess what happened next.

i..... spoke way too much but my point is!! maemi only wanted to be a hero, guys. she never wanted to hurt anyone; people just kept painting her that way, so even tho she’s a sadistic serial killer now, i still feel sad for her : ((

[peace-love-piper]

Piper was laying in her bed in her room at Borgin & Burkes. There were still a few days to go before they were supposed to leave for France, but Maeko had left for her big camping trip two days ago; it was strange how the absence of a very quiet person could still make a house feel empty.

Piper was on the verge of drifting off to sleep when she heard the creak of a floorboard outside her closed door. She stared at it for a moment, and though there was no more noise, sure enough, after a moment, she could pick up the faintest wisps of energy as they trickled up through the cracks between the door and its frame. She sighed, and then decisively walked over to the door and opened it, where she was unsurprised to see Oz standing on the other side, half-naked as usual and looking like a Niffler caught with a diamond.

“Piper!” he said with unconvincing casualness, “Don’t mind me, I was just, er…” He trailed off, unable to come up with an excuse.

“Oz, would you like to sleep in here with me?” Piper asked kindly. His black-ringed eyes glinted sheepishly in the low light, and Piper added reassuringly, “It’s okay. I’m alone tonight, too.”

Not requiring further convincing, Oz grinned appreciatively and sprang into Piper’s bed in a manner that was, somehow, both catlike and uncoordinated. Piper tucked herself into bed on the opposite side and closed her eyes. She was used to the distinctive energy of both her roommates at this point; Oz’s was frantic and could be intense, but it held a quality of organized chaos reminiscent of listening to jazz music too loud inside headphones. It was comforting, now, in its familiarity, but the fact was that simply having someone else in the bed with her—no matter who it was—suddenly made Piper not very tired at all.

She rolled over so that she was facing the middle of the bed, almost touching noses with Oz. His eyes were open and he smiled a disarming, impish smile—so eerily similar and equally as unreadable to the one often worn by his half-sister.

“Oz, can I ask you something kind of…personal?” said Piper.

“Sure thing, Peach. I’m an open book.”

“Well…you and Maeko, you’re…you’re half-siblings, right? So, I was just wondering…” Piper flushed, embarrassed; staring into his face she couldn’t seem to find the words she was looking for, or the courage to ask them.

Oz seemed oddly unoffended by Piper’s lack of social etiquette on the subject. If anything his smile widened as he rolled onto his back and said, “Ah, the age-old existential quandary: where do I come from? What’s my Tragic Backstory?”

“Well, erm…yeah, I guess,” Piper said, turning several shades darker pink. She really could have handled this better, but…she was curious.

Oz sighed and stared up at the ceiling for several long moments, resting his head on his hands. Piper watched his face crinkle up into a wince, like the memories he was dwelling in were painful, and Piper was going to tell him she was sorry and to forget she’d said anything, but then Oz said:

“There’s not much to it, really. It’s not particularly tragic or particularly interesting. Maeko’s dad’s name is Richard Burke—I’m sure you will have heard of him, no? Real slimy prick. Definitely deep into the Dark Arts and got the hell out of dodge when the Ministry cracked down on that kind of thing around here. That was right around the time Maeko was born, and her mum—my mum—well…she got lonely. Women, huh?” He glanced at Piper and gave her a cheeky little wink that seemed wildly inappropriate given the context of the story. Piper squirmed, uncomfortable, and Oz continued: “Maeko’s godfather’s name is Donovan Pryce, and—ding ding ding!—you guessed it! That evil bastard is my dear old dad.” His tone was flippant, but Piper of course could feel the cacophonous waves of resentment and longing that were rolling off of Oz and shocking into her system.

It certainly did nothing to lessen the sensation, but Piper being Piper reached out tentatively and took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his in a small attempt to comfort him. Oz gave her a sad smile and squeezed her hand back a little. Then, after a moment he continued, “Who knows how long the affair went on…in all likelihood it started long before Richard bounced and Maeko was born. But whatever happened, nine months later and I was born. Isla—that’s our mum—she got word from her hubby that he was just hiding out until it was safe to return, and maybe she was scared of him or maybe she was just plain naive, but she suddenly started feeling real guilty about having a kid with another man. She wanted me to live with my father but honestly, he just really hates children. So they sent me to live with various relatives and told me my parents were killed in the war supporting the Dark Lord, and I was homeschooled—not very well, I might add—because I guess that made it less likely the truth would get out. Which, you know, it eventually did, at the trial that sent all our parents to Azkaban…where I for one hope they all rot ’til they’re dead.”

The sudden surge of hatred burned against Piper’s palm, but she winced through the pain. It was gone almost as quickly as it came, though, and Oz softened back to his usual distant, humored disinterest; that was just the way he was, pinging between emotions like a pinball machine. “Maeko was not thrilled about having me in her life at all, at first, but…well, neither of us had anyone else, did we? So we’ve just…tried to make the best of it.”

Oz turned toward Piper and, disentangling their hands, used his to toy with some strands of her bright orange hair. “Why do you ask? I mean, you’ve lived here all this time and you wait until now to start prying into our personal lives?” Oz said with his signature brand of off-color humor.

“Well…” mused Piper, trying to think of a way to voice her reasoning without sounding completely selfish, and coming up with none. “…it’s just…my mother has always been so secretive about everything I’ve ever wanted to know about myself…who my father is, the details of our Veela line…I’ve felt like an enigma in the world for so long and I just…I don’t want to go my whole life without knowing.” Oz’s fingers traced abstract shapes on her arm and Piper shivered, feeling vulnerable.

There was silence between them for a long beat and then, with a quaver of uncertainty in her voice, Piper said, “I guess what I want to know is…do you think it’s better, to know? Even if the truth is painful, or unpleasant?”

Oz withdrew his hand and seemed to genuinely ponder this for a moment. “I think it’s always better to know, Pip. I doubt there’s such a thing, really, as being blissfully ignorant.”

Piper nodded in solemn agreement. “I’ve…I’ve had a hard time working up the nerve to admit to Loxley that it’s something I want to look into. He’s so touchy about things having to do with his own past, you know…painful truths that he’d rather keep buried. And besides, learning more about my Veela heritage means really acknowledging what I am, and…I guess I’m just scared of what that will mean, for us…”

Oz frowned in confusion. “Why? What do you mean?”

“Well...people who have said that they care for me, in the past…it’s never been real, really. It’s nice while it lasts, but…people have a tendency of telling me what I want to hear, because, I’m…I’m so pathetically desperate for affection that they just…they can’t help it, it…it goes along with the charm, being…influenced, emotionally, by my desires…” Tears were welling up in her eyes and her throat was tightening up, and Piper hated how utterly stupid she was. People like Oz and Maeko and Loxley had it far worse off than she ever had, and yet she still had the capacity to sit here feeling sorry for herself? It was beyond comprehension, and Piper hated herself for it.

Oz stared at her with an air of genuine sympathy, but also like he had no idea what to say. After a moment he drew up Piper’s hand again and, wetly and unrefined, he kissed her fingertips. Then he said, totally deadpan, “Well for what it’s worth, I think you’re an ugly cow with no redeemable qualities to speak of.”

Piper, who understood precisely what he was trying to say, gave a wet laugh and smiled. “Thank you.” She sighed, and closed her eyes, allowing the lingering tears to tumble down her cheeks.

“For what it’s also worth, I think he does really care for you, despite your freaky little powers…” Oz continued, “…but I’m also a certified unstable lunatic and a drug addict, so take that with a hefty fucking grain of salt.” He smirked lopsidedly and Piper hugged him around his middle, and neither of them said anything else.

And, eventually, they both drifted off to sleep.